I really enjoy the Rivers of London series, so jumped at the chance to read The Masquerades of Spring. Meeting a much younger Nightingale was great fun, and I enjoyed as well the characters of Gussie and "Lucy." The between-the-series reads are even better than the full length novels.!

Thanks to Ben Aaronovitch, Subterranean Press and NetGalley for access to the Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed Ben Aaronovitch’s Hugo nominated Rivers of London series and was pleased to see this book which takes place in the states and introduces new characters. This book is a fast paced, fun ride in 1920’s New York and Harlem. I enjoyed the characters, the plot was interesting, I’d be interested in additional books in the series should they be part of the plan. Recommended.

Thomas Nightingale is back, but this time in 1920’s New York City, not London, where he shows up as the unexpected guest of expat Augustus Berrycloth-Young. His stated quest is to track down magically infused instruments, particularly a trumpet, Gussie is to be his (reluctant) guide to the city, using his friends knowledge of the music scene to help. The story is told by Gussie in his wonderful upper class English meets New York jazz scene language, with the music scene in Harlem at the time as the main setting. I loved it, the period came to life with the music, class barriers, prohibition, and gangsters as Thomas and Gussie unravel the trumpets path, and other mysteries. Even if you haven’t been reading this extraordinary series this one will work well as a stand alone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for an advance copy, it’s such a fun book with turns you won’t see coming.

A different time (the 1920s' Harlem Renaissance), a different location (NYC), a different practitioner (Augustus Berrycloth-Young), and a new challenge (finding the source of an enchanted saxophone) combine to let us see a whole other side of Thomas Nightingale as he tries to figure out what's going on with enchanted musical instruments and what's behind it all. Augustus narrates the story with vocabulary and slang terms that were in vogue in 1920's New York. His descriptions of the jazz music scene and of his adventures are comical, bordering on ludicrous. Nightingale provides a serious counterpoint to Gussie's playful, easy-going attitude. A fun, lighthearted magic-filled mystery!

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch from Subterranean Press via NetGalley.

The Masquerades of Spring is a novella in the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. I have only read the first book in the series, so I can safely tell you that you could read this as a standalone. While maybe reading the first book would help set up some information for you, it is not really necessary.

I enjoyed the setting of 1920s New York City and Harlem specifically. It was an interesting time in the United States, and the Harlem Renaissance was in full bloom. You will also get a taste of ball culture which sounds spectacular to witness in person.

It may bother some people that the language used is accurate to the time period. There are terms used regarding black and queer people that would never be acceptable today. If that bothers you, I would move along to another book.

This is a fun little novella set in the Rivers of London world, but I’d recommend having read at least one of those before diving into this. You CAN read this as a standalone, but I think you’ll get way more out of it if you’re familiar with this universe.

Welcome to the Harlem Renaissance, 1920’s New York City. The jazz scene is in full swing as we’re introduced to Augustus Berrycloth-Young, British ex-pat, magician, and former schoolmate of one Thomas Nightingale. Gussie, as he’s known, is very aristocratic, very dandy, and very gay. I absolutely LOVE the setting of the queer community in 20’s Harlem and the cast of characters we meet. The voice is very, very different from Peter Grant, and honestly I found Gussie very annoying at the beginning. He grew on me though, and once Nightingale showed up on the scene things picked up quickly and I found myself Gussie as the reluctant hero.

Nightingale is in search of a magical object and needs Gussie’s help. He reluctantly tries to balance helping Nightingale while hiding the truth of who he is – a queer man in a society that does not approve.

I enjoyed seeing pre-war Nightingale, but there wasn’t very much magic evident in this story, which is always a bit of a let-down. Despite that it’s still pretty action packed, and the climax at the titular Masquerade was a great bit of fun. All in all, this is a lighthearted and fast paced novella that any Rivers of London fan will enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is the earliest set story in the Rivers of London series and is works for both new and old fans. Augustus has moved from London to New York and has set himself up nicely when his old school friend Thomas Nightingale comes to town on Folly business. Jazz features in this since Augustus is a big fan of it. It was nice to see someone who knew Nightingale from before the War and the New York Jazz scene features quite a bit in this since Nightingale’s quarry is involved with this a bit. Overall, a great story and maybe we will see more of Gussie down the line.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher on Netgalley

I really like the Rivers of London series, and this is a little detour from the main story arc that I had a ton of fun with! It's set in 1920s NYC and written from the perspective of Augustus "Gussie" Berrycloth-Young. (Don't worry if you don't recognize him: I'm pretty sure he's a new character.) He's having an amazing time listening to jazz and falling in love in the New World when his old boarding school prefect, Thomas Nightingale, shows up on (what Gussie assumes is) a mission from the Folly.

The novella is a mix of amateur sleuth procedural, historical "slice of life" full of little historical details, and a new perspective on pre-WWII Nightingale. I'd recommend it for fans of the series, but not necessarily as a starting place. In other words, if you just read this review and have no idea what "the Folly" is, or why a reader might be intrigued by reading about young Nightingale breaking a little protocol, you probably don't want to pick this up. But if you DO, you'll be pleased with this one.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novella.

