Book Review: Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne

 

Title: Paper & Blood
Series: Ink & Sigil Book Two
Author: Kevin Hearne
Genre: Magic; Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: August 10, 2021
Publisher: Del Rey Books

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.

 

Rating

*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this. This is my honest and unbiased review*

 

Hello Fellow Readers,

I am going to just be honest up front, while I did enjoy Paper & Blood, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book. This one just sort of dragged on a bit and had a different feel than the first one did. I think it had to do with the Iron Druid being very prominent in this book, him, along with a couple of other characters made an appearance. I felt this took away from Al & his crew being the center focus.

 

The pacing was also a little slow as well, this book also included a couple of small stories sprinkled in through out the book taken from other POVs. This to me just seemed like a page filler and took away from my immersion with the story. That's not to say I didn't like the book, because I did. The actual main story was pretty interesting, and I always like Buck Foi. We also got to go into a little about Gladys who has seen some shite and who is also Canadian.

 

Overall, not as strong as the first book but I am still interesting to see where this goes. 

Ink & Sigil; Kevin Hearne

Title: Ink & Sigil
Author: Kevin Hearne
Genre: Magic; Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: August 25, 2020
Publisher: Del Rey Books

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.

But he is also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will begin to feel an inexplicable hatred for Al, so he can only communicate through the written word or speech apps. And his apprentices keep dying in peculiar freak accidents. As his personal life crumbles around him, he devotes his life to his work, all the while trying to crack the secret of his curse.

But when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead in his Glasgow flat, Al discovers evidence that Gordie was living a secret life of crime. Now Al is forced to play detective – while avoiding actual detectives who are wondering why death seems to always follow Al. Investigating his apprentice’s death will take him through Scotland’s magical underworld, and he’ll need the help of a mischievous hobgoblin if he’s to survive.

 *A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for a honest and unbiased review*

Rating

Hello Fellow Reader,

First of all, let me just say that you don't have to be well versed in the Iron Druid Chronicles series to be able to enjoy Ink & Sigil. Does it help? Yes, nit while it takes place in the same world it can be read as a standalone. It's been a long time since I have read a book where the protagonist is a senior citizen, which is also true about fantasy reads.

Al, was an absolute sweetheart. He's been through so much, that it's a little heartbreaking, but also makes him think through his choices rather than let his emotions guide him. I also particularly enjoyed those around him and with names like Saxon Codpiece, Buck Foi, and Gladys who has seen some shite, who wouldn't? Nadia was my favorite by far and while she doesn't have too much of an interesting name, she still kicks major ass and takes names.

I've always enjoyed Hearne's writing in the Iron Druid books and I did like it but in Ink & Sigil I found the pacing a little slow. Also, everything with D.I. Munro seemed a little unnecessary, like it was only there to show off what Al can do. If this is a standalone it was great, but if it eventually becomes a series I wouldn't mind as I would love to see more of Al and his merry band of misfits.

Overall, If you enjoy fae Urban Fantasy this is for you. 

Hounded - Kevin Hearne

Title: Hounded (The Iron Druid Chronicles #1)
Author: Kevin Hearne
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Del Rey
Publish Date: Jan. 1st, 2011

Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old—when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power—plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish—to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

Rating

Hello Fellow Readers!

So this book took me so long to read, and I have absolutely no idea why considering that I really liked this book. It takes place in modern day Arizona (a weird place but whatever) but has a lot of Celtic history embroidered throughout. I've been on an urban fantasy kick, putting historicals to the wayside and this was the perfect book to read during it. I didn't go into it with my usual speculations and actually did not try to guess what happens (which is a bit weird)

Atticus is great, somewhat gentlemanly but also with the knowledge of centuries past. While I feel he is a tad bit overpowered and somewhat perfect it does not bother me as much as I feel like it should. He constantly gets played by the other characters in the book, but it sort of ends up okay in the end. I wish I would have read this back when it first came out as it would have added to the suspense of finale, but it did not take away from the conclusion. I do wonder what the second book would be about, especially if we take into consideration how this book ends. I know there are a couple of minor loose ends that the book didn't wrap up, but I can't see what the overall story would be, given that there are 8 books currently in the series it has to be big.