Scan barcode
cheye13's review against another edition
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
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
azrah786's review
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
More...