Great to jump back into this series. I enjoyed the dual storylines that lead to a divergence at the end, picking up pieces from each side and being able put them together before the main characters. It was a fresh way to write the book for this series.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

As a longtime fan of the Rivers of London series, I was excited to dive into Stone and Sky, the latest installment from Ben Aaronovitch. This time, the story takes a detour north as our familiar cast heads to Scotland. Nightingale and Abdul travel to Aberdeenshire to investigate some mysterious attacks on livestock—incidents that don’t seem to involve your run-of-the-mill predators. Nightingale sees an opportunity for mentorship and invites his apprentice, Abigail, to join them. Meanwhile, Beverly, Peter's river goddess wife, decides a Scottish holiday sounds perfect and ropes Peter and the twins into tagging along.

Things take a darker turn when Peter is called to consult on a local murder case. The body bears some very odd features, and from there, the situation escalates into a string of increasingly strange occurrences—including eldritch horrors like seagulls with teeth (yes, really). Peter uncovers a missing person case that seems tied to the bizarre goings-on, and eventually, his investigation overlaps with Nightingale and Abigail’s hunt for the unknown predator.

As always, Aaronovitch blends the magical with the mundane in a way that feels entirely natural. His dry humor and the engaging interplay between characters are very much present, which is always a highlight of the series. The way magic is embedded into the real world is so seamless that it never feels forced or out of place.

That said, this entry didn't quite grip me the way previous books have. The pacing felt a little slow at the start, with a heavy focus on the architecture and layout of Aberdeen that dragged a bit for me. The introduction of a large cast of new characters also made it harder to keep track of who was who. This book also leans heavily on the reader's familiarity with the series—newcomers might find themselves lost without the context from earlier books.

One change I appreciated was the greater focus on Abigail. The story alternates between her and Peter’s perspectives, and it was interesting to get deeper into her character. Still, I found myself missing more of Peter and Nightingale’s dynamic, especially in the action scenes.

Overall, Stone and Sky is a solid addition to the series, with plenty of trademark wit and magical intrigue. While it may not be my favorite of the bunch, fans of the series will still find much to enjoy—just be prepared for a slower start and a slightly more complex web of characters.

Many thanks to DAW publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC. The views expressed are my own.

I mean, this is a Rivers of London novel, so obviously it's entertaining and humorous and full of magic. Peter, Nightingale, Abigail, and Beverly all make an appearance, and this time they're in Scotland chasing down a magical panther. If you've enjoyed the previous Rivers of London novels, there's a pretty good chance that you'll enjoy this one too.

At the same time, however, I don't think I enjoyed this one quite as much as the previous installments. Maybe it's the lack of a London backdrop, or maybe it's because there's more focus on Abigail (and therefore less on Peter) this time around? I dunno. The story starts out pretty slow, too. It's still an enjoyable read, but at the same time it's definitely no Broken Homes or The Hanging Tree.

Also, is anyone else incapable of keeping the characters straight with these novels?? It's certainly not unique to this book, but Aaronovitch has a tendency to briefly introduce a bazillion side characters, disappear them for a hundred pages or so, and then bring them back and expect you to remember who the heck they are. My Swiss cheese brain can't handle it, and I'm seriously going to have start taking notes whenever a new character is brought into the story.

Still, this one is pretty fun. Like the previous novels, it's very, very British, both in humor and in vocabulary. There's more of Abigail than I recall there being in previous installments, which can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending on how much, well … how much you like Abigail, obviously. There are the usual werelights and impellos and the demi-monde, and Indigo and the other talking foxes are an integral part of the storyline. (Yay! I love the talking foxes!) Basically, it has everything you'd expect of a Rivers of London novel but in an unfamiliar “nowhere near the rivers of London” setting.

So, yeah. Is this book as good as the previous installments? Eh, perhaps not. But is it worth a read if you're a fan of the series? Definitely. I'll happily keep reading these novels for as long as Ben Aaronovitch keeps writing them.

3.7 stars, rounded up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and DAW for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review. Its expected publication date is July 8, 2025.

