Seanan McGuire's one of my very favorite authors, and I've quite enjoyed the InCryptid series. That said, I found this book, apparently the last book in Annie's arc, at least if she doesn't cycle back around at some point, a bit of a whimper rather than a bang. It's an excellent book, of course, but it moves slow as molasses.

The villain in <i>That Ain't Witchcraft</i> is actually really awesome and terrifying, so this book should have been super high stakes, but somehow it really wasn't? I'm not really sure why, but I just never got invested in this particular plot. Maybe it's that Annie didn't really have any emotional growth left to do? The only ones growing in this volume were secondary characters I didn't have interest in.

This all sounds harsh, but I do think it's well-crafted, as per usual. I just needed higher emotional stakes, something McGuire generally delivers. If my expectations weren't so high, I probably would have liked this more. I'm really looking forward to Sarah's arc, though!!!

Wow, I enjoyed reading these books so much! Annie is a pretty fantastic character, and I loved going on further adventures with her! The first short story was so hilarious, and so great to have, since we didn't get the mice in the full length books, which is a little sad because they're some of my favourite parts of this series!

These books dealt with two things-magic, and the crossroads. I really enjoyed learning about both of them, though it was more Annie being taught a bit, and we're told about it, not so much us learning about it. But there was so much going on, like accidents, and her growing group of friends, and the Covenant threat! So great!

That Ain't Witchcraft, we find out what Thomas Price's deal with the crossroads was. Well, if we didn't already know, it's been a while since I read the rest of the series. But since it's why he's gone in the series, and why Alice is looking for him. So it's kinda important!

I was wondering before reading That Ain't Witchcraft, on how the situation with the Covenant was going to be handled. And whether they could ever come around to seeing that they were in the wrong. I still have hope, but it didn't happen here, but progress was made, I think!

Loved reading these books and I can't wait for more, with Sarah narrating! So excited!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for review copy.

This is book 8 of a series. It took me awhile because I was having to catch up on the others. I was not aware when I requested this, it was a book in a series. But it made me dive into a whole new world for me.

I was very impressed with the story line and this book left off right where the last book ended. This book was full of action, humor, and magic, THAT AIN’T WITCHCRAFT puts a whole new twist on the urban fantasy genre. I love the crossroads in this story. I was very well written. The world was fantastic.

I highly recommend this entire series.

When the many fans of the prolific Seanan McGuire compare her books, they tend to see her InCryptid series as the light, funny, romantic, action-adventure counterpart to her darker, more sophisticated October Daye series. The InCryptid books are about a family of cryptozoologists who investigate and protect supernatural creatures. In past books, the three siblings who are the current generation of the Price family have fought werewolves in Australia, investigated mysterious deaths at a reality TV dance competition, and survived weirdness at a faux-Disneyworld. But readers who dismiss these books as simply fun, plot-driven popcorn may have missed how rich a mythology this series has generated, especially since it has absorbed the concepts (and characters) of the author's Ghost Roads series. That Ain't Witchcraft takes full advantage of this extensive backstory while still being a fun exciting read.

The book begins with Annie (Antimony) Price and friends needing a rest (and a hiding place) after their adventures in the last book. So naturally, they choose to rent a house in Stephen King country--rural Maine. (And yes, the characters do make jokes about whether Stephen King is "just a small-town historian who somehow got filed in the wrong part of the bookstore".)

Since Annie is from a family of cryptozoologists, who study the hidden supernatural creatures that hide all around us, it is not surprising that her friends are not human. They include Fern, a sylph, who has control of her own density; Cylia, a jink who manipulate luck; her boyfriend Sam, who, as a furi can shift from looking like a human to a form of anthropomorphized monkey complete with a tail; and Aunt Mary the crossroads ghost who has served as her family's babysitter for generations. For her part, Annie is highly competent with a knife (and a quip), stubborn to the point of being unable to quit, and creative in her plotting. She's also a self-admitted geek and constantly makes references to pop-culture that will seem dated in another five years but are amusing today.

