Roots of Corruption by Laura Laakso

My thanks to Louise Walters for sending me an arc e-book of Roots of Corruption for review. The decision to read was my own and this review forms my honest opinion.

Blurb

On the night of Samhain, the veil between worlds is at its thinnest, and ancient magic runs wild in Old London.

When Lady Bergamon is attacked in her Ivy Street garden, Wishearth turns to Yannia Wilde for help. Who could have the power to harm Lady Bergamon in her own domain? While Yannia searches for the answer, nature herself appears to be killing Mages in Old London. Yannia and Karrion join forces with New Scotland Yard to solve the baffling Mage deaths. But wherever they turn, all the clues point back towards Ivy Street.

Yannia’s abilities are put to the test as she races to save Lady Bergamon’s life, and prevent further murders. But with the lines between friends and enemies blurring, she must decide who to trust and how much she’s willing to sacrifice for Old London and its inhabitants…

The third book in Laura Laakso’s brilliant Wilde Investigations series.

Review

Firstly, a small apology. I finished this a couple of weeks ago, but this and another book I read at the same time ignited some kind of book reading fury, and ever since I’ve been tearing through books like a rampant librarian…..actually, I’m pretty unapologetic about it as I’ve really enjoyed it, however, I’m am now a tad behind with my reviews, this one most especially!

This series is such a departure from the genres I would normally read. It goes to show that very often reading outside of our comfort zone can jolt us from old habits and reignite new interests. Fallible Justice came at a time when I was challenging myself to read more widely. I was instantly gripped by the concept and agreed to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Next came Echo Murder, which I absolutely loved and I silently cursed myself that I hadn’t discovered the series much later in its development so that I could binge read the next!

Roots of Corruption is the latest and, in my opinion, the strongest entry to date in the Wilde Investigation series. This time, Yannia is woken and led to Lady Bergamon, who lies unconscious following an attack in her own garden. Very soon, multiple gruesome murders across the capital – each with a link to Lady Bergamon and her domain – come to Yannia and Karrion’s attention. Together with Jamie and the police, they investigate.

This installment is far and away my favourite to date, the series, the characters and the world they inhabit continue to strengthen with each novel. As much as I enjoyed Fallible Justice, and I really did – the onward development of this series is incredibly exciting. Roots of Corruption is sleek, mature and beautifully written. I envy the authors ability to paint a world so familiar and yet so different from our own, so clearly. This world, which I struggled a little to to get my head around in the first book, now appears on the page fully formed, and I’m excited to see where Yannia goes next.

A special paragraph has to belong to Wishearth. I cannot put into words how much I adore this character. Enigmatic and elusive, I cannot wait to find out more about him. He leaps from the page whenever he appears and I love the bond that has developed between him and Yannia.

The world in Roots of Corruption this time around feels much larger. I feel as if I’m on the first upward incline on the biggest rollercoaster in the theme park and with each clack of the track the world opens out around me a little more. I cannot wait to feel the exhilaration of the drop into discovery.

This is a truly special series, and one I cannot more enthusiastically recommend, whether you are familiar with the genre, or if you just appreciate truly excellent writing. If you’ve not read this series before, it is one that I strongly suggest that you read from the first novel. Although each book follows a new investigation, the threads of this world run throughout each book and too much would be lost by skipping through to book three.

I am now waiting (not so) patiently, for book four!