Paper & Blood
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- Create Date：2021-08-12 04:19:28
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kevin Hearne
- ISBN：B08N6T74ZK
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Summary
Kevin Hearne returns to the world of his beloved Iron Druid Chronicles in book two of a spin-off series about an eccentric master of rare magic solving an uncanny mystery in Scotland。
There’s only one Al MacBharrais: Though other Scotsmen may have dramatic mustaches and a taste for fancy cocktails， Al also has a unique talent。 He’s a master of ink and sigil magic。 In his gifted hands， paper and pen can work wondrous spells。
But Al isn’t quite alone: He is part of a global network of sigil agents who use their powers to protect the world from mischievous gods and strange monsters。 So when a fellow agent disappears under sinister circumstances in Australia， Al leaves behind the cozy pubs and cafes of Glasgow and travels to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery。
The trail to his colleague begins to pile up with bodies at alarming speed， so Al is grateful his friends have come to help—especially Nadia， his accountant who moonlights as a pit fighter。 Together with a whisky-loving hobgoblin known as Buck Foi and the ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan， along with his dogs， Oberon and Starbuck， Al and Nadia will face down the wildest wonders Australia—and the supernatural world—can throw at them， and confront a legendary monster not seen in centuries。
There’s only one Al MacBharrais: Though other Scotsmen may have dramatic mustaches and a taste for fancy cocktails， Al also has a unique talent。 He’s a master of ink and sigil magic。 In his gifted hands， paper and pen can work wondrous spells。
But Al isn’t quite alone: He is part of a global network of sigil agents who use their powers to protect the world from mischievous gods and strange monsters。 So when a fellow agent disappears under sinister circumstances in Australia， Al leaves behind the cozy pubs and cafes of Glasgow and travels to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery。
The trail to his colleague begins to pile up with bodies at alarming speed， so Al is grateful his friends have come to help—especially Nadia， his accountant who moonlights as a pit fighter。 Together with a whisky-loving hobgoblin known as Buck Foi and the ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan， along with his dogs， Oberon and Starbuck， Al and Nadia will face down the wildest wonders Australia—and the supernatural world—can throw at them， and confront a legendary monster not seen in centuries。
Reviews
Nightwing
，
Hurrah！ Another book about our favorite Druid， Al MacBharrais。 This is a continuation of the Ink & Sigil series， and has been long awaited。 And it fulfills all wishes， and then some。 Full of all we love in these books， plus some stuff no one could imagine （except for Kevin Hearne， obviously）。 I want more！！！！！
Cassandra
，
I haven't read Kevin Hearne before being offered an ARC from Netgalley， but that is about to change。This is second in an urban fantasy series with some crossover from an earlier series （Iron Druid） which I also haven't read， but Hearne provides enough backstory that I had no trouble following along。An inventive magic system， witty characters， Australian setting， and dangerous situations made this a fast-moving engrossing adventure。 Loved it and will be starting the Iron Druid series now， I think I haven't read Kevin Hearne before being offered an ARC from Netgalley， but that is about to change。This is second in an urban fantasy series with some crossover from an earlier series （Iron Druid） which I also haven't read， but Hearne provides enough backstory that I had no trouble following along。An inventive magic system， witty characters， Australian setting， and dangerous situations made this a fast-moving engrossing adventure。 Loved it and will be starting the Iron Druid series now， I think。 。。。more
Paulina De Leon
，
I first came across Ink and Sigil by Kevin Hearne on Apple Books and was immediately drawn to the cover。 After reading the description mentioning curses， hobgoblins and fae， along with a murder mystery， I just had to read it。 I was definitely not disappointed。 It's witty and funny and full of the unexpected。 And the sequel Paper and Blood delivers the same。 From the shall we say。。。 unique names， to the quirky characters attached to them， these books are a great read if you're in the mood for a m I first came across Ink and Sigil by Kevin Hearne on Apple Books and was immediately drawn to the cover。 After reading the description mentioning curses， hobgoblins and fae， along with a murder mystery， I just had to read it。 I was definitely not disappointed。 It's witty and funny and full of the unexpected。 And the sequel Paper and Blood delivers the same。 From the shall we say。。。 unique names， to the quirky characters attached to them， these books are a great read if you're in the mood for a mystery/mad adventure sprinkled with crude humor that can be hilarious or somewhat cringey （not entirely in a bad way）。 All in all these were fun books to read and I am intrigued to find out what mad adventure they will go on next。Thank you to NetGalley for the Paper & Blood ARC。Synopsis Paper and BloodPaper and Blood has Al and Buck Foi traveling to Australia to investigate the disappearance of 2 Sigil Agents。 They face down some serious danger while coming across some pretty twisted monsters。 This time they get the aid of a Sigil Agent's apprentice and the Iron Druid himself。 Not to mention a rather perplexing appearance from Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite， along with a revelation about the curses placed on Al。 。。。more
Jenna Rideout
，
3。5 rounded upI was granted eARC access to Paper & Blood via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you！ My thoughts are my own and my review is honest。 You know the phrase "be careful what you wish for？" I wished for more Atticus and Oberon。 Sorry， Connor and Oberon。 Unlike the various times Atticus had to take on other monikers in the Iron Druid series we don't revert to calling him Atticus in familiar company here， and it honestly threw me for a loop at first wondering if Atticus h 3。5 rounded upI was granted eARC access to Paper & Blood via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 Thank you！ My thoughts are my own and my review is honest。 You know the phrase "be careful what you wish for？" I wished for more Atticus and Oberon。 Sorry， Connor and Oberon。 Unlike the various times Atticus had to take on other monikers in the Iron Druid series we don't revert to calling him Atticus in familiar company here， and it honestly threw me for a loop at first wondering if Atticus had trained up an apprentice Connor and passed on the "Iron Druid" title。 I'm seeing some early reviews coming in from reviewers who admit they didn't read the Iron Druid series who feel lost， but honestly， I feel lost too and I did read the series。 I loved it and wasn't ready for it to end！ These books aren't supposed to be very far into the future， but Atticus/Connor feels like he has aged significantly。 For a man who's already lived hundreds of decades， a decade or less shouldn't have that effect。 Yeah， Ragnorok didn't go well， but he's had some life-altering run-ins with the gods before。 He spent most of the last millennium as the only living druid for goodness sake！ Connor feels centuries older than the Atticus we parted with at the end of Scourged。 Minor spoiler for the Iron Druid series: （view spoiler）[And you know what makes me mad？ The nearly-immortal magic man who survived being BEHEADED apparently can't regrow an arm。 This is somewhat addressed within Paper & Blood， but not early enough to have quelled my annoyance before it bubbled too much。 （hide spoiler）] Putting Connar and Oberon aside and treating this book as the second book in a brand new series， pretending we don't already know Connor and Oberon， this book is okay。 It's not great， it's not terrible。 I'm liking Al more and more， which is impressive considering I already called book one a 5/5 star read and said if I can't have more Atticus and Oberon then I'll gladly take Al and Buck。 I love how much more we get to know him and his story， and all the answers we're getting to questions we didn't know we had about his employees。 （Favourite quote: "Do you know what she is？" "She's Canadian。" 。。。） The reappearance of The Morrigan and her attempt at living a new life is very entertaining and I can't wait to follow this storyline more。 I love all the ambiguous answers and even more unanswered questions about who/what "Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite" really is。 This book had some very entertaining moments and a whole lot of character and world-building。 In terms of the overarching series plot， this book doesn't make progress。 Iron Druid definitely had that problem too with some books being more tangential than necessary， but not so early on in the series。 Al doesn't really make any progress on the curse conundrum， and Buck definitely fell into Oberon's shadow and became the annoying sidekick next to a much cuter， more innocent goof。 I'm still very much looking forward to continuing this series and I hope my disappointments with this one are just a sign of the dreaded "middle book syndrome" striking unfortunately early。 I'm also optimistic about the future of Connor/Atticus as a character in this series。 I can see the potential for a redemption/restoration arch for him， and I really hope that whenever Al and Connor part ways for good that we'll be parting ways with Atticus， not Connor。 Do I recommend this book？ Yes， if you've read book one， and I'll add that you should probably also be familiar with the original series。 I wouldn't say you need to have finished The Iron Druid Chronicles， though this book does contain a spoiler for book nine， but you'd probably be better off knowing more about "Connor" than Al does before starting this one。 。。。more
Adriana
，
Kevin Hearne has done it again。 He's written an incredibly addicting， action-packed adventure that somehow still manages to be full of well-rounded characters for the reader to connect with。 And we even get a collab adventure with Iron Druid and his hounds！Scottish sigil agent Al MacBharrais is still trying to figure out who cursed him when he finds out that two other sigil agents have disappeared in Australia。 This is how an adventure full of magic， monsters， and revelations begins。 Buk Foi， Na Kevin Hearne has done it again。 He's written an incredibly addicting， action-packed adventure that somehow still manages to be full of well-rounded characters for the reader to connect with。 And we even get a collab adventure with Iron Druid and his hounds！Scottish sigil agent Al MacBharrais is still trying to figure out who cursed him when he finds out that two other sigil agents have disappeared in Australia。 This is how an adventure full of magic， monsters， and revelations begins。 Buk Foi， Nadia， and Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite are back， along with some great new characters， the always fan favorite Iron Druid and his hounds， and a very unexpected return。 I'm honestly afraid to get into the story for fear of ruining some of the great surprises it holds， so I'm just going to say that it's an epic adventure with lots of action， even more surprises， and incredibly creative writing。 You don't need to have read the Iron Druid or the first book in the series to enjoy it， but I do think being at least familiar with the Iron Druid chronicles will add to the enjoyment。Many extremely happy thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the early read！ 。。。more
Jennifer Dawson
，
NYT bestselling author Kevin Hearne dives back into the world of his Iron Druid Chronicles， this time dragging elderly Scotsman Al MacBharrais to the land down under。 As one of five sigil agents for the First of the Fae here on Earth， Al’s job is to keep the Fae from terrorizing humanity。 When the sigil agent in Australia goes missing， Al must investigate。Like the first book， Paper & Blood includes an Author’s Note at the beginning to explain some of the Glaswegian Scots dialect and complex Iris NYT bestselling author Kevin Hearne dives back into the world of his Iron Druid Chronicles， this time dragging elderly Scotsman Al MacBharrais to the land down under。 As one of five sigil agents for the First of the Fae here on Earth， Al’s job is to keep the Fae from terrorizing humanity。 When the sigil agent in Australia goes missing， Al must investigate。Like the first book， Paper & Blood includes an Author’s Note at the beginning to explain some of the Glaswegian Scots dialect and complex Irish words。 The book then includes a recap of the previous book titled “The Story So Far” which negates any requirement to read the first book of the series。 It’s also a lovely feature for readers who don’t have the time or inclination to reread the first book before picking on the newest one。Paper & Blood picks up not long after Ink & Sigil ends， with Al and his contracted Fae hobgoblin， Buck， discussing issues from the previous book。 That’s when Al receives news that his Australian counterpart is missing。 Worse yet， the next closest sigil agent in also missing， along with her apprentice。 Al notifies the other two sigil agents and travels with Buck from Scotland to Australia。 Still， he fears they “may be dealing with a problem that requires a heavy hitter。” He reaches out to The Iron Druid for help。Fans of the Iron Druid Chronicles will absolutely love this book。 It was so good seeing Atticus O’Sullivan and his dogs， Oberon and Starbuck。 The previous book had a flashback of Al meeting Atticus once， but nothing compares to having the ancient druid back in action。 As the scope of the danger in Paper & Blood kept expanding， so did my excitement。 It brought back the more fantastical， overwhelming foes from the previous series， which was befitting three sigil agents， a hobgoblin， the Iron Druid， and other heroes gathered along the way。One of the best thing about this book， though， was seeing Atticus accept the loss of his arm， which had traumatized readers in the druid’s last book， Scourged。 Now I could almost be okay if I never saw the ancient druid again。 He’s going to be okay。 That alone made this book special for fans of Hearne’s books。Again， you need not have read any of his other books to enjoy Paper & Blood， but I will always recommend them。 Hearne is an exceptionally talented author with a delightful sense of humor， and he weaves captivating tales with enviable skill。 I’ve already preordered this book and the audiobook， and anxiously await another installment。 。。。more
R
，
