3.9 Book review: A Ferry of Bones & Gold
It's been a wild, wild year. Survival took a lot out of me and everyone around me so I appreciate the small things right now. Like finding a shiny new series to fall thoroughly in love with.
I found this book through a Facebook group recommendation, and since the person who rec'd it had made a few others I particularly enjoyed, I decided to check it out.
I was a little concerned that this would be a romance novel, but I'll ease anyone's fear- this is an Urban Fantasy novel first with a romance subplot. There's about 20% sexy times to 80% full-octane adventure. These ratios are perfect, in my opinion and really kept me flipping pages all day. I ate the whole thing in one sitting, like a little piggy.
The characters are extremely strong and relatable- that is to say, they are well presented and detailed including the dozen or so side characters. I found myself warming and cooling from one character to another along with our MCs. This is basically exactly what you want for an urban fantasy.
Pat, the main character, is an amazing mix of surly and smart-ass and I loved him from the first page.
The world-building is incredibly detailed and it shows that Hailey has done serious research. From alphabet-soup government agencies to guns and military grade spell-casting to regular. We have details on streets, so I feel like I'm actually in the city itself, rampaging around in a car that won't survive the violent chase it's about to enter. The magic system is never flat-out explained, but at no point did I feel it needed to be. It stayed consistent and flowing and never had holes through which someone might drive a plot-trailer. This is a great example of how to show the magic with set rules and limits, without taking thirty pages of dry explanation.
One point in the world building that particularly hit me was the paperwork and communication (needless meetings) that government agencies swamp on people who have a job to do and I have to assume Hailey has some experience with this horror of office-life because if you've got to save the day, you don't have time for a pointless meeting and it just takes energy away from stuff you could be doing.
I finished A Ferry of Bones & Gold and immediately rushed for the next book. She does very comprehensive and thorough wrap-ups at the end of each of these, but the world was too good not to return to.
There is a good ratio of action and plot as well as a few exciting and sexy chapters for people who enjoy it getting steamy. I found myself pretty excited for the romance chapters and while it's pretty straight-forward (nothing terribly kinky), it's very well done.
If you're a fan of the tabletop game Scion, the book reads like what it would actually be like to be a Scion, getting shoved about by forces you can't control to mop up supernatural problems.
Overall, I've got a new author I am totally enamored with and I'll be swiftly gobbling up the rest of her series when I can.
I found this book through a Facebook group recommendation, and since the person who rec'd it had made a few others I particularly enjoyed, I decided to check it out.
I would describe it as Gay Urban Fantasy done amazing.
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| Soulbound 1 by Hailey Turner |
The characters are extremely strong and relatable- that is to say, they are well presented and detailed including the dozen or so side characters. I found myself warming and cooling from one character to another along with our MCs. This is basically exactly what you want for an urban fantasy.
Pat, the main character, is an amazing mix of surly and smart-ass and I loved him from the first page.
The world-building is incredibly detailed and it shows that Hailey has done serious research. From alphabet-soup government agencies to guns and military grade spell-casting to regular. We have details on streets, so I feel like I'm actually in the city itself, rampaging around in a car that won't survive the violent chase it's about to enter. The magic system is never flat-out explained, but at no point did I feel it needed to be. It stayed consistent and flowing and never had holes through which someone might drive a plot-trailer. This is a great example of how to show the magic with set rules and limits, without taking thirty pages of dry explanation.
One point in the world building that particularly hit me was the paperwork and communication (needless meetings) that government agencies swamp on people who have a job to do and I have to assume Hailey has some experience with this horror of office-life because if you've got to save the day, you don't have time for a pointless meeting and it just takes energy away from stuff you could be doing.
I finished A Ferry of Bones & Gold and immediately rushed for the next book. She does very comprehensive and thorough wrap-ups at the end of each of these, but the world was too good not to return to.
There is a good ratio of action and plot as well as a few exciting and sexy chapters for people who enjoy it getting steamy. I found myself pretty excited for the romance chapters and while it's pretty straight-forward (nothing terribly kinky), it's very well done.
The mythology is the thing that really, really grabs me about this series to the utmost.
Hailey has very thoroughly researched and applied myths from many different cultures (book 2 has Aztec gods, which I'm deep in the legend and lore of at present!) and it shows. I was very rarely confused about any of the Pantheons, and I think the cheeky Hermes swiftly became a favorite character. The Gods pop in and out of the story constantly and add on layers and layers of complications and problems every time they do. It's fantastic!If you're a fan of the tabletop game Scion, the book reads like what it would actually be like to be a Scion, getting shoved about by forces you can't control to mop up supernatural problems.
Overall, I've got a new author I am totally enamored with and I'll be swiftly gobbling up the rest of her series when I can.
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