book series rec [not classics]

to read if you like:

• adult wizards
• magic, science, and various magical creatures (fae, river spirits, etc)
• interesting, well developed characters
• POC main characters
• books that take place in London
• police procedurals
• witty and genuinely funny dialogue
• surprise twist endings
• in text pop culture references to other scifi and fantasy works

I just recently finished the newly released fourth book in the series, Broken Homes, and had to stand up and walk around for a bit after the ending. Was really not expecting what happened.

My brother laughed at me for explaining it this way, but while these books are about wizards and magic, they are definitely more 'books about cops who happen to be wizards' then 'books about wizard cops'. It's a clichéd description, but don't go into these books expecting them to be like aurors straight from Harry Potter or anything. The main character, Peter Grant, is very modern, technologically literate, well-versed in the fantasy genre (making for some funny dialogue and analogies), and takes an almost scientific approach to studying magic. The plot is more murder/crime mystery than anything, and is done very well. A lot of police terms are used but it never seems too complicated or unnecessary, and an explanation always follows for those of us who aren't familiar with all the acronyms and police procedures used in the UK. The author really knows what he's doing when it comes to building his own unique urban fantasy universe; Aaronovitch has written some episodes for Doctor Who in the past and it shows.

These are the kind of books that are hard to explain without reading them for yourself. The actual magic itself and the history behind it is a bit strange without the context of the novel and difficult to neatly sum up in a few lines. I tried explaining to a friend of mine when I had just finished the first novel of the series and he would not stop laughing when I tried explaining how this one spell (spoiler-ish) literally ripped open somebody's face. The character Thomas Nightingale explains the magic really well, though, so go read the book!