This was a fantastic, quirky, weird (always in a good way) and addictive read. I had to pop my head out every now and then to check on the real world as I was so absorbed and everything everything is so original and fantastic that you just don’t want to leave, enthralling

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

In a fantastical version of New Orleans where music is magic, a battle for the city’s soul brews between two young mages, a vengeful wraith, and one powerful song in this vibrant and imaginative debut.

Nola is a city full of wonders. A place of sky trolleys and dead cabs, where haints dance the night away and Wise Women keep the order, and where songs walk, talk and keep the spirit of the city alive. To those from Far Away, Nola might seem strange. To failed magician, Perilous Graves, it’s simply home. Then the rhythm stutters.

Nine songs of power have escaped from the magical piano that maintains the city’s beat and without them, Nola will fail. Unexpectedly, Perry and his sister, Brendy, are tasked with saving the city. But a storm is brewing and the Haint of All Haints is awake. Even if they capture the songs, Nola’s time might be coming to an end.

I'm once again super late with this review, as I kept putting off writing it. Life being busy didn't help either, but that's really just an excuse. I started reading The Ballad of Perilous Graves twice. The first time around I DNF-ed at 10%, but that was on a day when I started three books and put them aside all - which literally never happened to me -, so that time I put it down to "wrong book, wrong time".

Then I went on a summer holiday about two months later and thought that might be a good time to pick it up again, especially as Orbit - specifically Nazia - generously gifted me with a physical ARC. So I tried again, and this time I stuck to it, for a while. I DNF-ed it the second time too just above the 50% mark. I felt super bad, because The Ballad of Perilous Graves was supposed to be my book of the year. It has music, a city full of life, magic, graffiti, and a cool vibe altogether. So why then? Why I couldn't force myself to go on?

I did a lot of soul-searching, and in the end, it came down to the fact that I absolutely didn't care about any of the characters. While I loved some of the elements (graffiti!! magical graffiti!!), it just wasn't enough to make me invested. It felt like the plot was dragging on, and although the different plotlines were slowly coming together, and it started to become clear what the connection might be between Nola and New Orleans, I mostly felt lost. And I also was annoyed by the POV/timeline jumps which made everything more confusing, although this might have a greater purpose regarding the plot. I was also expecting adult fantasy, and it had more of an MG vibe - especially because of the main characters' age - which is not a problem, it's just that I had different expectations.

For what it's worth, Alex Jennings' debut fantasy novel had a lot of potential, which got lost in the execution for me. It certainly won't be for everyone, but you might find it a lot more enjoyable than I did.

Excellent read, loved it

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

This is a little bit of a crazy but fantastic story to keep you dreaming through all the book.
This is a story about magic, music and ghosts in New Orleans; mixing our traditional view of the city with the fantastic one where Nola exists. A city I would love to see in reality, where music is everywhere and can be stolen too! But our main characters will have to save the city and find the stolen music, not an easy mission, believe me, but one that is full of characters and magic.
I have to say that this is not a normal story; it’s a little bit weird and sometimes complicated. Sometimes, it can make the reader struggle with the story but at the same time everything is so original and fantastic that it keeps the reader wanting to know more about the city and all the characters in it.
I hope this book will be made into a movie or series; the story is really original and the fantasy world that shares is really amazing.
This is a really interesting story, I don’t know if I would recommend it for younger readers but for any reader that wants to read an extraordinary adventure!
Are you ready to meet “The Ballad of Perilous Graves”?

I wanted to read The Ballad of Perilous Graves because it sounded like a cool fusion of jazz and magic, and it totally checks those boxes. Jennings’s love for the arts comes through loud and clear, so much so that it can begin to veer too close to becoming saccharine rather than earnest. But the line between those two is so often subjective, and I’ve been beaten down by one too many graduate English courses. “Magic and music the same thing,” Doctor Professor tells our heroes, continuing to explain that “music is what keep Nola hummin’. It’s what makes her the city she is.” I think Jennings truly believes that, and he’s written a novel as a testament to that belief, that music and art and cultural expression keep the world turning, vitalize people to something greater than themselves, create communities of synthesis and contrast, spiritual and physical experiences. Jazz in particular, that innovative form, excels through its improvisational spirit, its specific connection to the personality of the player and their horn. But even jazz has its forms, an underlying structure to play from, to allow others to join in as they recognize the chords, feel the rhythms, remember the melodies. The Ballad of Perilous Graves plays a wild and explosive improv that left me feeling propelled and excited, even though I also felt left behind and unmoored, just carried along by every change in pitch, every furious tempo and key change. But it was a great tune nonetheless.

The blurb of this book pulled me in to be very honest. Wonderfully weird and very alike to my liking, I loved reading the book. Sometimes it did get a bit confusing and I got a bit lost but I was put on the right track by the plot itself and man, was it a joyride!
Absolutely loved it!

This sounds like a very exciting and unique fantasy and the blurb enticed me. However, I really struggled to get into it and I didn’t finish, unfortunately. I have heard excellent reviews and it is certainly one that I want to try again with in the future.

