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roseangel2's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Very unique tone, always feels a bit chaotic, a bit like an oral story written down. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it- music is magic, songs are people and the spirit of new Orleans is alive and well.
thepagelady's review
4.0
Book Review…The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings
There is no other place like it. Nola is a place of sky trolleys and dead cabs, where haints dance the night away and Wise Women keep the order, and where songs walk, talk and keep the spirit of the city alive. Nine songs of power have escaped from the magical piano that maintains the city’s beat and without them. Unexpectedly, Perry and his sister, Brendy, are tasked with saving the city. But a storm is brewing and the Haint of All Haints is awake. Even if they capture the songs, Nola’s time might be coming to an end.
This was a vivid and magical read about family, friends and MUSIC! There's different points of views and some odd events and at times the story was a little confusing but it was still a wonderful read! I know I'm contradicting myself but the way the author made this story so vivid and rich was wonderful! The details in this story were amazing! The world building is imaginative, colourful and vibrant! The characters are diverse. Peaches was probably my favorite! She is mysterious and extraordinary. I'd love to read more about her! I know this book may not be for everyone. It's a story that takes patience but it is worth every moment you spend reading and losing yourself in the colorful, musical and magical world!
There is no other place like it. Nola is a place of sky trolleys and dead cabs, where haints dance the night away and Wise Women keep the order, and where songs walk, talk and keep the spirit of the city alive. Nine songs of power have escaped from the magical piano that maintains the city’s beat and without them. Unexpectedly, Perry and his sister, Brendy, are tasked with saving the city. But a storm is brewing and the Haint of All Haints is awake. Even if they capture the songs, Nola’s time might be coming to an end.
This was a vivid and magical read about family, friends and MUSIC! There's different points of views and some odd events and at times the story was a little confusing but it was still a wonderful read! I know I'm contradicting myself but the way the author made this story so vivid and rich was wonderful! The details in this story were amazing! The world building is imaginative, colourful and vibrant! The characters are diverse. Peaches was probably my favorite! She is mysterious and extraordinary. I'd love to read more about her! I know this book may not be for everyone. It's a story that takes patience but it is worth every moment you spend reading and losing yourself in the colorful, musical and magical world!
ruth24's review
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Redhook Books for providing me with a copy of The Ballad of Perilous Graves by Alex Jennings in exchange for an honest review.
What initially drew me to this book, aside from the beautiful cover, was the idea of music as a form of magic and the New Orleans setting. Jennings has so many creative ideas I have personally not seen in books before: the particular way that music and other forms of art were sorcery, the Dr. Professor character, songs having 'human' forms, the P bodies... I found myself really excited by these ideas and trying, and failing, to explain what I was reading to others. I also really want to visit New Orleans now!
The Ballad of Perilous Graves has all the imagination, whimsy, quirkiness and creativity that I particularly enjoy in books, but that are perhaps not for every reader. At times I did find it quite convoluted and got confused about what plane the characters were on and what form they were in. I was listening to a Book Riot podcast episode and, about this book, one of the hosts said "you just have to go with it." I'd say that's good advice when reading this book and really its only downfall. If you're getting a bit confused, let go of needing to know exactly what's going on and just go on along for the ride!
Personally I would rate this book 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4) and I'm very much looking forward to Jennings' future writing!
I'd recommend this book to fans of Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere), Jasper Fforde (the Nursery Crime Series and the Thursday Next Series), Genevieve Cogman (The Invisible Library series) and Garth Nix (The Left-Handed Booksellers of London).
What initially drew me to this book, aside from the beautiful cover, was the idea of music as a form of magic and the New Orleans setting. Jennings has so many creative ideas I have personally not seen in books before: the particular way that music and other forms of art were sorcery, the Dr. Professor character, songs having 'human' forms, the P bodies... I found myself really excited by these ideas and trying, and failing, to explain what I was reading to others. I also really want to visit New Orleans now!
The Ballad of Perilous Graves has all the imagination, whimsy, quirkiness and creativity that I particularly enjoy in books, but that are perhaps not for every reader. At times I did find it quite convoluted and got confused about what plane the characters were on and what form they were in. I was listening to a Book Riot podcast episode and, about this book, one of the hosts said "you just have to go with it." I'd say that's good advice when reading this book and really its only downfall. If you're getting a bit confused, let go of needing to know exactly what's going on and just go on along for the ride!
Personally I would rate this book 3.5/5 (rounded up to 4) and I'm very much looking forward to Jennings' future writing!
I'd recommend this book to fans of Neil Gaiman (Neverwhere), Jasper Fforde (the Nursery Crime Series and the Thursday Next Series), Genevieve Cogman (The Invisible Library series) and Garth Nix (The Left-Handed Booksellers of London).
jkjoo00's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kelli_jean_'s review against another edition
3.0
Lyrical and bright but a bit confusing. Unsatisfactory ending.
anomieus's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Books that have cities as an integral part of the story, as an actual character, are a favourite of mine. The Ballad of Perilous Graves’ New Orleans has that in spades, and what’s more, in a modern setting (yes, Anne Rice did this beautifully with The Witching Hour but her Nola was pre-00s which was perfect for the story. But having an updated Nola in Perilous Graves that incorporates modern issues and problems – Katrina, poverty and other social issues etc. bring the city up to date in my imagination.)
Weaving music and magic into the heart of the city, the characters, and the story, this book is an urban fantasy with legend and myth front and centre. Every time I was reading, I was hearing the music in my head, and then I found Alex Jennings had very helpfully put together a Spotify playlist that inspired his story and that just made everything almost perfect.
There is a lot happening in this book and it does suffer a bit from some complex storylines that a reader can get a bit lost in. There are different variations of New Orleans/Nola/Away/Dead Side which can be pretty tricky to parse out and understand where they are separated and where they bleed into one another.
I think a bit of judicious editing would have served the overall story well, but ultimately, I really loved the characters in the story: Perry, Peaches, Brendy, Casey, Fess, etc. The aftermath of Katrina and the scars it left, both physically and mentally on the city and its people, are integral to the story and I found that aspect heart wrenching and topical.
I rated this 3.5 out of 5, but rounded up just for the shear effort that went into the story. I would have gone even higher had it been trimmed a bit and a little more coherence brought to the plotlines and some of the characters.
aoib's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
olivialoverderheinheimer's review against another edition
This was just so confusing and even 130 pages I didn’t know what was happening.