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Thursday, August 13, 2020

Ink & Sigil by Kevin Hearne and The Boy in the Field by Margot Livesey

Kevin Hearne is better known for the Iron Druid series which I have not read, but Ink & Sigil is a humorous urban fantasy with some diverting characters and weird versions of mythological characters.

Magical sigils, dead apprentices, hobgoblins, curses, a battle seer, and lots of jokes about bollocks.  The characters are interesting, the mystery a little forced.

Some of it was fun and funny, so seemed strained and overdone, but as the first in a new series, I enjoyed it and see potential.

Read in May.  Blog review scheduled for


NetGalley/Random House
Scifi/Fantasy.  Aug. 25, 2020.  Print length:  336 pages


Margot Livesey's The Boy in the Field is a wonderful combination of complexity and simplicity.  Three young people walking home from school discover an injured boy in a field.

Stabbed and left by the stranger who picked him up on his way home,  Karel whispers a word which each three siblings hears differently.  Karel recovers, thanks to the interventions of Matthew, Zoe, and Duncan, but the lives of all four young people are changed.  One traumatic incident with lasting, but different effects.

Livesey's prose tenderly examines the rippling repercussions of the one violent attack.  The crime is sort of an inciting incident, and the narrative quietly follows the three siblings and the victim through their adolescence.  Family dynamics play a role as the four grow into adulthood.  

I loved this book.  It was not at all what I expected, but it will remain one of those memorable experiences of both narrative and elegant writing that lingers for some time.  

Read in March.  Review scheduled for Aug.

NetGalley/Harper Collins
Literary Fiction.  Aug. 11, 2020.  Print length:  272 pages.


For you knitters:  Yarn Bowl from Something Lucky 13

17 comments:

  1. I've been meaning to read a Kevin Hearne book for awhile now and this one sounds quite intriguing. That yarn bowl is hilarious, lol. :D

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    1. Since I had not read the Iron Druid series, I thought I'd give Ink & Sigil a try. It's different :)

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  2. I'm still working through Hearne's Iron Druid series, but it's good to know he's got other fun books out there to read. :)

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    1. Maybe I should give in and try Iron Druid!

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  3. "The Boy in the Field" sounds really good. Going on the library list.

    And, wow! That yarn bowl really startled me as I scrolled down the page. LOL

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    1. I really liked The Boy in the Field. Not what I expected--much better. Yep, that yarn bowl will grab attention!

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  4. The Boy in the Field sounds like a marvelous novel. I may try it on audio, but if the writing is lyrical, maybe I should do a read/listen. Thanks for the recommendation!

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    1. The Boy in the Field is about family dynamics, effects of trauma, and coming of age. I thought it was excellent. :)

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  5. The Boy in the Fields sounds like a good one to me! I'm intrigued by the plot and the characters as well.

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    1. The book was almost elegant in the combination of simplicity and complexity. I hope you give it a try!

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  6. That yarn bowl makes me a bit queasy. If I used it, I'd keep expecting to have snot on my yarn! LOL

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    1. Repulsively cute! I see your point, Cathy. :)

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  7. I’ve heard of the Iron Druid series, but not read it myself. I think it would appeal to fans of the Dresden Files books – urban fantasy with a male protagonist and mystery with a sometimes very stereotypical male sense of humor and wish fulfillment fantasy. It's interesting that he is writing a new series, but set in the same universe.

    I’ve read Eva Moves the Furniture by Margot Livesly which I liked. I’ve also heard great thinks about The Flight of Gemma Hardy but I am now wary of re-tellings of classic novels (in this case, Jane Eyre).

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    1. :) I read Eva Moves the Furniture a long time ago, but I haven't read The Flight of Gemma Hardy. The Boy in the Field is an unusual take on crime and its effects.

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  8. The Iron Druid Series is fantastic, you should give it a try! Thank you for the reminder about Ink and Sigil -- I'd forgotten that he had a new one coming out! It sounds fun and I could use some humour and mythological characters!

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    1. I may give the Iron Druid series a try. I wasn't completely satisfied with Ink & Sigil, but I'm interested enough to read the next outing. :)

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  9. That bowl for yarn is so funny! So excited about the Margot Livesey book. I have several of her books on my shelf and just haven't read her yet.

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