Paper & Blood is Kevin Hearne’s second entry in his Ink & Sigil series。 This new series is set in the same world as Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles， and follows the adventures of Al MacBharrais， Sigil Agent。 Sigil Agents were created by Brighid， First among the Fae， after the druid order was eradicated millennia ago with the exception of Atticus O’Sullivan， the Iron Druid。MacBharrais and Buck Foi – Al’s hobgoblin assistant – travel to Australia to investigate a missing Sigil Agent。 As there are o Paper & Blood is Kevin Hearne’s second entry in his Ink & Sigil series。 This new series is set in the same world as Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles， and follows the adventures of Al MacBharrais， Sigil Agent。 Sigil Agents were created by Brighid， First among the Fae， after the druid order was eradicated millennia ago with the exception of Atticus O’Sullivan， the Iron Druid。MacBharrais and Buck Foi – Al’s hobgoblin assistant – travel to Australia to investigate a missing Sigil Agent。 As there are only five Sigil Agents in the world， this is a matter of utmost importance。 Once in Australia， it does not take MacBharrais long to realize something is seriously amiss。 Something very monstrous has crossed realms。 It is up to Al and his companions to resolve this intrusion。Down under， MacBharrais & Foi are joined by Al's Office Manager – Nadia， the missing Sigil Agent’s apprentice – Ya-ping， Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite， the Iron Druid， and Oberon。 Anyone familiar with Hearne’s writing knows to expect the delightfully unexpected。 Paper & Blood is no exception。 The book is filled with humor and adventure。 It was a treat to see the Iron Druid as a substantial character in this latest book。 By the end of this story， Hearne ties up a major loose thread from the Iron Druid Chronicles。This book is highly recommended for fans of Hearne’s Iron Druid Chronicles。This reviewer looks forward to reading the next installment in Hearne’s newest series！ Note: This ARC was provided by NetGalley and publisher Random House/Del Rey in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Viccy
，
Al MacBharrais is one Sigil Agent， who is responsible for writing the contracts that bind otherworldly beings to their plane of existence or crafts a contract that will keep them under control if they visit this plane。 Al gets an urgent call from Australia， saying two other Sigil agents have disappeared in the Dandenong Range outside of Melbourne。 Al， and his apprentice， Buck Foi （a hobgoblin）， travel through the Olde Ways to get to Australia as soon as possible and discover interdimensional bei Al MacBharrais is one Sigil Agent， who is responsible for writing the contracts that bind otherworldly beings to their plane of existence or crafts a contract that will keep them under control if they visit this plane。 Al gets an urgent call from Australia， saying two other Sigil agents have disappeared in the Dandenong Range outside of Melbourne。 Al， and his apprentice， Buck Foi （a hobgoblin）， travel through the Olde Ways to get to Australia as soon as possible and discover interdimensional beings are running rampant through the mountains and killing humans， a lot of them。 The two missing Sigil agents are being held prisoner by the being who is birthing the abominations as fast as possible。 Meanwhile， the Iron Druid appears with Oberon and his new dog， Starbuck。 As does Al's accountant， Nadia， who has a side hustle as a pit fighter， and Al's manager， Gladys， Who Has Seen Some Shite。 The battle is epic and takes all of their various skills to succeed。 This is a new series that takes place in the world of the Iron Druid， but highlights different characters。 Al is a human， who is feeling his age and he has discovered he has two curses on him， which complicate his life immeasurably。 Great character development and some laugh out loud funny moments。 Very enjoyable read。 。。。more
Suzanne
，
I liked book one in this series， but I enjoyed this one even more。 Al MacBharrais gets a call from Australia and learns that two fellow sigil agents are missing and very possibly in danger。 Of course， he and Buck Foi travel there and investigate。 Some of my favorite things were:1） The story！ （of course）。 The monsters were great， and I loved how the plot came together。 It did have a satisfying conclusion but also made me very interested to see where these characters go。2） The setting - as I read I liked book one in this series， but I enjoyed this one even more。 Al MacBharrais gets a call from Australia and learns that two fellow sigil agents are missing and very possibly in danger。 Of course， he and Buck Foi travel there and investigate。 Some of my favorite things were:1） The story！ （of course）。 The monsters were great， and I loved how the plot came together。 It did have a satisfying conclusion but also made me very interested to see where these characters go。2） The setting - as I read this， I was sure the author had taken an extensive trip to Australia because the descriptions were so vivid。 Turns out， because of Covid， some friends had helped and he just visited virtually。 But well done！ I really felt like I could see the environment， but it also wasn't over-done。3） The friends。 All of Al's friends are great but we got to see more of Nadia， and Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite - let's just say they aren't an ordinary office staff。4） Last， but not least， joining up with a certain favorite druid and his dog was brilliant。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read and review an ARC！ 。。。more
Kevin
，
4。5 Stars！The second story in this series again started with a slow quick fuse that quickly exploded into a fun， entertaining adventure。This series takes place in the same universe as the author’s Iron Druid Chronicles with new characters and new adventures。 If you love the Iron Druid like me you will love this old man！ In fact if you love the Iron Druid he is back！ MacBharrais is again the main character and he is a Sigil Agent。 One of five such people in the world who were given the power to c 4。5 Stars！The second story in this series again started with a slow quick fuse that quickly exploded into a fun， entertaining adventure。This series takes place in the same universe as the author’s Iron Druid Chronicles with new characters and new adventures。 If you love the Iron Druid like me you will love this old man！ In fact if you love the Iron Druid he is back！ MacBharrais is again the main character and he is a Sigil Agent。 One of five such people in the world who were given the power to create sigils from special ink by the goddess Brigid 。 These sigils are a kind of magic that can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes and the sigil agents are tasked with using their abilities to maintain the supernatural。tHe is called from Scotland to Australia when a fellow Sigil Agent goes missing。 Something pretty powerful has come through and is causing all kinds of trouble。The secondary characters as well as the character of Al MacBharrais our further developed in this second book along with the sigil craft。 A great story awaits！Recommended。 Keven Hearne fans will not be disappointed。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in return for an honest review 。。。more
Amberlee Hanson
，
This is by far the funniest， most enjoyable read I have experienced this year。 It takes what was great about the first book and amps it up by about 75% more。 Plus， it was great to see some characters from the extended universe make their appearance in this book。 It reminded me why I always love reading these books。The book also does a beautiful job of increasing the stakes of a situation， then interject with what feels like a side story， which only leads to a better understanding of why the plot This is by far the funniest， most enjoyable read I have experienced this year。 It takes what was great about the first book and amps it up by about 75% more。 Plus， it was great to see some characters from the extended universe make their appearance in this book。 It reminded me why I always love reading these books。The book also does a beautiful job of increasing the stakes of a situation， then interject with what feels like a side story， which only leads to a better understanding of why the plot takes the twists that it always does。 I struggle to find a flaw with the book because I enjoyed every character present， and the author is making an effort to expand his cast of characters。 I hope we get to see more of the other Sigil agents and many more books to come。 。。。more
Tracy
，
Lots of fun and all the gods ;） Not sure if I believe the story about the truck nuts
Marlene
，
