If you read my review of Ink & Sigil, the first book in this series, you’ll know I loved this series and book 2 did not disappoint. See my review for Ink & Sigil HERE.
In Paper& Blood, Al MacBharrais is back along with Buck Foi (a whiskey obsessed hobgoblin), Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite, and the rest of the gang. This time 2 out of the world’s 5 Sigil agents have gone missing in the Australian bush and the team is determined to find out what could have made them go AWOL. Filled with plenty of witty banter, interesting characters, and plenty of magical world building, this book is perfect for fantasy series fans. Oh always if you love good dugs, than you’ll probably enjoy this book because there are some good dugs (dogs) in this book.
This story takes us deeper into the world of Sigil agents, with Sigil’s being the form of magic within the series. We learn a bit more about what it takes to become a Sigil agent, and while we only scrape the surface of the bigger story at large, ie the curse on Al and who the heck Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite really is. We do learn quite a bit more around how Sigil magic came to be and get a deeper look into our main characters, which I quite enjoyed because really showcases the amount of world building that Hearne provides for us.
The characters themselves all have very distinct personalities and voices. They balance each other out and Hearne has done a great job of giving multiple layers to all the characters not just our series lead. The realistic traits that Hearne gives the characters also makes it’s easy to picture them out in the real world. There are even some brief mentions to the current world wide pandemic, but it’s not overdone, because I don’t know about the rest of ya’ll but I’m over it.
I’m very invested into this series now, and may even pick up the Iron Druid series, once I finish my current big fantasy series that is. While this is a light and fun read, it also has plenty of substance within it’s pages. If you love Fantasy series such as The Dresden Files or even like your fantasy with a bit of humor, than you’ll absolutely love this series!
Last thought, do Canadians really put maple syrup in their tea?? Is that a thing?? Someone DM me or comment with the answer to this please!
Be sure to grab a copy of Ink & Sigil, which is out now, and also make sure to pre-order you copy of Paper & Blood, which releases August 10, 2021
Paper & Blood comes out August 10, 2021. Huge thank you to Del Rey Books and Penguin Random House for my advanced copy for my honest review. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof_books.
Sounds exciting!