Friday Face-Off: Exotic
Posted on March 13, 2020 20 Comments
Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.
This week’s theme is:
“That which yields, is not always weak”
~ a cover that is EXOTIC
Mogsy’s Pick:
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty
When I saw this week’s topic, I immediately thought of City of Brass. Exquisite, spellbinding, and exotic are all words that perfectly describe this gorgeously written novel, and I remember well the way it transported me to its rich world of fantasy and magic. The book has been graced with a couple of beautiful covers as well, and today I want to feature and compare the US and UK editions:
HarperVoyager US (2017) vs. HarperVoyager UK (2018)
Winner:
I’m definitely biased today, as the US version is the one I own, and it is even more stunning in person. I just love the fiery contrast of the colors and gold embossed detail.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: No Bad Deed by Heather Chavez
Posted on March 12, 2020 25 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: William Morrow
Length: 312 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Whew, I definitely needed a moment to catch my breath after this one. In a word, No Bad Deed was wild. So wild, it admittedly required a fair bit of suspension of disbelief, but I do so enjoy books like these that are full of twists and high stakes. It’s the kind of suspense thrillers that I live for.
It all started one rainy night, while diving home from work, Cassie witnesses a man brutally beating a woman at the side of the road. As a veterinarian, our protagonist’s first instinct is to help those in need, prompting her to pull over right away to put a stop to the attack. That’s how she first meets Carver Sweet, a convicted murderer, who would have killed again if Cassie hadn’t intervened. Leaving his victim broken and bloody in a ditch, he issues a warning: “Let her die, and I’ll let you live.” Then he steals Cassie’s idling car and speeds away, along with everything in it—including her purse containing her keys, wallet and driver’s license. With that, a dangerous criminal now knows everything about her, including her name and where she lives.
Still, Carver’s words be damned, Cassie saves the injured woman’s life. After giving her statement to the cops and watching the ambulance carry the victim off, Cassie returns home to her family, informing her husband Sam of what happened and cautioning him to change the locks. They have an uneventful night, until the next day, Halloween. After working late again, Cassie comes home to an empty house, learning that her teenage son Leo had gone to a friend’s and that Sam had taken their young daughter Audrey out trick or treating. Thinking everything is fine, Cassie lets herself drift off to a nap…only to wake up to silence and darkness, filled with a sense of dread. It was late, and Sam and Audrey had not come home. Calls to Sam’s phone also go unanswered. Finally, Cassie decides to go out and look for her husband and daughter, to discover that Audrey had been left in the care of a neighborhood woman. Sam had told his six-year-old that he would be right back…but never returned.
Worried and confused, Cassie can’t help but think her husband’s disappearance has something to do with Carver Sweet, who has everything he needs to find out about her family, her job, her whole life. Since the woman she had saved last night had survived, is Carver now making good on his threat by first coming after those Cassie loves? Or is there something else going on with Sam, who had been growing distant and more secretive in the past few months? The police aren’t much help, as there’s evidence to suggest that Sam might have left willingly on his own. Of course, the possibility that her husband was having an affair devastates Cassie, but that still doesn’t explain why he would abandon Leo and Audrey, his children that he adored more than anything in the world. There’s more happening here that meets the eye, and Cassie intends to find out the truth, especially when it becomes clear that everyone close to her will remain in danger until she does.
Like many folks, I always try to predict the outcome whenever I’m reading a mystery or thriller, but there I was, trying to do the same with No Bad Deed and finding myself completely blindsided at every turn. Not gonna lie, the story employs no small amount of absurdity and plenty of over-the-top twists to achieve this, but my addiction to this novel was so complete that I was beyond caring about the odd logical leap. Quite honestly, I’m at a loss as to where to begin with my review, because I feel like any discussion of the aspects I enjoyed would risk giving away some of the plot—this book was simply the type of intricately layered, tightly wound thriller with tiny clues and traps connected at every level.