Fans of the previous InCryptid novels will enjoy That Ain't Witchcraft. It has the humor and action of the previous books even as it dives deeper into its own mythology. I do miss the Aeslin mice (talking mice who worship the Price family as gods) who now have been absent for two novels (and at least in Tricks for Free they were featured in the attached novella. This book's novella features Antimony's brother trying to save a group of Gorgon children). Still, even with the darker tone and more complex backstory, That Ain't Witchcraft retains the series' strength of having an interesting story about compelling competent characters who succeed even when over their heads.

Literally the first local Annie meets in this town turns out to be a mostly untrained sorcerer with ice powers (of course Annie makes the obvious X-men jokes but backs down when she realizes how right they are) and a grudge against the Crossroads--a magical power that grants wishes but only in ways that leaves the wisher regretting the bargain. Unfortunately, Annie has made a wish on the crossroads in a previous book, giving the crossroads the right to demand that she discover what James has planned and then betray and kill him. The Crossroads also has caused Annie's Aunt Mary (who has stronger ties to Annie than to the Crossroads) to vanish and replaced her with the much nastier Bethany (who alert readers may recognize from a previous McGuire book). And then a member of the Covenant, which has been chasing her for the last two books, shows up, adding yet another problem. Annie and her friends need to find a way to destroy the evil of the Crossroads, avoid killing James and escape the clutches of the Covenant.

So, how much of this eight-book series plus the related two Ghost Roads books, is necessary for a reader to understand this new one? Even the new characters comment about the complex backstory.

"I swear joining you people has been like tuning in to a program already in progress," muttered James.
"I'm sorry reality doesn't come with a recap at the top of every hour," I said.

My suggestion is for readers to start at the beginning and keep reading as these books are all fun and very fast reads. If pressed for time, a reader could start with Magic for Nothing, the first book to feature Antimony Price as the main character and narrator and then read Tricks for Free.

THAT AIN'T WITCHCRAFT, the eighth book in the Incryptid series continues right off where the last book ended with Annie on the run from chaos and violence of varying sorts and her crossroads bargain. I quite like the expanding mythology on the crossroads and sorcerer magic that this book delves into which I found fascinating. It was even more exciting to finally find out about the utter chaos that is the crossroads and the evil tentacled alien/monster that has been reeking chaos on the dead and living for centuries.

Aside from the eldritch horror plot happening with the crossroads and Annie's baragin, the characters remain so charming and fun to read about. Out of all of the Price siblings, Annie is probably the most determined and willing to sacrifice her life for the good of everyone/thing else. It's an admirable quality! I liked getting to know her friends cryptid Fern and Cylia better. They're super loyal and their abilities are pretty cool. Being able to spread luck around is a pretty cool and useful ability to have.

THAT AIN'T WITCHCRAFT is full of action, chaos, magic, and mystery. It's probably best to read the the previous book TRICKS FOR FREE to really understand what led to Annie's bargain. Amid all of the darkness that happens, there is always some fun humor and banter to these books which really makes them a delight to read.

Sorry for the late review post here. The actual blog review posted timely, along with social media coverage. I moved to another state and the movers damaged my computer equipment. With one thing and another I was more focused on reviewing stuff timely than catching up with Net Galley. I apologize.

If you've been digging deeper and deeper into Seanan McGuire's InCryptid world, both with this series and her Rose Marshall/Ghostroads series, you've probably begun to have a lot of questions about the Crossroads, both as a place and an entity. Well, do we have a book for you. You may not have all your questions answered in this outing- you won't be getting Thomas Price back for Alice Healy-Price- but you're going to find some satisfying answers in this eighth book in the InCryptid world.

When we last left Antimony Price in Tricks for Free she was on the run from the Covenant of St. George. She escaped with her life and that of her boyfriend Sam (a fûri), and friends Cylia (a jink) and Fern (personal density changing sylph), after making a dicey bargain with the Crossroads, with the help of her ghost babysitter Mary Dunlavy. Knowing the Price family as we do, it should seem only natural that Antimony should follow the gradient to more danger rather than less. And that's how the four of them end up in a nice small town in Maine called New Gravesend (you read that right), meeting a nice ice sorcerer named James, an all-too-familiar ghost named Bethany, and that eldritch terror called the Crossroads. If that isn't stressful enough, what will the quartet (quintet? sextet?) do when when none other than Leonard Cunningham, heir apparent of the Covenant, shows up, crossbow in hand, thanks to that awesome tracking spell he has for tracking Antimony? Over the past two books we've seen that Annie is at her best when the chips are down. Or, well, maybe she's just at her craziest. Whatever it takes, she's going to get her team through the evolving disaster that is a Crossroads bargain. If the Crossroads have any sense at all, they'll pack up and go back to whatever dimension they belong to. You know what? Maybe Leonard should go home, too. Antimony Price is just done with them.

