Category: Urban Fantasy Page 1 of 44

DETAILS:
Series: InCryptid, #15
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: March 10, 2026
Format: eARC
Length: 432 pg.
Read Date: February 23-24, 2026

Huh. Didn’t see that coming.

The InCryptid series is really a series of small arcs featuring a particular narrator before we move on to the next. Back in 2020 and 2021, we got an arc featuring Sarah Zellaby. Then we moved on to a pair of books focusing on Alice and then two on Aunt Mary.

But whoops–we’re not actually done with Sarah’s arc. It wasn’t a duology after all; it was a trilogy, and McGuire’s back to tie everything up.

I didn’t think we needed that. But now I see how much we did and how the series as a whole is better for it.

So, What is Butterfly Effects About?

So, we’d learned in Sarah’s books that the Johrlac on Earth (and in the wake of destruction they’d left behind) aren’t Johrlac-proper, they’re a bunch who’d been ejected from their home world for being as awful as we’d thought. These cuckoos were practically a separate species at this point, and most of what people on Earth knew about the cuckoos or Johrlac was horribly wrong.

And basically, everyone had moved on–it didn’t matter anymore, because there were only a handful left on Earth and Sarah had removed the ticking genetic time-bombs from them.

Except…the Johrlac are a really uptight bunch and once they saw what Sarah had done, they came to Earth and arrested her to be tried for crimes against Johrlac law. They also kidnapped Arthur to be used as State’s Exhibit A in the show trial, right out of the Edo of Rubicun III vs. Wesley Crusher on “Justice.”

Back on Earth, Annie and Alice get word of this, so they grab Thomas and use some of Alice’s remaining travel spells and inter-dimensional know-how to launch a rescue mission (and Sam insists on coming along).

And things get interesting from there…

We Sing It Anyway

I almost never discuss the novellas packaged with McGuire novels–and I’m not going to do that this time, either. Primarily because it’s solely “here’s what happens because of the novels conclusion next.” So to really talk about it would be to talk about the last half-chapter of the novel in detail.

So why am I talking about it at all? Just because I’m sure some readers are like me and don’t always read the novellas. Don’t skip this one. Trust me.

Why did I pick this up? Why did I keep reading?

I grabbed this because I’ve been on board for this series since the beginning.

Why did I keep reading? Pretty much everything I have said–or am about to say–about the book. I wasn’t prepared for McGuire to revisit this storyline, and I enjoyed getting to see what she was up to. I thought the world of the Johrlac was utterly fascinating–and watching the chaos that follows Annie, Sarah, and Alice as they interact with it was as entertaining as it could be.

What does this book tell us about humanity?

That’s the tricky thing, isn’t it? Given this series, I’m going to have to broaden this idea to “people” or “persons.” Also, a good part of it is about just how non-human some of these people can be.

Yet there’s something that humans and other non-human species can relate to in the middle of all the otherness.

(also, McGuire’s a human and all of her species are going to reflect that in some way, it can’t be helped)

The culture of the Johrlac is all about the collective–but there are several individuals expressing themselves (and we can assume some others we don’t encounter) in various and sundry ways. Most of these individual expressions are small–insignificant, really. But you get enough insignificant acts, and something noticeable can happen.

That’s one of the main things this book is about. While collectives–like both the Johrlac or the Price-Healys–are important, and together can accomplish great feats. It’s the individuals involved in them, and their interests and strengths, that make the collectives powerful.

So, what did I think about Butterfly Effects?

This is one of the better books in this series lately. I do worry that we’re becoming too dependent on the Annie/Sam/Alice/Thomas antics to the detriment of the others. But also? I don’t care, because I like Annie/Sam/Alice/Thomas, and everyone else is busy raising kids, so I prefer them out of danger.

The story took a lot of twists and turns that keep you on your toes. Not just on your toes, either, there are a few outright surprises. Some of those surprises come from the fact that the main action of this novel isn’t on Earth, and our friends don’t have to pull their punches so they can stay under the radar. Annie and her fire can do a whole lot when given the chance.

But this isn’t all danger, twists, and fire–there’s a lot of fun to be had on this alien world. It’s so strange that you just can’t help but have fun.

Action, heart, and plenty of smiles. This series shines brightest when McGuire brings these elements to the forefront. Butterfly Effects is proof of that.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post which contains my honest opinion—thanks to both for this.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Oberon’s Bathtime Stories by Kevin Hearne: The Canine Dynamo Will Spark Joy, Mark My Words!

By HCNewton

On December 26, 2025

In Dogs, Fiction, Iron Druid Chronicles, Kevin Hearne, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Oberon’s Bathtime Stories

by Kevin Hearne

DETAILS:
Series: Iron Druid Chronicles/Oberon’s Meaty Mysteries
Publisher: Horned Lark Press
Publication Date: April 8, 2025
Format: Paperback
Length: 127 pg.
Read Date: December 19, 2025

What’s Oberon’s Bathtime Stories About?

So, whenever Oberon—the Iron Druid’s Irish Wolfhound—gets a bath, he gets told a story so he’ll put up with it long enough to get clean. This is something we’ve known since the first book, and it continues in Atticus’ (largely undocumented) adventures and life post-Scourged.

This is a collection of those stories—eleven of them plus something a little different. The outline is simple—Oberon and/or his buddy Starbuck engage in some sort of shenanigans or misadventure. Atticus cleans them up, telling them a story about meeting some famous person—usually with a point/lesson—then the dogs get the zoomies and take a nap.

These people range from the Visigoth King Alaric to John Quincy Adams, from Corrie Ten Boom to Robert Johnson, and so on.

A Break in the Pattern

There’s one exception to this pattern—chapter 5, “The Triple Nonfat Double Bacon Five-Cheese Mocha.” Features Oberon prompting Atticus into action. It’s nothing major—it’s just a brief 17 page story, after all. But it’s the kind of thing that would take up part of an early chapter in an Iron Druid novel.

