A Plague of Giants is the first installment in an epic fantasy series set in a complex world of natural magic. Each country possesses a "kenning," which is magical ability within a particular type - earth, air, fire, water, etc. Hence the "seven kennings" of the series title. This novel begins with a previously unknown race invading a country in the known world and spreading wholesale slaughter in their wake. Fintan, a bard whose kenning gives him perfect recall and the ability to project his voice, has come to this ravaged nation to tell the story of how the invasion unfolded and what has been going on in the other countries as a result.

He tells the story from the viewpoints of a host of different individuals from throughout the realm, giving the novel a range of narration styles. It is fun for readers to dive into each character and learn more about their countries, kennings, and personalities, as well as discerning their role in the larger saga. With a well-built world and an endless opportunity for great characters, the Seven Kennings series is sure to be a hit with fantasy fans!

I’m a huge fan of the Iron Druids series by Kevin Hearne. So when I found out he was writing another series I jumped on board. Hearne has built a world around elemental magic, and here, there be giants.

You’re hooked, right? So was I. Then I started reading and found out the narrative jumps between several different perspectives. Technically it is one magic shapeshifter changing shape and voice, but it still reads like different characters. It was a bit jarring.

But the world building was still good, but the wit and magic from Iron Druids just wasn’t there. I understand that each series is different and cannot be compared, but I couldn’t help myself. It happens.

So I will read on to the next book in the hopes that Hearne will return with some of that old magic. I’ll give it three stars because of my residual love for Atticus O’Sullivan.

I am a huge fan of Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid series. When I heard he was starting a new high fantasy series, I was so excited! I totally jumped at the chance to get my hands on an advanced reader copy of this book. I cleared my schedule and spent two days just devouring this book.....total binge reading!

Sometimes when a favorite author goes in a totally new direction, it's a hard change. There have been times that I was so engrossed in a series that ended after multiple books that I just needed a break from that author, or was just unable to make the transition to a new, different series. As a big Iron Druid fan, it took me a day or two after I got the digital ARC for this book to build up the courage to start reading. But once I started....I couldn't stop.

Wow! I loved this book! It is totally different from Iron Druid -- don't expect it to be similar in any way. Best to approach this series as something totally new.

Hearne creates a world filled with magic that is invaded by giants. The tale of the war and the aftermath of battles is told by a bard, Fintan. Over the space of 19 days, Fintan tells the story of the Giants invasion, taking on the appearance of different leaders, victims and heroes as he does so. His storytelling is magical and mesmerizing.

Usually I am not a fan of multiple, changing points of view, but Hearne weaves his story well and this time, it worked. The story of invaders, death, fear, destroyed cities, victory and defeat.....all of the many aspects of war....... really worked well with the changing points of view and Fintan morphing into one character after another during his performances in the City of Pelemyn.

This book is high fantasy. Hearne delivers a detailed, exquisite world ravaged by war, yet where there is still hope for humankind. I'm not going to divulge much about the plot because each reader needs to have the story unfold for themselves. For me, I could see each scene playing in my head like a movie for the imagination. My favorite character, hands down, is the tidal mariner. Her duty is to protect the city's port. She glides through the water looking for trouble, and when she finds it, she can magically manipulate water. Her kenning comes at a price (as for all who wield magic in this world). The more magic she uses, the faster she ages. She might go in the water in her mid 30's, but come out much older.

All in all, a beautifully complex and engaging fantasy tale! I can't wait for more books in this series! I want to know what happens next! A Plague of Giants is the first book in a trilogy, The Seven Kennings. The other books in the series will be titled A Blight of Blackwings and A Curse of Krakens.

The cover art for this first book in the trilogy is supremely awesome!

With the final book in the Iron Druid series slated to come out in 2018, I wondered what fantasy series could possibly fill the void left in my fantasy genre reading. I think I've found it. The fact that it's also written by Hearne makes it perfect. The Seven Kennings is totally different from The Iron Druid, but magical and mesmerizing!

For more information on Kevin Hearne and his books, check out his website: https://kevinhearne.com/

A Plague of Giants is the first book in a new fantasy series from one of my favorite authors, Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid Chronicles). Set in a world where certain members of the population are blessed with Kennings - the ability to manipulate one of the four elements, plants, or animals - although no one has discovered the sixth Kenning (animal control) yet. The six nations of the known world coexist in a tenuous peace; however, that all changes the day that the mysterious Bone Giants attack several cities along the coast. Coming from an unknown land, these warriors dressed in bones, speaking an unknown language, cut down all that stand in their path.