Originally published at Reading RealityThe alphabet – any alphabet – is magic。 Just think about it for a minute。 Alphabets， whatever they might look like， represent the ability to communicate across not just space but across time。 If you’ve ever taken Latin， you remember Julius Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War， with its famous opening about “Gaul is a whole divided into three parts，” except in the original Latin。 Which Caesar may have dictated instead of penned himself， but still， the ide Originally published at Reading RealityThe alphabet – any alphabet – is magic。 Just think about it for a minute。 Alphabets， whatever they might look like， represent the ability to communicate across not just space but across time。 If you’ve ever taken Latin， you remember Julius Caesar’s Commentaries on the Gallic War， with its famous opening about “Gaul is a whole divided into three parts，” except in the original Latin。 Which Caesar may have dictated instead of penned himself， but still， the idea that we can read the words of a person who lived and died not merely centuries but millennia before we were all born is， honestly， magic。And that’s the kind of magic that lies at the heart of the Ink & Sigil series。 Al MacBharrais isn’t a wizard or a sorcerer or a Druid （more on that later） but he can do magic。 With ink and paper and a special kind of alphabet called sigils。 With the appropriate training and lots and lots of practice， Al can write letters that perform magic。 Like a magical version of Doctor Who’s famous psychic paper。 Or a magic that can temporarily give him the strength and stamina that he left behind in the sands of time long ago。Not unconscionably long， just normally long。 Al is in his early 60s， and while his mind may be as sharp as ever， it’s been a very hard-knock life as the normal aches and pains of 60+ years of living all too frequently remind him。 But when he gets a call from the distressed apprentice of one of his fellow sigil agents， those aches and pains do not keep him from riding to the rescue。Even if that rescue turns out to be in Australia。 It may be a long way from Al’s printing and bookbinding business in Edinburgh， but he’s the only remaining agent without a wife， family or apprentice depending upon him to come home at the end of the day。 Or the case。 Or the encounter with an ancient monster who is literally shitting demons in a creek。Along with a deity who is holding his two colleagues hostage。 Not to get to Al， but to make sure that someone reaches out and gets the Iron Druid along on what seems to be a rescue operation。Only to discover that it’s a whole lot bigger and worse than that。 But then， so are the gang of friends that Al brings along to one very weird fight。Escape Rating A: If you love urban fantasy， but have wondered why you haven’t seen much of it recently， the Ink & Sigil series will remind you of the best of that genre。 And if you haven’t read much of it， but you like the kind of story where there’s a detective， amateur or professional， a crime， whether mundane or magical， a whole lot of beings that popularly go bump in the night and the snark quotient turned up to 11， well then， this series has the potential to definitely be your jam。It certainly is mine。Al MacBharrais is a departure for an urban fantasy protagonist， as he is not young， or immortal， or unaging or actually either a magic user or a magical being himself。 Not that he isn’t accompanied by beings who fit one or more of the above classifications。It’s that combination of Al’s ordinariness with the extraordinary nature of the people he works with and the trouble they get into that make this series so much fun。 It’s a view of our world through another perspective but one that is still grounded in our own。 While his friend， associate and contracted servant， the hobgoblin Buck Foi， is there to provide comic relief and to give any authority figure – even a deity – a poke in the ego with a sharp stick whenever he feels it’s necessary。 Which is often。The story in this one follows multiple parallel tracks。 Al is in Australia to rescue his colleagues， with the help of their apprentice。 Al’s rather unusual friends are there to help， to guard his back， to have some fun， and， in the person of “Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite” to see some really weird shit。 But it also gives Al the opportunity to observe his friends operating outside of their normal sphere， bringing Al to the realization that the Gladys he has been employing as his receptionist is clearly something else or something more， altogether。 Along with， but certainly not limited to， being Canadian。And then there’s the bigger story， that when Al figures out just how big a mess his friends are in， he asks for help from one of the magical heavy-hitters， the Iron Druid formerly known as Atticus O’Sullivan， along with his dogs Oberon and Starbuck。 Al thinks he’s getting help with his problem， only for it to turn out that， in the end， it’s Atticus， now calling himself Connor， who needs Al’s help solving his。That’s where things get interesting， also a bit， not exactly problematic but certainly at least deeper。There’s never been any question that the Ink & Sigil series takes place in the same universe as the author’s Iron Druid Chronicles， it says so right there on the label。 In the first book， also titled Ink & Sigil， there’s a lovely little side story about the evening that Al and Atticus met up in Rome and had a nice dinner together。 It was a lovely little story， it set the time period for the new series nicely， but didn’t require that the reader have previously read the Iron Druid Chronicles to get into Ink & Sigil – it just made the story extra nice if you already had。Now， with Paper & Blood， you really need to have read Ink & Sigil to get the full flavor of what’s going on in this second book。 But with Atticus/Connor as an important secondary character， it will make a lot of readers feel like they need to have read at least some of the Iron Druid Chronicles to get everything that’s happening – and especially why it’s happening – in this book。 I’ve read the first six books of that series （start with Hounded， it’s awesome） and intend to go back and finish， so I didn’t feel too lost when he became such a big part of this story， although it did make me itch to have read the ending of that series because it’s clearly part of the backstory for this。 As much as I LOVED seeing Oberon again， I can’t help but imagine that anyone who hadn’t read at least some of the Iron Druid series would flounder a bit here。 I hope I’m wrong。So， this story provided a whole lot of closure for the Iron Druid Chronicles， provided Al with a lot more fascinating information about his friends and associates， engendered a whole lot of chuckles and a bit of outright laughter courtesy of Buck Foi， AND left me eagerly awaiting the next book in this series whenever it appears。But I’m also holding my breath for the next book in The Seven Kennings， this author’s epic fantasy series， which seems to be titled A Curse of Krakens and is coming out a year from now。 Obviously， this is a writer I really， really like and don’t care what I get next as long as I get something！ 。。。more
Hobart
，
