GIVEAWAY: Rivers of London/Moon Over Soho

View of London over the Thames

I love London. I love reading. My favourite reads? London based books - and having just finished Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch I wanted to share this fabulous book with you lovely people. :-) So I'm giving away a copy of Rivers of London to one lucky person - or if like me you already have Rivers, I'm happy to get you Moon Over Soho instead, the second book following London's latest constable, Peter Grant and his introduction into the magical side of London policing...

Rules: (without which there will be chaos!)

- Fill in the form below

- One extra entry if you want to tell what is so fabulous about London (All cities have crowds, rude people occasionally and traffic but I want to focus what is positive and unique) And don't worry if you've never been to London - just tell me what you most associate London with or what part of London you would like to visit the most!

- Closes at Midnight 25th February 2012
- Open Internationally (as long as The Book Depository ships to your country)

- If you win, you'll have 72 hours to reply my email, otherwise I'll pick another winner
- You don't have to be a follower, but I won't object if you are! :)

<<GIVEAWAY CLOSED>>

Rivers of London Review

Rivers of London (Peter Grant 1)  

-          Ben Aaronovitch

Publisher: UK – Gollancz

Published as Midnight Riot in the US

Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic

It’s not a secret that I love London and I always have a soft spot for books set in my home town. I love finding good books set in London – and with Rivers of London, I not only got a good book, I got a great book with a panorama of one of the best cities in the world! J

Peter Grant is probationary constable in London, just about to be transferred to an office assignment when he interviews a ghost at a murder scene and suddenly finds himself assistant to the most unusual and secret part of the Met police. Add to which a ghost serial killer who can infect anyone, a long standing dispute between Mother Thames and Father Thames and coming to grips with the magical, mystical side of England’s capital city, Peter could be in over his head...

So many things I loved about this novel – the police procedures surrounding the murders feels realistic – more so than CSI ever has. The characters of Peter Grant, his fellow constable Lesley, his new boss all have distinct personalities and act more like real people do than book characters. I loved the humour that jumps out at you from the first page – very real humour. I’m used to snarky comments, but this isn’t snarky, it’s real without being overtop and very recognisable for any Londoner. Peter’s use of magic isn’t instantaneous but requires hard work and study – and the use of many apples!

The plot flies along at a cracking pace, with many areas of London easily recognisable and for me at least, easy to picture. And this does dive into some of the murkier aspects of the city as well as the tourist parts. I loved the dispute between the two parts of the Thames – country verses city, old verses new. While there are many elements to this book, with the Rivers dispute and ghostly killer for Peter to deal with as well as his training in magic and personal life it all hangs to together and makes for a layered, but delicious taste of London life – rather like a cheesecake!  

This is a story for those who like realistic, intellectual Urban Fantasy with humour and a dog thrown in. I can’t recommend this enough! I’m really happy I already have Moon Over Soho to look forward to reading soon.

Recommended for fans of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files and Kevin Hearne. 9 out of 10  

**Check back tomorrow where I have a Special Giveaway!**

My Book Haul/In My Mailbox

The Story Siren hosts a weekly meme where bloggers can share what goodies they've purchased/received this week. If you get a chance head over to The Story Siren and check out what everyone is up to! And I've been so good this week - I've not spend any money but I do have a good selection of books to add to my TBR pile!

Raised By Wolves - Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Publisher: Egmont

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it.  That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two. But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs. But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

I honestly have some of the best friends. One of them after seeing this on my wishlist a couple of weeks ago, bought it for me for no reason other than she is one of the best people I know. Plus she also baked yummy cupcakes! Love ya Karen!

Archangel's Consort (Guild Hunters 3) - Nalini Singh

Publisher: UK - Gollancz

An ancient and malevolent female immortal is rising in Manhattan to reclaim her son, the archangel Raphael. Only one thing stands in her way: Elena Deveraux, a vampire-hunter-and Raphael's lover.

I confess I still haven't started reading this series, but I picked this up in a swap last week in the eternal hope that when I do get round to reading it, I will love it!

