While I am a fan of the Iron Druid Chronicles (which this is set in the same World as) and found the premise intriguing with some of the story lines fascinating, I may have found the constant use of the Scottish brogue overwhelming and detracting from the story. Additionally, it may have been the intent of the author to stop and start the action, but the routine telling of back-stories made the book feel rather fractured for me. Not my favorite Kevin Hearne book.

Ink & Sigil features a very appealing cover. Ink & Sigil features a master wizard who makes sigils (paper spells), but is cursed so that he can't speak without being hated. It is told in heavy Scottish dialect and even comes with a short glossary of word usage.

However, I'm not a big fan of "urban fantasy," a sub-genre of fantasy where the modern world through some twist of fate is peopled by elves, wizards, fairies, gnomes, and all sorts of imaginary beings. Maybe this would hold more appeal to fans of the genre. It's just not right for me.

This book was wonderful. It captures you from the first page to the last page. What more can you ask for?!?

Al MacBharrais is both blessed and cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an appreciation for craft cocktails – and a most unique magical talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and he uses his gifts to protect our world from rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae.

But he is also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will begin to feel an inexplicable hatred for Al, so he can only communicate through the written word or speech apps. And his apprentices keep dying in peculiar freak accidents. As his personal life crumbles around him, he devotes his life to his work, all the while trying to crack the secret of his curse.

But when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead in his Glasgow flat, Al discovers evidence that Gordie was living a secret life of crime. Now Al is forced to play detective – while avoiding actual detectives who are wondering why death seems to always follow Al. Investigating his apprentice’s death will take him through Scotland’s magical underworld, and he’ll need the help of a mischievous hobgoblin if he’s to survive.

4.5
So much fun.
This book is an offshoot of Hearne's Iron Druid series. That being said, it is not mandatory that you've read them, although you really should. A little knowledge of the Fae before reading this would also be helpful.
Al is a great narrator and his sidekicks are well drawn, interesting characters, especially Nadia. Her backstory is very interesting. I'm hoping in further installments to get to know her and the other sigil agents better. Al's curse needs to be lifted so I'm sure they will all somehow be involved.
Kevin Hearne thrives when writing the silliest aspects of his stories and his shout out to Terry Pratchett is an added bonus.
I am no eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

Another great book by Kevin Hearne! This story is set in the world of the Iron Druid Chronicles. It features a new character, Mr. MacBharrais, who is a Sigil, and tries to keep things under control between humans and members of the Fae world. As usual, the story is filled with adventure and humor. I very much enjoyed this book and hope there will be more stories with these characters. Highly recommend! Happy reading!

Whew friends, let me tell you.. I LOVE THIS BOOK!! I have never laughed so hard reading a book. I need Buck Foi in my life! He had me ROLLING!

Seriously, the plot was so fun. I enjoyed every single aspect of this book. At first, the writing took a bit to get used to because of the terms. I’m not familiar with Scottish slang. So, that was a learning curve and I’m thankful for my kindle dictionary but I loved it! I felt like it added so much more personality to the story.

The characters! Oh gods, the characters were the best! Nadia is my spirit animal. The REPRESENTATION!! Friends!!! Nadia is an Indian, lesbian, goth, pit fighter! 😍😍😍 The MC, Al, was so much fun and so freaking cheeky! I loved him so much!

The magic system was so inventive! Honestly, I thought it was unique and just awesome. I’m definitely going to read Kevin Hearne’s other series. I’ve add every book of his to my tbr.

I give Ink and Sigil allllll of the stars!!

First, I'm a huge fan of Kevin Hearne, so it should be no surprise that I was really excited to hear about a new series that takes place in the world of the Iron Druid Chronicles. <i>Ink & Sigil</i> is a fun, fast-paced read in the same style as the previous series. If you enjoy urban fantasy novels, that you are definitely going to enjoy this new series.

Second, without giving anything away, this new series introduces a new group of characters created by the Fae Queen Brighid to fill in the gap caused by The Iron Druid when he was on the run from the gods. The main character, Al MacBharrais, has been empowered by Brighid to create sigils that help him create and enforce contracts between the gods, the Fae, and earth. In this book, the central plot centers on a Fae trafficking ring that MacBharrais' former apprentice was completely wrapped up in. Without giving anything away, this inciting event leads to a fun cast of new characters that have their own unique style and charm.

