The Immortal Investigation

by Michael Cronk

Jason Turner is a rookie cop who dreams of becoming a detective. His roommate asks for a police escort on his date with a supposed 'vampire'. While acting as a sceptical chaperone, Jason meets Silvana, a mysterious woman who is looking for a new husband, and possibly a new source of blood.

In this quiet seaside town of Plymouth, England, secrets are everywhere. A cult of vigilante monster hunters is hosting public events and gaining popularity. People claiming to be immortals are roaming the town at night. And there’s Silvana, who’s eager to get closer to Jason and tell him fantastic stories about secret societies and immortal magic.

But Jason has his own dark secrets. And he can’t help being suspicious of Silvana and her strange family, even as his attraction to her grows. The closer he gets, the more his fellow officers begin to suspect his involvement with that bizarre murder with a bloodless corpse…

An urban fantasy with magic, monsters, and mystery, The Immortal Investigations is the first in a series by Michael Cronk, known for his Youtube channel The Book Guy. With thrilling action, romance, and multiple shocking twists, this book is sure to be loved by both new and old readers of the fantasy genre.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Urban Fantasy, Romance, Horror

336 pages, Hardcover

Published January 8, 2025

Reviews

[Wouter K · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars. Rounded up for enjoyment.

Full disclosure. I'm a big fan of Michael Cronk's series reviews on Youtube and received an ARC for this book as a member of his patreon. That being said, I was kind of nervous to start this book, as I've not had the best experiences with books by booktubers. This book was an AWESOME suprise! Go pick it up! Now for the review:

The Immortal Investigation starts from the perspective of Jason, a recently graduated police officer who gets pulled into the supernatural world by chaperoning his roommates date with a vampire. As this is a fast-paced book with continuous plot development I dare not say much more, to prevent me from spoiling anything. There's really fun plot twists! It is safe to say that it is not easy to navigate an early police career, while also trying to find your way in the mysterious world of the supernatural.

I loved how many things happened in the book and the chaos that it created, while still getting to a tight resolution of most of the plot lines. Of course, this being a book one, there are loose ends and great teasers for the next book. The Immortal Investigation has a great mix of fun, action and character development. We see both Jason and Silvana (the vampire girl) struggle with their personal and family histories, there's several mysteries to be solved and, like the synopsis said, some amateur monster hunters are running amok as well. On top of that there's a romance subplot. In what felt like a really short book, truly a lot happened.

The action scenes are well-written and serious, with room for comedic banter. I personally thought a lot of it was inspired by movies and TV-series I enjoyed, although which ones exactly I could not tell, which is a good thing.

All the while, there is room being made in the book for healthy communication, healthy relationships and good self-care in mental health. It was a refreshing change from most dark or action-packed books that mostly feature a lot of self-absorbed maniacs or impeccable heroes and toxic relationships or toxic social behaviour.

While I'm no big romance reader, this book hit a sweet spot for me as it was very much part of the main plot, but it was not the main plot. Also, I loved the realism of the insecurities and awkward dynamics that was shown now and then.

The world building in this book was fun and original. By no means is a hidden society of supernatural beings new, but I found the way they were internally organized and tied into the worlds history very unique and interesting. I'm really curious to see what else we can learn about this world and how the different factions and characters will interact with the supernatural world in the future.

The pacing of the book was good, although in some instances the book lingered a tiny bit in places where I was really wanting the book to move forward. At the same time, I felt this was often a place where Cronk slowed down to add unique things that are important to discuss. Another minor thing that I hope may become more clear and natural is how and why the story takes place in Plymouth, England (which seems very specific). At a few points in the book it felt kind of overemphasized, but then most of the time it was in the background and did not feel very relevant to me.

Finally (I could go on and on, but you just have to read it), I just want to share my enjoyment. The chapters in this book have great hooks and I had a lot of fun reading it. I really could not put it down, which is one of the best compliments I can give a book.

[Zéro Janvier · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai découvert Michael Cronk grâce à sa chaîne YouTube The Book Guy, où il propose des critiques de romans de façon bienveillante et objective. Son but n’est pas de dire du bien ou du mal des livres dont il parle, mais avant tout de décrire à quoi on peut s’attendre en lisant ces livres. Si je devais résumer son approche, je dirais qu’il cherche à trouver le bon livre pour le bon lecteur, ou le bon lecteur pour le bon livre. J’apprécie aussi son érudition sur la littérature et la narratologie, ainsi que sa façon de mettre en avant les aspects sociaux et sociétaux des livres qu’il évoque dans ses vidéos.

