Demon Moon

Prof Croft #1

by Brad Magnarella, James Patrick Cronin (Narrator)

Everson Croft here, professor of mythology and behind-the-scenes wizard.

Show me an amateur conjurer, and I’ll stop him before he gets himself killed.

That’s the idea, anyway. But New York City isn’t what it used to be, and I don’t mean the recent crash.

Amateur casters are calling up creatures they shouldn’t be able to. And there’s been a murder at the city’s most hallowed cathedral, a message in blood on the victim’s back the NYPD wants me to interpret, like yesterday.

Something tells me I’m in over my head. And that’s not just Chinatown’s newest mob boss, a scary-powerful vampire, or my possessed cat talking.

No matter how much magic I hurl, worse keeps chasing bad, and I’m amassing enemies like they’re aluminum cans.

Did I mention the end of the world might be nigh?

Damn. Maybe I’m the amateur here.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, Audiobook, Fiction, Demons

9 pages, Audible Audio

First published July 30, 2016

About the author

Brad Magnarella writes urban fantasy for the same reason most read it – to explore worlds where magic crackles from fingertips, vampires and shifters walk city streets, cats talk (some excessively), and good prevails against all odds. It’s shamelessly fun.

His three main series, Prof Croft, Blue Wolf, and Maddy Deeds, make up the growing Croftverse, with nearly a half-million books sold to date and an Independent Audiobook Award nomination.

Hopelessly nomadic, Brad can be found in a rented room overseas or hiking America's backcountry.

To learn more about the Croftverse, and download two free prequel novellas, visit his website at bradmagnarella.com

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Demon Moon
(Prof Croft #1)
by Brad Magnarella
This was so much fun! Plenty of suspense, who done it in paranormal form, great characters, always a shoe was about to drop on Croft! Again! It was a fun ride through fantasy, touch of horror, sprinkled with humor, and pure enjoyment!
Narration was awesome too!

[Gergana]

Is there ever going to be an Urban Fantasy book with a male lead that doesn't get compared to the infamous Harry Dresden? (although, personally, I prefer Alex Verus)

Two things you should know:
1. Yes, Everson Croft will probably remind you of someone you've already read before, and
2. No, he won't be as cool and original as **insert favorite UF character here**.

Nevertheless, Demon Moon is actually a pretty good fix for an Urban Fantasy junkie such as me and, although the plot, characters and world-building might seem rather generic at a first glance, the book managed to entertain me and to deliver exactly what I was craving for: a good Urban Fantasy story.

WHAT'S GOOD?
* The prequel - it's the best. It also has a very different feel to it.
* Everson Croft - unlike many leads who happen to have some special trait or power about them, Everson Croft is not that... exciting. But maybe that's why I found him easy to relate to. He is a new mage who is still coming to grips with his wizard powers and his role in society. He sure is powerful, but his lack of experience and the fact that there is a succubus living in him, waiting to take over his body whenever he over exerts himself, is quite the disadvantage. I guess he is far more vulnerable than the usual UF protagonist and his character growth is what makes me want to follow his journey.
* The setting and creatures - although I've seen it before a hundred times, I still managed to enjoy the world-building. I love how the supernaturals are hidden and each group has found its niche: vampires are working in the financial district, fairies are in politics and so on.
* Side characters- are quite compelling, unpredictable and useful.
* Potential love interests - PHEEEEEW! Just a couple, which is rare in the genre.
* Audiobook narrator - James Patrick Cronin , perfect fit and excellent work!
* Cover artwork - I love it!!


WHAT'S BAD?
*Do you like the crime genre? - There's a lot of running around, meeting new characters, asking questions, etc. It's actually not that bad (I'm easily put off by the whole - let's investigate by interviewing twenty characters you've never met before and expect you to remember each one of them and what they said) Usually by the time the bad guy is revealed I've already forgotten who that person is. Thankfully, the author has managed to balance things enough for a non-crime-genre-fan, such as me, to enjoy.
*Setting and creatures - As I mentioned, nothing new under the sky. I don't mind at all, but if you'd rather look for something unique and more original, it's totally understandable.
*NOT AS GOOD AS THE DRESDEN FILES - although, I personally really dislike Harry Dresden as a character XD Yeah, Harry is so freaking popular, that it's no surprise that many upcoming authors will feel so inspired by his books. But if you dislike anything that might resemble the infamous Harry Dresden, then stay away from Prof Croft .... wait...