This was a wonderful conclusion to Antimony's story arc. I'm hoping Mindy and also Mork will get an accurate accounting of the events, which were delightful fun if you don't mind a bit of mad terror. I continue to enjoy Annie and have grown very fond of Sam. James is a fine addition to the madcap world.

This novel is also bound with a novella titled The Measure of a Monster featuring Alex and Shelby, and Alex's cousin Sarah, a cuckoo, who will be the main character of book nine in the series.


I received a Digital Review Copy from DAW in exchange for an honest review.

Annie Price and friends are traveling around the country - trying to evade the Covenant of St George and the sorcerors of Lowryland - when luck turns them to a small town in Maine that may not be as safe as it appears. Local witches, crossroads ghosts and a convenent agents are just a few things Annie will have to deal with while she tries to piece together a strategy that will allow her to finally go home - be normal - as normal as a Price can be - and maybe introduce her cryptid boyfriend Sam to her parents.

I love the way McGuire has taken the series and changed narrators among the family members. As a reader, I did not enjoy Verity Price - much like Annie doesn't enjoy her sister's company. Annie and her brother Alex have been better narrators for me and I look forward to seeing where this strange family tale progresses.

Seanan McGuire is an amazing writer, and any ratings I give on her work are only in relation to her other works, and how much I enjoyed them.

I liked the setting for this one, and the focus on the crossroads, and the fact that (spoiler) we're coming to the end of the Antimony-on-her-own part of the series, because I find Antimony kind of tiresome. She's not as boring as Alex, but she is a little whiny, and I'm ready for a new character focus. I'm excited that Sarah is up next.

Oooh, we got into some s@&* this time! So so so much fun! Possibly Antimony's most exciting adventure yet? She's easily one of my favorite characters of this series and having another book with her as the protagonist was such a treat. I repeat my regular refrain of "All hail Seanan McGuire!"

Antimony “Annie” Price is on the run, both from the Covenant of St. George and the crossroads. New Gravesend, Maine, seems like the perfect place to hide, especially since Cylia’s luck, due to her jink heritage, has brought them here. Annie, Fern, Sam, and Cylia hope to have a moment to rest after their escape from Lowryland but the crossroads have a different idea. Can Annie regain her magic without committing the dire act the crossroads is demanding of her?

THAT AIN’T WITCHCRAFT is the eighth book in the <i>InCryptid</i> series and completes the story arc first started in MAGIC FOR NOTHING. While it isn’t necessary to have read the entire <i>InCryptid</i> series, I would suggest at least reading the two prior books featuring Annie to fully appreciate the story line. THAT AIN’T WITCHCRAFT picks up shortly after the conclusion of TRICKS FOR FREE and takes off quickly, as there is never a dull moment in a Seanan McGuire tale!

Annie has quickly grown into one of my favorite Price family members in the <i>InCryptid</i> series. At first, she appeared a bit immature, more concerned about her roller derby games than the cryptozoological work of the Price family. However, much of that impression came from earlier books which featured the point of views of her older siblings. Annie isn’t any of the things her siblings think she is though. She’s caring, loyal, and determined to do the right thing no matter what the personal cost to herself. She’s sacrificed a lot already and THAT AIN’T WITCHCRAFT puts her to a horrible test. The easy way out is to do what the crossroads want her to do but Annie knows it’s not the right thing. I love seeing her strength of will, even when faced with something unimaginable.

Seanan McGuire is one of my favorite urban fantasy authors and THAT AIN’T WITCHCRAFT showcases so many of the reasons why. Full of action, humor, and magic, THAT AIN’T WITCHCRAFT tackles a whole new enemy as Seanan McGuire puts a whole new twist on the urban fantasy genre. THAT AIN’T WITCHCRAFT and the <i>InCryptid</i> series are must reads for any urban fantasy fan!

