Review: That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire

Antimony Price, aka Annie, and her friends travel north to Maine trying to find a place to get off the road for a while. They've been trying to evade both some baddies from Lowryland and the Covenant of Saint George. They end up in danger anyway. Perhaps it has to do with the bending of luck that her friend the jink has done.

The Crossroads decides to call in the favor that Annie owes them as a result of the events in Tricks for Free (InCryptid #7). They want her to kill someone for them, someone who is a danger to the Crossroads who lives in New Gravesend, Maine - James Smith. And if that wasn't bad enough, someone from the Covenant of Saint George shows up. It might take nigh unto a miracle to keep Annie and her friends alive as they deal with the Crossroads and the Covenant.

This is the third book featuring Antimony Price. Annie has been a fun character to follow. She is smart and capable of taking care of herself generally. And she has a good sense of humor.

It becomes a question of can Annie outsmart the Crossroads? Can she outsmart the Covenant of Saint George? Will she finally be able to go home again? Or will she end up a cautionary tale whispered in the same breath as the Crossroads?

Annie's friends are a unique mix: a Jink, a sylph, a furi, and a ghost. And actually, she happens to be dating the furi. I liked all of her friends. I have to admit I wasn't totally on board with considering James Smith a possible friend. He seems kinda sneaky, but he may have reasons for that.

The plot is a little slow when they first arrive in Maine which mirrors the group's desire for some downtime in a safe place. Then as events progress, the novel moves along faster and faster until the denouement. It was complex enough to hold my interest at all points too.

I really liked that Annie and company were taking on the Crossroads in this book. The Crossroads is a creepy entity that manipulates people to get what it wants. People think they are getting the best of the bargain, but they seldom are, even when a ghost like Mary helps them to negotiate their deal.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars out of 5. It's a well-written urban fantasy novel in a possible alternate world where cryptids are more likely to be real than not. And the cryptids usually stay out of sight of the general population unless they are one of the groups that can blend in among people. This book doesn't do well as a standalone. It refers to events in the previous books. So, it's best to have read at least #7, Tricks for Free. I do recommend reading this series if you enjoy urban fantasy. It's been well-written. It shows good use of imagination. And it's got fun parts and snark.

That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire was published March 5th, 2019 by DAW.

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