It was good to have this break, so everything wasn’t just the same. It was also fun to see the Iron Druid in action, knowing that he’s still got it in him.

So, what did I think about Oberon’s Bathtime Stories?

This was fun—some good light entertainment. Not quite as satisfying as a dog would find a belly rub, but probably a good series of scritches behind the ear.

I do think Hearne got a little preachy a time or two—both in the selection of subject and how he told their story, particularly Atticus’ lessons for Oberon and Starbuck. I don’t particularly take umbrage with his messages, just the delivery. Not so much umbrage that I didn’t immediately turn the page to the next story—I’m just using this excuse to say umbrage a few times.

If you’re a fan of the Iron Druid Chronicles and this somehow slipped by your radar, you’re going to want to invest the time. It’s absolutely worth it. If the idea of stories featuring historical figures told to a dog, and you haven’t read the IDC, you’ll likely still enjoy it. Hearne’s got a reliable charm.

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw: I Wonder if My Insurance Would Cover This Specialty

By HCNewton

On December 18, 2025

In Fiction, Urban Fantasy

Strange Practice

by Vivian Shaw

DETAILS:
Series: Dr. Greta Helsing, #1
Publisher: Orbit
Publication Date: July 25, 2017
Format: Paperback
Length: 353 pg.
Read Date: December 8-9. 2025

“But,” Cranswell had said, “what about the killing people thing? In all the books and movies?”

“Well, really,” Ruthven had told him, looking rather tired, “don’t you think it’d sort of attract public attention, all these random individuals dropping dead of sudden blood loss? Any vampire who kills when he or she feeds is a vampire with some rather significant impulse-control problems, plus I’m not even sure it would be comfortably possible to down that many pints of the stuff in one go. Even if you don’t have access to blood from a bank, it’s much easier and wiser to take a small amount from several individuals than drain one person to the point of death, and far less likely to get you noticed by people with the pitchfork-and-torch mentality.”

Cranswell had blinked at him. “That…actually kind of makes sense.”

“Exactly, which is why nobody suspects it.”

What’s Strange Practice About?

Greta Helsing is a doctor with a very particular specialty. Yes, she’s one of those Helsings–somewhere along the line they dropped the “Van.” Like her father before her, Greta treats the supernatural denizens of London from all sorts of ills–colds, chest congestion, infants with ear infections, drinking poisoned blood, keeping mummies’ bodies together, stuff like that. Routine–but strange, too.

Then a serial killer starts terrorizing the city, eventually attacking a vampyre–viciously. And it wasn’t just one, but it was a group dressed in monks’ robes. Greta has to work hard to keep him “undead.” The nature of the attack and the injuries make it clear to Greta and a vampire* that her patient sought help from that this was a deliberate strike at a supernatural being. And an organized group with weapons targeting her patients? Greta has to look into that–and maybe see if she can do something about that.

* Yes, there are apparently differences between the sanguivores spelled with an “i” and with a “y.” Also, I love the term sanguivore.

Tone

Having determined that this is something I want to talk about, I realize that I’m having a hard time explaining it. But here’s what I can come up with.

The voice here isn’t typical of UF—it’s not cozy by any means, but it’s warm. It’s snark-free, but not overly serious. The characters largely treat each other like old friends—functionally family—and that atmosphere permeates the novel.

You could almost make the case for this being cozy—but what the villains of the piece do break every rule of cozy—whether we’re talking cozy fantasy or cozy murder mystery. This coziness doesn’t carry over to the acts of violence perpetrated by the monks, nothing is softened here—but the humanity of the response (whether it be a human, vampire/vampyre, or other doing the responding) comes through.

The subtle use of a Monty Python bit took me by surprise and made me chuckle audibly. Several things in the book struck me similarly (but not that audibly).

Reading List

Something one of the sanguivores says made me curious, so I went to Duck Duck Go, and yup…they were a literary character. As was nearly every named character in the book*—or, like Greta, a descendant of one.

I rather enjoyed this—and were I someone at all interested in Victorian horror, this book would provide a nice little reading list. Now, I am curious to compare Shaw’s depictions of these characters with the originals—but I’m not that curious (yet?). But I can think of a few friends who would be, I’m hoping they do after I get them to read this one so they can save me the time/effort.

* I really should’ve looked up the others—I guess I’ll have to do that while reading Book 2, Dreadful Company.

So, what did I think about Strange Practice?

“You are not human,” she said at last, “but you are people. All of you. The ghouls, the mummies, the sanguivores, the weres, the banshees, the wights, the bogeys, everyone who comes to me for help, everyone who trusts me to provide it. You are all people, and you all deserve medical care, no matter what you do or have done, and you deserve to be able to seek and receive that care without putting yourselves in jeopardy. What I do is necessary, and while it isn’t in the slightest bit easy, it is also the thing I want to do more than anything else in the world.”

I was a little taken aback initially—somewhere between being hand-sold this book (14 months ago) and starting it, I’d gotten the idea that it took place in the late 1800s. When I opened it and was confronted with a very 21st Century setting on the first page, that both threw me (and relieved me, I wasn’t that sure I was up for that setting, really). I was a little disoriented for the first chapter or so, but Shaw got me settled quickly and engaged me in the tale a lot quicker than I anticipated.

That engagement didn’t falter—it only grew. I devoured the book and was very happy about it throughout—okay, I wasn’t at all happy about what happened to a couple of characters, places, etc. at the end. But by that time it was too late, I’d already added Book 2 to my “To Buy” list and was invested in the outcome of Strange Practice, and more invested in a character or two than I’d expect for only having spent less than one novel with them.. The plot is pretty straightforward, but we’re given a couple of good twists to keep the reader on their toes—and one inevitable move proved very not-inevitable.

This is a great world that Shaw has given us, populated with the kind of characters you want to see. The fact that our protagonist—and her allies—are focused on healing, improving, the safety and well-being of everyone they come across* gives this book (and will give future books) a different feel than your typical PI/fighter/instrument of justice Urban Fantasy alone. It’s a nice change, and I look forward to seeing where the series goes.

