Reviews

Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire

rvmama's review against another edition

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5.0

Fun book.

maxtrommelen's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

bunrab's review against another edition

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5.0

Continues to be one of my favorite series. This volume is the continuation of Antimony's adventures. Roller derby is integral. The add-on story of Mindy and Mork's journey home is cute.

tani's review against another edition

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4.0

After having some trouble getting into the previous book in this series, I was a bit worried about this one, but it turns out that my worries were completely unfounded. Tricks for Free was one of my favorite entries in the series to date. Annie has really grown on me, I guess.

So, in this book, Antimony is on the run from the Covenant, and is hiding out at Lowryland, the next best thing to Disneyland. She starts the book alone, without a plan, and still fighting to keep from burning down everything she touches. I don't want to say too much about what happens during the book, as I think this is one that is truly better if you don't know what's going to happen, so I guess I'll keep this relatively short.

First, the setting of this was a lot of fun. Disneyland is where I went for my honeymoon, so having a setting that was somewhat modeled after that was really amusing for me, and made the beginning of the book a bit more absorbing than it might have otherwise been.

Second, I loved that we got to learn more about magic in this book. We also got a few new incryptids, both of whom were pretty awesome, but the magic was a real highlight for me. I'm really glad that Annie is a magic-user because it adds a very cool extra layer to her character and the world-building, and its an element that I'm excited to see more of in the next book.

Third, there's a real found family theme building in Annie's books that I'm honestly loving. It's the kind of thing that absolutely makes sense for Annie, who feels pretty alienated from most of her actual family, and the people that she chooses for that found family are pretty awesome. Also, having a slightly larger cast of characters in this book was a real draw for me, and I hope that all of the characters get more time to grow and develop in the next book.

Also worth mentioning is the little novelette at the end of the book, which tells the story of a few things that happened in between this book and the previous one. It was a cute and touching addition to the series, and I'm glad I got to read it.

Anyway, I'm really excited that the next book will also feature Annie, and I can't wait to see where the story takes her!

malreynolds111's review against another edition

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3.0

I received an advance copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The latest installment of the InCryptid series continues the story of Antimony Price. I really didn't care for her attitude in the previous book, but felt like I got to know her better in this one. It didn't resolve her issues with the Covenant of St. George but I expect that to take a few books anyway.

lisawreading's review against another edition

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5.0

Another outstanding InCryptid story -- the 2nd featuring Antimony in the lead role, this time hiding out at a Florida theme park and running into a new, dangerous threat. Plus, lots of roller skating, hanging out with ghosts, gorgons, and a maybe-boyfriend, and all the silly banter we love from Seanan McGuire.

And now, I'm all caught up on InCryptids, and have to wait until 2019 for more. Sob.

rusticreadingal's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5 Stars
With the way the last book ended, I had to get my hands on a copy of this one as fast as I could. It was awesome. Even better than Magic for Nothing. Annie didn't get on my nerves nearly as bad. I mean, there were still a couple of moments, but nothing like before. She really came into herself in this book.

Annie's on the run and hiding from the Covenant of St. George. She can't go home because that would just lead the Covenant straight to her family. So that's not an option. She decides to head to Florida, to Lowryland, an amusement park similar to Disneyland. It's the perfect place to hide and blend in with the crowd. But not long after she gets there, a lot of accidents, some fatal, start occurring around her. Are these incidents really accidents? Could it be sabotage? Or is something more sinister going on?

I can't even tell you how much fun I had reading Tricks for Free. It was the perfect distraction to the craziness going on in the real world. I loved getting a behind the scenes look at an amusement park. And I really liked seeing Annie with her friends. She was pretty much on her own in the last book, so I was glad to see some of her friends show up. A lot happens in this book and one of those things is major. It's sure have some far-reaching consequences. I'm very eager to find out what happens next.

NOTE: This book does contain some strong language.

kitty_whimsical's review against another edition

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5.0

full review published at speculativechic.com (http://speculativechic.com/2018/03/06/next-stop-lowryland-seanan-mcguires-tricks-for-free/)

So, first, let us deal with something that is mentioned in the back cover copy of the novel, and thus does not constitute a spoiler: there are no Aeslin mice. None at all. Recall that Antimony had Sam take Mindy and Mork to the airport at the end of Magic For Nothing, for their own safety. I understand why Annie felt the need to do this, but I also disagree with her decision. The mice chronicle the Price family history. There won’t be any who know what happened to Annie during her time in Florida, and almost seems like it’s going to cause problems in the future. Of course, I am frequently incorrect in speculating about what will happen in the future of my favorite fandoms; it could be nothing.

That out of the way, I was so relieved that Annie wasn’t completely alone in this volume. If you’ve read any of her previous roller derby short stories (“Blocked,” “Bad Dream Girl,” or “Jammed”), you will recognize one of Annie’s band of allies. I was surprised and glad to see her there. Everybody needs some sort of backup, and while she isn’t the strongest cryptid in the room, she’s a loyal friend, and that’s what Annie needs the most when the book opens: friends. This is doubly important, as Annie is completely severed from her family, save her ghostly “aunt,” Mary. As a ghost, Mary can only do so much to assist her eternal babysitting charge and honorary niece. Having friends who care for Annie is the next best thing.

The driving plot of the novel led to some of the most violent, frightening action sequences that I’ve seen in this series to date. So, fair warning, if this sort of thing bothers you, you may want to steel yourself before you tumble down the rabbit hole of this book. There’s blood, burning, and death to contend with. So much death in one particular scene. It was hard for me to read, but at the same time I couldn’t look away. Annie really comes into her own in this novel. She faces down horrifying tragedies and just keeps going. She knows she has to. Could it be that our little Annie is growing up?

It could be. Annie previously had nothing good to say about her older sister, Verity. We learn a bit more about the Price siblings’ past together and what led Annie to have so much bitterness towards Verity. Even in the midst of a chain reaction of tragedy and violence, Annie begins to thaw towards her sister. It’s a shame that Verity doesn’t know anything about this yet. One hopes that this will be rectified in another book or two. I, for one, cannot wait to see the Price sisters reunited and working together in a future volume.

hollygraph's review against another edition

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3.0

I love this series, but for me this book was ok. I thought all the side characters we great and I loved that we got to see more of Aunt Mary & Aunt Rose, but I am just not a fan of Antimony. Looking forward to book 9 in the series where it is from Sarah’s point of view.

This by no means was a bad book, just compared to the rest of the series it wasn’t a home run.