User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
A fast, fun, feel good adventure that's over too quickly. Book two is as good as book one, which I adore. So enjoying this series of other world police procedure and 100% recommend.
Details of the cases and the people add to the complexity of the world. The crime underlying every thing is definitely unique to this world while some of the other crimes are right out of our newspapers.
The three main characters are present - Henri, Jamie and Seaton. Secondary characters from book one have roles and and a presence in this story. Even better, new characters show up that I hope we see again. Poor Henri has his circle of acquaintances and coworkers expanded, again. Plus the coworker everyone hates gets some comeuppance almost as good as the take down in book one.
The editing comments and side banter continues as well. And I didn't have to magnify the pages to read it this time.
Definitely looking forward to more in this series.
cross posted amazon, goodreads
Rating: really liked it
This is a police procedural where 90% of what the characters actually do is magical disease control/prevention because of some dangerously faulty charms that got sold to people, and a bit of lobbying for a magical FDA to regulate charms. The ostensibly very competent detectives here accomplish basically nothing in the way of actual police work the entire book. Out of three suspects they're looking for, the first one they "catch" because he walks into the station unprompted and turns himself in, but won't tell them who the others are.
The second one they nearly catch (because having a member of a group turn themselves in is very helpful even when they won't tell you about the others since it gives you a place to start), but ultimately do not succeed in preventing him from committing another, more serious crime and then killing himself. Whoops, our bad. Then the third and last they "catch" because they go back to the first guy and say "hey, one of the people you wouldn't tell us about did another bad thing, don't you feel bad enough about that to tell us about the last person?" and the guy immediately goes "oh my gosh I sure do, here's their name and where they live." Then they go and arrest them and it turns out to be a little old grandma who greets them by saying "I thought you'd find me a long time ago." ME TOO GRANNY, ME TOO.
The characters and their interactions are still charming/sweet enough, I just can't get over the fact that (for me at least) it was fundamentally dull and a little frustrating spending almost an entire book watching those characters do magical hazmat work while frankly failing outright at their actual jobs they are supposedly very good at. I still got the next book because the plot synopsis/teaser made it sound like it would contain the actual premise of the series (which I liked!), but lord was I close to dropping this series right here.
Rating: really liked it
I really enjoy the setting for this series and the characters involved.
Rating: really liked it
I really enjoyed the second book as well. Henri and Jamie is back and just like the first book this delivers as well. I'm really enjoying how it stands out from many other similar series. A main mystery and a protagonist who works for the police is often part and parcel for Urban Fantasy series; but this series in many ways feels like mystery and police procedural first, fantasy second.
It's really good at making the investigation feel realistic, in that often times leads don't pan out. Or they canvas an area with nothing to show for it. I loved how the mystery was handled in this book, in many ways it was secondary, because most of the book dealt with fallout from other situations. Basically, the book felt like it was about real police work. And I really enjoyed that, it also had the fun dialogue and great characters I've already fallen for completely. I can't wait for more!
Rating: really liked it
Great read.Love the characters and the concept, lively lighthearted read, possibly because the characters are just that likable. I started the first in the series because of an Ilona Andrews post, for which I am grateful ....because these two books in this series were rapidly devoured....and now I am sad because there is no more.
Rating: really liked it
Equally as good as the first in this series, full of quirky humour and wonderful characters who you want to bring home with and make friends with. This book has everything I look for in writing, in terms of how involved I feel with the story. Just like Jamie and Henri, in terms of the case this time around, I felt a strong sympathy with the culprits, however in a need to further justice and stop further crimes they plough on. It felt incredible real and believable and I am sure this snare must happen in the real world, minus the magic and being on another world of course :-) Jamie is still imparting her knowledge of Earth and the relationship between her and Henri is delightful, as is that of them both along with the Kingsmen and Sherard. I loved meeting Queen Regina and discovering more about the world and Jamie and Henri's personal lives. Not to be read without having read the first book in the series, they are both wonderful escapist reading pleasure.
Rating: really liked it
Excellent steampunk fantasy includes an Influenza epidemic, w/ intelligent, compassionate leaders.