If a person who disliked the Harry Dresden books, but managed to enjoy the Prof Croft books exists, doesn't that mean that the two are not as similar?
Anyways, maybe everything IS a copy of a copy, and it's all matter of finding the version that resonates with you the most.

Conclusion: Demon Moon is a good, but not a great book that is entertaining and interesting.
Will I read the sequels? : Already read the second book and started the third, so Yes.
Will I buy a hardcover copy? Probably not, despite the pretty cover.
Will I reread? : For now, I don't think so. Once you know who the culprit is, it's not as interesting.
Will I recommend to a friend? Not sure. I would much rather recommend my favorites, but if you're looking for something to satisfy your Urban Fantasy craving, Demon Moon is a quick, easy to follow, and fast-paced read.

[Logan Horsford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much like Harry Dresden - lacking only

the competence
the style
the edge
the intelligence

It's like watching someone's less talented brother wallow through the case.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are great books and there are bad books. There are good books and mediocre books and within all those different levels, there are sublevels.
- There are lazily mediocre books (the works of William Massa)
- There are crazily mediocre books (the works of Simon R Green)
- And there are the eager-to-please mediocre books (The Iron Druid series)
But never in my life have I encountered a book as confusingly mediocre as this. Demon Moon by Brad Magnarella reaches a whole new level of medicore I never thought possible. I'm actually kind of impressed by just how tonally, narratively and character wise mediocre this thing is!

So the story is pretty basic at its core. Everson Croft is a college lecturer working in New York after some massive financial crash in a world were fantasy races of all kinds live and work under a masquerade. Croft is also secretly a wizard who tentatively works for the Order, a secret Cabal of mages. Recently he's been contacted by Lieutenant Vega to assist in the investigation of a homicide in St Martin's Church, a homicide that has something in common with a series of demon summonings Croft has been investigating.

A number of other reviewers have noted the parallels between this and the Dresden Files and I can certainly see the comparisons.
- Croft is Dresden
- Tabitha is Bob the Skull
- Meredith (one of his students) is Molly
- Vega is Murphy
- Father Vick is Michael Carpenter
- Arnaud is every Vampire Court lord to some degree
- The Order is the Wizard Council
- Chicory is Ebenezar
- Effie the ghost is Toot-Toot
But I will say that the parallels are pretty base-line if still derivative. Magnarella tries to vary up the formula by introducing a number of his own things into the formula. Croft is on probation for a crime he was at the scene of a year back. He has an incubus spirit in his head that sometimes makes him go hogwild. He's a teacher instead of a detective by trade. But ultimately it doesn't change up the formula enough to account for the startling number of similarities. It also doesn't help that much of what is added feels more like light seasoning on an already bland salad.

But that's not the only problem that this book has. Demon Moon doesn't read like a published novel. It reads like a first draft that the editor was too drunk to bother checking properly. From a strictly workman perspective, the book's prose is functional. I didn't see any spelling errors or major gaffs to do with plot holes or the like. But so much else of this book seriously needed someone to sit down with Magnarella and slap his hands away from the keyboard whenever he started huffing paint.

Lets start with the biggest issue here; the pacing. This book is SLOOOOOOOOOOOOW. And I don't just mean from in certain places, I mean across the ENTIRE book. I actually checked at one point and found the books only 318 pages long. WTF, I was certain it was over 500 pages, it was that glacial a read! Part of this you could attribute to the fact that its a detective novel at its heart, but that doesn't excuse a series lack of variation in the pacing of key sequences. Throughout the book, Croft accrues a whole laundry list of people who want his shit pushed in. But at no point does the pacing speed up to heighten the tension, to make you fear for Croft's life. Even the action sequences are slow! Action scenes work better when the pacing is sped up, to heighten the emotion and frantic, dangerous, potentially deadly nature of the fighting. When you spend half the bloody time treating it like some poncy swordfight, it loses all effect. I actually got bored reading the fights. Fights! With Demons!

