Kerze & Krähe

Ink & Sigil #3

by Kevin Hearne, Stefan Kaminski (Narrator), Alexander Wagner

Al MacBharrais ist ein Zauberer und Detektiv in Glasgow, der mit Hilfe seiner besonderen Kraft – der Magie der Schreibfeder – vertrackte Fälle aufklärt. Endlich ist Al auch ganz nah dran, den Grund der Flüche, die auf ihm selber liegen, zu verstehen und herauszufinden, wer ihm all das angetan hat ... Der Abschlussband der aktionsgeladenen, rasant unterhaltsamen Chronik des Siegelmagiers.

Der Schotte Al hat einen ungewöhnlichen Er praktiziert mit Tinte und Siegeln Magie und hat die Aufgabe, die Ordnung zwischen den Göttern und Monstern aufrechtzuerhalten, die verborgen in der Menschenwelt leben. Aber es gibt ein übernatürliches Rätsel, das er nie lösen Vor Jahren verhängte jemand einen Doppelfluch auf ihn, der seine Lehrlinge tötete und alle vertrieb, die ihn sprechen hörten, was ihn völlig isoliert zurückließ. Aber er ist nicht ganz Seine letzten Freunde ziehen ihn in ihre exzentrischen Dramen hinein. Buck Foi, der Kobold, hat einen Plan für einen waghalsigen Streich, der ihn zum berühmtesten Hobgoblin machen wird. Nadia, Gothic-Queen und Kampfseherin, gründet ihren eigenen Kult um einen Gott, der Whiskey und Käse liebt. Und die Morrigan, die irische Todesgöttin, hat beschlossen, dass sie sich der gefährlichsten Herausforderung der Welt der Sterblichen stellen mö Online-Dating.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Magic, Mythology, Paranormal

Audible Audio

First published October 1, 2024

About the author

Kevin is the NYT bestselling author of the Iron Druid Chronicles, as well as The Seven Kennings, an epic fantasy trilogy, and the Tales of Pell, a humorous fantasy series co-authored with Delilah S. Dawson. INK & SIGIL, a new urban fantasy series set in the Iron Druid universe, will be out in 2020.

Reviews

[Karissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Series Info/Source: This is the third (and final) book in the Ink & Sigil series. I got an eGalley of this to review from NetGalley.

Thoughts: I waffled between 3 and 4 stars for this one. I am happy the series is complete and liked how it wrapped up most of the bigger plot elements. However, the pacing was really inconsistent for this book, and I felt like some plot elements were introduced just to be quickly wrapped up.

Al MacBharrais is finally going to be able to hunt down the source of his curse. However, woven into this mystery are many other side plots. Buck Foi is trying to obtain his glory. Nadia is creating a cult. Pleasure yachts are going missing. Morrigan is trying to covert to life as an ordinary woman.

As you can tell from the synopsis, this is one heck of a scattered book. Some of these plot elements were introduced in previous books, but some are new to this book and really felt unnecessary. Everything was put together in a disjointed way that had us jumping from one plot to another. This made it feel like there was a checklist of plot elements that needed to be wrapped up rather than a cohesive story. The story was all over the place, which is a pity because I really loved the first book in this series.

I do enjoy the quirky characters in this series and the cameos by Granuile and the Iron Druid (who has changed names again). There is some good humor in here and I enjoy that Al is an older protagonist. I also continue to enjoy Sigil magic, although I felt like that really took a backseat in this book. I do think everything was wrapped up in a satisfactory, if scattered, way.

My Summary (3.5/5): Overall I am glad I finished this series but somewhat disappointed in this final book. It felt like too many new plot lines were introduced, and then there were too many plot lines to follow to get everything wrapped up in this book. I continue to love the characters here. I have found Hearne's books (aside from the Iron Druid Chronicles) to be very hit and miss. I plan to keep an eye on future books he writes, but am unsure at this point if I will pick them up to read.

[Patrycja · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️
Kevin Hearne tworzy niezmiennie dobrą, choć przewidywalną rozrywkę 😉

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

If the majority of the book had been like the last 15%, I would have given the book five stars. I’ve read all of Hearne’s books, and I’ve bought the vast majority of them. After this book, I won’t be reading one of his books for a long time.

