Carole´s Monday: Ink and Sigil

Monday, 21 October 2024

Carole´s Monday: Ink and Sigil

Author: Kevin Hearne

Narrator: Luke Daniels

Title: Ink and Sigil

Series: Ink and Sigil #1

Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery

Format: Audiobook

Published: August 25, 2020

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary:

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.

Review:

This was another book club book. I read book one of the corresponding series....I really need to go back before reading more of this series.

Here we follow Al who is both blessed and cursed. He has a lot to be thankful for including having a unique magical talent....he can cast spells with magically enchanted ink and use his gifts to protect our world. However, he was also cursed. Anyone who hears his voice will eventually feel an inexplicable hatred for Al. Also, his apprentices keep dying in weird freak accidents that are unexplainable. His luck gets worse when his latest apprentice, Gordie, turns up dead and Al discovers that Gordie was not a good man. He has been living a secret life of crime. Al is forced to play detective and avoid the actual detectives who are suspicious of him.

Awwwww I adore Al. Can he be my grandpa? He is so sweet and funny and COOL! His powers are pretty awesome. I just hope he can lift the curse soon because he doesn't deserve it. I want him to be reunited with his family. I nearly cried when we seen that relationship crumble before he realized what was going on. Literally broke my heart.

His comrades are fun. I especially loved Buck. He was hilarious.

Speaking of humor....the humor was here just like in the other book. I do think the author tries a wee bit too hard sometimes to be funny. But I applaud the effort. Ironically when the author isn't TRYING to be hilarious...he is actually funnier. His subtle humor is best.

Parts of me enjoyed this much more than the Druid series. I liked Al way better. Al has to be more clever since he is older and doesn't have the fighting abilities. He also has that pesky curse on him. Eeee.

The mystery aspect was okay. I enjoyed watching Al need a lot of people to help him really uncover what is going on.

The ending has me needing and wanting more. However, I was told by a couple of people I should finish the Druid series first before getting deeper into this one. WAAAAAH!!!!!! But I love Al. And Nadia. And Buck!

The narrator was great. He had a LOT of accents he needed to do. Bless him. I hope they paid him really, really well. Especially because I felt he nailed EVERY accent. Kuddos there.

In the end, I did enjoy this. It was different and fresh. Al was a gem and a hero that isn't your a-typical hero. Fun characters and interesting hurdles our heroes had to jump over. I want more that is for sure. I'll give this 4 stars.

ONE WORD SUMMARY: Refreshing