Audiobook Review – The Janus Affair (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, Book 2) by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 14 hours and 6 minutes (432 pages)
Publisher: HarperAudio
Release Date: May 29, 2012
ASIN: B00870FIXE
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Evildoers beware! Retribution is at hand, thanks to Britain’s best-kept secret agents!
Certainly no strangers to peculiar occurrences, agents Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are nonetheless stunned to observe a fellow passenger aboard Britain’s latest hypersteam train suddenly vanish in a dazzling bolt of lightning. They soon discover this is not the only such disappearance … with each case going inexplicably unexamined by the Crown.
The fate of England is once again in the hands of an ingenious archivist paired with a beautiful, fearless lady of adventure. And though their foe be fiendishly clever, so then is Mr. Books … and Miss Braun still has a number of useful and unusual devices hidden beneath her petticoats.”
This was an amazing continuation of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series. This is the 2nd book in this series, there are five books in this series and all have been released. I am absolutely loving this series, the books are just so creative, action-packed, and so much fun to read.
Time has passed and Books and Braun are settling into their roles of archivist and jr. archivist. That is until a passenger on a train they are riding mysteriously vanishes in a flash of bright light. When Eliza finds out that, not only have multiple cases of this happened, but that disappearances seem to be linked to those women who are involved with the suffragette movement…well her and Books end up back on an active case…in secret.
We learn a lot more about Eliza’s past in this book as an old friend comes to visit her from New Zealand. We find out why she left there and how it’s tied with the events happening in London. We also learn a lot more about Wellington’s past and why his dad’s voice haunts him so.
Both characters learn and grow in this book and it was fun to watch Eliza and Wellington start to moderate each other’s very polar personalities. The two have great chemistry together and I really enjoy watching them solve these cases together.
As with the previous book there is a lot of mystery, action, and numerous fun devices as well. I really love the alternate Victorian London setting and I enjoy all the craziness and creativity in these books. They are a wonderful balance of mystery, adventure, conspiracy, contraptions, and have a touch of romance as well.
Overall this was a wonderful continuation of this series. This is my favorite type of book; a wonderful balance of many elements and a contained story in this book that contributes to a broader story. The story is humorous at times, fast-paced, and just all in all a very fun read. I would definitely recommend to steampunk fans or fans of action-packed Victorian urban fantasy.
This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Audiobook Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge
– Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge
– Steampunk Reading Challenge
