The summary of the plotline sounded promising. And to a large extent the author succeeded in introducing me to a story environment which was new, yet incorporated familiar settings (NYC, Jewish characters/mythos, irritating relatives and tough choices). Bram Gold, in the most basic sense is a part of multiple clans- familial and professional, and seeks the supernatural, perhaps a monster hunter. Though this particular book may not have met my expectations, further adventures with Bram Gold will be on my radar.

Bram Gold is a Courser. A Courser is a hunter-for-hire paid to deal with supernatural creatures, mystical happenings and things that happen in the middle of the night. Bram has been hired to get an escaped unicorn from a tapestry. Bram is successful and then another creature escapes from a tapestry. How is this happening? Bram goes to the wardiem. Her name is Miriam. She keeps order in her section of the magical ward — the Bronx. An evil ancient god is about to become alive. Why? Binding spells are failing around the Bronx. The borough’s immortals are starting to die. Bram must prevent any more magical deaths. Who is killing the immortals? Will the ancient evil become alive so it can level the city?

This novel is the first one in a new series of urban fantasy that takes place in the Bronx. It is a mystery in that one doesn’t know what is causing the magical experiences to happen. I love Bram’s not giving up even when the problems seemed to piled up on top of each other with only left him more puzzled on why it was happening. I can’t wait to read the next book to find out what will be Bram’s challenges will be.

I picked this book up because it had a unicorn on the cover. I didn’t really do more than glance at the blurb; it had a unicorn on it, I wanted to read it, and I’m so glad I did.

Bram is a good guy who lives in a difficult world where monsters and magic exist. Enter a mysterious magic, powerful gods and an upcoming cataclysm — it’s all fairly standard urban fantasy elements handled well and with humor. I was going to give it a solid four, because the writing is strong, the magic is interesting and the pacing was good (it’s a fast read, and the plot is fair, with no deus ex machina moments.) Then the ending, and I raised my review to a good 4.5

Some slight spoilers for the ending but I’ll try not to spill anything: Bram has to make a choice, and it’s not a fair choice. Someone has done something horrible, has not only killed people in the magical world, but caused civilians to die and shows absolutely no remorse for having done so. Normally the Wardein — the highest ranking authority on all things magical — sets out the punishment, but because Bram was there and got involved, he’s offered a chance to give his input.

And like a paladin, Bram chooses to obey the law, for the criminal to face the consequences of their crime. It’s a well done scene and a strong resolution for the events that happened. It shows his character as well as the character of the organization he works for, how the Coursers handle people who break the law, and his relationship with Miriam, the Wardein (magic person in charge). His friendship with Miriam is another highlight, along with the world building, and the way the two characters work together feels natural and welcoming.

I also enjoyed that Bram works as an MD two days a week, a Courser (monster hunter/monster pest control/magic creature control/etc;). It’s interesting, because time is made for him to actually be a doctor, to deal with the hospital and the paperwork, to take care of people outside the usual urban fantasy whiskey and ductape.

I want to thank NetGalley and eSpec Books for giving me an advanced reader copy, and will be keeping my eye out for the next book in the series!