Tout cela pour dire que j’avais un a priori plutôt favorable quand il a annoncé le lancement en financement participatif de ses trois premiers romans auto-publiés qui constituent le début de ce qui pourrait être une future grande saga d’urban fantasy : Immortal Investigations. J’ai participé au financement participatif et j’ai reçu en début de semaine la version numérique des trois romans. Je me suis aussitôt plongé dans le premier : The Immortal Investigation.

Jason Turner is a rookie cop who dreams of becoming a detective. His roommate asks for a police escort on his date with a supposed 'vampire'. While acting as a sceptical chaperone, Jason meets Silvana, a mysterious woman who is looking for a new husband, and possibly a new source of blood.

In this quiet seaside town of Plymouth, England, secrets are everywhere. A cult of vigilante monster hunters is hosting public events and gaining popularity. People claiming to be immortals are roaming the town at night. And there’s Silvana, who’s eager to get closer to Jason and tell him fantastic stories about secret societies and immortal magic.

But Jason has his own dark secrets. And he can’t help being suspicious of Silvana and her strange family, even as his attraction to her grows. The closer he gets, the more his fellow officers begin to suspect his involvement with that bizarre murder with a bloodless corpse…

An urban fantasy with magic, monsters, and mystery, The Immortal Investigations is the first in a series by Michael Cronk, known for his Youtube channel The Book Guy. With thrilling action, romance, and multiple shocking twists, this book is sure to be loved by both new and old readers of the fantasy genre.

Difficile de parler de ce roman sans évoquer un classique de l’urban fantasy : les aventures d’Harry Dresden, d’autant que j’ai lus les dix-sept romans de Jim Butcher l’été dernier et qu’ils sont encore frais dans ma mémoire. Je dois dire que Michael Cronk n’a pas à rougir de la comparaison.

En tout cas, ce roman est très divertissant, le mystère et le suspense fonctionnent bien, les personnages principaux sont attachants, les scènes d’action sont plaisantes à lire, et l’univers suffisamment original et mystérieux pour avoir envie d’en savoir plus dans les prochains romans. L’auteur nous accompagne d’ailleurs dans son univers avec son personnage principal, Jason Turner, avec qui nous découvrons progressivement l’envers du décor. C’est classique, mais cela fonctionne bien.

Si je devais émettre un bémol, ce serait sur la multitude de personnages secondaires, pas toujours évidents à distinguer et qui ne jouent pas tous un grand rôle dans le récit. Je pense notamment aux collègues de Jason, peut-être un peu trop nombreux pour qu’on les distingue vraiment. J’aurais peut-être réduit un peu le casting, au moins pour ce premier roman. Les prochains romans permettront peut-être de découvrir plus en détail tous ces personnages, mais pour l’instant certains m’ont semblé interchangeables.

Quoi qu’il en soit, j’ai pris beaucoup de plaisir à découvrir l’univers imaginé par Michael Cronk dans ce roman, et je vais plonger sans attendre dans le deuxième roman : The Mortel Knight.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read most of this in one sitting which is very rare for me! This book was very readable for someone that doesn’t read much fantasy. I’m excited to jump into the next book and see where the story goes.

There were some really creative fantasy elements in this book that I’m sure will be explored more in future books and the pacing of the book really kept the story flowing along. However, I did find some of the dialogue between characters, especially when meeting for the first time more direct than seemed realistic*.

*this is obviously from my cultural experience where the people tend to prioritise being polite over saying what they really think.

[Laura Shank · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up.
There were some great things about this first novel. I think the story was well-plotted and paced, with some excellent twists and turns.
However, I think the prose, especially the dialogue, was a bit stilted and awkward, more than it needed to be for the awkwardness of introverts meeting for the first time. The spicy bits were a bit cringe as well.
I also found quite a few typos, at least in the e-book version.
I do plan on reading the next installment, since this did have a lot of promise.

[Elodie Caroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 It was a nice first novel.

I like the story. It feels like a cosy mystery in a fantasy world with vampires and other species. The investigation was interesting and the love story a bit fast but believable. I didn’t find any loophole in the investigation.