Black Night (Madeline Black 2) - Christina Henry

Publisher: Ace Fantasy

Madeline Black is an Agent of death, meaning she escorts the souls of people who have died to the afterlife. Of course, not everyone is happy to see her...
If obstinate dead people were all that Maddy had to worry about, life would be much easier. But the best-laid plans of Agents and fallen angels often go awry. Deaths are occurring contrary to the natural order, Maddy's being stalked by foes inside and outside of her family, and her two loves-her bodyguard, Gabriel, and her doughnut-loving gargoyle, Beezle-have disappeared. But because Maddy is Lucifer's granddaughter, things are expected of her, things like delicate diplomatic missions to other realms.

This is another series I haven't started but again I was the given the opportunity to pick it up in a swap and I love the sound of the series. Hopefully I will pick up book one, Black Wings soon as this does sound like a good series.

The Darkening Dream - Andy Gavin

Kindle Book

1913, Salem, Massachusetts – Sarah Engelmann’s life is full of friends, books, and avoiding the pressure to choose a husband, until an ominous vision and the haunting call of an otherworldly trumpet shake her. When she stumbles across a gruesome corpse, she fears that her vision was more of a premonition. And when she sees the murdered boy moving through the crowd at an amusement park, Sarah is thrust into a dark battle she does not understand. With the help of Alex, an attractive Greek immigrant who knows a startling amount about the undead, Sarah sets out to uncover the truth. Their quest takes them to the factory mills of Salem, on a midnight boat ride to spy on an eerie coastal lair, and back, unexpectedly, to their own homes. What can Alex’s elderly, vampire-hunting grandfather and Sarah’s own rabbi father tell them? And what do Sarah’s continuing visions reveal?
No less than Gabriel’s Trumpet, the tool that will announce the End of Days, is at stake, and the forces that have banded to recover it include a 900 year-old vampire, a trio of disgruntled Egyptian gods, and a demon-loving Puritan minister. At the center of this swirling cast is Sarah, who must fight a millennia-old battle against unspeakable forces, knowing the ultimate prize might be herself.

I picked this up when it was on Amazon for free during the week. I'm not sure the cover matches the storyline much - but it does look interesting and I love a bargain! :)

What have you picked up this week? :)

On My Wishlist #74

This is a meme from Book Chick City. There are so many books out there that I want to read that this is the only way I can keep track! I haven't read any fantasy fior a while - I think I may be in withdrawal! Perhaps these will help me back into the fantasy groove...

The Hob's Bargain - Patricia Briggs

Publisher: Ace Fantasy

To save her village from ruthless raiders, Aren of Fallbrook strikes a bargain with the Hob, a magical, humanlike creature imbued with the power of the mountains. But the Hob will exact a heavy price to defend the village--a price Aren herself must pay.

I do love Patricia Brigg's Urban Fantasy books and I did enjoy her Raven duology so I want to read some of her other fantasy books like this stand alone...

Theft of Swords - Michael J Sullivan

Publisher: UK - Orbit

Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles—until they are hired to pilfer a famed sword. What appears to be just a simple job finds them framed for the murder of the king and trapped in a conspiracy that uncovers a plot far greater than the mere overthrow of a tiny kingdom.
Can a self-serving thief and an idealistic swordsman survive long enough to unravel the first part of an ancient mystery that has toppled kings and destroyed empires in order to keep a secret too terrible for the world to know?

A couple of my favourite bloggers have raved about this series - so I have to check it out! :)

Bitterblue - Kristen Cashore

Publisher: Penguin

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past. Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

I really enjoyed Graceling and Fire so will be waiting to get my hands on Bitterblue when it comes out...

What are you wishing for this week?

Early Review: Pure

Pure

-          Julianna Baggott

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing – released on 8^th February 2012

E-Arc courtesy of netgalley and Grand Central

We know you are here, our brothers and sisters . . .
Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost-how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.

Burn a Pure and Breathe the Ash . . .
There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked. Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss-maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.

