Wednesday 25 April 2018

The City of Lost Fortunes - Bryan Camp

The post–Katrina New Orleans of The City of Lost Fortunes is a place haunted by its history and by the hurricane’s destruction, a place that is hoping to survive the rebuilding of its present long enough to ensure that it has a future. Street magician Jude Dubuisson is likewise burdened by his past and by the consequences of the storm, because he has a secret: the magical ability to find lost things, a gift passed down to him by the father he has never known—a father who just happens to be more than human.

Jude has been lying low since the storm, which caused so many things to be lost that it played havoc with his magic, and he is hiding from his own power, his divine former employer, and a debt owed to the Fortune god of New Orleans. But his six-year retirement ends abruptly when the Fortune god is murdered and Jude is drawn back into the world he tried so desperately to leave behind. A world full of magic, monsters, and miracles. A world where he must find out who is responsible for the Fortune god’s death, uncover the plot that threatens the city’s soul, and discover what his talent for lost things has always been trying to show him: what it means to be his father’s son. 

Paperback, 496 pages
Published April 17th 2018 by Titan Books
Urban fantasy
For review

My thoughts:
How do I review this one without saying too much? That is always the tricky part. But I have to start somewhere, so let us start with:

New Orleans, it is just something about this city. And I can totally believe there is a magical battle going on. That the City if alive. That there are gods, loas, voodoo,  angels and more running around. A magical melting pot. It never lets you down.

Jude is lucky. and he always finds missing things. He has no idea who his father was, except that it was a god. And his mother knows magic. But Katrina changed everything. And like the City he was lost. I liked him because you can not dislike him. He is luck, he is likable. 

Other characters that show up are old friends, and new enemies, as Trickster Gods are playing games and people are dying. And he is told to solve it.

I liked how chapters began with the reader learning a bit more. About common threads throughout mythology. Vampires in different mythologies. The End of Days. Trickster Gods. Shamans. Destiny. That really was my favorite part and I would have loved to dive more into that.

But it did feel a bit too long at times and my mind started to drift. It could have been shorter. I do not have a problem with long books, but then they have to be on their game through out.

Last thoughts:
An interesting book that is both calm and ready to dance.

37 comments:

  1. I love that you said it's calm and ready to dance!

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  2. I've become inpatient with books that are too long but think I'd still give this one a try.

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    1. I hear ya, and for a long one it did go fast

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  3. I always have a hard time making sure I don't say too much about a book. This one sounds really good. Too bad it felt too long at times.

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    1. Soo hard at times, sooo hard. I just want to go all spoilers lol

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  4. Glad you enjoyed this one! I love the way you described New Orleans. There is just something so alive about the city that makes a wonderful para-setting. Have you read the Devil's Isle series from Chloe Neill? It also takes place in New Orleans, and I really enjoy that one.

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    1. Nope, but I have had my eye on it :D
      And I would sure love to visit and see what it truly feels like

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  5. Great review Blodeuedd. I too love paranormal or Urban Fantasy novels set in this city of mystery. It's on the list!

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  6. Neil Gaiman is my favorite for books about trickster gods and magic happening in the otherwise-ordinary world. Wondering how this compares! I'm with you on the overall magic of New Orleans any day.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. I have actually never read those, just Stardust and The Graveyard book. I know, I am missing out

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  7. That's such a pretty cover.

    So many of these stories are set in NOLA. I went to a paranormal book convention there several years ago.

    Karen @ For What It's Worth

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    1. I wonder why...is it cos it is filled with ghosts? ;)

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  8. I haven't read this one but it sounds good. Thanks for the great review.

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  9. I always love books set in NOLA

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  10. I like the NOLA setting, but the lengthy part not so much.

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  11. I haven't heard of this one! I do love a New Orleans setting, though. My family used to live about an hour from there, so we would visit occasionally.

    I'm not a huge fan of really long books unless they're incredibly engaging. So, this one might not be for me... I don't want to drift, lol.

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?

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    1. Oh so cool! I would love to visit, though maybe not on Mardi Gras. It would be fun, but maybe too many peeps for me, lol.

      LOng is long, just, it has to make sense

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  12. I do think I'd like this one for the setting and the mythology. Too bad the length didn't work for this one but it still sounds interesting enough to read.

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  13. Sounds good!! You did a good job reviewing it's always tricky when you can't reveal too much in a review

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  14. I saw a lot of chatter about this one before its release, but yours may be the first review I've seen so far. Hmm, I don't know if I will like it, but it does sound like it's unique!

    ~Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum

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    1. Wohoo I was fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirst

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  15. New Orleans and magic seem to go hand in hand. Must be the mystical aura of the entire city itself.

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    1. Is it cos authors made it so or was it always so...?

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  16. Snip, snip - cut a little bit out here and there and it seems like a good fantasy read.

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  17. I love the New Orleans setting, so you have me curious.

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  18. I couldn't agree more, there's just something about NOLA! It's the perfect setting for any urban fantasy novel, in my opinion.

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