I've been fully obsessed with the Rivers of London books for about two years now, so it's about time that I drew the OG Folly gang! I love all of them, and I'm really pleased with how this group shot turned out - it's probably the most complicated multi-character illustration I've done to date.
(Drawn in alcohol markers and fineliners on smooth cartridge paper)
I've got some A4 size prints of this one available - check my blog page or pinned post for links!
Ugh, I need to get back to actually reviewing books. For that I need to read some.
Been putting in hours at my work and haven't hardly had a second to myself. I did not read anything on my to-read previously aforementioned, but I did finish listening to an audiobook on my commutes between jobs! So I will write a review for that.
The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chen
And I'm going to listen to Slewfoot: a tale of Bewitchery by Brom next. Hope they actually have an engaging narrator this time. Last Brom audiobook I gave a try was an absolute slog.
I'm rereading Matthew Swift, and getting close to the end of The Midnight Mayor. And the further into it I get the more I realize that this book is not only my favorite, but the book that defined the series for me.
A Madness of Angels is a great introduction. We meet Matthew, we meet the angels, we meet London, we're immersed in Kate Griffin's glorious prose and the magic of the city. We get the answers to Matthew's questions--"Who killed me, and who brought us back?" We get the climax, the confrontation of the past. Madness of Angels is the origin story.
Midnight Mayor, though, is the thesis statement. Rereading it, knowing what's coming, I am reveling in how the entirety of this book is setting up its perfect final declaration. Every little thing it chooses to dwell on, for what seems like no particular reason. Strangers. The stones of the city. Give me back my hat. The work of all the millions of invisible people who make the city run, bring in the food to feed it, take the trash away. The Aldermen, their philosophy, that speech Mr. Earle gives about a city of ants, all of them following blindly, nothing binding them together but the structure of the city, and of course the Aldermen are the only ones who see it--how very Plato of him! The only one who can see the real world casting its shadows on the wall (ha) of the cave, how enlightened, of course he should be in charge, at least according to him.
(Can you see me slipping into Kate Griffin's writing style? I love the rhythm of it. It's rubbing off on me.)
Every part of this story is slowly building up evidence, refuting counterarguments, preparing us for the thesis at the end of the book. Matthew tells us life is magic, sorcery is a point of view, and in Midnight Mayor we get to see what that point of view is. And more than that--we're invited to join in it ourselves.
When I say that the Matthew Swift books are bursting with love for humanity, what I'm talking about is how one act of kindness, from a stranger, saves the city of London from mythical destruction. How the Aldermen look at the city and see ants, interchangeable and insignificant, and Matthew looks at the city and says no, every single one of those is a human with thoughts and dreams and buses to catch, and every single one of them matters. No such thing as strangers. No one is alone.
Every time I read this book, I think, this is how I want to look at the world.
'This isn't London. The rules are different up here, and so are the allegiances.'
Detective Sergeant Peter Grant takes a much-needed holiday up in Scotland. And he'll need one when this is over...
If more's the merrier, then it's ecstatic as his partner Beverley, their young twins, his mum, dad, his dad's band and their dodgy manager all tag along. Even his boss, DCI Thomas Nightingale, takes in the coastal airs as he trains Peter's cousin Abigail in the arcane arts.
And they'll need them too, because Scotland's Granite City has more than its fair share of history and mystery, myth ... and murder.
When a body is found in a bus stop, fresh from the sea, the case smells fishy from the off.
Something may be stirring beyond the bay - but there's something far stranger in the sky...
The review is coming but as I was writing the review I just got so irritated by one thing...why was I waiting for an actual backstory on Oda in that 100 page flashback and all we fucking got was a recounting of her shithead brother? Now I need a whole fic about her religious trauma and radicalization. I'm so upset. My favorite psycho bitch. T_T Ugh. Anyway, I haven't jumped into the next book yet but I have it in hand.
My library finally got the audiobooks for Lies Sleeping and False Value!
I'm so excited. XD I've read both books already, but I never feel like I've truly enjoyed a Rivers of London book until I've listened to the audiobook.
So, expect a post reviewing both those books in the next eight weeks. :D
but comics, because the cornball hopefulness in DC Comics always gets me through some rough times. Probably going to review some of the volumes/story lines I've read.
