Foxglove Summer - it's good to be back

I have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Foxglove Summer, by Ben Aaronovitch since July, which is when the original publishing date was apparently scheduled for. I have loved the Rivers of London series, as anyone who has been following this blog will no doubt realise, and have been repeatedly checking the internet and bookshops until, finally, earlier this month, it was released. So I immediately purchased it in audio format (which is how I have read all the others) and jumped straight in!

In this, the fifth outing for PC Peter Grant and his magical police work, we see a bit of a break with tradition and head out of London to Herefordshire where two young girls have gone missing. Peter is a trainee wizard who, along with Nightingale, his full-wizard boss (imagine having that as your occupation on your passport!), investigates and combats beings and events that can only be explained by the existence and practice of magic. The local Herefordshire police assign Peter as Assistant Family Liaison Officer to the two families involved in the case, but he is really there to ascertain whether there are any supernatural influences on the case. Guess what ... there are! Whilst two of the main characters of the previous books - Nightingale and Lesley - play bit parts in this tale, it gives Beverley Brook (river Goddess who has a thing for Peter) a chance to become more than just a passing distraction for Peter. In Foxglove Summer, she joins him on the case, and stakes her claim on him as her boyfriend of choice, and pretty much becomes his sidekick for the rest of the book. As always, Ben Aaronovitch peppers this tale with action, wit and imaginative flair, all of which is masterfully relayed to the listener by Kobna Holdbrook Smith who has a voice you just want to keep on listening to. Although this book is good, it is flawed. Firstly, there is a key event involving one of the young missing girls that never really gets explained. And secondly, and most annoyingly, it leaves fans who have been avidly waiting to find out what will happen following the major cliff-hanger left at the end of the previous book, completely dangling. The Faceless Man (Peter's arch enemy) and Lesley get scant mention, except for the hint that things will come to a head in one year's time!!!!!! For that reason, some may see it as a filler or stand alone book. But do not be put off. I, for one, was happy to be back in the dark and often disturbing world of this series and there are some great characters and scenes to cherish. I am starting to think that they are becoming an addiction for me now, as although I've just finished this, I am longing for my next fix!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 384 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - a fine end to the series

Huzzah and hurrah, I have completed the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. After a shaky start, this series has got better and better. And Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows brings the adventure to a close in a more than acceptable manner. Things are looking bleak for Harry and his pals, Hermione and Ron. His trusted mentor, Albus Dumbledore, is dead, killed by the much-reviled Severus Snape. Lord Voldemort, who has been trying to kill Harry from page one of book one, is on the verge of taking complete control of the wizarding community. Before he died, Dumbledore left Harry with instructions to find and destroy the "Horcruxes" that Voldemort has hidden parts of his soul in (stay with me), so that the Dark Lord can finally be defeated. So, our three friends do not return to Hogwarts School for the start of the new academic year, but instead, they launch themselves into the most important mission of their lives, aided by a few trusted friends and family. This is the set up for this tale of adventure, action and heartbreak - with much death and destruction along the way. This is, as you would expect, the most grown up of the series - each book becoming darker and more adult, in keeping with the ageing of the characters. There is plenty for the reader to get their teeth into, and the action comes thick and fast. This is where the book works best, when characters are in peril and have to get on and do something. However, there are passages where there is very little going on except people being upset and grumpy, during which, the conversational pieces feel a bit clunky and more often than not, don't seem to move the story forward in any meaningful way. Maybe a little more judicious editing would have cut down what felt like unnecessary padding in places. There is, in addition, too much inner dialogue by Harry for my liking - the reader has to endure a modicum of repetition at times, with various details being explained more than once. Some unexpected twists keep you on your toes, and not all of them are nice! I suppose the moral of the tale is that, just like in real life, you can't always get what you want. Whilst I have enjoyed these books more than I had originally thought I would, I am still not sorry to have finished the tales of the boy wizard. Whilst in my heart I know that there are better books out there, I feel I shouldn't begrudge them, as they grabbed the imagination of millions of children and got them reading - which is an achievement that should be applauded. Thanks J.K.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 640 print pages.
Price I paid: Free, ebook borrowed via local library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; ebook.