I didn't hugely enjoy this. Peter - and the gang - end up off on holiday and solve crime in Scotland. The POV switching is interesting if somewhat disjointed but the basic story just follows the usual formula. Interesting hints of something building in the background was much more appealing. A shoutout to Neil Gaiman in a book being published in mid 2025 feels like a mis-step as well as repeated shoutouts to Brewdog, a company repeatedly in the news for employee relations.

It’s been a long three year wait since the last Rivers of London novel and it is so good to be back with Peter Grant, Nightingale, Beverley, Abigail, and the rest of the gang. The Rivers of London series is one of my favorites and if you’re new to this world, it is definitely one that is improved by fully immersing yourself in the complete world - novels, novellas, and graphic novels - from the very beginning.

Stone & Sky kicks off our main cast (plus Peter’s parents, Dr. Walid, and the foxes) heading up to Scotland on a semi-working vacation after receiving reports about a large wild cat causing havoc. The actual mystery, which revolves around some paranormal sea creatures (selkies and mermaids have officially joined the roster of the demi monde), an oil platform, and murder, feels like it takes a major backseat in this story to exploring the world of Scotland and Peter/Abigail’s personal lives. It’s fun getting the gang out of London and the surrounding environs, though why so many of the side characters chose to go with Peter, Nightingale, Bev, etc. doesn’t feel as clear despite the “working vacation” explanation. The underlying mystery starts to get really gripping about half-way through the book and the final showdown from Peter’s POV does not disappoint.

The most interesting facet of this book is that the story is told jointly from Abigail and Peter’s POVs with almost 50% of the book dedicated to each of the characters. In the past, Rivers of London novels are told from Peter’s POV and novellas are interspersed to provide side stories and perspectives from minor characters. In Stone & Sky, however, Abigail takes center stage with Peter and I’m not quite sure I like that fact. As ever, Ben Aaronovich is a master of writing distinct character voices and the narrative voices of Peter and Abigail are so unique, they are easy to distinguish on the page, but after three years of waiting for book 10, I was so ready to jump back in with Peter. I love his dry sense of humor, unflappability, and relationship with Nightingale. In this book, I got half the usual Peter time and almost no Nightingale-Peter interactions as our favorite leader of the Folly spent almost the entire story with Abigail instead. I’ve come to really enjoy Abigail’s perspective in her novellas and previous appearances in the series, but not to the extent that I would give up time with Peter Grant in exchange.

I will also add that this is the first Rivers of London novel that I’ve read on paper (or e-reader as the case may be). Prior to this I’ve always listened to the audiobooks, which are read by the absolutely brilliant Kobna Holdbrook-Smith. I really missed hearing Kobna read this aloud, though I could swear I heard his voice in my head when Peter was at his most Peter-ish. If you’ve never listened to the audiobooks of this series, I highly recommend giving them a try and I can’t wait to listen to this again when it’s released.

Ultimately, I’m giving this book 4 stars (the first below 5 star rating in the series). Peter’s portion gets 5 stars, but with only half the book being Peter’s POV, it loses some points from me. Big thanks to NetGalley and DAW for the ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

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

Peter and his family and his co-workers go on vacation to Scotland, but with a bit of a side investigation going on as well. Even after ten books, this series remains fresh and ever so entertaining. I love how the author intertwines Peter's home and family life with the cases that he is working on, and now we've added Abigail and the foxes as regulars to add to the fun factor. This has easily become one of my must-read book series.

I fell in love with the Rivers of London books at book one, at book 10, I don't love it any less. I had been worried about how Peter was going to show up in the series with the kids now, and I'm reassured by this novel. Continuing the adventures with Abigail and the foxes has been exciting. I honestly have no notes except, please write more soon, thank you so much.

