Midnight Blue-Light Special

InCryptid #2

by Seanan McGuire

Cryptid, noun:
1. Any creature whose existence has been suggested but not proven scientifically. Term officially coined by cryptozoologist John E. Wall in 1983.
2. That thing that's getting ready to eat your head.
3. See also: "monster."

The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity--and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and when her work with the cryptid community took her to Manhattan, she thought she would finally be free to pursue competition-level dance in earnest. It didn't quite work out that way...

But now, with the snake cult that was killing virgins all over Manhattan finally taken care of, Verity is ready to settle down for some serious ballroom dancing—until her on-again, off-again, semi-boyfriend Dominic De Luca, a member of the monster-hunting Covenant of St. George, informs her that the Covenant is on their way to assess the city's readiness for a cryptid purge. With everything and everyone she loves on the line, there's no way Verity can take that lying down.

Alliances will be tested, allies will be questioned, lives will be lost, and the talking mice in Verity's apartment will immortalize everything as holy writ--assuming there's anyone left standing when all is said and done. It's a midnight blue-light special, and the sale of the day is on betrayal, deceit...and carnage.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Fiction, Romance, Dragons, Audiobook

369 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 5, 2013

About the author

Hi! I'm Seanan McGuire, author of the Toby Daye series (Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses), as well as a lot of other things. I'm also Mira Grant (www.miragrant.com), author of Feed and Deadline.

Born and raised in Northern California, I fear weather and am remarkably laid-back about rattlesnakes. I watch too many horror movies, read too many comic books, and share my house with two monsters in feline form, Lilly and Alice (Siamese and Maine Coon).

I do not check this inbox. Please don't send me messages through Goodreads; they won't be answered. I don't want to have to delete this account. :(

Reviews

[Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

4.5 stars

Second installments are so frequently disappointing that without realizing I'm doing it, I go into reading them with lowered expectations. Is that the reason MIDNIGHT BLUE-LIGHT SPECIAL rocked my socks off? *shrugs* Could be . . . But I doubt it.

Hoo boy, where to start . . . INCRYPID #2 begins several months after we last saw Verity Price and her NYC cryptids. Dave's Fish and Strips, a nightclub for discerning gentlemen has (in the jackhole's absence) been transformed into The Freakshow, a highly specialized nightclub:

“—and now, my beloved guests, if you would put your hands together for our sweet sugarplums, our cancan belles, our Freakshow dancers, the Scarionettes!” Kitty finished our introduction with a flourish, her heels hitting the floor with gunshot precision as she walked off the main stage half a step ahead of the opening curtain. Floodlights splashed down from the rafters, revealing eleven dancers in corsets and short ruffled skirts, all frozen in perfect clockwork doll poses as we waited for the music to begin.

Umm . . . How cool is that?

It's like a goth burlesque club with enough steampunk to keep it more fun and less darrrrrrrrk.

But beyond the superficial awesomeness of Verity's new and improved place of employment, there's meat in this second chapter of part-ballroom dancer, part-monster wrangler's story.

TWO major decisions are made in this book:

1. Which part will reign supreme--the dancer or the wrangler?

2. Who will Dominic choose--the Covenant or Verity?

B/c choose he must, when three senior operatives of the Covenant come to town to check on his progress.

*edvard munch face*

And if you think that's bad, wait until you find out who those operatives are.

SO. Just in case it isn't already obvious, MIDNIGHT BLUE-LIGHT SPECIAL did not disappoint. I'm one step closer to permanently adding INCRYPTID to my Top Five UF Series of ALL Time list, and it looks like the fun's just getting started. *whispers* Given all the fear and hatred spouted at the cuckoos in this installment, I'm hoping thinking more info on Sarah and her people is coming our way.

I'll definitely let you now, but in the meantime, highly recommended.

[Choko · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** 4.75 ***

Another Wednesday, another UF series with the buddies at BB&B. Aisling Mice Rejoice!!!

This book, and the one before it, have been so much fun!!!! I didn't realize how much I had needed Seanan McGuire in my life as of late! I feel like every sentence I write should end with an exclamation mark at the end and fanfare should accompany every time a review is opened to be read!!! And a quire of Aisling Mice should cheerfully "Hail" every paragraph! If you haven't already figured it out, I am obsessed with the cult of religious talking warrior Mice and am actively looking for either priesthood or membership, which ever I have the best chance to belong to with least need for dieting....

This volume took up the story about six months after the last one ended. Dominic and Verity are doing the dating thing, the nonhuman creatures of the city are happily coexisting, and all seems to be back to"normal", until Dominic brings a dire warning - the Covenant of St. George (the Dragon slayer), is coming to town and are determined on a purge .. As always, those great monster hunters come armed with ammunition, swords, and a dogmatic hateret big enough to exterminate everything they consider "not worthy" of life among the purity of humans.... The fanatical bastards!!!

"..." When you decide to be the immovable object standing in front of the unstoppable force, you’d better pray that you’re right about being immovable, and they’re wrong about being unstoppable. "..."

Only this time, cryptids are not the only target. This time they are also hunting for a Price. In this case, Verity Price, and they suspect that their young agent, the pure and naive Dominic, might have been corrupted by her, and they are on their way to sort it all out. Panic and the instinct for survival put the nonhuman inhabitants of Manhattan in a fight or flight response and everyone is doing the best they can in a very short time to keep safe.

"...“I am very pleased that we will be staying here. It makes Ryan feel better, and increases the potential for carnage.” ..."

I already liked everyone of the gang of characters that formed up in the last book, but here they pretty much stole my heart!!! As I said earlier, The Mice cult is the best entity I have read about in a very, very long time! I am so in love with them, I have lost my mind! But Cousin Sarah and Istas are very worthy runners up! The telepathic cuckoo and the goth Wahila, whose appetite has been described as "a black hole in a lacy pinafore" are brave, funny, so valiantly trying to do "the right thing" despite that usually being against their natural instincts, that you just can't help but adore them!!! Once again, Seanan McGuire shines through the secondary characters, and she shines brightly!!! And we as readers had no choice but fall head over heels into another one of her imaginative worlds!!! Thank you!