So, this marvellous book has elements of urban fantasy, magical realism, and reads like a particularly gritty fairy tale meets adventure book. It has one of my favourite settings- New Orleans- as an alternate history/reality. It is atmospheric, gritty, intense, and beautifully written. I highlighted several parts as I was reading, because the prose is truly something special. As part of the theme seems to be the magic of music, it would make sense that there is a musical quality to the wordplay.

"The spine had long since been broken, and every time Perry opened it, he felt the book sigh softly, as if it were getting tired."

"The words flowed into him through his fingertips- or no, they didn't, because they already lived deep inside him, inhabiting his core. Perry needed only to touch the print in order to create a sympathetic vibration in his chest, and the story would tell itself to him, and every last word was magic every single time."

"Outside, sunlight fell like rain. It was so thick, so powerful, that Perry expected it to ring as it bounced onto Esplanade Avenue."

This book was unlike anything I've read in a while. It was a diverse, unique and joyful love story to New Orleans and the power of music.

My only complaint (if you can call it such) is that narrative arc wasn't always straightforward. It jumped around a bit (perhaps this was again a callback to the idea of jazz and how the music composed/played), which sometimes made it confusing. I did have to go back and re-read bits to see if there was something that I missed, but I feel like the magical prose and the fantastical setting more than made up for this minor hiccups.

This book was so good at first. So weird and fascinating and I just couldn't stop reading. loved the kids and their point of view chapters. But at 70% mark it got really confusing and boring. I don't know what to think about this book. It almost became my next favourite book until it did not. I would love to read more books (less confusing) by this author though.

I really wanted to love it as it seemed like it would be right up my street but I found it overly complicated and confusing to follow. I really enjoyed the supernatural aspect, the plot line with the kids and the New Orleans setting but as the novel progressed I found it a bit bloated and tiresome to read. Casey's point of view could have been excised completely and this would have caused no detriment to the novel as a whole. Not bad by any means but just not for me.

Review not posted anywhere else.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very cool, and I definitely felt a little lost at first, but as the threads started to come together, the story really came to life, and it's a vibrant story full of life (and zombies).

The story definitely reminded me of The City We Became meets the vibes of Gideon the Ninth and I will definitely be recommending The Ballad of Perilous Graves to anyone who wants a cool and weird story!

3.5 stars

The Ballad of Perilous Graves follows Perry, a young boy from New Orleans, who has to save his city from ruin by capturing the personified songs that are the heart of the city. With the help of his sister and best friend, as well as the mysterious musician doctor professor, Perry will discover the cities darkest and deepest secrets, as well as those of his family and himself.

While I wouldn't say this book blew me away I did really enjoy reading it! The atmosphere the author creates is amazing and it truly feels like you are in New Orleans. I have never been myself but I could still picture everything perfectly and I think if you have visited the city a lot or live there or have a connection to it, the book would be even more meaningful. It reminded me in a lot of ways of NK Jemisin's The City We Became (except New Orleans instead of New York) with the personifications of the city and the soul of the city being threatened. It felt like a love letter to the city.

On the same note I think this book did a really good job of exploring the long-lasting and ongoing impact hurricane katrina had on the city, and the way a lot of marginalised communities who were the hardest hit were ignored by authorities.

I really enjoyed all the music in this book, it created a lot of soul and heart to the book and I think paid great homage to it's NOLA inspirations. Similarly I really liked all the scenes with ghosts and cemeteries.

I think where this book was weakest for me was the characters, Perry was a likeable main character but I didn't feel very emotionally attached to any of the characters. I think this partly comes from the characters feeling like they were there to narrate the story, rather than them being the driving force of the story.

I'm in love with this stories, the magical setting, the characters and I'm reading small parts at the time.
I've not ended it yet but I love it and I wanted to say that this is a great book, a fantastic adventure in a place that could be New Orleans and the music plays a relevant role.
It's not a perfect book as it drags at times but it's a riveting book and I'm enthralled by this magic world..
I'm not ready to leave it yet but I want to let the world know how good it is.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I really loved the concept of this book and so I was eager to get started. I have to admit I was a little lost for the first section and I couldn't see how the two different stories were going to come together but once it clicked I really enjoyed following the story.

I loved the New Orleans setting and the strong female characters within this book and would definitely look out for more by this author

3.5 stars
Adventurous and complex story full of
music, ghosts and courage with a truly unique setting.

It's a challenge to even summarise this book. Perry, his sister Brendy and their friend Peaches attempt to save New Orleans from the Storm while discovering their magic and how much they're willing to do to save the city and those they love.

I enjoyed this story, it was very original, intricate and intriguing.
First of all, I've never read a book where the city was so alive, vibrant and detailed, like a character of its own - I really enjoyed it, it made me feel like I was in NOLA myself.
Secondly though, this story was COMPLEX. There were so many characters, little separate scenes, places... Many chapters started with a new character we never got back to afterwards. It was confusing at times and I feel like this could have been a series, so the author had more.time to introduce and develop all the concepts he intended.
Putting that aside, I had a fun time reading this book and I'll definitely pick up what this author writes next.

