Reviews with content warning for Trafficking - Ink & Sigil

I loved the characters, especially Al as an older protagonist and all the struggles that come with aging. I enjoyed the humor and the way it helped to underscore the harder moments without drawing away from them. My biggest issue was the intense pervasive cursing, but perhaps that was to be expected with a 1st person Scottish narrator.

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aoibhillsidhe's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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brooke_city's review against another edition

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Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Fun!
Older protagonist
Lots of witty banter
The world is naturally diverse
Cute romantic moments
I like Buck!
Normally pop culture references would bother me bc they date a book, but the way they were weaved into the story was clever.
The resolution with the bad guys was meh. But I enjoyed everything else enough to continue the series.

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jetpackdracula's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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jenmtnbike's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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crows_in_a_trenchcoat's review against another edition

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funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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stargazer_ley's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A book about a 60 year old Sigil Agent named Al, a pesky and troublesome hobgoblin who calls himself Buck Foi, and a lesbian Indian-Weegie goth with an ability useful only in combat sounds like it could be quite the mess; however, it was a wonderful story. Al is the kind of guy you wish your father was and, had he not been cursed with his voice driving people to hate him, I believe his son would agree. I found some of the exposition to be a bit forced but ultimately necessary. I really appreciated the "Weegie" explanation prior to reading as it provided some much needed information, like pronunciations.

While the overall story was a wonderful read, Buck being among one of those reason. I was thrown off with the real world human trafficking issue. Using it as the driving point of the story is not an issue but at times the book seemed to forget that the victims Al was trying to save were Fae and not human. That said, he did save humans.

I appreaciated the distinction between those who are willing sex workers and those forced into it. Using a male sex worker not only broke expectations but also shone a spotlight on men who do sex work. Saxon was initially set up to seem like a joke hacker guy but his desire for justice for those mistreated in the sex work industry made him more of a three dimensional character. I feel like overall this part of the story unfortunately fell to Human Trafficking 101 as you'd think a 60 year old man would know something about it and not need a guy young enough to be his son give him the 101 lesson.

TLDR (lol): Wonderful story with some flaws but ultimately worth the read. Now if only I can get my hands on the next book.

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altheas_books's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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