Moon Over Soho

I didn't enjoy this as much as the first book, mainly because I thought Peter was a giant idiot who thought too much with his dick and did not realize how highly suspicious his new girlfriend was, whereas every single one of my molecules was screaming, "DANGER, DANGER, DANGER."

That said, this book was still good and the narration was, as always, beyond brilliant. And despite knowing whodunit fairly early on (or at least suspecting through having more than a few brain cells working at one go), the final denouement was still highly satisfying. It helped that there were actually two main plots going on in the book, of which the jazz murders were one. The other involved a new mysterious evil magician who is prone to using magic in no good, very bad ways. This latter plot was not resolved and I expect will continue playing out over the next few books because it looks to be deliciously tangled and complicated.

Also, Leslie! Cliffhanger!

Constable Peter Grant is back and this time he suspects sorcery in Soho. Jazz musicians in the area are dying; brains scans show they have been magically drained. When the girlfriend of one of the victim’s ends up in bed with Peter, complications are ensured. DCI Nightingale is still recovering so it is up to Peter Grant to handle this one alone.

One of the things I loved about the first book in this series, Rivers of London, was the fact that Peter Grant was a new police officer and new to wizardry. Moon over Soho is a natural progression from that; except that Peter Grant has improved in leaps and bounds. There are still mistakes being made but he is starting to come into his own element, it is like watching him grow as a character.

I’m not sure why the humour has been scaled back in this series but the urban fantasy style seems to be well established and I’m excited to read book three. The series is starting to give Harry Dresden from The Dresden Files a run for his money. While not as dark, the London setting and humour in all its nuance makes for a fantastic read. Ben Aaronovitch’s series may in some parts feel very similar to other urban fantasy novels; I’m impressed with the way he stands apart from the others.

I want to say it is the real English flavour that makes this series enjoyable; I love that style of crime and comedy. This could be because more urban fantasy novels are set in an American or fantastical setting. The uniqueness of the style makes this feel fresh, and then you get all those tropes from urban English novels thrown in as well, like slang.

When it comes to plot, the novel is pretty standard in relation to urban fantasy. I think the characters, the setting and humour is what makes this novel and series interesting. I was in a reading slump when I worked my way through this book. I tried it as a way to break the slump; I was able to read and enjoy the novel but never got out of my slump.

Unfortunately I’m still in a slump, but reading this novel was fun and entertaining. I’m almost tempted in reading book three just to work my way out of the slump. I will talk more about slumps later but reading books like this might do the trick in breaking my reading problems. Peter Grant is a fun character and the series is really enjoyable, I can’t wait to read more.

This review originally appeared on my blog; literary-exploration.com/2013/11/24/book-review-moon-over-soho/