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A review by vinayvasan
The Imposters of Aventil by Marshall Ryan Maresca
4.0
A rather fun and feisty book that brings to end the 1st arc of the Thorn in a rather satisfying way even as it builds onto something bigger for the rest of the series
Books 1 and 2 were rather fun while adding nothing new & my fear was that book 3 would be rather similar. Well, it was total fun and action packed and involved a lot of crazy no-win-abandon-all-hope situations but what is does really well is put our characters in situations that are potentially status quo upenders.
Book 3 picks up with a grand tournament at the University that gives Veranix very little time to pursue his nocturnal activities as the Thorn. However, the presence of outside students at the University leads to a proliferation of the drug that Veranix has sworn to stamp out even as someone pretending to be the Thorn decides to spur up a gang rivalry as well as attacking the cops - ensuring that the Thorn now as a bullseye painted on him. Maresca also introduces characters from his other Constabulary series who are roped in to arrest the Thorn. To top it all up, the Deadly Birds, the assassin group, from the previous book have developed a keen interest in him. And there are rumblings about a greater continental war in the offing. All of this makes this a very packed book and it reflects. There isnt a dull moment as things keep on happening.
While the book is decidedly YA-ish in terms of the plotting, the body count and action make it less so. Thorn gets bashed up quite a bit, his street prince cousin Colin gets even more so - his standing among the local gangs questioned, esp about his loyalty. The introduction of the Constabulary is quite smooth and even if you havent read the other series (like me), you are able to follow these 2 characters quite well. It will be quite intriguing to see where the series goes after this. Count me in on that journey
Books 1 and 2 were rather fun while adding nothing new & my fear was that book 3 would be rather similar. Well, it was total fun and action packed and involved a lot of crazy no-win-abandon-all-hope situations but what is does really well is put our characters in situations that are potentially status quo upenders.
Book 3 picks up with a grand tournament at the University that gives Veranix very little time to pursue his nocturnal activities as the Thorn. However, the presence of outside students at the University leads to a proliferation of the drug that Veranix has sworn to stamp out even as someone pretending to be the Thorn decides to spur up a gang rivalry as well as attacking the cops - ensuring that the Thorn now as a bullseye painted on him. Maresca also introduces characters from his other Constabulary series who are roped in to arrest the Thorn. To top it all up, the Deadly Birds, the assassin group, from the previous book have developed a keen interest in him. And there are rumblings about a greater continental war in the offing. All of this makes this a very packed book and it reflects. There isnt a dull moment as things keep on happening.
While the book is decidedly YA-ish in terms of the plotting, the body count and action make it less so. Thorn gets bashed up quite a bit, his street prince cousin Colin gets even more so - his standing among the local gangs questioned, esp about his loyalty. The introduction of the Constabulary is quite smooth and even if you havent read the other series (like me), you are able to follow these 2 characters quite well. It will be quite intriguing to see where the series goes after this. Count me in on that journey