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lex24's review
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Interesting premise and well written, but I couldn't connect to the characters and had to push to finish the book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
crows_in_a_trenchcoat's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Minor: War and Death of parent
cheye13's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a very unique and interesting story. I didn't love it as much as I wanted to, but it does a lot of heavy lifting world-building-wise that I figure sets up the following books well.
It's a bit slower than I would like. There's a story-within-the-story of Fetch's history and personal role in the current state of the world that is entirely predictable and drawn out, breaking up the action (and perhaps drudgery) of his current case. Those segments do a lot to slow the pace of the story, but also a lot to inform characters, relationships, and the world, both current and past. A lot of the character development and case breakthroughs are heavy-handed, but in a way I don't mind – I read this more as a fantasy than an actual mystery, and given the dips in pacing, I appreciated certain moments being so straightforward.
The shining gem of this story is the noir tone. So many projects pitch a take on noir and then don't follow through, either falling short of the tone or approaching with irony. The fantasy direction lets this typical jaded P.I. narrate genuinely through his hopelessness while keeping things fresh and intriguing for the audience. A wonderfully unique premise that follows through!
It's a bit slower than I would like. There's a story-within-the-story of Fetch's history and personal role in the current state of the world that is entirely predictable and drawn out, breaking up the action (and perhaps drudgery) of his current case. Those segments do a lot to slow the pace of the story, but also a lot to inform characters, relationships, and the world, both current and past. A lot of the character development and case breakthroughs are heavy-handed, but in a way I don't mind – I read this more as a fantasy than an actual mystery, and given the dips in pacing, I appreciated certain moments being so straightforward.
The shining gem of this story is the noir tone. So many projects pitch a take on noir and then don't follow through, either falling short of the tone or approaching with irony. The fantasy direction lets this typical jaded P.I. narrate genuinely through his hopelessness while keeping things fresh and intriguing for the audience. A wonderfully unique premise that follows through!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Body horror, Murder, War, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Torture, Alcoholism, and Genocide
Minor: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Child death
Like a lot of fantasy, there is prejudice between fantasy races that, while not a direct allegory, may be close enough to certain real world issues (racism, homophobia, misogyny, etc.) as to warrant caution. Also of note: a natural disaster and instance of drowning occur.rodney_rocket's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Violence and Child death
anjasfairylights's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was a relaxing and unagitated read. I enjoyed following the protagonist through the storyline - I don‘t often read books about antiheroes, but this one just hit the right spot. There‘s no big ending, no happy and all-embracing resolution, just a crime a detective decides to put up with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Alcoholism, and Drug use
Moderate: Racism
sabrinz's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
What drew me to this book was 1) the cover (it does look like the Rivers of London) and 2) the premise of what you'd do if magic suddenly disappeared (and if you were somehow involved in it disappearing).
Enter Fetch Phillips, (un)willing P.I. and man on some sort of mission, who never works for humans.
The story was quite interesting if a bit slow, but the twists and turns of what is happening to all the magical creatures now that magic is no longer a part of the workd and the mystery of exactly how it disappeared and how Fetch played into that, is compelling.
The writing style is also amusing and very vivid at turns, with lots of comparisons and simlies.
I'm not sure yet if I'll continue with book 2 but there are a few questions I'd like to have answerd.
Enter Fetch Phillips, (un)willing P.I. and man on some sort of mission, who never works for humans.
The story was quite interesting if a bit slow, but the twists and turns of what is happening to all the magical creatures now that magic is no longer a part of the workd and the mystery of exactly how it disappeared and how Fetch played into that, is compelling.
The writing style is also amusing and very vivid at turns, with lots of comparisons and simlies.
I'm not sure yet if I'll continue with book 2 but there are a few questions I'd like to have answerd.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
srm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I kept hearing good things about this, but just never got around to it. Hubby read it recently and assured me I would like it, and when I realized that this is one case where I would want the author reading the book, I jumped on this. And I'm so glad I did. So many fantasy novels talk about what the world was like, long ago when there was magic, but I love that this world is dealing with the fallout of magic having suddenly and definitely stopped just a few years earlier. Add to that a sad, alcoholic, wounded animal first person POV, and I was an easy sell. The writing it also fun and evocative, and I'm already on hold at the library for the next audiobook.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism and Violence
azrah786's review against another edition
4.0
[This review can also be found on my BLOG]
**I was gifted a copy by Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
The Last Smile in Sunder City follows Fetch Phillips, a "Man for Hire" who spends his days doing the odd jobs for those who call upon his services. That is, as long as you're not human. You see Sunder City is a place where all sorts of magical creatures live - vampires, werewolves, witches, goblins, elves, fae...
It was once a thriving place full of magic, but a few years prior an incident known as The Coda resulted in all magic disappearing from the world. In the blink of an eye magical folk lost their powers and in a lot of cases their immortality. Industries that ran on magic came to a halt. Now the city lives on in a state of bleakness and it holds humanity to blame.
This book is on the short side and doesn’t involve as many action-heavy scenes as you might expect from a crime/fantasy mashup but I enjoyed it either way.
Fetch Phillips’ situation in the story is his way of atoning for his former sins. His most recent case involves a missing vampire however, I feel like this storyline took a back seat for the most part. The ongoing happenings of the city collectively took centre stage and the book as a whole can be taken as Arnold introducing us to the world from his imagination. The narrative follows Fetch's day to day escapades and we really get to see how the diverse communities around him are faring post-Coda.
A number of flashbacks are threaded in throughout, slowly feeding us in on the secrets and events of Fetch's past and I was captivated by the various details and history of the world. The storytelling overall is wonderfully immersive and entertaining however, does feel a bit info dumpy towards the beginning. Also though Arnold voiced him well, the most interesting part with regards to our cynical and quite often intoxicated protagonist is definitely his past.
All in all, this was a great debut and the urban fantasy setting is refreshing, setting up a brilliant foundation for the future adventures of Fetch Phillips. I'm looking forward to reading them!
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars
**I was gifted a copy by Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**
The Last Smile in Sunder City follows Fetch Phillips, a "Man for Hire" who spends his days doing the odd jobs for those who call upon his services. That is, as long as you're not human. You see Sunder City is a place where all sorts of magical creatures live - vampires, werewolves, witches, goblins, elves, fae...
It was once a thriving place full of magic, but a few years prior an incident known as The Coda resulted in all magic disappearing from the world. In the blink of an eye magical folk lost their powers and in a lot of cases their immortality. Industries that ran on magic came to a halt. Now the city lives on in a state of bleakness and it holds humanity to blame.
This book is on the short side and doesn’t involve as many action-heavy scenes as you might expect from a crime/fantasy mashup but I enjoyed it either way.
Fetch Phillips’ situation in the story is his way of atoning for his former sins. His most recent case involves a missing vampire however, I feel like this storyline took a back seat for the most part. The ongoing happenings of the city collectively took centre stage and the book as a whole can be taken as Arnold introducing us to the world from his imagination. The narrative follows Fetch's day to day escapades and we really get to see how the diverse communities around him are faring post-Coda.
A number of flashbacks are threaded in throughout, slowly feeding us in on the secrets and events of Fetch's past and I was captivated by the various details and history of the world. The storytelling overall is wonderfully immersive and entertaining however, does feel a bit info dumpy towards the beginning. Also though Arnold voiced him well, the most interesting part with regards to our cynical and quite often intoxicated protagonist is definitely his past.
All in all, this was a great debut and the urban fantasy setting is refreshing, setting up a brilliant foundation for the future adventures of Fetch Phillips. I'm looking forward to reading them!
Final Rating - 4/5 Stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Death, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse
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