The magic system and the worldbuilding feel incomplete but it can be explained by the fact that it’s the first book in a long series and we discover it through the eyes of the main character.
For the same reason, the characters are not developed enough. The main character feels like he's only made of trauma.
I'm intrigued to read the rest of the series to discover more of the universe and the characters.

The only part I didn't quite enjoy is the representation of queer characters. It felt like a bingo to complete. The gay couple and the trans child are coming from no where. It got me out of the story.

On the other hand, the feminist message is well presented. It felt real, not subtle at all but believable.

[Florent Michel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I initially bought The Immortal Investigation to support the author, whose YouTube channel, is one of my favourites. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.Since I like the approach he takes to reviewing books, I will here follow a method inspired by his. (Check out his own review, which is a great introduction to the whole series.)

So what is The Immortal Investigation? In short, it is a blend of Urban Fantasy and Mystery, where murder investigations, romance, and magic collide. As it was my introduction to Urban Fantasy, I can't speak of how original it is; but, as a rookie to the genre, I found it very imaginative and surprising in many aspects (mostly in a good way).

The elephant in the room

The author released The Immortal Investigation and its two sequels together at the end of 2024. I am usually suspicious of such practices, as quantity (with notable exceptions) often comes at the expense of quality. However, I did not find this book lacking. While a bit more editing would certainly not have been superfluous (I noticed a few typos and incorrect uses of foreign words, and the quality of the prose drops slightly in some scenes), the plot lines are all interesting, the characters are believable and, for most of them, at least somewhat deep, and the prose flows nicely.

Apparently, the reason for the simultaneous release was that the author redrafted The Immortal Investigation after writing its two sequels to give his characters more depth and consistency. It thus seems to be a sign of conscientiousness rather than hastiness.

The plots

There are essentially three plot lines at the start of the book: a budding romance, the daily life of Jason as a young police officer dreaming of becoming a detective, and his first steps into the world of ‘immortals’. I will not say much about them to avoid spoilers, but I should mention that they complement each other very well and (of course) quickly blend together to reveal that not all things are quite what they seem...

The prose

The prose is relatively direct and concise, flows well, and is fairly easy to read even for a non-native English reader like me. (Although I had to look up a few words.) I found the amount of details suits the story very well: enough to form a clear mental image of each scene while keeping a quick pace.Some dialogues are, if I may say, charmingly awkward, highlighting the characters' social flaws. (As an occasionally-socially-awkward person myself, I could relate to some of the weird lines.)The telling is brisk, never boring. There are also a few nice quotable phrases. The one that most struck me was: “Your trauma will either make you bitter or make you empathetic. It depends on how you chose to act.”

The few action scenes are a pleasure to read, fast-paced and filled with interesting ideas. I particularly enjoyed how they resonate with previously introduced lore—few things keep me on my toes like learning about a dreadfully powerful entity before seeing the protagonist face it a few tens of pages down the line.

Overall, and while this adjective tends to be overused, it is one of the books I would describe as ‘unputdownable’. A lot happens in its 400-ish pages, and many of the (relatively short) chapters end on a minor (or no-so-minor) cliffhanger. Reading it thus feels akin to watching a good series where each episode leaves the viewer hungry for more. I would probably have read it in one sitting were I not on a transatlantic flight that was about to land mid-way through it.

A little nitpick: a few words are a bit overused (special mention to ‘drawled’), especially in the first few chapters. This seems to get better as the story progresses, though.I have also noticed a few typos, which can be distracting. But they are sufficiently rare not to be really annoying (and, honestly, my pointing out typos and repetitions in others' writing is like the pot calling the kettle black). And I guess it is another reason for hoping this series gets more recognition and give the author the chance to release a new edition correcting these issues.

The world-building

As befits Urban Fantasy, the world of the Immortal Investigations is based on our own—more precisely, the city of Plymouth in the South of England, to which it adds supernatural elements in the form of (more or less) hidden societies of ‘immortals’. (Pedantic mode on: Contrary to what the blurb says, Plymouth has been a city, not a town, since 1928.)

The world-building is somewhat underdeveloped, but there are plenty of intriguing ideas and some very good ones, which, while not explored to great depth in this book, still provide interesting plot elements and will surely get fleshed out in the sequels.

