another great entry in the Deviant Magic series, I've been enjoying the series as a whole and enjoying getting to know these characters. It was a great fantasy novel and I look forward to more from Mr. Colby.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First of all, that cover is gorgeous! It looks like it could be the cover of a comic book, because the people are drawn in an engaging, animated way. Since the cover looks like the cover of an action comic, I was expecting that the plot of this prose novel would be magical and action-packed.

Shotgun by Scott Colby starts off with Roger, a man who feels down in the dumps after his wife left him, discovering that an overweight woman has snuck into his house to steal something from him. Soon, a pointy-eared para-military officer appears and reveals that that woman is actually an evil creature looking for a glowing orb light in Roger's kitchen drawer. The light erupts as it ascends, and the roof of Roger's house caves in. When he wakes up, he discovers that all magical creatures are real and he has been chosen to become the next great hero of the world. Here is an excerpt from the beginning of the book:

"What if I told you that all of the creatures you’ve been taught were fictitious—things like fairies, nymphs, dryads, trolls, gnomes, demons, and imps—were all real, and that we were in charge of keeping you out of their business so that they could get on with their lives without interference?”
...
“And if I told you that we choose the best of us to be the Pintiri, the greatest hero in the world—supposedly—and wielder of the most powerful magic in our arsenal, would you page the nurses to have me taken back to my padded room?”
Roger nodded again, more assured of himself this time, though he had no clue where the old elf—if he really was an elf—was going with this train of thought.
Aldern shook his head and sighed. “Typical.”

The summary and excerpt above are representative of the type of fantasy and comedy in this book. Although the book seemed interesting at first glance, it had trouble maintaining my interest, and I found some parts of the plot to be cliche. Overall, if you like books that are a mix of fantasy and comedy, you will enjoy this book. If anything in my review sounds intriguing to you, make sure you check out Shotgun when it comes out in July!