What I will say is I’ll never get tired of the amateur lady sleuth archetype that you tend to find in so many of these domestic suspense thrillers. Speaking of logical leaps, these stories always require the police to have their hands tied for whatever reason, leaving our protagonist with no choice but to take on the investigative duties herself. Thing is though, Cassie is a disaster when it comes to this kind of work. She’s impulsive, careless, utterly clueless as to how to cover her tracks or protect herself. But instead of feeling frustrated, I thought these traits further highlighted just how deep in over her head our protagonist was, which added to the entertainment. And of course, when it came to Leo and Audrey, Cassie was as fierce as a lioness defending her cubs. The love, loyalty, and tenacity she displayed made her an admirable character in my eyes, not to mention that at her core she is a good person—the kind who would work pro bono to save a dog, or to pull over in a rainstorm to stop a vicious attack even at the risk to her own life. It made it easy to root for her.
Despite its flaws (namely the more far-fetched parts of the story and some dunderheadedness on the protagonist’s part), I’m giving No Bad Deed high marks for being able to so thoroughly suck me in and for leaving me with a massive book hangover. One of the most exhilarating and compulsive thrillers I’ve read this year!
Waiting on Wednesday 03/11/20
Posted on March 11, 2020 15 Comments
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
The End of Her by Shari Lapena (July 28, 2020 by Pamela Dorman Books)
Very excited about another upcoming domestic thriller-suspense by Shari Lapena!
“In upstate New York, Stephanie and Patrick are adjusting to life with their colicky twin babies. The girls are a handful, but Stephanie doesn’t mind being a stay-at-home mom, taking care of them while Patrick does the nine to five to pay the bills.
When a woman from Patrick’s past drops in on them unexpectedly, raising questions about his late first wife, Stephanie supports her husband wholeheartedly. She knows the car accident all those many years ago was just that–an accident. But Erica is persistent, and now she’s threatening to go to the police.
Patrick is afraid his job–and his reputation–will be at risk if he doesn’t put an end to Erica’s questioning immediately. And when the police start digging, Stephanie’s trust in her husband begins to falter and Patrick is primed to lose everything he loves. As their marriage crumbles, Stephanie feels herself coming unglued, and soon she isn’t sure what–or who–to believe. Now the most important thing is to protect her girls, but at what cost?”
Book Review: The Deep by Alma Katsu
Posted on March 10, 2020 30 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
Mogsy’s Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons (March 10, 2020)
Length: 432 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
I was a fan of Alma Katsu’s The Hunger, and was excited to hear her next book would be another historical horror, set to the backdrop of the sinking of not one but two great ships—the RMS Titanic and her fleet mate the HMHS Britannic, both of which met tragic fates.
The novel first opens in 1916, as the Great War rages across Europe. For years, Annie Hebbley has been living in an asylum slowly regaining her lost memory. She now remembers her name, the fact that she used to serve as a maid on a passenger liner, and that the ship, Titanic, had struck an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the ocean. Her doctors feel that Annie is now fully recovered, and should return to society and normal everyday life, starting with taking the position she has been offered as a nurse aboard the Britannic, newly refitted as a hospital ship to ferry injured British forces.
And so, Annie embarks on her new journey, quickly settling back into life on the ocean, despite her past traumatic experiences at sea and the fact that her nursing duties are so different than the work she used to do. The story then flashes back to 1912 aboard the Titanic, where Annie served as a cabin maid to the glamorous and wealthy passengers in first class. It is here where she meets and immediately becomes drawn to Mark Fletcher, despite him having a wife and child.
The rest of the novel alternates between these two timelines: the past, which gradually reveals the tumultuous events aboard the Titanic as Annie becomes increasingly embroiled in the Fletcher’s lives; as well as the present, which chronicles her confusion and despair as she chances to meet Mark again on the Britannic. Now a soldier, wounded and in the care of Annie, he had also survived the sinking four years ago but believed that his wife and baby had perished. Rather than sharing Annie’s joy at being reunited, however, Mark instead recoils in horror at the first sight of her, requesting a move to another ward. Deeply hurt, Annie seeks to repair their connection by telling Mark that his daughter had not in fact died that night. But being close to him now has also reawakened buried emotions and secrets, as well as memories that threaten her sanity.