The romance

I like how the author illustrates that the key to a successful relationship lies not in strength or perfection, but in openness about one's weaknesses, imperfections, fears, and uncertainties.He shows how part of respecting someone is accepting not to always be the person one wants to be for them.

And I love how the romance between Jason and Silvana unfolds: a romance filled with tenderness and tension, with awkwardness and understanding, never perfect, always precious, deliciously uncomfortable at first before becoming easier and more natural as they become more comfortable with each other. The need for Silvana to find a husband on a very short time-scale is a fantastic plot point, allowing their relationship to progress at a pace that would otherwise feel unrealistically rushed.

I also enjoyed how their relationship, especially regarding physical intimacy, is mostly driven by Silvana without falling into the dominant woman / submissive guy stereotype. While most romances in Fantasy tend to show men as either the more eager half or as caricatures, The Immortal Investigation shows a refreshingly different approach to love and desire.

Another small nitpick: I may be a bit too prude, but I found Jason and Silvana get physically intimate faster than would be realistic, especially given what the former says during their first meeting about the need to build an emotional connection with someone before making the jump. But this is somewhat justified by the narrative and highlights the strength of what they feel for each other. Not a big issue, but a bit of a missed opportunity of show-dont-tell-ing.

The characters

I counted about 20 characters playing a significant (if, for some of them, short) role. That's a lot; but each of them has at least one trait making them unique, and I found them all interesting in one way or another. In particular, most of them have something—or someone—they deeply care about, making them deeply relatable. There is also some limited (due to the tight time-scale over which the tale unfolds) but interesting character development: Jason and Silvana both see some shift in how they see themselves and the world they live in, and a few secondary characters experience something that helps them grow.

I also liked that all the information about their physical appearance is given upfront, allowing me to make a consistent mental picture of them. Few things annoy me like having to change the way I imagine a character mid-way through a book as it reveals some additional details that prove it wrong. I thus commend the authors for always allowing us to imagine a scene accurately.

The mystery

Mystery is, as can be expected from this genre, an important part of the narrative. It comes from two sources: the murder investigations and discovery of the world of the immortals—which, of course, intersect, collide, and merge into each other as the story unfolds. I was more interested in the second one than the first: while the investigation itself is rather shallow, the way we progressively discover more of the supernatural elements of the world is fascinating, revealing more and more complexity throughout the book and providing the best plot twists. I thus saw this book primarily as a urban fantasy tale, with the police investigation being mostly a point of entry into the paranormal.Not that it is badly written: while no Sherlock Holmes-level masterpiece, it still provides a few interesting twists of its own and, maybe more importantly, anchors the main character's discovery of the supernatural in our mundane reality, ensuring the two coalesce into a consistent, believable world without requiring too much suspension of disbelief.

Representation

Michael Cronk always puts a lot of emphasis on representation in his reviews and, as expected, this is a strong point of the book. First, it features several strong, well-written female characters, neither damsels in distress nor idealised superwomen but human beings, with their strengths and flaws, their hopes, dreams, and fears. There are approximately (or even exactly, depending on how you count) as many women as men among the main characters, and they share the spotlight nearly evenly.

There is also some representation of LGBT+. The main character is both bisexual and demisexual, which is rare enough to be noted, and a few secondary characters are overtly homosexual.

Most of the characters have a European background but at least two of the main ones have non-European origins.Characters also cover a broad range on the introvert/extrovert spectrum. (Not sure whether this counts as diversity per se, but this seemed like the best place to mention it.) It's refreshing to see introverted characters struggle with social interactions, rather than magically becoming extroverted when the situation demands it, as often happens in other fantasy books.

Where the book truly shines is in the depiction of trauma and how to live with it. The author sensitively portrays the difficulty—or impossibility—of completely getting rid of it, but also the efforts of the main character to not let it define who he is nor take over his life. It is primarily, besides the romance and murder investigation, a tale of fighting his inner demons, knowing this is a fight that can't ever be won yet is both worthy and necessary, for each small success brings him closer to becoming the person he wants to be. One could even—although that would likely be a significant over-interpretation—see the whole story as a metaphor of overcoming trauma: faced with something stronger than one can ever be, a seemingly hopeless struggle against something one can not defeat nor fully understand—the trauma or immortals—yet finding value in each small step forward which can make life a bit better for oneself and for others.

