Early Review – Candle & Crow (Ink & Sigil, Book 3) by Kevin Hearne (3.5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: October 1, 2024
ASIN: B0CR9P8G17
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd and final book in the Ink & Sigil series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley for Review
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
“Al MacBharrais has a most unusual job: He’s a practitioner of ink-and-sigil magic, tasked with keeping order among the gods and monsters that dwell hidden in the human world. But there’s one supernatural mystery he’s never been able to solve: Years ago, someone cast twin curses on him that killed off his apprentices and drove away loved ones who heard him speak, leaving him bereft and isolated.
But he’s not quite alone: As Al works to solve this mystery, his friends draw him into their own eccentric dramas. Buck Foi the hobgoblin has been pondering his own legacy—and has a plan for a daring shenanigan that will make him the most celebrated hobgoblin of all. Nadia, goth queen and battle seer, is creating her own cult around a god who loves whisky and cheese.
And the Morrigan, a former Irish death goddess, has decided she wants not only to live as an ordinary woman but also to face the most perilous challenge of the mortal world: online dating.
Meanwhile, Al crosses paths with old friends and new—including some beloved Druids and their very good dogs—in his globe-trotting quest to solve the mystery of his curses. But he’s pulled in so many different directions by his colleagues, a suspicious detective, and the whims of destructive gods that Al begins to wonder: Will he ever find time to write his own happy ending?”
Series Info/Source: This is the third (and final) book in the Ink & Sigil series. I got an eGalley of this to review from NetGalley.
Thoughts: I waffled between 3 and 4 stars for this one. I am happy the series is complete and liked how it wrapped up most of the bigger plot elements. However, the pacing was really inconsistent for this book, and I felt like some plot elements were introduced just to be quickly wrapped up.
Al MacBharrais is finally going to be able to hunt down the source of his curse. However, woven into this mystery are many other side plots. Buck Foi is trying to obtain his glory. Nadia is creating a cult. Pleasure yachts are going missing. Morrigan is trying to covert to life as an ordinary woman.
As you can tell from the synopsis, this is one heck of a scattered book. Some of these plot elements were introduced in previous books, but some are new to this book and really felt unnecessary. Everything was put together in a disjointed way that had us jumping from one plot to another. This made it feel like there was a checklist of plot elements that needed to be wrapped up rather than a cohesive story. The story was all over the place, which is a pity because I really loved the first book in this series.
I do enjoy the quirky characters in this series and the cameos by Granuile and the Iron Druid (who has changed names again). There is some good humor in here and I enjoy that Al is an older protagonist. I also continue to enjoy Sigil magic, although I felt like that really took a backseat in this book. I do think everything was wrapped up in a satisfactory, if scattered, way.
My Summary (3.5/5): Overall I am glad I finished this series but somewhat disappointed in this final book. It felt like too many new plot lines were introduced, and then there were too many plot lines to follow to get everything wrapped up in this book. I continue to love the characters here. I have found Hearne’s books (aside from the Iron Druid Chronicles) to be very hit and miss. I plan to keep an eye on future books he writes, but am unsure at this point if I will pick them up to read.
