The Stranger Times

This was... kind of a weird but good time? Some parts almost felt a little tedious with how completely crazy it was all the time, but tbh I still had a good time overall and wouldn't mind picking up the sequel at some point.

The humour in this one was pretty reminiscent of Terry Pratchett, if he wrote urban fantasy, except it was missing a little focus and pizzazz. Nevertheless, I do think McDonnell's a bit of a hidden gem and can't understand why this book hasn't been more shouted about. It's got pretty quirky and humourous writing, vivid characters, a fairly compelling magic system and backstory, as well as plot twists that, while not earth-shattering revelations., still give you enough of a jolt to be enjoyable.

We have a bit of a character ensemble here. I don't think we really get close enough to any one character to feel particularly attached, but I think that's okay. I enjoyed the superficial tableau of how their dynamics played out against each other. There are stakes in the story too, so it wasn't completely without tension.

Overall, would recommend to those who love urban fantasy with some strong humour!