The Midnight Mayor (Matthew Swift #2) by Kate Griffin
It's said that if the ravens ever leave the Tower of London, then the Tower will crumble and the kingdom will fall. Resurrected sorcerer Matthew Swift is about to discover that this isn't so far from the truth. . .
One by one, the protective magical wards that guard the city are falling: the London Wall defiled with cryptic graffiti, the ravens found dead at the Tower, the London Stone destroyed. This is not good news. This array of supernatural defenses -- a mix of international tourist attractions and forgotten urban legends -- formed a formidable magical shield, one that could protect London from the greatest threat it has ever known. But what could be so dangerous as to threaten an entire city?
Against his better judgment, Matthew Swift is about to find out. And if he's lucky, he might just live long enough to do something about it . . .
📖📖📖📖📖
The question of the day is, does it count as a plot twist when the plot twist is what's been said all along? Is that vague enough to count as a spoiler?
Firstly, let me preface this: if you are a reader who did not enjoy the first book's overwritten purple prose, you will not enjoy this story. Kate Griffin's in her groove now.
Ain't shit finna stop her now, not even a llama potion. She's just doing her own thing, defying all the rules of good writing. Hemingway rolls in his grave, I'm sure, because somehow she managed to improve on this haphazard style; the writing and descriptions are a lot less repetitive than they were in a Madness of Angels.
Writing style aside, this book can be summed up in a few words: it ain't safe. Literally no one is safe.
Nothing works twice, and everything that might have saved them before is no-selled by the antagonist, the Death of Cities.
And Matthew is just awful. I'm not sure how a protagonist can be equal parts craven, homicidal, merciful, selfish, and brave (see what I did there? ehehehe...). He literally throws every single person he knows under the bus, threatens every ally he has into cooperation with death (and wastes life senselessly), and leaves a trail of bodies and destruction wherever he goes. Not to mention everyone thinks he killed everyone Bakker's Shadow killed. I'm not surprised every faction out there yearns for his destruction. How is a person who's favorite way of asking nicely is "I'll fucking kill you!" such a fucking punk? Goddamn, I've never read a protagonist who was simultaneously so good at eliminating his allies while failing to kill his enemies.
Moreover, I'm not sure how he can irritate me this much and I still be so damned hooked I'm sitting there with my face glued to the pages, my mind on the story even when I'm supposed to be making my living.
Everyone in this story is morally detestable. There are no heroes here, and yet, despite the maniacal narration and POV, there's some sympathy for every perspective. I do enjoy all the side characters more than Blue Electric Angels and Co. Sometimes I wonder what women the author knows irl that every single female character in this story is such a miserable bitch though. Maybe it's her living out her 'fuck politesse' fantasy. Maybe it's the lack of sun in Europe that leaches the last bit of kindness from their hearts. /s
If you follow my blog at all then you know I fucking love Oda. She's literally my favorite character. There's something about her homicidal zealotry with a cause that gets me gay for her every time. Bang. Bang. Bang.
My favorite psycho bitch-- and Matthew's too, considering how many times she bails his ass out with a gun where magic won't do. (At least he pays her back with something other than a gruesome demise.) Not to mention, consequences~ gets me going every damn time. That and the subtle character development that's alluded to that just sets the speculative pistons pumping into overtime.
If we're following the trend of the series, if she dies next book, I don't know if I'll finish the series. Such a copout to kill every single character I start to love. Two will be two damn many. I ought to make sure I check this out in a physical copy, so I can chuck it out the window when I am inevitably infuriated, and not destroy my expensive e-reader.
But then...large print.
***
What with the club scenes, sneakerhead wayward youth, and guns and suits, I had this song on my headphones on repeat while reading this 😁
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden is a very powerful wizard and a dedicated private eye. He is also a wise cracking trouble magnet. Fueled by a tempest of guilt, sleep deprivation, malnutrition, bad temper and frankly awful personal grooming. Harry is hurtling toward oblivion. According to Harry that is nobody's business but his own.
The Winter Queen of Faerie manipulates him into accepting a case to solve a murder and stop a war between the courts of Summer and Winter that could have literally earth shattering consequences. His own soul is up for grabs. Dresden must dig deep to discover that at time a willingness to accept a little help from your friends, be they a cub pack of werewolves, old loves in sheep's clothing, or a battalion of pizza loving dewdrop fairies, is a very good thing.
