Early Review – Ink & Sigil (Ink & Sigil, Book 1) by Kevin Hearne (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 336 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: August 25, 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1984821256
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in Ink & Sigil series (part of the Iron Druid Chronicles world)
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Al MacBharrais is both blessed and cursed. He is blessed with an extraordinary white moustache, an appreciation for craft cocktails—and a most unique magical talent. He can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and he uses his gifts to protect our world from rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae.
But he is also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will begin to feel an inexplicable hatred for Al, so he can only communicate through the written word or speech apps. And his apprentices keep dying in peculiar freak accidents. As his personal life crumbles around him, he devotes his life to his work, all the while trying to crack the secret of his curse.
But when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead in his Glasgow flat, Al discovers evidence that Gordie was living a secret life of crime. Now Al is forced to play detective—while avoiding actual detectives who are wondering why death seems to always follow Al. Investigating his apprentice’s death will take him through Scotland’s magical underworld, and he’ll need the help of a mischievous hobgoblin if he’s to survive.”
Series Info/Source: I got this as an eGalley from NetGalley for review. This is the first book in the new Ink & Sigil series. This series is set in the same world as the Iron Druid Chronicles but some time after that series.
Story (5/5): I loved the idea of Sigil Agents and enjoyed being introduced to Al MacBharrais’s world. In addition to Al’s fascinating day to day life there is an excellent mystery here that encompasses the strange deaths of many of his apprentices and a curse placed on Al himself. There is also a more contained mystery involving fae trafficking, which Al’s most recently deceased apprentice Gordie was involved in. I love urban fantasies that have a contained mystery/story that is solved in one volume but also have an overarching story that carries across multiple volumes.
Characters (5/5): I was a bit skeptical that I would like and engage with an “old-man” character but found myself pleasantly surprised. I loved Al; he is capable and humorous and has a lot of depth as a character. I really enjoyed the hobgoblin he contracted and his bad-ass battle goddess office manager, Nadia. The characters in here are fun and interesting and just a hoot to read about. I loved them all and they were incredibly well done. We also have run-ins with characters from the Iron Druid Chronicles and it was intriguing to see them from a different point of view.
Setting (5/5): I loved the world of the Iron Druid Chronicles so it’s no surprise that I continue to love this world. Here we see this complex world of gods, goddesses, and different realities through a slightly different viewpoint…that of a Sigil Agent. This is an intricate and well thought world that I absolutely love!
Writing Style (5/5): This book is engaging, well-paced, and very easy to read. The writing flows seamlessly and I love how the mystery of Gordie’s fae trafficking is blended seamlessly with the mystery around Al’s curse and his constantly dying apprentices. I always enjoy Hearne’s writing style but feel like this book was even more polished and well written than previous books in his Iron Druid Chronicles.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I ended up absolutely adoring this book. I think I like it even better than the Iron Druid Chronicles so far. I approached this a bit tentatively but I shouldn’t have. I loved the characters, the mystery and the idea behind the sigil agents. This was so much fun and so well put together, I can’t wait to read more books in this series!
