The Masquerades of Spring

• Author: Ben Aaronovitch
• Genre: Urban Fantasy
• Publication Date: September 30, 2024
• Publisher: Subterranean Press
• Series: Rivers of London #9.2

Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

New York City, New York.

Meet Augustus Berrycloth-Young – fop, flaneur, and Englishman abroad – as he chronicles the Jazz Age from his perch atop the city that never sleeps.

That is, until his old friend Thomas Nightingale arrives, pursuing a rather mysterious affair concerning an old saxophone – which will take Gussie from his warm bed, to the cold shores of Long Island, and down to the jazz clubs where music, magic, and madness haunt the shadows…

I’ve been an avid reader of the Rivers of London series for years, ever since my friend recommended the first book in the series and I got hooked. Thanks Kim! Thus far, I’ve mostly stuck with the main books in the series while neglecting the novellas. I loved the last novella, Winter’s Gifts, featuring FBI Agent Kimberley Reynolds, even as the story didn’t really feature any of the other characters from the series. I figured this would be equally enjoyable, but it just didn’t really hit the mark for me and wound up being simply an okay read.

This has had me puzzled. If I love a series, and love how the writer tells a story, why didn’t I like this one as much as I was expected to? Well, I’ve put a lot of thought into it, and came up with some ideas.

First of all, the story takes place in a different time period than the series. Far from the present-day setting of the main books in the series, this one is set in the Jazz Age of the Harlem Renaissance. I actually loved the setting and getting a view of what it must have been like living during those times. However, the historical setting meant that the MC was new to me, and the only character I had any investment in was Thomas Nightingale. Unfortunately, I would have loved to see more of Nightingale, since he’s a favorite of mine. 

Augustus Berrycloth-Young is a character that was new to me, and I was so sad that I didn’t quite gel with him. It never felt like he had very much substance to him—he was a pretty one-dimensional character throughout the story. While he was focused on having fun and a mystery arose, I struggled to put myself in his shoes and connect with him. Since all of the characters were new other than Nightingale, I wasn’t really overly invested in anyone but him. 

As for the plot, it felt less organized and fast-moving than those in the other books I’ve read in the series. While Augustus is just hanging around NYC, he finds himself wrapped up in a mystery, but to me, it never really felt like it was the central part of the story. It didn’t even feel like the plot showed up until halfway through the novella, so this short read felt especially long to me.

Overall, this was an average read for me. There’s the wit and humor I’d expect from Nightingale, but Augustus wasn’t as witty or humorous as either Nightingale or Peter Grant is. I did love the diversity in the book, with Augustus being in a queer, interracial relationship, along with the associated issues they faced in the 1920s. While this wasn’t one of my favorites in the series, I still wholeheartedly recommend this series to anyone who likes paranormal mysteries, urban fantasy, Monty Python and their specific brand of British humor, and a series with books that are full of fun and diverse characters.

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