Hearne’s political views seep into this book in every chapter. The blatant moralizing is tedious. Every character that doesn’t strictly adhere to Hearne’s world view is written as a dim witted twat.

I read fantasy books to escape today’s contentious politics and enjoy my precious free time. I don’t want feel as the author hates half of my views and me as a consequence.

[Little Timmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice 3rd book in the trilogy. Overall not as good as the Iron Druid series but still an above average read. Very recommended

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this worked as a good ending to this series - though what I had liked about the first two books is that they were about a big adventure/caper whereas this one was a bunch of little stuff closing off the plot from book one and two. Kind of wonder if he could have done more with this series but didn't want to.

The audiobooks for these are great!

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great wrap up to the series.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me, this is a 2.5 star book rounded up to a 3 because I personally like Kevin Hearne. That said, I have some thoughts that I will explore more on my YouTube channel, BellTube.

For now, suffice it to say, this wasn't exactly the finale I was hoping for. Whiskey, food, Kevin Hearne's worldview, some action, some plot movement, whiskey, food, more Kevin Hearne's worldview, new action, more worldview, more whiskey, more food. Rinse and repeat.

The entire concept of sigil agents is brilliant. I feel like this is a grand idea bogged down by the author's personal tastes in life and I don't think he minds doing it at all. It has to be intentional at this point. While I happen to share quite a bit of his worldview, he leaves no room for subtlety or nuance. It's his way or the highway to a large regard.

Again, my takeaway with this spinoff series is that it mostly reads like a pet project of Kevin Hearne's and just a giant missed opportunity that this incredible idea offered.

[Lanie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris, my husband, occasionally picks books for me. Something by himself as a gift for me and sometimes when I've walked past a book 40 times and he just says omfg buy it.

The Ink & Sigil series is one of the former and one that I will love him forever for picking because it has been such a wonderfully hilarious ride.

This is the last book in this Trilogy and while I expected to be annoyed that Hearne decided to end our time with Al, Buck, Nadia, and Gladys Who Has Seen Some Shite, this is probably the best of the three books. While it is clear that Hearne is winding everything down from pretty much page one he also drives home that Hearne and Al and Buck and Nadia are sick of the world's shite. With the help of myths and gods our heroes end a human trafficking ring, rescue a Blue, Pink, and White Dragon, create a whole new God who eats assholes, and sees The Morrigan do what she was always meant to do. And while we do not get anymore stories of how the Hobgoblins invent Truck Nuts we do get to see Ares get devoured which while yes is a bit of a spoiler was genuinely the funniest godsdamned thing I've read in awhile.

Ares is the second reason you should read it though. Because the first is that it is just so positive, so welcoming, so loving, hell it's even a bit healing, especially when we get to Buck's side story, that you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not reading it. Al is genuinely the grandfather we all deserve and Buck and Nadia are the friends we should all aspire to be.

I normally don't do this in a review but Kevin Hearne deserves all the very best for bringing Al into our lives.

As always thanks to Random House Publishing-Ballatine and NetGalley for the eArc!

[Tintensturm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zuerst einmal muss ich sagen, dass ich selbstverständlich die ersten beiden Teile der Siegelmagier-Reihe gelesen habe und dies auch allen empfehlen würde, die Kerze & Krähe lesen wollen. Mir war nicht bewusst, dass dies nun der Abschluss der Reihe ist, ich hatte vermutet, dass die Reihe ein paar mehr Bände bekommt, war daher also positiv überrascht, dass der Autor die Geschichte und das Rätsel um Als Fluch nicht unnötig in die Länge gezogen hat.
Wie auch Band 1 und 2 bleibt der humorvolle, leicht trockene Schreibstil erhalten. Die lieb gewonnenen Charaktere begegnen uns wieder.
Ich hatte etwas Sorge, dass die große Auflösung oder bzw. das Ende enttäuschend sein könnte, da wir in den ersten beiden Bänden darauf hingearbeitet haben, muss aber sagen, dass der Autor eine für mich total stimmige und zufriedenstellende Lösung gefunden hat, um die Geschichte abzuschließen. Mehr kann ich schlecht an dieser Stelle verraten ohne zu spoilern. Der einzige Kritikpunkt den ich zum Ende habe ist tatsächlich, dass ich es etwas schnell erzählt fand und dass wir am Ende etwas schnell durch die Seiten gehastet sind, da ich hierfür aber maximal einen halben Stern abziehen würde und dies hier nicht geht, bleibt es bei meiner Bewertung.
Insgesamt eine tolle Reihe, von der Band 1 mein absoluter Favorit bleibt.

