The Osiris Ritual

The Osiris Ritual
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy 
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!
Check out my review of the first book, The Affinity Bridge! 

When your boss is the Queen of England, you never know what the day will bring. For Gentleman investigator for the Crown, Sir Maurice Newbury, it is likely to involve rooftop chases, sword fights, races through the Underground, and the most terrifying case of murders to ever plague London.

When an Egyptian mummy is unveiled, a string of mysterious murders follows in its wake, drawing Newbury into a web of occult intrigue. Meanwhile, Miss Veronica Hobbes becomes increasingly perplexed by a growing pool of young women who have disappeared after being used as props in a magicians stage act. But what appears to be a straightforward investigation pulls Miss Hobbes into mortal danger. 

I loved the first book in this series to another level, then Titan sent me this book, the second one....I was excited. I read the blurb...and I was even more excited because not only another Newbury and Hobbe investigation.....one that involved a freaking mummy and I was like HELL YES! This series, just from these two books, gets better and better. The first book was awesome, and this book is just as good, if not better. 

The Osiris Ritual takes everything you love from the first book, and brings it back again for this book....and gives you more of it. George Mann has written this book, and the previous one, so beautifully that the descriptions of his creations, and settings and characters come to life around you and you can immerse yourself in it. I just love the London he's created, not going to lie! If you haven't read the first book....you should read it, just because why the hell not?! BUT, you could, if you really wanted to, probably get away with reading this book without having read the first one. But seriously....just read the first book. 

Right from the first page, I was drawn straight back in to the world of Newbury and Hobbes. I was eagerly awaiting the first appearance of one or both of them and I fangirled a little when we finally come across Newbury! Like I said, Mann creates each setting so you can pretty much step inside it. As such, when our intrepid Egyptian explorer started to try to open the sarcophagus...I was right there with Newbury, wincing along and kind of wanting to screech "STOOOPPP". 

One of the things I loved about the first book was the characters. Veronica is no swooning damsel in distress, she's independent, strong and a hero all of her own, not afraid and perfectly capable of looking after herself. Maurice, while still being a hero of the book, isn't perfect what with his drug addiction. I love that he isn't at all perfect, for the time setting it adds a gritty feel to it, making the character more believable and more realistic. He's also a bit geeky to be honest. Both characters where created so well in the first book with plenty of depth, and more to them than meets the eye and in this book that's carried on as you spend more time with them and learn more about them. 

The rest of the colourful and well written cast from the first book are back. We get more of Charles, more of Veronica's sister who gets a rather nice surprise at the end of the book, and I'm excited to see what's in store for her next! We also get to see the Queen herself again. I'm most excited about Amelia to be honest, right now, after the end of the book and everything, I just want to know so much more about her! I'm also incredibly intrigued now by Dr. Fabian. 

Much like the first book there's lots of action in this one, as well as little original quirks. There's a submarine type vessel, the ground train is back, there's mechanical devices all over the place and I love reading all about them. Not to mention what's been going on in the book, that involves automatons and people and yeah. Each is explained in such detail that you can picture if vividly. Although I could have done without certain visuals involving Ashford and the machinery parts and everything. Gross, just gross. Anyway, the steampunk style devices are one of the little things about the book that makes it stand out from the crowd, intrigues you and helps to bring the book to life. Especially as the descriptions are concise, while giving you a clear image of what the author has created. I once read a steampunk book that took pages to describe one device, so Mann's descriptions are completely perfect! 

The world and the characters are very authentic, very realistic and really pull you in to the story. Not to mention how atmospheric the settings are. Especially the creepy theatre. Have you ever been in to a theatre when no-ones about? It doesn't matter whether or not there's something going on like in the book, it's still freaking creepy. There are so many things combining to give you an authentic and immersive experience as you're reading and you find yourself completely engrossed in the book and what's going on. Each setting has a different vibe to it, each is created with as much care as the others. 

The writing continues to be slick and compelling. The chapters end leaving you wanting more, especially when something's happening to Newbury, and the narrative in the next chapter is Veronica where something else is happening and you're like 'I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO THEM I CAN'T TAKE THIS SUSPENSE'. I love the changes in narrative so you know what's going on with both characters and it adds to the suspense and tension and danger. The changeovers are always smooth as well, and each character has an engaging and distinctive voice. 

I love how Mann gives you a couple of mysteries in one go, and then all these little threads. Murders, girls going missing, an agent needing to be tracked down...except he's supposed to be dead. All of these combine together to create a plot that is the right amount of complex, and keeps you occupied as you try to workout who's responsible for one thing, how they tie together and so on. Each plot thread gets it's time in the spotlight as we go through the book, switching between them, and I love how all the different threads throughout the book come together and no matter what you come up with...you're wrong. Plot twists everywhere guys, everywhere. 