📖📖📖📖📘
If ever you wanted to date this series as old, this would be the book to do it. Nothing screams Y2K like starting right off with shitty race jokes. I feel almost bad for liking this book. What can I say? A girl loves her faeries, be they friend or foe, even if Harry Dresden doesn't feel quite the same. At least the humiliation is two-ways, what with Harry being a monoglot dumb American :P Mentally, I even the tab-- Redneck Hillbilly doesn't appear nearly as frequently as the derogatory name for Listens-to-Wind.
I know somewhere, there's an ancestor of mine ashamed that I consume such problematic, insensitive genre fiction trash. I'll shamelessly add it to my shit taste shelf, right there with werewolf erotica, sugar daddy sex stories, and interracial romance.
Where was I? Ah yes, so anyways, I enjoyed this book! I feel like I keep saying that, but really, this book is like reading an action comic. The story is like 80% fight scenes. It plays a lot of those tropes straight and Harry's dry, sarcastic narration always catches me a little off-guard. There's moments of genuine cleverness, then just sheer dumbfuckery that gets you like--
Yes, I'm talking about the Plant Monster fight. There was a moment where I was like, "That's not actually going to work, will it?" And the consequences that follow actually made me laugh. I'm corny. Fight me. Nevermind when you have such groups as "Billy and the Werewolves" seriously named that. (Yes, I know they are supposed to be called the Alphas, but the first person narration gets snarky name stuck in my potato brain.)
As always, Karrin Murphy kicks ass (that's why I love her 😌).
The twist is a twist, yet, there's enough clues to figure it out as you read along! The execution is such that I started to put it together just as Harry did, which is always a delight when reading a mystery. My favorite books in the series always tend to be the ones with a tight mystery that ties in the client's case with the overarching plot, and this book does it so well. Each of the faerie queens were so enchanting and sinister in equal measure, more unsettling and inhuman as you go up the hierarchy of faerie courts. Then the plot worm for the next book! Delightful as always.
Aside from the overarching plot and pacing, I thought the progression of character for Hobo Harry, Karrin, and Susan were excellent. Everyone is a hot mess in this story. I, who enjoy toxic drama, was living for it. All these people need a break and therapy, but are they likely to get it? Nope. It's not paranoia if everyone actually is out to get you, as they say. And even the powers that be have it out for Hobo Harry and all his associates.
So, dock a book because the start was off-putting and frankly not good, while the rest was so good. YMMV.
Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden has had a rough couple of weeks. As the only openly practicing professional wizard in the Chicago area, he has squared off against a multitude of supernatural bad guys. Harry has won the day against demons, poltergeists, sorcerers, trolls, vampires, werewolves, and even an evil faerie godmother. You might think nothing could spook him. You would be wrong.
Something is stirring up angry apparitions all over town. Something that can break all the laws of supernatural physics. Something that doesn't like Harry. His closest friends are being targeted. The net is closing in. Harry must find a solution soon or find this is one Nightmare from which he will never waken.
📖📖📖📘📘
I listened to the audiobook for this book, which as always, highly elevates the experience of the Dresden Files. James Marsters, I adore his narration almost as much as Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. Almost. Well, anyways, the book opens up with an introduction; congratulations, the real Dresden Files has begun.
It's true, though. The progression of this series is like a stock shounen manga. You have the monster of the week early installments to set the scene and introduce our main character; then shit hits the fan.
Well, in this story, the shit is Susan Rodriguez, and the fan, the Red Court Vampires.
This book starts off so strong! The ghost in the hospital is one of my favorite scenes of this book. Like every book in this series, it expands the huge cast of characters, this time introducing Michael Carpenter and Thomas Raith and so many others that later stay on as significant characters, and in some cases, villains. It also has some of the best suspense, horror, and action scenes I've read from Butcher so far (and yes, I include later books in the series in this, especially because this book is set pre-power creep/Harry being an asshole). There's also a very enjoyable horror bit near the middle, when they first get captured by Lea, then the Red Court. Delightful!
So why three books?
