3 out of 5 stars.
I would like to thank Curiosity Quills Press for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an open and honest review.
Okay, I have some mixed feelings about this book. I love the concept of the series, I’ve enjoyed most of it… but I have to say it almost turned into a DNF due to the amount of internalising and inner monologue that took place at the beginning of the book.
I mean, I was up to (I think) chapter eight – almost a quarter of the way into the book – before they stopped taking turns internalising about how they all felt and someone actually got on with the story. Those of you who read my review of the first Actuator story will know I’m not a fan of the constant and over the top internal monologue about feelings and all that. Not in an Urban Fantasy story.
So, yeah, I found it a struggle to get into this book. I was determined to read it though as I had committed myself to the task for Curiosity Quills. And, thankfully, things smoothed out after a while and the story actually did get going. And once it did, it was worth the struggle to get through the first part of the book.
We got back to the hunt for the keys, the diverse and detailed different segments to the world and the ways people interacted within them. That was worth the wait as it was what I had been looking for and what makes the story so good.
Though, and no spoilers intended, I found it very easy to see where the book was going, who was doing what and all that. There were one or two minor surprises… but the rest was pretty apparent.
Would I recommend this book for others?
Despite the mildly negative constructive criticism given above – yes I would. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: this is a story with great potential and those who read the first book (and the 1.5 anthology) should read this book too.
Would I buy this book for myself?
Possibly, but it’s still too early into the series to commit space on my virtual or physical bookshelves for it. For now, it is still at ‘library book’ level of interest. As in, I would enjoy grabbing it from the library and reading it… but not really sure I want to own it yet.
In summary: Once you get past the inner monologue maelstrom at the front of the book, the rest is worth a read and is a good continuation of the series. I do love how it incorporated some of the anthologies into it too. It’s an entertaining series (but that might be the RPGer in me) and I do recommend people give it a look.
Until next time,
Janis. XXOO
Janis's Journal 