Part of the problem with the pacing also comes from the fact of Croft's narration, or rather I should say, Magnarella's narration because if you insist otherwise, you're going to Hell for telling big fat whoppers. Every word, every sentence that comes out of Croft's mouth sounds like someone afflicted with a bad case of TLAWS (Talking Like A Writer Syndrome). There's a simile for every description, an info-dump for every aspect of the world, a needless explanation of every little action done, a special little snowflake piece of throwaway info for every aspect of worldbuilding to the point where the whole world feels artificial.
"BUT!" I hear the munchkins nibbling at my ankles cry out, "Croft is a professor. Of course he's going to speak a little more highbrow."
Yeah, I would say, but not in the middle of a fight when he's scrabbling for his life! Not when he's staring down the barrel of a gun or about to get his eyeball burnt out!

The dialogue also suffers from various issues. There are times when characters talk not like people but like actors from a bad script. Here's some gold star examples:

"Father Victor spoke of you. He praised your benevolence. He said you would become a powerful ally one day, and he was right."
"Yes....I saw into your feeble mind. I turned your wrath into mine."
"Face your doom, fiend!"

Holy crap, this shit is gold-star levels of silly bullshit!

So let's talk characters. Croft is.....inconsistent. Early on the book he tells Tabitha off for swearing only to switch back and forth between swearing and poo-poo words at the drop of a hat. He's also stupid. Very stupid. At one point in the story, Chicory - his former mentor/warden who just appears out of nowhere in a blatant deus ex machina - tells him the Order is commanding Croft to stop his investigation. So what does Croft do? Does he mention that he's under threat of jailtime/death by gang warfare? No, he keeps mum! What a numpty!

On the note of the other characters, they are there but largely inconsequential. By and large they all fit into broad stereotypes that don't really make for memorable characters. Caroline Reid is supposed to be a potential love interest and yet she's barely in the story and we're meant to assume she's going to be Croft's potential squeeze? Not buying that horseshit for second. Vega is a tough as nails no nonsense cop and aside from having a son, there's bugger all else to speak of. Snodgrass is an officious little prick of a college admin (and with a name like Snodgrass, of course he is). Effie is the token ghost girl. Father Vick is the good vicar. The Order is the MYSTERIOUS OOOOOOO cabal of wizards we never see at all throughout the book because OOOOOOOO SECRET! And the final villain of the story couldn't be more EEEEEVIL if they tied damsels to railway tracks in their free time.

Like I said, there are all kinds of mediocre books across the board. But Demon Moon is one of the first times where a mediocre book doesn't offend me or amuse me. It just surprised me. At the time of this review, I got this free off Amazon and it didn't have even the common decency to give me a reacharound!

[Jonathan Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Stars

Has Potential.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lots of comparisons, favorable and not, of this book to the Dresden Files. My opinion is that it lifts elements of Dresden (electronics' sensitivity to wizards, an attached demonic entity, and a magical model of the city, for example) but it has a less somber tone and recalls early rather than later Dresden. Everson Croft has a professorship, lives in a nice apartment, and has modern amenities, unlike Dresden's hardscrabble and completely pre-modern lifestyle. The setting is New York after a widespread, devastating economic crash that has crippled city services and thrown many, many people permanently out of work. Supernatural creatures abound in the city and Everson is charged by the Order to police dangerous novice or black magic spellcasters. The story begins with a bang and continues to rocket along with lots of fast-paced action and frantic scrambling. I love the kind of story where the hero is exhausted, pushed to his limits magically, and yet somehow continues to stand against the dark, this doesn't disappoint. Everson is beset on all sides with lots of deadlines (some life or death) to solve a number of paranormal mysteries. The system of magic is interesting and cohesive. The worldbuilding satisfies as well. I really enjoyed it and immediately signed up for his mailing list to get the prequel, as well as moving on to read the next one. Great fun and a fast read.

[Meredyth Winter · Rating 1 out of 5]

Familiar territory

I read this book and all I can say is that it seems like an off brand version of the Dresden series. Way too many similarities, and phrases. Tried to like this book but did not.

[M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Warning: This review is long and contains spoilers for both Demon Moon and some Dresden Files books.

After reading a ton of the Dresden Files I decided to take a break from the series and see how other authors do paranormal detectives as this is a genre that I feel has great potential. So after plumbing the depths of goodreads, I settled on book one of the Professor Croft series.