When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again

The post-apocalyptic scenario and/or dystopian environments with strict overlords is a pretty common theme in YA books these days, so at first this may not seem that different from many others, but I would beg to differ. This is raw, dirty and emotional. Set just ten years after the explosions that ended the world, those inside the Dome when the explosions happened are safe, living restricted lives waiting for their chance to retake the outside world when it’s safe. However, not everyone made to safety in time. Those outside who survived have been marked by the explosions...fused to whatever they happened to be close to at the time – whether that was a doll, a hand-fan, the earth itself, or their children...

Unlike other books, the consequences of those blasts are something the survivors have to live with everyday. The world is dangerous and difficult, even our heroine, Pressia, has a dolls head in place of a hand. Inside the dome, life isn’t much easier. Everything is regulated and their bodies and minds are given coding to make them more manageable. The start of the book is slow reading as this world is set up, but before long I was staying up late to read a few more pages. Survival is key to daily life, but the past over-shadows everything. There is much to discover about this world, about the past, about the possibilities for the future.

There is plenty of action as Pressia and Partridge find each other and are separated as survival and discovery conflict with each other. The writing surrounds you after a few sentences, creating this beautifully grotesque world and a story that won’t let you leave.  I loved the characters especially Pressia and Partridge, but also the others who are introduced from Ingership to Bradwell to Lydia and especially El Capitain who all feel like complete people that I just haven’t spent as much time with.  But I want too! I will be looking out for more books in this series.

Recommended for fans of Suzanne Collins and Patrick Ness. 9 out of 10.

PS - What is it with male leads being named after birds recently...? :)

Throwback Thursday #41 - Hounded

This is a great feature that Melissa at My World...in words and pictures has been doing for a while and I wanted to jump on board! There are plenty of books out there I desperately want...

But what about all those wonderful books that are ALREADY on my shelves?

 

Hounded - Kevin Hearne

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.
Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

 

I WANT to read this! I'm so sure I will love it I've even got the next two books in the series on the shelves already. But it's the balance between books I want to read vs mixing up my genres...plus of course the sheer number of books I want to read on my TBR pile...so should I read this series soon..? What do you think? :)

 

Guest Review: Horns

My guest reviewer, Sarah is back with a book that I think I need to get my hands on soon...

Horns

- Joe Hill

Publisher: UK- Gollancz

Ignatius William Perrish wakes up bleary and confused after a night of drinking and "doing terrible things" to find he has grown horns. In addition to being horribly unsightly, these inflamed protuberances give Ig an equally ugly power--if he thinks hard enough, he can make people admit things (intimate, embarrassing, I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that details). This bizarre affliction is of particular use to Ig, who is still grieving over the murder of his childhood sweetheart (a grisly act the entire town, including his family, believes he committed). Ig's attempts to track down the killer result in hilariously inappropriate admissions from the community, heartbreaking confessions from his own family, and of course, one hell of a showdown.

Horns was one of those books that had been on my Amazon wishlist for a while, I got bought for Christmas, looked at the back and went ‘hmmmm’.  And then I started reading it…..

Horns is the story of the once-good, now-blighted life of Igantius Perrish, or Ig – a decent, normal bloke who a year before the story was set, was arrested and accused of the brutal rape and murder of his girlfriend Merrin.  A fire at the lab examining the evidence meant that no case could be brought against him, and Ig was released.  A year later and Ig is a shadow of his former self, living in a shabby flat with a dead-end girlfriend, surrounded by people convinced of his guilt.  He hates his life, hates the accusations, and then, he wakes up with horns.  Devil horns.  Horns that make everyone he meets tell him their deepest, darkest secrets.  Horns that allow Ig to manipulate people into doing dark deeds.

This story is quite simply, brilliant.  It’s fiendishly dark, often gory, swinging between hope and despair in a whirlwind ride.  At times you are afraid of Ig, only to love him all over again a chapter later.  How would you deal with those you know and love spilling their darkest desires and thoughts to you?  Could you deal with it?

Lighter moments keep Horns from being depressive, but it is utterly heart-breaking in places and at one point I was sitting on a packed commuter train with tears running down my face.  It is also an intelligent, lucid look at Heaven and Hell, God and the Devil.  After all, if God hates sinners, and the Devil punishes them, aren’t they kind of on the same side????? 

One for Stephen King fans, but I would recommend it to everyone, 9.5 out of 10.