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader。---WHAT'S PAPER & BLOOD ABOUT？ Al MacBharrais gets a message from an apprentice Sigil Agent—her teacher went to investigate an oddity in Australia and didn't return—a nearby Agent went looking for her and hasn't returned either。 She's （rightly） worried and needs help。 She's close to taking her exams， but she's not at the point she'd need to be to take on whatever it was that seems to have captured—or killed—two veteran Agents。Al and the hobgob This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader。---WHAT'S PAPER & BLOOD ABOUT？ Al MacBharrais gets a message from an apprentice Sigil Agent—her teacher went to investigate an oddity in Australia and didn't return—a nearby Agent went looking for her and hasn't returned either。 She's （rightly） worried and needs help。 She's close to taking her exams， but she's not at the point she'd need to be to take on whatever it was that seems to have captured—or killed—two veteran Agents。Al and the hobgoblin in his service， Buck Foi， hitch a ride with a Fae to deliver them to Melbourne。 Al also asks if a message can be delivered to the Iron Druid， Atticus O'Sullivan （now going by the alias Connor Molloy）。 If whatever this is has proved too much for two Sigil Agents， he knows that he and the apprentice are going to need all the help they can get。Connor and his two dogs—Oberon （it's been too long since I got to spend time with him， even if we only get a little bit of his speech） and Starbuck—join Al， Buck， and Ya-ping （Shu-hua's apprentice） and they head to a hiking trail that was the last known location to find hikers screaming and fleeing from some sort of monster。 There are injuries and casualties—and a monster unlike anything they've seen and/or read about。 It's not long before they decide that this monster is likely just the first thing they'll have to deal with to find the Agents—and it's probably going to get much more dangerous。 Eventually， Nadia—the manager of Al's print shop and battle seer—joins in the search when she starts getting visions of the danger they're headed toward。THE IRON DRUID CHRONICLES POSTCRIPTThis series is a spin-off of the Iron Druid Chronicles and functions very well in that way。 But it frequently felt like Connor/Atticus was about to take over the focus of this book—just with Al's narration rather than Connor's first-person。 That never happened， I just wondered a few times if it would。At the same time， Paper & Blood served as a sequel to Scourged， or maybe it'd be more accurate to say that it was a belated epilogue to it。 The more time that goes by the less satisfied I've become with the conclusion of Scourged and where it left Atticus and Oberon。 This is the ending they needed， and even if I didn't think Al， Buck， etc。 were fully entertaining on their own， I'd be glad I read this for the Connor material。I do hope that he can drop into this series from time to time， still—I'm not ready to say goodbye forever。 But if I have to， this is the note I want to go out with。SECONDARY CHARACTERS In addition to those I mentioned above， there's a local police officer， a couple of familiar faces from the Iron Druid Chronicles， and the return of someone from Ink & Sigil—it's tough to describe without ruining the effect Hearne's going for。 But let me just say that something that I thought was a throwaway line in that book comes back and means so， so much more than I could've guessed （am pretty sure Al would say the same）。 Hearne is able to take these characters—new and established—and make you care about what they're facing in no time flat。 I've always been impressed in his skill in that and， if anything， he's getting better at it than he was when Hounded first came out。And， the monsters， too。 I guess I should talk about them—Hearne let his very fertile imagination go crazy with these strange hybrid creatures （like the Turtle Dragon Spider that I mention in the headline）—it was great to see in action， and horrible to imagine。PAPER AND INK Along the way， Al gives lessons about/tributes to the making and uses of both paper and ink in his narration。 These little vignettes are just golden。 They cement Al's calling as a Sigil Agent—one who deals in ink and paper as their stock in magical trade—and capture the romance of these things that readers depend on just as much as the Agents do。 Even in our world， these things are used to make magic and I appreciate Hearne reminding us of that。SO， WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT PAPER & BLOOD？ There's just so much to like about this book that it's hard to know where to start。 There's the Glaswegian dialect that， like Ink & Sigil， the narration is written in （or at least a flavor of it）—Hearne gives us a nice Author's Note describing it， too。Next， I'd talk about the perspective that an elderly protagonist is able to approach things in—he has wisdom and experience that your typical UF narrator doesn't。 Something in the way that MacBharrais and the rest are able to use to defeat the final monster that gives him an idea about how to combat his curse—I'm assuming we'll get to see it in action soon （I'm not sure how long Hearne plans this series， but I'm pretty sure it's about over as soon as Al takes care of the curse）。 I don't know if it'll work or not， but I like that Hearne seems to be finding a way to resolve things that doesn't fit the typical UF mold。 Just the fact that Al is able to start making this plan says a lot about him。 I should really spend a couple of paragraphs talking about what makes Al unique， but I don't have the time。There's also all the fun of the supporting characters and what they bring to the story—again， something I should spend more time on， but I'd end up spoiling something—but while there's nothing wrong with the main plot （killing monsters and trying to find the Agents）， it's these secondary characters and plots that make this so much fun。There's really just so much to commend about this book that I can't list it， so I'll just say that this is a must-read for anyone who enjoyed Ink & Sigil to any degree—this shows what Hearne can do in this world now that it's established—and/or IDC。 I don't know that this is the best jumping on point—but if you do， you're not going to regret it （your life would just be easier if you read the first book before this， though）。Hearne's one of the best around， and this just cements this—go pick up Paper & Blood now。Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this。 。。。more
Laura
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It's a good book。 It's well-written。 This is book two in The Ink and Sigil Series。 It picks up close to where book one left off。I liked the world building。 It's an interesting Australian setting。 How things work is consistent with book one。 You might be able to read this as a standalone， but having read book one will give you some idea of what to expect and how things work。The characters are varied from human to definitely not human。 Al's receptionist， Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite， makes an ap It's a good book。 It's well-written。 This is book two in The Ink and Sigil Series。 It picks up close to where book one left off。I liked the world building。 It's an interesting Australian setting。 How things work is consistent with book one。 You might be able to read this as a standalone， but having read book one will give you some idea of what to expect and how things work。The characters are varied from human to definitely not human。 Al's receptionist， Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite， makes an appearance in a couple of places。 There is more to her than meets the eye。 Not everyone is exactly what they seem to be。 Nadia has a large part to play in this book as in book one。 We learn more about some of the characters through stories told by them during a lull。 Al learns a little more about the curse（s） affecting him。 He is especially mindful now that he knows it can cost the life of someone working for him。Plot wise， it's pretty good。 it moves along at a somewhat steady pace。 There is a lull， but it's filled with stories that tell more about the characters。 After the lull， action picks up quite a bit。The story is resolved well。 It's set up to make you look forward to the next book without being a cliffhanger。 There is still plenty to explore with this cast of characters。I give this book 4 out of 5 stars。 I would recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy as well as those who enjoy Kevin Hearne's writing。Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jessie