*review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

4 1/2 stars.
Antimony Price, along with her cryptid boyfriend, Sam, and cryptid friends Cylia and Fern, is on the run from the Covenant of St. George. She and her friends meet James, who happens to be a sorcerer looking to find a way to make the crossroads connected to the town, give him back his friend who bargained with it to give him the freedom to leave the area. Worse, the crossroads are ready to claim the debt Annie incurred when they saved her and Sam.

This novel in the continuing in the series about the Price family kept me interested and invested in the characters. My only complaint is the character Sam. He seems too overly needy and jealous, but if that is the choice of Annie, well, will wait to see further adventures of hers and if they stay together. I can’t wait to see if Annie finally makes it home to her family’s compound.

If you enjoy reading urban legends and about cryptids, This snarky, fun-filled, sasquatch-thrilling novel is cyptidmatic

Antimony Price, aka Annie, and her friends travel north to Maine trying to find a place to get off the road for a while. They've been trying to evade both some baddies from Lowryland and the Covenant of Saint George. They end up in danger anyway. Perhaps it has to do with the bending of luck that her friend the jink has done.

The Crossroads decides to call in the favor that Annie owes them as a result of the events in Tricks for Free (InCryptid #7). They want her to kill someone for them, someone who is a danger to the Crossroads who lives in New Gravesend, Maine - James Smith. And if that wasn't bad enough, someone from the Covenant of Saint George shows up. It might take nigh unto a miracle to keep Annie and her friends alive as they deal with the Crossroads and the Covenant.

This is the third book featuring Antimony Price. Annie has been a fun character to follow. She is smart and capable of taking care of herself generally. And she has a good sense of humor.

It becomes a question of can Annie outsmart the Crossroads? Can she outsmart the Covenant of Saint George? Will she finally be able to go home again? Or will she end up a cautionary tale whispered in the same breath as the Crossroads?

Annie's friends are a unique mix: a Jink, a sylph, a furi, and a ghost. And actually, she happens to be dating the furi. I liked all of her friends. I have to admit I wasn't totally on board with considering James Smith a possible friend. He seems kinda sneaky, but he may have reasons for that.

The plot is a little slow when they first arrive in Maine which mirrors the group's desire for some downtime in a safe place. Then as events progress, the novel moves along faster and faster until the denouement. It was complex enough to hold my interest at all points too.

I really liked that Annie and company were taking on the Crossroads in this book. The Crossroads is a creepy entity that manipulates people to get what it wants. People think they are getting the best of the bargain, but they seldom are, even when a ghost like Mary helps them to negotiate their deal.

Overall, I give this book 4 stars out of 5. It's a well-written urban fantasy novel in a possible alternate world where cryptids are more likely to be real than not. And the cryptids usually stay out of sight of the general population unless they are one of the groups that can blend in among people. This book doesn't do well as a standalone. It refers to events in the previous book. So, it's best to have read at least #7, Tricks for Free. I do recommend reading this series if you enjoy urban fantasy. It's been well-written. It shows good use of imagination. And it's got fun parts and snark.

That Ain't Witchcraft by Seanan McGuire was published March 5th, 2019 by DAW.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.

Seanan McGuire continues her In Cryptid series with That Ain't Witchcraft. Antimony Price is cut off from her family and in the debt to the Crossroads, a supernatural maker of bad bargains that seldom provides the solutions offered. She has to fend off the Covenant of St. George and work with a local untrained sorceror to take down the crossroads with whom she has a life debt.. Assisted by her cryptid(supernatural or paranormal) allies she may have a fighting chance. Great adventure.

This series will never stop impressing me. I absolutely loved That Ain’t Witchcraft with the continued adventures with Antimony and her friends. There is so much to talk about in this book, including the amazing crossover characters of Bethany and Rose Marshall from McGuire’s <i> Ghost Stories </i> series (though there is no need to read the series to understand this book).

Annie and her friends are back on the road, seeking to help local humans with cryptid problems and avoiding any possibility of the Covenant catching up with them. Arriving in Gravesend, Maine, peace will be the last thing they experience. The crossroads have been making trouble with other mortals, with one who decided to fight back. James Smith lost someone dear long ago, and he will find a way to make the crossroads pay. Unfortunately, the crossroads may cash in on Annie’s debt before James can get too far. Between this new friend and an unwelcome visit from a certain Covenant member, Annie and her friends will need to do the impossible.

