I am in two minds about this read. I thoroughly enjoy Author Hearne and his world built around Celtic mythology. Moving from Ireland to Scotland did nothing to diminish my enjoyment. The issue I have is, the world building has been done in the Atticus and Oberon books, nine or so in number. I do not know if this story truly stands apart from those enough to ensorcel a new reader who does not wish to go through that much initiatory reading.

I think, on balance, you know yourself best...read the story, because it is really, really fun to do, or wait until you are caught up on the kind of world this is. Mythology based fantasy reads are certainly popular enough that they are not fresh to your eyes. If you enjoy the idea of the Fae and the gods interacting with mere humans, and exacting prices from those humans for their patronage, this story will delight you. ( )

*A Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for a honest and unbiased review*


First of all, let me just say that you don't have to be well versed in the Iron Druid Chronicles series to be able to enjoy Ink & Sigil. Does it help? Yes, nit while it takes place in the same world it can be read as a standalone. It's been a long time since I have read a book where the protagonist is a senior citizen, which is also true about fantasy reads.

Al, was an absolute sweetheart. He's been through so much, that it's a little heartbreaking, but also makes him think through his choices rather than let his emotions guide him. I also particularly enjoyed those around him and with names like Saxon Codpiece, Buck Foi, and Gladys who has seen some shite, who wouldn't? Nadia was my favorite by far and while she doesn't have too much of an interesting name, she still kicks major ass and takes names.

I've always enjoyed Hearne's writing in the Iron Druid books and I did like it but in Ink & Sigil I found the pacing a little slow. Also, everything with D.I. Munro seemed a little unnecessary, like it was only there to show off what Al can do. If this is a standalone it was great, but if it eventually becomes a series I wouldn't mind as I would love to see more of Al and his merry band of misfits.

Overall, If you enjoy fae Urban Fantasy this is for you. ( )

This book was provided for free by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Little, Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to review this book!

For my full review please visit my blog: https://geeking-by.net/review/ink-sigil-by-kevin-hearne/

Ever since Kevin Hearne announced he was writing a new series spinning off from his fantastic Iron Druid Chronicle series I kept up with the updates. When it was revealed by Hearne that it was going to be set in Glasgow I was even more excited, especially when he and his wife visited the city on a research trip. I knew that the city I had come to call home was in good hands.

Although set in the same universe as the Iron Druid Chronicles series it was announced that this new series does not require any new previous knowledge of that series. As I am familiar with it I can’t not give my thoughts on what information the summary offers about the shared universe.

In this world, every myth, every pantheon, exists. From Christianity’s Jesus Christ to the well-known pantheons of Celtic and Norse gods, to the smaller ones of Slavic gods. The protagonist of the Iron Druid Chronicles, Atticus Sullivan, has various run-ins and interactions with all sorts of gods and mythical creatures. They seem to do what they please without any recompense, however, the summary for Ink & Sigil suggests otherwise.

Reintroducing Al MacBharrais, a character who had previously appeared in a short story in the collection Besieged, the summary tells us that there’s actually someone who is watching out for our world. Al has the magical means to protect it from “rogue minions of various pantheons, especially the Fae”. We’re only offered the basic information about what Al does, and it only gets more tantalising as we find out that his apprentices keep dying in strange circumstances.

I mentioned that I knew that this book was in good hands after following the progress of this book, including Hearne’s research trip to Glasgow. I didn’t realise just how extensive that research was or how good those hands were until I flicked to the first page on my tablet and found myself smiling as started to read the “Author’s Note”. You seem, Hearne hasn’t just written a book set in Glasgow and ignored the fact that Scotland has its own language and dialect. Much like the Disney film Brave, he fully immersed his new series in it and it’s delightful.