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NetGalley ARCAl MacBharrais and company return in this sequel to Ink & Sigil。When two sigil agents go missing in Australia， Al and Buck Foi head down under to render assistance。 Some great new characters are introduced and we see some familiar faces as well。 This book features more action and less sleuthing than the first book。 While some may enjoy the long fight scenes， I honestly found them a bit tedious。 I wish the magical bureaucracy of the Sigil Agents was explored a bit more and that findi NetGalley ARCAl MacBharrais and company return in this sequel to Ink & Sigil。When two sigil agents go missing in Australia， Al and Buck Foi head down under to render assistance。 Some great new characters are introduced and we see some familiar faces as well。 This book features more action and less sleuthing than the first book。 While some may enjoy the long fight scenes， I honestly found them a bit tedious。 I wish the magical bureaucracy of the Sigil Agents was explored a bit more and that finding the answers didn't come so easily。 I continue to like Al。 Because of his text to speech app he has to think before he speaks。 He isn't afraid to ask for and accept help。 It seems like future books will delve more into his terrible curse。This book includes a lot if different accents: Scottish， Australian， Canadian， Irish and text to speech。 I think this series would be fun to listen to。 。。。more
☕️Kimberly
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We are back with Al MacBharrais and Buck Foi， his whisky-loving hobgoblin。 Al has just finished telling Buck about his curse and the implications when he receives a phone call from a sigil agents’ apprentice。 Everyone knows to text him， but each apprentice has the other sigil agents’ phone numbers in the event of an emergency， and indeed， this is an emergency。 XX has gone missing in Australia。 So Al and Buck travel to Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery。 The tale that unfolds had a We are back with Al MacBharrais and Buck Foi， his whisky-loving hobgoblin。 Al has just finished telling Buck about his curse and the implications when he receives a phone call from a sigil agents’ apprentice。 Everyone knows to text him， but each apprentice has the other sigil agents’ phone numbers in the event of an emergency， and indeed， this is an emergency。 XX has gone missing in Australia。 So Al and Buck travel to Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery。 The tale that unfolds had all the elements I love from this author， along with some twists that both amused and delighted me。As with any urban fantasy， it is important to start at the beginning。 If you haven’t read Ink & Sigil， I recommend you begin there。Nadia， joins them。 Can you say road trip！ Wait until you check out their wheels！Ink & Blood delivered， and I perhaps enjoyed it more than the first， as the world of sigils and magic has been established。 It felt like coming home when we arrived in Edinburgh。 Hearne brought humor， danger and surprises。Druid Atticus O’Sullivan and his dogs， Oberon and Starbuck， join them， but I will leave you to discover why。Gladys Who。。 I have so many questions and gads I need the next installment now， even if this mystery wrapped up。 Hearne answered questions， expanded our knowledge of the sigil agents world and their magic。 I love the elements of this and the different skills each agent has。 Unlike Druids， the sigil agents create magic using the language of sigils。 When they write them， it evokes magic。 Overall series thread arcs were strengthened while Hearne teased us leaving me with a thirst for more。While the mystery， battles and world building are superb and kept me listening， it is the well developed， unique and complex characters that make this series， the Druid world and heck all of Hearne’s writing， so addictive。 He allows the reader/listener to connect and care for each of them。 The interaction and banter between this motley crew of adventures and keepers is something you cannot get enough of。Herne weaves in current events， pop culture and thoughtful lessons， reminding us that this story takes place in our world。I bought the novel （and the audiobook）， but my first encounter has to be with Luke Daniels narrating the voices。 He adds an element to these stories and characters。 His unique character voices and the way he enhances the emotions of the story bring it all to life。 Hearne and Daniels are the perfect pairing。Now， I am waiting for my book to arrive so that I can read along as I listen for a second time。 This series is a keeper。 This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer 。。。more
Susan
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Scottish Scooby Gang are back plus one Iron Druid， two incredible dogs and one baddy of a God who wants to do better。 Plus， who the hell is Gladys who has seen some shit？ And I'm kinda glad for the curses。。。 it all but guarantees more books in this incredibly fun series。 Scottish Scooby Gang are back plus one Iron Druid， two incredible dogs and one baddy of a God who wants to do better。 Plus， who the hell is Gladys who has seen some shit？ And I'm kinda glad for the curses。。。 it all but guarantees more books in this incredibly fun series。 。。。more
Heather
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Originally posted on Just Geeking by。I enjoyed Paper & Blood， although， not as much as the first book and I still have a few mixed feelings about it。 I didn’t quite expect as much of the action to take place in Australia as it did。 Normally books have at least a bit of preamble before they hotfoot it to the main destination named in the synopsis so I was expecting some wonderful Glasgow action again， and instead， it felt a bit like an afterthought。 I just hope that’s not how the rest of the seri Originally posted on Just Geeking by。I enjoyed Paper & Blood， although， not as much as the first book and I still have a few mixed feelings about it。 I didn’t quite expect as much of the action to take place in Australia as it did。 Normally books have at least a bit of preamble before they hotfoot it to the main destination named in the synopsis so I was expecting some wonderful Glasgow action again， and instead， it felt a bit like an afterthought。 I just hope that’s not how the rest of the series is going to be because as much as I love the characters， I love a series based in Glasgow much more。As I mentioned in my first impressions， you can take a Glaswegian out of Scotland… etcetera。 and Buck Foi， Al’s trusty hobgoblin was on hand to bring some much-needed Scots to the conversations。 It was interesting to have Scots and Australian slang bouncing off each other and the new character that was introduced was absolutely wonderful。 It was great to learn more about sigil agents through that character and from a new perspective to what we have already seen。While I was previously excited about seeing Atticus， Oberon and Starbuck again I found the excitement wearing off as the book reached its conclusion and it became obvious that this was less of a sigil agent and Al MacBharrais book， and more an Iron Druid book with the sigil agents playing side roles。 I know that sounds a bit harsh， however， Paper & Blood felt more like a wrap up of the Iron Druid Chronicles series than it did a second book in a spin-off series。That’s not to say it wasn’t a good book， it was just a bit disappointing （and a tad frustrating） to see Al， Nadia and the whole Glasgow cast have their stories put on hold just to finish a left open thread from Scourged， the last book in the Iron Druid Chronicles series。 I’m going to hazard a guess that Hearne was only contracted for nine books and had more of a story to say， and this was the way he managed to do it。 Like with the trip to Australia， I’m ok with it as long as book three gets back on track。Paper & Blood wasn’t a complete waste of time when it came to Al’s story; we find out more about his curses， we find out some very scary stuff about a certain person in his life and umm… someone has come to join him in Scotland and YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHO IT IS。 There is also a whole bunch of hobgoblin lore and I loved the role Hearne has given them in the Ink & Sigil/Iron Druid Chronicles universe; it’s not what you probably expect， but when you think about it， it makes perfect sense。 There is also a hobgoblin story in the middle of the book that Buck tells everyone which is just fabulous。Paper & Blood wasn’t quite what I expected or what I wanted， but it was still an enjoyable second book in the series。 Hopefully book three will return us to Glasgow again and the storyline with Al’s curses will progress a bit further。 He picked up a few clues in this book and had headed to the Mitchell Library at the end， suggesting that the next book could start with something he has found in his research。There’s bound to be plenty of hijinks with Glasgow’s latest resident， and there are a few other things from this book that are going to come up at some point。 We saw some of Nadia but things were a bit hectic and she was busy using her Battle Seer skills to save the day。 There’s a long-overdue chat about some of that and her friendship with the new resident is going to be both beautiful and hilarious。 I almost feel sorry for Al！ :D My Other Book Reviews！ // GeekDis: A discussion on disability representation in pop culture in September 2021！ // 。。。more