"..."The family has coexisted with Aeslin mice for generations, which brings us to the one possible flaw in this plan,” said Uncle Mike. “We don’t know for sure that this Margaret woman doesn’t have a colony of her own.”

“If we encounter heretics while on the search for our brave Priestess, we will smite them down with the Fury of a Thousand Angry Rolling Pins!” squeaked the High Priest of the mice. "..."

I think this series should be read by anyone who loves a good imaginative story full with fresh and endearing characters, and brimming with action and humor! If I am on you and have not yet delved into the UF genre, this would be a great series to start with! It is worth the risk!!!

I wish you all Happy Reading and may you always find joy in a good book!!!

[carol. · Rating 4 out of 5]

They're after me again. The librarians. I've tried, oh, I've tried, but they are tenacious and pertinacious and indefatigable (sometimes you can appease them with big words). But if I have any hope of maintaining my connection, I had better return Midnight Blue-Light before they cut me off from my supply. I've been hanging on to it for weeks, not knowing exactly where to go with my review.

Midnight stars Verity Price, a younger member of a clan that studies the things that go bump in the night (and during the day) and attempts to maintain peace between monsters and humans. She's in New York at the crossroads of her early twenties, weighing the value between the family profession and her love, ballroom dance. She's spending time with her adopted cousin Sarah, a cuckoo (a non-human species, but not the bird), and dating a guy playing for the other team (no, not that one), Dominic. Trouble starts when they learn his employers are coming to New York to purge the monsters--and the Price family.

InCryptid is by far my favorite series by Seanan McGuire. The bubble-gum atmosphere works well, allowing her creature-building talents and clever integration of folklore to shine. McGuire's very imaginative--anyone can borrow from fairy tales, and many authors realize their 'monsters' need someplace safe to get patched up--but how many think of lining hospital walls with posters on Gorgon hygiene, or nursery murals of cartoon monsters and humans playing together? Its those little extras that help differentiate a well-thought out world and make for an enjoyable escape.

The tone works for the clever quip and pop-culture allusions the urban-fantasy genre seems unable to resist. It works well with Verity's character, a person who'd rather be a bit of the bubble-headed blonde if she could get away with it, but is able to drop the pretense in a crisis. She gives the reader a little background on her prior employer: "I mean, really, it was all going pretty great until Dave decided to sell me to a snake cult before skipping town. They say nobody's perfect, but there's having a few flaws, and then there's selling your employees as human sacrifices." Then there's her description of Sarah's species: "They just kill, and destroy, and break things for the pleasure of seeing the shards come raining down. Oh, and they do algebra. For fun. Their universal fascination with higher mathematics may be the least human thing about them." When she calls her new boss, she has some advice: "Okay, you have got to stop answering the phone like that. You sound like you're running a bordello, not a perfectly respectable titty bar."

For those who read the first book (not really necessary), there's more in-depth exploration of some of the earlier characters, particularly the Aeslin mice and Istas the waheela (With Religious Questions). Sarah gets a chance to shine as well, and I hear the next in the series will feature her.

There is a romantic sub-plot, and McGuire deserves applause for her handling of the tension between the leads. Rather than go the more stereotypical "lovers' quarrel" plot (fight-estrangement-moping-reconciliation-sex), she has the two confront a potentially divisive issue and continue to work together despite occasional doubts and misgivings. Imagine! Role-modelling communication! It was a pleasure to have a relationship plot-line that didn't dominate everything else, but was instead integrated into the problem-solving.

McGuire pulled a fast one on me, however, and about a third of the way into the book, the tone became more serious as Verity started to truly own her mission. At one point, Sarah's voice took over the narrative for a little while. While it was a bit of a shock, it ended up working well; Sarah's more serious tone allowed the narrative to be more congruent with the action and emotional involvement. One complaint would be the rushed ending; after all the build-up, it was almost anti-climactic. The serious consequences were a little bit of a sucker-punch to what seemed a candy-floss read, and I appreciated McGuire's ability to develop a path that still managed to feel organic and satisfying.

It tolerated a thorough second read, so I'll have to be honest and call it four imaginative stars.


Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading with the Wednesday UF Fanatics at Buddies Books & Baubles

“It’s a hazard of the job. When you decide to be the immovable object standing in front of the unstoppable force, you’d better pray that you’re right about being immovable, and they’re wrong about being unstoppable.”

After loving book one of this series I was totally crossing my fingers that Midnight Blue-Light Special would hold up and be just as good. It wasn’t, IT WAS BETTER!!!




Some time has passed since Verity had to deal with the snake cult and it has been a little over six months since we last saw her. Verity has been busy though dancing, getting to know more about the Cryptids of the city, falling into bed with Dominic on occasion. It’s been fun for the most part, but things are about to get serious because the Covenant is coming.

Why I Liked this More:

❶ - There is more danger afoot. With the Covenant coming to start a possible Purge, Yes it is as bad as it sounds, Verity and Dominic have to decide what they are really going to do with their lives. Verity is still trying to pick between Dancing and Cryptozoology and Dominic might not agree with everything the Covenant stands for but will he chose Verity or end up betraying her for the organization he was raised in.

I liked that they weren’t cut and dry decisions and while Verity’s was less dire than Dominic’s decision I enjoyed how it played out none-the-less. But Dominic’s character gets a lot more depth in this as he struggles with the new things he has learned about the Cryptids, the feelings he has for Verity and figuring out what he truly believes in now.