If you’re looking for a fun and atypical Urban Fantasy with a nice classic horror twist, you’re going to want to give this a shot. You’ll be glad you did.

* If you assume that a vampire/vampyre can feed off a human without impinging on their well-being.

Gnomes of Lychford by Paul Cornell: End Gnomesploitation Now!

By HCNewton

On October 27, 2025

In Fiction, Paul Cornell, Urban Fantasy

Gnomes of Lychford

by Paul Cornell

DETAILS:
Series: Witches of Lychford, #6
Publisher: Tor
Publication Date: September 9, 2025
Format: eBook
Length: 160 pg.
Read Date: September 19-20, 2025

Autumn quickly filled in some gaps in her knowledge of supernatural beings. “They’re usually incredibly laid-back. What do they want?”

Lizzie read from the leaflet. “They demand that ‘the old promise must be kept,’ whatever that means. That ‘crude depictions of their bodies and culture’ must cease—”

“Do they mean—?”

“Garden gnomes.”

“Around here, that’s a big ask.”

What’s Gnomes of Lychford About?

The people of Lychford have a new challenge facing them—podcasters.

Yes, that’s right—after the events of the last book, rumors have started spreading about Lychford. They’ve caught the attention of podcasters who love debunking supernatural urban legends and the like. So they’re wandering around, asking questions that no one wants to answer.

And they’re not the worst thing facing the citizenry. They’ve annoyed the Gnomes, too. And they have demands. Not only do they have demands, but these tiny aggressors have the ability to back up their threats. If only any of the humans in Lychford could understand the demands (other than the ones about the garden gnomes).

The Gnomes

The gnome king was about half a metre tall, and wore a golden, ceremonial version of the work apron and tool belt she’d seen on a lot of gnomes; plus, of course, more facial hair than seemed feasible. His little blue eyes peered from a mass of it like he was a particularly perplexed beagle. His name, oddly to Autumn’s ears, was Greg. That was bound to happen from time to time, though. The chosen names of other races would sometimes seem very like human ones.

These gnomes are ridiculous; their threats, however, aren’t. And they seem to be able to follow through with them. You can easily bounce between chuckling at them and then being glad they don’t really exist.

Cornell shows us this new race and new world in a very economical fashion—he spent book after book setting up everything else for us (that’s not a complaint), and he does almost as good a job in this book in just a few pages. Sure, a lot of that is building on the foundation from those other books—but not all of it.

So not only did I enjoy his gnomes and gnomish culture—I’m impressed by how he gave it to us.

So, what did I think about Gnomes of Lychford?

I’m worried about her. And I’m worried about her dropping the ball. When ‘the ball’ might be, I don’t know, the universe.”

One of the best parts of this series has been its awareness that this is a somewhat silly idea, but Cornell’s largely addressed it in a serious way. And that combination works well. It’s done particularly well in this volume—better than in some of the earlier works. There’s a strong stream of comedy throughout—but the dangers to the town are never a joke, and everyone treats them accordingly.

I do not like the way Lizzie was handled here—in almost any way. From the way she’s dealing with her romantic issues to the way she reacted during the crisis, it didn’t feel like her—she was the reader’s entry point to this world, and for her to be so off puts a dampener on a lot of the book. Her inner monologue about faith and comfort, I should add, was fantastic.

That said—just about every other thing made up for it. The town meetings—just great. The town’s involvement in everything else, too—and the way the events of the previous book clearly altered things (for many) are just cool to see. The discovery that there’s more supernatural activity (and connections with humans) in Lychford was a great bonus. The Gnomes and Gnomish culture—again—just fantastic. I worried about the podcaster idea at the beginning, but I really came around to it. The return of Zoya and her daughter was wonderful to see—I’d honestly (sadly) forgotten all about them, and getting the memory jogged was wonderful. The out-of-nowhere love story worked so well, too; it just charmed me no end.

Basically, aside from Lizzie, this was just great (and her stuff wasn’t bad, per se, just disappointing).

I always enjoy a quick visit to Lychford, and this is one of the better—you’d do yourself a favor if you picked up this series. I look forward to the new direction it seems to be taking.

4 Stars

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire: Toby’s Up to Her Old Tricks, with Some New Complications

By HCNewton

On October 8, 2025

In Fiction, K-O, Seanan McGuire, Toby Daye, Urban Fantasy

Silver and Lead

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #19
Publisher: Tor Books
Publication Date: September 30, 2025
Format: eARC
Length: 400 pg.
Read Date: September 5-8, 2025

What’s Silver and Lead About?

Queen Arden has a task for her hero–and she’s more than happy to take it on. During the recent…whatever you want to call what Titania did, several items were removed from the royal vaults. Dangerous items, naturally. Now, Arden had wanted to wait until Toby had given birth and recovered before sending her to find them. But at least one of the items has been used, and someone is dead. She can’t put it off any longer.

Toby’s tired, fed up, and annoyed by basically being under house arrest because of her worried husband during the last few months of her pregnancy. Yes, Tybalt’s worries are understandable, but he’s maybe gone a little too far. Toby’s glad for the excuse to get to work, and promises she’ll be extra careful. (Any guesses how that goes and how cooperative the people she’s looking for are going to be?)

Quentin–whose identity seems to be the worst-kept secret in all of Faerie–sticks with her every step of the way. This adventure brings us across many old friends and allies and reminds us of one old enemy.

Oh, I forgot to mention, before any of this happens, everyone’s favorite Sea Witch has a request–both sweet and terrifying–for Toby before any of this business with Arden starts.

All in all, this is not the way most people spend the last couple of weeks of their pregnancy. But of course, Toby wouldn’t do it any other way, and her readers expect no less.

Aftershocks

While we are not looking directly at what Titania did in these pages, we’re looking at the aftermath. We’re also learning a little bit about how her plan didn’t completely work. But I’m going to gloss over that (but you’re going to want to stop and muse about it while reading).