John Derek
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Kevin Hearnes Paper & Blood is the follow-up novel to Ink & Sigil。 At the beginning of the book， there is a brief synopsis of the first novel if you missed it or just need a refresher course。 This is an urban fantasy fiction novel based on a Magic and Faerie theme。The main Protagonist， Al MacBharrais， has a problem。 Al is cursed。 Once is extremely bad， but Al has managed to get himself cursed twice。 Anyone in his service for long ends up dead， and if he speaks to anybody for too long， they hate Kevin Hearnes Paper & Blood is the follow-up novel to Ink & Sigil。 At the beginning of the book， there is a brief synopsis of the first novel if you missed it or just need a refresher course。 This is an urban fantasy fiction novel based on a Magic and Faerie theme。The main Protagonist， Al MacBharrais， has a problem。 Al is cursed。 Once is extremely bad， but Al has managed to get himself cursed twice。 Anyone in his service for long ends up dead， and if he speaks to anybody for too long， they hate him。 He gets around one with a speech app， the other！ But at least （for now）， Al has his trusted partner and sidekick， the hobgoblin Buck Foi （fond of a dram）。 And we mustn't forget Nadia and the enigmatic Gladys （who is she？）。Sigil agents and apprentices have gone missing。 When a Sigil apprentice asks Al for assistance， he knows something is seriously amiss and needs to get to Australia asap。Meeting up with Australia's missing Sigil Apprentice Y-ping， she guides their search of the missing Sigil Agents。 They gain more allies， including the Iron Druid （and his dogs）。 Something is seriously off， and our courageous team will need all their resources to fight the demons that lay ahead of them。Being a fan of several Scottish comedies， Rab C Nesbitt， Still Game and Chew the Fat， I was pretty much up on the vernacular anyway。 But it was still fun reading it and seeing it in print form。I loved the banter， especially from Buck the Hobgoblin。 If they ever do a Netflix or Amazon series of the books， they have to use Gregor Fisher（Rab） as the voice over。 Love him or hate him， Buck is my number one favourite。 The humour between him and Al is spot on。 I can imagine the pair having their own sitcom in another life。This is an excellent fantasy fiction novel set in the present day （Covid is mentioned）。 The instantaneous travel system was a brilliant idea and cut huge swathes off boring travel time。 And also a damn sight more interesting。There is a lot of depth to each individual character。 But as the narrative progresses， we find subtle changes in some of the characteristics of the more familiar ones。 The wit， humour and charm that was evident in Ink & Sigil are still there。 And the descriptions of characters and landscapes are done with the same panache。 Making this a fast-paced fantasy fiction novel designed to dish out plenty of thrills and spills。 From the very outset， the author has the reader in the centre of the action。 Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne is a pretty good read。 It's quirky， weird and original， and a nice twist on the usual urban fantasy fiction genre。Thank You， NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK， for the ADC of the book。 。。。more
C
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The summaryI liked this story。 We're back in the world of Al MacBharrais， Buck Foi， and the amazing Nadia。 In this story our trio is joined by Sigil Agent in training， Atticus （now publicly Conner） with Oberon and Starbuck， and Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite， plus a few surprises， while they traipse through parts of Australia。 Overall， I enjoyed the story， I appreciated the surprises， and I look forward to the long-term questions getting answers。 Plus， it was really nice to see Atticus and where The summaryI liked this story。 We're back in the world of Al MacBharrais， Buck Foi， and the amazing Nadia。 In this story our trio is joined by Sigil Agent in training， Atticus （now publicly Conner） with Oberon and Starbuck， and Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite， plus a few surprises， while they traipse through parts of Australia。 Overall， I enjoyed the story， I appreciated the surprises， and I look forward to the long-term questions getting answers。 Plus， it was really nice to see Atticus and where he is on his recovery path。Because I just have to say this， once this is available with Luke Daniels' narration， it will be mine， oh yes， it will be mine。The reviewQueue the "duh duh duuuuuuh" sound of the plot thickening。 This book picks up right where book one left off， with some sort of nastiness occurring in Australia that has removed 2 full Sigil Agents from the board and， if I remember correctly， one of their partners。 That left the Australian Sigil Agent in training holding the bag and wisely， she calls in reinforcements。As you may have guessed from my summary above， for reinforcements， she calls on Al MacBharrais。 Pretty smart call， if you ask me。 Along the way to the last known location of the missing Sigil Agents some hijinks ensue， one of which results a new epic wizard van， and some surprising interactions with Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite and deep conversations take place。Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite has a really intriguing role in this story and I look forward to getting an answer on what's going on with her。 I could take this opportunity to ask， as others have， about Canadian tea practices， but I won't。 Gladys isn't the only one with stuff going on， Nadia has some interesting changes as well and I look forward to seeing how those play out in future stories as well。Onto the real bit that didn't get much play in this book: the long-term question of how to undo Al's curse。 Besides that it didn't get too much play， I don't have much else for you， but I really hope that the next book （or books） really dig into this。 I want to know who cursed Al， why， and how he can break the curses。 I want the poor guy to be able to train up a replacement and have some time left to relax and enjoy the good parts of life， without having to worry about stuff。 As I said in the summary， it was really nice to see Atticus and how his recovery is going， plus of course， just getting more Oberon time， with the added bonus of Starbuck。 Atticus didn't feel quite as fleshed out of a character as he does in the Iron Druid series， which makes sense， this not being his series， but seeing him， Oberon， and Starbuck really did leave me wanting an Iron Druid book to cover the aftermath， his recovery， and to check in on Owen and Granuaile。 There， I said it and I'm not sorry。 I won't give you even a smidge of a spoiler because I don't wanna， but I will say， Atticus and his good dugs aren't the only Iron Druid throwbacks to resurface， but you don't need to reread the whole series or even the last book to be prepared。This story had a decent pace， while having bits where you won't want to stop reading until you've finish what's happening and even then， you still will feel "but if I stop now， I won't know… until later" and I know the feeling， so all I will say is that it's ok， the story will still be there when you pick it back up。 Trust me。Overall， this book built on the established framework and gave you more depth， adds more details to our main characters as well as some of the support cast， and opens the door for an Iron Druid favorite or more to pop back in without making Ink & Sigil their new vehicle。 While wrapping up the main plot， there are still enough things to look forward to in subsequent books。 There were some things that just didn't really work for me， but overall， I'd say give it a go and I think you'll be pretty glad you did。 。。。more
