Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

While not exactly super surprising, I did very much enjoy Moon Over Soho. I thought it was nice to see consequences from the last book carry over into this one. It's always nice when we aren't just reset back to "normal" immediately. I know that's a little weird to say for a sequel, as I think the consequences should always stick... but yeah.

As usual, I very much enjoyed the world-building. Got a few answers to a couple of questions I had from Rivers of London, The Masquerades of Spring, and some of the short stories preceding Moon Over Soho chronologically. It was also fairly well done. Not a giant info dump, just Nightingale organically telling Peter stuff when appropriate.

I also enjoyed the progression of the characters. Getting to know Peter better and learning about Lesley through her family and recovery. Dr. Walid amused me, in line with several coroner types from CSI-like shows. I even quite like Ash and hope we see more of him in future.

I was kind of amused at the notion of Nightingale assuming his former colleagues would just not teach anyone else magic just because there was some sort of Agreement. It does (from short story readings) seem like other government types in other countries assumed the same. It seemed completely silly to me for some surviving wizards to keep that knowledge to themselves. Of course the knowledge is going to be passed on. It's so obvious to me. Heck, Peter's pretty much got two apprentices of his own in Lesley and Abigail (one assumes Abigail, anyway) and he's not even a "proper" wizard yet. I kind of assume Lesley's going to come under Nightingale's tutelage, but one never knows.

I thought Simone being super connected to Peter's case was also fairly obvious. He fell too fast, too hard for her to not be involved somehow. I actually though she might be a shapeshifter of some kind. I was definitely wrong on that count, but that's where my head was originally at.

Anyway, I thought Moon Over Soho was a solid follow up to Rivers of London. Built out more of the world nicely and was just solid over all. 

Favorite Lines

"He was calling it an atonic seizure because, even if he didn’t know why it had happened, it was important to give it a cool name." - Peter Grant

"For a terrifying moment I thought he was going to hug me, but fortunately we both remembered we were English just in time. Still, it was a close call." - Peter Grant  

In Other News

I finished my Moosemon Project, part of my Armor Digimon Project Line over on OviPets. Took me just about a year to complete. 

Acorna's Quest by Anne McCaffrey & Margaret Ball

I honestly found Acorna's Quest to be frustrating. A good chunk of it is annoying, buoyed only by the interesting part and my completionist need to get through it. There is a slight spoiler in the last paragraph of this, regarding the very end of the book. But also... this is the kind of book where the bad guys don't fare well so... like I said, the spoiler is slight.

First, the interesting part was aboard the ship/space-station Haven. I liked Markel and enjoyed him meeting Acorna and Calum. The whole Haven storyline was, as ever it seems these days, weirdly prescient. Although both "government overthrows" on Haven didn't take very much time at all, it was still much more fun reading than the rest of the book...

The rest... ugh. So, I wrote this whole long thing on my phone about how the Linyaari are incredibly stupid, partially naive, and too ethical to be allowed... which is all true. They apparently don't know how to do "First Contact" very well at all, either time they attempted it. They have apparently never met any species even close to like them (or us) in intelligence and so just treat us as lesser beings. Apparently attempting to find someone in charge never occurs to them. And then! the whole thing about never even having tried fighting the Khleevi... oy vey. I was just very, very annoyed with them from the get-go. I definitely feel like Acorna's going to have a heck of a time adjusting to the Linyaari way of life.

Speaking of the Linyaari's failure to try and find someone in charge, let's talk about Karina. I hate her. So, so much. Woman's insane. It's not the pseudo-psychic thing, it's the parasocial relationship she's apparently formed based on *checks notes* Acorna acknowledging a single email out of 65 that were apparently sent. What. The Actual. Fuck. Ma'am. No. Thinking you have an actual relationship (psychic or otherwise) with someone based on that alone is just... psychotic. Really. I also sincerely hate that a man supposedly as smart as Hafiz Harakamian could fall for her. That it at least super started out as physical doesn't really make it less icky, but the whole thing gives me the ick so... yeah. I can only hope Karina isn't around in later books.

I also didn't enjoy Pal and Thariinye posturing around Acorna. I've never liked the Pal/Acorna pairing and the way he more-or-less tries to steamroll her agency here doesn't make it better. I have truly had it with this particular flavor of relationship.

I also did not need Ed Minkus and Des Smirnoff to show up again. They really only served to get Dr. Hoa on board with getting rid of the Khleevi... which I feel like someone else could have done. The Khleevi honestly felt like more of a threat before they actually showed up to be slaughtered. The running around about them didn't end up feeling like such a big deal, honestly. Probably another reason why I didn't enjoy this book very much. I guess it felt like more setup to get Acorna back to her people... a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. Ultimately, not my cup of tea. 