[Demeter Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, es ist nicht ganz schlecht.
Aber irgendwie war mir das alles zu durcheinander und zu viele Nebenschauplätze, die mir der Lösung von Al‘s Problem jetzt nichts zu tun hatten - mir wäre das lieber gewesen.

Die Witze sind auch ganz tief aus einer Kiste gezogen worden, die m.E nach nicht passend sind, wenn man die ganzen politischen und sozialen Themen betrachtet, die der Autor hier abhandelt.

Fand ich die Witze im ersten Buch noch einigermaßen gut eingebunden war es mir hier definitiv zu viel.

Die Nebencharaktäre haben zwar viel Platz aber die Entwicklungen sind schon sehr radikal und vehement. Ja nachvollziehbar aber auch belehrend m.E

Die Reihe hat für mich leider abgebaut obwohl der Epilog echt süß war. Sowas hätte ich mir mehr gewünscht…

[Chad Pennell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great ending to this trilogy. I went slow with this one as I knew it was the end. I will miss Al's adventures, but I am so happy that I got to go along for the ride.

May glory be praised upon the Hob House Erotica.

[Caleb M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ⭐ (I liked it)

I didn't like it as much as Hearne's others. But still enjoyable with a solid ending and wrap up to the series. Luke Daniels is the man. He's a great narrator and listening to the bloopers at the end endeared me even more to him.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaaaaaaaaargh! This is to be the last of this series. Nooooo. "Hope you enjoy this conclusion to the Ink & Sigil series. Thanks so much for reading."

I love the characters and the whole concept. This book is a wonderful ride with plenty of hobgoblin merriment.

As far as I can tell, all loose ends are tied and most questions (the important ones anyway) answered.

The second book was harder as quite a few innocent victims died in its pages. This book was the most fun and entertaining of the three. A true high note to go out on, and definitely leaving me wanting more.

[anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still waiting for Atticus & Morrigan to be endgame

[☕️Kimberly (Caffeinated Reviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic. Full RTC

[Jim Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok this wraps up the series about Al and the gang. We focus on some stuff going on of the super natural variety as well as working on finding out about the curse on Al. Needless to say it all gets wrapped up by the end and the curse is lifted. The ending had me crying at times. Just some really good writing by a good author. It made me happy to read, but sad knowing that this was the end. I hope that Kevin revisits the characters someday, but even if he doesn't I have these in my home library to read over and over if I like.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ink and Sigil trilogy has reached the final book and the mystery of Al’s curses, who Gladys is, and how the Morrigan will do in the human world are all about to be revealed. Kevin Hearne’s boisterous and engaging tale was narrated by the talented Luke Daniels and I settled in with great anticipation to hear how it all ended.

Candle and Crow is the third and final book in the Ink and Sigil urban fantasy trilogy. It is not a place to jump in on the story.

After their adventures in Australia and some strong, helpful hints Al now knows more about his curses and is finally in a place that he knows he has to do something about them. Naturally, there is much going on to distract him, the blue men of the sea have started sinking ships, Nadia and Buck are organizing worship of their made up god, the Morrigan needs dating assistance, and another Sigil Agent needs a partner to track down who’s killing werewolves. Meanwhile, Al’s got the police’s attention and the determined detective is trying to pin theft and more on him. His hunt for answers takes him to many interesting and sometimes dangerous supernatural beings, but the story gets there when several plot threads tie together for an exciting series of finishes and a satisfying denouement for Al and all involved.

Like many last books in series, there is a revisit with several familiar faces along the way, some side adventures to help wrap up loose threads and a series plot that get a good finish. I enjoyed a great deal about this one even several of the side trails, but I admit to being irritated by Buck and even the Liernog (spelling?) god bit as distracting rather than appealing. Fun jaunt helping Owen and the werewolves of Sacramento, update with the other two Druids, and the Morrigan’s dates were a crack up to me. But, my heart was for Al to see him well-settled for his future. Al’s average older guy appearance and his honorable personality were at the heart of this series and I enjoyed him as the central figure.