Content warning

This book contains a few explicit sex scenes.I did not find them shocking in any way, but this might be a turn-off for others and I would advise parental discretion for younger readers. (One option, if you are bothered by that, could be to skip them entirely—they are really not the highlight of the book and you would not miss much.)

There is also a fair amount of violence, crime, and some borderline gore—although it is rarely graphic and the descriptions are sufficiently vague and imprecise that I doubt it would, in this day and age, be a problem for many readers. (I have a strong blood phobia but nothing in this book triggered me.)

I realise the above may give the false impression that the prose is bland... That is absolutely not true: while descriptions might seem a bit lacking and superficial at times, the real strength of the author's style lies in what he tells more than how he tells it—and, on this front, there is a lot to love!

Is the ending worth it?

This book works well as a stand-alone, with a satisfactory ending that resolves the main plot points while leaving some loose ends which are probably picked up in the sequels. I also like how, like with most good mystery books, I was surprised by the ending yet realised there were clues to it all along.I will refrain from giving spoilers, but those who have read it will likely know what I mean.

How much should you try?

The first few chapters didn’t quite grab me: the dialogues were not particularly engaging, the characters felt a bit flat, and we were given little to raise our interest in them. However, the story picks up quickly—and everything soon becomes much more compelling. If you're unsure after reading one or two chapters, carry on: it'll get much better. But if you still feel the same close to the mid-way point, maybe this book is not the right one for you.

Conclusion

For what it's worth, I found that The Immortal Investigation to be a great, if not perfect, introduction to Urban Fantasy.
I would definitely recommend it to readers who, like me, want to discover this genre without (yet?) committing to its lengthy series like the Dresden Files.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2/5

I sat down to read this book thinking I'd maybe get through 100 pages per sitting, but finished the whole thing in one go, which should go some way to saying just how much of a page turner it was. The style of prose and the length of the book both make it very approachable, and I'd recommend giving this book a go as a gateway to urban fantasy if you're generally more into crime and/or romantasy series.

I really wanted to be able to bump this up to 5 stars, but it fell a little bit short for me personally, as I kept feeling like I wanted a little bit more depth that there definitely wouldn't have been room for without another couple hundred pages added. That said, it only fell short due to personal preference in that regard, and I would wager similar readers may be left wanting some plot points to be more thoroughly fleshed out at times. However, this was clearly a deliberate trade-off in favour of a faster paced plot, which would be preferable for a lot of readers.

Trauma was a clear theme throughout, with a lot of care being taken in terms of the use of trauma informed language and mental health. In some ways several of the characters responded in ways that were a little too trauma informed compared to what one would expect to encounter in the real world, but I feel that Cronk made this choice to deliberately show what being trauma informed looks like in practice, rather than to stick strictly to realism.

There were a couple minor typos that unfortunately seemed to make it through the editing process, though they were not egregious enough to take away enjoyment from the story.

The main mystery was engaging, and all the pieces fell into place for me precisely at the moment they were 'supposed' to in terms of the plot reveal. If this is the quality of mystery that comes from the first entry in the series, then I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the mysteries that are yet to unfold moving forward.

Overall, I think this book is an incredible feat for a self published author to produce as their first work, and I'm looking forward to reading the other two books that are currently out in the future in order to see how the plot and characters develop further.

[ABBAS Aboubakr · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Really really enjoyed reading the book, when the book arrived i just read 30 pages to see what the book was about and put it aside due to my TBR and now i regret that, the story was amazing the plot the dialogue the characters were perfect, especially Aisha as a side character, she was well developed and i loved and cared for her story and support for Jason.
All i need now is a vampire girlfriend.
will start the second book straight away and not make the same mistake by waiting.

[Marie (find me on StoryGraph) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute and cozy, humorous urban fantasy book with a large focus on conversational narrative. It blends several genres and tropes into each other and tries to put new twists on them.

Having said that, this book is not for me. I just don't vibe with humorous books, I never have - I also never really enjoyed reading the greats of this genre like Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett.

The same goes for Romance and Romantasy (which one could argue this is). I just don't care about romance books. Give me dark, gritty, fantasy or sci-fi instead.

Beyond that, the book is also obviously a debut novel and the writing is still a bit rough around the edges both in language and in characterization. I feel like Silvana is a bit of a flat character that has no memorable personality. But it could just be that I missed it because I don't really know how to read humorous books.

