4⭐️

I’ll be honest. I am not really a fan of the cover. That said, the description of the book hooked me. I love a good dark urban fantasy with a little gore sprinkled in. Having been a fan of the Dresden files for a long time, when I saw that this book was compared to those, I knew I had to give it a shot.

The characters were well-written, and the world building was strong. This book was fun from start to finish. Definitely recommend. I will definitely be continuing this series.

Thank you to Morgan Quaid and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It’s time to save the world again but Ambrose isn’t sure what is worse, battling dark entities from the Seven Hungers or teaming up with his ex, Karen. Ambrose is desperate to get his magical powers restored, even if it means taking on an assignment halfway around the world. What starts out as odd occurrences soon turns into a battle to save the world. With the help of his ex-lover, Karen, as well as a rag-tag team of sidekicks, Ambrose will go up against unseen dark worlds all to save humanity. Will he succeed and regain his powers, or will he die trying to save the world?

The Seven Hungers is a rip-roaring fantasy thriller from start to finish. With classic fantasy, horror, magical realism elements, The Seven Hungers will appeal to readers on so many levels. I connected with Ambrose and thoroughly enjoyed him throughout the story. I didn’t feel the same way about Karen. I found her character off-putting and disjointed. I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the romance between her and Ambrose. It seemed like an afterthought to the author. What I adored was the fast-paced plot, the emotional narration, and the intricate world-building. Each of these elements combined to make The Seven Hungers an incredible fantasy thriller. There’s a Lovecraft vibe to the story which increased my enjoyment while reading ten-fold. If you’re a fantasy reader, you’ll love The Seven Hungers. If you’re an urban fantasy reader, you’ll want to read The Seven Hungers. If you crave some serious horror, The Seven Hungers is your next book to read.

My Rating: 4.75 stars

What an interesting read. In the vein of Alex Verus and Harry Dresden (albeit WAY more gory), this "street sorcerer with a 'tude" novel has a lot going for it. Snarky, fleshed-out characters, lots of magical action, needless violence and a badguy that you can have nightmares about.

It seems a little "formula" at first, but you get to know Ambrose Drake pretty well, and you can see where his vulnerabilities and loyalties lie fairly easily. He's likeable and intelligent. Rook was a great character, especially when she speaks. I liked the female aspect of Janus, as well.

Overall, if this is a series, bring on the next book. I can't wait. Thanks to Netgalley and Morgan Quaid. All opinions are my own.

I really liked this book, it did take me a little bit to get into it, but I ended up really enjoying the characters and plot.

Ambrose Drake is a sorcerer living under a strict penalty that limits his access to magic and forces him to take all the worst jobs. After 10 years of taking his lumps, his unique past makes the enigmatic crown offer him a deal - temporary suspension of his punishment while he investigates a problem his Brisbane. An easy choice (though undoubtedly dangerous) choice.

Ambrose is a fun character, with a past that is slowly revealed. He has many secrets, and always an ulterior motive. As a protagonist he was compelling. There is an inescapable Harry Dresden vibe to the novel, but it stands alone and I loved it. The world building was detailed and captivating. There were consistent rules to the system of magic that tied the plot together.

This is urban fantasy at its best - a mix of PI and mercenary, the action kept coming. I truly cannot wait to see if Morgan Quaid continues these adventures.

Definitely recommend this one.

Morgan Quaid is a writer of speculative fiction, specializing in comics, graphic novels, short stories and fast-paced, first person novels. Quaid’s writing tends to blend concision and fast-moving plots with epic sci-fi/fantasy themes, creating stories that often have more in common with film rather than traditional novels. His key works include Whiplash, Rust Chronicles, Shadow's Daughter, Idle Thuggery, Enmity, The Blood Below. His newest novel is The Seven Hungers: Rise of the Crimson King.

The Seven Hungers: Rise of the Crimson King focuses on Ambrose Drake, who is living in England as part of a punishment by The Crown. He is a sorcerer who makes his living cleansing the world of magical entities that threaten humanity, but because he’s being punished, his magic is cut off, and he’s struggling to survive. When a bookish young man named Janus offers Drake a job from The Crown with the promise to restore his powers to full, Drake gets suspicious. When this job forces him to relocate to Brisbane, Australia, and work with his ex, Karen Winter, things go from bad to worse for Drake. Hopefully, he’ll have what it takes to save humanity from the eldritch curse to which he’s been assigned.

