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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
3.5 Stars
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
After finishing St Mary's I was looking for a new series to read, and InCryptid had been suggested earlier to me. Since I already had the books (and there are a lot of free stories, which you can find free at the author's website), I decided to give it a try despite the very ugly cover.
I was initially taken aback by the large amounts of info-dumping that occur during any of Verity's free running adventures in New York. At the same time she is pursuing a career as a ballroom dancer, but this moves to the background really quickly.
However, I was sold after meeting the Aeslin mice. They are the true heroes of this series. Very religious mice that see signs in literally everything, they are much more than just the comic relief of the series. I would continue just for them. But Verity is also in contact with lots of other cryptids, which made it an interesting read. Verity's own story doesn't seem to be the most original one, and she makes some very stupid decisions, but I'm curious to find out where it goes from here.
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com
After finishing St Mary's I was looking for a new series to read, and InCryptid had been suggested earlier to me. Since I already had the books (and there are a lot of free stories, which you can find free at the author's website), I decided to give it a try despite the very ugly cover.
I was initially taken aback by the large amounts of info-dumping that occur during any of Verity's free running adventures in New York. At the same time she is pursuing a career as a ballroom dancer, but this moves to the background really quickly.
However, I was sold after meeting the Aeslin mice. They are the true heroes of this series. Very religious mice that see signs in literally everything, they are much more than just the comic relief of the series. I would continue just for them. But Verity is also in contact with lots of other cryptids, which made it an interesting read. Verity's own story doesn't seem to be the most original one, and she makes some very stupid decisions, but I'm curious to find out where it goes from here.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence
Moderate: Genocide, Gore, Sexism
Minor: Ableism, Racism
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Delightful urban fantasy, with non-human characters that were compellingly non-human.
Wanting to pursue a career in professional dance—and still completely torn as to whether she should continue in the family business—Verity gets permission to move to Manhattan on a trial run. However, she has strict instructions to keep an eye on the local cryptid population. However, that is easier said than done when a Covenant operative comes into town and local cryptid girls are disappearing.
Realizing that they are better as a team, Verity and Dominic team up to root out the reason behind these disappearances and follow the rumors of the last dragon to their source. However, what the don't expect are the different players involved, the high stakes, and a budding romance.
I loved this book! Granted, I would not classify it as earth-shattering prose or completely life-altering. However, it was a fun and lighthearted read! Honestly, sometimes you cannot go wrong with a light, funny book. ^_^
Verity was a refreshing heroine. Too many books out there have these insipid, dull, stupid, arrogant, and whiny heroines. For me, Verity has none of these qualities. In some ways, she reminds me of younger Anita Blake. That being said, she doesn't have this overwhelming snarky quality to her, which has been overdone to death. And, honestly, she is just plain cute!
As with the October Daye novels, McGuire has a lot of detail in this book and spends a lot of time world building. However, it doesn't bog the reader down as much, and it is extremely successful. With the various cryptid species and different locales in NYC, McGuire had to spend a certain amount of time describing things. She did a good job of balancing these descriptions in the story and making them humorous. Furthermore, since this is the first book in the series, she needs to set a lot of this up in advance.
For the most part, the characters were pretty well-rounded. Dominic wasn't fleshed out nearly as much; however, some of that could be due to his continued character development and evolution. Verity was puerile in a lot of ways, but that gave credence to her age and how green she truly was. And, in a lot of ways, it made for a more enjoyable experience to watch her grow.
McGuire really pulls on a lot of folklore with her creatures, which makes for neat read. However, one thing of note, Verity doesn't come into contact with too many non-sentient cryptids. This might be due to the fact that they wouldn't make as interesting a story. Either way, I didn't feel a lack.
On way or the other, this book was fun! If you're looking for an escape and something outside of the normal urban fantasy genre, give this book a try. You will find yourself roaring with laughter and occasionally snorting.
Realizing that they are better as a team, Verity and Dominic team up to root out the reason behind these disappearances and follow the rumors of the last dragon to their source. However, what the don't expect are the different players involved, the high stakes, and a budding romance.
I loved this book! Granted, I would not classify it as earth-shattering prose or completely life-altering. However, it was a fun and lighthearted read! Honestly, sometimes you cannot go wrong with a light, funny book. ^_^
Verity was a refreshing heroine. Too many books out there have these insipid, dull, stupid, arrogant, and whiny heroines. For me, Verity has none of these qualities. In some ways, she reminds me of younger Anita Blake. That being said, she doesn't have this overwhelming snarky quality to her, which has been overdone to death. And, honestly, she is just plain cute!
As with the October Daye novels, McGuire has a lot of detail in this book and spends a lot of time world building. However, it doesn't bog the reader down as much, and it is extremely successful. With the various cryptid species and different locales in NYC, McGuire had to spend a certain amount of time describing things. She did a good job of balancing these descriptions in the story and making them humorous. Furthermore, since this is the first book in the series, she needs to set a lot of this up in advance.
