"4.5 Stars...multifaceted characters, fantastic worldbuilding, action-packed plot with twists and turns... "

Review

 Owl and the Tiger Thieves
(The Adventures of Owl #4)
by Kristi Charish
 
Release date: May 8th, 2018


I received a complimentary ARC copy of  Owl and the Tiger Thieves (The Adventures of Owl #4) by Kristi Charish from NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada in order to read and give an honest review.

Being a fan of Kristi Charish’s The Adventure of Owl series, I can say this fourth instalment doesn’t disappoint. The Owl series is best described as Indiana Jane but with a paranormal/urban fantasy twist.

Owl aka Alix Hiboux our illustrious anti-hero, antiquities thief, and ex-archaeologist begins a new mission, to rescue her possessed boyfriend Rynn after the events of the last book. The only way Owl can accomplish this is to collect medallions to enlist the assistance of the Tiger Thieves. She also gets the unwelcome assistance of Rynn’s cousin and antagonist through the series, Artemis. In previous books, I loathed Artemis but oddly enough found myself actually…liking him? Charish has done a fantastic job helping her characters evolve, even Artemis which I really didn’t see happening.

This book opens with Owl's self-imposed imprisonment in St. Albinus of Angers, an ancient pirate jail, then sends her on a quest to Venice where we meet an undead DaVinci. In Venice, she not only picks up a medallion, but an ancient weapon built by DaVinci thought to steal supernatural power.  We then travel to deserts and jungles while trying to find the other medallions.  Along the journey, she is being hunted by a new enemy, one who she loves, Rynn. A possessed Rynn is out for blood, Alix’s, and will stop at nothing to get it.

This instalment is true to form and everything we expect from Kristi Charish, multifaceted characters, fantastic worldbuilding, action-packed plot with twists and turns which leaves us with an unexpected twist at the end.

Urban fantasy and archaeology, two of my favourite things in one series and Owl & the Tiger Thieves is a fantastic entry that I would definitely recommend!

ARC Copy...well starting right off the bat of the Electric Samurai debacle in the previous book, Owl once is being drug into another adventure which both action packed, dangerous, and another trip around the world of the supernatural. Plus one of the most epic use of a cat I have ever seen in a book. Sure to excite again.

The Adventures of Owl is a series that just keeps getting better, with Owl and the Tiger Thieves being Kristi Charish's best book yet.

This time around, the adventure opens with Alix being held captive in a haunted pirate prison, with none other than Artemis coming to her rescue. It is some of the most fun we've ever seen in an Owl book, and by the time an undead Leonardo da Vinci appears on the scene, I had already declared this entry my favorite.

And then it went and got better.

While Owl and the Tiger Thieves is another quest-based adventure, this time it's personal. Instead of searching out supernatural weapons on behalf of her employer, Alix is on a quest to track down the legendary Tiger Thieves and enlist their help in rescuing Rynn from the Electric Samurai. As you might expect, the personal nature of her quest makes her even sloppier than usual, placing her in ever-increasing peril, and making Artemis an unlikely savior.

With the World Quest game largely out of commission, thanks to events in Shangri-La, the action this time around remains firmly rooted in the real world, allowing Charish the opportunity to expand her supernatural bestiary with gorgons, mermaids, wisps, and more. It makes this the most action-packed entry in the series, and by far the most satisfying. There's never a dull moment, and each new twist or revelation leaves you anxious to discover what's next. What's more, with Alix's trademark wit firmly in place, despite her grief and desperation, the read retains the humor that has made the series so much fun.

Another key difference this time around is the supporting cast, with only a handful of familiar characters making appearances, and even then, only briefly. Owl and the Tiger Thieves is very much the story of Owl and Artemis, and I liked the odd couple focus almost as much as I appreciated the expanded backstory behind Rynn's cousin - which, it must be said, reveals a few things about Rynn as well. He's still a scoundrel with a hidden agenda, and it's hard to trust him, but I'm coming to like him as much as, if not more than, Rynn.

The climax here is very different from the other books, being based more around a battle than an escape, but it's hardly a stretch to say the stakes have never been higher. I will say no more, but it lives up to the story that precedes it, and the epilogue has me more excited than ever to see where Alix goes next.