I don’t know what I expected from The Deep, but the horror was most definitely lacking. Instead, the balance heavily favored historical drama, likely caused by the inordinate amount of time it took for this book to get off the ground. To be fair, a story like this needed a lot of setup, considering the two separate narratives that had to be established, and the author chose to unravel both these timelines in tandem which was probably the most efficient for storytelling. However, this decision presented its fair share of problems, not least of them the awkwardness of trying to give each thread the same amount of attention while ensuring the plot’s pace ran smoothly. Unfortunately, this balancing act was not entirely achieved, and whatever horror elements there were ended up slipping through the cracks as a result.
As much as I hate to say, but much of the first half of the book also felt like a waste of time in retrospect. Katsu featured many characters in the Titanic including the wealthy real estate developer and investor John Jacob Astor and his pregnant wife Madeleine, boxers David “Dai” Bowen and Leslie Williams, businessman Benjamin Guggenheim, fashion designer Lady Duff-Gordon and others—all of them real historical figures, but none of whom had really any impact on the overall story whatsoever. To tell the truth, it struck me an indulgence by the author, a way for her to show off her knowledge and research which I have no doubt was considerable, but ultimately unnecessary to the larger picture.
That being said, while The Deep had its flaws, it also had its high points. I absolutely loved the concept behind the book, especially the way it drew attention to the Britannic, which met the same watery fate as the Titanic but is perhaps not as well-known as her sister ship. I also enjoyed the sinking scenes but wish there had been more time spent on them, and that they had been written with greater gravitas. Description was light on the whole with this novel and it’s a shame because so much could have done with the atmosphere, from the luxury and decadence aboard Titanic to the more disturbing, creepier moments like when Annie’s unsettling memories return to haunt her. Generally speaking, the mood was largely absent, which I thought was the novel’s weakest point.
Considering how much I enjoyed The Hunger, it’s hard not to view The Deep as a disappointment. The premise behind it was good but perhaps a tad over ambitious. Building up two timelines at once while trying to inject as much history and horror elements into this awfully restrictive structure ended up causing a lot of balancing and pacing issues, and ultimately, it’s a format that didn’t quite work for me.
Audiobook Review: The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes
Posted on March 9, 2020 13 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Seventh Sun by Lani Forbes
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 3.5 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
Series: Book 1 of The Age of the Seventh Sun
Publisher: Blackstone Audio (February 18, 2020)
Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Stacy Gonzales
Set in a fantasy world heavily inspired by the legends and traditions of ancient Mesoamerica, The Seventh Sun is a coming-of-age novel by debut author Lani Forbes featuring a rich blend of history, magic, and mythology.
One of the two protagonists is Ahkin, a young prince who thought he had years to learn the sacred rituals which would prepare him for the day he will succeed his father and lead the Chicome people. But as the story opens in the early hours of an ill-fated morning, he is interrupted by a nervous servant who tells Ahkin that his powers are urgently needed to call the sun. It appears that the emperor had passed away suddenly in the middle of the night, and according to tradition, his wife must now also sacrifice herself and follow her husband into the underworld.
And so, within moments, Ahkin finds himself losing both his parents and becoming the emperor, responsible for the wellbeing of every life who lives under his rule. As it is his royal blood that controls the sun, it is his duty to spill a few drops of it each morning to bring about its life-giving rays and please the gods, preventing the coming of another apocalypse. In order to ascend the throne, Ahkin must also marry, choosing a wife among the daughters of the empire’s minor kings, each descended from the gods and are hence blessed with their own unique powers.
This is where our second protagonist, Mayana, comes into play. Her birthright is control of water, but unlike her family, she doesn’t believe the gods demand sacrifices in return for peace and prosperity. However, when she becomes one of the six young princesses called to the palace, Mayana knows she must keep her blasphemous beliefs to herself in order to survive. Only one woman can become Ahkin’s wife, with the rest to be sacrificed to bless the match. In order to ensure she will be the one chosen by the matchmakers, she’ll need to play the role of devout subject and hope to catch the young prince’s eye and keep it. But as she grows closer to Ahkin, and as he begins to develop deeper feelings for her, Mayana knows she won’t be able to keep her secrets forever. As empress, she would be called upon to take part in the bloody sacrificial rituals she doesn’t agree with. How can she rule the empire if she doesn’t believe in its traditions, and what would Ahkin think of her when he inevitably finds out?