“You wouldn’t tell them where to find me, would you?”
Dominic sighed. “I don’t know. If I knew . . . there are a great many things that I don’t know, right now. It’s not a pleasant sensation.”
“I’m sorry.” I stepped toward him, offering my hands. After a moment’s hesitation, he took them. “If you need me, call. I’ll try to come.”
“If I call you, run. There’s no guarantee I’ll be doing it for the right reasons— or of my own free will.” He leaned forward to rest his forehead against mine. “Either I’ll have betrayed you, or they’ll have compelled me. It’s not worth the risk.”

❷ - Even though there is a little more substance and seriousness with the Verity/Dominic situation there is still some of the hilarity that we had from the first book. I love the snarky sarcasm and wit of Verity and some of the other characters in the book. The mice crack me up most of the time as well.

Since Dominic’s been sleeping with me, the mice have been trying various labels on him, looking for the one that fits. My personal favorite was the week they spent calling him “the God of Absolutely Never Smiling, No, Not Ever.” They did it because they felt it was accurate. I enjoyed it because it annoyed the crap out of him.

❸ - I love so many of the side characters. Sarah (The Telepathic Cryptid closer to a giant wasp than anything else) gets a bigger role in this so I’ll talk about her in a minute. My favorite side character hands down is Istas. Think of her as a shifter that while in human form is a gothic Lolita full of ribbons and lace. But when she shifts she is more like a big bear/wolflike creature. Do not piss her off. However she has some of the best lines throughout this book and adds so much comic relief to some very tense situations.

“There was a moment of silence before Istas said, “I was unaware the telepathic girl possessed a temper. This is pleasing. Temperamental people are more likely to participate in carnage.”
“Sweetie, what have we talked about?” asked Ryan.
Now it was Istas’ turn to sigh. “Humans are discomforted by excessive discussion of their squishy interiors.”
“Which means . . . ?”
“No referencing carnage more than once in a single conversation.”

Did I mention she also carries around a lace parasol all the time??? Because she does and I think it is awesome.
❹ - The Covenant was deliciously evil. One of the best ways to make a great villain is to make them really believe in what they are doing. Nothing says that more than a group who takes ridding the world of Cryptids to new genocidal heights. They really believe in the doctrine that they spout to almost religious fanaticism and that is why I bought into Dominic’s issues with figuring out if he still belonged with them or if he could break away.

The people sent from the Covenant added this intense sense of danger and I swear that I couldn’t put this book down once I hit the 30% mark. Between being worried for all the Cryptids of New York that I liked, Verity and Dominic it was intense and I needed to know all the things now.

❺ - This was really Sarah’s break out book and she got way more page time along with some PoV chapters. Yes you heard it the Telepathic math geek gets page time. She is very different than Verity in just about every way and I really liked seeing how different they are and getting an inside look into how Sarah’s powers of telepathy work.

There are so many other things but overall I really adored this book and it was a great addition to the series. I Just hope that jumping to Alex’s (Verity’s brother) PoV for the next few book works becauseso far this is one of my favorite UF series.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-Read 1/28/23:

Enjoyed the re-read with more of an eye for the extras that will become much more important later. It's not my favorite of the series, but it is still quite enjoyable. :)


Original Review:

Relationship troubles? No problem, place them in a grander religious nutso plot with a Romeo and Juliet undertone, and still make both of them work hard at working together despite difference of opinions. What a concept!

This book focuses a lot more on family more than anything else, and it's a toss up whether I mean family as the kind you are born with or that which you choose. Sarah, our intrepid cuckoo, gets her own PoV, and I think I really started liking the change. It certainly gave me a more serious and seriously strange counterpoint to the dancing and the chop-chop. :) Higher math and telepathy? Ooohh.. higher math for the satisfaction of doing it yourself despite the telepathy. Nice. :)

There's some interesting plot points going on here, but it's the Romeo and Juliet vibe that got me going. Sometimes getting to know your boyfriend's folks can be a real pain. :)

Fun read and I'm in it for the long haul, not that it's particularly *difficult* to get through. This is an addictive UF. :)

[★Tinja★✮ · Rating 5 out of 5]

EEEEEEEEE This series is the bomb <3 Loved it so much!



And all the characters, especially Istas lol. I have a total crush on Istas xD And when am I going to meet Artie?? *pouts* Poor Sarah

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This series has definitely grown on me! I enjoyed the first in series but still felt slightly ambivalent. It can take a while to get used to a new world and cast of characters. So I’m really glad I picked this next one up. I love the fact that the Price version of family is not just one of blood, but of love and those you pick up along the way, regardless of genetics. Verity is a great main character, Dominic- I still find him a bit *meh*- but it’s a small quibble. The Aeslin mice especially grew on me. What a great addition to the family!Recommended.

[Maja (The Nocturnal Library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
As hard as I try to keep them completely separate in my head, for reasons I’d rather not explain, Seanan McGuire and Mira Grant are obviously one and the same. Midnight Blue-Light Special, like no other book published under Seanan’s name before it, shows the sharpness and wit I’ve come to associate with the brilliant and irreplaceable Mira Grant. The urban fantasy genre itself may be a bit constricting compared to a post-apocalyptic future one can create from scratch, but Seanan found a way to make the best of it.

The worldbuilding in her InCryptid series is exactly what urban fantasy should be: rich, imaginative and never before seen. As always, McGuire paid so much attention to even the smallest things. The world of cryptids is a never-ending source of fascination and amusement, with creatures such as bogeymen and dragon princesses described in painstaking detail.

Bogeymen have extra knuckles, the better to creep you the hell out when they grab your ankles in the dark. It makes shaking hands with them a little bit disturbing, since it feels like you’re breaking fingers no matter how many times you adjust your grip.