What I did think though while reading is that this would make a brilliant TV show for me of the kind that I love watching - such as The Magicians, The Order or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Would love to see that adaptation!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful mix of urban fantasy, mystery and romance. I’ve seen the author mention that he wanted both experienced and new readers to enjoy his work, and I believe he has attained that goal. The writing wasn’t too complex, while still managing to be thoroughly enjoyable for an experienced reader (me!). The world building was brought up and built in a very natural way, and the dialogue also flowed and felt real.

I particularly enjoyed the quantity of different types of immortals, as it makes it that much harder to guess the twists and turns of the story. These twists did in fact catch me off guard; I am looking forward to seeing if Cronk is able to repeat this feat in the rest of the series! Finally, there are some very old-fashioned views and opinions brought up in this book, but I was quite happy with the way they were treated, particularly in the last chapter.

My only less positive comment is that there were two sentences in French that made my eyes bleed as a native French speaker 😬

[Mason Latimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars

Plot: 4.5/5 stars
Setting/Worldbuilding: 4/5 stars
Characters/Development: 4.5/5 stars


I've always loved how positive and respectful the Book Guy's YouTube channel is to every book he talks about and was excited after hearing the concept for this book. But being an independent author, the quality can still be hit or miss, so I didn't know what to expect from this.

But I really enjoyed it. The story was a good fast-paced book that had me wanting to read more. It had unexpected twists and moments that I did not expect to see. Surpassing my expectations in every category, whether it be fleshed out characters with clear character arcs, communication on touchy subjects, well thought out worldbuilding that I believe will be expanded upon in the next book, or the detail in the romance elements of the book.

Overall, I thought this was a great first book in a series and look forward to reading the next one.

[carliereadsstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an immensely readable paranormal fantasy, with creative twists on familiar tropes. I enjoyed the fact that the main character isn't a hardened disillusioned detective but an at times naive and idealistic youngster getting himself into trouble with his eagerness, though I found myself rolling my eyes at Jason Turner from time to time. I particularly liked the deliberateness with which his backstory was revealed and utilised and the way the lore of vampires and other immortals is woven into the story, choosing to deploy some classic tropes but leaving behind others. Paranormal fantasy isn't the genre I instinctively go for, often because it rarely does something so interesting with the lore so The Immortal Investigation was a lovely surprise.

[Maja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first review, so it will be short. If you want more detailed ones, there are some left by people who are more eloquent than me.

The most important thing for me when reading is the enjoyment. Did I enjoy The Immortal Investigation? Yes, immensely!

It's a fun book, but it doesn't mean that it doesn't touch upon serious topics and it handles them well.

You can read this novel fairly quickly, so why not give it a try? If you like it as much as I did, you can move on to the sequels which are equally good, if not better. Then we'll be on the same boat waiting for more 😄

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a fun, quick read. There were a few typos that I spotted but nothing that impacted my enjoyment (please note I was reading the day one version of the eBook provided to backers of the Kickstarter so this may be fixed now). Looking forward to the next book in the series!

[Vivi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so much more than I expected, and my potential rating changed a lot at different points of the book (as I did not have the best of feelings in the beginning). But all in all, it was a very solid and entertaining read. I absolutely recommend it.

Things I really liked:
The Romance - it was very cute and mostly felt like a real budding relationship to me. The awkwardness did it for me.
The action - Very good action sequences that had me hooked.
The mystery - At no point did I have to ask myself: 'How the hell did he figure that out?'. You will get enough clues to come to the same conclusion as Jason does, since he also shares all his thoughts on them, and even if you can't see it, the conclusion is no stretch from everything you are given. I actually loved that. It's rare in fantastical mysteries as far as I have read.
The full circle moment of Jasons character arc. That was nicely done and one of my favorite moments in the book. And now I know what I have always wanted in a book: The Constantine Movie feeling (It's short-lived, but still, thank you, Mr. Cronk!). Give me that, and you can do whatever you want. All in all, I loved Jason's backstory and his despair with it.
The twist - Yeah, he got me there. Usually, I am the one person in the room who sniffs the twist from a mile away, around the corner, over a river.
Captain Kaden


Things that were fine:
The writing - The book is very readable, and you will just fly through it. It is not too simple, not too convoluted, just right. Sometimes I wanted to use my brain a bit more and not be explained every slightly uncommon word (I am looking at you, 'game'). The overexplanaition of things gave me the feeling that Jason is a bit slow on the uptake, unfortunately, but it got a lot better after a third of the book. Sometimes a sentence felt clunky, or some words are used a bit too often, but nothing bad.
The character arcs - Well, what can I say, you will see them grow, and I like to see characters struggle and grow, BUT the struggle they face is really on the nose. No reading between the lines here.


