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Review: Owl and the City of Angels by Kristi Charish (Adventures of Owl #2)

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Owl and the City of Angels by Kristi Charish // VBCOwl and the City of Angels (The Adventures of Owl #2)
Kristi Charish
Published: Oct. 5, 2015 (Pocket Star)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Margaret

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it does make reference to previous books in the series. If you haven’t started yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1, Owl and the Japanese Circus.

Someone has stolen cursed supernatural artifacts from the City of the Dead and everyone is blaming Owl. In order to prove her innocence and save countless lives, including her own, she has to turn the thief and the artifacts over to her new boss, Mr. Kurosawa. But the Owl impersonators aren’t going to make it easy for her.

Owl and the City of Angels opens in Alexandria with Owl on the run from the IAA, the archaeology version of Men in Black, and she never stops running. The story takes her all over the world, out of one frying pan and into a bigger one before she finally lands in the fire.

Owl really shines when shes using her archaeologist skills and deciphering codes. I love the historical sites she visits, which feature everything from elaborate Medusa mosaics to booby-trapped tunnels where stepping on the wrong tile causes the ceiling to collapse. There’s no shortage of Tomb Raider moments, which are always my favorites, and a mummy battle straight out of Scooby Doo. (I totally mean that in a good way!) She encounters several other interesting new supernaturals along the way as well.

I also love the supporting cast in this series! I loved Nadya playing Felicity Smoak in Owl’s ear while she crawls through the dig sites. I love Owl’s online gaming partner Carpe Diem, who plays a bigger role than he did in the first book, even though he’s not especially likable. I really like some of Owl’s new supe allies and I hope that they’ll show up again in a later book. I think in some ways Owl’s friends steal the show, since they always seem to be rescuing her.

What bothered me, though, is that everyone, even her friends, seems to be managing and manipulating Owl. If I hadn’t read the first book, I wouldn’t know why she was friends with Nadya and Rynn. They don’t seem to like her very much, always criticizing and second-guessing her. Part of that may be a result of telling the story from Owl’s POV since she has low self-esteem, which other characters helpfully point out to her. That awkwardness sets her apart from most urban fantasy heroines and often makes her more relatable, but sometimes it makes her hard to like. Mostly I think the breakneck pace just didn’t leave any room for girl talk or sexy times.

I do like the fact that Owl seems to be coming out of her shell and becoming more aware of the world around her. I’d always been bothered by her willful ignorance of the supernatural. About halfway through, she seems to realize that she’s been sabotaging herself and starts to look at the big picture. I’m looking forward to her learning more about the supes and their politics as the series progresses.

I loved all the action and adventure in Owl and the City of Angels and Im looking forward to the next book. I just hope that Owl takes a little time to be human as she navigates her exciting new supernatural world.

Sexual content: kissing

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