I was really excited at the start. It's a contemporary series, the cover art looks phenomenal, and I was eager to start a new adventure, in a new city, with a new protagonist as he juggles his duties as a
college professor with his night time escapades as a paranormal investigator.

It didn't take long before I started noticing similarities between Everson Croft, and the Dresden Files. After the first 18 pages, we learn that Croft is affiliated with a secret order of wizards that he is not on good terms with because of a past incident. This past incident also caused him to be marked or indebted to a supernatural entity which
is a burden to him and interferes with
his work.

Any person who has read the Dresden Files will recognize this as sounding very similar to that book's protagonist Harry Dresden. I did my best to give Demon Moon a chance after this point. After all tropes are very
common in urban fantasy and fiction in general. Harry Potter, Harry Dresden, and John Constantine begin their stories with a tragic past which left them marked in some way. But the slack I gave the book was quickly turned into a noose for Everson Croft to hang himself.

Further character traits that Croft shares with Dresden are both characters employ a staff, sword cane, and revolver. Both characters own overweight cats and have a spirit roommate. Dresden owns a 30lb cat named Mister who is routinely possessed by his live in air spirit "Bob" while Croft owns a 40lb tabby named Tabitha who is permanently possessed by a succubus spirit. Both characters have a resident "jerk" making their lives difficult. Morgan for Harry, Prof Snodgrass for Croft. Both characters own a 3D model of the city where they live which serve to track magical disturbances, and both characters have a grizzled mentor who was at one point or another tasked with executing the protagonist should he defy the will of the White Council/Oracular Order of Magi and Magical Beings.

Oh and finally at the end of Demon Moon Croft becomes...wait for it...a consultant for the NYPD's "special investigations" unit and reports to a female detective.

The copying isn't limited to character traits but world mechanics as well. Demons killed erupt into ectoplasm which quickly evaporates. Water disrupts the casting of spells, Ley Lines exist in the world, Wizards and technology don't mix, ghosts are the echos of the departed, and thresholds block uninvited magical entities and cripple the power of mortal wizards.

All these similarities wouldn't be an issue individually. For instance, the concept of thresholds isn't a new world mechanic in occult fiction (see "must be invited" on TV tropes for examples). Croft owning an overweight cat and using a revolver doesn't necessarily make him a copy of Harry Dresden. But when the similarities appear one after another and to this level, they become impossible to ignore. Because of this, Demon Moon reads in many parts of the book like an unfinished Dresden Files draft with the proper nouns changed.

If character traits and world mechanics weren't bad enough, Demon Moon's issues with originality bleed over into the plot of the book as well.

Croft is investigating both the summonings of lesser demons throughout the city and the murder of a church rector. During his investigation he catches the ire of Arnaud Thorne the city's resident corrupt business man and vampire. Thorne is essentially what the baby of Dresden characters Bianca and Johnny Marcone would look like. During Croft's meeting with Thorne, Croft is forced to defend himself with a magical ring which is an heirloom of his grandfather. This situation feels almost identical to Dresden's meeting with Bianca in Storm Front where he is forced to defend himself with his pentagram amulet which was an heirloom of his mother.

Later in the book, Croft is forced to defeat two demons at his apartment while protecting a female student. The female student came to Croft's apartment to seduce him due to an infatuation caused by side effects she experiences after being exposed to Ley energy that conveniently accumulates when a wizard tells a story to a captive audience. *eye roll. Again we have a scene ripped from the pages of Storm Front. Harry Dresden fought a demon at his apartment while defending a woman who was trying to seduce him due to her being under the influence of an accidentally consumed love potion.

When Demon Moon actually breaks original ground, the attempt is not encouraging.
The scenes where Croft is teaching do a good job at realistically unloading exposition. However it's clear Croft only
views his teaching career as a means of keeping a roof over his head. This is demonstrated in his inability to show up to class which forces another professor to repeatedly cover for him, coming to class unprepared, and the sardonic opinions he shares with the reader about his students. While maintaining a cover life is difficult and characters who try often miss out on engagements or show up late to work, these characters are able to keep their covers by loving what they do and being exceptional at their jobs. Clark Kent was a good journalist, Peter Park was a good photographer. Meanwhile Croft only stays employed because the Order funnels money into the college in the form of bogus grants instead of just paying him a salary. Nobody wants to read about a protagonist who's apathetic toward, and terrible at his job.

