I really enjoyed the book. I liked getting to see more of the characters were already knew, and meeting new ones as well. What I didn't like was the too-easy healing from massive wounds. Yes, that is part of being a werewolf. And yes, I know that we tend to skip over time in which the narrative character is not conscious. However, either too little time was taken to heal from various injuries not once, not twice, but three times or there wasn't a good enough job done to convince me of the passage of time.

Charming himself is also starting to really get on my nerves. Nothing I can point to, just a nebulous eye-roll feeling.

However, this is a worthwhile installment of a good series, and I look forward to seeing where the series plot is going. I think I can catch a glimpse of it, but I'm not sure. I'll need at least one more book to be sure (at least in part because Mr. James is very good at hiding twists within twists, so that you figure out one part of the puzzle and miss a second part hidden deeper within the same clue). ( )

Nice installment in the Pax Arcana series. This is number four. I liked the earlier ones better; I'm not sure why. It may be that there were so many characters in this one that I has to stop periodically to remember who they were and when and why they were in the book(s). But John Charming is still charming and I very much like Sig, his girlfriend. ( )

Wow! What a ride! So much becomes clear in this book. The "big bad" in this novel is really bad. The author plays fair and all the signs are there in retrospect, but I didn't see it coming.

One of the things I really enjoy about this series is the incorporation of mythology. I was more familiar with the creatures this time (last time it was Japanese mythology), but since the myth is integral to the plot, that's all I'll say on that matter.

You really need all of the background of the other novels for this one to make complete sense. That said, I loved it. If you are a fan of the series, you definitely need to get this one. ( )

I've long enjoyed the amount of mythology that is worked into the Pax Arcana series. This is what John Charming does, he's almost a century old, and he knows the territory. I'm also struck by his believability as an almost century old (regenerating, Wolverine-style). Yes, he's still a smartass after all these years. He's been through some stuff; he was raised by people who thought he should have been killed as a freak of nature, and he's seen someone he loved killed because of him. He has very believable problems with authority. But as odd as it is, he also has a certain maturity. His relationship with Sig is one of the most reasonable I've seen in urban fantasy. They didn't rush into it after some stuff that went down with her previous relationship in the first book, and when their various issues get in the way they work stuff through and deal with it like adults.

I love this series. It and the Rivers of London books by Ben Aaronovitch are my two go-to recommendations for fans of The Dresden Files. I just wish I knew what the release date was for the next book, Legend Has It. ( )