"There's only one Al MacBharrais: Though other Scotsmen may have dramatic mustaches and a taste for fancy cocktails, Al also has a unique talent. He's a master of ink and sigil magic. In his gifted hands, paper and pen can work wondrous spells.

But Al isn't quite alone: He is part of a global network of sigil agents who use their powers to protect the world from mischievous gods and strange monsters. So when a fellow agent disappears under sinister circumstances in Australia, Al leaves behind the cozy pubs and cafes of Glasgow and travels to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery.

The trail to his colleague begins to pile up with bodies at alarming speed, so Al is grateful his friends have come to help - especially Nadia, his accountant who moonlights as a pit fighter. Together with a whisky-loving hobgoblin known as Buck Foi and the ancient Druid Atticus O'Sullivan, along with his dogs, Oberon and Starbuck, Al and Nadia will face down the wildest wonders Australia - and the supernatural world - can throw at them, and confront a legendary monster not seen in centuries."

Australia bound!

I love this new series that Hearne has created, the characters are just great, but this one is exceptionally special because it includes an emergency trip to Australia, and although that trip left me missing a certain hacker from the first book, it included some old favorites from his previous series instead. I don’t want to say anything to spoil anything for anyone, but there is some wonderful resolution to storylines left over from the Iron Druid series. I can’t wait to see where he goes with this new series, new character additions, and some new loopholes.

* I received this book from NetGalley for review.

Sigil Agent Al MacBharrais is called from Scotland to Australia when a fellow Sigil Agent goes missing. Something pretty powerful has come through and is causing all kinds of trouble. He travels with his hobgoblin Buck Foi but is soon joined by his accountant Nadia. There are also appearances from Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite who has a secret identity beyond that of being Al's Canadian receptionist.

Al meets up with Ya-ping who is the missing agent's apprentice. She becomes their guide to all things Australian. They travel to the Dandenong Ranges where they rendezvous with the Iron Druid and his dogs. The whole group finds themselves battling all kinds of monsters and trying to keep things secret from humans.

The story is filled with banter. It is also filled with action and adventure and all sorts of paranormal critters based on mainly Irish mythology. Al is still trying to figure out who cursed him which has forced him to use a speech app on his phone for all his communications lest he earn the hatred of anyone he talks to. He also learns that he has a secondary curse linked to his first one which has caused the deaths of his apprentices. Now Buck in in danger of becoming a victim of the curse if Al can't get rid of it.

I liked the worldbuilding and the Australian setting of this episode. The characters are interesting and mysterious. Fans of the first book in this series will enjoy this one too and be eager to find out what happens next.

After falling hard for the Iron Druid Chronicles and then falling again for Ink and Sigil I have to say that this series and spin off just keep getting better as the books come out. I finished this one in one sitting and I still had to pry it out of my hands when I was finished. If you are a fan of these series then this one is going to make you want even more!

Not for me. Despite the author's summary of the first book in this series, it was hard to understand exactly what was going on here and there was a lot of catching up to do as I read. With that plus the body humor, which is never my thing, I didn't enjoy this much.

So, I have a bit of a love/hate thing going on with this series. I do really enjoy the setting and the magical world that Hearne has created. My problem is that the characters tend to be a bit too crass and juvenile for me to really engage with (I mean, the main character's sidekick names himself Buck Foi). This tends to detract from my enjoyment of the books overall. I would still totally recommend these books to someone who likes urban fantasy and is looking for something on the lighter side, especially if they have already read and enjoyed the Iron Druid series. However, I'm not sure the series is really for me.

Hoo-boy. Al and his crew are called into action when one of his fellow sigil agents goes missing in Australia and it turns out the most terrifying thing in Australia IS NOT A SPIDER. I'm inclined to question my own statement there because spiders are terrifying already without the addition of Australian super-sizing, but Al and crew DID run into some pretty horrifying critters. Some even had spider-esque qualities, so... You know what? I'm sort of creeping myself out. Let's move on.

Sigil agents gone missing! Very good dogs putting in an appearance! Australia! Spiders (probably)! And one Iron Druid doing the things that Iron Druids do!