Despite that long summary, there are so many twists and turns to appear in the story that readers will be on the edge of their seats up until the last scene...and then possibly during the included novella. Hands down, this is quite possibly my favorite book in the series. This is also one of my top favorites in the science fiction and supernatural genres.

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.

This is the eighth book in the InCryptid series and features Antimony Price again. I have mentioned I am not a huge fan of Antimony and that continues. However I am a huge fan of the Crossroads and this book deals with the Crossroads a lot. This was a solid addition to the series. It’s a fast-paced read with a great story, wonderful characters, lots of action, and some fun cryptozoology.

Annie and friends have finally found a place to rest. Cylia’s luck has led them to a rental house in New Gravesend, Maine. Everyone is waiting for the bad luck portion of Cylia’s luck to get them though...things just seem too perfect. That’s when another sorcerer shows up, the Crossroads decides it wants its end of the bargain fulfilled, and Leonard Cunningham (of the Covenant) finds Antimony. Yep, everything is a mess and it’s up to Annie to lead her friends in surviving it.

I continue to love the characters in this book. For some reason Annie remains my least favorite of the bunch. I love Sam, Fern, and Cylia and enjoyed the new sorcerer who joins the story. I really enjoyed the interactions between the characters and how they have become their own weird type of family unit.

The book is fast-paced and involves action, mystery, cryptozoology, and magic. Most of the story deals with Annie trying to deliver on her side of the Crossroads bargain she made in the last book.

I absolutely loved the Crossroads storyline, this recurring theme throughout this series has always fascinated me and this book delivers some interesting info around the Crossroads.

The book ends at a good spot and I am guessing we will see at least one more Antimony book in this series. I am hoping soon we will get back to Verity or Alex or even other Prince family members. There is a lot of humor and banter in these books as well and that makes them a lot of fun to read.

There is a bonus novella in here too, a short story that talks about Sarah and some Gorgons. I had already read this somewhere so I started to read it and then remembered I had already read it. It’s a good story and fills in some things about Alex, Sarah, and the Gorgon clan they live near.

Overall this was another spectacular read by McGuire. This book balances out wonderful characters, a great story, action, mystery, fantasy, and magic. I would highly recommend both this series and the October Daye series to those who enjoy urban fantasy. This series is a lot more light-hearted but both are very well done. I personally enjoy the October Daye series more because of all the folklore and mythology in it.

Like always, I was really looking forward to get into this novel! How can I resist a new book on Antimony? Impossible! More than that, all her friends are there, Leonard too, and our heroine will finally have to deal with the consequences of her deal with the Crossroads.

Thinking that she could finally take a break, Antimony and her friends found themselves in Maine to take a break. But here it is, things are not going to go as planned and the Crossroads will come to recover their debt and they want Annie to kill James Smith, their new neighbor who seems determined to confront the Crossroads to recover her friend who has disappeared while establishing a deal with them. Since then, James has been trying to find her and is studying everything there is to know to do so. In addition to managing this, our heroine will also meet Leonard again, who is determined to bring her back to the Convenant and kill those with whom she is. Starting with Sam her boyfriend.

As I said, I had a really good time with this novel. As always it was a pleasure to meet all the characters and I must admit that I was very curious to see how our heroes would manage with Leonard, but also with the Crossroads which is far from being something easy to deal with.

And what about this end? I must admit I’m really curious to be able to find out what’s going to happen now! And above all, who wewill find for the next volume. That’s the big question of the moment!

Disclaimer: I received this as an ARC from Netgalley and Berkley Publishing. Thank you for the opportunity to review the next installment in one of my favorite series!

Seanan McGuire’s That Ain’t Witchcraft is the eighth installment in the InCryptid Series, and the third one featuring Antimony Price, youngest in the Price family of clandestine cryptozoologists. Book 3 picks up right where the last one left off, with Annie on the run with boyfriend and furi Sam, and friends Cylia the jink and Fern the sylph. Their travels have taken them to the quiet town of New Gravesend, Maine, in a big house on a secluded plot of land surrounded by forest and a lake. Everything seems perfect for a brief respite from the refugee life… perhaps too perfect?