This book doesn't half leave you wanting more as well! Newbury finally finds out The Thing. If you've read the books you'll know what I mean. Right at the end. He finds out. I'm like.....you can't leave it there...come on...where's the other pages?! Then with Amelia and Fabian and everything. It's a world I've already come to love so much over the course of two books, and I already didn't want to leave it or the characters, and then the ending of the book happened and I'm like...damn. *looks up when book three is out* *screams no Luke Skywalker style*. On the plus.....March is my birthday month, so like...I get my birthday AND new Newbury and Hobbes...that's kind of a win I suppose?! 

The Osiris Ritual is a fantastic sequel to The Affinity Bridge, it's the sequel you dream about, perfect continuation. Everything you love is back and better. I kind of ship Newbury and Hobbes not going to lie and this book made it worse! There's more steampunk type devices for your imagination to conjure up from the descriptions, more mysteries filled with plot twists you don't see coming. More of our favourite characters, more atmospheric and vivid settings. There's Egyptian myth and mystery. 

The Osiris Ritual is a book you can't put down because you just have to know what happens next. It's original, it's unique, it's just freaking glorious okay?! It's basically perfect, except for the ending and the wait for the next book! 

The Affinity Bridge

The Affinity Bridge
Rating: 5/5
Buy or Borrow: Buy
Source: Copy courtesy of the publisher!

Welcome to the bizarre and dangerous world of Victorian London. Airships soar in the skies, whilst ground trains rumble through the streets. But beneath this shiny veneer of progress lurks a sinister side. Queen Victoria is kept alive by a primitive life-support system while her agents Sir Maurice Newbury and his assistant, Miss Veronica Hobbes, do battle with enemies of the crown, both physical and supernatural...

Newbury is currently investigating a series of murders, strangulations of the poor, in Whitechapel, assisting his old friend Charles Bainbridge. But it's not long before he's called away by the Queen herself, an airship has crashed in Finsbury Park in suspicious circumstances and the pilot is missing. A pilot that isn't exactly what it appears to be. 

On top of all that another helper of Newbury's, Miss Coulthard, has a missing brother, and there's revenants roaming in the fog, eager to pass on the zombie like plague to others. Not to mention the malfunctioning automatons, and automaton assassins in general. The question is, could any of these cases be intertwined? 

Halloo new favourite series. Seriously. I can't wait for the next book, and this book is seriously awesome, like read for hours and forget what the time is and forget that food is a thing you need, kind of awesome. I devoured this in a couple of sittings and I would have finished it a lot faster if I hadn't had other work to do! It's definitely a series I'll be re-reading, because it's so much more than the mystery, the writing is fantastic, the characters come alive and I enjoy the relationships between all of the characters and the world itself. 

The books begin in a suitably creepy yet intriguing setting, letting you know straight away that this book is original and has quirks to make it stand out from the crowd. It draws you in and sets up one plot thread straight away, as well as immediately starting up an intrigue. That's seriously just the prologue. The actual first chapter is even better, and gives you a feel for Newbury straight away, entertaining and amusing you before the real action kicks off. 

What I found really interesting, is that as we start the book Newbury and Hobbes have already met and been working together for some weeks. But you don't feel as if you've missed out, you can immediately see their connection and get a feel for their partnership, as well as a feel for them individually. You miss the awkward jut met stage and of straight to the "I kind of know you but I've still got a way to go" stage which is always interesting and over the course of the book they get to know each other better. 

Likewise we join the book as Newbury is helping helping his friend, Chief Inspector Bainbridge, investigate a series of murders and we're up to body number seven as we join. Again, you don't feel like you're missing something as some genius dialogue fills you in on what's going on, and it's not the only instance. You get a concise overview of what's been going on. 

While there's the whole strangling case going on, another one comes to light almost immediately and is of an entirely different nature. So one investigation ends up taking a backseat to the other as well as a third mystery of an associates missing brother. While one or other may take a backseat, it's not for long, and it's not a plot point that's forgotten about until later. It's still mentioned in dialogue of passing characters, and you're still kept up to date, so the intrigue is kept alive. 

There's a lot going on in the book plot wise and action wise, but each plot thread is woven together and there's no confusion. They are threaded together that seamlessly, and with the fast pace, that's literally the perfect kind of fast pace, the plotting and the story are just fantastically on point. 

Veronica is an interesting character, and one of my favourites! I feel she's quite forward thinking for a woman of her time, she's running about trying to help chase down criminals and not overly concerned with what's proper for a woman. She's not insipid, she's a bit of a fighter. There's also plenty more to her but....spoiler alert. 

Newbury is also an interesting character, I actually really liked both of our main characters because they where so well written and had so much depth to them and there's still so much to learn about them. I'm so intrigued by Newbury and his backstory, he dabbles in the occult and is an agent for the Queen, how could I not be?! I loved the fact that while Newbury was a hero/did heroic things, he was not your average type of hero. He's kind of the geeky type being an anthropologist who practically lives at the museum. He's also delightfully flawed, which frankly, made him all the more realistic and believable, especially as his flaw was a very appropriate one of the time. His laudanum addiction is a very well written element to the book, and it's a very interesting struggle to watch and I have a feeling it's going to develop more and be more of a problem in the future. Newbury is such a likeable character that you don't end up disliking him or being pitying of him or anything. 

