"If you like dark gothic adventures with a light-hearted twist," - I do! - " then you’ll love The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency." - That might be a bit of a stretch.

This isn't by any means a bad book. It's just...a bit average?

Let's talk about the title: The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency.

There's actually remarkably little demon hunting all things considered. I had hoped this would take on a bigger role, them learning to actually handle such cases but maybe that's where things will go with next installments of Spencer and Bart's antics.

"Who are the Tappers?" Well that gets answered quite quickly and I'll be honest I didn't expect it to go the way it did. I also feel like there's maybe a few loose ends on that. What exactly were they using the women for? That's in the blurb yes, but I've finished the book and I don't feel much clearer on the answer. Like obviously it had something to do with the wraith conjuring but I couldn't give more info than that.

The actual writing was a little inconsistent. There was the London accent written in which again was a little consistent. The speech generally struck me as what someone who thinks they know cockney accents sound like rather than someone who has really heard a lot of the accent itself.

Overall the whole thing just felt a bit like "I'm almost there! Ah missed it" and I can't wholly put my finger on why beyond what I mentioned here. As I said, it's not a bad book. It's a short, quick read but there's just something, or a couple of somethings, that are missing.

📌 DNF AT 22%

unfortunately i couldn't manage to truly get into this book. i am aware that reading 20% of the book isn't really an amount that lets somebody get attached to the book, but i couldn't even get myself to care about it and actually want to pick it up again.

there weren't any moments that really caught my eye, and neither did any of the characters. although there wasn't anything that made me dislike them i still couldn't connect with them.

the plot also wasn't enjoyable for me. It felt pretty basic and i didn't really care about what was going to happen next.

(thank you to netgalley & burning chair for letting me read a digital copy of this book before it's official release in exchange for my honest review!)

The idea of this book really caught my attention. I found this book to be easy to read and kept my attention enough to find out what was going to happen at the end. I did not have the feeling of being unable to put it down, as it felt like it was missing some aspect that would make it truly enthralling. I enjoyed Bart and Spencer, and the banter they had between each other. It was really enjoyable and I would read the next one if this turns into a series.

This was a great, fun read! The two main characters are funny and interesting, a great comedic duo. Their backstory is fun and intriguing.

However, I was a little let down. I was excited and expecting to read a witty and clever book, but the humor in this book isn’t what I wanted.

Even so, I did enjoy reading!

A quick, fun romp through 19th century London in which magic and demons exist and a couple of thieves get in way over their heads.

While the character work can be a little rough and dialogue can leave something to be desired, there is certainly heart to this story and our heroic duo of Bart and Spencer failing at everything they try to do is entertaining. I only wish we could have gotten more development of Tessie and her story, and I would have loved a deeper dive into the strange world the author created for the book here, but as is we only get a few tantalizing glimpses of what a demon-haunted London looks like.

The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency, by Peter Oxley, is a fun supernatural book! Our main characters Bart and Spencer are trying to ‘go straight’ and leave their pickpocketing ways behind. They start the demon hunting agency on a whim, and get way more than they bargained for.

This book was the perfect set up for a series. The world building is set in the first few chapters, interesting characters are introduced, and there’s loose ends that I can’t wait to see tied up. The story was fast paced, and I didn’t want to put it down.

A story within a story that holds the attention of the reader.

Tessie is a "toff" ( a well-to-do), the wife of a gentleman. But her ideas and discontent with life are causing issues. Bart and Spencer are common thieves. They have been kicked out of their gang and decide to go "straight' in life. Three people from opposite sides of town and opposite sides of life. Thrown together they find themselves righting a very terrible wrong and helping people in the process.

I found this book to be entertaining and just the right length.

“Demons were not known for their stealth. At least, not the demons that frequented London’s streets”
“We’re here representing the Great Big Demon Hunting Agency”
When I first read the title I didn’t thought I would have found myself in a very entertaining mystery story about demon hunters!!! Especially that it would have been set in a very regency setting !!!Intriguing fantasy mystery with characters that surprises you and I think we can expect great things from in the future. I found the action quite engaging and the plot fast-paced which is something that I greatly appreciate in a story. As a first book, possibly in an ongoing long series, I found this to be short enough to keep the reader interested and curious about possible developments.
An uncommon friendship and a partnership that I look forward to read more about … maybe with a new name !!!
I very much enjoyed the character’s dynamics and I believe that they still have their story to tell.
I’m very grateful I had the chance to read this book and I can’t wait to meet these characters again !!!
“We’re in the middle of demon territory”
“We’re going to exorcise the Hell out of that bloody thing”

Bart and Spencer are lifelong friends and criminals. They are tired of dealing with the stress of living a life of crime, and decide they are going to get out of the business and go straight. What better way to make a difference, or really a reliable income, than to open The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency. You’ve got a demon problem; they can make it go away.

