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Moon Over Soho is an enjoyable, satisfying sophomore entry into the Peter Grant series about a London constable who is now working in magical law enforcement.
Peter calls on Leslie after the brutal ending of the first book. As he leaves, he's called to the morgue where Dr. Walid wants Peter to note the definite vestigia about a dead man. Peter gets a clear sound of jazz sax, the kind of clue that only comes with strong magic. The team is still trying to protect Nightingale, recovering from a gun ...more
Peter calls on Leslie after the brutal ending of the first book. As he leaves, he's called to the morgue where Dr. Walid wants Peter to note the definite vestigia about a dead man. Peter gets a clear sound of jazz sax, the kind of clue that only comes with strong magic. The team is still trying to protect Nightingale, recovering from a gun ...more
My review of Moon of Soho.
Holdbrook-Smith continues to shine as a narrator. His vocal talent brings both Peter and the many people he interacts with to live in a way one doesn't quite get while reading. First time he voices Leslie using her iPad text-to-speech function was brilliant. However, when he voiced Leslie speaking on the phone, I found it partly unintelligible but still good. When Leslie later spoke in person with Peter, voicing was back to brilliant. I have to say, I loved his voicing ...more
Holdbrook-Smith continues to shine as a narrator. His vocal talent brings both Peter and the many people he interacts with to live in a way one doesn't quite get while reading. First time he voices Leslie using her iPad text-to-speech function was brilliant. However, when he voiced Leslie speaking on the phone, I found it partly unintelligible but still good. When Leslie later spoke in person with Peter, voicing was back to brilliant. I have to say, I loved his voicing ...more
Almost literally, unless it grew legs and bolted when I wasn’t looking, Moon Over Soho hit the ground running from where Rivers of London left us. Not only does Ben Aaronovitch make it as smoothly readable as its predecessor (to the point where I was often having to cover up the next page with hands and/or arms), but this one truly feels like part of a larger story, doubtless to continue on and reward our patience handsomely in the following books, as opposed to a smaller, self-contained one th
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With “moon” in the title and a setting like London, I was expecting there to be a werewolf tale or at the very least a shapeshifter subplot, but this a story about Soho and jazz… and murder and magic and supernatural forces and things beyond our existential control, but mostly Soho and jazz. So of course, my favorite kind of urban fantasy. You won’t even miss the lack of werewolves at all.
Once in a very rare while, an author’s writing style syncs up with all the qualities which I look for in a g ...more
Once in a very rare while, an author’s writing style syncs up with all the qualities which I look for in a g ...more
2nd Review (5/20/17):
Rating: 3.5
Where rereading Rivers of London so soon after the first reading had dimmed the experience, rereading Moon Over Soho had an opposite effect. I got more out of this 2nd reading; there were details that I had missed the first time around. I still feel that Mos is not at the level of RoL, but the overall experience was better this time.
I had initially blamed my taking so long to read the book as one of the main reasons why I did not enjoy it that much. I realize now ...more
Rating: 3.5
Where rereading Rivers of London so soon after the first reading had dimmed the experience, rereading Moon Over Soho had an opposite effect. I got more out of this 2nd reading; there were details that I had missed the first time around. I still feel that Mos is not at the level of RoL, but the overall experience was better this time.
I had initially blamed my taking so long to read the book as one of the main reasons why I did not enjoy it that much. I realize now ...more
I left a gap between this book and the last and I'd forgotten how much I love the way Aaronovitch writes. Every single page has something funny enough to make me laugh aloud or a turn of phrase so perfect it makes my heart skip or an insight that resonates way beyond the pages of a book. And it's just so much FUN! This series needs to be televised or made in to a film or something - the way it is written is crying out for a screen adaption, it's so close to it already. Peter is a delight, surpri
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For me this second installment in the Peter Grant series was even more fun than the first. A bit less inventive, perhaps, but we're now past the introductions stage and I enjoyed the filling in of backstories and further development of some favorite secondary characters. Again I found the level of detail in describing Peter's sexual encounters to be excessive, and the degree to which his judgement was apparently obstructed by raging hormones is hard to credit. The general outlines of the outcome
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I enjoyed this book immensely and it now holds the distinction of being the first book that I have listened to without having read the print version beforehand. And maybe for that reason, I had a little bit of difficulty staying with the story. I also had trouble understanding Leslie's character when she spoke to Peter in person or on the phone. No matter how many times I went back, I couldn't make out more than a few words. But overall, narration was fantastic and I can't wait for the next inst
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The second Peter Grant book is very atmospheric, delving into the London jazz music scene and history. There's plenty of unusual magic again, though the river gods play a much smaller role. The "bad guy" of this mystery is not as big and terrible as the last book. Nightingale is back in the action, though still a bit weak from injuries. Peter's magical lessons are progressing, but he's not learning at a very rapid pace.
All of these things added to my feeling that this book was a bit lighter or ...more
All of these things added to my feeling that this book was a bit lighter or ...more
I am thoroughly enjoying this series. Is it the best in the world? No. But it is fun, diverse and has a great narrator and setting.
I will say in this book I was annoyed by how obvious the murderer was (view spoiler), but you know, I don't think I'd ...more
I will say in this book I was annoyed by how obvious the murderer was (view spoiler), but you know, I don't think I'd ...more
I'm probably being a bit generous by giving this four stars. The things I loved about the first book are still here: humor, pacing, the city as a character, and Peter's voice. In this second novel, jazz musicians are dying around the city. The deaths seem to be connected to a specific recording of a song, and Peter reconnects with his parents (including his famous jazz-musician father) to seek the killer. The plot is once again merely good, which is where the series is stumbling a bit for me. Th
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I'm in love with this series. It's a geeky slice of London life, filled with slang, wit and magic. I'm rationing the rest of the series out so I don't finish it too soon.
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