The ending is nothing more than a series of conveniences that allow Croft to beat an opponent several times stronger than himself. In similar fashion to his cover profession Croft is not a powerful
or even good wizard, and succeeds only because of luck. Not a great start for the first book in the series.

In closing, even without reading his other books in the series, it's very clear to me Magnarella was going for quantity
over quality with Professor Croft. In the same time Jim Butcher released book two of the Dresden Files, Magnarella released 4 books of the Professor Croft series. That's the difference in time created when the first author creates a narrative from scratch by researching the occult and mythology, while the second simply copies the framework of an already established series.

Sixty to seventy percent of Demon Moon's inner workings have been reverse engineered by Magnarella from the Dresden Files. All the bits that are original feel hastily constructed and lazily implemented.

Do yourself a favor and pass on this lazily written, blatant copy-cat of a series.

[Lulu · Rating 5 out of 5]

“In the earliest days, nine elemental demons were said to inhabit the world. They seeded discontent, sowed misery, and terrorized humankind. Not exactly stand-up guys. In response, the Creator sent nine saints, their virtues the antitheses of the demons’ sins.”

Let the adventures begin!

At this point I read almost all the books and spinoff. It was so addictive. For a while I was lost in this world of wizards, shifters, vampires and wickedness.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had the pleasure to win a copy of the audio version of this book. The narrator did a very good job, especially with the male voices and emotional content. The story itself follows a down-on-his luck wizard who comes from an illustrious (dark) family. He is a good guy, but seems very good at getting himself into fixes. He is something of a behind-the-scenes magical savior in a world that is not aware of magic. He also tends to work alone and not tell anyone he works with about his true circumstances, even those who know about the magical world.

So, the setup is pretty familiar (especially to anyone who has read any of the Dresden Files books), though the details are different. I wondered why Croft was so good at screwing up, when he seems to have decent experience and a backstory that supports him. There is more to learn about him, such as the real story behind the demon housed inside him and the development of his relationship with his cat succubus. He definitely finds himself attracted to strong and competent women, although I wondered why his colleague did so much to cover up for him.

Overall the magic world is interesting, and perhaps a bit too complex for a first book. There are so many elements thrown in that Croft has to balance that it became a little confusing. And it made it hard to give each a solid enough foundation. By the end, Croft has to make some choices and let go of some of his resentment in order to succeed. And that changes everything for him. I'm interested in learning more about this world, as things seem to be a bit uncontrolled.

[Gareth Otton · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's not much to say about this book really. I enjoyed it, but as with so many urban fantasy novels out there, it's basically a rip-off of the Dresden Files.

There are so many similarities between this novel and Jim Butcher's famous work that it was incredibly hard to look past that to the story itself. To be honest, that story was a little thin as well, not to mention quite cheesy at times. But it was easy reading and fun at the least.

So the question is, should you read this? My answer, in short, is bare with me and check back after I've read the next book in the series.

This isn't the first book that borrows heavily from the Dresden Files I have read, and some of those other ones had just enough differences that were expanded on in later novels to make those series stand out on their own merits. This book did enough for me to at least check out the next book to see if this series can do something similar.

It's a 2.5 star read (distinctly average) that I will be generous in rounding up to a 3. Hopefully, the next book is better.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 5 out of 5]

O.M.G. This was sooo good. I haven't read anything this good in awhile. Well deserved 5 stars. This was long with 50 chapters, but not once was I bored. It was action packed. It was intense. It was amazing!! And it's what they're calling Urban Fantasy. Kinda Indiana Jones meets Wizarding world of D&D.

NOTE: This is the only book(s) I've read on Kindle Unlimited that I've loved so much, I'm buying the paper copy to reread and to make it easier to share with my son.

[Ink & Echo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let’s be very clear right from the start: this book reads like The Dresden Files well written fanfiction.

And I don’t mean that lightly.
The tone, the structure, the character dynamics, and even the feel of the world are very, very, very similar.