In Midnight Blue-Light Special, the mighty and powerful representatives of the Covenant of St. George, not trusting the reports they’ve been getting from Dominic, decide to come to New York to do a purge. In other words, they plan to storm the city and kill every Cryptid in sight, and Verity right along with them. It’s time for Dominic De Luca, who was raised to be a Covenant boy through and through, to choose a side and stick with it.

Although it never took over the plot, romance was very much an essential part of Midnight Blue-Light Special. I loved the absolute honesty between Verity and her hot Covenant boy Dominic De Luca. They were raised (by the Prices and the Covenant of St. George, respectively) to be bitter enemies, but still they fell in love. So when the time came for Dominic to choose between the Covenant and the girl he loves, he was very honest about it from the start. He never claimed to have made up his mind until he really did, and this allowed both me and Verity to respect him even when they were seemingly on opposite sides.

When you decide to be the immovable object standing in front of the unstoppable force, you’d better pray that you’re right about being immovable, and they’re wrong about being unstoppable.

Although witty and imaginative, Midnight Blue-Light Special was by no means without problems. The sudden change in perspectives in the second half came as a complete shock, and while I understand McGuire’s decision to show us some events through Sarah’s eyes, I wish she’d chosen someone else. I never really cared for Sarah, and not because I harbor prejudices against cuckoos, but because I always thought of her as weak and indistinctive (her cuckoo powers aside).

Secondly, the pacing was all wrong when I expected better, especially from an author of McGuire’s caliber. Oddly enough, the first half was better than the second, at least in terms of pacing. In the second half, there were scenes that went on forever when they could have been cut in half without damaging the story, and the final big scene happened too quickly, forcing me to go back to reread because I failed to understand everything the first time.

However, all things considered, Midnight Blue-Light Special is undoubtedly worth your time, if only for its fascinating worldbuilding and refreshingly honest characters. Seanan McGuire’s crisp sense of humor certainly helps push through those scenes that are unnecessary to the plot. Plus, there are the talking mice. Did I mention the talking mice?

In the next book, we’ll be leaving Verity behind to join her brother, the cryptozoologist Alex Price, on one of his many adventures. It’s a risky move for Seanan since we’ve heard about Alex, but never actually met him, but I’m confident she’ll make it work. And besides, Verity deserves a break, doesn’t she?

[Maria Dimitrova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy read for the cryptozoology course at BB&B university.

The first book in the InCryptid series got me interested in this new (for me) world and the second one managed to sell me completely to the idea. It started with a new monster and a bit more information about the day to day life of the cryptid community in Manhattan. That monster was particularly bad because it preys on babies and new mothers and that's one of the things that set me off immediately. Grab the pitchforks! Or the closest Price girl and let her handle the situation. It was a strong beginning, it set the mood for the book and showed us what Verity does for the cryptids of New York.

The last is an important thing because over the course of the book Verity's services before this mess play a major role - sometimes as blackmail materiel for a specific dragon Nest but most of the time as a reason why the cryptids should fight on her side and for her . Verity might be a human but she's done a lot for them all and that should make her a honorary cryptid, right?

Dominic also prays a major role in this book. I felt bad for the guy on more than one occasion when his heart pulled in one direction and his training and indoctrination in another. For quite some time I was wondering what he will ultimately choose and whether he hadn't betrayed Verity. I wanted to believe the best about him but at the same time there were enough of clues pointing in the other direction that I had no way of being sure. In the end he choose to switch sides and leave the Covenant. And the Price girls strike again! If Antimony manages to snag herself a Covenant boy I'm going to laugh myself to death! And it would have to be officially acknowledged as a family tradition after that. The mice would be ecstatic! I loved how he was portrayed and the conflict showed clearly enough but not too much as to make it seem forced.

Again the true stars of the novel were not the main characters. Sarah had a chance to shine and show us all what true courage is. In the previous novel and in this one we are constantly being reminded that cuckoos are cowards by nature and when confronted they run. That all their natural instincts are that of ambush predators that do not put themselves in danger. Sarah was the total opposite. Yes, she was scared, she even panicked once or twice but when it counted she pulled herself together and made everyone follow her. Without her this story would have had a very different ending. So the ending of the book was bittersweet for me with her being put to sleep for her own good and the good of those around her. I hope she gets well soon and we get to enjoy her company in the future. I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't get to learn more about cuckoos and their role in the natural order from the Madhura brothers. They seem to know a lot about that mysterious cryptid species.

The second star was Istas. Oh boy, does she crack me up. I fall in love with her a little more every time she opens her mouth and says something about carnage! At the same time she is thoughtful, though not in the way humans are. But that's okay. She's not human after all. Her loyalty to her friends and willingness to suffer pain and injury and even possibly dies for them is endearing. Add a few misunderstandings because she doesn't grasp things like sarcasm and humans in general (not that humans grasp other humans at times) and you have an extremely entertaining to read character. I would have enjoyed a chapter or two from her point of view. Or even a scene! It would have been awesome.

And now it's time to go and meet the rest of the Price family. I just can't wait!

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's becoming a habit to post reviews for Seanan McGuire books with five stars. It's almost reflex -- because she's never let me down so far... I've never reviewed her less than four stars! She's just THAT good. And she's a prolific writer, putting out instllments in multiple series AND short stories EVERY YEAR. Do yourself a favor and pick up some Seanan!

Midnight Blue-Light Special really kicked the danger up a notch! It brought more development in a diverse (literally, a bunch of different kinds of monsters = diverse) cast of characters, and I loved every minute of it. It was a thrill ride.

I've grown to love Verity and the group of Manhattanites in the first two books, so I'm a little sad that, for now at least, we're taking a side trip to Verity's brother in the next book... but Seanan has crafted such an amazing world (and as said above is such a good writer) that I trust her in the shift.

