Ink and Sigil by Kevin Hearne | ARC Review

So Much Fun And I’m So Glad I Found This Book

The Highlights:

• This book made me laugh a lot
• The world building and magic system are excellent
• Fun characters
• A solid book on its own, but definitely left me wanting a sequel

I’m really hoping that I may have just found a new favorite author. I’ve wanted to check out Kevin Hearne’s books for a really long time now, and Ink and Sigil seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally do so. And wow, I am so glad that I picked this book up. That was the most fun I’ve had reading in a long time.

It’s pretty rare that a book actually makes me laugh. Like, out loud, actual, genuine laughter. Ink and Sigil had me laughing the whole way through. Hearne’s humor and timing just clicked really well with me. I’m a sucker for silly but smart humor and that’s exactly what this book is full of. I’m really hoping this is a feature in all of his books, because I need more of it in my reading life, and it’s probably the biggest thing I’ll be looking forward to if this series continues.

The world building of Ink and Sigil is excellent. It’s like Artemis Fowl meets the Wax and Wayne Mistborn books, but still somehow wholly unique. The Scottish dialogue used throughout the entire book was so immersive and fun. The urban fantasy vibe never felt gimmicky, but instead it just seemed like our world, only full of magic. The magic system was really unique, at least to me. I’ve never read anything similar, with the use of ink recipes and sigils granting different abilities and protections. It was well fleshed out, there were clear rules, but it never felt constricted.

The characters in this book were so good! Easily one of the strongest aspects. The cast is diverse, fully of unique personalities, so many of whom I couldn’t help but just genuinely like. Al MacBharrais is not the kind of main character I’m usually drawn to- a sixty-something year old man- but I loved how he was written. So endearing and compelling. His story needs more and I really hope he gets the sequel he deserves. The secondary characters were just as great, from Al’s amazing manager, Nadia, to the extremely funny hobgoblin, Buck Foi. (I told you this book was funny.) I just really enjoyed each and every character presented in this story. They all felt unique, and they obviously had their own lives and stories outside of Al’s, which only added to the depth of his story. So well done.

Ink and Sigil is easily one of my favorite books I’ve read lately. It was like a breath of fresh air. It felt good to read it and laugh, to fall for a whole new set of characters, to find a new writer whose work I’m eager to seek out. It was genuinely funny, so heartfelt, and really wrapped up the story well. There were just enough loose ends left dangling to leave me really hoping for a sequel. Fans of fantasy, and anyone looking for humor in their books really, are sure to love this one. Ink and Sigil is definitely going to be one of those ‘feel good’ books I revisit over and over.