Half-Off Ragnarok by Seanan McGuire

Half-Off Ragnarok (InCryptid, #3)

by Seanan McGuire

When Alex Price agreed to go to Ohio to oversee a basilisk breeding program and assist in the recovery of his psychic cousin, he didn't expect people to start dropping dead. But bodies are cropping up at the zoo where he works, and his girlfriend--Shelby Tanner, an Australian zoologist with a fondness for big cats--is starting to get suspicious.

Worse yet, the bodies have all been turned partially to stone...

The third book in the InCryptid series takes us to a new location and a new member of the family, as Alex tries to balance life, work, and the strong desire not to become a piece of garden statuary. Old friends and new are on the scene, and danger lurks around every corner.

Of course, so do the talking mice.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

4.5 of 5 stars

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Half-Off Ragnarok is the third novel in Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series, a series that I've fallen in love with over the course of just a few days. Yes, that does mean that I only recently got into this series, and that thought fills me with regret. The InCryptid series have made their way to the top of my favorites list, and I'm only three books in!

Alex Price is a cryptozoologist and one that comes from a famous (infamous) family. So it's safe to say he's used to dealing with the weirder things life tends to throw his way. For example, he's currently moved out of state to run a basilisk breeding program – something he wanted to do, and was not forced to do.

What he wasn't hoping for was a sudden increase in the bodies at his place of work – a local zoo. Worse, his girlfriend works there, and that means she's at risk as well. If that wasn't bad enough – the bodies are being partially turned to stone. Making this squarely Alex's problem.

“Being smart isn't good enough. You need to be educated, and you need to be open-minded, and you need to remember that what you don't know can most definitely hurt you.”

She's done it again! Half-Off Ragnarok is another thrilling and entertaining read. While I adored Verity's perspective, I'll admit that it is pretty refreshing to see how the rest of her family operates in the world of Cryptids.

As it turns out, Alex is about as different from Verity as one can get. That's not really a surprise – we were already told all of this. But there's a difference between knowing and seeing, as evidenced by this book.
In a lot of ways, I actually think I appreciated Alex's perspective more. If only because it's easy to picture myself being the nerdy (and conservationist) one in this family. Throwing in his coworkers, family (we get to see more of them!), and the zoo itself, and I was captivated.

“ALL GLORY TO THE SCIENCE RULES OF SCIENCE!”

Okay, the Aeslin mice and their presence didn't hurt things either. I adore those little guys. Seeing them from Alex's perspective was a bit of a shift, since his relationship with the colony is very different by the nature of their interpretation of the Price family.

This was a fast-paced read, and I'm not just saying that because I refused to put it down. There's always something going on, and it feels like Alex spends a lot more time trying to save his bacon than the typical scientist, and I love it. I'm so thrilled that the next book (Pocket Apocalypse) will also be following Alex's perspective. I can't wait to start reading! (Okay, that's a lie, I totally already started. Sorry. Not sorry.)
 

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 12 February, 2021: Finished reading
  • 12 February, 2021: Reviewed