Quentin is trying to wrap his mind around the version of himself he saw and remembers, and cannot stand it. He’s overcompensating—and you can’t blame him for that—when he’s not letting it interfere with his thinking in the present.

Some of the ramifications of Titania’s work are seen in the motivations behind this novel’s primary villain. This doesn’t justify their actions (they’d have likely found another way to justify things), but it gives us an idea of all the unintended consequences of her re-write of Faerie. (unintended, but she probably wouldn’t care).

I really appreciate this–we’re not primarily concerned with her, nor have we just gotten a “it’s been a few months, stuff happened, life goes on” kind of thing. Faerie learned a lot about itself, they found some messes that need to be cleaned up. Yes, life goes on, but it’s different and will continue to be for a while.

So, what did I think about Silver and Lead?

So after a few novels with big, world-changing events at their core, it’s nice to get back to the bread-and-butter kind of novel. Yes, the stakes are important. Yes, there are life-and-death situations all around—and if Toby fails, it will mean bad things. But it won’t be the end of the world.

One of the advantages of a long-running series like this is that you can pluck a (seemingly?) random someone from an early novel, dust them off, and have them play a major role in the current book. Which is great—it also means that every random someone has the potential of being important. McGuire used that well in Silver and Lead.

While I enjoyed Raysel’s use here, I’m a little afraid that she’s being given some short-shrift overall, and the interesting storyline that seemed to have kicked off for her in Be the Serpent will end more with more of a whimper than it should. (Hopefully, this means that McGuire has something really big cooking).

Early on in the reading, I texted a friend, “a very pregnant Toby is fun.” She really is—and just as it was good to get back to a smaller stakes plot, it’s nice to be with the characters again, adapting to/preparing for this new stage of life.

McGuire’s humor and willingness to put her characters through the wringer for the entertainment of her audience shine forth. Toby’s determination (read: near-uncompromising stubbornness), grit, and humanity are on display for all. Tybalt and May are Tybalt and May (always good), and Quentin continues to develop into quite the man. The Luidaeg was fantastically used—particularly at the beginning. It was also good to see the rest of the cast, and I’m looking forward to seeing what life is like for Sir Mommy Daye.

Fans will be pleased with this one, and it might draw in a few new ones. Silver and Lead is just what we needed after the last arc.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Tor Publishing Group via NetGalley—thanks to both for this. Sorry it’s up late, it’s been one of those months.

4 Stars

REPOSTING JUST ‘CUZ: Instruction in Shadow by Benedict Jacka: Second Verse, Same as the First (in a good way)

By HCNewton

On September 29, 2025

In Authors, Benedict Jacka, F-J, Fiction, Stephen Oakwood, Urban Fantasy

An Instruction in Shadow

by Benedict Jacka

DETAILS:
Series: Stephen Oakwood, #2
Publisher: Ace Books
Publication Date: October 15, 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 310 pg. 
Read Date: December 9-11, 2024

What’s An Instruction in Shadow About?

This picks up mere hours after An Inheritance of Magic, and Stephen is feeling pretty good about himself. His job is going okay, he’s continuing to improve in his magic, he’s got a good lead when it comes to his father’s location—sure, things with his mother weren’t quite what he’d hoped for. But she left the door open to further communication.

And it doesn’t take long for things to start going wrong—but nothing disastrous.

The best way to summarize this book is to say that: everything from the last book continues along the same trajectory, but gets harder. This means nothing if you haven’t read that book, but you really should (at the very least, go check out my post about it). Among the ways that happens—a cult (or cult-like group) tries to recruit him, an assassin makes an (almost successful) attempt on his life, he gets suspended from work, and he runs afoul of a group of Russian criminals.

Worst of all, Stephen gets in deeper with his mother’s family.

The World and Its Magic System

We don’t learn much more about sigl work or Wells—we see more examples of what we’ve already seen at work, but that’s about it. Alright, we get to see what medical sigls can do, so that’s new.

What we get more of-—and it’s just the tip of the iceberg, I’m sure–is insight into the families and companies that run the sigl economy and Well markets. If there are ethics governing them in any way, shape, or form, Stephen hasn’t shown them to us. It’s all about power, manipulation, and things that happen under the table and behind the scenes. It’s both unthinkable that things operate in this fashion in the 21st century—and somehow the part of the book that seems the least fictional or fantastic.

Much of this comes from an info drop or two—but they’re worked into the narrative perfectly. They’re neither disruptive to the overall story nor are they clunky exposition.

So, what did I think about An Instruction in Shadow?

Let me start with this: I would happily read books 3 and 4 in this series in the next couple of months, and still be eager for more. The more we see about this world—and the more questions we have raise, the more I want to learn and see.

Am I a little worried about the arc that Jacka is suggesting for Stephen? Yes. Am I also almost certain that the arc won’t go the way it looks, and that there’s nothing to worry about? Yes.

I really just want more of it—-I am not certain that I care too much about the whole “where’s Stephen’s dad” part of the overall story, but I’m pretty sure that I don’t need to, because the series has been inevitably moving in that direction since the beginning, and when the time comes, I’ll get invested.

But Jacka has got me sitting on the edge of my seat when it comes to everything else. I want to see more of how this economy works—on the legitimate side, the illegitimate side, and then the murky overlap. I want to understand how Stephen is going to operate and keep his head above water in it. He’s not just a MacGuffin, but he kind of feels that way right now.

I’m feeling really inarticulate when it comes to this series—and this installment in particular. Everything I said about the first one is still true. We really just got more of what he’d already given, so my position and thoughts are pretty much the same, too.

I did think that despite his struggles and the aforementioned almost successful assassination, things went a little too easy for Stephen this time. I’d have liked a failure or two. Or at least another draw or two. Even when things were at their hardest for him in this book, he found a way to turn the oncoming defeat into a victory. I typically really appreciate that kind of thing (obviously), but I had very little doubt each time that Stephen was going to come out on top. I just want a little more suspense and doubt on that front. But this wasn’t a major distraction or detraction—it’d just be good for Stephen’s life to be seen as difficult as he sees it.