The fucking Idiot Ball. The entire later half of this book is infuriating. I remember sitting there, mentally screaming at everyone-- Harry, Susan, Thomas, fucking Michael-- all of them make stupid decisions for the sake of the almighty Plot. It causes the middle to drag and it makes me want to rip out my hair.
GUESS WHO GOT HER HANDS ON THE MIDNIGHT MAYOR???🙋🏾🙋🏾🙋🏾🙋🏾
Oooh I had to reread the end of A Madness of Angels to get hype and I'm so excited ☺️
Meanwhile, LIBBY CAN CONTINUE TO SUCK MY DICK omfg this app will give me high blood pressure. I hate that they'll lapse my hold in two seconds. At least the library used to send a voicemail and fucking email. This stupid app can't fucking manage a push notification. Bring back overdrive. Stupid piece of shit.
His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik
Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire.
📖📖📖📘📘
Okay, second time writing this, let’s go!
I completely forgot I never posted a review, so I sat down to get right to it. Wrote up a lovely piece full of feelings, reactions, and the like— and wrote up many other pending reviews! Then, Tumblr raised me a big fucking middle finger because I accidentally hit CTRL+Z instead of CTRL+X (I had wanted to change the position of a paragraph) and…
The Whole Damn Thing was gone.
Enough about me, we’re all here for the books. Fictional struggles are so much more exciting than the nuisances of daily life.
This is another one of those books that have been on my to-read list longer than ten years. I found it out when I was in my Age-of-Sail, POTC, Golden Age of Piracy obsession. Amistad, Master and Commander, One Piece, Island of the Blue Dolphins— if it was media centered around the 17th-19th century and had boats, I would try to consume it.
Plus…dragons!
Never mind that a bitch couldn't swim, nor ever seen a damn boat in my life.
Or a dragon for that matter.
This book falls way more on the historical fiction side than the fantasy— truly a fantastic epic of the high seas! It’s very historically accurate, which just leads to the depth of worldbuilding. At first, Laurence as a narrator felt a little like dry toast at first, but as the story goes on, I feel a warmth for the character. Duty drives him, but it’s really his love for Temeraire and his genuine respect for his peers that drive his actions, and I’m weak for a heroic hero. I also really like how Novik makes Laurence a product of his times— no anachronistic virtue-signaling in this piece. It’s his environment and the people he engages with that guide the growth of his character, and it’s this facet of plot that kept me returning to this book eagerly.
The other star of this story is of course the eponymous dragon— Temeraire. His blue and orange morality, innocence yet canniness, and attachment to Laurence make him one of my favorite characters in this book.
The action scenes are where this particular book shines. It slows down near the middle, which is typical of Novik’s novels, but the ending battle was just
Overall, the first book felt like the origin story movie. Slow, character focused, worldbuilding is central to the plot, but if you're invested in the universe, you'll certainly pick up the next book—which I did!
These posts look godawful on the desktop website. Anyone know how to center pictures? I've written them both using html and using the blog post editor and even when the text is centered, the picture is on the left! Any tips?
So my Libby suddenly cleared up and I've been slowly but surely letting Mr. Marsters serenade me through early Dresden files, and we've entered what I mentally call the FUCKING SUSAN saga. It's called that not because I hate Susan ( I *love* Susan) but because Harry is so pussy addled I wanna shake the man. Vigorously sometimes lol.
Granted, I last read these early books nearly 12 years ago so it feels like a fresh reread. Even from the jump I love Karrin Murphy. I last read the series back when Cold Days came out (upon date checking, 10 years ago yeet).
Currently I'm listening to Death Masks (#5), so expect a review for:
Grave Peril (Dresden Files #3)
Summer Knight (Dresden Files #4)
To come soon!
Also, I read the next book for Temeraire (Throne of Jade, #2), so that should be getting a post. And sure enough, I'm hunting down Matthew Swift #2. Let's hope it doesn't take eight years for my broke ass to find it again 🥲.
My Rivers of London books are packed up, so it's going to be a minute before I finish that series.
I also managed to pick up the omnibus for Saga by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples so that's getting a reread as well. I got my tissues ready for this bitch. Been keeping up with the new issues when they returned from hiatus but it doesn't hit the same without a reread 🥲
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