Reviews

"I like that kid. She's got a wonderful angry energy. Like she's decided life is crap and we`re all just killing time until we meet a slow and painful death. She is well ahead of the game on that front" Page 36

"The key to life,' said Banecroft, 'is looking and acting like you know exactly what you are doing at all times." Page 172

"Because on a base level, to which none of us admits, we all secretly think it's pretty much done by magic- and on an even deeper level, we all know that you don't question magic with logic, or else the magic might get the hump and stop working" Page 301

"I appreciate you think everything in life should be fixed by you shouting at it, but sadly that is not the case." Page 304

"Sadly, such is human nature that peace is a rarely achieved ideal." Page 326

electric_revenge's review

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adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

k_baney's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

goonerette's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

kashacapetown's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

THE STRANGER TIMES - CK MCDONNELL

This book was an unexpected delight. I had bought it on a whim during a Kindle book sale and had forgotten the description entirely before diving into it. If you like knowing what you’re getting into, here’s what to expect:

A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but mostly the weird), it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable. At least that’s their pitch. The reality is less auspicious. When tragedy strikes in Hannah’s first week on the job, The Stranger Times is forced to do some serious investigating.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. It’s an urban fantasy that brings the multiculturalism of a major UK city to life, while having a great story at its core with an even better set of characters.

I won’t give away too much detail, but this is essentially a story about good vs evil, and if you love the idea of the paranormal invading an otherwise normal urban setting, then this is the book for you. The novel manages to strike a balance between having high stakes and witty writing, jumping between different POVs to fully round out the storyline.

It’s irreverent and memorable, but it’s the cast of characters that sealed the deal for me. This made ME want to work at The Stranger Times - despite the craziness that seems to go on there. I’m thoroughly looking forward to the second book in this series. If you’re on the lookout for a new urban fantasy series, I’d highly recommend this one.

Review score: 5/5

TW: Death, violence, alcoholism, suicide

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