Neverwhere (London Below #1), by Neil Gaiman

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm here with a rare review! 

I chose Neverwhere because, when writting my wrap up for November, I realised that I had way too many thoughts to fit it all into a wrap up, which is why I'm going all out with a review. 

I hope you enjoy it. 

Title: Neverwhere

Author: Neil Gaiman 

Genre: Fantasy 

Status: Book 1 in an uncompleted duology

Release date: 16th September, 1996

Pages: 412

Blurb: "Under the streets of London lies a

world most people could never dream of. 

When Richard Mayhew stops to help a girl he

finds bleeding in the street, his unremarkable

life changes in an instant. 

This act of kindness leads him to a place filled with 

murderers and angels, pale girls in black velvet, a Beast 

in a labyrinth and an Earl who holds Court in a tube train. 

It is strangely familiar yet utterly bizarre. 

Here is London below, the city of people who have 

fallen between the cracks. And for Richard Mayhew, 

it's only the beginning."

My Thoughts

Neverwhere is a book about a world below well, the world. It contains people that have fallen through the cracks. It's a whimsical, magical and mysterious world, full of creatures, beasts, henchman, bodyguards, merchants that deal in information and locked cases. If you're looking for a world with a bit of bite, you've come to the right book. 

Richard Mayhew, our protagonist comes across it by specific circumstances, by an act of kindness to a struggling girl. Next thing he knows, nobody recognises him, he has no job, no house, no money. So, in a quest to find the girl he helped, in order to get his life back, he ends up aiding her in another quest to safety, from the person that killed the rest of her family. 

What's interesting about Richard is that he's pretty much your standard guy; engaged, good job in an office in London. Apart from acting in kindness towards a total stranger, nothing really sets him apart from your standard city guy. Then he's thrust into this totally different, dangerous world. He faces challenges, faces fears and meets terrible people during his time in London Below. You'd expect him to change from an experience like that. Except he doesn't. Which is what's so likeable about him. 

What I mean is, he's much like you and I. Bewildered at this brand new, sometimes scary world, amazed at some of the people he meets, scared at some of the things he's asked to do. Yet he stays set, focused on the one goal of, if he survives, if he helps his friend get to safety, then he'll get his life back. You'll have to read it to find out if he does or not. All in all, I want more books with Richard in them. I keep thinking about him. 

Now, this is probably my issue, because it seems to be taking me an age to finish books nowadays, but I never seemed to want to read for longer than 20 minutes or so, every time I picked this book up. It wasn't like I wasn't enjoying it, I was. But the fact that it was taking me so long to finish, it kind of lessened the enjoyment for me. I'm definitely putting it down to a personal issue on this one, because it was such a good book. 

This is actually the first time I want to spend more time with the characters, rather than spend more time in the world, with which he's created. Don't get me wrong, I love the world, the way you'd feel you have to be looking over your shoulder constantly if you were in there yourself. But it's Richard, Anastasia, Marquis, Hunter, and of course Door, that I want to meet the most. 

It's the will for these characters to survive that drew me to this, not the world. 

To sum up, I really really liked this book. 

At this point, I've read a fair few Neil Gaiman books. Some I felt, I didn't gel with, then there's the odd one that I liked, but didn't LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Then there are two of his books, which are the cream of the crop. Ocean at the End of the Lane is one of them. Neverwhere is the other. 

I really hope we get news on the sequel sometime soon. 

Okay! Those are all of my thoughts on Neverwhere, from the London Below duology! I hope you enjoyed, feel free to let me know in the comments what you thought, of the book, or the review, whichever floats your boat! 

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeeee! 

-Abi xxxxxx

December TBR (2025)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here! 

And I'm here with the last TBR of the year! 

How did we get to the last month of 2025, already? It seems only five minutes I was re-reading the HP series, at the top of the year. 

But, it's time to set the TBR that'll wrap up the year, with a bang- and that's exactly what I intend to do- by reading whatever the fuck I want. 

And that's how it should be. 

(This TBR is going to be full of re-reads, by the way.) 

1. American Gods (American Gods #1), by Neil Gaiman 

So far, the most I've read of this has been from the audiobook, doing RFID on a sunday at 8am. I want to make more of an effort reading the physical book, and whittling through it, little by little. I don't want to put any pressure on myself to read more than I want to, and if that means that it takes an extra week to finish it than it might have, then so be it. 

I'm still slightly reeling from Neverwhere, and Richard's story, but I'm really enjoying reading about Shadow, getting to grips with this weird world he's stepped into, by being employed by Mr. Wednesday. He sounds about as overwhelmed as I am, but I'm really enjoying this story and curious as to what's going to happen next. About a quarter in so far. 

2. Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1), by Laini Taylor

Strange the Dreamer. I don't think I've read a beautiful story before, or since reading this. It's been nearly eight years since I read this, and I'm ready to step into that world again. Does anybody else remember when this book was the shit of booktube? My interest in this was largely to do with Katytastic, who was screaming about this, and Daughter of Smoke and Bone, both by Laini Taylor. 

I want re-immerse myself in Lazlo Strange's story, and the lost city of Weep once more. I can't wait to see what I think, nearly eight years on. 