To start, The Seventh Sun was a novel full of surprises for me—some good, and some admittedly not so good. On the whole, while I thought it was impressive for a debut, it was also not without its share of “first novel problems” including unstable pacing and issues related to telling not showing. The story itself was interesting, but predictable in a way that you can probably zone out through much of the novel’s middle sections without missing out on anything too important, and in fact, that’s exactly what happened to me with the audiobook. The other issue related to this is the writing style and storytelling. Although I knew this would be a coming-of-age novel, what I did not expect was for elements in it to skew so heavily YA. The plot boils down to a competition between the six young women, who are put through multiple trials with only one winner to emerge while failure will mean death (like we haven’t seen a variation of this scenario in YA a million times before?) In play is also the ever-annoying miscommunication trope, in which two people claim they are on so in love, but of course never tell each other anything.
But there are positives. The world-building is strong, and though the book synopsis describes The Seventh Sun as being based on the legends and history of the Aztec and Mayans, I would say it’s the author’s own flourishes (and here she does take a lot of artistic liberties) that make the setting of her book and the magic of her characters memorable. The final chapters were also a bit surprising, and though I was disappointed to discover that there would be no clean ending to tie everything up neatly, I enjoyed finally getting a few twists and certain developments I didn’t see coming.
Though I wasn’t completely blown away, I saw a lot of promising things in The Seventh Sun that will make me strongly consider picking up the sequel, if nothing else because the ending took the story in a direction I completely did not expect, and I would be curious to see what will happen to Ahkin and Mayana. The audiobook narrated by Stacy Gonzales was another reason for my increased interest, because she made the characters come to life and their emotions feel real. When the next book comes out, should I decide to pick it up, it will definitely be the audio format again because of her fantastic performance.
YA Weekend Audio: The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Posted on March 8, 2020 20 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Mogsy’s Rating (Overall): 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Series: Stand Alone
Publisher: Macmillan Audio (February 25, 2020)
Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Narrator: Caitlin Davies
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. No pretenses, limited drama, just plain good fun with a generous helping of romance. And of course, a wildly entertaining heroine didn’t hurt.
At the heart of The Shadows Between Us is a fairy tale as old as time—a girl hopes to catch the eye of the king, marry him and become his queen. But instead of living happily ever after, here the girl actually has vicious designs to murder the king and steal his kingdom. Let’s be clear: Alessandra is not a nice person. She’s never claimed to be. She is highly ambitious and has always made it known that she’s only out for herself, and you can either help her or get the hell out of the way.
Now she’s set her sights on the throne itself, and the key to getting it is the newly crowned Shadow King. So named because of the tendrils of living shadows that swirl around him, Kallias is a mysterious young man who mostly keeps to himself, but Alessandra believes she knows what he wants. Her plan is to present herself at court and make it impossible for him to resist her charms, and once he makes her his wife, that’s when she will strike.
And for a while, things seemed to be going as planned. Alessandra is confident that she has Kallias’ attention, and he’s shown his interest by officially making their courtship public. But then came the assassination attempt on his life, and Alessandra is outraged. Someone is trying to kill the king before she can get him to marry her, how dare they! Unexpectedly, Alessandra as Kallias’ would-be killer now finds herself doing everything she can to keep him alive, becoming his most loyal protector, and the irony is not lost on her.
First, let’s talk about Alessandra. She’s completely full of herself, and I love it! I’m sick and tired of heroines in YA who act all coy and demure, who are all full of false modesty. For one thing, they’re not fooling anyone. To have someone like Alessandra, who owns her egotism and her thirst for ambition, is like a breath of fresh air. She’s also got a voracious sexual appetite and isn’t ashamed to admit it, though she does ensure she gets plenty of dirt on her lovers just in case they decide to turn on her. This is one smart, ruthless cookie you won’t want to mess with, and you definitely won’t want to get between her and what she wants.