On to book three... next week! (Reading this with my Wednesday UF buddies over at Buddies, Books, and Baubles)... short stories will tide me over, right? :D

[Lana *Best left alone with books and snacks* · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Blood is thicker than water, but family isn’t just about blood. Family is about faith, and loyalty, and who you love. If you don’t have those things, I don’t care what the blood says. You’re not family.”

So the Covenant came a little sooner than I was expecting. Like way sooner. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. What was obvious was that they came with a member of a Healy clan. The bad branch. So the theme of nature vs. nurture was especially present in this one. And we can finally find out which way Dominic sways. We all knew he couldn't play for both teams forever, right?


Thats enough bad analogies for today.

Over and out

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Wanda’s Summer Festival of Reading Fluff***

“…I collected all the knives I’d thrown at the various dart boards—it was a surprisingly high number, given how little time I’d had, but I guess stress makes me stabby…” (Verity Price)

The Covenant of St. George has come to Verity’s city to check on the progress of their member, Dominic De Luca (Verity’s kinda sorta boyfriend). There aren’t many men out there that wouldn’t be intimidated by Verity’s physical skills and cryptid knowledge, so she’s anxious that he may choose a side and that it won’t be hers. When Verity is kidnapped by her Covenant cousin, Margaret, choices will have to be made.

Once again, Verity’s colony of Aeslin mice make the book for me—they are a delightful creation, offering intelligent humour during the course of the book. For example, when the city’s cryptids are planning their offensive, it’s agreed that the mice could be excellent spies.

“The family has coexisted with Aeslin mice for generations, which brings us to the one possible flaw in this plan,” said Uncle Mike. “We don’t know for sure that this Margaret woman doesn’t have a colony of her own.”

“If we encounter heretics while on the search for our brave Priestess, we will smite them down with the Fury of a Thousand Angry Rolling Pins!” squeaked the High Priest of the mice.

In short, this is a delightful second book of the series and I would highly recommend it to fans of the urban fantasy genre.

[Holly (The GrimDragon) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you have those authors where you read them faster than any other? Like your life force depends on devouring their words?

Seanan McGuire is that for me. I cannot get enough!

"My father always says that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they live when no one's watching."

Midnight Blue-Light Special, the second installment in the InCryptid series, proves that this is a bloody fantastic urban fantasy! Even though it's dark and twisty and there are a shit ton of monsters.. it is sheer joy. Like eating cotton candy while enjoying a campy horror movie. JUST SO DAMN FUN!

The story starts about six months after the events in Discount Armageddon. The main protagonist is once again Verity Price, who is coming up on an important deadline that she set for herself - whether to follow in her family's footsteps and dedicate her life to Cryptozoology or seriously pursue her other passion, ballroom dancing.

Things are going relatively well. She's still working at the strip club, which is now called The Freakshow and has been re-imagined into a classier burlesque joint. She's seeing Dominic, the Covenant agent who she's still on the fence about trusting completely. He was raised in the monster-hunting organization, after all. However, things aren't calm for long. Because of course not!

Dominic finds out that the Covenant are coming to New York to conduct a purge. Now, more than ever, Verity must protect the cryptids from a certain fate.

“Never forget that I loved you, and I did the best by you I could. You can forget everything else about me, but please. Don’t forget that.”

Seanan McGuire knows how to develop a character. How to hook you in like the talented magician she is. Her characterizations are truly unlike any other. As I've said numerous times, I am not the biggest fan of romance, at least not as the main plot-line. If it's part of the bigger story, I'm more than okay with it. If it's done right! I become invested in the characters, so if their relationship doesn't feel genuine, you've probably lost me. At least in that thread within the story. No complaints here, because the relationship aspect of Midnight Blue-Light Special was actually my favorite part of the book! Give me banter. Give me tension. Give me humor. Give me sexy. Give me raw chemistry. GIVE ME PASSION! Verity and Dominic have these things in spades and I am here all damn day for it!

Midnight Blue-Light Special builds on the rich, imaginative world-building and is gloriously addictive. My monster loving heart is just in bliss with this world! Dragons, gorgons, madhura, boogeymen, waheela (wolf-dog-bear creatures) and of course, the Aeslin mice which are everything! I don't usually like rodents, but I will make an exception for the colony of Aeslin mice that shout inappropriate things. I WANT ONE!

McGuire informs us that the focus of the next two books will be on Alex, to allow Verity a bit of a break, which makes me even more curious as to how this series is going to shake out. I was digging the vibe between Verity and Dominic, but I trust that Alex is going to have plenty of stories to capture my attention. 

[Denisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Still a nope.


I don't get it. Verity's story ended here. The 'series' ended here.
Yes, I know, the next book is with her brother, but still. I feel like I was conned into buying a book that's missing a few chapters (or a few more books).

Verity is still interesting-ish, her boyfriend not so much though. He feels off, like either fake or with a very flat personality (although Seanan McGuire is trying to build him one, it's just very hard to do that with a meh character).

*SIGH* number 2

So, yes, I was even more disappointed with this book than with the previous one.

*SIGH* number 3

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

Verity has been New York for almost a year now. She is trying to prove to her family that she can have a career as a professional ballroom dancer. She's been aware for quite some time that juggling her waitressing, dancing and cryptozoology is not going to cut it. She always knew that sooner or later she will have to make a choice.

She does.

There is less actual fighting in this book than in the previous one. Midnight Blue-Light Special is more about the choices people make. Some will have tough choices to make and change their whole way of life and thinking, others will choose to trust someone they wouldn't before.

Even with some repetitions and occasional whining (Verity mostly), this was a great story; different from the first since many things had to be introduced in the first one. The humour is there too ('Hail the High Priest of Goddammit Eat Something Already!'). The Aeslin mice meet Verity's other friends. I loved Istas's reaction to them.

The plot picks up months after what happened in Discount Armageddon when Dominic De Luca warns Verity and her friends that the Covenant is coming to New York to assess the need for the purge of the cryptids in the city.

