Book Review: Candle and Crow by Kevin Hearne

 

From the publisher:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles comes the final book in the “action-packed, enchantingly fun” (Booklist) Ink & Sigil series, as an ink-slinging wizard pursues the answer to a very personal mystery: Who cast a pair of curses on his head?

Al MacBharrais has a most unusual job: He’s a practitioner of ink-and-sigil magic, tasked with keeping order among the gods and monsters that dwell hidden in the human world. But there’s one supernatural mystery he’s never been able to solve: Years ago, someone cast twin curses on him that killed off his apprentices and drove away loved ones who heard him speak, leaving him bereft and isolated. 

But he’s not quite alone: As Al works to solve this mystery, his friends draw him into their own eccentric dramas. Buck Foi the hobgoblin has been pondering his own legacy—and has a plan for a daring shenanigan that will make him the most celebrated hobgoblin of all. Nadia, goth queen and battle seer, is creating her own cult around a god who loves whisky and cheese. 

And the Morrigan, a former Irish death goddess, has decided she wants not only to live as an ordinary woman but also to face the most perilous challenge of the mortal world: online dating. 

Meanwhile, Al crosses paths with old friends and new—including some beloved Druids and their very good dogs—in his globe-trotting quest to solve the mystery of his curses. But he’s pulled in so many different directions by his colleagues, a suspicious detective, and the whims of destructive gods that Al begins to wonder: Will he ever find time to write his own happy ending?

My thoughts: This was a good wrap up for the trilogy. Story threads for Al, Buck Foi, Nadia, the Morrigan, and Gladys-who-has-seen-some-shite are drawn to conclusions. I felt that the endings were open-ended enough that if the author decides to revisit any of the characters, say for a short story, he will have plenty to write about.

I gave this book 5 stars. It's well-written. It's a good conclusion for the trilogy. Things happen at a good pace. My only note is that I felt there wasn't enough foreshadowing about who is responsible for the curses on Al. If you enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy, this is a must read. If you enjoyed the Iron Druid books, you will most likely enjoy this trilogy as well. And the trilogy would make a good Christmas present for your fan of urban fantasy.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This did not affect my review. 

Book Review: The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

 

This is the story of Laura and Freddie Iven, sister and brother. Set during WWI, both Ivens serve in the Canadian army. Laura serves as a nurse, Freddie as a soldier. Both have different, but horrifying, experiences of the war. Laura was wounded and sent home unbeknownst to Freddie. While home recovering, she receives a package indicating that he is dead. But, it's light on the details. And no matter who she talks to, she can't find out where or how he died. When the opportunity arises, Laura seizes it to go back to the war zone and search out information herself.

Freddie had been trapped in an overturned pillbox with a wounded German soldier named Winter. They make a truce and against odds, dig their way out. They then need to cross the hellscape of war to get to safety. By that time, the tentative bond they forged in the pillbox has gotten much stronger. Neither is willing to give the other up as prisoner nor participate in futher killing.

Both Laura and Freddie have heard rumors amidst the war of a fiddler or hotelier who can give you ease. Those who claim to have seen him have often gone mad - some for the peace he provided. But every peace has its price. Are they willing to pay it?

This book is very well written. The prose is nice, the research impeccable. The descriptions conjure pictures of slices of the war. Their stories are told in alternating viewpoints between Laura and Freddie.

I loved the characters, especially Laura. I felt she had the strongest characterization in the book. Freddie would be second. Laura has as a companion a well off woman who lost her son in the war. The woman goes by the nickname Pim. Freddie has Winter as a companion for much of the novel, but significantly not for some parts. Laura is strong when Pim seems weak. And Winter is strong when Freddie seems weak. 

Pace and plotwise, basically it hits the ground running and doesn't let up much. There's both war action and hospital action with a smattering of other. All of it advances the plot.

I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. Overall, it's well written. Prose flows nicely. Action moves the plot forward at a good pace. Characterization is good, especially Laura. I would recommend this book to people who like a vivid, yet creepy, sort of war story. There are ghosts and hints at other.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts by Katherine Arden was published February 13th, 2024 by Del Rey.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion.