First of all thank you to Orbit UK and Netgalley for approving me of an ARC! The Ballad of Perilous Graves caught my eye because of the cover and how this book is marketed as a music-based fantasy which I think is just such a ridiculously amazing concept.

I'm gonna be honest, it took me a long time to start this. The first couple of chapters were rough, but only because I was getting used to the writing and getting to know the characters. I itch to know when did these characters' path are going to cross. One of my difficulty in reading this was the pacing and the way some of the flashbacks were written. I'm also not gonna lie - there are still some aspects of the plots that I'm still confused with even now when I finished the book but it's still such an enticing book that I continued to turn to the next page just itching to know how the story goes.

Despite that, one of my favorite things about this book is how the author manages to integrate the music aspect with the fantasy. There's just something enchanting and captivating about how the plot and the magic system is so rooted in the history of the city and the city of New Orleans itself. Art and music coming alive? Songs turning into people and the main characters having to catch them? The city of Nola filled with dancing haints, p-bodies, walking graffiti's, and magicians? Please count me in.

I also really love the characters - having some of the main characters are still children was also such a great idea as it made the story even more whimsical - and I grew to root for them as I got deeper into the story. I also love how this book is also deeply rooted in family relationships and dynamics, with some hint of romance here and there. Overall, a wonderful read.

This is a very confusing book, and I'm not sure I can explain what happened in it, but something about this story held my attention nonetheless. If you're familiar with New Orleans, I do think you'll get more out of this. It's as much a love letter to the city as a fantasy story, and reminded me a lot of The City We Became. That said, I still enjoyed it despite never having been to New Orleans, so don't let that scare you.

The magic system is largely based on music, and is pretty important to the overall plot, but it also feels kind of vague. We learn that music has power, and that songs are wandering around in human form, but how this all works is never really explained. A lot of things will make more sense once you're closer to the end of the book, and there are subtle hints sprinkled throughout to give you that uncomfortable feeling of "something isn't right here". I thought this was really well done, and overall liked the way the author brought all of it together. The ending does feel a bit rushed, with a hint of deus ex machina thrown in there. And fair warning: I don't think all your questions will get answered.

I loved the characters, and it's refreshing to see a group of children working to save the day in an adult fantasy book. It made the story feel whimsical to me, but not any less mature despite the age of these protagonists. Their perspectives are balanced out by Casey, who is an adult, and a few others who grab some page time here and there.

Because one of our protagonists is young, it's easy to see his growth throughout the story. When we first meet him, Perry doesn't want anything to do with magic, and it isn't until much later that we fully understand why that is. I really liked the way he overcame his own insecurities. In general, family is a really big theme in this book, and we constantly see characters putting the people they care about first when it comes to making a decision, and I loved to see it. The relationship between Perry, Brendy, and Peaches was really heartwarming. As someone who grew up with Pippi Longstocking, I have to say Peaches really reminded me of her. Definitely a fun character to read about, although Peaches is much fiercer than Pippi ever was, and is just awesome in general.

This is one of the strangest and most fun books I have read in a while. It took some time to get into, the beginning was a little slow and I was wondering where it was all going, but once I got into it I couldn't put it down.

It was an epic journey with so many weird bizarre things going on, but with some great profound moments that made it "human" - ya know? (I don't like comparing stuff, but it had American God by Neil Gaiman vibes.)

Definitely would reccomed it to those who like a bit of fantasy and horror it wasn't scary scary, but definitely some moments of fear and gruesome imaginary. But also those who love music! I grew up listening to a few of the songs mentioned in the book, especially Stagger Lee and had no idea about the lyrics and I was shook! Such a great song!

If you pick this up I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!

You may think you know New Orleans with its culture and folkore, but Alex Jennings invites you to see it anew, with his alternate fantastical version, Nola, with its rhythms of music, song, magic and darkness, the zombies that walk the streets, dancing haints, dead cabs, floating graffiti, p-bodies and magicians. It is a discordant, chaotic and hallucinatory experience that had me confused and disorientated, as in all honesty, it took some time before the various threads began to make sense, but even by the end, I was still left with some feelings of bewilderment. Pay little heed to this, for this is a smart, beautifully crafted, and lyrical read, with its imaginative, colourful and vibrant world building, persevere through the first part, and you are likely to be amply rewarded.

The wondrous and offbeat city of Nola is in grave trouble, its life blood and beating heart depends on music, and horror of horrors, 9 songs of power have escaped, and without them Nola's very existence is under threat. With a wide cast of quirky characters and villains, the future of Nola lies in the hands of the few. Perry, his sister, Brendy, Peaches and Casey embark on a wildly thrilling obstacle ridden adventure facing evil and villains, will they be able to succeed, particularly as there is a storm brewing? Jennings has composed a strange, exquisite and deranged musical song of a narrative, but some of its tone and rhythms may not appeal to everyone. However, I was enthralled and charmed, I loved the wordplay and dialogue, its illustration of the power of music, and its diverse and beguiling set of characters.

I highly recommend this to readers looking for something different and willing to take risks in the hopes of finding an enchanting read that celebrates New Orleans. Oh, and I love the cover!! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.