There is a POV switch somewhere around the middle and it lasts two or three chapters. Usually that doesn't make a story better. Here it was refreshing and the switch happens just at the right moment in the narrative. Loved it.

Overall, I am glad I've read this in chronological order (short stories before Discount Armageddon). I appreciate Sarah and Verity's relationship more because of that.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The High Priest of Goddammit Eat Something Already“
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Verity is still in NYC when her on/off boyfriend Dominic tells her that the Covenant is coming to evaluate his progress and decide if they‘ll commit genocide or not. Evacuation is not an option because there are too many cryptids in NYC to save them all. Plus, William (the dragon) is too big to just get out of town without him being killed.
In addition, one of the Covenant members coming to NYC is none other than a cousin to the Prices - one from the part of the family that kept drinking the kool-aid and isn‘t a fan of the Prices. Thus, Verity’s parents aren’t but moving in full force could be a declaration of war and the Covenant has more foot soldiers so … the afore-mentioned „high priest“ is asked to help Verity. His actual name is uncle Mike (no blood-relation but a really cool guy).
Though I‘m not sure his presence was truly needed considering how much Sarah came into her own here once Verity was taken by her cousin from the Covenant, despite the price, but I really liked the guy (bear-like but cuddly as long as you don‘t threaten the people he loves).

Once again, I didn’t like Verity’s inner conflict (read: whining) about not getting to dance enough. Her inability to decide if she wanted a solid relationship with Dominic or not (to say nothing of her uncertainty once his bosses came for a visit) was also a bit too angsty for my taste. However, I loved the more detailed look at Verity‘s family and their history from before they came to the US / why and how they switched sides. We also were told about more family members, which was awesome. They sound like really cool people that I‘m hoping we‘ll all meet. :)

Creature-wise, there wasn‘t anything (or much) new. This is more about tactical movements and getting ready for a confrontation with what appears to be a formidable foe. Well-organized, well-staffed, experienced … dangerous.

And yes, best of all were the Aslin mice. Again. *chuckles* Them exterminating the vermin in Verity‘s temporary home and seeing them in action was nothing short of fantastic.

A solid entry in the series and I will immediately continue with the next.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing urban fantasy is like trying to reinvent the wheel, as in there's very little new ground to break at this point, but as Seanan McGuire put it in her shoutout to Michelle Sagara West's Silence: "Being a wave isn’t bad; I write urban fantasy, I am basically sponsoring a surfing competition. But there’s something wonderful about diving into a wave and discovering infinitely more." So rather than writing a full length review, I'm just gonna list the top five reasons why Midnight Blue Light Special is infinitely more than your average urban fantasy:

1) Verity Price - A smart, funny, sassy heroine is par for the course for an urban fantasy, as in more likely than not these books won't work without one, but that doesn't make Verity any less charming or fun to read about. Whether it's her weird obsession with guns and knives, her oddball relationship with her family of misfits, or her dedication to her cryptozoologist job despite the lack of perks, she does it all in style, in a way that had me with a stupid grin plastered on my face more often than not.

2) Sarah Zellaby - As best friend characters go, Sarah is pretty awesome. The fact she's not human isn't that unusual, but the fact she's an extremely dangerous giant psychic bug who just happens to look human is. That's the kind of creative detail that instantly makes you zone in on the character, add to that her various freeloading escapades (facilitated by her psychic powers), the sci fi references (because she subscribes to a psychic code of conduct), and how she's just there for Verity (psychic support, again) and yeah awesome.

3) The Cryptozoology - Did you know male dragons are large fire-breathing lizards bigger than a bus while females look like hot chicks? Definitions two ("That thing that's getting ready to eat your head") and three ("See also: 'monster.'") are oddly appropriate, but when McGuire's got her creative juices flowing with all sorts of weird facts about the Cryptid community, the results are bizarrely unputdownable.

4) The Aeslin Mice - In other words, look no further than the Aeslin Mice, tiny talking mice with all sorts of weird religious rituals who shout the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times (though they're easily bribed with food). I want one. No, I want a whole colony. But I especially like Verity's description of the Chief Priest, yeah, this isn't a serious book, but that line just nailed the theme (apparently there is one, about growing up differently, as a cryptozoologist and all the associated burdens).

5) The Other Cryptids (aka The Supporting Cast) - I like Istas and her oddly violent ways. I like Kitty and how conniving she is. This only makes sense when you realize they're both not human, one's a therianthrope and the other's a bogeyman, that's why they work - they're the kind of characters that make reading about monsters (weirdly) fun.

[Lois Bujold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow-up to Discount Armageddon, which should be read first. Follows the further adventures of our intrepid ballroom-dancing cryptobiologist although, disappointingly, with less ballroom dancing this time, which I'd thought one of the more interesting features of the first volume, as she tries to balance her life of cocktail waitressing, competitive dancing, romance, and fighting assorted supernatural entities across the rooftops of Manhattan, and finds that no, she can't do it all. We do get the Aeslin Mice again, however, which makes it worth the ride.

Inventive and amusing. I understand the author is going to continue the series with a different character and perhaps setting, which sounds like a good idea for keeping things fresh, and perhaps allowing more scope for the invention.

Ta, L.

[Sherwood Smith]

Enjoyed the tension as the Covenant closes in on New York, intending not only to wipe out the cryptids but the Prices as well. I enjoyed the snark, and the Aeslin mice are among the best characters ever. I loved Verity's and Dominic's relationship, especially with him up against his upbringing and his enlightenment with a huge dose of love.

Less fun was the amount of repetition--there were two or three pages in the middle which were almost word for word recountings of backstory that was already recounted at the beginning. I also was less then enthused with the one-dimensional villainess and here they are again, the eeevil Xtians, sigh.

