That Ain't Witchcraft
Author: Seanan McGuire
Release Date: March 5, 2019
Publisher: Daw
InCryptid Book #8
ISBN: 0756411793
ISBN13: 9780756411794
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Review Copy Source: Publisher
Crossroads, noun:
1. A place where two roads cross.
2. A place where bargains can be made.
3. See also “places to avoid.”
Antimony Price has never done well without a support system. As the youngest of her generation, she has always been able to depend on her parents, siblings, and cousins to help her out when she’s in a pinch—until now. After fleeing from the Covenant of St. George, she’s found herself in debt to the crossroads and running for her life. No family. No mice. No way out.
Lucky for her, she’s always been resourceful, and she’s been gathering allies as she travels: Sam, fūri trapeze artist turned boyfriend; Cylia, jink roller derby captain and designated driver; Fern, sylph friend, confidant, and maker of breakfasts; even Mary, ghost babysitter to the Price family. Annie’s actually starting to feel like they might be able to figure things out—which is probably why things start going wrong again.
New Gravesend, Maine is a nice place to raise a family…or make a binding contract with the crossroads. For James Smith, whose best friend disappeared when she tried to do precisely that, it’s also an excellent place to plot revenge. Now the crossroads want him dead and they want Annie to do the dirty deed. She owes them, after all.
And that’s before Leonard Cunningham, aka, “the next leader of the Covenant,” shows up…
It’s going to take everything Annie has and a little bit more to get out of this one. If she succeeds, she gets to go home. If she fails, she becomes one more cautionary tale about the dangers of bargaining with the crossroads.
But no pressure.
I really miss the Aeslin Mice. Can we have them back yet?
One of the things I really enjoy about this series is how well developed the characters are. I feel like I really know them and look forward to seeing them come out ahead of their troubles. We meet a new character in THAT AIN'T WITCHCRAFT that I feel will now be a big part of Annie's life and I look forward to seeing what he will bring to the story in the future.
THAT AIN'T WITCHCRAFT is full of information on the crossroads. If you wanted to know more about it and why it works the way it does, this is the book that you will find the answers to all those burning questions.
The romance in THAT AIN'T WITCHCRAFT didn't do anything for me. I love Sam as a person and character—although he was a bit whiny in this installment if I am being honest—, but I can't say I totally feel the romance between him and Annie.
I wouldn't be totally sad if the next book was about one of the other Price kids. It's not that I don't enjoy Antimony because I do, but I would love to get back to one of the other siblings as we get some information in THAT AIN'T WITCHCRAFT that made me think of them and miss them.
I gave it 3.5/5 stars
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.