Quaid has constructed a very interesting world in The Seven Hungers and crafted some very intriguing characters. The idea of a secret society of magicians working to stop the world’s evils is nothing new, to be sure, but Quaid’s interpretation of that trope has enough novelty and nuance so as not to bore readers. Furthermore, instead of focusing on a typical hero within that system, Quaid instead focuses on the sarcastic outcast who has to earn his way back in. This blending of genres really works in a modern urban fantasy setting, and the hybrid makes for an interesting and unique read.

Furthermore, Quaid has developed a whole team of characters which play off of Drake’s strengths and weaknesses. Rook, his body guard, is a mute character who communicates though sign language. This idea takes a known trope—the strong, silent bodyguard—but subverts it into something fun and unique. The Janus character, the Crown appointed observer and bodyguard, is also very unique and takes the buddy cop formula to interesting and fantastic places. Quaid is clearly playing within some classic tropes and plots, but is doing his best to merge those tropes into new and unique combinations, all of which really works in this novel.

The Seven Hungers: Rise of the Crimson King is a really fun amalgam of genres. It’s a clever urban fantasy mixed with mystery blended with violent action and monster horror then synthesized around a character who is edgy and sarcastic in all the fun sorts of ways. Not only is Ambrose Drake a likable character, but Quaid has surrounded him with unique and interesting accomplices, all of whom add nuance to the world and plot. Strongly recommended for any reader interested in urban fantasy and monster horror tales.

I had such a good time reading this book. If you enjoy House for his arrogance, blind confidence, and snark, you will love Ambrose Drake. I haven’t loved the characters and their banter in a book as much as I enjoyed Drake, Rook, and Janus’s conversations in quite a while. I will be thinking about the characters long after finishing this book. The magic system made sense and was easy enough to follow. While the plot was a little predictable at times, the predictability did not in any way take away how much I enjoyed this book. My biggest complaint was that there wasn’t more of this book; I couldn’t get enough of the characters and the world of the 7 hungers. The format of the ending was so unique and enjoyable.

This delightful book was an unexpected delight! It has just the right blend of magic, horror, and charm. If you enjoy urban fantasy with a bit of dark sorcery and gore sprinkled in, this is the book for you. It has been compared to The Dresden Files and Rivers of London and I think it’s a good blend of the two.

Censured Crown sorcerer Ambrose Drake is just trying to scrape by clearing out eldritch abominations for The Crown. Having his magic forcibly cut off, this is often easier said than done. But the sins of the past mean that Drake is at The Crown’s beck and call. When Drake is given a new assignment for which The Crown is willing to restore his power, Drake is more than a little suspicious. Things only get stranger when he arrives in Brisbane to find his ex-lover Karen Winter and a marker left by one of the Hungers. However, Drake’s struggles with his conflicted emotions over The Crown and Agent Winter will have to wait if he has any hope of saving humanity.

This book throws you right into the action and doesn’t stop until the end! I was honestly surprised and delighted by the strength of the characters and worldbuilding. Quaid reveals just the right amount of information to pull you in, but will keep you guessing as the story unfolds. Drake is extremely relatable and his companions, Rook and Janus, are both interesting in their own right. Extra kudos go to Rook for being a strong female character who is also mute. Where none of them have quite the same level of wittiness as those in Rivers of London, there is still plenty to help lighten the mood of an otherwise horrific tale.

Though I liked Karen Winter’s character and the tension she brings to the plot, I did not really like the characterization of her relationship with Drake. The rest of the book is so strong that it is painfully obvious that the ‘romance’ vibes are a bit flat. As a result, many of these interactions and Drake’s pining just feels awkward and a little out of place. Additionally, Winter’s initial introduction as being either an ‘ice queen’ or a giggly school girl with little in between felt a bit reductive. Things get better as the book progresses, but it prevents it from getting top marks from me.

Overall, this Urban Fantasy was a fun blend of humor, eldritch horror, and adventure. Content warnings include alcoholism and graphic violence.

There were some interesting concepts here, but it was really not my cup of tea. It was a little rudimentary and not executed the way it could be.