We have:
-A magic-wielding detective
A sarcastic inner voice,
A supernatural cat,
A demon living inside the protagonist,
A dangerous mentor figure who is also a mercenary enforcing magical rules,
Elders who oversee and control magic users

Vampires, werewolves, forbidden magic, and rigid supernatural politics
If you know The Dresden Files, you will recognize the blueprint almost immediately.

That said—this is a very good book.
The pacing is strong, the prose is clean and readable, and the story flows effortlessly. It’s engaging from the start, never drags, and knows exactly what kind of story it wants to tell. The tone is confident, the action is well balanced with character moments, and the writing itself is solid.

If you’ve never read The Dresden Files, chances are you’ll absolutely fall in love with this book. It’s a fantastic entry point into urban fantasy: accessible, entertaining, and not overly dense with lore.

If you are a Dresden fan (like I am), then you really need to go in with the right expectations. You cannot help but compare, and once you do, the similarities are impossible to ignore. This isn’t just “inspired by”—it’s clearly built on the same foundation.

One notable difference: Demon Moon is less info-heavy. We hear about vampires and werewolves, we meet them, and we get hints about Professor Croft’s past—but much of the deeper lore is still held back. There’s clearly more to uncover about the world and the protagonist, which makes this feel like a true setup novel rather than a fully fleshed-out epic (yet).
Despite the similarities, I genuinely enjoyed this book—and yes, I plan to continue the series.

Bottom line:
This is a well-written, entertaining, and addictive urban fantasy debut. Just be aware: if you’re already deeply attached to The Dresden Files, this will feel like a revamped, alternate-universe version. Familiar—but still fun.

⭐ Recommended, with clear expectations

[Melissa Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading the prequel and both Blue Wolf books by the author I was excited to read about Prof Croft. What a letdown. Not only did he emulate Dresden Files throughout, but the MC was kinda, well, boring. Not to mention apathetic about his job, a whimp when dealing with his possessed cat, and just kind of unorganized with a lack of self preservation at times. There were good moments but these were followed rather quickly by rip-offs from the aforementioned Dresden Files. I refuse to waste my time reading the second book; although, if there is a third Blue Wolf I will definitely read that.

[Michael S. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this one, and the next book is in DNF limbo.

Urban fantasy is one of my favorite genres, and I’ve read a lot of it. Any setting that features a wizard who investigates stuff is going to invite comparisons to Jim Butcher’s most famous series, so I acknowledged my bias going in and tried not to dwell on similarities or to make direct comparisons.

The magic system showed some promise, and Everson’s backstory caught my interest. I also wanted to learn more about the setting.

The issue that has stopped me from continuing despite being generally interested up through the first book is that Everson is not very likable. Not only does he make questionable choices, he’s a bit of a dick.

- For some kind of professional wizard, he doesn’t plan very well for the fact that smacking him upside the head disrupts his ability to cast until he can take time to meditate. Played for drama a little too often.

- His first line of sass when confronted by some male antagonists is to incite gay panic by insinuating that they’re hitting on him or on each other. The first time, I didn’t think much of it (sometimes a joke is just a joke), but it starts to feel a little mean and juvenile when invoked repeatedly. It’s just not that funny in any case.

- The way he treats the female supporting characters felt just slightly off in the first book (you could rationalize it due to circumstances), but in the second, he pulls a Prince Charming and places a (chaste and on-the-cheek) kiss on an unconscious woman whom he acknowledges would not welcome that behavior if she were awake. It was weird, not sweet.

There’s a lot to look forward to in the story, but I can’t spend any more time with this dude.

[Skye Blue ☆*~ﾟლ(´ڡ`ლ)~*☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wipe good ol' Harry out of your mind.
If you make comparisons to Dresden, then you are doomed to hate this.
But, if you can give it a clean slate, it's pretty good.
There is a lack of word building in areas. You can visualize everything really well, but some things are thrown out there without explanation. Such as water and it's effect on magic.
Now...remember, I'm wiping Dresden out of mind, and trying not to compare it to any other magic weilding books. We all know from other books that water effects magic, but it usually differs series to series. Sometimes it has to be "running" water, sometimes it's just crossing water. So some explanation on how that works in this world would be good.

It's one thing to compare to a famous wizard book, but nothings is stolen. Butcher didn't originate the idea of water effecting magic, or that his powers fizzle out electronics. But yes, our minds always go to him.