Tessie is a young woman who, like most women of the time, had to marry a man much older than her. She is unhappy and senses that he is up to something that will lead to bad things for her. He brings a mysterious and unnerving man into their home who has nefarious plans for Tessie, and other women in the area.
Tessie employs Bart and Spencer to help her find out what her husband and this mysterious man are up to, and it leads them on a chaotic adventure to save their very souls.
I found this book to be easy to read and kept my attention enough to find out what was going to happen at the end. I did not have the feeling of being unable to put it down, as it felt like it was missing some aspect that would make it truly enthralling. I enjoyed Bart and Spencer, and the banter they had between each other. It really put me in mind of characters you would find in a Guy Ritchie movie, like Snatch. They were funny, and I laughed out loud once or twice.

The plot of the story was a good idea, but I do feel like it missed a bit by not focusing on the main concept of being a demon hunting agency. We get a few references to demons, but much less than I would expect from a book with this title. The book is not very long, so I understand why this was done. Personally, I would have liked to read about more experiences leading up to the main plot. It felt more like a young adult book. I also felt like the writing was a bit more general, nothing that really made me feel thoughtful or emotional.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was a fun, quick read. There is potential for these characters to be developed further, and I do believe I will read a second installment, should it come out! It leaves an ending to acknowledge that Peter Oxley will develop this into a series. 3.5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Burning Chair Publishing, and Peter Oxley for allowing me the opportunity to read this eARC!

It's the era of Jack the Ripper in a foggy, murky, and dangerous London, 1968, and there are demons afoot. Literally, demons have taken over a part of the East End and there's a golem working at the docks too. Seances are all the rage, though many savvy Londoners shy away from the evil goings-on. Trying to scrape by in this dark chaotic world are Spencer and Bart, a couple of ne'er-do-well thugs who are sick of being exploited and scheming a way to go straight. Or at least, reasonably straight. Their solution: The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency. It's a great scheme until they're actually hired by the beleaguered wife of a toff, afraid of what plans her husband has in place for her as he seems to want to appease a demonic associate!

Oxley has produced a fun new story with likable and entertaining characters, a believable 1860s London, and an interesting story that, as you might expect, ends with plenty of room for a sequel or four. Which is good; I'll read them too. Recommended!

This is a fast paced quasi horror story set in Victorian London that's infested with demons. It was...ok? The first part dragged but the pace picked up in the middle of the book.

My big problem with this book is the main characters, Bert and Spencer. They're quintessential comic relief characters-like Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Unfortunately, it's really hard to have comic relief characters carry a storyline-the whole point is that they are the _relief_ from the serious plot line and serious heroes. The only place where this regularly happens in literature is in kids books, which is why I think so many reviewers say this should be a kids book. However, the content of the book is pretty un-kid-lots of gore, some swear words-so the reader is left with a book that feels subtly wrong.

Also, and this is a pet peeve, Bert and Spencer consistently refer to a grown married woman as "the girl." Not by her name or "the woman" or "she-who-needs-to-be-saved" but "the girl." Aren't we past this kind of misogyny? It was like nails on a blackboard every time I read it. Let women be grown up, for pete's sake.

Anyway, I don't regret reading this book, but I won't be reading any more of Spencer and Bert's stories.

DNF at 18%.

The tone and prose was wildly inconsistent not only for the setting, but within the book itself. By 18% no real plot development occurred and it could not hold my interest.

The humour was refreshing, and I love the characters and main plot. I couldn't really get with the writing style, it failed to hook me, but I honestly think that this would be a good book for fantasy readers looking for an easy world and plot to follow.
This is actually a dnf, however I really enjoyed this book. I just realised at some point it wasn't for me, and that I probably shouldn't force myself into reading it.

