A review by tomasthanes
Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire

5.0

I really enjoyed this book.

On first thought, it reminded me a lot of the Anita Black books by Laurell K. Hamilton where humans inhabit a world filled with non-humans (cryptids in this book) however Anita Black, while by vocation a necromancer, functionally she's a detective working with the local police department. Verity Price is is a cryptozoologist, a scientist. In Anita's world, the humans are aware of vampires and lycanthropes and interact at their peril; in Verity's world, the humans for the most part are unaware of the cryptids living among them unless they're members of the Price family or the Covenant of St. George.

I like the character development of Verity, Dominic, and Sarah (who is such a cuckoo). I liked Verity's struggle to prove her compassion for the cryptids of New York City; it will take a life time for her to prove that she's trustworthy (or at least a couple more books).

Verity's life growing up was instructive and made me glad for the family I grew up in as opposed to the Price family.

I quadrupled my knowledge of ballroom dancing (which was non-existent before reading this novel) but I like how the author pointed out that the strength, dexterity, balance, and movement of dancing was similar to that of martial arts. I'm convinced.

The Aeslin mice were a comic element that succeeded far more than Jar Jar Binks or the Ewoks.

The romantic entanglements of Verity and Dominic and William and Candy seemed very plausible.

I'm glad that we're setup for a sequel.