The protagonist of the book is annoying, frustratingly stupid, and passive. I love the vibe of the setting, exploring the Harlem Renaissance in 1920s New York, especially the jazz and queer communities. However, my love for the vibrant setting could not overpower the dull narrator. I hated this book.

This book also has disappointingly little Nightingale content. Heartbreaking for me.

A review video including this book will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle.

Thanks to Netgalley and Subterranean Press for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The novella Masquerades of Spring fills in some of Nightingale's background from a case he worked in the US. It's a fun read told from the pov of Augustus Berrycloth-Young set in 19020s New York CIty. Masquerades underlying case contains the usual twists and turns one comes to expect in the Rivers of London series. Recommended for fans of the series.

Augustus Berrycloth-Young is a Englishman living in 1920's New York, partially to keep clear of the Folly, when Thomas Nightingale came waltzing into his self-imposed exile. They had gone to school together and both were practitioners of magic. Nightingale was on the trail of a cursed magical saxophone that raised Molly's interest. Lucky, Berrycloth-Young had the right sort of acquaintances to aid their endeavors. Interesting side story in the Rivers of London series that provides a mad-cap adventure in America that ends well.

Thanks Netgalley and Subterranean Press for the chance to read this title.

This is the first novella I've read by BA....but I'll be reading more
This was supplied by Net Galley and the publisher
So thank you
I'll try not to give spoilers
This short story is set in New York in the 1920's era
Around the growing Jazz age and prohibition
The narrative is written in a way that you would expect for the given character
So with the eras slang used a lot...you need to spell check the slang,.if not explained


The only real spoiler
It's very Gay
I mentioned this only as a trigger warning
Me I loved it, the story and the way it was presented
Additional
I spotted a historical mistake
The big baddie says boasting "my ancestors fought at Valley Forge"
There was no battle @ Valley Forge.... except maybe fighting over food

Another excellent book by Aaronovitch. I really liked the characters and the very detailed descriptions of period NY - especially of Harlem. Augustus Berrycloth-Young "Gussie" is the engaging center of this mystery and I enjoyed the crossover with Folly characters. It definitely has a different tone than the novels set in London which rings true of the dandy, , azz age era of New York City. Highly recommend!

Rivers of London is one of my all-time favorite series. I love everything about it - the characters, the world-building, the plot lines, the narration of the audiobooks (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is PHENOMENAL). The only thing I don't love is the wait between books. I'm not a graphic novel person, so those don't help. These novellas that help flesh out the universe do though, and this one was particularly entertaining for me since it showcased Nightingale in his younger days.

The pacing and plot were, as always, spot-on and kept me engaged from start to finish. The characters and world-building are where Aaronovitch really shines though, and this time around was no exception. I loved Gussie and his Old New York, and the interplay between him and The Nightingale was redolent of the relationship between the latter and Peter, without feeling like a knock-off version. This was a great way to spend time in the Rivers world while waiting for the next main novel!

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...

This is a fun novella. Gussie is a great narrator and it was good to see Nightingale through the eyes of someone besides Peter Grant. Aaronovitch has become a must read for me.
Highly recommended for fans of the Rivers of London series.

Augustus Berrycloth-Young "Gussie" leads a charmed life in the Jazz Age of New York City. His routine is interrupted when Thomas Nightingale, an old acquaintance, arrives with a cryptic mission involving an ancient saxophone. Gussie embarks on a journey to smoky jazz clubs that pulse with music and danger.

This book makes astute observations about society and the social injustice of the 1920s in the US. I speculate that some of these practices still happen today. It was a great way to present this history. The jazz music serves as a metaphor for freedom and self-expression. The storyline kept my interest, and the ending shocked me, and I did not see it coming.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Subterranean Press.

My thanks to NetGalley for making an eARC of this book available to me.

This is another side-book in the Rivers of London series, this time taking us back in time almost a century for a story that involves the Nightingale, the NYC jazz scene, gangsters, and of course magical creatures. Great fun, fast read, and a drag ball. Who could ask for more?

We’re back with Nightingale on a new adventure across the pond but this time with a new lovable narrator - Gussie. I did really enjoy how much I feel like I learned about culture in 1920s Harlem, which is not something I would expect out of the Rivers of London series. But overall I’d say this short edition was exceptionally meh. My largest complaint is that throughout the book the author used 70 words in place of 5 and fighting through the extra language just made it difficult and less engaging to read. There were also parts of the story that were hard to follow with new characters coming in and out. While not a bad read, it just seems a slightly unnecessary edition to an otherwise good series. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Not gonna lie, I expected more, both from Aaronovitch and from another short installment in the Rivers of London series. Didn't connect with the newer characters, and I just didn't care as much as I wanted to. I'll still be recommending these books to people, and I can't say this one is bad, but it just didn't connect with me.

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

Fun story. I haven't read any of the other books in this world yet, but it wasn't necessary to understand the plot. I enjoyed the playful tone and all the talk about what people were wearing.