I'm huge fan of Rivers of London as surely enjoyed this novel even if it's not in my top 5.
I think there was too much going on, too many subplot and some of them were never solved.
I like Abigail I would have preferred some more Nightingale and Peter. The talking foxes are as lovely as usual and I appreciated the world building and the characters from the demi-monde.
Mr Aaronovitch is not at his best when writing love scenes and I'm still wondering about some anatomical details.
That said, even if it's not set in London, it was a lot of fun and the 20% was up to the best novel in the series
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am not ordinarily a reader of fantasy novels, but I make an exception for the Rivers of London series. ‘Stone and Sky’ works particularly well because it sets the mythical and wizardry elements in the dour world of Scottish policing. Echoes of John Rebus and Logan McRae abound and add a hard nosed comic element to the supernatural goings on. And there are plenty of those.
‘Stone and Sky’ comes across as the love child of Harry Potter and Primeval. We’re treated to a smorgasbord of eldritch creatures. Wyverns, melanistic leopards, silkies, mermaids and giant gulls with teeth are all summoned and we share Peter’s incredulity as he struggles to make sense of what this is all about. In this respect, he’s helped by Abigail, a welcome recent arrival to the series, who offers an intriguing perspective on the parallel plot that she narrates in roughly half the chapters. Throw in further hilarity courtesy of talking foxes and river goddess twin toddlers and you have a heady, irresistible mixture of disparate elements that coalesce to form a satisfying whole.

Yet another strong addition to the series. Peter, and gang go up to Aberdeen for a holiday and to investigate a cryptid. Events unfold.

The story is told from Peter and Abigail's points of view. Both voices are delightful. I also really enjoyed the descriptions of place. I know nothing about Aberdeen. I found it a bit odd that people would swim in a sea that's so cold that they have to wear wetsuits, but they treated it as normal. So that was an eye opener.

The story is, as usual, great. I have no idea what relationship Abigail's voice has to how the Youth actually speak. We have glimpses of a broader over-arching plot.

Recommend!
Netgalley provided me with an ARC. Providing a review was my choice.

I was really looking forward to Aaronovitch's next book in the Rivers of London series, and this book didn't disappoint. It was great fun watching the "band" get back together again.

The whole gang is on board as Peter Grant (retired cop/apprentice wizard) goes on holiday to Scotland, where he and the crew (Abigail, the foxes, Beverly, Peter's mom and dad, Dr. Walid, and Nightingale) all get mixed up in the mysterious shenanigans of an oil company, mermaids, phantom cats, wyverns, defensive gulls, and the local police, while investigating the mysterious deaths of the local animals.

There is a little more detective work and romance in this one, and not quite so many magical battles and derring-do, but there is nevertheless, still plenty of danger, and suspense, and we get to see how well Abigail can throw down some battle-magic on her own.

I love visiting with all these characters, and their relationships are what drew me to the series, in the first place. There's plenty of that here as we get to see all of these different characters interact with each other, and new people, while wrangling a couple of two-year-olds! Even though there's not a lot of magical fighting, Peter's life still manages to be quite chaotic.

Another great instalment in this fabulous magical detective series. Set in Scotland this time, it introduces new characters alongside the old and weaves two mysteries together. A refreshing addition to the series which I read in a sitting.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

The newest instalment in my favourite series about magical detectives, and it lived up to the legacy of the previous books! Set in Scotland, this was a fresh and original mystery with a few entirely new magical encounters and the biggest cast of characters for this series yet (which works because we've met the majority of them before many times). The POV swaps between Peter and Abigail which was refreshing and a great way of combining two separate seeming mysteries. These mysteries were intriguing and well-paced. The climax was thrilling and there were stakes!
I loved getting to see more of Peter and Beverley as a couple and parents. It's woven so easily into the story that it feels natural and very realistic. The twins are hilarious and written well hyperactive two-year-olds. Also, because Abigail was a main character, we got more foxes!

Review: This sure follows the series path without deviation. Same world building with minor character developments.

I had a good time relaxing, as the scene progression and POV shifts are interesting enough to keep the patterned story line moving. Perhaps it is a good thing that Ben stays in a London invaded.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this early for an honest review.

I was excited for another full length Peter Grant novel, and it was delightful that he shared the telling with Abigail. It’s been awhile since I’ve read the last few books in this series, but it was easy to pick up where they all left off with the twins getting older and them all on a holiday/consultant visit to Scotland. One of the enjoyable things about this series is we keep getting an expanded glimpse of this world and see how the magic part of detective work is handled in countries other than England.

All the main characters worked together to solve this case, which took them all over the country and even out to sea to an oil platform (not rig). It was a solid story in this series, and now I’m left waiting for more.

