Pros: great story, brilliantly written, lots of imagination, made me want to listen to the whole thing in one sitting, Patricia Briggs and Jim Butcher rec this one, I'd listen to it again and have requested the series which I'm told gets even better also, unusually for this kind of genre, there are several really well written female side characters. Would I want to read more in the series? Yes, if I want a lightweight read I don’t need to become too heavily invested in.Hope Audible gets the rest of this series :) Other than the British Museum, the book could have been set anywhere and for a book that trades on being London-based, it needs to be strengthened. I also felt that although it was set in London, there wasn’t really enough to ground it there. In Fated, perhaps Alex could have explained those concepts to Luna, much along the same lines. It’s a deft trick and keeps the story moving. Rowling uses Hermione to explain the magic world to Harry and in doing so, explain it to us readers. The developmental editing could have been better managed: J.

Not to the extent of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One thank goodness, but enough that I got stuck in the world-building explanations a few times. My biggest gripe is that there were a few swathes of exposition. I’d also like to mention the cover art – that also helped me in my buying decision - as it’s beautifully done and there’s a few subtle details in there that I appreciate more after reading. I also enjoyed that it didn’t lurch to a screaming halt (not looking at you at all, Aaronovitch!) The book ended with enough resolution I’d class it as a stand-alone story and there are enough elements for me to see the start of bigger story arcs. A couple of feints added interest - I wouldn’t call them full plot twists, but they added to the narrative. The characters were interesting enough, although didn’t show an incredible amount of depth, and the plot enough to keep me going until the end. With 322 pages, in a good-sized typeset, it didn’t take me too long to read. Fated had a huge number of reviews, so ‘nothing ventured, nothing gained….’ Amazon recommended it on the back of my Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London purchases - both comprise London-based, urban fantasy novels. Read more in my affiliate policy.įated by Benedict Jacka (published by Orbit Books) is the first in the Alex Verus series.

Fated by Benedict Jacka