Yesterday whilst starting #ShelterinPlace, I read this excellent steampunk-fantasy of a police procedural with fun, likable characters. I’ll be going through my TBR list for the next few weeks, as it’s 16 March 2020 in America-the-Unready-for-COVID-19. #ShelterinPlace so hospital ICUs aren’t inundated by sick parents, grandparents, immunocompromised friends, etc.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which is the best of the three in this series, and fantasy lovers, this book features more magic than police procedural. Strong character development continues, with focus on Magic Examiner Henri Davenforth, his family, and Royal Mage Sherard.
Detective Jaime Edwards, former FBI agent from Earth, is approaching an ominous anniversary—one that has Davenport, Sherard, and the Kingsmen in helicopter-brothering mode. Jaime’s talking purple cat, Clint Barton, is her comforting cuddler when she has nightmares. Clint is a joy to read about—although Jaime does warn in caps to NOT give him liquor or sugar water. NEVER AGAIN. Plus, per Jaime: ‘“The song that never ends” is hereby BANNED from this house. Clint SANG IT FOR THREE HOURS STRAIGHT.’
In this time of COVID-19, I suggest readers take any science information in this book—including medicine, biology, mycology, pathophysiology, etc.—with a heaping cup of salt. I enjoy the author’s work, but she really needed a good editor, a high school biology teacher, and a medical practitioner to check her “facts.”
Recommended.
Rating: really liked it
This series is just fun. It's set in a sort of parallel universe where Henri Davenforth is the premier Magical Examiner for the Crown. Jamie is an FBI agent from contemporary earth who was magically transported to this world by sorcery. She'd been held, tortured, and 'enhanced magically' until she finally escaped and killed the sorcerer. And now she's stuck here in a world a lot like her own but also very different. Read the first book first for the whole backstory.
In this one, there's a car bombing, which killed a charms maker. Further investigations reveal his charms are substandard -- at best useless, at worst actually dangerous. Pretty quickly they realize there's a whole city worth of suspects -- people who'd bought the anti-sickness charms in good faith to protect a loved one but it made them sicker and they died. Intent on gathering all the bad charms that might be out there, finding the killer soon takes a back seat to dealing with an outbreak of a severe magically enhanced flue in the poorer section of the city.
The world is well drawn, if somewhat idealistic. But I like that the characters, while well rounded, are good people. The rich and powerful, when called upon to help society, have no hesitation in doing so. It's a refreshing change from books where rich usually means corrupt. Mind you; that might grate after a while, so perhaps a binge read would not be advisable.
Rating: really liked it
Solid Second Entry I enjoyed this book, though not as much as the first one. There was a lot of focus on the case, but I felt that way times it became rather repetitive, as characters filled other characters in on things that we the readers were already aware of. I found myself skimming more than once because of this. I would love to see a little more development of the characters as in their personal lives, & I feel that one of the most interesting & original aspects of the book, that is, Jamie being from our world & now stranded on a similar but still quite different world, isn't getting as much attention as I would like. How did Belladonna kidnap people from other worlds, anyway? And what is the point of Jamie's magical core being unstable? I feel like this is a rather big plot point that isn't getting a lot of attention & I could use some illumination. Or at least an understanding of it's relevancy to the plot. Despite those few complaints, I find this series interesting & I have never really read anything quite like it. I intend to continue reading the series & hope that some of the issues I described will be addressed. Bottom line: while I would like a better balance of the mystery with character development & world building, this is a highly original story with a lot of promise, definitely worth checking out. After all, the things that I have found not to my liking might appeal to others.
Rating: really liked it
I just learned of this author through one of my bloggers. Read her first book in this series Magic and the Shinigami Detective, and fell in love with Jamie and Henri. Jamie is an earthling (also an FBI agent) who was pulled into a parallel universe (Draiocht) by an evil witch - Belladonna. In the first book we find out that Jamie was experimented upon and as a result of receiving increased strength as a result, she was able to kill the witch.
The first book in the series found her paired with Henri Davenforth, a Magical Examiner in the Kingston police department. She has been hired as a detective. After solving a case involving stolen magical artifacts in that book, she and her partner now find themselves in charge of a case involving a car bombing murder. Since this is the first such crime in Draiocht, and Jamie is aware of car bombings, unfortunately (lucky earthling), she and Henri find themselves tracking down Powder Monkeys (dynamite handlers) and mechanics. When they find a seeming link to shoddy magical charms which are causing an epidemic (did I mention this is a magical world), they realize they have to solve this puzzle fast.