Lastly, I really want to thank the publisher for allowing me to read this book prior to publication. Even though I am thankful to the publisher, this review is 100% my own.

I really like this book. This wasn’t a surprise because I liked the Iron Druid Chronicles, but I went into Ink & Sigil trying to experience it both as its own story and as a work of urban fantasy. It delivers as a lighter urban fantasy story that takes a unique approach to the genre. I highly recommend it.

Al MacBharrais is a sigil agent, a cross between a lawyer and a wizard who uses sigils drawn with magical inks to do magic. This magic is primarily used to enforce contracts between the magical worlds and the human world, but can be used for other purposes such as battle and maintaining privacy in a world full of surveillance. This book is in the Iron Druid universe, so all pantheons of all faiths exist and there are very strict rules for how they meddle in earth’s affairs. When they do unchecked, bad stuff happens.

Al is an older man with a well manicured mustache who runs a print shop as a cover for his magical work. It’s an interesting life. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows because his apprentices keep meeting untimely ends. He also has to communicate via text to speech because he’s cursed. If he talks to anyone with his own voice, then they end up hating him. After his latest apprentice, Gordie, meets an untimely end, Al discovers that Gordie was doing some shady things with his magic and tries to figure out what was going on.

This book follows the universe’s ‘urban fantasy lite’ formula of mystery and unique characters mixed with a lot of humor. However, it also takes this formula in a completely different direction than most series do. Al is an older guy who practices a type of magic that isn’t very common in popular fiction right now. He’s a very plain person compared to the Atticus O'Sullivans and Harry Dresdens of the genre. This allows for the quirky world and clever banter between the characters to really shine. Al can fight and is powerful, but he can’t carry his entire team to victory like other heros do. Instead, he is good at assembling a team and outfitting them with the sigils and information necessary to carry out the mission as one unit. It’s a totally different approach to urban fantasy, because usually the protagonist is one larger than life character who often overshadows their companions and enemies instead of being part of a balanced team.

The biggest drawback of this book is that it’s not the best mystery in the world, but the point of the book isn’t really the mystery. The relationship between the characters and how they work together really makes this book fun to read. The clues are a little too easy to come across and there aren’t really any clever puzzles that couldn’t be solved by paying off a hacker. A red herring or two would have been nice as well. But where the focus on solving mystery ends, the story really takes off. This is one of those stories that builds on the abnormal and quirky side characters and events more than on the protagonist himself. Each character is someone interesting that you wouldn’t necessarily meet in real life. The dialogue is like a dance between the characters as they try to extract information and not get caught by the authorities who mean well, but are useless. It’s enthralling to read and is the only real source of resistance that keeps the clues from being too obvious and the story from progressing too quickly. Each character really feels like they have their own voice, avoiding the trap that some books fall into where everyone feels like the same person in a different hat.

Finally, I really enjoy the crude humor. I laugh out loud at most of it. For example, there’s a hobgoblin named Buck Foi. That’s the name he chose for himself. It makes me happy every time I read it. Some people don’t appreciate this humor, and that’s fine. Go read something else. I want to spend more time reading about Buck.

I can’t wait for the next installment. I will post my review to YouTube, Amazon, and Goodreads two weeks before the release of the book per the publisher’s preferences and add the links to Netgalley when they are posted publicly. Thank you for the opportunity to review this book.

A rollicking good tale. Kevin Hearne is playing to his strengths with, humor, mystery and danger. This story touches on current events and highlights the story of human trafficking in a way that is sympathetic and understandable.

Kevin Hearne never fails to delight. An excellent addition to collections where urban fantasy is popular.

Ink & Sigil is the first book in what I hope is a new series that is adjacent to his long running and much-loved Iron Druid Chronicles. The story follows Al MacBharris, a sigil agent, in the employ of the Fae. He is a cursed man who communicates via a text to speech app on the downhill side of an active and adventurous life. His job is Guardian, Agent, and all-around Judge, Jurry, and Executioner of Fae who are illegally on Earth. He has the use Sigils produced with special inks that allow his to preform “magic” to help him in his duties.