It's not just the main characters that are well written, there's an entire cast of colourful and lively characters to enjoy. Bainbridge is also incredibly well written, and I'm so intrigued by him and his past, I also really want his lightening cane. Not to mention the Fixer, Miss Coulthard, the Queen herself, Amelia and various other characters that are well written, but you don't see that much of, but you know there's depth to them that you're just waiting to find out about. Amelia is a particular character that I'm desperate to see more of and find out more about, she has visions and due to that and the nature of her visions she's locked up in an asylum, which also offers an interesting insight in to the time, now that you mention it! 

Like I said the book is full of action and there's so many original little quirks. There's zombie like creatures shuffling about in the fog, spreading a plague about. Automatons and airships and steam carriages and ground trains and I could go on and on. I loved the steampunk elements it was very well done. I've just given you an example of a few things, but there where other things as well and it made the book so magical to read. I looked forward to seeing what other things there where in it. The thing I loved most about the steampunk elements was how it wasn't overdone. 

Each steampunk device/invention and so on, was explained in enough detail that you can imagine it and understand how it works but without long, over complicated and stuffy explanations that leave you confused, which I've experienced in a few other books. Seriously fantastically done keeping up the pace of the book and the enjoyment.

You really get an authentic feel for the time despite the fact that it's an alternate London. The way of thinking and so on was so realistic and authentic that it really helped to suck you in to the world of the book so you completely lose track of reality. I also liked Veronica's stance on progress, she doesn't seem to like it much. She dislikes the steam carriages, and with the automatons I found her thoughts so fascinating. She was worried about people's jobs being taken over by the automatons and I found it a concern that echos in the modern day with all this AI stuff that people are getting involved in, despite every bad thing that has ever happened because of AI in films, but there you go. Anyway, she considers the consequences of progress, whereas Newbury is all for it and it was an interesting difference between the two. 

Like I said, it's a very immersive world with incredibly vivid and engaging settings, each different to the last, and each will stick in your mind. Each setting was also incredibly atmospheric, particularly the creepy scene in the fog. The atmosphere in that particular chapter could be cut with a knife the way it was coming off the page and enveloping  you. You felt like you where in the fog with them. Likewise the suspense was another palpable atmosphere/element whenever it made itself known. Towards the end, you could feel the urgency as the pace pounded towards the end of the book. (That was a rubbish sentence but I couldn't think of the word I was looking for!)

I enjoyed the writing a lot, it's slick to go with the fast pace, and each chapter leaves you wanting more. The author has an interesting way of keeping the book streamlined and keeping it pacey and on track. Like I said earlier about the opening, where you're caught up to what's been going by the dialogue. There'a a few other instances of this, like for example, one chapter ends with them discussing finding a person at a party. Then in the next chapter it's an entirely different setting, but a conversation with another character yielded results and answers. I loved whenever the book did this as it kept things fresh and interesting as well. 

The Affinity Bridge is a delightful and enchanting read. The plotting is fantastically done, there's lots of threads that twine together and flow towards a satisfying conclusion, while keeping you intrigued and the book has many unpredictable twists and turns. You end up frantically reading to see what happens next and struggling for a place to put it down. It's fast paced, action packed, and there's lots going on to keep you hooked. There's a nice little twist at the end that made me smile, everything was wrapped up nicely and then right there at the end....another little intrigue. I'm incredibly intrigued for the next book and what adventure our characters will be going on next. 

The Affinity Bridge is entertaining, dramatic, richly created with a fantastic plot and pace. There's never a dull moment and you'll find yourself desperately wishing to go back to the world of the book and the characters. This is a must read book to be honest, and like I said, I'm desperate to get my hands on the next one! 

Wishing For Wednesday #46

Hey guys!
This week I've got two books I'm really excited for and I think you guys are going to love them!
First up is a steampunk type mystery that sounds original and fun!
Second is a book, the first in a new series, I think, by an author that I love! I've been waiting for this one for ages and I'm literally counting down the days!

The Affinity Bridge

Welcome to the bizarre and dangerous world of Victorian London. Airships soar in the skies, whilst ground trains rumble through the streets. But beneath this shiny veneer of progress lurks a sinister side. Queen Victoria is kept alive by a primitive life-support system while her agents Sir Maurice Newbury and his assistant, Miss Veronica Hobbes, do battle with enemies of the crown, both physical and supernatural...

The Affinity Bridge is out July 17th, pre-order your copy....here!
Add it to your TBR....here! 

Ink and Bone

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.
When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn.…

Ink and Bone is out July 7th, pre-order your copy....here! 

Add it to your TBR....here!