Rag and Bone

Not my favorite KJ Charles, but everything she writes is better than average, so still a recommended read. I love the Magpie world, and was delighted to have Stephen Day and Esther Gold make cameo appearances towards the end of the novel. However, MC Crispin was a bit of a whiny wuss for too much of the book, and he had barely grown on me by the end when he started to get his act together. The other MC Ned was wonderful - calm, loyal, smart and brave, even when confronted with an extremely grotesque magical creature. Although I didn't care much for Crispin, I liked him and Ned together, and their declaration of love was spot-on perfect.

I was feeling sad that Samhain Publishing is closing up shop, because I assume this means the last view of this unique world, at least for now. So to make myself feel better I re-read the entire series, starting with The Magpie Lord. If your only knowledge of KJ Charles is from Rag and Bone, or perhaps its prequel novella A Queer Trade, you owe it to yourself to immerse yourself in her backlist.