A Weegie, a Hob, and Plenty of "Others"... Reach Their Ever Afters -- CANDLE & CROW Book Review

One mischievous hobgoblin... on the brink of falling in love. One warrior queen... set on founding her own cult. One (former) goddess of death—now trying out life as a human—who thinks online dating is the way to go. One (seemingly) ordinary secretary who... well, is actually known as “Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite” (although the “shite” in question remains unmentioned, so... who knows?).

 

And, one Glaswegian septuagenarian skilled in ink-and-sigil work (basically, magic spells made by using special inks and symbols)... whose job it is to keep the gods above, and all manner of fae creatures hiding in plain sight here in the human world down below, in line. 

 

Together, they’re about to face what may be their greatest challenge, yet: finally figuring out who placed the twin curses on Al MacBharrais’ (the aforementioned septuagenarian) balding head... curses which killed off numerous apprentices, over the years, and caused his entire family to shun him, for no reason.

 

If the origin of those curses can’t uncovered—and then lifted? Al is apt to die a very, VERY lonely and unhappy man. (Which just wouldn’t be right.) 

 

Yep, it’s the final episode in Kevin Hearne’s whimsical Ink & Sigil series, Candle & Crow.

 

 

Okay, so let’s get a couple of things out of the way, first.

 

Namely, you shouldn’t read Candle & Crow on its own. (I mean, you could, I guess, but that would take away from soooo much backstory that you really need to know. Trust me—if you haven’t already done so, please DO read them first.)

 

Also? Check out these non-spoilery reviews, beforehand, to get you in the headspace to tackle ‘em... Ink & Sigil (book 1) review, and Paper & Blood (book 2) review . (Seriously, reading these first, will help.)

 

 

Candle & Crow is the clever, silly, delightfully-demented series ender we needed.

 

We get to meet up one last time with most of the side characters we’ve enjoyed throughout, which is a real pleasure. (Hearne does an excellent job of turning them all into fascinating beings... the kind that--even if they're jerks--you just really want to know more about.)

 

And more importantly, the author gives us enough of an idea about where everyone is headed that we can walk away, at the end, with a sense of what might happen next—after from the books—for each of them. It’s both closure... and room for more, should he ever want to take us into any of these characters’ lives, in future.

 

So, do Al and company finally figure out from whence the curses come? Well... I’m not gonna tell you that... but perhaps that isn’t even the biggest question Al will face, you know? Suffice it to say, Al’s ending is sweetly, poignantly lovely. 

 

Which may, in the end, be the very best way to end any series... with a feeling of coming full-circle... or at least, going a lot of the way.

 

Candle & Crow is an excellent end for this charmingly-offbeat series. 

 

And the fact that I’m going to be keeping my eyes peeled for any potential offshoots, in future? Speaks to the magic of the story... and the storytelling.

~GlamKitty 

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