Favorite Lines

(The silly twit doesn't think, she stirs brain-bits around like a nut-and-root stew, you never know what's going to bob up next.) - One of the Linyaari about Karina

"It is not a waste if we are able to help people desperately in need," - Acorna 

The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch

I said in my very brief review of “Aboard the RMS Antiqua” that I found Berrycloth-Young to be overly verbose. He definitely is, but it actually helps roll this story right along. The rhythm of his writing (speaking from a Watsonian viewpoint) is almost hypnotic. I like it a lot. I actually like Gussie a lot, too.

I quite enjoyed The Masquerades of Spring. It was a fun romp with some historically realistic touches which were, at times, a bit hard to read. Such as it is with our own history, not colored by magic. I didn’t enjoy reading about the racism and homophobia, but I appreciated their inclusion instead of them being glossed over like it never happened.

It was neat seeing Nightingale in a completely different context to his “future” appearance in The Rivers of London. Younger versions of characters are often fun to see and get to know. Having him at the helm of this investigation made me almost feel sorry for Gussie, what with the go-go-go attitude about the whole thing.

Despite the running around that happens here, I found The Masquerades of Spring fairly cozy. Big enough stakes without being too big. Plus seeing some of how things work on my side of the pond was a treat, even if it was actually a very small amount.

I feel like The Masquerades of Spring might be a good jumping on point for the series, but not at the same time. The tones between it and The Rivers of London don’t quite match up. But then, Gussie and Grant are just two completely different characters and the time-frames are so different… not to mention the lack of gore here. I also realize I’m reading the Rivers of London in a slightly odd order so… there’s that. Anyway… The Masquerades of Spring was fun. I definitely recommend giving it a read. 

2025 In Books

So basically the only rule for this list is that I had to read or finish the books in 2025. Everything else is my opinion. Of course, if you're interested in my deeper thoughts on these books, check out my reviews.

Number of times I smashed my Reading Goal: 1 time

Number of Books Read: 71 read, bringing my lifetime total to 1,148 books

Number of Pages: 26,648

Shortest Book: Aboard the RMS Aquitania by Ben Aaronovitch - 5 pages, barely a short story

Longest Book: The Shapeshifters by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes - 968 pages

Average Book Length: 375 Pages

Favorite New Read: A House Between Sea and Sky by Beth Cato - Really interesting, mostly cozy fantasy.

Favorite Reread: The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey - The copy I have is an anthology of the first 3 books in the overall Pern series, which I just adore.

Favorite Non-Fiction: I did not read any non-fiction this year.

Favorite Series: InCryptid by Seanan McGuire. Finished off that series this year. It's just a really fun series, you guys.

Favorite Author: Seanan McGuire - This hasn't changed since last year, even though I didn't read a lot from her this year... again.

Most Read Author: Laurell K. Hamilton - Been going through the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series, which ended up being more books than the Pern series by 6 books! I'm not even close to done with it yet!

Least Favorite Book: Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes - I didn't like it the first time and rereading did not change that.

Most Disappointing Read: Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan - I really wanted to like the books, ya'll. I really did. I probably would have if I'd read them when I was younger but... Percy Jackson just wasn't for me.

DNF Pile: Dragon's Code by Gigi McCaffrey & The Big Meow by Diane Duane

Favorite New-to-Me Character: Leah from The Prince of Nowhere by Emily Drake. She was such a fun character I wish had been in a better book.

Favorite Reread Character: Nathaniel Graison from Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton - Nathaniel is the sweetest cinnamon roll of a man, despite his horrible unbringing. I would protect him with my life.

Currently Reading: Acorna's Quest by Anne McCaffrey & Margaret Ball, The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Illustrated Edition by J.K. Rowling, Illustrated by Jim Kay & Neil Packer 

Finished Series: I finished 7 series this year.

Non-Book Stuff

I just wanted to brag that I finished 15 OviPets projects this year. I had several projects that were 1 or 2 traits with tattoos involved. Gotta love them Slime projects. Heh.

 

I also finished 2 full Pokedexes this year in Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Scarlet. I'm proud of myself. 😁

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Overall, I quite enjoyed Rivers of London. I did think the world building was info-dumpy, though in a pleasant way. Broken up well between bouts of action. I liked the overall progression. I liked that the magic stuff is only partially hidden. Higher ups in the police know about it, but don’t like acknowledging its existence. The interrogation scene amused the heck out of me.

