An InCryptid Novel ; #1
Verity Price comes from a family of cryptozoologists, or monster hunters. Generations back they used to be part of The Covenant of St. George but they broke with that secret organisation when they realised that not all crptids are monsters and killing isn’t the only answer.
But Verity also love to dance, so she peruses that under a pseudonym while not checking in on local cryptids, or, working as a waitress in a strip-joint in order to make ends meet. You could say she doesn’t have much free time. So really doesn’t need to meet a member of the Covenant in New York, hunting and killing *her* cryptids without even giving them a chance to change their ways. But when more and more cryptids keep disappearing Verity realises that the hunter isn’t to blame and the question becomes, what is?
Given that I’m a big fan of McGuire’s October Daye novels it was only a matter of time before I got around to starting this series. It has a similar sort of feel to Toby’s story, only not as dark and full of blood magic. Instead Verity has knives and guns to deal with the creatures in her world. She also has the back up a family, even if none of them live close enough to help out with the action in this story.
The romance plot line may be a little on the predictable, but I didn’t mind that at all. It worked well in the book, important but never threatening to become the point of the book.
I also liked that Verity had a family, she has support network, even if it is at a distance in this book. Too often heroes are isolated from everything, relying totally on themselves, with no wider social circle. Verity has a social life as well as her “mission”, sure, it may be difficult trying to balance the two but at least she is trying.
The back story of the conflict with the Covenent should make for interesting story lines later on in the series. It also gives a nice grounding to the story, things just haven’t started, they have a long past and history.
All in all this is well worth a read if you’ve enjoyed McGuire’s other books, or just want to give an urban fantasy a go.
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