The Author’s Note is his personal introduction to the reader about the language, with personal anecdotes and accurate information. That’s the important thing to me, not just as a Brit, but as someone who lovingly calls Glasgow home; accuracy. For those who don’t know I’m not Scottish by birth (heritage, very much so) and I’m originally from London. My fiance is from Glasgow and even now after 13 years he still comes out with some words that I’ve never heard from. So when I say that Scots is a language I’m not just talking academically, it is very much a living language. I thus found the pronunciation guide to be great fun to read especially as it’s all about Glaswegian. Most people when they write Scottish people tend to go for a typically Edinburgh accent.

Another point in the authenticity column for Ink & Sigil is that the level of dirty language is not toned down. No one curses quite like a Scottish person and there are some absolute beauts in this novel. I’ve seen some comments by American readers who are either amazed about it or comment about how “violent” the language is. I’ve not put a trigger warning up for it because while it could be considered “violent” or even “abusive” it’s actually just about being expressive.

Language and dialogue are just two of the things that add to the charm of the characters of Ink & Sigil. Each one has a very individual personality and well developed personal history that draws the reader to them. While there are some similarities between Al and Atticus, the protagonist of the Iron Druid Chronicles (both care about the world and their duty to protect it), he is a very different type of character. Nevertheless, as I followed him through his investigation of his recently departed apprentice’s criminal activities, I became just as fond of Al and his companions as I did of the cast of the original series. That includes a particularly foulmouthed hobgoblin with a fondness for pranks who I dare you not to like.

Sigils are a completely new type of magic that will be really intriguing to urban fantasy fans, stationery lovers and alchemy. Hearne goes into lots of detail about the preparation of inks, the ingredients and the way they need to be made and/or sourced. These interludes include anecdotes from Al’s past and his training, continuing to connect the dots between past and present while also acting as a momentary pause in the action. Unlike other books where I’ve seen authors use the interlude to throw more information at the reader, Hearne’s style gives the reader a moment to catch their breath, if you will, and collect their thoughts before picking the story back up. It’s only ever a few pages long and succinct, always leading straight back to the point with a comment from Al that links everything together. It’s a great way to provide a behind the scenes look at sigil agents’ work without making it ridiculously tedious for the reader. ( )

The cover for this book is so amazing!!! I've caught myself drooling over it multiple times. It's 100% the reason I picked this book up to read. Didn't read the blurb or who the author was, just had to read whatever was behind that cover.

Thank goodness what was there was awesome! Loved this book so much! From the sigil magic to the lizard wizard van to all the hierarchy. ugh. I'm ready to reread it.

I'm a sucker for inks & pens, and the research the author put into the main characters craft is high five worthy. The book is life like and mystical. You can feel the time put into to making sure the setting is culturally accurate, and all lore lines up. Some books fail at sinking in real world dialect into a fiction novel but this book works so freaking well. I feared i was going to be referencing the authors notes and half confused at the crazy spellings, but it never happened. The flow of the sentences supported the dialect perfectly.

All of the characters are well crafted, and the personalities of each are distinct and compliment the story perfectly. The grey of the 'villains', to the grey of the 'good guys' so much yes for this one. I'm also here for the commentary on 'human' trafficking, and how the magical world is dealing with the same problems we are dealing with in humanity.

Book one hasn't even released yet, but I'm ready for book two. Also a poster for my wall of this cover *drooling*

I received this book via NetGalley. ( )

Set in the same world as the Iron Druid but with the exception of a cameo he doesn’t figure in the story. This can be read without having read any of the Iron Druid books but there will be some spoilers but it might spur the reader to find them after reading this book. Al is a sigil writer, he handles magical issues that come up with the Fae that want to spend time in the mortal world. The specials inks he uses infuse the sigils with power to both hurt and heal. The book starts with him investigating the death of his most current apprentice, one who it seems was dealing with magic that Al hadn’t taught him and the slave trade of lesser Fae. Al is also working under a curse that if people hear his voice they eventually grow to hate him so he uses tech to work around it. I really liked the story and that the main character was older and had an interesting background. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series and see where it will go.

Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Edelweiss ( )