The POV shift was interesting, particularly the way it set up the end. I could have used a smoother approach, but maybe that was me reading far too fast late at night!

Altogether a fun series, looking forward to more.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verity is reaching a crossroads, she's nearing the end of the time she allowed herself to spend in New York to build her dancing career and now she has to decide whether to continue chasing her dream. As much as she loves dancing she has spent her whole life training to be a cryptozoologist like the rest of her family and it's becoming harder and harder to keep both sides of her life separate. Especially when she finds out that the Covenant of St. George is sending a team to New York to check up on Dominic and help him purge the city of cryptids.

Dominic was raised by the Covenant and he used to believe the company line that all cryptids are evil but verity has shown him a whole new side to the cryptid population and it's made him question everything. Unfortunately now that the Covenant is sending a team to check on him it's not going to take long for them to realise that he has been making false reports about the lack of cryptids in the city. What remains to be seen is whether Dominic will go against the people who raised him to help Verity protect the cryptids she loves.

Midnight Blue-Light Special is a fantastic instalment in the Incryptid series, the stakes are higher than ever before for Verity and it's time for both her and Dominic to make some very difficult decisions. I loved seeing Verity bring the entire cryptid community together to protect themselves against the Covenant, she calls in a few favours from family members too and although they're aiming to stay under the Covenant's radar they're all very willing to fight to protect themselves if needed. Verity is such a brilliant character, she's so protective of everyone she cares about and I really enjoy the scenes of her free-running across the city rooftops. I was pleased that she stayed in communication with Dominic throughout the story, they're from very different backgrounds but they are willing to work together and talk through their issues so there is no unnecessary relationship drama between them.

Side characters that we met in the previous book are given a chance to shine too. I loved getting to know Istas and Ryan better (and I've since read & thoroughly enjoyed the short stories about them that you can download on Seanan McGuire's website) the scenes with Istas and the Aeslin mice were hilarious and added some much needed levity to the book when things took a darker turn. Verity's cousin Sarah also really outdid herself here and I loved the chapters she narrated, she's such a dangerous breed that a lot of other cryptids look at her as a monster but she has worked incredibly hard to fit in with her family and go against her nature. She has to unleash her powers here to save Verity though and she pays a high price for it which I'm sure we'll see explored further in subsequent books.

Talking of the next instalment I'm kind of excited that Verity's brother Alex is taking over the narration for Half-Off Ragnarok. Not because I don't enjoy Verity and Dominic's story (I'm glad we'll be revisiting them in the future) but because I'm looking forward to meeting new characters and getting to explore another section of the Incryptid universe. This series really is becoming one of my favourites and I'd highly recommend both the full length novels and the numerous free short stories that add so much background to the world Seanan McGuire has created. These books have been the perfect blend of action and humour with a wonderful range of supernatural creatures and just the right amount of romance so I'm excited to continue reading them.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to think on this review a bit. No, that doesn't mean the book was bad. This isn't like Hollywood when pushing back a release date equates to "the movie sucks". In fact, I loved this book immensely! Verity is my kick ass lady version of Bruce Campbell. He juts out his chin, she cocks her hip. Both are sexy, both are absolutely gifted smart mouths and both are complete and utter delights when fighting the bad guys. Truth be told, I'm not sure how I'll handle the wait for the third in the series. I need my Aeslin mice, I'll miss my beloved cuckoo, and life just won't be the same without the humble chaos of the Price Clan!

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hail the Goddess of All Things Fantasy and Horror! Hail the Series of the InCryptid! Now is the Ceremony of the Reading of the Second Book!

Hail the Humorous Situations! Hail the Plot! Hail the Fantastic Yet Realistic Characters! Hail the Nail-Biting Suspense! Hail the Fascinating Cryptid Species! Hail the Opportunity for Carnage! Amen!

[Ferdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spoilers

It's been a while since I've read an UF series that's entertained me as much as the InCryptid series has. Most of the newer UF books are predictable, unoriginal and cliched — and I find it difficult to distinguish one series from the other.

The Cryptid series isn't perfect but it did manage to tick most of my boxes — the heroine was likeable, the worldbuilding was solid, the side characters were well developed, there was a good amount of humour, the plot was engaging and the romance was rather lovely.

The heroine, Verity, looks after the cryptid population in New York… from talking mice to spoilt dragon princesses to crazy cuckoos, Verity's there to protect them and also hunt them should they become dangerous. I liked that all the different supernatural creatures weren't the typical vampires, fairies and werewolves — it was refreshing reading about the various weird and wonderful paranormal monsters.

Verity takes her duties to take care for the Cryptids very seriously, she's always putting them before her own dreams. I felt a little sorry for her because the reason she went to New York in the first place was to become a professional ballroom dancer, but because of all her Cryptid duties she's not been able to find the time to compete and train professionally. She doesn't moan about it though, she knows what's more important and she gets on with things.
I wouldn't have minded if Verity had been annoyed with her situation — after all she never chose to look after the Cryptids, her parents pushed her into it. At one point I was hoping that Verity would follow her dancing dreams and abandon the Cryptids - I changed my mind though when Verity realised that she actually wanted to help the Cryptids more than anything else.

Anyway, Verity has to protect the Cryptids from the bad guys (the Covenant) who have come to New York to investigate Dominic (a fellow Covenant member and Verity's love interest) and purge New York of the Cryptid population. I was expecting things to be a little more fast paced and action packed when the Covenant showed up but it kind of dragged and was a bit repetitive with Verity running around warning her friends. I wanted their to be a bit more action in the middle with the Covenant and the Cryptids/Verity.

Verity and Dominic were rather sweet. I did like the little bit of uncertainty in regard to Dominic's loyalty. It was mostly obvious who he would choose but there was a time or two where he came across as suspicious.

I loved all the side characters — the Aeslin mice, Istas, Ryan, and Sarah. I really want to know about Sarah and Artie - I'm hoping they get their own book at some point.

