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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
Out of London and into the country. Why are the foxgloves doing so well in non-acidic soil? Is this an important plot point? I'm not gonna tell. What about Leslie? Fairies, unicorns, changelings, and country folk. As well as artisanal mutton. All makes for a very good story. I hope Aaronovitch keeps this universe going for a whole bunch of books.
I really love this series. This story was great and the author dropped some big hints about events to come.
Not one of Aaronovich's best works for sure. While of few of the events pleased me, like the return of Beverly Brook, the execution of the mystery was unnecessarily convoluted without a satisfying ending. It ultimately left me with more questions than it answered.
I appreciated the evolution of Peter Grant, though he still seems fairly apathetic about everything important, almost as if the author is afraid of giving Peter real emotions. However, I've gotten used to that characteristic in Peter, so while I would like a little more, this is less of an issue and didn't detract from the story.
What did detract from the story, however, is the way all the supernatural stuff was explained in that...it wasn't. The mystery of the missing girls is 2-part: one regarding the mundane search for the girls and the other where Grant is looking for magical stuff related to their disappearance. While the #1 mystery is solved about 2/3 of the way through the book, it leads to all kinds of new magical mysteries that don't fully get wrapped up by the end.
What I found most frustrating in this book, which I've also seen to a lesser degree in the other books, is that magic is known to exist starting (at least) with Isaac Newton but 90% of Nightingale's answers to Peter are, "I don't know." You would think that 5 books into the series, some more in-depth answers would avail themselves as Peter gets more experienced and Nightingale trusts Peter more. But still there is an implication that nothing (or very little) is shared between practitioners in the community, even if it would help the greater good.
A lot of Aaronovich's plots seem to be driven by secrets and keeping them, then revealing them at the exact right moment. Sometimes this is fine, but other times it feels almost too convenient, like the author ran out of breadcrumbs to lead the reader in the right direction so he just gives away the secret. In this case, the reappearance of the girls kicks off a second mystery and then a third and so on so that by the time you get to the last 20 pages, you only have a vague idea of what's been going on up to that point. Then, in the last 20 pages, the author has to wrap things up very quickly which left me unsatisfied.
Unlike some of his earlier books, this one seems like an aside--almost a side quest--in the greater mystery where the author just jammed a lot of interesting ideas into one sort-of story. Did it advance the series plot with Leslie and the Faceless Man? Kind of.... Did it feel more like a TV episode where the network realizes it's losing its audience, so needs to do something weird and interesting to keep people interested? Definitely. Will I keep reading the series? Probably. I still need to know who that guy is. Fortunately these books are quick, easy reads.
I appreciated the evolution of Peter Grant, though he still seems fairly apathetic about everything important, almost as if the author is afraid of giving Peter real emotions. However, I've gotten used to that characteristic in Peter, so while I would like a little more, this is less of an issue and didn't detract from the story.
What did detract from the story, however, is the way all the supernatural stuff was explained in that...it wasn't. The mystery of the missing girls is 2-part: one regarding the mundane search for the girls and the other where Grant is looking for magical stuff related to their disappearance. While the #1 mystery is solved about 2/3 of the way through the book, it leads to all kinds of new magical mysteries that don't fully get wrapped up by the end.
What I found most frustrating in this book, which I've also seen to a lesser degree in the other books, is that magic is known to exist starting (at least) with Isaac Newton but 90% of Nightingale's answers to Peter are, "I don't know." You would think that 5 books into the series, some more in-depth answers would avail themselves as Peter gets more experienced and Nightingale trusts Peter more. But still there is an implication that nothing (or very little) is shared between practitioners in the community, even if it would help the greater good.
A lot of Aaronovich's plots seem to be driven by secrets and keeping them, then revealing them at the exact right moment. Sometimes this is fine, but other times it feels almost too convenient, like the author ran out of breadcrumbs to lead the reader in the right direction so he just gives away the secret. In this case, the reappearance of the girls kicks off a second mystery and then a third and so on so that by the time you get to the last 20 pages, you only have a vague idea of what's been going on up to that point. Then, in the last 20 pages, the author has to wrap things up very quickly which left me unsatisfied.
Unlike some of his earlier books, this one seems like an aside--almost a side quest--in the greater mystery where the author just jammed a lot of interesting ideas into one sort-of story. Did it advance the series plot with Leslie and the Faceless Man? Kind of.... Did it feel more like a TV episode where the network realizes it's losing its audience, so needs to do something weird and interesting to keep people interested? Definitely. Will I keep reading the series? Probably. I still need to know who that guy is. Fortunately these books are quick, easy reads.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-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:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No