I really like the world and character building that the author has done, and I can't wait until we have more of this series!
Rating: really liked it
EnjoyableI've read the first two, and they are quite enjoyable.
The format is what's bothering me-- the font is sometimes the only way to tell if it's the cop or the magician speaking. It's supposed to be written formally like the character is writing a novel, but a side effect is I can't tell when the author swaps between the cop and the magician.
I also want my own font and dyslexic readers will for sure suffer.. I didn't even know a book could usurp the font like this.
Also, the second book is better than the first. Honestly the first book was a weird genre-- I would label it as genderbend teen romance and the second one is definitely a supernatural crime solving novel, which is more what I was expecting.
Also, the world building is not what I would call world building. I don't want to spoil anything but there's not much world to explore, just cases to solve.
I keep reading because I enjoy the playful banter between the people and all the references to pop culture. They're fantastic and endearingly quirky in the 'new' world.
Rating: really liked it
Actually 2.5 stars What drags down this otherwise interesting premise is the lead Jamie. She's an FBI agent (guessing late 20's at the earliest), is/was a Detective on earth, spent time in Middle East, and was trained in enduring torture, sharp shooter, - total badass, right? Those are just the 'facts' that are dropped, but her actions are those of a college co-ed on a sugar rush, constantly singing Disney tunes. The narration makes it worse as she (Dallas Boudreaux) honestly sounds like she's late teens and doesn't have much of an emotional range or subtly. It's a shame as the the male narrator (Donovan Hughes) makes Henri a real and believable character. What pushed me over the edge was the scene when the commander of her police station is being yelled at by another precinct commander. The other commander is being a jerk (and is 100% in the wrong) and her commander calmly puts him in his place. Jamie starts clapping - the other commander says she could be charged with insubordination. Her reply - can't help it, my captain is SOOOO cool.
Rating: really liked it
The circumstances may change, but people are all the same.There are few people in this world who catch my sense of humor. My wife (of 50 years on 9/2/22) has learned. She calls it: dry, British, ironic. I rarely meet anyone who "gets it" and most of the time people look at me like they are saying, "Where did THAT come from?". H. Raconteur must be a kindred spirit because her stories are full it (dry, British, ironic humor I mean). Her stories are a mix of mystery, magical, sci/fi, and a few others, but definitely lots of fun and I read for fun (especially these days). In THIS one, you might be able to relate the storyline to current events, but it is not obvious, nor the focus of her writing. A couple things I really like is how men AND women can work well together with respect and friendship flowing both ways, with no strings attached. I also liked that the officials of the kingdom all have the well-being of the people in mind above politics. Thank you H. Raconteur.
Rating: really liked it
Another great read!I've been loving this series so much! It's so wholesome, but also kinda gritty since we're dealing with detective work. This book had higher stakes than the last--lots of people getting sick, hurt, etc. The world building, as always, is excellent. I appreciated how Raconteur highlighted the struggles of poorer people who were dealing with the ramifications of widespread illness and quarantine. And I really liked that the characters with to alleviate that suffering despite all the other things on their plates. It's also a breath of fresh air to not have so many interpersonal conflicts--Henri, Jamie, Sherard, and co. all work together and line each other. There's genuine respect and admiration, though they are all very different. I just love that. It's comforting I guess, especially with the high stakes the characters are dealing with in other areas. Highly recommend this book and series!
Rating: really liked it
Just as fun as the first! I love the world the author has built, and I love this whole trio. (Also can we talk about this amazing title?)
This plot meandered a bit more than the first book, and I feel like we're heading into Ron/Harry/Hermione territory where Jaime might not end up with Henri. Those were the only two disappointing aspects of this installment for me.
But I loved that Henri isn't the most powerful but does amazing things with what he has.
“He’s not powerful, barely above the level of a hedge wizard,” Sherard clarified for me. “What makes him formidable is his intelligence and how craftily he uses his power. He does more with less, and does it with such finesse that he often shames magicians who have three times his power. It’s truly elegant, his spellcraft.”Recommended. Can't wait for the next!
