Alex Price is carefully balancing his paying job at the Columbus Zoo's reptile house with his family heritage as a cryptozoologist, all while trying to date fellow zoo employee Shelby Tanner. He thinks he's chosen an easier path than his sister, working with non-urban cryptids and specializing in herpetology. Unfortunately, someone- or something- has a nasty surprise in store at the zoo and Alex knows the path leads straight back to the cryptids. Will Alex uncover and stop what is going on? And how will he keep all of this a secret from Shelby?
HALF-OFF RAGNORAK is the third book in the InCryptid series but can easily be read as a standalone. The first two books in the series focus on Alex's sister, Verity, while this book is all about Alex. I like that we get to visit with Sarah again, as her status is a bit uncertain after the events of the last book, Midnight Blue-Light Special, but readers new to the series will be able to jump right in as we are given all the back history necessary to understand what is going on with her.
I love Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series and the vast world of the cryptids! Seanan McGuire does a marvelous job at blending mythology with the modern world to show us how creatures such as griffins and gorgons could coexist in secret with humans. My favorite cryptids, the Aeslin mice, do make an appearance in HALF-OFF RAGNORAK but it's the church griffin and the wadjet who add that extra touch this time around.
Alex and Shelby are an interesting couple and I'm curious to see how Seanan McGuire will further their story in the next book. However, Alex's family is such a wild assortment of characters that they overshadow him a bit so it was nice to hear his voice and get to know him a bit this time around. We get some intriguing new twists in HALF-OFF RAGNORAK that offer plenty of material for further stories although I must admit that I missed Verity and Dominic and hope we see more of them in the future.
HALF-OFF RAGNORAK is sheer reading bliss! Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series is pure fun as even the quotes and the brief statement at the beginning of each chapter are hilarious. HALF-OFF RAGNORAK is easily recommended for urban fantasy readers who like their stories with a touch of humor.
What do gorgons, basilisks, and frogs with feathers all have in common? They're all considered mythological by modern science, and some people are working very hard to keep them that way. Alexander Price is a member of a cryptozoological lineage that spans generations, and it's his job to act as a buffer between the human and cryptid worlds—not an easy task when you're dealing with women who has snakes in place of hair, little girls who may actually be cobras, and brilliant, beautiful Australian zookeepers. And then there's the matter of the murders... Alex thought he was choosing the easier career when he decided to specialize in non-urban cryptids, leaving the cities to his little sister, Verity. He had no idea what he was letting himself in for. It's a family affair, and everyone—from his reanimated grandfather to his slightly broken telepathic cousin—is going to find themselves drawn in before things get any better.
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