The novel is filled with wonderful characters such as Gladys who has seen some shite, secretary to his front printing company and the weegie goth Nadia, his manager and all-around enforcer, and a whole host of other uniquely named characters. The story begins with the death of Al’s protégée and ends with the foiling of Fae/CIA plot. Along the way you will learn why raison scones are one of the deadliest substances on earth, meet a hobgoblin named Buck Foi, who gets high on salsa and has a penchant for nipping beer, spend inordinate amount of time in a gin bar, and ride around in a 70’s esk van with unique artwork on the side.

Warning: Do not be dissuaded by the author’s note of the use of the Scottish way of speech. At first, I was put off and thought I would spend half my time reading trying to figure out what was being said by the kaleidoscope of characters, but I found the language easy to follow.

Anyone who is a fan of urban fantasy or loves the Iron Druid Chronicles will thoroughly enjoy this book. I highly recommend!

Kevin Hearne is better known for the Iron Druid series which I have not read, but Ink & Sigil is a humorous urban fantasy with some interesting characters and weird versions of mythological characters.

Magical sigils, dead apprentices, hobgoblins, curses, a battle seer, and lots of jokes about bollocks. The characters are interesting, the mystery a little forced.

Some of it was fun and funny, so seemed strained and overdone, but as the first in a new series, I enjoyed it and see potential.

Read in May. Blog review scheduled for Aug. 13.

NetGalley/Random House
Scifi/Fantasy. Aug. 25, 2020. Print length: 336 pages

Ink & Sigil is the first in an amazing new series by Kevin Hearne. This story reads like a hardboiled detective novel with an older guy with life under his belt just trying to do his job despite lifes ups and downs. This fantasy is filled with magic, mayhem, humor and heartache. The cast of quirky characters brings humor to a heavy subject. This book is filled with magic from the gorgeous cover to the very last page. Fall into this story and you won’t want to leave.

Al MacBharrais has a problem. Actually, he has several. He is cursed in that the more he talks to people, the more they dislike him. And he has just lost his seventh apprentice who died by "suicide" - i.e. he ate a raisin scone. And the apprentice was doing a dodgy deal with importing Fae into our world for nefarious purposes. Now Al has to clean up that mess while dealing with a hobgoblin he has contracted who was a lucky Fae to escape being trafficked. And since Al deals with magic ink, he has the tools to take on the bad guys and hopefully keep his mustache intact. Since this takes place in the Iron Druid universe, there is plenty of action, puns, spirits, cheese, and hi-jinks! Glad to see that this is labeled book 1 because that means more are planned!

Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity to read this volume!

Ink & Sigil presents a very interesting look at another, less powerful, side of the magic system introduced in the Iron Druid series. The main character is both more likeable and certainly less prone to the bouts of unearned and nearly suicidal self-assurance that plagued the main character, Atticus, from that series. That said, MacBharrais is prone to his own bouts of over-confidence and poor decision skills from time to time, such as the way he deals with the lady inspector looking into his involvement in the case. The voice character is also interesting in his history and experiences, though the bit about his curse felt completely disconnected from the story and so didn't draw me in much.

The primary tale of Ink and Sigil deals with fae trafficking and discusses in passing human trafficking. this story did draw me in, though it feels like they could have solved it any time after the first encounter with the bad guys. That somewhat reduces the tension of the story. Also, the villains were flat with boring motivations and little redeeming character (Heck, Hearne threw in that they had started eating people to show how evil they were. never mind that half of Fairy kind eats humans in some way, shape, or form.) MacBharrais had the kind of super-competence you expect from James Bond. When he had problems, he always has some tool or trick to solve them, again reducing the tension.

Ultimately, this tale was a well-written adventure and thriller, but lacked the tension that typically defines that category of story. Even so, it presented an interesting enough premise that I'll probably pick up and read the next book in any series just to check it out, but might not continue if it doesn't overcome its current issues.

Review to be posted to Goodreads closer to date of publication:

This is my second ever urban fantasy series with a male main character. I tried to get into <i>The Dresden Files</i>, but the first two books just weren’t for me (yes, I know, I’ve heard it gets better). I couldn’t relate to the characters and the plot seemed too formulaic, and it also felt like watching a corny cop drama. <i>Ink & Sigil</i>, however, has renewed my interest in male-lead urban fantasies. I don’t expect a lot out of urban fantasies in general, so I’m usually satisfied with being merely entertained, but this was just a great book. It actually reminded me more of David Wong’s writing style than Jim Butcher’s, so if you’re into Wong’s stuff then you might like this (although I think Hearne actually does a better job at writing women than Wong). Cheers to SFF with vulgar humor!

