I haven’t done a book review on the blog in ages. Not sure why, really, other than time constraints. Oh yeah, that. I suppose it’s no coincidence either that the last book I reviewed was by the same author in the same series as today’s review. So I’m very pleased to present:

The Slave City

This is the third book in The Viper and the Urchin series by fab author and all-round awesome human being, Celine Jeanjean. These books feature my favorite band of misfits, so I was very happy to see them return.

The Review

In this book, they’re headed to the exotic city of Azyr to help spark a revolution to overthrow the slavery that plagues the city. And by “they” I mean Rory, Longinus, Adelma, Cruikshank, and Rafe. If you’ve read the previous installments, you’ll know who these characters are. If you haven’t, stop right now and go read the first book The Bloodless Assassin. You can thank me later.

While I do love these characters, some of the magic between them seems weaker in this installment than the previous ones. I think this might be due to the addition of Cruikshank as a point-of-view character, which is new for this book. And while I like Cruikshank, I don’t love her like I love Rory and Longinus. So the joy of getting to hang out with my two favorite characters was a bit diluted, even though Cruikshank is definitely cool in a no-nonsense, smoking cigars and getting her body covered in tattoos kind of way.

I think the city of Azyr was interesting and well-done in the sense that I honestly felt “homesick” for Damsport. There the usual ruffians seem all warm and snuggly when compared with the cold, calculating, and cruel people of Azyr. The lizard races? Ugh. If a city ever was in need of a revolution and “do-over” it’s definitely Azyr. It was satisfying to watch our Damsians get in there and do their thing.

There’s a lot of great imagination in this book just as there was in the previous ones. The city was vibrantly described, and I could believe I was there. There’s lots of action and plenty of curveballs to keep you wondering what’s going on and what will happen next. All in all, a very enjoyable book and I am very much looking forward to the next installment.

Check out the book on: Goodreads & Amazon

Many thanks to the author for providing me with a free copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!