Review: Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire

Tricks for Free is the seventh book in the InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire. Antimony Price aka Melody West is in Florida working at a busy amusement park, Lowryland, that is in direct competition with Disney. How did she get here? Why is she here? And why is she alone? Something went south with the Covenant and now they are chasing after her. The amusement park seems like the perfect place to hide out. So many people would make it hard for them to track her.

Still, there are unexpected occurrences. She is rooming with a sylph and a gorgon. She is scorching her sheets at night with the fire she is trying to control. Someone wants to teach her to control her fire and she jumps at the chance. Then bad accidents in the park start to occur. What or who is causing them? Annie works at resolving the issues and finding a way to return to the family fold.

This is my first Seanan McGuire novel. And it wasn't a bad place to start. It certainly whets my appetite for more in the series. And I will be checking out her other series as well.

The characters in the novel are interesting. Those closest to Annie are the most well developed. I want to know more about them as well. I find especially interesting her former babysitter, a crossroads ghost, who pops in and out pretty much at will.

There is enough background given to follow the action quite well and to see what lead Annie to the predicament she finds herself in. You could read this as a standalone, but you will probably want to read the sequel as well as some of the earlier books in the series.

The plot moves along at a good pace. I found it a little slow in the beginning, but that was because things were being established that the rest of the book would depend on. It didn't slow me down or make me stop reading. It was just something that I noted. As the book progresses, the pace picks up.

There's a short story at the end of the book. It works well and brings up what happened to her mice and what happened to her boyfriend after the end of the previous book. It's interesting and I enjoyed it. I was not familiar with Aeslin mice and it was nice to get to know them even in such a brief time.

I give this novel 4 out of 5 stars. It's well-written. The characters are interesting. The pace is good. I would definitely recommend this series to fans of urban fantasy. I will be reading more books by this author.

Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire is going to be released March 6, 2018 from DAW Books.

Seanan McGuire is a Washington State-based author. The October Daye novels are her first urban fantasy series, and the InCryptid novels are her second series, both of which have put her on the New York Times bestseller list. She is the first person to be nominated for five Hugo Awards in a single year. You can find out more about her and her books on her website here.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.