New Author for me but I am pleasantly surprised. It had a bit of a rocky start as we get these rabid introductions to a whole lot of characters. It flashes back and forth between people just about every chapter and that was hard to adjust to for me at first. However, things and people started to draw together and create a fun and funny story involving two bumbling street thugs and crooks in a supernatural Victorian England. We also have an entrapped young woman of high social class in need of rescuing. Considering the intelligence or lack thereof of our bumbling crooks this makes for a challenging plot. It wasn't a super long read but it was an enjoyable one. I will certainly be looking into more stories by this author. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency’ follows two best friends, Bart and Spencer, who are crooks in an alternate Victorian England riddled with demons. In an attempt to ‘go straight’ they set up the Demon Agency to do honest work helping people. However it does not seem to be as easy as they planned and things take a turn when they get hired by Lady Marchant who is suspicious of what her husband is up to.


This is a fun, quick, light-hearted read which allows full developmental character arcs even though it is short. I really enjoyed all the characters and this alternate reality Victorian England which included both supernatural elements with lots of species of demons but also had historical accuracy. It's a really good book for most ages and I would recommend if you need help getting out of a reading slump. I also really enjoyed just reading about a a nice friendship between them and that Spencer doesn't really manipulate or use Bart they seem to have a true friendship which is a bit of a breath of fresh air.

‘The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency’ follows two crooks, Bart and Spencer, in their attempt to ‘go straight’ by setting up the aforementioned agency in an alternate London where demons roam the streets. Since they have barely ever done an honest day’s work in their lives, they find the going not quite as easy and straightforward as they initially planned. Things take an even further downward spin when they take on a case for Lady Marchant to investigate the secretive dealings of her husband, who is greatly intrigued in the world of the paranormal and supernatural. As things take a turn for the worse and become deadlier by the moment, Bart and Spencer must decide whether to save their own skin or do the right thing.

‘The Great Big Demon Hunting Agency’ was an enjoyable, fun and easy read. I read it over a three days and the fairly fast pace of the story carried me quickly through the story. Although, it was fast paced, it never felt rushed and there were slower moments for the reader to take a moment in between all the action.
Where I felt the book was lacking was depth.
Firstly, the characters were the stereotypical ne’er-do-wells – a short, skinny one who is wily and fast-thinking and a big, lumbering one who isn’t very bright but has his heart in the right place. They were hardly ground-breaking when it comes to characterisation. There were some hints of Spencer having a bit more complexity to him but unfortunately, I never felt they were fully realised.
The other main character, Lady Marchant or Tessie, was for me a bit insipid and it seemed too often her eyes were tearing up. Unfortunately, I didn’t see the damsel as very endearing nor original. Also, it made little sense in a city that is filled with demons and the supernatural that she was sceptical of the paranormal. We are told she is scientifically minded, but her never really reflect this and surely if she were, she would have accepted the evidence in front of her eyes.
Secondly, the world building was barely there. We were told that demons lived in London and that magic existed in this alternate version of the city but apart from that there was little description of the world. A particular frustration of mine with the book was that the demons for the most part, were simply ‘demons’ – there were no mentions of different types or them being classified by different names, only the descriptions hinted that there was a variety of creatures. This seemed a missed opportunity to give the world a bit more depth.

Despite this, I did enjoy the book as an easy read and there were several humorous points that helped break up the action and darker notes. However, I was left wanting more and not in good way in that I wanted the next instalment, but that it all felt rather underdeveloped. The story and the characters were unoriginal and a little flat but this would have been somewhat compensated against if the world building was a bit richer.
I guess my biggest frustration with the story is that I felt it has a lot of promise and could be great book if more work was put in with regards to the areas mentioned. For now though, in my view it is a solid middle of the road at a 3 out of 5 stars.

DNF at 41%.
I just could not get into this one. The characters feel flat and underdeveloped. The plot itself seems to meander around, trying to find itself. The humor is rote.
This one seemed like it would be a fun romp with laughable moments. It was anything but.

I don't know. I wanted to love this book more, but the dialog and character development were flat. I did finish the book, but I expected it to be much funnier. Instead, it was, sadly, entirely predictable.

This is a fun read! It's a light-hearted adventure with a couple of likeable scoundrels in a parallel version of Victorian London. A world in which demons have broken through into this dimension. Other supernatural creatures exist, such as wraiths, who pose the greater threat to the two protagonists.
There's nothing too dark or threatening in this story, the tone is kept light and action is sustained throughout. Characters are reasonably well defined but we're never troubled with too much insight. It's the sort of thing kids would enjoy, as well as adults looking for something light and entertaining.
Thanks to NetGalley for the copy of this book.

Short and sweet. Following two of London finest low level criminals as they strive to make a straight living.. fighting demons. As soon as they meet tess things get much more complicated than their gang leader wanting a cut of the profits, things turn much darker and much more dangerous in a supernatural way