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katieinca's review
3.0
Fun. Entirely reasonable plot, moves the series arc along neatly. But I don't think McGuire develops the secondary characters in the Antimony books as well as the other Price kids, or at least her relationships with them. The book feels like 75% in Antimony's head, 15% Antimony and Sam, 10% left over for all dialog and action from other supposedly central characters. Fern and Annie are best friends? Seems like Antimony never tells her anything. Cylia barely gets any lines at all. Etc.
Also I MISS THE MICE. Liked the Alex & Sarah novella at the end better than the novel (despite barely any mice bits).
Also I MISS THE MICE. Liked the Alex & Sarah novella at the end better than the novel (despite barely any mice bits).
crochetchrisie's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars (but my own fault!)
So I accidentally started reading the next book in the series and got a couple of chapters in and realized I'd missed something important. If I didn't know the fate of Annie I think this would have been a 5 star read for me. It definitely tugged on my heartstrings.
So I accidentally started reading the next book in the series and got a couple of chapters in and realized I'd missed something important. If I didn't know the fate of Annie I think this would have been a 5 star read for me. It definitely tugged on my heartstrings.
maxtrommelen's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
bunrab's review
5.0
I love this series. One has to read them pretty much in order; this one will make no sense of you haven't read #7. This one is set in Steven King country, Maine, except King doesn't have bloodthirsty unicorns, or Aunt Mary and Aunt Rose.
Merged review:
This novella was in the back of my paperback copy of _That Ain't Witchcraft_; it's not included in the official page count for the novel, so I guess I get to count it as a separate book. Anyway, it features Alex and Shelby, though it does touch on Annie peripherally - it's apparently contemporaneous with the events of the novel.
Merged review:
This novella was in the back of my paperback copy of _That Ain't Witchcraft_; it's not included in the official page count for the novel, so I guess I get to count it as a separate book. Anyway, it features Alex and Shelby, though it does touch on Annie peripherally - it's apparently contemporaneous with the events of the novel.
tani's review
4.0
I enjoy this series so much, and this was definitely a fitting climax to Antimony's storyline. I've grown so fond of Annie, Sam, Fern, and Cylia, and James was an absolutely wonderful addition to the cast. (I'm actually hoping he'll get his own book someday in the future, and I don't think that's an unreasonable hope at all.)
This book deals with the crossroads, a topic that has appeared over and over in this series, but particularly when it comes to Annie's story. I really loved that McGuire was able to take such a large conceptual being and make it into such a personal and exciting story. She did a wonderful job of diving into the topic and delivering my favorite of the books featuring Annie. It even allowed her to up the ante, which almost shouldn't be possible with Annie's story at this point.
I also really enjoyed the way that Annie and Sam's relationship was handled here. There have been a lot of bad things that have happened since they met, and it's got to be so hard to establish a stable relationship in those circumstances, which is a fact that is not glossed over at all. Their relationship definitely has the most depth of all of the relationships we've seen in this series.
In all, I felt like this was a fantastic wrap-up to Annie's story arc. The book also included a novella at the end, which simultaneously answered a burning question that came up during the course of Annie's story, and provided a wonderful lead-in to the next book, featuring our favorite cuckoo! I'm definitely looking forward to it!
This book deals with the crossroads, a topic that has appeared over and over in this series, but particularly when it comes to Annie's story. I really loved that McGuire was able to take such a large conceptual being and make it into such a personal and exciting story. She did a wonderful job of diving into the topic and delivering my favorite of the books featuring Annie. It even allowed her to up the ante, which almost shouldn't be possible with Annie's story at this point.
I also really enjoyed the way that Annie and Sam's relationship was handled here. There have been a lot of bad things that have happened since they met, and it's got to be so hard to establish a stable relationship in those circumstances, which is a fact that is not glossed over at all. Their relationship definitely has the most depth of all of the relationships we've seen in this series.
In all, I felt like this was a fantastic wrap-up to Annie's story arc. The book also included a novella at the end, which simultaneously answered a burning question that came up during the course of Annie's story, and provided a wonderful lead-in to the next book, featuring our favorite cuckoo! I'm definitely looking forward to it!
malreynolds111's review
4.0
I really enjoy this series. Antimony price has been one of my favorite characters in the series thus far. I missed the aeslin mice in this particular installment.
onespaceymother's review against another edition
4.0
As always this series is really fun - I was a little disappointed by the final showdown after so many of her books building up the crossroads. I like characters and it was fun to be with them again. Novella at the end is great too!
lisawreading's review
5.0
A note on the rating: I was going to go with 4 stars, simply because this isn't the best of the best of the InCryptid series. But still, the entire series is terrific, so 5 stars it is!
