The seventh book in the funny and fast-paced InCryptid urban fantasy series returns to the mishaps of the Price family, eccentric cryptozoologists who safeguard the world of magical creatures living in secret among humans.
Includes an all-new Aeslin mice novella and a map of Lowryland!
Penance, noun:
1. Punishment for past actions.
2. An attempt to pay for what can't be bought.
3. See also "exile."
Antimony Price is on the run. With the Covenant on her tail and her family still in danger, she needs to get far, far away from anyone who might recognize her--including her own mice. For the first time in a long time, a Price is flying without a safety net. Where do you go when you need to disappear into a crowd without worrying about attracting attention? An amusement park, of course.
Some people would call Lowryland the amusement park. It's one of the largest in Florida, the keystone of the Lowry entertainment empire...but for Annie, it's a place to hide. She's just trying to keep her head down long enough to come up with a plan that will get her home without getting anyone killed. No small order when she's rooming with gorgons and sylphs, trying to placate frustrated ghosts, and rushing to get to work on time.
Then the accidents begin. The discovery of a dead man brings Annie to the attention of the secret cabal of magic users running Lowryland from behind the scenes. They want the fire that sleeps in her fingers. They want her on their side. They want to help her--although their help, like everything else, comes with a price.
No plan. Minimal backup. No way out. Annie's about to get a crash course in the reality behind the pretty facade. If she's lucky, she'll survive the experience.
Not wanting the Covenant to follow her and find her family, Annie (Antimony) works her way to Florida where she secures a job at Lowryland Amusement Park. Lowryland is one of the largest amusement parks and second only to Disneyland. Luck seems to fall her way as she lands a job that provides housing. She finds herself rooming with a gorgon and sylph. While she misses a certain monkey and would dearly love to be home with her family things are going well. That is until her roommate stumbles over a dead body and her powers become harder to control.
The tale that unfolds was fun with twists, mysteries, and magic. We soon discover a secret cabal of magic users who run Lowryland from behind the scenes. They attempt to recruit Annie and offer to teach her how to control her powers but at what price? Annie's ghostly Aunt, her roommates, and a surprise visitor made things interests and they soon find themselves in danger.
McGuire takes us behind the scenes with details about Lowryland and daily operations. I imagine a lot of theme parks have similar setups and found it interesting. Unusual cryptids, danger and the constant threat of discovery made Tricks for Free a pageturner. I loved learning more about Annie's roommates and the costs of using magic.
Annie has to make some tough decisions, and while her personality often betrays her youthfulness and family ranking, she does have spunk and a pure heart. The pacing of the story had a great ebb and flow providing suspenseful moments and character growth.
Emily Bauer continues to narrate the series. I felt she captured Annie from her youthfulness to sheer determination. Bauer does a lovely job with pacing, tone, and build up as the story progressed. She provided unique voices for each character and enhanced the story.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Reading updates
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Started reading
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8 April, 2018:
Finished reading
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8 April, 2018:
Reviewed