Peter Oxley

Bart and Spencer are much better at demon hunting than at finances and, as a result, The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency is quickly running out of funds. But Tess, their once employer and now partner, is determined to turn things around. The chance comes when an old friend of hers wants to hire them to help break a family curse on her home Flint Hall under which her father will die when he turns sixty in just a few days and now it seems a demon is prowling around the grounds..

Bart and Spencer aren’t so sure about taking the job despite the huge pay offered partly because curses are not something they want to deal with but mainly it means leaving London and on a train, two things they have never done and which seem much scarier than fighting demons. However, Tess is adamant and they finally agree. But when they arrive at Flint Hall, something seems off right from the beginning and whatever is happening is a whole lot worse than a simple rampaging demon.

The Great Big Demon of Flint Hall is the second book in the Spencer and Bart alternative history series by Peter Oxley and it is just as much fun as the first. It’s fast paced with a nice touch of humour. The three main protagonists are extremely likeable and although I guessed fairly quickly who was behind the curse, I was not prepared for the big reveal at the end. There are a lot of references to the action in the first book and I’m not sure this would work as a standalone. But, if you enjoy a good monster tale with a decent mystery and likeable characters, this series might be just what you’re looking for.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review… (más)

Originally posted on Just Geeking by.

Content warnings:
This book contains scenes of violence, blood, gore, torture and death. There is a scene of attempted rape on page, and the main female character is emotionally and financially abused by her husband. He has her kidnapped and while kept prisoner she is the victim of paranormal experiments. Other female characters on and off page are also experimented on, with one scene depicting a woman being kidnapped from her home under the guise of being mentally ill. The experiments are particularly violent and disturbing.

Based on the synopsis The Great Big Demon Detective Agency by Peter Oxley looked like it had the potential to be an interesting read, unfortunately it ended up being a fun quick read and that was one of the few positives things I have to say about it. Normally I would have stopped reading a book like this, however, despite the warning signs the storyline seemed as though it was going somewhere promising. Instead of building up to something interesting, the conclusion was poorly executed and very unsatisfying.

The biggest issue I had with The Great Big Demon Detective Agency was the poor quality of characters. Other than one side character they were all badly written. The two main characters are written as stereotypes, although it’s evident that Oxley has done this on purpose and the satirical nature of them is one of the few redeemable qualities of this book. The villain’s identities were obvious from their first introduction, and I wasn’t impressed that Oxley used the particularly harmful stereotype of villains being identified by canes.

Then there’s the issue of the main female character, Tessie, who essentially is the stereotypical damsel in distress dressed up to be an intellectual woman of science. You know the type; the very clever woman who still needs saving by the big strong men because, well, all women need saving right? Tessie is also stuck in an emotionally and financially abusive relationship which of course, our two unconventional heroes have to save her from. As an abuse survivor the way the storyline was handled felt like a complete mockery as it was simply a plot hook to make the male characters look good. Getting an abuse victim out of a horrible situation was only a secondary consideration.

Other than the poor storyline and world-building, there are the mistakes and sloppy errors throughout the book. It’s off-putting to read a Victorian novel where the language is all over the place. Characters were using slang like “totally” and “really” as though they’ve just stepped out of the 1980s and 1990s not the 1860s. There’s also a whole chapter dedicated to Tessie sitting doing needlepoint with other noble women, which seems to have no point other than to introduce one character. I’m not quite sure why an entire chapter needed to be dedicated to that. Oxley’s writing style also grated on my nerves. He has an awful habit of trying to use overly descriptive analogies, such as describing houses as people.

If you’re bored and looking for something quick and fun to read, then The Great Big Demon Detective Agency will keep you busy for a bit. But if you’re looking for something with a bit of depth then I would give this one a pass. Personally for me, an entertaining and humorous read shouldn’t mean cutting the corners when it comes to good writing, and in that regard The Great Big Demon Detective Agency just didn’t work for me.

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… (más)

The Infernal Aether
By Peter Oxley
This was such a joy to read! It had all the elements I find great in a novel. There's creatures, demons, snarky characters ( the ones you least expect), time period of London in about 1860s (I think), one brother a genius inventor, the other has a sword that has magic, plenty of humor, unpredictable situations, great dialogue, and fun plot. My favorite character was the maid, ex-prostitute! Hilarious! She really was braver than the men!
I giggled a lot reading this book! Can't wait to read the rest in the series.
I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this terrific book.… (más)

in an alternate Victorian London where demons exist, two petty criminals. Spencer and Bart decide to go straight by starting The great Big Demon Hunting Agency. Turns out they’re pretty good at it which leads to a bounty on their heads by other demons as well as bringing them to the attention of a crime boss who wants his share of any earnings they might make...or else and that or else includes some very nasty possibilities including, but not limited to, death.

Tessie’s husband, never a nice guy, has lately been even worse since he started hanging out with a man who seems wrong somehow although Tessie isn’t sure how. She suspects something bad is happening but, since she can’t trust anybody she knows, she turns to Bart and Spencer to find out what her husband is up to. Eventually this brings the duo to the Thaumaturgical and Paranormal Research Centre and suddenly facing vengeful demons and murderous crime bosses seem like much better safer options

When I saw The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency by Peter Oxley on Netgalley, it looked like it would be a whole lot of fun and, happily, it lived up to my expectations. Bart and Spencer made for very likeable characters and the bad guys, both human and nonhuman, are uncompromisingly and compellingly evil. The story moves at a brisk pace and kept me engaged throughout. Overall, a wickedly entertaining read, one I hope is the beginning of a series because I’d love to read more of the adventures of Bart and Spencer.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.… (más)