Scan barcode
eesh25's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars
I wanna say, first and foremost, that the romance in the novel is a sub-plot. So if you're looking for something to swoon over, this is not the right choice.
The world of A Ferry of Bones and Gold is one in which magic is common. A large population of the world can perform magic and there are creatures like demons, gods (Greek, Norse, and Egyptian, so far), vampires, werewolves, etc. There are also witches, of course. Those are quite common. A mage is a stronger, and much rarer, type of witch.
Patrick is a mage. He's ex-military (the supernatural branch) and currently works for the Supernatural Operations Agency. For his latest case, he's been sent to New York to investigate a series of murders that have preternatural causes. The case should be simple enough but turns out, it has connections to his past, one that he was hoping he wouldn't have to deal with again. It's also connected to the Dominion Sect, an organization of power-hungry people (most of whom are magic users) who do not care about collateral damage. So he's fucked.
You see, Patrick has been involved with the gods since he was a kid. It was never his choice and he's pretty fucking sick of it. And he's found himself forced in the middle of bad shit again, only he's not strong enough to handle it anymore since his magic was injured the last time.
Patrick is a great protagonist. He's strong, so resilient, does not take any shit from anyone—even the gods, though they kind of own him—and has been through way too much. His history with the gods, and what went down in his life, is something we find out gradually, and every new revelation kinda breaks your heart. You really feel for him and understand how exhausted he must be. And reading from his perspective, with all the sarcasm and defiance, makes things way more interesting than they would have been otherwise.
And even though he prefers to work alone, he's saddled with Jonothan. Jono is a werewolf and is friends with a seer. The Fates (the freakin' Norns) demand that Patrick and Jono stay together so that's what they do. Yes, there are sparks and a lot of attraction, but the romance is a slow burn. I really liked it, actually.
Slow burns, when done right, can be a beautiful thing. And in this book, with everything that's going down with the demonic murders and the lives that are in danger, "true love" is not on anyone's mind. But seeing how the two grow to care for each other is wonderful. And it's not the author telling is that their feelings have changed, it's how they act around each other and support each other. Well, mainly how Jono supports Patrick because Patrick seems to have severe reckless and get-yourself-killed tendencies and needs someone to watch his back. It's all really well done.
That's why, even though I prefer interconnected spin-offs to "proper" series, I'm really looking forward to the next book. This world is very vast and there are so many possibilities. I love Patrick would definitely not mind another book with him as the main character, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the other characters and the interactions between them, now that Patrick has finally made friends.
I also really badly want to meet the guys from Patrick's old team—from the military (we got a tiny glimpse of that and I want more). Plus, I want to know what will go down with the Dominion Sect and I'm hoping we'll see the gods pay for being utter assholes.
Overall, this book was a great start to a new series. I can't say for sure how long I'll stick with it (I don't have the best track record) but I know that I will most definitely be reading the second book which, from what I can guess, will come out within the next 3-5 months. I'm really looking forward to delving more into this world and meeting more characters. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. It's interesting, full of action and emotion, and lots of fun as well.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I wanna say, first and foremost, that the romance in the novel is a sub-plot. So if you're looking for something to swoon over, this is not the right choice.
The world of A Ferry of Bones and Gold is one in which magic is common. A large population of the world can perform magic and there are creatures like demons, gods (Greek, Norse, and Egyptian, so far), vampires, werewolves, etc. There are also witches, of course. Those are quite common. A mage is a stronger, and much rarer, type of witch.
Patrick is a mage. He's ex-military (the supernatural branch) and currently works for the Supernatural Operations Agency. For his latest case, he's been sent to New York to investigate a series of murders that have preternatural causes. The case should be simple enough but turns out, it has connections to his past, one that he was hoping he wouldn't have to deal with again. It's also connected to the Dominion Sect, an organization of power-hungry people (most of whom are magic users) who do not care about collateral damage. So he's fucked.
