annieb123's Review of The Imposters of Aventil (Maradaine Novels, #3)

by Marshall Ryan Maresca

Blending vigilante justice with epic fantasy, this third Maradaine novel finds student Veranix Calbert returning to fight crime • “Veranix is Batman, if Batman were a teenager and magically talented.” —Library Journal

Summer and the Grand Tournament of High Colleges have come to the University of Maradaine. If the heat and the crowds weren't enough to bring the campus and the neighborhood of Aventil to a boiling point, rumors that The Thorn is on the warpath—killing the last of the Red Rabbits—is enough to tip all of Maradaine into the fire.

Except Veranix Calbert, magic student at the University, is The Thorn, and he's not the one viciously hunting the Red Rabbits. Veranix has his hands full with his share of responsibilities for the Tournament, and as The Thorn he’s been trying to find the source of the mind-destroying effitte being sold on campus. He’s as confused as anyone about the rumors.

When The Thorn imposter publicly attacks the local Aventil constables, the Constabulary bring in their own special investigators: Inspectors Minox Welling and Satrine Rainey from the Maradaine Grand Inspectors Unit. Can Veranix find out who the imposter is and stop him before Welling and Rainey arrest him for the imposter’s crimes?

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Imposters of Aventil is the third in a trilogy-tie in in the world of Maradaine by Marshall Ryan Maresca on Penguin's DAW imprint.
High fantasy world, young ensemble cast, mystery and mayhem. It might be formulaic, but it's great going down, easily digestible and keeps everyone coming back for more. The action is nonstop and well written.

It fits in the slot left by 'what happened next' to Harry and co, but honestly, Mr. Maresca is a better writer than J.K. Rowling was (at least at the beginning of her career). He's a gifted storyteller and has the technical chops to write snappy dialogue and action which doesn't fall flat.

Take a bunch of college kids at a local magical+ university, add one vigilante trainee mage outsider (the Thorn) with a heap of past history on a quest to take down the local drug pusher kingpin, toss in a lookalike bad guy running around killing people to everyone up in arms and hunting the Thorn, and stir in a pair of semi-scary FBI equivalents who are VERY interested in sorting out the fallout before the smoke clears.

I enjoyed the heck out of this novel. I read it as a standalone, and did follow everything which was going on (another technical coup to the author) without any trouble. I read the other books in the series as a follow-up and do recommend reading them in order if possible. The series fill in a great deal of detail and nuance for one another. Reading the follow ups, I had a fair number of 'aha!' moments.

The book is a hefty 400 pages, but the action and plotting pulled me along. It was a fun, undemanding, well written fantasy, thoroughly enjoyable.

Four stars, nonstop action, magic and excitement.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.

The Imposters of Aventil (Maradaine Novels, #3)

by Marshall Ryan Maresca

Reviewed by annieb123 on Oct 11, 2017

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