Al gets a few vague answers regarding his curse(s) from the various and sundry otherworldly types he and the others run into along the way. He also finds himself wallowing in a metric boatload of questions regarding his office manager. Gladys is a glorious enigma and I feel like we've only tapped the surface of her.

Danger! A few answers! Dogs! New beginnings! Roxanne! Sigils and magic and monsters, OH MY! I'm still digging hanging out in the ID world with all the horrors and beauty that puts in an appearance. Al, Buck, and Nadia are a solid team who follow their intuition wherever it may lead them and manage to stay ahead of the most dangerous situations and magic. (Or at least they know people who are willing to give them a hand when they need it most.) *thumbs up*

I really don’t know why, but I just couldn’t get into this book. I mean, the characters were well rounded, and it seemed like a book I would have loved. I just don’t know what didn’t do it for me.

Kevin Hearne's books always makes me laugh, and this one is no exception. Readers discover more about the characters first introduced in "Ink and Sigil" and embark on a grad Australian adventure. Like most things, this book was affected by Covid-19 restrictions. which prevented Hearne's travel to Australia. While being a good story, it was disjointed in spots and had the feel of a novel rushed a bit to fill a deadline. It is still a fun, quick, summer read and I look forward to more in the series.

As usual I loved where the author took the book. Surprises and guest appearances. Kevin Hearne never lets me down with mystery, suspense, twist turns and a little heartbreak. Highly recommended.

I picked up this book because my dad loves the Iron Druid series. I haven’t had the chance to read them, but I enjoyed this book and Ink and Sigil without knowing much about that series. Dad has been in the hospital going on four months now and I read this book to him to take his mind off of things.
Paper and Blood is book two in the Ink and Sigil series. Anyone who has read a Kevin Hearne book knows there will be shenanigans and you will see some shite. This book is no exception. While the Iron Druid was mentioned in book one, he makes more than an appearance in this book, along with his pups, Oberon and Starbuck. MacBharrais’ crew including Buck Foi and Gladys, head to Australia looking for a missing sigil agent where they meet up with the Iron Druid. During their escapades, we learn about the origin of truck nuts and the sadness of abandoned cheese among other things.
In this who-done-it, we meet plenty of new characters and learn backstories on current ones. This book will have you laughing at antics, smiling at Easter eggs and thinking deeply about life. Definitely a book to pick up if you’re already a fan of Kevin Hearne. I would like to thank NetGalley for this eArc and this review is unbiased and my own.

Second book of Kevin Hearn's Ink and Sigil series, and to really appreciate this all the way, read the first one. This picks up after the first with Al MacBharrais being summoned for help by an assistant to another sigil agent. Al has no magic, just trained to make ink and write magical sigil that have many different uses. His assistant Buck Foi is featured heavily in this, and I came to really appreciate his wisdom and talent. We learn much more about the supporting characters that surround Al, and if you've read the Iron Druid books you'll know Atticus, now Conner and his special dogs Oberon and Starbuck that come to help Al. Lots of monsters and creatures with a mystery to solve of finding the missing agent and her associates, and who's ultimately behind all this. It is a completed story with a notch in the overall story arc. Fun read, humor, action, and mind you Al is in his 60's. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC for an honest opinion. Fun and looking to see how things move forward in the next edition.

Summary:

I liked this story. We're back in the world of Al MacBharrais, his trusty hob Buck Foi, and the amazing Nadia. In this story our trio is joined by Sigil Agent in training, Atticus (now publicly Conner) with Oberon and Starbuck, and Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite, plus a few surprises, while they traipse through parts of Australia. Overall, I enjoyed the story, I appreciated the surprises, and I look forward to the long-term questions getting answers. Plus, it was really nice to see Atticus and where he is on his recovery path.

Because it has to be said, I can't wait till this book is available with Luke Daniels' narration. That will make me a very happy woman.