Also, one of the better parts of An Inheritance of Magic was watching the trial and error Stephen went through—it was very effective in terms of character development and showing us the way sigls work. Give me more of that and I’m happy.

Again—I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am eager to read more. I just wanted it to be a teeny bit better.

If you’re into inventive UF, there’s no better time than now to jump on this series—I think you’ll be as invested in getting more as I am.

4 Stars

REPOSTING JUST CUZ: An Inheritance of Magic by Benedict Jacka: I Cannot Recall the Last Time I was This Excited about a New UF Series

By HCNewton

On September 29, 2025

In Benedict Jacka, Stephen Oakwood, Urban Fantasy

An Inheritance of Magic

by Benedict Jacka

DETAILS:
Series: Stephen Oakwood, #1
Publisher: Ace Books
Publication Date: October 10, 2023
Format: eARC
Length: 384 pg.
Read Date: September 22-26, 2023

This is Hard

I want to limit my comparisons between this new series and Jacka’s previous series to just one section—but that’s not going to happen. It makes sense, I suppose. It’s Jacka’s first non-Alex Verus book (other than the two hard-to-find children’s novels), so comparisons are inevitable, but I don’t want to turn this into an X vs. Y situation.

I will say at the outset, that if it wasn’t for the name on the cover, I don’t know that I’d have known they had the same author—so that tells you something about the comparisons. (except in quality—this is definitely up to the standards Jacka has established)

What’s An Inheritance of Magic About?

This is tricky. The Author’s Note at the beginning of the book tells us that this book is an introduction to the series. We are introduced to the world, the characters, the magic, and so on. Yes, there is a plot—a handful, actually—but the main point is for us to get oriented.

Basically, we meet Stephen—he’s roughly 20 and is fairly aimless. He doesn’t have the money (or, really, ambition) to go to University. He bounces from temp job to temp job, hangs out at his local with his friends regularly, takes care of his cat, and works on his magic in his spare time. It’s his real passion, but he doesn’t do much with it.

Then one day, some distant relatives that he’s never heard of come into his life (it’d be too complicated to list the reasons they give, and I think they’re half-truths at best, anyway). Suddenly, Stephen is thrown into a dangerous, high-stakes world of money and power—and he’s just a pawn to be used in the games of his “family” (and by family, I mean people that 23andMe would identify as relatives, but he’s never been in contact with or aware of for his entire existence). He’s a relatively unimportant pawn at that. He’s sort of grateful for that as he realizes it—but he’d have been happier if they never bothered him in the first place. Happier and with significantly fewer bruises.

However, through their machinations, he’s introduced to new levels of magic society and ways that the magic in this world works. Best of all he finds ways that he can be employed and use his magic—the best of both worlds. Sure, his friends don’t get it (not that he tells many of them, because he prefers that they think he’s sane), but he’s bringing in enough money to live and he’s getting stronger and more capable.

The World and Its Magic System

So, where the Alex Verus series was about one man and his friends/allies trying to navigate (and survive) the politics and power of the magical society in England (largely), at this point the Stephen Oakwood series appears to be about one man making his way (and hopefully surviving) the money and power of a different sort magical society—and it’s intersection with the non-magical world. We’re not just talking Econ 101 kind of stuff here—Stephen’s family appears to be some of the 1% of the 1% and there are huge multi-national corporations involved here with defense contracts to governments all over the world.

Basically, Alex had an easier place to navigate.

Most of the magic that’s used in this world comes from sigils—physical objects created from various kinds of energy wells (earth magic, life magic, light magic, and so on) to do particular tasks (shine a light, augment strength, heal minor wounds, etc.). There are likely bigger and better things along those lines (hence defense contracts), but that should give you an idea. The overwhelming number of these sigils are pumped out by some sort of industrial companies and are only good for a limited amount of time.

Stephen was taught (by his father, and by himself) to make sigils on his own—his are individualized, artisanal kinds of things. Think of a sweater you get from some hobbyist off of Etsy vs. the kind of thing you can get for much less at Walmart or on Wish—quality that lasts vs. cheap and disposable. He also reverse engineers almost all of his sigils—he sees something in a catalog (no, really, this is how people get their sigils for personal use) or in use and tries to figure out how such a thing will work and then sets out to create one.

I don’t know where Jacka is going to go with all of this, obviously. But I love this setup.

Alex and Stephen

It wasn’t until I was just about done with the book that I finally figured out what Alex and Stephen had in common—which is odd, it was staring me in the face for most of the novel. But before that, I really wouldn’t have said they had much in common at all.

Stephen is our entry point to this world, and he only knows a little bit about it so as he learns, so does the reader. Alex pretty much knew everything that was going on in his world, so he had to catch the reader up—or he could help Luna understand something (and make it easier for the reader to learn that way). Stephen has to learn almost everything by getting someone to teach him, or through trial and error—either way, the reader is along for the ride and learns with him.

Similarly, Stephen’s really just starting to get the knack of his abilities where Alex was already a pro—sure he had more to learn (and his power increased), but Stephen’s not even a rookie, really when things get going.

Stephen had a loving and supportive father growing up, a strong group of friends, and experience outside the area of magic users—something we never got a strong idea that Alex ever had. Alex had trauma and hardships behind him—Stephen doesn’t. So their personalities, outlooks, etc. are very different from the outset.

It’s not really that shocking that the protagonists of two different series wouldn’t be that similar. And yet…we’ve all read a second or third series from an author with a protagonist that’s just a variation of their initial breakout character. So it’s good to see that Jacka’s able to make that transition between his two series—it gives you hope for what he’s going to do in the future.