For the most part, the characters were pretty well-rounded. Dominic wasn't fleshed out nearly as much; however, some of that could be due to his continued character development and evolution. Verity was puerile in a lot of ways, but that gave credence to her age and how green she truly was. And, in a lot of ways, it made for a more enjoyable experience to watch her grow.
McGuire really pulls on a lot of folklore with her creatures, which makes for neat read. However, one thing of note, Verity doesn't come into contact with too many non-sentient cryptids. This might be due to the fact that they wouldn't make as interesting a story. Either way, I didn't feel a lack.
On way or the other, this book was fun! If you're looking for an escape and something outside of the normal urban fantasy genre, give this book a try. You will find yourself roaring with laughter and occasionally snorting.
Despite a slow start, and a bit of a predictable and cliche middle, this book built up to an exciting and fun conclusion. McGuire's urban fantasy world of cryptid creatures in New York, with leading lady Verity Price is clever, fun, and full of action. Price is snarky but cheerful (as opposed to Harry Dresden's gloomier cynicism) and is a good POV character. On the whole this was quite an enjoyable read and I look forward to getting to the next one in the series.
Rating : 3,5⭐
This book was a really fun introduction to this world and characters. It gave me everything I was expecting from a Seanan McGuire book, aka a fast-paced story full of humour and fantastical elements. I loved the cryptozoology angle to approaching paranormal creatures, it made the book stand out from others in its genre. I knew I was going to enjoy it because the "scientist character in a fantasy setting" trope is one of my favourites, but I ended up loving it even more than I thought. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the Price family members in their respective fields of study in the following books. I think Verity is a really entertaining main character and Dominic works well as a romantic interest. For me, this book struck the right balance between the current events of the story and the backstory of the whole family tree. This also applies to the romance between the two leads. The history between their respective factions getting in the way of their relationship felt real and I never felt like the author was info dumping when describing that history. My only problem with the story is the pacing, and more specifically the "bad guy reveal" moment. I think in some places the pacing was a bit uneven and could have easily been improved, and the reveal would have been a lot more impactful as a result. However, this book was still a great reading experience and I'm excited to continue in this series.
This book was a really fun introduction to this world and characters. It gave me everything I was expecting from a Seanan McGuire book, aka a fast-paced story full of humour and fantastical elements. I loved the cryptozoology angle to approaching paranormal creatures, it made the book stand out from others in its genre. I knew I was going to enjoy it because the "scientist character in a fantasy setting" trope is one of my favourites, but I ended up loving it even more than I thought. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the Price family members in their respective fields of study in the following books. I think Verity is a really entertaining main character and Dominic works well as a romantic interest. For me, this book struck the right balance between the current events of the story and the backstory of the whole family tree. This also applies to the romance between the two leads. The history between their respective factions getting in the way of their relationship felt real and I never felt like the author was info dumping when describing that history. My only problem with the story is the pacing, and more specifically the "bad guy reveal" moment. I think in some places the pacing was a bit uneven and could have easily been improved, and the reveal would have been a lot more impactful as a result. However, this book was still a great reading experience and I'm excited to continue in this series.
"Basilisks are no laughing matter. Not unless your idea of “funny story” involves the phrase “and then the lizard turned my wife to stone.”
Wow. Wow, guys!
This is a truly upbeat Urban Fantasy. The characters are each so unique that even their speech patterns are different from each other. No one doesn't have their own personality and everyone in the story feels like someone you could actually meet, no matter how small the role. On top of that, the world is so easy to fall into. The descriptions are clear and not overdone while firmly pulling you into whichever scene you happen to be reading.
To gush a little more, this book was hilarious! The heroine is not snarky or sarcastic...she's just direct, matter-of-fact and sometimes deadpan. Usually while in heels! It's a fresh take on a lady who fights monsters since she also frequents dance competitions. I won't even get into the talking religious mice...if you aren't already convinced you need to read this book now, I don't know what else to say.
RE-READ NOTES:
I went and read all of the short stories leading up to the series and I have to say, I loved it the first time around, but this time, I got it. There are several references that are off-handed (Aunt Mary-the ghost, etc.) that just make the story that much better.
Wow. Wow, guys!
This is a truly upbeat Urban Fantasy. The characters are each so unique that even their speech patterns are different from each other. No one doesn't have their own personality and everyone in the story feels like someone you could actually meet, no matter how small the role. On top of that, the world is so easy to fall into. The descriptions are clear and not overdone while firmly pulling you into whichever scene you happen to be reading.
To gush a little more, this book was hilarious! The heroine is not snarky or sarcastic...she's just direct, matter-of-fact and sometimes deadpan. Usually while in heels! It's a fresh take on a lady who fights monsters since she also frequents dance competitions. I won't even get into the talking religious mice...if you aren't already convinced you need to read this book now, I don't know what else to say.
RE-READ NOTES:
I went and read all of the short stories leading up to the series and I have to say, I loved it the first time around, but this time, I got it. There are several references that are off-handed (Aunt Mary-the ghost, etc.) that just make the story that much better.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No