Other things also. Such as the sword/cane. A little back story would be nice. (not going to compare it to a hockey stick, but it's hard not to when it's just THERE with no background)
Damn...I was able to wipe most of the comparisons aside while reading, but you throw in the cat as Bob and....NOPE not going to compare! Because so what, I enjoyed this book damn it!

Negativity aside, I found the characters very engaging.
The story had a very nice flow.
I was entertained the entire time.
I could picture everything as it was happening.
I really enjoyed the story.

Just a little background and explanation on the mechanics of how things work, and this would have been 5 stars.

[ragulau · Rating 4 out of 5]

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[Sara Constance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything but the kitchen sink

I gave this book three stars because I'm a sucker for magic, humor and a murder mystery. That being said there are a few flaws, I think the author put everything that can make a book exciting into one book; it was too much. Asian street gangs, punk rockers, vampires, and more! I think some of the ingredients could have been edited out, but all in all it was a decent quick read.

[Jay B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone is making the obvious comparisons. Yes, this reads much like many other urban fantasy books. You know what? That not necessarily a bad thing. I enjoy the UF tropes. It’s one of my main staples of genres. Do other books do it better? Sure. Either way, I enjoyed this book. The down on their luck protag can be a bit dull but it’s a starting point that’s familiar to slip into. Overall, I thought this was a fun read and am looking forward to seeing where it goes.

[Heather Rizkallah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Always love books with magic and this one includes demons. Nothing is better that reading a book when the mage works for the police. All because he had a history of criminal actions

[Arthur O'dell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar to the Dresden Files, but this isn’t a bad read. It’s also quick too. It helped that I read the prequel The Book of Souls before reading this one. I’m going to read the next one in hopes that it differentiates itself more from Dresden.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable beginning to an urban fantasy/paranormal mystery series. It's not breaking new ground but it is doing a good job with existing tropes.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the best or most compelling urban fantasy/occult detective novel, but it was certainly enjoyable and a fun read!

[Rev Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fourth Brad Magnarella book and it was awesome. Great character development. Looking forward to reading another one.

[Daryl Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is there to really say about this book other than it was fun? Sure it took a bit to hit its stride with me but I'm well aware that is likely entirely due to the fact that it's told in first person and that isn't a style I typically read. Once I adjusted to that it was easy to get swept up in the plot, action, and pace. The main character of Prof. Croft reminds me of the old Survivor tv show motto: outwit, outplay, outlast. He has all the pressure on him and the clock is ticking while the problems he has to find a way to deal with and work around keep mounting in number and intensity. He's an extremely easy character to like even if at times despite the stakes things seem easier for him than they likely are meant to. The supporting cast are great too and I can't wait to learn more about them as the series progresses. On that note: I looked and between the main series and the spin-offs there look to be around 20 books so far so I'm positive I'll be getting a lot of character development for some of the characters as time goes on.

The main takeaway that I'm left with though is what I said at the beginning: this book was fun

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closer to a 3.5
My ratings are based on how quickly I read/finish a book. This one took me a while. I also found myself skimming a lot. I will continue with the series and hope that I get sucked in a bit more as I read it.

Part of the problem is that it starts out very much as a Dresden knockoff. Wizard protecting the city from demons. The Elder council doesn't trust him because of a mistake made in his youth. A talking familiar. There are a few other parallels that made me think this was going to be fan fiction. As the story progresses, it does flesh itself out a bit. However, it may have impacted my expectations in the beginning.

So while this is not the best book I've read this year, it was good enough to will continue with the series.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

i liked it a lot. Tbh, Dresden changed a bit much...not a detective series anymore, so can't compare to this style... Hopefully this writer will stay trrue.

[Cass]

DNF

[Hannah Marae · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty fun. It had its fair share of issues (Dresden similarities, predictability, lack of substance,) but if you look past that, it's a super fun read that carries you away. I'll definitely be picking up the next book!

Merged review:

This was pretty fun. It had its fair share of issues (Dresden similarities, predictability, lack of substance,) but if you look past that, it's a super fun read that carries you away. I'll definitely be picking up the next book!

[M Hamed · Rating 1 out of 5]

the usual trash