Oh, what did I finally realize the two characters shared? They watch and learn. Alex does it because that’s essentially what his abilities were—he could sift through the various futures and decide what to do based on that. Stephen just doesn’t know enough about anything so he has to sit and observe—and from there he can decide how to act. But where others will try to think first and act second, Stephen and Alex watch first—and for a long time—before they think and then act. It’s something not enough characters (especially in Urban Fantasy) seem to spend much time doing. So I’m glad to see it.

So, what did I think about An Inheritance of Magic?

I am just so excited about this series. I didn’t know how Jacka could successfully follow up the Verus series. I trusted he would, because he’s earned that over the last decade—but, I didn’t expect that I’d respond so positively so soon.

We need to start with Stephen’s spunky attitude—with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder due to his circumstances in life (that grows to a degree as he learns how much he and his father missed out on and starts to guess why)—is a real winner. He’s got a gritty (in an Angela Duckworth sense, not Raymond Chandler or William Gibson sense) outlook, is generally optimistic—and can even be funny—all the attributes you want in an underdog.

Then there’s the world-building that I tried to sketch out above—and did a not-wholly-inadequate job of. I want to know more about it—and figure increased familiarity is just going to make me more curious.

I have so many questions about the family members who’ve inserted themselves in Stephen’s life related to their motivations, trustworthiness (I suspect at least one will turn out to be an ally, however temporary), goals, and abilities. I have those questions about Stephen’s guides and allies—and think at least one of them is going to turn on him in a devastating way (thankfully, he doesn’t trust most of them completely). There’s also this priest who keeps assigning him theological work to study. Some good theology, too. I don’t fully know where this is going—but I’m dying to find out.

Are we going to get a Big Bad—or several—for Stephen to face off against? Or is this simply going to be about a series of obstacles Stephen has to overcome until he can carve out an okay existence for himself? Is this about Stephen becoming one of those 1% and the corruption of his character that will necessitate?

I’m not giving this a full 5 stars mostly because of the introductory nature of the book—also because I want to be able to say that book 2 or 3 is an improvement over this (which I fully expect). But that says more about me and my fussy standards than it does about this book. I loved it, and am filled with nothing but anticipation for the sequel/rest of the series. It’s entirely likely that as this series wraps up that we’re going to talk about the Alex Verus series as Jacka with his training wheels on.

I’m now in danger of over-hyping. Also, I’m going to just start repeating laudatory ideas. Urban Fantasy readers need to get on this now.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

4 1/2 Stars

Catching Up with Toby Daye

By HCNewton

On September 18, 2025

In Fiction, Seanan McGuire, Toby Daye, Urban Fantasy

I’ve been thinking about this post since September of 2022, I just knew I couldn’t write about Be the Serpent without seeing what McGuire did next—my mind wouldn’t let me decide what I thought about it until then. And then after Sleep No More, I had to tackle The Innocent Sleep, and then…well, I kept getting distracted or busy. But I have to put something down about these three so I can intelligently talk about Silver and Lead, and I really want to do that. So, I’m trying a different kind of post than I’m used to.

Oh, I’m also suspending my typical no spoilers rule here. Read at your own risk, this is the only warning I’m giving.

Be the Serpent

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #16
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: August 30, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 305 pg.
Read Date: August 31, 2022-September 5, 2022; August 25-29, 2023

It felt like I was standing outside this scene and watching it unfold, like none of this had anything to do with me. Like I should have been able to smile politely, say, “No, thank you,” and walk away, leaving everything exactly as it was before I got out of bed this morning.

I don’t know how many friends of mine have stumbled on books 2 or 3 of this series and never kept going. Or stumbled and were pushed on (and were so glad they did). I sort of get that, but I didn’t have that reaction. I did stumble here on book 16, Be the Serpent. Obviously, by this point—it doesn’t matter, I’m going to shake it off and keep going. Toby, Tybalt, May, Quentin, and the rest (the list is getting ridiculously long) mean too much to me to be put off by one novel.

But I do have to wonder what was going on in McGuire’s mind for her to give us this book—I have no proof of this, but in my head-canon, she was so focused on the last pages of this novel and what she was setting up that she didn’t pay enough attention to the execution of this novel. That doesn’t sound like McGuire to me, but it’s the best I’ve got.

The opening is fantastic—and the way that Toby and Rayseline executed their plan was so well done, and the prospect of watching Raysel heal in the midst of Toby’s chaos seemed like a fun lark. And then the horrific happened—the scene where Toby finds Stacy’s kids dead or dying is possibly the most gut-churning thing she’s written (and that’s saying something)*

* If you want to argue that she’s topped that in some recent InCryptid novels, I won’t fight you.

The problems start a chapter or two after that. Once Toby realizes why Stacy killed her kids (because she’s not really Stacy, but Titania, realizing she’s Stacy all along. I don’t know a shorter way to describe it all), she sets out to destroy Titania—but she can’t. No matter how often she tells herself it’s not her, no matter that the “Stacy consciousness” tells Toby to do it, no matter how many frelling times she has that conversation with anyone (including herself several times)—Toby can’t just do it. That’s almost understandable.

But also, McGuire has to tell us several times how this whole thing is tearing Toby apart. But I honestly don’t “see” it happening. I hear about it—I see it when she’s interacting with Stacy’s surviving kids or husband. But otherwise? I really don’t.

I could’ve been satisfied with the ending had it ended 2 pages or so into the last chapter (because that was just a great moment).

But no…we’ve got to do the whole Titania comes back, puts the hurt on Toby, and then rewrites history—wiping Toby’s mind and rewriting her history—having (pretty quickly) found a loophole in Oberon’s decree (he must be pretty rusty from all the nothing he’s been up to for the last few centuries). Sure, the first two parts of that list were certain to happen eventually.

But I just hate, hate, hate the whole “we’ll rewrite history/perception/whatever” storyline. Buffy in the asylum, Picard’s whole other life in “The Inner Light” (although he at least starts off remembering reality), um…other examples I should have at hand, but don’t. At the time, I told friends (and maybe my readers in a WWW Wednesday post or a Saturday Miscellany) that I hate the ending, but trusted McGuire would make me come around to it in the next book (and prematurely resented her for making her eat my words).