The review:

Queue the "duh duh duuuuuuh" sound of the plot thickening. This book picks up right where book one left off, with some sort of nastiness occurring in Australia that has removed 2 full Sigil Agents from the board and, if I remember correctly, one of their partners. That left the Australian Sigil Agent in training holding the bag and wisely, she calls in reinforcements.

As you may have guessed from my summary above, for reinforcements, she calls on Al MacBharrais. Pretty smart call, if you ask me. Along the way to the last known location of the missing Sigil Agents some hijinks ensue, one of which results a new epic wizard van, and some surprising interactions with Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite and deep conversations take place.

Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite has a really intriguing role in this story and I look forward to getting an answer on what's going on with her. I could take this opportunity to ask, as others have, about Canadian tea practices, but I won't. Gladys isn't the only one with stuff going on, Nadia has some interesting changes as well and I look forward to seeing how those play out in future stories as well.

Onto the real bit that didn't get much play in this book: the long-term question of how to undo Al's curse. Besides that it didn't get too much play, I don't have much else for you, but I really hope that the next book (or books) really dig into this. I want to know who cursed Al, why, and how he can break the curses. I want the poor guy to be able to train up a replacement and have some time left to relax and enjoy the good parts of life, without having to worry about stuff.

As I said in the summary, it was really nice to see Atticus and how his recovery is going, plus of course, just getting more Oberon time, with the added bonus of Starbuck. Atticus didn't feel quite as fleshed out of a character as he does in the Iron Druid series, which makes sense, this not being his series, but seeing him, Oberon, and Starbuck really did leave me wanting an Iron Druid book to cover the aftermath, his recovery, and to check in on Owen and Granuaile. There, I said it and I'm not sorry. I won't give you even a smidge of a spoiler because I don't wanna, but I will say, Atticus and his good dugs aren't the only Iron Druid throwbacks to resurface, but you don't need to reread the whole series or even the last book to be prepared.

This story had a decent pace, while having bits where you won't want to stop reading until you've finish what's happening and even then, you still will feel "but if I stop now, I won't know... until later" and I know the feeling, so all I will say is that it's ok, the story will still be there when you pick it back up. Trust me.

Overall, this book built on the established framework and gave you more depth, adds more details to our main characters as well as some of the support cast, and opens the door for an Iron Druid favorite or more to pop back in without making Ink & Sigil their new vehicle. While wrapping up the main plot, there are still enough things to look forward to in subsequent books. There were some things that just didn't really work for me, but overall, I'd say give it a go and I think you'll be pretty glad you did.

This review will go live on my blog and Goodreads on 7/28/21.

Paper & Blood is the second book of Kevin Hearne's new series, featuring an unlikely action hero - a 60+year old Scot. Set in the universe of his previous urban fantasy series (starring the Iron Druid and every mythological pantheon you ever heard of), the stories are light in tone, filled with quirky characters, snappy dialogue, exotic locations, and a fast-moving plot. Al, our hero, is still a good man to have around in a fight, despite his age - but he is more thoughtful and less headstrong than the typical action hero, and he manages to dispense a fair amount of wisdom along the way.

It's a pleasant read - the story is self-contained, but there is a long-range arc to the series that gets advanced nicely, leaving you ready for the next entry.

After reading the 1st book I was delighted by the humor and found family component in this fun fantasy series. The 1st book is an introduction to this world and characters but this 2nd book is a true adventure. I am now in love with the characters and overall plot and would recommend it to any fantasy lover.

Once again I am elated with Al, our elderly and wise leader, who has to embark on a journey to Australia this time. It is so rare to have a lead in a series like this that still has him be an active participant. This book introduces us to more characters, most notably the Iron Druid that was mentioned before and who is the main character in Hearne's previous series. I have not read those books so this character was a complete unknown to me except what was mentioned already but it this did not deter my enjoyment or understanding. I imagine if I was a previous reader I would pick up on some references from the other story.

The star for me this round was Buck, our wildly inappropriate hobgoblin. His foul mouth and delightful observations will cause you to laugh out loud. Honorable mention goes to Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite, her inclusion this round has to be read to fully appreciate. Of course Nadia will always be a star in any book she ever appears in. The dialogue this time has me wondering how fabulous the audiobook of this must have been.

