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Post by Bethan on Jan 5, 2015 11:08:31 GMT
So what were your top-of-mind thoughts on the book? Did you like it? Would you recommend it? Do you want to read the others in the series?
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Post by Michaela on Jan 6, 2015 17:26:46 GMT
So on first reading the blurb I was very worried that I just wasn't going to enjoy it at all. I was still thinking this a couple of chapters in, but as I read on, I started enjoying it. I think I liked the writer's style and actually ended up wanted to read the next books in the series. It's not a life changing book but it had me entertained and I thought the characters were very likable. A lesson in not judging a book by it's blurb.
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Post by aveline on Jan 7, 2015 22:35:10 GMT
I kind of agree with Mic, wasn't gripped from the start but as I read on got into the story and enjoyed it. I thought it was an interesting take on magic and things like that, although at times I got a bit confused (easily done though).
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Post by Bethan on Jan 8, 2015 15:55:56 GMT
I disagree with you both, I think. I agree that I didn't expect to like it, but I think that feeling remained throughout. I agree that the characters were likable, but that was about it. I didn't like the style of writing, I almost felt like it was a "grown up" version of Harry Potter, but that every so often, just to reconfirm that it wasn't Harry Potter, the writer felt it necessary to throw in a bit of history and pretentious spiel that really wasn't needed.
As I finished the book, I felt more relief than anything else. I did turn the page to read the teaser for the sequel, but closed the book after a matter of seconds in a "I knew it wouldn't be worth it" kind of way.
What did you guys think of the random historical bits that were shoved everywhere?
The one bit I did like was that I could imagine if you lived in London and knew the street names better, they would have all been correct and you'd have been able to follow the characters on a map. I was tempted to bring up a map of London to read it with out of curiosity, but only because this would have made the book more entertaining!
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Post by Michaela on Jan 8, 2015 17:33:14 GMT
No I actually liked the history bits, except for the Newton being a magician thing. I liked the idea of rivers being people. As far a fantasy books go it's pretty different to anything else I've read in that genre, so from that point of view, it wasn't boring for me. I didn't think it was like Harry Potter at all but maybe if it had been I would have enjoyed it more. Harry Potter geek x
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sacha
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Post by sacha on Jan 10, 2015 12:27:21 GMT
I sort of enjoyed it up to a point but then just wanted it to be over. Won't be in any hurry to go out and read the next one and I probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Is the sort of book that I would normally read but I've read much better fantasy set in the real world books than this so was a bit disappointed. I agree with Mic, didn't think it was really like Harry Potter at all (and also would probably have enjoyed it a lot more if it had been).
I thought it seemed a bit jumbled up, with him learning magic, the punch and judy thing and the thing with the rivers.
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Post by jennyb on Jan 16, 2015 0:00:22 GMT
I found it odd that they all just accepted magic existing and no one really questioned it. Also I was getting confused by seemingly having the two stories in one and how it kept switching between the two. I found myself having to go back to previous pages to remind myself of bits. However by the end I did want to carry on reading and may have to read the next book, though the longer it is since I read the book the less inclined I feel to do so!
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Post by Bethan on Jan 16, 2015 11:49:27 GMT
So what does everyone else think about the Harry Potter comparison? Michaela, Sacha, why don't you think it's like Harry Potter?
Jenny I think that's a really good point - now you've said that I remember thinking at the time "why isn't anyone else finding this weird"... not even the other Detective that wasn't a fan!
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sacha
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Post by sacha on Jan 17, 2015 10:24:16 GMT
Because Harry Potter is a fictional character.
More seriously, I just didn't really see that many similarities. Magic? That goes for pretty much everything I read. Harry Potter makes more sense, the magic etc is pretty well explained which I didn't think was done in this book. The odd bits of (real) history in this book that aren't in HP. HP contains this whole world which has been created while this one mostly just used real locations. Why did you think it was similar?
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Post by Bethan on Jan 20, 2015 13:37:38 GMT
Aren't the characters in this book fictional too? Is this a sarcastic comment I'm just not getting? Why did I think it was similar... someone "coming into" the world of magic, much like a "chosen one" and learning how to do it. The odd creatures, people that aren't exactly real. "Battles to the Death". Same old if you ask me! (I'm not really a fan of the genre though) Personally I preferred how the magic had an element of Science in it with this one over Harry Potter, and much preferred the real locations, but I always prefer it when I can almost see the characters on a map in my head
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sacha
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Post by sacha on Jan 22, 2015 9:43:14 GMT
It's from the book, nightingale says it to peter cos he says something like "oh like harry potter" when he's first finding out about magic.
I guess as a fantasy reader that is a common theme through a lot of the books I have read. Mainly I guess because the easiest way to introduce the reader to the magic is to introduce one of the characters to it. So I can see why you would see them as similar but I wouldn't specifically pick up on 'this is like harry potter'.
I do agree with you on the map thing (I always follow where they are on a map if there is one at the front of the book) but my knowledge of london is so non-existent that I would have had to have looked one up.
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Post by lena01 on Aug 31, 2017 11:27:52 GMT
Rivers of London (Midnight Riot in the US) is the first novel in the series of the same name by English author Ben Aaronovitch. The novel was released on 10 January 2011 through Gollancz and was well received by critics, earning a Galaxy National Book Awards nomination for Aaronovitch in the New Writer of the Year award.
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