In the end, that didn’t happen—I still am going to consider Be the Serpent as the low point of this series. However…I really liked the lemonade she turned this giant pile of lemons into. Which brings us to….

Sleep No More

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #17
Publisher: DAW
Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 310 pg.
Read Date: October 26, 2023-October 27, 2023; January 13-16, 2025

“Romantic love is not required to live a full and happy life, my seedlings,” Father had told us, watching carefully to be sure we took his message to heart, “but if you cannot love one who loves you truly in return, find friends, find companions, find people who will tell you the truths you cannot carry and unveil the lies you cannot see. Most of all, cleave to each other, for you will be the only sure support you have in all this world.”

We spend most of our time watching this Alternate Version of Toby make her way through this version of Faerie that we all can kind of recognize, but not really. A good deal of the “fun” of all this is seeing the ways that Titania’s rewriting of things is similar—but not quite—to our version of things.

Toby, for example, has all the niceness, the kindness, the happiness that we all know she’s capable of—but she rarely gets to express (or she can only express in certain ways). August is…wow. The best older sister, really (sure, it’d be better if she didn’t believe that changelings were lesser beings, but…at least she doesn’t treat them as trash). Quentin, on the other hand, is an entitled jerk.

Thankfully, we get to come into this world just before it starts unraveling, partially because of Toby. Even as she really doesn’t know what she’s doing (or who she is, most importantly), she keeps being Toby—which means taking apart the plans and machinations of her opponents. Everything I think McGuire got wrong in the previous book, she did right here. We even get to revisit some of the bigger moments of the past.

I really liked the story; I thought McGuire executed it as close to flawlessly as is possible. I liked the conclusion—it was exciting, tense, and you honestly (especially now) had no idea how things were going to turn out. Sure, we know that bigger and worse things are on the horizon than we just dealt with—but okay. That’s pretty much par for the course.

Best yet? October and August have a relationship now. Simon and Toby are closer than they were. Yes, things are messed up ,and everyone will need to recover and reset. But…we’ve gained a lot.

Sleep No More

by Seanan McGuire

DETAILS:
Series: Toby Daye, #18
Publisher: DAW 
Publication Date: October 24, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 314 pg.
Read Date: October 31-November 1, 2023; January 24-31, 2025

Love is a knife forever suspended an inch from your heart, and if it falls or you stumble into it, you can all too easily find yourself impaled and bleeding.

This felt like an incredibly unnecessary book. Sure, it seemed like a good idea—perhaps even entertaining just to see things from Tybalt’s perspective. But we already know this story. Why bother?

Oh, for so many reasons, it turns out. I ended up loving this book.Rather than picking up months later, like we did in Toby’s POV, we see this from the instant Titania did her thing—or pretty much. We get more than simply Tybalt’s POV—we get to see how all this nonsense is impacting the rest of Faerie—or isn’t, as the case sometimes is. We see just how far the range of the changes are. Most importantly, we see what happens to people who aren’t that close to Toby—the collateral damage.

And that damage is devastating—and is getting worse.

Then we get to see some of the specific incidents described in Sleep No More from Tybalt’s POV, or at least what others tell him. Still, it’s not Toby’s viewpoint. We come away from all of it with a greatly expanded understanding of everything that happened to the characters we know and love (or just know). Also, between the two books, we really learn so much more about Titania than we did before (naturally). And now we really want to see Maeve in action—as apocalyptic as that likely will be.

Could McGuire have done this as a larger-than-usual book from shifting POVs? Probably. But the pacing would’ve been weird, getting the different POVs on the same events would get tiresome (and hard to decide which POV would come first)…and, I think it’d have just been a mess. So much better this way.

My beef with this one—and I think it’s the only one I have in both Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep is Tybalt’s lack of emotional control. Yes, it has to be hard to see Toby like this, to see her not know you at all—but for crying out loud, man! You’ve been around for centuries, you know the whammy that magic can do to someone’s mind and body (you’ve experienced it first hand!!)—magic from one of the Three? Hold yourself together, know that you’ve got a chance to help everyone—especially Toby, and stop acting like a child when she’s around.

Do the greatness of Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep make up for Be the Serpent? No. Do they make it more forgivable? Ehhh, kind of. Mostly, I know for future re-reads to expect some rough riding, but that it’s worth it. As I said above, the lemonade she made from Be the Serpent is mighty tasty. And I’m okay with that.

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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20 Books of Summer 2025: Wrap-Up

By HCNewton

On September 2, 2025

In Books, Currently Reading, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

A quick check-in for this Reading Challenge hosted by Emma of Words and Peace and Annabel from AnnaBookBel (you can read more about it here).

With four substitutions (ugh), I can count this as complete…The four substitutions cams from my Books on My Summer 2025 to-Read List (That Aren’t on My 20 Books Challenge)–which I did complete. But I made the title a lie with the substitutions. It’s complicated.

I had a blast with the books I did complete, and am rather annoyed with myself about those I didn’t. I was really looking forward to them (I hope to get at least a couple of them done this month.) Okay, let’s take a quick look at the lists.

