I am a sucker for snark. It’s just one of those things that makes me smile, and seeing it in books is an even better thing. C.N. Rowan’s imPerfect Magic is full of snark. And not only is it full of snark, it’s full of the best kind of snark: intelligent snark. (Well, okay, there is some snark for snark’s sake, but honestly, I can’t complain.)

This book follows Paul, a Cathar priest who accidentally became immortal and has been wandering France (well, the world, but mostly France) for centuries. He cannot be killed, as every time he dies, he gets resurrected in a new body. He is friends with Aicha, a Druze warrior who drank from the fountain of youth (or cup of life, I don’t remember which); and Isaac, a former rabbi who shares his head with an angel. 

The story begins with Paul trapped in a cellar, being tortured by a wizard with poor magic skills. The wizard connects to someone that he and his companions thought dead: Jakob, Isaac’s brother, who also shares space with an angel. This leads to a quest to find the missing man and angel, but there’s someone out there pulling the strings, and the truth of it may bring back some demons from Paul’s past to roost.

This book reads a lot like a Jim Butcher novel. Intelligent prose, characters who have enough power to cause someone to have a Very Bad Day, but who generally are pretty good people. There are magical beasties, questions of good and evil, and a plot line that was twisty without making you lose your way. I will say that some of the snarky responses did go a bit over my head, but that’s because I’m really, really bad a pop culture references. Most of the time, though, I liked it. It’s not always the best trauma response, but when you’ve been alive for 800 years, it’s probably appropriate.

Also, Aicha was really cool.

My only, singular complaint is that I am really bad at geography on a good day, and I’d love a map. Yes, I know it’s France and I can go look up a map, but still. 

Overall, I would say that this book is definitely one worth reading if you’re fond of urban fantasy. It was well written and a great read for a rainy day. An excellent book and well worth the read.

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