You see, Patrick has been involved with the gods since he was a kid. It was never his choice and he's pretty fucking sick of it. And he's found himself forced in the middle of bad shit again, only he's not strong enough to handle it anymore since his magic was injured the last time.
Patrick is a great protagonist. He's strong, so resilient, does not take any shit from anyone—even the gods, though they kind of own him—and has been through way too much. His history with the gods, and what went down in his life, is something we find out gradually, and every new revelation kinda breaks your heart. You really feel for him and understand how exhausted he must be. And reading from his perspective, with all the sarcasm and defiance, makes things way more interesting than they would have been otherwise.
And even though he prefers to work alone, he's saddled with Jonothan. Jono is a werewolf and is friends with a seer. The Fates (the freakin' Norns) demand that Patrick and Jono stay together so that's what they do. Yes, there are sparks and a lot of attraction, but the romance is a slow burn. I really liked it, actually.
Slow burns, when done right, can be a beautiful thing. And in this book, with everything that's going down with the demonic murders and the lives that are in danger, "true love" is not on anyone's mind. But seeing how the two grow to care for each other is wonderful. And it's not the author telling is that their feelings have changed, it's how they act around each other and support each other. Well, mainly how Jono supports Patrick because Patrick seems to have severe reckless and get-yourself-killed tendencies and needs someone to watch his back. It's all really well done.
That's why, even though I prefer interconnected spin-offs to "proper" series, I'm really looking forward to the next book. This world is very vast and there are so many possibilities. I love Patrick would definitely not mind another book with him as the main character, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the other characters and the interactions between them, now that Patrick has finally made friends.
I also really badly want to meet the guys from Patrick's old team—from the military (we got a tiny glimpse of that and I want more). Plus, I want to know what will go down with the Dominion Sect and I'm hoping we'll see the gods pay for being utter assholes.
Overall, this book was a great start to a new series. I can't say for sure how long I'll stick with it (I don't have the best track record) but I know that I will most definitely be reading the second book which, from what I can guess, will come out within the next 3-5 months. I'm really looking forward to delving more into this world and meeting more characters. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. It's interesting, full of action and emotion, and lots of fun as well.
Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
thought_ballune's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
3.0
laureljeanreads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really love a good paranormal procedural and this one hits. The setting and set up are really interesting, I loved that we got only a glimpse into Jonos pov and where everything is set up to go from here
nhixxie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
teenykins's review against another edition
5.0
2nd re-listen. Upping my rating.
Seriously this is one of those series that is getting better and better with every re-listen since there's a lot of things going on, there's a lot of world-building and info given and for me something more sticks every time in my memory, that I previously missed and discover just how much work has gone into the story.
It's June and Patrick Collins comes to New York for a case that the chief of Police made an appeal to the SoA, the alphabet agency Patrick is working for after leaving the Mage Corps (military).
The case will take him to meet Marek who is a seer and affiliated with the Tempest Pack. After their quite disastrous meeting, Patrick will go to the Tempest (the pack's bar) to talk with him but sparks will fly and chemistry will ignite between him and Jonothon de Vere.
This is the beginning of their story and how Jono slowly but surely will strive to curb Patrick's bad tendencies towards self-preservation.
---------------
Oh hey, look at that. Almost a year to the day I tried the book.
Anyway I have to say that listening to the audiobook was much more enjoyable than reading the book was. For quite a while now I figured that some authors are better to be listened to than read and for me Hailey Turner is one of those.
Gary Furlong did an amazing job narrating with distinct voices between MCs so you never had to wonder who was talking, a great pace and getting emotions across.
The story was enjoyable, if a tad too long if you consider the fact that I zoned out for 10-15mins without missing anything that would make me have questions why something happened later. Hailey is way too descriptive some times with things that have no value in the story. I'd prefer a bit more world building and/or backstory than a complete description of Patrick and Jonothon getting in the car.