🙁 1. The Lords of the West End by Peter Blaisdell
✔ 2. King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby
✔ 3. Mississippi Blue 42 by Eli Cranor
✔ 4. Guard in the Garden by Z. S. Diamanti
✔ 5. Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson
✔ 6. The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
✔ 7. Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper
🙁 8. Interstellar MegaChef by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
✔ 9. Sabriel by Garth Nix
✔ 10. Lirael by Garth Nix

🙁 11. Abhorsen by Garth Nix
✔ 12. Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation by Jim O’Heir
✔ 13. Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by Jason Pargin
✔ 14. Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
✔ 15. A Tail of Mystery by Paul Regnier
✔ 16. Samurai! by Saburo Sakai with Martin Caiden and Fred Saito
✔ 17. The Crew by Sadir S. Samir
✔ 18. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
🙁 19. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
✔ 20. Leveled Up Love by Tao Wong & A. G. Marshall

My Books on My Summer 2025 to-Read List (That Aren’t on My 20 Books Challenge):

✔ 1. Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch
✔ 2. Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic
✔ 3. Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
✔ 4. The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos
✔ 5. Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

✔ 6. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone
✔ 7. The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart
✔ 8. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
✔ 9. Mrs. Plansky Goes Rogue by Spencer Quinn
✔ 10. Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt

Percentage-wise, I read 87% of the books I called my shot on for the summer. I’ve never been happy with getting a B, but I can be satisfied with one. (and no, I don’t see a conflict between this and the Orangutan Librarian’s recent post about competitive reading. This is me comparing myself with my goals, or my past self, or—worst of all—my expectations.)

Emma has some questions for us as we call this a wrap. Here we go:

Did you manage to finish all 10/15/20 books? If not, what kept you from completing the challenge?
No, I did not. I can narrow down the reasons to three things: I didn’t include NetGalley reads in my 20 (I think I didn’t do that last year, either); I didn’t include the books for my book clubs (that was a mistake); the big one is that with two exceptions, every book I read this summer took one-three more days than I anticipated. If I get those days back? I have this challenge done with days to spare.
Of all the books you read this summer, which one(s) was/were your favorite and why?
Hoo-boy. Favorite? Ummm, er. I could make a case of almost all of them. Everybody Knows is a strong contender, as is King of Ashes–both gave me some strong visceral reactions. So many of the others just made me happy to read. Almost all of them contained unexpected levels of quality.
Did you DNF any? Why?
Thankfully, no. These were all entertaining.
Which book surprised you the most, either by being better or worse than you expected?
I expected Leveled-Up Love to be a little stronger, a little funnier. I had really-high hopes for Scalzi’s book and had to settle for it being really good instead of stellar. Each surprised me in some ways (and even those two books did some things better than I expected)
Did you notice any patterns in the genres you chose or enjoyed this summer?
I think if you compared this list to previous ones, there’d be fewer Crime Fiction on the ’25 list. Two non-fiction books is a little more than usual. I think that’s it. I might be able to come up with a pattern or two in the books themselves, if I thought about it some. But, nothing’s jumping out at me.
Which one had the best cover?
When the Moon Hits Your Eye or Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits. But Light from Uncommon Stars probably provided the strongest reaction out of me when the book explained it the imagery.
Which one was the longest? Grossman’s The Bright Sword And the shortest? A Tail of Mystery by Paul Regnier
Did you read them mostly in print? ebook? audio?

No audiobooks, 4 ebooks, and the rest were physical. Huh. I figured that’d be closer to an even split.

Imagine you’re hosting a “20 Books of Summer” book club wrap party.
Which book would you nominate as the guest of honor, and what kind of toast or speech would you give celebrating it?
I can’t pick. I think I’d have to pay tribute to them all–what kind of speech? I just don’t know. I really should’ve spent more time thinking about this.
Looking back at all the characters you met over the summer, which one would you want as a summer buddy for a weekend getaway, and what activity would you do together?
Jim O’Heir. Maybe that’s cheating because he’s a real person. But, kicking back with some good food (and probably some good drink), listening to him tell stories? Can’t imagine a better time. Also, most of the other characters I met would scare me in real life.

20 Books of Summer '25 Chart Wrap Up

20 Books of Summer 2025: July Check-In

By HCNewton

On August 1, 2025

In Books, Currently Reading, Fantasy, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc., Non-Fiction, Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy

A quick check-in for this Reading Challenge hosted by Emma of Words and Peace and Annabel from AnnaBookBel (you can read more about it here).

I’ve read 9 really good-to-great books so far this summer, and have high expectations for the rest. I’m really just having so much fun with this challenge this year.

So here’s the list:

1. The Lords of the West End by Peter Blaisdell
✔ 2. King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby
3. Mississippi Blue 42 by Eli Cranor
✔ 4. Guard in the Garden by Z. S. Diamanti
5. Mushroom Blues by Adrian M. Gibson
✔ 6. The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman
✔ 7. Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper
8. Interstellar MegaChef by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
✔ 9. Sabriel by Garth Nix
✔ 10. Lirael by Garth Nix

11. Abhorsen by Garth Nix
12. Welcome to Pawnee: Stories of Friendship, Waffles, and Parks and Recreation by Jim O’Heir
13. Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits by Jason Pargin
14. Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
✔ 15. A Tail of Mystery by Paul Regnier
✔ 16. Samurai! by Saburo Sakai with Martin Caiden and Fred Saito
17. The Crew by Sadir S. Samir
18. When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi
19. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
20. Leveled Up Love by Tao Wong & A. G. Marshall

(subject to change, as is allowed, but I’m going to resist the impulse to tweak as much as I can).

On the other hand, I’ve only got one to go on my Books on My Summer 2025 to-Read List (That Aren’t on My 20 Books Challenge), and I’ll be tackling that the week of the 18th.

✔ 1. Stone and Sky by Ben Aaronovitch
✔ 2. Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language by Adam Aleksic
3. Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
✔ 4. The Blue Horse by Bruce Borgos
✔ 5. Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland

6. This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone
✔ 7. The Medusa Protocol by Rob Hart
✔ 8. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
✔ 9. Mrs. Plansky Goes Rogue by Spencer Quinn
✔ 10. Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt

Okay, if you think it as a percentage, I’ve read 60% of the books I called my shot on for the summer. I’m satisfied with this–and I expect I’m going to make great progress over the next month. I’m not so bold as to expect I’ve got this locked…but I’m okay with that.

(and no, I don’t see a conflict between this and the Orangutan Librarian’s recent post about competitive reading. This is me comparing myself with my goals, or my past self, or—worst of all—my expectations.)

20 Books of Summer '25 Chart July Update