A Plague of Giants is the first part of an epic tale. Similar to the first book in the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the book shares the journeys and battles of the land and its people, ending not at the conclusion, yet not on a cliffhanger, but rather, at a point of rest in between the parts of the whole. This story is shared in two ways within each chapter, both in present day and in flashbacks that cover the past year or so.

First, the story is narrated in present day by Dervan, a scholar and historian, friend of the ruling king, and survivor of the Bone Giant attack. Willing to help his country as asked, he gets wrapped up in potential espionage and political maneuvering. From his point of view, readers are able to experience how the war has impacted the various classes of people. Additionally, he gives the story a personal connection - a way to internalize the massive events unfolding before our eyes.

Dervan’s primary job by order of Pelenaut Röllend (king) is to accompany Fintan, the Raelech bard, each day and record the knowledge and the tales Fintan shares with the masses on Survivor Field. A Raelech bard has perfect memory recall and the ability to transform shape into the character who’s story he shares. The pelenaut believes Fintan to be a spy of the Triune Council, and wants the details of his day observed.

This leads to the second method of storytelling, which is the bard’s recounting of the events of the Giants’ War. By taking on the personas of key figures of the war and sharing their stories, readers slowly learn about how the lands arrived in their current state. But Fintan is not only sharing this story with the reader, but with the masses of refugees, who have little knowledge of the bigger picture and totality of the war. There are a number of characters, and at first it is difficult to see any connections. However, the larger picture becomes clearer as the tales go on, eventually leading to a full view of the multi-front war with two sets of giants.

It was difficult to follow along at first. Mr. Hearne just tosses the reader into his tale without any guides. Once I got used to the method of storytelling - the back and forth between the past and present - I was able to just absorb. The story on whole is engrossing, and although the ending is a bit abrupt (see reference to LotR above), it didn’t detract from my enjoyment. This book is meant to be experienced, and I had to get out of my usual mindset of taking detailed notes and trying to figure it all out, and rather just absorb and experience the massive tale.

In the end, I enjoyed my time spend with Dervan, Fintan, and this fascinating new world of the Seven Kennings. While I may have struggled at times to keep up with the massiveness of the tale, once I was able to just let go and enjoy, I found myself deeply engrossed in the stories and characters. I look forward to finding out what happens next for the citizens of these lands.

My Rating: B+

A Plague of Giants is the first installment in a new high fantasy series featuring giants and magic. The story of the giants invading and the simultaneous discovery of a new kenning is told by a bard who not only tells the story from multiple points of view, but also tells the story while physically looking like the character telling the story. I found this to be a pretty creative approach and thought it helped in sorting through the multitude of characters that are typically present in these high fantasy novels. I was intrigued by the complex world building presented by the author which includes the geographic world building, classes of inhabitants world building, religious world building, and magical world building. Only real negative thing I have to say is that I felt the writing at times was a little drawn out. It was a good first book in what I think is a promising new series.

A thrilling and completely original beginning to a new epic fantasy series!

What can I say about this book? I devoured it. It was making me come back to work from breaks and lunches late. It was making my family have to say my name four or five times to make me look up. It was making me dread when the book ended.

And now, the book has ended. (Cue 'sad trombone' sound)

Told in an addictingly engaging way as a serialized bardish tale, this novel hits all the right notes. The world-building is beautifully done, the magic-system well thought out and completely new, the characters instantly relatable.

War and intrigue, self-sacrifice and self-discovery, dangerous creatures and utter loss. This story of a surprise invasion by monstrous enemies is told from every possible angle and perspective.

I loved this book, and eagerly await the next.

Gosh, this is a hard review to write. I had a hard time deciding on how many stars. I won’t say it’s a bad read. I feel like it depends on what kind of reading mood I’m in. If you’re looking for a fast read where you don’t have to think, this isn’t it. The author builds a huge and wonderful complex story. I feel like there will be some wonderful books in this world , especially after the world building. This author has some really amazing ideas and is a genius at thinking this stuff up. It is more of a serious read than his other series. I think it will be one of those epic tales that will always be remembered through the ages.