Happy Book BIrthday to Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is out today from Del Rey Books. I'm 30% through and I'm really enjoying it. Review to follow soon.

From the publisher:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film—and awakens one woman’s hidden powers.

Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood.

Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished overnight. He is cursed.

Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse . . . but Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend.

As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristán may find that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies.

Check it out! 

Book Review: Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

 

From the publisher:

Cambridge professor Emily Wilde is good at many things: She is the foremost expert on the study of faeries. She is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encyclopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people. She could never make small talk at a party—or even get invited to one. And she prefers the company of her books, her dog, Shadow, and the Fair Folk to other people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby, who manages to charm the townsfolk, muddle Emily’s research, and utterly confound and frustrate her.

But as Emily gets closer and closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones—the most elusive of all faeries—lurking in the shadowy forest outside the town, she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: Who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all—her own heart.

My thoughts:

The story is told as a series of journal entries from Emily Wilde as she goes to the far north looking for faeries. This is effective because it allows us to see how Emily views the world, people, and her chosen subject. What we find is that she is that she is single-minded in her research pretty much most of the time. She is also socially inept and a bit of an introvert. I really liked her.

Wendell Brambleby, her associate, is very much her opposite. He revels in the attention of the townsfolk and thrives on his interactions with them. There is also something mysterious about him. As it is revealed that he may be Emily's only friend, she also finds she may be drawn to him in other ways as well. I enjoyed the banter between the two and watching their relationship grow and change.

It's a little slow in the beginning as we meet the characters and get acquainted with the world they live in. After a while, it almost seems like a loose series of fairy tales. Each tale moves a little faster and maybe a little darker.

The bits of Faerie lore that are sprinkled throughout her journal entries are interesting and lend authenticity to her writing. And her interactions with the brownie Poe, set the stage for her other interactions with the Fair Folk. 

Overall, I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I liked the characters and enjoyed their banter. The action in the book is very fairy tale -ish interspersed with accounts of daily life. I also like that it ends in such a way that it is open to the possibility of sequels. If you like fairy tales and tales of the Faeries, then you will probably enjoy this book set in the early 1900s far north.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This did not affect my opinion and review.

Book Review: Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne

 

From Goodreads:

There’s only one Al MacBharrais: Though other Scotsmen may have dramatic mustaches and a taste for fancy cocktails, Al also has a unique talent. He’s a master of ink and sigil magic. In his gifted hands, paper and pen can work wondrous spells. 

But Al isn’t quite alone: He is part of a global network of sigil agents who use their powers to protect the world from mischievous gods and strange monsters. So when a fellow agent disappears under sinister circumstances in Australia, Al leaves behind the cozy pubs and cafes of Glasgow and travels to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery.

The trail to his colleague begins to pile up with bodies at alarming speed, so Al is grateful his friends have come to help—especially Nadia, his accountant who moonlights as a pit fighter. Together with a whisky-loving hobgoblin known as Buck Foi and the ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan, along with his dogs, Oberon and Starbuck, Al and Nadia will face down the wildest wonders Australia—and the supernatural world—can throw at them, and confront a legendary monster not seen in centuries.

My thoughts:

It's a good book. It's well-written. This is book two in The Ink and Sigil Series. It picks up close to where book one left off.

I liked the world building. It's an interesting Australian setting. How things work is consistent with book one. You might be able to read this as a standalone, but having read book one will give you some idea of what to expect and how things work.

The characters are varied from human to definitely not human. Al's receptionist, Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite, makes an appearance in a couple of places. There is more to her than meets the eye. Not everyone is exactly what they seem to be. Nadia has a large part to play in this book as in book one. We learn more about some of the characters through stories told by them during a lull. Al learns a little more about the curse(s) affecting him. He is especially mindful now that he knows it can cost the life of someone working for him.

Plot wise, it's pretty good. it moves along at a somewhat steady pace. There is a lull, but it's filled with stories that tell more about the characters. After the lull, action picks up quite a bit.

The story is resolved well. It's set up to make you look forward to the next book without being a cliffhanger. There is still plenty to explore with this cast of characters.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy as well as those who enjoy Kevin Hearne's writing.

Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne is being released today, August 10th, 2021 by Del Rey Books.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.