Peter Grant heads up to Aberdeenshire for a holiday, and maybe a little light investigation of cryptid rumours, with a somewhat implausible proportion of the supporting cast in tow. Except, wouldn't you know it, he's soon entangled in more local mysteries, involving a missing geophysicist and a dead body with gills. My first assumption was that moving the action so far afield was a way of reining things in a little; Peter faces institutional scepticism that doesn't really make sense in London anymore, while Bev, so far from her home river, is noticeably depowered. But really this is more a dash of flavour than a wholesale ratcheting back; you still wouldn't mess with either of them if you had any sense, though handily for the plot, plenty of people don't. And any suspicion that Aaronovitch might be wanting to work with a clearer canvas proves similarly short-lived; for all the reminders that this isn't London, Aberdeen turns out to have plenty of the same mystical factions, and then some, and we still get plenty of hints about some ominous bigger story building in the background. Whether the local colour and oil industry specifics are as recognisable to those who know them as the series' London, I'm not in a position to say, though they certainly felt more solid than the slightly sketchy overseas settings in some of the recent run of shorter books. But, as ever, the big attraction is the voice, or rather, voices, Peter and Abigail fully sharing the narration here to an extent which I don't think we've had before, but which works beautifully, particularly once she finds her own points of local interest.

(Netgalley ARC)

I am a big fan of this series, and have been waiting quite a while to read this next installment. Massive relief- I really liked it. At first, I was unsure about the story taking place so far away from London, London is almost a character in this series. The Rivers of London are definitely characters, hence the name of the series. Once I got over the strangeness of the locale, I really enjoyed it.
Most of the gang has come along for the ride, so if you have a favorite minor character, you will meet up with them again. My only criticism is that we probably did not need Mum and Dad and the Irregulars, they contribute little to the plot, and made the narrative feel a bit overstuffed character-wise. I have to admit, however, that it was really nice to see them again… like I said, a minor criticism.
The plotting and pacing are both really good, with Ben’s distinctive and pitch-perfect blend of real and fantastic; you totally believe that there is a magical police force headquartered in London. The writing is as witty as ever, I laughed out loud quite a few times.
All of the characters have matured and grown into their roles, the story takes place approximately two years after last installment. It is told in both Peter’s and Abigail’s voices, using a sort of parallel narrative structure, which worked really well.
Lots of nice surprises, genuine stakes, bad guys a perfect mix of banal and evil. It is everything I love about Ben Aaronovitch’s writing.
One caution, do not start reading the series with this one-it is not going to work as a stand-alone for you. Go to the beginning, if you like it, then you can look forward to this one.

Stone and Sky is the latest installment in Ben Aaronovitch's The Rivers of London series, bringing back Peter Grant (with his whole family) and Abigail Kamara (with Indigo in tow too) as the main characters. For those who have enjoyed Aaronovitch's recent novellas and short stories, Stone and Sky continues to build out more of this fantastical version of the world. For those who have enjoyed the earlier characters from the series, the newest book marks a comfortable return. Highly enjoyed!

Peter Grant is back again, and this time he’s headed to sunny Scotland…Aberdeen specifically. What is meant to be a nice holiday with the family turns into a collection of weird bollocks happenings—a magical black panther hunt (the animal, not the organization), a murdered merman, and shifty local “fishermen” abound. But the real villain may truly be Big Oil, a mundane but insidious culprit that even normal policing can’t bring to heel. Luckily, Peter’s brought along a host of help, including Nightingale’s newest apprentice, the canny Abigail-who-talks-to-foxes.

Stone & Sky is rather evenly split between Peter and Abigail’s perspectives, which was a smart move because so much was happening throughout Aberdeenshire. I attended university in Aberdeen, so it was a true pleasure seeing it so well-represented in one of my favorite urban fantasy series! The mystery is twisty, the characters colorful, and there’s even some romance in Abigail’s future! But as Peter is often reminded, they do things differently in Scotland, so be prepared for all sorts of hijinks and obstacles in pursuit of keeping the Queen’s peace.

Thanks to DAW for providing me an ARC of Stone & Sky through Netgalley. I will be posting my review on Goodreads about two weeks before the release date. My review is, as always, truthful and unbiased, and I hope it helps introduce readers to new books they will love!