Long story short, the Crossroads own this town, and resident James Smith wants revenge. However the Annie has a life debt with the Crossroads, and they want her to pay up by taking a life for them. To top it all off, Leonard the evil Covenant leader-to-be is hot on her tail. All Annie wants to do is to go home, and nothing is going right.

My Take

I love Seanan McGuire, like, a lot. She is on my insta-purchase list, and one of the few writers I don’t want to kill for first-person narrative overuse. McGuire’s world builds are amazing and her mythologies are well-researched and incorporated seamlessly into the present world. In this series, the Crossroads, a quasi-elemental force that helps people make tough deals for a price, incorporates some wonderful Americana elements that you don’t often see in UA.

That being said, all of her characters are also well-written, but come with flaws (as characters should). Some of them are acceptable to me – for example, Alex, Annie’s older brother, is an introverted and awkward nerd, but I can live with that. Annie, on the other hand… she’s a handful, even for a youngest. Having three books in a row with her as the protagonist in a series that I LOVED previously, when it focused on Verity and Alex, has been trying.

Loves

The worldbuild. I know I have already said it, but the combination of the different mythologies, travelling across the country on a pseudo-road trip with fun cryptids, America as a haven for cryptids and a place where the Crossroads are alive, all come together.

A satisfying ending. This book could have felt extremely confused and busy, with the Covenant, the Crossroads, and a new sorcerer in the mix, but everything blended smoothly into a fitting conclusion that leaves the reader excited to see what happens next and not confused about the direction everything went in.

The short story. Not to spoil too much, this book comes with a short story that follows Alex, Shelby, Sarah, and a group of gorgons, and it is essentially everything I loved about this series. Also, it promises SO MUCH more for the series!

Not So Hot

Annie. I have never really been a fan of the youngest Price, but this book accentuated everything I dislike about her character – the chip on her shoulder about never being the best, or how weird she was, or how much she resents Verity. Annie has a lot on her plate, it is true, and she has been dealt a bad hand. However, her youngest griping got old halfway through book 1.

For that matter, Sam. I wanted to like Sam – he has an interesting backstory, he’s a really cool cryptid, and he makes Annie happy. Unfortunately, none of that matters given that his entire character arc revolves around Annie’s. Sam is completely attached at the hip to Annie (sometimes quite literally), and it is frankly really annoying. Their relationship doesn’t seem healthy to me, even with the frequent explanations provided by Annie throughout the book (again, who wants to listen to a girl make excuses for a guy all the time?)

All in all, I really enjoyed this installment for the continuity and the buildup to the next book, which will feature Sarah, a cuckoo recovering from mind trauma who is as loveable as can be. I liked the major revelations, and was extremely grateful for the short story, but am looking forward to having Annie’s main character POV in the back window. I highly recommend this series from start to finish for all UA fans, and feel like my review wouldn’t apply to people that like Annie, but this is how I felt about it.

I gave it 3.5 stars

I really miss the Aeslin Mice. Can we have them back yet?

One of the things I really enjoy about this series is how well developed the characters are. I feel like I really know them and look forward to seeing them come out ahead of their troubles. We meet a new character in THAT AIN'T WITCHCRAFT that I feel will now be a big part of Annie's life and I look forward to seeing what he will bring to the story in the future.

THAT AIN'T WITCHCRAFT is full of information on the crossroads. If you wanted to know more about it and why it works the way it does, this is the book that you will find the answers to all those burning questions.

The romance in THAT AIN'T WITCHCRAFT didn't do anything for me. I love Sam as a person and character—although he was a bit whiny in this installment if I am being honest—, but I can't say I totally feel the romance between him and Annie.

I wouldn't be totally sad if the next book was about one of the other Price kids. It's not that I don't enjoy Antimony because I do, but I would love to get back to one of the other siblings as we get some information in THAT AIN'T WITCHCRAFT that made me think of them and miss them.

* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Much as I love the character of Antimony, the previous two books in this series have been a bit of a downer. However, in this one, Antimony finally hits her stride! (Just in time for McGuire to transition to another character. :-/ ) Still, I enjoyed this one much more than the previous two books and really enjoyed getting to spend time with the characters again.

One more complaint though: I MISS THE MICE. *sigh*

Next up: Sarah's book! Yay!