**I was given a copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. **

A Plague of Giants marks the start of a new series by the New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hearne. Rather a departure from The Iron Druid Chronicles, Hearne creates an unforgettable fantasy world . . . one that is forever changed when an army of giants invades. The kingdom's only hope? The discovery of a form of magic that will call the world's wondrous beasts to fight by the side of humankind.

Fans of epic fantasy with strong characters and world building will flock to this book. Hearne continues to establish himself as a master storyteller. What I loved most were the echoes to the great oral masters in history--Homer, Ovid, & Virgil. Plague reads in much the same way as the episodic nature of The Odyssey and I loved the way that the structure of the novel and its chapters support this homage.

A true shining star is the audiobook as narrated by Luke Daniels and Xe Sands. Through their performances, the characters truly come to life and enhance the reading experience.

Final rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This was a complex story with so many perspectives to follow. Coming from someone who adores reading big epic fantasy books with complicated stories, it may be saying something that I had times where I struggled with this one.

I really enjoyed Fintan the bard, and his kenning–or magical ability–to project his voice over long distances and tell stories. That plus seeming stones that allowed him to look like the person whose story he was telling was really interesting. The problem is that the POV of Dervan is also in first person. So you jump from Dervan who is watching the bard, to the bard’s tales, which are also in first person. Sometimes it makes it difficult to remember which of the 11 characters you’re following in that moment.

Primarily this book is about the orations that Fintan the bard is giving. In fact, the story spans over 19 days as Fintan goes out to tell these stories, typically telling three smaller bits of the overall story each day, and rotating through the various people whose tales he has collected.

The world-building is great, and I loved the wide diversity of the world in general. Add into that the magic of the kennings and things get even more interesting. The people of the world commonly accept five different kennings, but through these tales it is suggested that there may be a sixth and perhaps even a seventh kenning.

Learning about these different people from all different lands in the world was an adventure, and while sometimes I felt like it was taking me a while to get through the book, I did overall like what I was reading.

This does not have the same feel as the Iron Druid Chronicles, which definitely have an easier urban fantasy flow to them. Instead, the first book in the Seven Kennings trilogy sets up a vast magical world with plenty of political complications and other issues. I may have to read this book again to fully grasp some of the developments and such, but I look forward to seeing what happens in the next book.

I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kevin Hearne is an accomplished writer, well versed in fantasy, science fiction, mythology -- the hodge podge of the genre that makes up speculative fiction. This first book in a new triology, The Seven Kennings, is A Plague of Giants. In the first pages, the framing of the story is similar to other books taking a narrative from a character and presenting it from a storyteller, historian, or bard. Getting past this trend, the characters are well developed with histories and purpose beyond the main storyline. There is a large framework that characters actually live in, and that typically makes for a very good read.

I enjoyed the story, but there were too many language choices that felt contrived. It reads more like a novice effort instead of from an author with several books and a defined narrative style. He used typical words in place of titles or talents, and characters that sounded like modern, urban teens when they are in their mid 30s. The writing felt like a struggle to find everyone their voice, even though they clearly each had histories and societies they grew up in. I want to think the next book will feel more solid and know what it wants to be. This story has a lot going for it, but unfortunately it is going all over the place.

A Plague of Giants is a new book by Kevin Hearne and is the first book in the Seven Kennings series. I am a fan of his Iron Druid series so I was looking forward to reading this book. And unfortunately I was somewhat disappointed in this new book. It is a standalone but it is open-ended for the next book. There is violence, this is a story about war after all.

The book blurb adequately describes the storyline so I'm not going to repeat all of that info here. The storyline is high fantasy, and like most high fantasy it is not the easiest to read. The author doesn't tell a straightforward story, but has a bard relate the stories from the view of others who experienced them. One problem I had with the book is that the story was told from too many points of view. This book has plenty of twists, turns, and surprises. But you have to be willing to stick with reading it.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House/Ballentine. I chose to write a review for other readers.

I really enjoyed A Plague of Giants though I think it was a tad bit too long. Some things were really unclear in the beginning so it was a bit harder to get into the book because at some point, I was really confused. BUt if you read little further, the story really picks up pace and you understand more.
Character development was alright, though I did thin k that the main character wasn't really fleshed out. I didn't buy her grief or anger at times.

