The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery

This was a great short story. I have to admit that I bought it thinking that it would be the story from the episode, but that wasn't the case. It is a story that takes place before the episode 'The Angels Take Manhattan.' ( )

First off, I love River Song! I thought her wee story in "The Angel's take Manhattan" was fun, and the whole concept of "once it's read, it can't be changed" was pretty cool too (and it's true, once you know what's going to happen in a book, nothing will change it) So when i found this online, i was pretty excited about it. What put me off was that it wasn't the same story from the show but a prequel to that episode, with River running her detective business. But it didn't cost much, so thought i'd give it a go. It was good, but not as good as i hoped. A decent detective story but most Dr. Who fans would see the ending coming. It's a fun wee story though for fans of the show and fans of River Song. ( )

This audiobook was perfect, made more perfect by the fact that it is narrated by Melody herself, Alex Kingston. I think to have had anyone else narrate this book would have been insulting. Who better to portray River, than the actor who made her the larger-than-life character we all love?!

This was a typical Doctor Who adventure, sans the Doctor. It's like a prequel to "The Angels Take Manhattan". This shows us River in her full Melody Malone persona. She is sexy and a bit naughty without going too over the top. She's funny and witty in a way that is exclusively River Song. The story if full of intrigue as we follow Melody on a case in which she tries to find out who is trying to kill an actor and stumbles into the kind of mess that usually only the Doctor falls into. She handles herself brilliantly, as always, and saves the day...until the next adventure.

I truly hope they do more of these; because I highly enjoyed this! ( )

This was originally advertised as the book that was featured in “The Angels Take Manhattan” and it’s for that reason that it has earned 3 stars instead of higher, because the book itself is not bad. It’s inspired by the pulp novels of the 30s, and that really shows. River Song’s character really fits in well with the tone, and the mystery itself is engaging and serves as an interesting prequel to the episode itself.

My big complaint is that the people that be should’ve made it absolutely clear that this was not the same book as the one featured in the episode. It has the same cover, similar synopsis, and various social media arms related to the show said that it was indeed the book from the show, and as I went in with that expectation, I was indeed let down.

But for those going in without that expectation, expect an interesting take on Weeping Angels, noir novels, and River Song herself. This book is perhaps one of River’s best characterized moments in the history of the show, and for that reason alone, it’s worth reading. ( )

Fun, quick read. ( )