Hello, reader!
As you may or may not have picked up on, I’m participating in a relaxed readalong for the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. I had honestly never heard of this series before one of the TWR gang suggested this readalong, but the premise pulled me in. It’s a police procedural and a fantasy all wrapped up into one incredible package!
I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this series, but I’m woefully behind on my reviews. Which is why I’m doing another installment of my mini reviews! Let’s go ahead and dive in.
The first book in the Rivers of London series was a great starter. I loved getting to know Peter Grant, our sarcastic main character who is a PC for the Metropolitan in London that discovers that magic is very real. Not only is magic real, but there’s an entire division of the Met that is dedicated to taking care of “the weird stuff”. I mean… there was only one person assigned to the unit before Peter, but it still exists! The build up of this world that is very like and unlike our own was wonderful and definitely got me invested in the series.
Though there is a lot of set up in this book, it still has a gripping plot that completely sucked me into the book. I also loved the characters though I will admit that I found Peter a tad frustrating in this first story. Not to the point where I thought he was annoying or anything. No, I was just worried about his reckless self, lol. Peter’s tone of voice makes this story such a fun and engaging read. And the magical elements gave it an ominous feel that I love!
As first books in a series go, this one was pretty stellar.
This is my favorite book in the series, so far. There, I said it. I don’t know if it’s because of all the references to jazz music and the jazz scene. Or maybe it’s watching Peter trying to get his feet under him in his magical apprenticeship. And I always love learning more about the magical world in this series. All of it comes together to create a story that I absolutely loved.
This story follows Peter as he investigates a suspicious string of dead musicians who all have one song connecting them. As he gets deeper into the case, he also starts to learn of a rogue magician who may be making a reappearance: The Faceless Man. This was such a fast-paced, intriguing read that kept my interest from page one until the end!
I think my favorite aspect of this installment is that we get introduced to the series overarching plot, which has been getting more interesting and twisty as the series continues. It also feel like we really settled into the world of this series in this book. It certainly made me eager to continue!
The third installment in the Rivers of London series was just as much fun as the first two! In this one, we’re following Peter as he is investigating the high profile murder of a young American student. His investigation leads him into the subway system of London… and much deeper. What he finds is much more than what he was expecting.
This one was a romp of a book! I really enjoyed the new characters that were introduced in this one and again getting to watch Peter adjust to this new, magical world. It’s been so interesting seeing Peter’s development as not only a sorcerer’s apprentice, but a police officer. And I continue to love his snarky tone! I was a little sad that there wasn’t much Nightingale in this one. I still loved the story overall!
The fact that we get introduced to one of my favorite characters, Abigail, certainly helped 😁
Kerri McBookNerd 