I cannot wait to continue this series as more questions arise as to who cursed Al and why. If you are an urban fantasy lover you should check out this action packed story that is jam packed with humor. Hearne has built a fantastic world full of vibrant characters and an intriguing plot. Finally to add to the charm, the covers for this series are wonderful and worth adding to any bookshelf.

There’s just something about magic and Faerie stories that get me every time. This is the second novel in the series, Ink and Sigil. We get more Al and Buck Foi adventures. And let me tell you, this adventure was great!

We get more info on lots of characters that were present in the first novel. We also end up with more questions! The novel doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, which is good, but important questions have yet to be answered. This means that I will definitely be looking for book 3!

Any time an author reaches into mythology and makes it fit their unique author mold, my heart goes pitter patter. The novel dove into many mythological creatures all while keeping the flow of the novel running smoothly. It does help that Al and Buck’s chemistry are amazing and witty. With the benefit of added in characters, the commentary was funny and made for a great read.

The description of the areas the MC was in were great as well. Hearne wrote this during the pandemic and wasn’t allowed to go site scouting but you would have never known if you didn’t read the acknowledgements!

I received an ARC from netgalley for review.

This second book of the Ink & Sigil series continues the story of Sigil Agent Al MacBharrais. He’s joined by hobgoblin Buck Foi, his accountant Nadia, receptionist Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite (and who may not be who she seems), and of course his perplexing curses. Hearne’s expert use of realism, witty wordplay, and specially blended mythologies make Paper & Blood a fun read.

Called by Apprentice Chen Ya-ping after her Master and a second agent disappeared, Al and Buck travel down under to Melbourne and help solve the mystery. With the help of friends known and new, they don’t have to do it alone. Once in Australia, Buck creates a legendary wizard van to help the trio get to where two Agents, Shua-ha Lin and Wu Mei-Ling, were last seen in the Blue Mountains. There they are joined by the Iron Druid as well as Oberon and Starbuck who come up from Tasmania and are an integral part of this tale. Both Gladys and Nadia can’t stay away either. Working together, everyone tries to limit the body count and free Australia of a creature not seen in a very long time.

This story is one more part of a greater tale. I’m thankful Hearne found ways to complete the manuscript in the middle of a global pandemic. My tiny quibbles about the flow of several interludes and overall arc development are ones I can easily look past. The timing also makes one short conversation between Al and Ya-ping even more powerful.

This special combination of characters and story characteristics create an enjoyable follow up to the first book, Ink & Sigil.

I thought the first book in this series was good, and this one is even more enjoyable as Buck Foi and Al MacBharrais head to Australia to search for a missing fellow sigil agent. It's a hilarious, captivating murder mystery adventure that kept me fully engrossed and I read the whole thing in a single sitting. The Ink and Sigil series is really fun. Highly recommended!

Al is a Scotsman to Atticus' Irishman, but they both have one fun thing in common: they revel with delight in their magic. Part of a secret organization that interacts with gods, legends, and odd creatures from both myth and the overactive imagination of former HS teacher Kevin Hearne, if you want a FUN read, Kevin Hearne is almost always a great bet!

First of all, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this arc in exchange for an honest review!
Now lets get into it.
Overall: 4/5 stars
characters: 4/5 stars
setting: 5/5 stars
writing: 4/5 stars
I requested this book not knowing it was the second in a series. I sped read the first and would also give it a solid 4/5 stars. I would kind of describe this book as a Scottish Sherlock Holmes with Magic. Something that really stood out to me while reading Paper and Blood was how Kevin Hearne wrote the character dialogue using Scottish speak. It rally gave me a better sense of how the characters were talking and it let me picture them in my head much better.
One of the central plots of this book is that Al (the main character) is trying to figure out who put the two curses on him. I liked that the characters were relatable. They seemed like real people rather than made up characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to someone who likes mysteries and magic. One thing to keep in mind though is that at some parts it gets a bit slow. Other than that though it was a pretty good book!