And yet, in spite of all her flaws, Alessandra is incredibly likable. And really, she’s not all bad. As her relationship with Kallias deepens, she realizes that she does in fact care for him, and goes on to prove that there are other things she cares about other than herself. It’s safe to say she carried the book for me, through the sheer force of her personality. Quite honestly, while I enjoyed the story, world-building and other characters, those aspects weren’t anything too special. In fact, I think in many ways Kallias was overshadowed by Alessandra—not because he wasn’t a good character or that he wasn’t well-written, but simply because everything just tends to fade to the background when compared to our fiery protagonist (okay, with maybe the exception of Demodocus, but who doesn’t love that big adorable furball?) In addition, Alessandra was what made the love story arc not only tolerable but actually enjoyable, and that’s a big deal considering how picky I am about how romances are handled in YA.
But at the end of the day, The Shadows Between Us was simply a straight-up fun and energizing read, headed by a truly memorable and ferociously indomitable heroine. I was almost disappointed to find out this was a standalone, by the way the ending wrapped up so neatly, because I most certainly wouldn’t have minded another book with Alessandra. The story itself was a bit predictable, but that’s not to say it didn’t have its moments, and there were also a few surprises. It held my attention from beginning to end, and I was sorry to say goodbye. Without a doubt, Tricia Levenseller will be an author I’ll remember, and I’ll be watching for what she writes next.
Audiobook Comments: I’m a huge fan of Caitlin Davies, and in my opinion, they couldn’t have chosen a better narrator for The Shadows Between Us because of the way she flawlessly channeled Alessandra’s attitude. Her reading was spot on and pitch perfect, and I don’t think this book would have been nearly as good had someone else been narrating. Fantastic performance, and highly recommended.
Bookshelf Roundup 03/07/20: Stacking the Shelves & Recent Reads
Posted on March 7, 2020 19 Comments
Bookshelf Roundup is a feature I do every weekend which fills the role of several blog memes, like Stacking the Shelves where I talk about the new books I’ve added to my library or received for review, as well as It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? where I summarize what I’ve finished reading in the last week and what I’m planning to read soon. Mostly it also serves as a recap post, so sometimes I’ll throw in stuff like reading challenge progress reports, book lists, and other random bookish thoughts or announcements.
Received for Review
My thanks to the publishers and authors for the following review copies received, and be sure to click the links to their Goodreads pages for more details and full descriptions!
First, a big thank you to Titan Books for sending me this beautiful finished copy of Re-Coil by J.T. Nicholas, which is even more colorful and vivid in person. I took part in the tour for this book earlier in the week, and now I’m even more excited to check it out. Also thanks to William Morrow for a surprise copy of Hour of the Assassin by Matthew Quirk, which I think I received because I reviewed the author’s The Night Agent last year. Political thrillers aren’t really my thing, but if I have time I might it a try.
With thanks also to Tor.com for sending along a finished copy of Hearts of Oak by Eddie Robson which I’d like to try because I’ve been hearing some great things from early reviews, as well as an ARC of Drowned Country by Emily Tesh, the sequel to Silver in the Wood. I’m kicking myself for not having started the series yet, but I know it’s never too late!
Courtesy of the wonderful peeps at Subterranean Press, I also received these pretties: The Orphans of Raspay by Lois McMaster Bujold is the seventh novella in the wonderful Penric and Desdemona sequence. Honestly though, just seeing Bujold’s name on the cover of a book is reason enough to read it. And finally, Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy 3 edited by William Schafer is the third installment of the publisher’s acclaimed dark fantasy anthology series, featuring stories from ten of the most exciting names in the genre including Kat Howard, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Sarah Gailey, C.J. Tudor, Richard Kadrey, P. Djèjí Clark and more.