I was very enthusiastic with the approach of the first two chapters. Having an actual storyteller narrate the novel with the unique spin of the kenning mist forms was really neat and exciting. I made it all the way to chapter three when I just couldn't make it any further.

Posted on Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read blog on October 16, 2017 at http://mommasaystoreadornottoread.blogspot.com/2017/10/book-review-plague-of-giants-by-kevin.html

Let me start by saying the Kevin Hearne is a talented writer with some absolutely brilliant stories. I loved his Iron Druid Chronicles and was so excited to see this start to a new series.
A Plague of Giants comes in at 600+ pages and is quite the undertaking, especially with so many characters and situations. The premise is an exciting one and quite often, there are some amazing scenes to hold a reader's interest. The problem lies in the execution of the story. It is told by Dervan, a historian and that, in itself, wouldn't be bothersome except that Dervan is retelling the stories that the bard, Fintan, is telling to the people gathered to listen. So, basically, this is a story of a story, or more accurately, several stories of stories. The way the bard goes about it is imaginative with the optical illusions and colorful language, but each chapter is a different story. By the time I was able to get into each individual tale, it was coming to a close and time for the next, creating a rather disjointed story.
As this is a series, the story will continue in the next book, but by the time I got to end of this one, I found that I'm not sufficiently invested in any of the characters to see where it goes from here.
Hearne is a favorite for this reader and I'll be looking forward to seeing what comes after this series. Unfortunately, this one missed the mark and was just okay for me.

Not for me. I DNFed it but may try again in the future.

I'm giving this one 3.5 stars. The extra half star is a combination of good will from the Iron Druid series carrying over and hope for the future of this series. I like how this book is presented with each of the initial chapters having a different POV and then a kind of summary narrative that pulls them all together. It is very different in tone and scope than the Iron Druid series and I like that Hearne is doing something new even though I love, love, love the Iron Druid. The setting is very different, with this being more strictly fantasy instead of urban-fantasy. It is also much more complicated and has a lot more going on. This book feels a lot more like a first book because he is setting up a ton of stuff that I think we will learn more about in subsequent installments. I am hopeful that this will begin to pay off with the next book and the half star bump in my rating is because of this. I tend to give first books a pass on a few things because they are starting from 0 and have to lay so much groundwork and even though this is far from Hearne's first book it is an entirely new world that he is building for us. Overall I enjoyed it and I think I will continue to enjoy it as I learn more about the world and the characters so I will definitely be giving the second book a read (albeit, with a more critical eye).
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Six Kingdoms have existed in tentative harmony for generations, each country kept safe by a “kenning” or magical ability, each one specific to a certain kingdom. The peace is shattered when an invading fleet of pale, nine foot tall warriors, called Bone Giants, run rampant over the coastal cities, slaughtering everyone they come across. The kingdoms, reeling from the attack, must race against time to ensure their survival. But surely the world will never be the same again.

I really enjoyed his book, but I have to say that it probably would have been a dud if written by a different author. This book is, in essence, a 600 page flashback. A novel-length world building tome. Yet it works. It’s crazy, but it works.

When the story opens, the invasion is months in the past. The book follows Dervan, a scholar set the task of writing down the tale of Fintan, a bard. It is the bard’s duty to tell the story of the invasion and the subsequent retaliation by the Six Kingdoms. Every night, Fintan stands on the wall of the refugee city and tells another part of the tale. His bardic gifts let us hear the story from devious politicians, poor hunters, forest dwellers, scholars, and soldiers. Intermixed in all this are the gifted, the lucky (cursed?) few able to control one of the kennings.

The book is huge, the story is epic in scope, and the world beautiful and terrible in all its detail. Hearne has created something incredibly ambitious, and he does it well. As I said, the format of telling the story in a series of flashbacks is odd, and it took me a bit to get into it, but I was hooked soon enough (though I have to say I do hope we get some more direct action in the next book). The plot would tend towards Game of Thrones-level darkness at times if it weren’t for Hearne’s sardonic sense of humor shining through. The brief moments of levity are enough to offset the horror of invasion, betrayal, and mass slaughter.

Any one looking for a new epic fantasy series to dive into (I’m looking to you, Game of Thrones folks!) should invest some time into this book. Fans of Hearne’s Iron Druid series will also likely enjoy this book, though it is certainly a different creature from that fantastic urban fantasy series.