Seanan McGuire can pretty much do no wrong in my worldview, and That Ain't Witchcraft is a prime example of why. The InCryptid series is relatively light-hearted, although bad things do happen, but overall these books maintain a whimsical, wise-ass feel that keeps the mood more on the fun end of the urban fantasy spectrum.
Eight books in, the series continues to rock and roll. The beauty (or I really should say, one of the beauties) of this series is the focus on the sprawling Price family, which gives the author plenty of characters to share the spotlight from book to book. So far, we've had three books with Verity as the lead, two with Alex, and now three with Antimony, the baby sister of the family. (I understand that the spotlight will be moving to a different family member in book #9 -- I'm already on pins and needles to see what happens next!)
That Ain't Witchcraft continues from the ending of book #7, Tricks For Free, with Antimony and friends on the run from the Covenant, the globally powerful cryptid-hating organization that would also like to track down and annihilate the entire Price clan. Looking for a hideout where they can rest and catch their breaths for a while, Antimony and the gang instead find themselves in a small town with a big problem involving the crossroads, the otherworldy entity that makes bargains that never seem to work out well for the human side.
The writing, as always in Seanan McGuire books, is snappy and snarky and full of pop-culture references and overall geekiness, and I love it all to bits. Random example:
Need I say more? In case it's not perfectly obvious, the 8th book in an ongoing series is NOT the place to start. So, I encourage you to go find a copy of book #1, Discount Armageddon, and dive in. If you're like me, you'll be hooked, and will want to keep going until you've gobbled up all eight books and are panting for more.
InCryptids rule. Check out this series!
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
Merged review:
An InCryptid novella that's included in That Ain't Witchcraft (InCryptid #8). The focus shifts to Alex and Shelby, who are called upon to help rescue a group of kidnapped Gorgon children. It's a fun, engaging story, and it's nice to revisit these characters, since we haven't seen them in a while. And we even get a little bit of the mice, which is always a plus in this series.
Seanan McGuire can pretty much do no wrong in my worldview, and That Ain't Witchcraft is a prime example of why. The InCryptid series is relatively light-hearted, although bad things do happen, but overall these books maintain a whimsical, wise-ass feel that keeps the mood more on the fun end of the urban fantasy spectrum.
Eight books in, the series continues to rock and roll. The beauty (or I really should say, one of the beauties) of this series is the focus on the sprawling Price family, which gives the author plenty of characters to share the spotlight from book to book. So far, we've had three books with Verity as the lead, two with Alex, and now three with Antimony, the baby sister of the family. (I understand that the spotlight will be moving to a different family member in book #9 -- I'm already on pins and needles to see what happens next!)
That Ain't Witchcraft continues from the ending of book #7, Tricks For Free, with Antimony and friends on the run from the Covenant, the globally powerful cryptid-hating organization that would also like to track down and annihilate the entire Price clan. Looking for a hideout where they can rest and catch their breaths for a while, Antimony and the gang instead find themselves in a small town with a big problem involving the crossroads, the otherworldy entity that makes bargains that never seem to work out well for the human side.
The writing, as always in Seanan McGuire books, is snappy and snarky and full of pop-culture references and overall geekiness, and I love it all to bits. Random example:
"He's a delicate boy. He doesn't need some loose woman coming from out of town and getting him all confused."
I blinked. "I... what? I don't know whether to be more offended by you calling James 'delicate' or you calling me 'loose.' I assure you, I am the opposite of a loose woman. I'm a tightly wound, sort of prickly woman. Hermione Granger is my Patronus."
Need I say more? In case it's not perfectly obvious, the 8th book in an ongoing series is NOT the place to start. So, I encourage you to go find a copy of book #1, Discount Armageddon, and dive in. If you're like me, you'll be hooked, and will want to keep going until you've gobbled up all eight books and are panting for more.
InCryptids rule. Check out this series!
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.
Merged review:
An InCryptid novella that's included in That Ain't Witchcraft (InCryptid #8). The focus shifts to Alex and Shelby, who are called upon to help rescue a group of kidnapped Gorgon children. It's a fun, engaging story, and it's nice to revisit these characters, since we haven't seen them in a while. And we even get a little bit of the mice, which is always a plus in this series.