I’ve been doing pretty well whittling down my audiobook pile lately and needed to stock up on good listens, so I decided to make a few requests. From Hachette Audio, I grabbed The Winter Duke by Claire Eliza Bartlett which caught my eye for being described as a more mature YA fantasy with fairy tale vibes and court intrigue, as well as Girl on the Edge by Karen Dietrich, a thriller about a girl who seeks to understand what drove her father to commit mass murder. Speaking of thrillers, from Penguin Random House Audio I also grabbed listening copies of The Body Double by Emily Beyda, a debut novel about a young woman recruited to impersonate a reclusive Hollywood star; Providence by Max Barry, a story about four astronauts journeying across space in a supposedly indestructible ship to fight against an alien race; and The Keeper by Jessica Moor, a crime mystery following a detective who investigate an apparent suicide that turns out to be a murder. I love listening to thrillers in audio, so we’ll if any of these are what I’m looking for. Courtesy of the kind folks at Audible Studios I also picked up Twilight of the Gods by Scott Oden (so happy the books in this series finally got audio versions, I might add) and House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas for review this week, as well as Voodoo Shanghai by Kristi Charish with thanks to the author for providing me a reviewer code!
Reviews
False Value by Ben Aaronovitch (4 of 5 stars)
The Queen of Raiders by Sarah Kozloff (4 of 5 stars)
Bent Heavens by Daniel Kraus (4 of 5 stars)
This Week’s Reads
Have you heard of or read any of the books featured this week? What caught your eye? Any new discoveries? I hope you found something interesting for a future read! Let me know what you plan on checking out. Until next time, see you next Roundup!
Friday Face-Off: Skeleton
Posted on March 6, 2020 32 Comments
Welcome to The Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy! Each Friday, we will pit cover against cover while also taking the opportunity to showcase gorgeous artwork and feature some of our favorite book covers. If you want to join the fun, simply choose a book each Friday that fits that week’s predetermined theme, post and compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog.
This week’s theme is:
“Them bones, them bones, them dry bones…”
~ a cover featuring a SKELETON
Mogsy’s Pick:
The Donovan Series by W. Michael Gear
This week, I’ve once again decided to compare all the covers of the books in a single series, and I’ve chosen the Donovan sequence by W. Michael Gear not only because it is fantastic, but also because it’s just so perfect for today’s theme. The following are covers of the four volumes (Unreconciled is coming soon in May) currently in the series, published by DAW Books:
Winner:
Bones, bones, bones everywhere! Oh, which to choose? None of these are what you’d call cheery images, which makes it tough to pick a favorite. But if I had to base my decision on atmosphere and how much it intrigues me, I think I would have to go with the second book. Nothing screams “abandoned” like a corpse in a busted up suit of armor overgrown with alien vegetation. I also like the little touches. If you look closely, you’ll see the words “ALL THINGS END” near the bottom of the image. Spooky.
But what do you think? Which one is your favorite?
Book Review: False Value by Ben Aaronovitch
Posted on March 5, 2020 22 Comments
I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.
False Value by Ben Aaronovitch
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 8 of Peter Grant/Rivers of London
Publisher: DAW (February 25, 2020)
Length: 304 pages
Author Information: Website | Twitter
You have no idea how much I’ve been looking forward to this book. We’re now on the eighth installment of the Rivers of London series, and as much as I’ve enjoyed my time with the Faceless Man arc, I also felt it was high time we moved onto something new. Still, while we may be at the dawn of a new chapter in Peter Grant’s life here in False Value, there are still a few mysteries left over from the previous books. Certainly, the novel still contains a lot of references and connections to past events so this might not be the best point to jump on board, and the following review may also discuss those things, so only proceed if you’re caught all up!
With his impending fatherhood in mind (twins on the way!) and his current standing with the Metropolitan Police on shaky ground, it’s pretty safe to say our protagonist is keen for some new work right about now. And as luck would have it, an ex-cop at an organization called Serious Cybernetics Company has caught wind of Peter’s suspension and is interested in offering him a job in their security department. A new start-up by Silicon Valley rising star and billionaire Terrence Skinner, the SCC is heavily involved in artificial intelligence research and development, employing a bunch nerds and geeks, meaning Peter should fit right in. And a good thing too, because his job is to infiltrate the personnel and root out the identity of the employee trying to gain forbidden entry into the company’s most classified project.
As a police officer, Peter thinks finding the “rat” among the “mice” while blending in with the civvies should be a cinch. But then the job grows complicated when he uncovers a fellow magic practitioner during his investigation of the recent break-ins, and realizes the two of them have a history. Next, an attempt is made on Terrence Skinner’s life. Someone appears to be targeting the company founder, but the more he digs, the more Peter is convinced that everything comes down to the mysterious work being done on the top-secret floor at the SCC known as Bambleweeny.