I like the way magic works here, especially the explanation as to why modern tech and magic just don’t get along. The system feels unique enough, at the very least. I like that magic takes a while to master and isn’t as simple as getting a spell’s verbage correct. I'm always appreciative of some effort being put into actually doing magic and explaining how it works. I very much enjoyed the science-ish parts of Peter figuring out how magic was causing the tech to go all dusty. Of course, the disparaging way the cast refers to the Harry Potter series is amusing. Like, yes, it exists, but none of us enjoy it or references to it very much.

The story is quite twisty, though it hangs well together overall. A and B plots mesh more through characters than actual storyline. A plot wise, I am glad I had some background as to what Punch and Judy were. I’m not sure most of the American audience would be familiar. Not that things like Google and Wikipedia aren’t readily available to find out. Punch and Judy are explained here, but I’m not entirely sure the explanation stuck… it worked well enough for the plot, though, which is really what matters. As for the B plot... I liked Beverly well enough. Tyburn kind of made me want to smack her. The Thames were mostly just kind of there, especially Father Thames. We spent much more time with Oxley than him. I quite liked the river stuff. If I’d been reading a physical copy of the book, I’d probably have pored over the map a bunch. There is a map included, which is always a plus. London is definitely as much a character in this book as a lot of the characters, probably moreso than some.

Speaking of... I really want to know what kind of critter Molly is. She's clearly not human, but also apparently not a vampire. We see how Nightingale deals with vampires. I'm also interested to find out more about Nightingale. He's both properly mysterious and supremely awkward, which makes him an interesting sort of mentor. I also did like Lesley, though I thought she (and Beverly, really) was rather flat, as far as characters go. Tobey is best boy.

So yeah, Rivers of London was fun. I can't wait to dive into the rest of the series. If you're interested in following my journey, I am about to back-track through a novella and some short stories... ya know, because I'm a sucker for following Chronologies rather than publication order. 

Favorite Line

"This is because nothing builds character like being abused, spat at and vomited on by members of the public." - Peter Grant 

Acorna by Anne McCaffrey & Margaret Ball

Semi-spoiler free reread review.

I honestly cannot remember the last time I reread Acorna. I do remember being absolutely enamored with it. Acorna was probably my first "Adult" sci-fi book, though rereading it now, it definitely feels more in the Young Adult sphere... though the themes of child slavery and pedophilia are very strong here, through the second half of the book. Honestly, the whole thing reads like fairly rushed setup. It's not bad, exactly, just quite rushed. There's not really much given time to breathe properly.

I kind of enjoyed some of the world-building here. It's interesting that Islam has apparently survived into the far future, though I know next to nothing about it so I can't speak to how accurate its portrayal is or isn't. The stuff with Jana in the mines was quite vivid, also reminding me of Mercedes Lackey's Mags character ( The Collegium Chronicles ) in the process. But that's really where the world-building excelled. Everything else just kind of fell flatly into "here's a planet with very delineated class boundaries we're not really going to look into" territory.

I felt Acorna's rise to mythical figure happened way too fast. It was, what, weeks, maybe? That was also very unclear. Also the adult relationships just falling into place. Everything neatly tied off with a bow, though technically open ended was Calum and Acorna are presumably going off in the next book to actually find her planet. Even the over-arching menaces/antagonists were a non-issue. it was very clear Acorna et. al. had plot-armor out the wazoo from the beginning. Just... yeah. Everything felt rushed. There was enough detail to keep one interested but... other than that... bleh. I definitely wasn't as into Acorna this time around as I used to be. Really hoping the rest of the series is better. 

Favorite Line

"Can any system really compete with the massive inefficiencies of a well-entrenched bureaucracy?" - Rafik Harakamian 

Snake-Eater by T. Kingfisher

I found Snake-Eater to be utterly delightful. I thought it was fairly chill, with good characters and a story that pulled you along. I thought the mythology portion of the story was well done. Nothing was too info-dump-y, which makes a nice change from what I’ve been reading lately.

I thought Selena’s host of mental issues was well-handled. Lord knows I felt very seen when she was repeating “scripts” over and over. I do that exact thing. Selena almost felt like a self-insert character, where the self-insertion was me. It was cool watching her come into her own.

I enjoyed the short discussion on spirits vs gods vas Christianity. I very much liked Father Aguirre’s take on the whole thing. Very nuanced and true to someone of his parentage.

I don’t really have much else to say about Snake-Eater. It was definitely a fun read. 

Favorite Lines

“The first commandment is ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,’” he said gently. “It doesn’t say that there aren’t any others, or that you shouldn’t be polite when you meet them." - Father Aguirre

"Fire Marshal Jenny reminds everyone that our fire risk is extremely high, and if you burn down the desert, everyone’s going to be pissed." - DJ Raven

“Ain’t no kill like overkill,” - Grandma Billy