An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I've ready by this author, but it definitely won't be the last. I really enjoyed this book and already look forward to the next book in the series. It starts a bit slow and seems to start in the middle of story which is confusing, but if you stick with it, you will be greatly rewarded. This is the first book in the series, so a great deal of it must be devoted to world building. This is high fantasy, which means we are introduced to a lot of characters, multiple countries and the various cities in them. But, there is plenty of fighting and action, so don't despair.

The various countries follow different gods and have different social structures. Some of the people in each country are blessed with special gifts, called "kennings". These kennings provide the person with a special skill linked to the earth's elements. When the kingdom's peace is interrupted by an invasion of giants that they've never encountered before, the kingdom must scramble to protect itself and try to repel the army.

The story of the invasion, and some of the central characters involved in it, are told to the war's survivors through a bard named Fintan. His special kenning gives him a photographic memory and the ability to change his appearance into a likeness of the person whose story he is telling. The story is told from several character's perspective, with multiple storylines occurring at the same time.

This is a very good start to what I expect to be an engaging, intense series.

Of all the things I expected to feel when I picked up Kevin Hearne’s new epic fantasy, boredom was not one of them. Unfortunately though, there it was, creeping up on me despite my immense efforts to give this book a chance. It actually pains me to admit this, because I love Hearne and he’s an awesomely funny guy who normally writes great stories, but as much as I tried and tried to like this, something about A Plague of Giants just did not work for me.

Granted, the book opened with a promising and energetic introduction, setting the scene for a charismatic bard to take the stage before a crowd of weary but optimistic survivors who have all gathered in the public square to hear him recount the history of the Giants’ War. By using his magic, a particular kind of kenning that allows the bard to take on the forms of different people, he begins adopting the physical appearances and voices of the book’s many characters, each of whom have a unique story to tell related to their experiences during the giants’ invasion. Subsequently, we are treated to a parade of these narratives presented to us one after another, letting us see a different character’s perspective each time.

The pattern is sometimes broken, however, with glimpses into the present as the bard, Fintan, becomes embroiled in drama resulting from his storytelling. His sections with Master Dervan, a scribe who has been tasked to record everything Fintan recounts, act like interludes to show the day-to-day happenings between each cycle of performances in the square.

Speaking as someone who believes that time jumps and multiple timelines should be employed both practically and sensibly, trying to navigate my way through this novel was a convoluted nightmare. The first few character POVs intrigued me, but as they gradually began to stack up with nary a sign how everything might be related, my interest swiftly plummeted. Even when the bigger picture started to come together, it was too late and my enthusiasm failed to come back. That said, it’s important to note that in his acknowledgements, Hearne mentions that serial storytelling was something he’s always wanted to try and I applaud him for his efforts. It’s only my bad luck that I happen to be antipathetic towards this particular format, and later I also felt that it was completely wrong for what the author was trying to accomplish.

I hate to say it, but characterization was probably one of the first casualties of this approach. Quite simply, I was inundated and overwhelmed by the sea of names and cultures which were all just given perfunctory nods before being swept aside in favor of frenzied action sequences, and as a result, nothing managed to stick. More authors need to realize that while including diversity is wonderful and important, if your characters are weak and underdeveloped, then the gesture itself loses a lot of its meaning and intent. Incredibly, out of the dozen or so character POVs, there was not a single person in this story I truly cared about. Not. A. Single. One. Usually, when it comes to me and books, that’s the kiss of death.

Still, it wasn’t all bad. For one, I was really impressed with the world of this novel, which consists of six different nations each with their own unique customs and cultures. Among those traditions is the magical gift of the kenning, of which there are five when this story begins, though later on a sixth is discovered by a character from Ghurana Nent, making it one kenning specific to the peoples of each nation. Rooted in natural magic, kennings can manifest as different powers depending on the element upon which they are based. While not everyone has a kenning, those who are blessed with it must be cautious not to use too much of their power, because the more they draw on it the more it robs them of their life span. Those who are not careful and who stretch the limits of their power can find themselves aging years in the blink of an eye.

Bottom line: A Plague of Giants is certainly an ambitious novel, which must have required a lot of planning and forethought. The incredible world-building is a testament to this, and also why it greatly pained me to have to write this negative review. When all is said and done though, I still maintain that priority should have been on characterization first, and the novel’s failure to do this in my eyes made it a tough read, one that I had to grudgingly force myself to finish even if it meant skimming through some sections. Maybe it was the format that completely ruined it for me, but I doubt I’ll be continuing the series even if the next book is presented in a more traditional and linear manner; I just can’t muster the interest to keep on going.

