Author: Seanan McGuire (Reader: Emily Bauer)
Publisher: Audible Studios
Publication Date: March 2013
Length: 10 hr 59 min (338 pages)
Series: InCryptid (#2)
Audio or Book: Audio
Reason for Discovery: I love Mira Grant
From GoodReads:
The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity--and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and when her work with the cryptid community took her to Manhattan, she thought she would finally be free to pursue competition-level dance in earnest. It didn't quite work out that way...
But now, with the snake cult that was killing virgins all over Manhattan finally taken care of, Verity is ready to settle down for some serious ballroom dancing—until her on-again, off-again, semi-boyfriend Dominic De Luca, a member of the monster-hunting Covenant of St. George, informs her that the Covenant is on their way to assess the city's readiness for a cryptid purge. With everything and everyone she loves on the line, there's no way Verity can take that lying down.
Alliances will be tested, allies will be questioned, lives will be lost, and the talking mice in Verity's apartment will immortalize everything as holy writ--assuming there's anyone left standing when all is said and done. It's a midnight blue-light special, and the sale of the day is on betrayal, deceit...and carnage.
Yea for a blurb that actually gives you a decent summary! On to the review!
InCryptid continues to be such a fun series. If you are looking for a fun, light-hearted, but still thrilling urban fantasy series, InCryptid is totally for you. I must admit that there were a few things that bothered me in the first book; however, these issues proved to be "first book syndrome." In particular, I felt that it took a really long time for the story to start moving in Discount Armageddon, this was not the case in Midnight Blue-Light Special. Within the first hour or so of the book, the central crisis was announced: the Covenant of St. George was on its way to New York City to kill all of Verity's beloved cryptids. I felt hooked from the word go. I was so happy that McGuire just did a few brief summaries to get her readers up-to-date and quickly moved on to more important things, like dealing with the Covenant.
As you can probably tell, I found that the plot was a nice balance of thrilling and dangerous, with just a touch of fun thrown in there, so I didn't feel too depressed while listening to the story on my daily commute. I was always worried for Verity when she got into jams; however, similar to the Sookie Stackhouse series, I knew that I didn't have to worry to much. The InCryptid series is a thrilling urban fantasy series, but I would argue that it is a bit less stressful than the Dresden Files series. Although the series is light and fun, the Covenant is a very serious organization and more than once, I was worried about my dear Verity and her friends. I found myself making excuses as to why I needed to stay in the car a few minutes longer just so I could keep listening to the book and make sure that everyone was okay.
Like in Discount Armageddon, there are so many charming characters in Midnight Blue-Light Special. I loved some of the characters, and I despised others; however, I still found all of the characters charming and interesting. McGuire knows how to write unique characters with whom I want to be friends (or enemies, in the case of the Covenant). Besides Verity, I have really grown to love Dominic. In this book, I feel that I got to know Verity's on-again-off-again boyfriend and get a better understanding of his motivations. I feel that McGuire did a good job of balancing Dominic's love of Verity with his love of the Covenant.
When I wrote my review of Discount Armageddon, I stated that the book was more urban fantasy than romance. Midnight Blue-Light Special is another great urban fantasy book; however, there is definitely more romance in it. I wouldn't say that Midnight Blue-Light Special is veering into the romance section of the bookstore (it is firmly in the SF&F section); however, if you don't want romance, this is not the book for you. Honestly, I found that the romance added to the book without taking away anything from the urban fantasy-ness of the story.
Audio: Bauer continues to do a great job with tone, inflection, and pacing. Although I still feel that she sounds a tad bit too young, Bauer is now my voice for Verity. I don't think I can read the print books for this series now. Bauer and I are now attached at the hip.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I have mixed feelings of reading the next book, because we are shifting the POV; however, I love the Price family and need to know what happens next.
InCryptid continues to be such a fun series. If you are looking for a fun, light-hearted, but still thrilling urban fantasy series, InCryptid is totally for you. I must admit that there were a few things that bothered me in the first book; however, these issues proved to be "first book syndrome." In particular, I felt that it took a really long time for the story to start moving in Discount Armageddon, this was not the case in Midnight Blue-Light Special. Within the first hour or so of the book, the central crisis was announced: the Covenant of St. George was on its way to New York City to kill all of Verity's beloved cryptids. I felt hooked from the word go. I was so happy that McGuire just did a few brief summaries to get her readers up-to-date and quickly moved on to more important things, like dealing with the Covenant.
As you can probably tell, I found that the plot was a nice balance of thrilling and dangerous, with just a touch of fun thrown in there, so I didn't feel too depressed while listening to the story on my daily commute. I was always worried for Verity when she got into jams; however, similar to the Sookie Stackhouse series, I knew that I didn't have to worry to much. The InCryptid series is a thrilling urban fantasy series, but I would argue that it is a bit less stressful than the Dresden Files series. Although the series is light and fun, the Covenant is a very serious organization and more than once, I was worried about my dear Verity and her friends. I found myself making excuses as to why I needed to stay in the car a few minutes longer just so I could keep listening to the book and make sure that everyone was okay.
Like in Discount Armageddon, there are so many charming characters in Midnight Blue-Light Special. I loved some of the characters, and I despised others; however, I still found all of the characters charming and interesting. McGuire knows how to write unique characters with whom I want to be friends (or enemies, in the case of the Covenant). Besides Verity, I have really grown to love Dominic. In this book, I feel that I got to know Verity's on-again-off-again boyfriend and get a better understanding of his motivations. I feel that McGuire did a good job of balancing Dominic's love of Verity with his love of the Covenant.
When I wrote my review of Discount Armageddon, I stated that the book was more urban fantasy than romance. Midnight Blue-Light Special is another great urban fantasy book; however, there is definitely more romance in it. I wouldn't say that Midnight Blue-Light Special is veering into the romance section of the bookstore (it is firmly in the SF&F section); however, if you don't want romance, this is not the book for you. Honestly, I found that the romance added to the book without taking away anything from the urban fantasy-ness of the story.
Audio: Bauer continues to do a great job with tone, inflection, and pacing. Although I still feel that she sounds a tad bit too young, Bauer is now my voice for Verity. I don't think I can read the print books for this series now. Bauer and I are now attached at the hip.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I have mixed feelings of reading the next book, because we are shifting the POV; however, I love the Price family and need to know what happens next.
I give this book a 4 out of 5.
Very Good |