3. Twilight (The Twilight Saga #1), by Stephenie Meyer

4. New Moon (The Twilight Saga #2), by Stephenie Meyer 

5. Eclipse (The Twilight Saga #3), by Stephenie Meyer

6. Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga #4), by Stephenie Meyer#

I've been thinking about re-reading this for literal months at this point. Will I be reading one of the most morbid series' for miles around at Christmas? Absolutely. It's been *hastily checks Goodreads* nearly 6 1/2 years since I picked this series up, and I cannot wait to sink my teeth back into this. (Pun intended, of course.) 

So, I'll probably be alone in this, but if you happen to be reading this, and follow my twitter, I'll be doing a poll on there. Which Twilight book is your favourite? (Only including the four above by the way, but feel free to comment if your favourite happens to be Midnight Sun or Life After Death.) 

7. Eliza and her Monsters, by Francesca Zappia

When I started thinking about this month's TBR this evening, I wasn't even considering picking this. But sometimes you can surprise yourself. Another book I haven't read in six years. 

We follow Eliza; shy, awkward, an introvert in the outside world, and to everyone except herself and her family. But inside, and online, she becomes LadyConstellation, anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic, Monstrous Sea. Then, Wallace Warland, Monstrous Sea's biggest fanfiction writer, transfers to her school, and Eliza begins to learn what life is like outside of her computer. But when Eliza's computer is found- and all her secrets come spilling out, it's the end of her world as we know it. Everything she's built- her story, her relationship with Wallace, even her sanity- begins to fall apart. 

This may lead to me re-reading Fangirl sometime soon, because for me, they have a really similar feel. I loved them both to be honest, but right now, this is definitely the book that's screaming READ ME the most. It's been too long since I read this last. 

Okay! Those are all the books I want to read this month! Knowing me, it'll probably take me half the month to finish American Gods, and that'll be me screwed. It really doesn't matter to me though, this is a loose TBR after all. 

As always, feel free to comment any reading plans/ plans (FNAF or Wicked plans in particular) in the comments below! I always love to hear them. 

Okay! I hope you have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee!

-Abi xxx

November Wrap Up (2025)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And I'm back with my November Wrap Up (2025)! 

Not as successful a month as last month, with just three finished books- and two of them were re-reads!

I think I just needed a free month, in the past couple of weeks for the very least. 

To be honest, I don't see much changing in December, because of how full on I know it's going to be- but what I will be looking forward to is the posting I'll be doing on here! 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading about my finished books for the month- despite it being shorter than usual. 

1. Neverwhere (London Below #1), by Neil Gaiman 

I finally read a new Neil Gaiman book! It's a shame that I enjoyed it so much- the sequel has been in the preparation stage for several years. I'm holding out on hope that it'll someday be released- and that when the time is right, Neil Gaiman will pick up a pen and carry on working on it. 

I have so many thoughts on this book that they're all fighting to be written down first. I have way too many thoughts on this book to suck them all into a wrap up. Maybe I should replace that Christmas book tag with a review instead... 

Okay, normal human being thrust into the world of the supernatural, with treachery, spies, murder, violence, challenges, and most of all, an epic adventure with unforgettable characters. All for one simple act of kindness, which is rare nowadays. Especially in London. 

Part of me wishes I hadn't read this, because then I wouldn't have become attached to this story, and have to wait for the sequel like the rest of the world. But then I never would have read it. 

And that's even worse.

Definitely a contender for one of my top three Neil Gaiman books. 

2. 32C, That's Me, by Chris Higgins

An old favourite, which I read in one morning. Sometimes you just need to pick up an old favourite. 

32c, That's Me, is about a girl called Jess- who thinks she has it all. The female lead in her school play, Macbeth, a great, not very annoying family, a gorgeous boyfriend. Then her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer- and everything starts to fall apart. She doesn't know where her Dad is half the time, the witches want their clutches on her boyfriend- who plays Macbeth. And then there's her Mum- who might just end up dying. 

I'm not sure what it was that created such a need to pick this book up, or to read it in one sitting, but I'm so glad I did. Chris Higgins was very much a comfort author for me growing up. She deals with very transitional issues in her books, from first love, breast cancer, dementia, eating disorders. You get the picture. They're always short, and impacting, but with extremely likeable protagonists. To be honest, it was just nice to go back to an enjoyable, but hard-hitting book. 

3. Paula: My Story So Far, by Paula Radcliffe

Nothing has made me more excited to start Marathon training than reading this gem. When I turned to my list of comfort reads, in a time when I verging on a reading slump, this was the first book in the pile. Admittedly, the writing isn't the best, but then, Paula isn't an author, she's an athlete, and although it might not be the greatest masterpiece, it's a very honest account of her upbringing and professional career, through and through. 

Whether you are a seasonal runner, or just starting out, this book is worth the read. Because this book is straight to the point. It's real. It shows the highs and lows. It deals with doping, injuries, set backs, world records, and all that comes with the demanding life of a professional distance runner. Of course, the average runner doesn't have to deal with doping allegations or losing out on a world record, but believe me when I say, there's something in this book for everyone. 

Okay! Those are all the books I read in November! It may have only been three, but I'm satisfied with that. I'm sure there are people that read more than me this month, but even if you just picked up a book this month, that's still great. Welcome to the club :-) . 

I hope you have a lovely weekend, and I'll see you all soon with my December TBR (loose)! 

Byeeeeee! 

-Abi