Will continue with the series for now.
Seriously this is one of those series that is getting better and better with every re-listen since there's a lot of things going on, there's a lot of world-building and info given and for me something more sticks every time in my memory, that I previously missed and discover just how much work has gone into the story.
It's June and Patrick Collins comes to New York for a case that the chief of Police made an appeal to the SoA, the alphabet agency Patrick is working for after leaving the Mage Corps (military).
The case will take him to meet Marek who is a seer and affiliated with the Tempest Pack. After their quite disastrous meeting, Patrick will go to the Tempest (the pack's bar) to talk with him but sparks will fly and chemistry will ignite between him and Jonothon de Vere.
This is the beginning of their story and how Jono slowly but surely will strive to curb Patrick's bad tendencies towards self-preservation.
---------------
Oh hey, look at that. Almost a year to the day I tried the book.
Anyway I have to say that listening to the audiobook was much more enjoyable than reading the book was. For quite a while now I figured that some authors are better to be listened to than read and for me Hailey Turner is one of those.
Gary Furlong did an amazing job narrating with distinct voices between MCs so you never had to wonder who was talking, a great pace and getting emotions across.
The story was enjoyable, if a tad too long if you consider the fact that I zoned out for 10-15mins without missing anything that would make me have questions why something happened later. Hailey is way too descriptive some times with things that have no value in the story. I'd prefer a bit more world building and/or backstory than a complete description of Patrick and Jonothon getting in the car.
Will continue with the series for now.
gillianw's review against another edition
2.0
2 stars
This book was exhausting. So many creatures and god, and a hero who somehow must make everything right even though everyone seems to either hate him or want to kill him - even the ones demanding his help. It also had a terribly confusing plot and I ended up skimming the last 40% because I just could not with this book anymore.
This book was exhausting. So many creatures and god, and a hero who somehow must make everything right even though everyone seems to either hate him or want to kill him - even the ones demanding his help. It also had a terribly confusing plot and I ended up skimming the last 40% because I just could not with this book anymore.
fresholivebread's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Patrick, an FBI agent-esque combat mage, and Jono, a werewolf, solve supernatural murders, in short. Our MCs are written strongly - Patrick is sarcastic, chaotic and a little wounded; Jono is loyal, protective and all alpha. Their dynamics, connection and banter are excellent. There's a lot of heat between them, but the romance builds slower, though there's a fated mates feel to it. And I would've loved to see a deeper dive into their feelings.
Jono is more open about his feelings, and he shows a lot of care towards Patrick. The world is unique and very interesting but it took quite a bit of time to settle in place - the complicated plot + myriad of gods and lore are frankly a lot. The romance took a backseat somewhat because of this, and I hope we'll get a lot more Patrick/Jono in the next book, though theirsoulbound HFN is very lovely .
Jono is more open about his feelings, and he shows a lot of care towards Patrick. The world is unique and very interesting but it took quite a bit of time to settle in place - the complicated plot + myriad of gods and lore are frankly a lot. The romance took a backseat somewhat because of this, and I hope we'll get a lot more Patrick/Jono in the next book, though their
captain_valour's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
letstalkaboutpaiges's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Full disclosure, I didn’t fully grasp like the first 30% of the book. There was a LOT of world-building here, and you just kinda had to roll with it while also knowing that there was just a bunch of stuff you weren’t supposed to know yet. Which was kinda annoying.
But I stuck with it, and started getting into it a lot more. You really do start picking up more context and info as you go. And by the end I was both fully invested and extremely angry on Patrick’s behalf. This is definitely a denser fantasy series as opposed to just a paranormal romance, but I’m excited to see where it goes.
But I stuck with it, and started getting into it a lot more. You really do start picking up more context and info as you go. And by the end I was both fully invested and extremely angry on Patrick’s behalf. This is definitely a denser fantasy series as opposed to just a paranormal romance, but I’m excited to see where it goes.