This time with...slightly less murder

[failte_aoife]

Slightly.

KJ Charles

Flight of Magpies

Despite enjoying the Magpie-books I took my time with reading them and I have eventually figured out why: I enjoy the stories themselves, I enjoy the side-characters, I enjoy Stephen and I enjoy Lucien and I enjoy their relationship...in the sense of I enjoy their bickering with each other. As soon as they are

Comments

[rinkafushi]

Cockburn :')

Also lol, I have only listened to one Inspector Gamache book, because after CSI Vatican zoomed by my media landscape on its cocaine fuled sprint, it left me craving for some ~Catholicism Mysteries~ (not that kind of mystery), and The Beautiful Mystery (probably that kind of mystery) came up on Audible. It's somewhere in the middle of the series, but it very much was "Gamache is the only pure, incorruptable soul in the sureté, he's too pure for this world, too good, and of course he listens to chants in his free time". Also, Jean-Guy was just. So stupid :')
(Also, I do know enough French to get it's Jean-Guy, but it honestly sounded like he's a K-Pop idol. Anyway, hashtag stan Joon-Gi)

[failte_aoife]

I have listened to two Saint Gamache novels now and in the first there's a scene where Joon-Gi has to try archery because plot and he has never done archery before but there's like half a page interior monologue in which he is convinced that he's going to be awesome at it and that everybody will stare at him in wonder and amazement and then of course he fails epically...In the second he tries curling because plot and he has never done it before but he is convinced...

Like...if you want me to hate this character then be at least creative

[rinkafushi]

I read this last bit as "like if you hate this character" and I was about to sMAAASH that like button.

It doesn't help that going by the one I listened to, he a) develops an addiciton to opiates and then has to get clean and b) starts dating perfect cinnamon roll gamache's daughter. in secret for some reason. DRAMAAAAA

[failte_aoife]

I mean I'm not saying that I don't hate him. But I am also disappointed in the lack of creativity

And I did not want to know any of it

[ikel89]

I had not known that horny ghostfuckers belonged in a series called KILTY PLEASURES. Somehow, that explains everything.

Also, only you, my dear, could position Will "I love my Messer and also violence" Darling and Kim "my party trick is chopping a man's hand off with a Napoleonic saber" Secretan as LESS murderous books. Bless you.

[failte_aoife]

I had not known that horny ghostfuckers belonged in a series called KILTY PLEASURES
I really should have seen it coming...seen them coming. Repeatedly

Hey! Kim thought it was a blunt blade and only tried to distract him...that's at most manslaughter XD

[hamsterwoman]

As soon as they are in the bedroom I aggressively Do Not Care. Which is partly a YKINMK thing but mostly...idk just not seeing any sexual chemistry between them?

I'm amused to see you, me, and K are unanimous on this 'reading Playboy for the articles" response to Magpies. (It's a whole lot of NMKs with the two of them... but I do like the rest of the dynamic and the side charactrs an stuff. A really weird way to feel about erotica!)

Phoebe was...A Lot.

I feel similarly about Phoebe. Like, I might not mind a Phoebe/Maisie book if KJC writes one, because I like Maisie, but as a supporting character, a little of Phoebe goes a long way (and I do feel like she was maybe a little bit more toned down here).

Swordheart was very fun! I'm looking forward to the further sword people romance sequels...
I've read a couple of other things by P.Djeli Clark and reliably enjoy his worldbuilding, so I'm looking forward to reading 'Tram Car 015' -- and hadn't even realized it was a sequel to something.

[failte_aoife]

If Magpie Lord was a series about two good friends fighting demons I would recommend it to everyone who seemed even vaguely interested because everything apart from the romance and the sex works perfectly for me XD

Dead Djinn in Cairo is "just" a short story that also does a lot of the introductory worldbuilding. I mean I don't think you'd be lost if you only read Tram Car 015 but I found it nice to already know what's going on

[hamsterwoman]

If Magpie Lord was a series about two good friends fighting demons I would recommend it to everyone who seemed even vaguely intereste

Haha, this is probably pretty true for me as well! I mean, I really enjoy Merrick and Lucien banter, and Stephen's friends the Golds, and the magical myster things are pretty fun. It's just the central romance, really, that turns me off XD

[hamsterwoman]

Suggestion: actually keep romance in the form of het romance between the jewish doctor and his magician wife as B-plot, then everything as stated above XD