ARC Review: Ink & Sigil #3

Candle & Crow by Kevin Hearne

Publication Date: October 1, 2024

Summary from NetGalley:

Al MacBharrais has a most unusual job: He’s a practitioner of ink-and-sigil magic, tasked with keeping order among the gods and monsters that dwell hidden in the human world. But there’s one supernatural mystery he’s never been able to solve: Years ago, someone cast twin curses on him that killed off his apprentices and drove away loved ones who heard him speak, leaving him bereft and isolated.

But he’s not quite alone: As Al works to solve this mystery, his friends draw him into their own eccentric dramas. Buck Foi the hobgoblin has been pondering his own legacy—and has a plan for a daring shenanigan that will make him the most celebrated hobgoblin of all. Nadia, goth queen and battle seer, is creating her own cult around a god who loves whisky and cheese.

And the Morrigan, a former Irish death goddess, has decided she wants not only to live as an ordinary woman but also to face the most perilous challenge of the mortal world: online dating.

Meanwhile, Al crosses paths with old friends and new—including some beloved Druids and their very good dogs—in his globe-trotting quest to solve the mystery of his curses. But he’s pulled in so many different directions by his colleagues, a suspicious detective, and the whims of destructive gods that Al begins to wonder: Will he ever find time to write his own happy ending?

ARC provided by Random House via NetGalley for an honest review.

Confession:

Although I liked this third and final installment in this series, I was also disappointed in it. The first book in the series, Ink & Sigil, was such a great book, it seemed to me to be the start of a really great series, but unfortunately the rest of the series was just ok. This book does provide answers and does wrap up the story quite nicely, but there just didn’t seem to be any excitement or happiness in the telling.

I still quite enjoyed spending time with Al and his associates and friends. I was so glad that he was finally able to get to the bottom of his curse, although I still wonder why it took him so long. He does meet some interesting characters along the way to finding his answers, and gets himself into some trouble too, but it all works out in the end. The confrontation of the person who cursed him and how the curse is broken is great, but seemed rather rushed. I was very glad that Al was able to get the answers he needed and to get on with his life and be happy.

The other characters in this story also get their lives on track. I really liked Nadia’s storyline in this book and would have loved to see more of her, especially when it came to the new religion and god that she was creating. I kind of liked the Morrigan’s storyline, but again there were aspects that bugged me about her choices. Gladys also finally shows her true self and I found it quite amusing.

Buck, the hobgoblin, was better in this book, but I still had issues with him and with hobgoblins as a whole. The inclusion of him and his culture just seemed to bring the whole book down to a more juvenile level. Maybe I am just getting too old for this kind of humor, but I could have done with a lot less of it.

I follow this author on social media, and he has mentioned that this is the final book set in the Iron Druid world that he plans to write. That came through very much in this story. A lot of time is spent making sure that Al connects with almost all of the characters from the previous series in some way. Because of this some of the scenes and stories felt very much contrived and forced in order for those connections to be made. To be honest I just wanted to know more about Al’s curse and the other character’s stories from this series, rather than having cameos from the druids. That’s not to say that Al and his friends do not get an ending, they do, it just wasn’t as detailed as I hoped.

The writing and world building were well done, although this being the final book in the series there wasn’t much else to do with the world building. The magical inks were not talked about or used as much in this book, but I really enjoyed the sigil the involved murderous mushrooms. The pacing was pretty steady for the most part, but the middle of the book felt chaotic and rushed.

If you have read the first two books in the series and liked them, then this is a conclusion that you will find satisfying. If you enjoyed the Iron Druid books, then this is a series you might consider reading as it does include many of the characters and mythologies from that series. But if you have not read other books from this author, I would not recommend that you start with this one. If you are looking for a great urban fantasy, than definitely consider picking up the Iron Druid series.