Just as all the previous novels have been filled with pop-culture related in-jokes referencing everything from Harry Potter to Doctor Who, False Value is a geek heaven for sci-fi fans with a love of Douglas Adams, Battlestar Galactica, and even some tech history—like the achievements of Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage. It’s nice to see that even with the new storyline, Ben Aaronovitch has retained his cleverness and good sense of humor. These Rivers of London books have never ceased to make me crack up, and ultimately that’s what keeps me coming back and why this is one of my favorite urban fantasy series.
But it’s also undeniable that, for the last few books, the story had been getting increasingly complicated and confusing. With this fresh start though, Peter Grant is back in detective mode, rather than being too busy getting tangled up in Faceless Man and Lesley May drama. I loved the undercover aspect of his role, as it truly brings out his dedication to police work as well as his intellect and skill. False Value also shows a lot more of Peter’s relationships with the people around him including Nightingale, his mentor, and Beverly Brook, his girlfriend and soon-to-be mother of his children. While the relationship between Peter and Bev is clearly special, there’s hints of a conflict brewing as he finally realizes the full implications of being involved with a river goddess. She’s more benevolent than a lot of genius loci, but she’s still unpredictable in her power and knows exactly the effect she has on others. Not to mention, being a new father is intimidating enough without having to wonder if your kids will turn out to be minor deities like their mother.
With this volume, we also see an expansion of the magical community beyond the United Kingdom. Peter has had dealings with agents from across the pond in the past, but False Value brings the Americans quite literally onto the Folly’s doorstep, and one of them is even powerful enough to go toe-to-toe with Nightingale. This particular thread is an intriguing one so I don’t want to reveal much more, but Peter does come to appreciate that magical schools around the world have their own traditions and also not all of them view the spirits of place as kindly as the Brits do.
All in all, I thought False Value was a great read, considering it’s the first book to move beyond the Faceless Man story arc. We’re in the early stages of something new, so of course there is still this sense that things are developing, but on the whole, I enjoyed the new direction and dynamics introduced here. Big things are clearly coming for Peter Grant and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next book will take us.
More on The BiblioSanctum:
Review of Whispers Underground (Book 3)
Review of Broken Homes (Book 4)
Review of Foxglove Summer (Book 5)
Review of The Furthest Station (Book 5.7)
Review of The Hanging Tree (Book 6)
Review of Lies Sleeping (Book 7)
Waiting on Wednesday 03/04/20
Posted on March 4, 2020 16 Comments
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme that first originated at Breaking the Spine but has since linked up with “Can’t Wait Wednesday” at Wishful Endings now that the original creator is unable to host it anymore. Either way, this fun feature is a chance to showcase the upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Mogsy’s Pick
The Mirror Man by Jane Gilmartin (June 30, 2020 by MIRA)
I’ve been getting some interesting books from the publisher lately, which has led me to check out what other titles they might have coming down the pipeline. My eye fell upon The Mirror Man, which sounds kinda like a hard sci-fi thriller version of Multiplicity except, you know…hair-raising and without all the cutesy comedy.
“Meet Jeremiah Adams. There are two of him.
The offer is too tempting: be part of a scientific breakthrough, step out of his life for a year, and be paid hugely for it. When ViGen Pharmaceuticals asks Jeremiah to be part of an illegal cloning experiment, he sees it as a break from an existence he feels disconnected from. No one will know he’s been replaced—not the son who ignores him, not his increasingly distant wife—since a revolutionary drug called Meld can transfer his consciousness and memories to his copy.
From a luxurious apartment, he watches the clone navigate his day-to-day life. But soon Jeremiah discovers that examining himself from an outsider’s perspective isn’t what he thought it would be, and he watches in horror as “his” life spirals out of control. ViGen needs the experiment to succeed—they won’t call it off, and are prepared to remove any obstacle. With his family in danger, Jeremiah needs to finally find the courage to face himself head-on.”
The BiblioSanctum 