Looking at other reviews though, it appears readers either loved this book or didn’t, and as disappointed as I am to be in the latter camp, I would not discourage anyone from giving A Plague of Giants a try—especially if you’re a fan of the author’s Iron Druid Chronicles and would be curious to see what it’s like for him write something completely different. Here’s hoping you’ll have better luck with it than I did.

This book was told in a really, really interesting way. Similar to The Kingkiller Chronicles in a way, this story is told by a bard, but instead of telling his own story, he tells the stories of others to create one giant (#sorrynotsorry) narrative about a series of events. He tells the story not only of the characters but as the characters night by night. I really liked that. It was told in the first person, but actually told secondhand by someone with perfect memory who was told the story and is retelling it with the flair that only someone with his specific powers can do.

The book opens with a Dramatis Personae – a short description of most of the characters here – with drawings of each of them. I really liked that, because having a good idea of what they looked like was neat. It’s an awesome reference for using as you read.

This world has all of a sudden been invaded by giants. Seven or eight foot tall pale and extremely gaunt men and women that nobody has ever seen before and nobody can understand. They must have come from across the once-thought-uncrossable ocean, but nobody knows why. They’ve killed everyone they’ve come into contact with and gone on their way. So, where did they come from and why?

Characters in this book have ‘kennings,’ which is like a very specific magical power depending on where they live. Each land has a kenning. There are five so far that we know of: Fire, Wind, Water, Earth, and Plants. Some people in their respective lands choose to gain powers based on the kenning of the land. They risk their life for the chance. Their vocation is based on their kenning in most lands. For example, Tallynd is a tidal mariner. She can control water. She can more or less become water, allowing her to travel very quickly across long distances of ocean, change the currents of the ocean, and breathe underwater. It comes with a cost though, and the cost is years of life. The more she uses her power, the faster she ages. So, she’s a tidal mariner. The most powerful kind of water-kenning user. She guards the ocean from invaders, looks for things along the bottom, helps boats entering or exiting the port… that kind of thing. That’s her kenning, and that’s her job.

There’s so much more going on here than the invasion of the bone giants. There’s also the displacement of an entire nation of other giants (these ones being giants that everyone does know exist- they’re locals from the land of the first kenning). An entire nation has had to evacuate their land due to a volcano eruption. They move to a spot of land that seems perfect for them, but… well it’s kind of owned by someone else, and is on the borders of a land that protect their trees with religious zeal and who rather do not like the idea of a people known for their production of steel and glass cutting them all down to feed their forge fires.

So, the story all begins to come together as you see it from the POV of several people from several places around the world who have different reasons to be where they are, and different skins in the game. It’s a really interesting way to lay a story out. There are really neat little details abound too, like different idioms and slang used in different lands. People from Forn (plant kenning) use idioms about roots, growing, fertilizing, and things of that nature (#stillnotsorry) to reference or explain things in their everyday life. Characters in this book are men, women, gay, strait, and just about every skin color under the sun, and none of it mattered in the grand scheme of things. They were of course noticeably different races and genders, but aside from those noticeable differences, were all just people to everyone else. Not better or worse, but different, with a different story. That was pretty awesome.

And finally… what I thought of it, all told. I admittedly struggled to stay interested in this one in the beginning. It’s wonderfully written, and there was nothing in it that I found inherently off-putting, but I found that it didn’t immerse me as much as I hoped it would right out the gate. I ended up reading another book in between chapters 1 and 3. This is rare for me, as usually I try and power on through one book at a time. I found myself finding excuses to do other things, putting it down every few minutes, that sort of thing. However, this passed after I got used to the story, and became more immersed in it. Truth be told, I think this happened right around Abhi’s story’s beginning, as I really liked him as a character. I didn’t care quite as much for anyone else, though. I suppose this sort of thing is bound to happen to me every now and then. I liked the setting. I think it’s a really interesting world, with a really well thought out and well executed magic system. While it wasn’t my favorite Kevin Hearne book, I still think it was a really, really good book all round.

Thanks to the author, Random House/Ballantine, & NetGalley for the advance copy of this book.