The Fall of Five - action all the way!

The fourth instalment of the Lorien Legacies Series by Pittacus Lore is The Fall of Five. And I am pleased to be able to report that it is a cracker! It continues the epic journey of the nine Loric children who were smuggled to Earth from their home planet (Lorien), in a desperate attempt to save them from an invading force of Mogadorians. Unfortunately, the Mogadorians have now come to Earth to hunt them down. Six of these Loric "gardes" have now found each other, and are living in Nine's penthouse in Chicago, and are wondering how to find Five, who is the only other surviving garde. When they come across an article on the Internet about a crop circle that is in the shape of the Loric symbol for Five, they make plans to retrieve him. In the meantime, Sam Goode, the High School buddy of Number Four (John Smith) is rescued from the Mogadorians by Malcolm, his long, lost father, and, much to Sam's surprise, a Mogadorian called Adam, who seems to have a Loric Legacy. Five is rescued, with the help of Sam and Malcolm, and back to Chicago they all go. The garde work on improving their skills and team work, but tensions develop with the new guy, number Five, struggling to find his place. Ella is having horrific nightmares featuring Setrakus Ra (leader of the Mogadorians) who taunts her and shows her the devastation that he plans to wreak upon Earth. When John tries to shake her out of one, he finds himself pulled into the same dream. While he and Ella are fixed in a comatose dream state, the rest of the garde head off to find Five's chest, which contains his inheritance. Big mistake!

There is a constant menace running through this book, and the reader, just like the characters, can never get comfortable. There are many dark and fraught moments, with only a few light touches to bring occasional relief. Written with three different points of view - Four (John), Seven (Marina) and Sam Goode - really works for me, particularly in the audio edition, as each POV is given a different narrator. This technique really gives you the opportunity to get under the skin of the three main voices of this book. It was also pleasing to have Sam back in the fold, who was very much a dorky sidekick before, but now comes into his own much more. The Fall of Five ends on a fantastic cliff hanger and sets you up for the next book, which is out in print, ebook and audio CD, but not yet available for audio download ... I have been reading all of these books via audio download, so am champing at the bit ... not sure I can wait!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 352 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; unabridged audio CD; ebook.

The Dynamite Room - something a little different

I may have gone a little off-piste from the sequels and series challenge with The Dynamite Room, by Jason Hewitt, but I am glad I did. This is a gripping book set during World War II. Full of drama, it is also a little disturbing at times. Lydia is eleven, and has found her way back to her Suffolk home after running away from the house she was evacuated to in Wales. But instead of finding her mother there, the house is boarded up and appears to be empty. Then, a man appears wielding a gun, and he turns out to be a German soldier - Heiden. He tells her that the invasion has started and that she must stay with him and do as she says or she will be shot! Terrified and then curious, Lydia cannot help but be fascinated by Heiden who reminds her of her father in many ways, particularly when he dresses in his clothes. And why does Heiden seem to know so much about her family and her house? Over the course of the next five days, captor and captive start to build an unusual relationship, slowly adapting to each others presence, and also finding crumbs of comfort within this strange circumstance. Each flashes back in time to the months leading up to and during the first stages of the war, and we start to understand how each ended up where they are and why they slowly become dependent upon each other. There are heart breaking moments as Heiden thinks about the love of his life and Lydia longs for her father and brother, both of whom went off to war. The writing is tight and does not hold back on the desperate and futile situations that feature during any war. You cannot help but root for both the central characters even though they are both deeply flawed in their own individual ways. Jason Hewitt brings real humanity to this tragic tale. I would have no problem recommending this book, though I must warn you that it is not a comfortable read by any stretch of the imagination.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: £3.23.
Formats available: Print; unabridged audio download; ebook.