Things I loved:
I love the dialect. There’s a little intro that explains the pronunciations of words, which I love. This takes place in Scotland, but we get more than just the setting, we also get characters’ dialogue and inner thoughts spoken/thought with the dialect spellings. It was super fun, interesting, and more than occasionally hilarious. I guess I can include my “I love the author’s writing style” in this section too. He’s clever when he needs to be, crude/vulgar in all the right ways, gifted with comedic timing, caring with his character development and attention to detail, and very talented at making me read the story with an Irish accent. I highlighted many quotes throughout this book. I love the funny bits as well as the religious and political bits, and I plan to share them with my partner right after sending in this review!

I love MacBharrais, Nadia, Saxon Codpiece, and Buck. So much. The characters in this book are all so strange and likeable. A very motley crew. Which brings me to my next point.

I love the diversity of characters and representation. We have a 60-year-old main character, an Indian lesbian warrior, and sigil agents who are Asian, Black, and Hispanic. I also love how the author dealt with female characters in general.

I love the grunge-punk feel I get from the characters and setting.

I love the magic system (sigils, wards, magic inks that are made with ingredients that remind me of witches brewing up potions in a cauldron, hobgoblins and pixies and all kinds of magical creatures).

I love the mystery. I had “mystery” on my 2020 reading challenge, but honestly, I didn’t think I’d get to it. I’m not particularly fond of detective type books or who-dun-its, but occasionally I find one that really works for me. This worked, if for no other reason than it was fun and I actually cared about the characters/world/magic enough to want to find out what happened.

I love the pacing. It was steady, which is what I like. Too fast and I find myself with a tension headache from being on the edge for so long, and too slow… well, obviously I can’t stand slow and boring pacing. I read SFF, not many of SFF readers are searching for that serene story. But I don’t like nonstop battle scenes either, and this book had just the right amount.

Lastly, I’ll say that I was beyond happy to read so many wonderful parts about dogs (good dugs). A lot of fantasies I’ve read have cats in them, and as a dog person I’ve always been a bit annoyed by the lack of good dogs in fantasy. I can’t express how excited I was to read about the berghests (except for that one scene…) and Oberon. If Oberon is in Hearne’s other series, I am so reading it asap.

Now on to the one con: I can’t give this book the full 5 stars simply because I did think that some things could have been cut out and some things maybe could have been explored more (it would have been nice to know more about our villain, Bastille, but perhaps that comes in the second book?). But I still appreciate the author’s dedication to detail, and overall, I’m super happy I got to read this ARC. 4.5 stars rounded up! And definitely my favorite urban fantasy novel.

I’ll wait to publish my review until two weeks before publication, as per the publisher’s guidelines, unless told otherwise. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book! I’m now a big fan of Kevin Hearne and can’t wait to read more of his work.

Scotland, sigils and witty humor. Perfect combination!
I loved the main carachter, Al. A professional in his field, a normal person with defects and a shy deep down inside. Not the hero beautiful and invincible, young and lucky. Al is real!
All others carachters are interesting, the narrative is well written y balanced.
The author creates a bridge between our reality and Celtic gods and goddesses, something like a new mythology linked to our present.
You are not going to find cheesy situations. It's good to find something not too sugary or heroic on the Fantasy shelf. Thanks Kevin!

Ink and Sigil by Kevin Hearne, a good reentry into the world of the Tuatha de Danan. A Sigil agent who protects mortals from the gods and agents of nonmortals.

Fans of the Iron Druid Series: heads up! Kevin Hearne continues the world of Iron Druid with all new characters in a new setting. Though I did enjoy the adventure with these characters and their new magical skills, especially the brief shout out to the Iron Druid, I had some reservations. The writing did not seem as tight as his previous work. I am well versed with Scotland, the Scots, and Glasgow in particular. Hearne's use of the vernacular seemed appropriate. The level of cursing was distracting, the sly references to sex not necessary or welcome (I didn't see the point in the story). I am interested in the characters. They are different, unusual, and I would welcome seeing more of them.

A new series based from the Iron Druid world. It is not necessary to have read Mr. Hearn's previous series, it only makes it a richer read. There is humor, mystery, suspense and a wealth of delightful characters, and well written for a fun read to entertain the reader. A great start to a new series, already looking forward to the next book. I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion.