I enjoyed this one more than the first but I think that was due to the nostalgia of seeing characters from the Iron Druid Chronicles than the current story. We don't get a lot of movement in the overarching plot, we still have random asides e.g. the campsite stories that don't fit the story well and it still comes over as super preachy. I am not emotionally invested in Al or his story and cannot differentiate the Sigil agents. While I loved the Iron Druid audiobooks sometimes the Scottish accent in this one is a bit much. I do love the side characters, Buck being my favourite and I'm very intrigued by Gladys. While I enjoyed the ride for the most part I think this would have been better as an Iron Druid Chronicles novella.

Just a damn good time. Who knew I needed the origin story of trucknutz?

I really wanted to give this three stars because I loved Ink and Sigil and I love the world Kevin Hearne has created, but I could barely get through this.

It started out wonderful, but somewhere in the middle it just began to drag and it never picked up momentum again.

I hope Hearne finds his footing again with the next book.

I love the Iron Druid series and was pleased to get an ARC of Kevin Hearne's second book in his new Ink & Sigil series from Net Galley. I did enjoy it, but I hope the next one might have a little more pizzazz. Which coincidentally, is just the same as I wrote about the first book. The characters are likable enough, and I listened to an audio version, which added some entertainment value, especially with Buck Foi. It was pleasant enough reading and moved quickly. The fact that they spent time telling stories while they camped and there were interludes around papermaking left me with the impression that Hearne was trying to stretch a shorter work into a longer one, but it did not deter me. Gladys, Who Has Seen Some Shite, was pretty fun, would love to see more of her! I'd like to see something a little stronger for the third outing, which I will definitely read.

Unangefochtenes Urban Fantasy Highlight!

Liebe die beiden Romane aus der Siegelmagier-Reihe einfach. Noch mehr, seitdem ich den Autor beim digitalen Hobbitpresse Bloggerevent live erlebt habe - wie sympathisch kann mensch eigentlich sein?

Der Plot erschien mir eeetwas weniger spektakulär als in Band 1, aber ich habe mich allerbestens unterhalten gefühlt. Die Übersetzung von Friedrich Mader und Tamara Rapp fängt die allermeisten schottisch-britischen Witze astrein ein. Und wer sich selbst noch was richtig Gutes tun will, der gönnt sich das Hörbuch.
Die Art und Weise, wie Stefan Kaminski jeder Figur eine eigene Stimme verleiht, ist ... Kunst! Und nichts anderes. Große Liebe für das Hörbuch und seinen Sprecher.

Und weil wir ja häufig nur dann nörgeln, wenn der Diversität nicht genüge getan wird, oder wenn Autor*innen andere problematische Themen verarbeiten, möchte ich an dieser Stelle unbedingt noch lobend erwähnen, dass sich Kevin Hearne durch seinen Protagonisten Al ganz toll mit diesen Themen befasst. Der alternde Siegelmagier hinterfragt ganz häufig, welche Privilegien er als alter weißer Mann genießt und bringt diese Erkenntnisse sensibel in die Unterhaltungen mit anderen Figuren ein.

I couldn’t shake the feeling while reading this that the book may have started out as an Iron Druid short story and got reworked. Al just observes so much of what happens after a while rather than feeling involved and there’s a ton of padding.
All that but I still loved it. The book is light and fun with an enjoyable style and characters i want to know more about.

So witzig, bisher lieb ich die Reihe sehr! Mein Highlight ist immer, wie dem alten Boomer-Siegelmagier die most basic progressiven/feministischen Dinge von anderen Figuren erklärt werden, und wie viel er selbst schon weiß und das auch bei jeder Gelegenheit kundtut

This is an enjoyable continuation of the series. Instead of Scotland, this particular story is set in Australia, as Al travels to rescue other sigil agents. Of course, Buck and Nadia end up along for the ride and the Iron Druid plays a big role as well. It's a great cast of characters and a fun adventure.

(Received a complimentary advance copy from the publisher.)