As someone
who loves original fantasies and as a big fan of Hearne’s Iron Druid series, I was delighted to find Ink & Sigil, the first book in a new series, set in the same
world and filled with Hearne’s witty, snarky dialog.
Al MacBharrais’ magic lies in his talent to
write sigils in enchanted ink, but even those spells can’t rid him of a bizarre
curse that causes everyone who hears him talk to develop an unreasonable hatred
for him.
Assisted
by his demi-goddess secretary and a foul-mouthed, hard-drinking hobgoblin, Al
navigates Scotland’s underworld in an attempt to solve the deaths of his
apprentices and find the person or creature who cursed him.
The
good news is there’s a sequel, Paper
& Blood, which is just as much fun.
New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hearne returns to the world of his beloved Iron Druid Chronicles in a spin-off series about an eccentric master of rare magic solving an uncanny mystery in Scotland.
“A terrific kick-off of a new, action-packed, enchantingly fun series.”—Booklist
Al MacBharrais is both blessed and cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an appreciation for craft cocktails—and a most unique magical talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and he uses his gifts to protect our world from rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae.
I am
always on the lookout for books that combine fantasy, humor, and pathos, and TJ
Klune is a master at all three.
Wallace
is a contemporary Scrooge: mean, hard-hearted, and self-centered. So he can’t
believe he’s dead and stuck in a strange coffee shop in the woods that appears
to be a halfway house for spirits not quite ready to go through the whispering
door at the top of the stairs.
Not only that, Wallace feels a strange
attraction to Hugo, the owner of the shop. With only seven days before he has
to cross over, Wallace has difficult choices to make.
Part
ghost story, part love story, this book is a lovely and sensitive exploration
of what makes a family and how anyone can change for the better.
When a reaper comes to collect Wallace Price from his own funeral, Wallace suspects he really might be dead. Instead of leading him directly to the afterlife, the reaper takes him to a small village. On the outskirts, off the path through the woods, tucked between mountains, is a particular tea shop, run by a man named Hugo. Hugo is the tea shop's owner to locals and the ferryman to souls who need to cross over. But Wallace isn't ready to abandon the life he barely lived. With Hugo's help, he finally starts to learn about all the things he…
This
book has everything I like: original plot, delightful dialog, and a complete
disregard of historical facts.
Proper
Victorian lady Cecilia Bassingthwaite is thrilled to discover she has attracted
an assassin, certain this will ensure her full induction into the Wisteria
Society, a group of women who enjoy stealing, blackmailing, and murder, as well
as an excellent cup of tea.
But the assassin turns out to be a handsome pirate,
and when the Wisteria Society is kidnapped, Cecilia needs his help to save them,
unsure if she is falling in love or deciding the best way to kill him.
This
is an absolutely wacky book with flying houses and an attractive couple who
fence with words as well as swords. Fans of Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series will relate.
Theodosia “Teddy” Ballard is happy
being an audience member for her actor friend Will’s Community theater shows, but
when the stage manager for “Little Shop of Horrors” takes a tragic header down
the costume loft stairs, she agrees to fill in even though she has no experience.
Teddy learns stage managing and takes all the theater superstitions in stride
until she meets George Clancy Everhart, the theater ghost. George informs her
that the previous stage manager did not trip on the stairs but was murdered.
He
saw it happen and wants Teddy to solve the mystery. She agrees, but her
investigation and rehearsals are complicated when she makes a surprising
discovery about her relationship with Will—and learns that George has his own
dramatic agenda.