SarahSmith
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The last time I laughed this much at a book was when I read the first book in this series， Ink & Sigil。 This one has a lot more action， and an even crazier new mystery that I hope we get to the bottom of and aren't just left hanging。 The original mystery of who/what cursed Al MacBharrais is still unsolved， but I'm hopeful that by the end of the series we will learn at least why it happened。 All of the characters were still incredibly nutty and we got to see a lot more of Atticus and his show ste The last time I laughed this much at a book was when I read the first book in this series， Ink & Sigil。 This one has a lot more action， and an even crazier new mystery that I hope we get to the bottom of and aren't just left hanging。 The original mystery of who/what cursed Al MacBharrais is still unsolved， but I'm hopeful that by the end of the series we will learn at least why it happened。 All of the characters were still incredibly nutty and we got to see a lot more of Atticus and his show stealing dogs Oberon and Starbuck。 If Kevin Hearne just wrote books about Oberon and Starbuck alone I would read those all the time！ Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Brian
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Thank you Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for a copy of the eArc of Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne。 I've read the Seven Kennings， I've read the Tales of Pell， and I read Ink & Sigil， but I've never read Iron Druid。 Although Ink & Sigil and this follow up are set in the world of Iron Druid， you don't need to read those books to experience the Ink & Sigil Series。 I did not enjoy Ink & Sigil as much as I would've hoped， but Paper & Blood was fantastic。 Kevin Hearne's crude humor and colorful c Thank you Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for a copy of the eArc of Paper & Blood by Kevin Hearne。 I've read the Seven Kennings， I've read the Tales of Pell， and I read Ink & Sigil， but I've never read Iron Druid。 Although Ink & Sigil and this follow up are set in the world of Iron Druid， you don't need to read those books to experience the Ink & Sigil Series。 I did not enjoy Ink & Sigil as much as I would've hoped， but Paper & Blood was fantastic。 Kevin Hearne's crude humor and colorful characters are just what I needed。 Al MacBharrais is the central character once again， and he travels to Australia this time as he investigates the disappearance of two other sigil agents。 Along the trail he runs into a sigil agent's apprentice， his secretary， his accountant， and the Iron Druid with his hounds。 （I see what you did here Mr。 Hearne。 bringing in one of your most notable characters to provide a big introduction to your other series for those of us who hadn't read any of it。 Yeah I see what you did）。 And this group runs into all sorts of hilariously contrived beasts。 This book had me laughting until the end。 I can't wait to read the Iron Druid now。 。 。。。more
Bakertyl
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I get upset when readers say something like "I don't want to read politics！" or something similar。All of life is politics。 Saying "I don't want to read politics！" is like saying "I don't want to read about people！ Or events！ Or anything that I don't already agree with！" And then you only end of reading Beck or Franken and fine， whatever， read what you want。Just know that there's a reason no one respects you and move on with your annoying life。But I can now agree with readers who say "I don't wan I get upset when readers say something like "I don't want to read politics！" or something similar。All of life is politics。 Saying "I don't want to read politics！" is like saying "I don't want to read about people！ Or events！ Or anything that I don't already agree with！" And then you only end of reading Beck or Franken and fine， whatever， read what you want。Just know that there's a reason no one respects you and move on with your annoying life。But I can now agree with readers who say "I don't want to read poorly-written politics！"， because that's all I can appreciate in this book。This series started out fairly "political" in Book 1， but dear God its gotten too annoying to read。 I think the series started out having required topics introduced and discussed， just not very well。 Not the first book I've read recently with this problem。 I want to like this story， I was excited to get an ARC and keep going with Al and Buck， especially Buck。 Oh， the Iron Druid shows up for quite a while （and hijacks the plot， kinda annoying but I can see the value he brings to the series）， I'm not upset， he brought Oberon， hell ya！But reading a white man write two white cis males talk about how hard it is to be not a white cis male is depressing。There is a whole chapter， a legitimate stand-alone chapter， where an Asian woman tells a black woman how hard it is to be a woman。。。 the black woman is currently possessed by a white woman， and I'm sure there is a whole metaphor hidden in there somewhere。 I mean， a almost-all-powerful god can still be oppressed， right？Hearne can write a good story。 Oberon tells a funny campfire tale， and I got to just enjoy the story。 Buck tells a following story， and while I don't know what a hobgoblin knows about oppression， he can still entertain。 Then the Iron Druid tells a story， and I can't explain how little I care about ableism in ancient Ireland。 （So this dude was king because he was "physically perfect" and then lost his hand in combat， but it was wrong to remove his crown for losing his hand？ It would be equally unfair for him to be king or not be king， that's not "ableism"， it was ableism that he was king at all。）The story wasn't bad， just got hijacked by the Iron Druid， so be prepared for that。 If you didn't read his series before Book 1， you were fine， but you would really benefit reading the ENTIRE SERIES before reading this。Characters make weird decisions， but it doesn't matter， the white cis men save everyone at the end and that's what matters。 Or something？ A bunch of woman also do things， but they were oppressed the whole time so good for them。There was a surprisingly interesting exchange between characters about their use of violence。。。 violence shows up a lot in Fantasy （because its entertaining and sells， I'm assuming） and especially in the Iron Druid's series， and to have a character question that was fun。 It put the trope itself into question in a thoughtful way。If the rest of the politics had been this well written， I'd be excited about Book 3。 For now， I'm ready to move on。**I received an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Paper & Blood
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Paper & Blood&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Paper & Blood&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0