SPOILERS from this point on

Things I did not like
The beginning - To be honest, after reading the first chapter, I thought, 'who is that clown of a person? He feels so unreal, I might end it here if all the characters are going to be like that.' And yes, after reading the whole thing, everything comes together and makes sense, and I loved the hell out of that twist, but I almost DNFed right then and there because it felt so amateurish without all the information.
Pop-culture references - They were openly named and came in numbers. I did not like them one bit.
The antagonists - The dialogue was the worst when they were on the page. Stilted, not funny at all, and formerly established rules flew out of the window. Don't talk about shit? Why no, let's do the evil monologue... and reveal entirely too much information-.-
The miscommunication trope WHY WOULD YOU PUT THAT IN??? And connecting to that: In what world would a 90-year-old woman act like a teenager? Just no.

So still 4 stars. Really good. Enjoyed thoroughly. It was a ride. Solid debut <3

[Anonymous Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book of the year, and what a good start it was! I think this is actually my first urban fantasy book ever, which is strange considering how much I enjoy SFF, but nevertheless it was a great entry point into the genre and I can't wait to see how the next few books go (this is part of a cool series where author Michael Cronk released the first three books all on the same day). Some specific thoughts on book 1:
- Really great thematic work that you just don't see from indie books all that often. Cronk is inserting a lot of his own morals and thoughts on world issues in this text (using fantasy to say more about humanity than realism itself could manage), and I personally appreciated that a lot.
- I like the blending of genres quite a bit, with this being equal parts Fantasy, Romance, and Mystery. All three succeed in their own ways - but especially the mystery, which Cronk writes incredibly well, and there are some excellent twists.
- The characters are wonderful. You can see that Cronk put a lot of effort into giving every character, even the most minute, background characters, their own personality traits and speaking style. I'm sure that isn't easy.

The only one problem I had with this first II book is that there are quite a few typos. I don't blame the author, who's quite open about how this series was professionally edited, but I think the editor missed somewhere between ten and fifteen typos (I actually lost count), so hopefully the sequels won't have that problem. Otherwise this was great and I can't wait to continue on with this series!

[Amanda Nieves · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave this book 2 stars, but it did some interesting things in the beginning, and I like to be nice to indie authors. The author set up some interesting urban fantasy stuff here. I like the way the vampire and witch community is set up. It's different from any of the other urban fantasy series I've read. The MC is a little vanilla, but he didn't bother me. The female characters could use a little more depth. The other cop characters are pretty one-note. The dialog isn't great. It's a little clunky and awkward. There are a lot of grammar and proofreading issues that just pull me immediately out of a story. The action scenes are pretty well-written. I just really didn't like the ending very much. There was an oddly placed sex scene in the falling action and weird random exchanges between characters that I didn't love. I don't think I'm going to continue the series, but I wish the author well.

[Sean Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was honoured to beta read this book and enjoyed it throughly. I always had a question I wanted answered, and it wasn’t like anything I’d read before. Cronk has a boundless imagination, introducing the reader to concepts of love and loyalty, while at the same exuding that “page turner” feel with thrilling twists and turns and “WHAT THE” moments that I still remember vividly months later.

Also, as a quick side note, this would be an excellent book to pick up if you’re in a reading slump. So what are you waiting for? Check out this brilliant introduction to a trilogy, and experience a mundane Plymouth set within an exhilarating world of magic and vampires!!

[Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read. Kind of reminded me of reading the early Dresden files books. I like when folks take new spins on the supernatural. I'm also a sucker for budding love, but I have a feeling there is more to the story that will be flushed out in the other books in the series. There is a point toward the end when the action really picks up and it became a page turner. I look forward to reading the next book to see how the consequences of the events of this book play out.

[Hobby Vomit (Matt) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

This was just not for me at all. I didn’t really like any of the characters and the writing style was not to my taste. I think with this and Dresden both being duds that urban fantasy just isn’t for me.