It was also great reading about all the relationships Verity had with other females — she was close to Sarah, Istas, her grandmother and her boss. It made the book that much more better — it shouldn't have made that much of an impact on me but since most heroines these days are surrounding by males, it was quite lovely seeing Verity interacting and getting along with the side female characters.

I'm disappointed that Verity won't be narrating future books, and instead the focus will be on Verity's brother, Alex. I'm sure the books will still be good but I don't want to lose Verity's POV - it's so hard to find a heroine that doesn't constantly annoy me. Oh well, I'll still be reading Alex's books. And since I like this series so much I might give McGuire's other series a go.

[Alana ~ The Book Pimp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I SO dig Verity and have even fallen for Sara as well... And the Aeslin Mice- Hail! The Aeslin Mice are the bomb, and my fervent wish (should I ever run across a genie or something) is that I want a colony of Aeslin mice. I'm used to little sleep, and can totally accommodate them as my house is often containing cheese and cake, although closet space may be harder to come by. Just putting it out there now to the universe, you never know.

Once again we find Verity Price, dancing her way through Manhattan rooftops trying to balance living her dream with honoring the family profession. Being a member of the Price family means she is family and friends with 'people' that the average regular citizen of NY would view as a monster, or 'Cryptid' in Verity's world. As if that wasn't interesting enough, the 'Covenant' (a group of heavily armed self-righteous soldiers that believe they were assigned by God to rid the world of these 'monsters') has any living member of the Price family marked as traitors to the human race.

Now a threat looms over ALL of New York City, and especially, the Cryptid community of Manhattan. This installment doesn't disappoint with Verity's boldness and leaps straight into trouble, but this time forces the entire community to become involved. We even get a portion of the novel through Sara's eyes, rather that Verity's for a time. It really allowed me to further understand the Cuckoo mind and appreciate Sara so much more. (I also feel I should apologize now, I listened to the audiobook so 'hearing' a name, or word, doesn't always give me the correct spelling.)

I sucked this down so fast, my ears actually hurt from the earphones being in so long. I must have listened to this (10+ hour book) in two days or so. After listening to the first book, and already having this in my library I couldn't wait to start. Everything I loved about the first book, and added even more rapturous (for me) scenes with the Mice, and the addition of *gasp* moments- I was in a very happy place listening to this.

To anyone that likes Urban Fantasy (with a little romance) and some strangely amusing humor, I say, "Hail!" Y'all really need to check this out, I don't think you'll regret it. Relatively light, but lots of action, and Mice. =)

"Save some carnage for the rest of us."

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

MIDNIGHT BLUE-LIGHT SPECIAL is the follow up to the incredibly fun DISCOUNT ARMAGEDDON starring Verity. Verity is a ballroom dancer, waitress, and a cryptozoologist. In the first book, she had to deal with a fascinating quirky mystery while dodging the efforts of her monster hunting would-be boyfriend. This book deals with a sinister cult and the arrival of the Covenant in force to eliminate every cryptid in New York (whether they're dangerous or not). I absolutely loved this book even if I wasn't too happy that it seemed to wrap up all of Verity's adventures. As much as I like the rest of her family, Verity is by far my favorite of them.

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The trouble with the Covenant of St. George is that it encourages loyalty through ignorance, zealotry, and fear. I wonder sometimes . . . what would they have accomplished if they’d tried doing it all with love?

When the enemy comes a knocking.

Verity gets to face the family’s past and engage with their present nemesis, The Covenant of St. George whose policy of indiscriminate extermination of cryptids is the antithesis of the Price family.

It’s another fast paced episode with point-of-no-return decisions being made.

“I guess I’m still holding hope for him picking the right side.”
“Right side for him, or right for you?”

And sometimes your list of allies is bigger than you think.

I am absolutely in love with Aeslin mice. They are charming and great comedic relief.

Have a moral and ethical code that means you’d feel bad killing people for you enjoyment, and have set of instincts and hereditary skills that means you’re not really built to do anything else. It’ll be fun!
It’s not fun.

[Tez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seanan McGuire's Discount Armageddon came out of nowhere and charmed the pants off me. That, and Cassie Alexander's Edie Spence series, restored my faith that new urban fantasy aren't just playing out the same old tropes and masquerading as urban fantasy when they're really paranormal romance.

Well, good news: The second InCryptid novel, Midnight Blue-Light Special, is just as good as its predecessor, if not better. We even get bonus narration from Verity's sweet little cuckoo cousin. And Sarah Zellaby really comes into her own here. She usually shies away from danger, but here she not only defends those she cares about, but she also launches a massive attack to save them...even at the cost of her own psychological wellbeing. Has Sarah regressed to the way she was before she was adopted? We'll have to stay tuned for Half-Off Ragnarok, which will be narrated by Verity's brother.

It's so exciting to find a new series you're passionate about, and InCryptid is just that.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Library
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 4.0

*My Thoughts*

Midnight Blue-Light Special is the second installment in author Seanan McGuire's InCryptid series. This story picks up several months after the events of Discount Armageddon. Protagonist Verity Price is back on the scene in Manhattan, protecting the Cryptid community, dancing at Freakshow (formerly Dave's Fish and Strips), while also keeping an eye out on her newest discovery, a male dragon named William. In case you were curious, the characters on the cover of the book are Verity and her cousin Sarah Zellaby. This is a book of choices, and decisions for Verity. 

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...

*Published* March 5th 2013 by DAW

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in InCryptid series ups the ante and forces Verity to face Covenant St. George’s operatives.

I loved this one - it was fast-moving, thoroughly enjoyable, and surprising.

A series to binge.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh, I was pretty into this one. I don't know if it was a function of it being "better" or just being more settled into the world and characters. But I enjoyed myself.