Luke Daniels has some serious talent to voice this motley crew of characters, their accents, and the unique vocabulary throughout the story. I admit some of the Glaswegian was difficult to distinguish at times particularly Nadia. He caught the tone and pace of the book just right.

All and all, a smashing finish not only of this Ink and Sigil trilogy, but a good wrap up for the Iron Druid Chronicles world. Definitely recommend it all to urban fantasy fans with a colorful sense of humor and a love of dogs.

I rec'd an audio copy via Penguin Random House Audio to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

My full review will post at The Reading Frenzy 2.17.25.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aloysius “Al” MacBharrais is a Sigil Agent. Only five such people in the world exist and it is their ability to create sigils from special ink that makes them special. These sigils work like magic spells and can be used for both offensive and defensive purposes and even for more mundane reasons. Al is tasked with maintaining order among all the gods in his vast territory, from all the pantheons, that live amongst us in our world. But many years ago, somebody cast two separate curses on him: one that killed off each of his apprentices and a second that makes anybody who loves him leave if they hear him speak.

This is the third and final novel in a trilogy and takes place in the same universe as the author’s Iron Druid Chronicles (although it’s important to note that it is not necessary to have read those books in order to enjoy this series). The above-mentioned curses have plagued Al since the very first book but resolving those issues has always taken a backseat to other requirements of his job. Now, in this final book, he still has plenty of job-related tasks to perform but his curses finally get their due diligence. I was pleased to see that we get to learn more about the backgrounds of other major characters, particularly his hobgoblin sidekick, Buck Foi. Atticus O'Sullivan, the Iron Druid himself, does make a cameo appearance in this one (just as he does in the first two books) , along with his loyal dog companion Oberon.

This book does have a fair bit of dialog that reflects unique Scottish terminology and accents (specifically Glaswegian, or “Weegie"). When I read that in the author’s note at the beginning of the book along with a pronunciation guide, I was plenty worried. That sort of thing often yanks me out of any kind of immersive storytelling experience. But here, it didn’t bother me at all. In fact, I think it helped me see and hear these people better.

There is also quite a bit of humor in the novel. Most of it is witty and clever but it does occasionally dip into the silly. Sometimes it was just too much and seemed to become the focus at the expense of the plot. But those that have read the first two novels will already expect this.

Speaking of that, I do highly recommend reading the first two books before this one. Many trilogy finales provide summaries of prior happenings but this one jumps right in and I worry newbies will be lost.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free e-copy ARC in return for an honest review. This book is due to be published in October, 2024.

[Arthur Sido · Rating 1 out of 5]

Candle & Crow closes out the Iron Druid universe with a whimper rather than a bang.

Where to start? C&C was simply an awful book, a real chore to even finish. The flaws in this book are myriad and first up was the scattered story lines. It felt like Hearne had about half a dozen ideas for stories that he never fleshed out so he just crammed them all together in one book. The book flitted from one storyline to another with none of them given more than a cursory treatment. It’s too bad as there was potential in a couple of them (while others were simply dumb).

As in the prior book in this series Hearne was heavy handed with cringe leftist talking points like this:

“A good number of people were masked like me, which pointed to a congregation that believed in science but was also willing to entertain belief in a man-eating god.”

Are we still pretending that wearing a paper mask was even mildly effective? Far from showing a belief in “science”, the masks were religious talismans to declare to the unbelieving types your superior virtue. “The Patriarchy” warranted multiple mentions and the bad guys were universally cartoonishly evil White conservative types contrasted with the virtuous non-White/non-male characters.

Finally there was the issue of Hearne simply trying too hard to be clever and edgy. I get the value of some tawdry humor but it was over the top in C&C, sounding more like a middle schooler who had read some dirty magazines and was trying to sound worldly in all matters sexual. It stopped being even mildly amusing and shifted to full on juvenile about 10% of the way through the book.

There was the makings of an interesting world here that used the Iron Druid universe as a springboard but it was swallowed up in the clumsy leftist virtue signaling and trying too hard to be cutesy and clever. At least Hearne seemed to understand he had exhausted the material here and closed out the series after three books.

[Nathalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun comclusion to the Ink and Sigil Trilogy. I love that this does not concentrate just on the big plot but leaves room for All the side quests in this Universe. It Was a lot more campy than the first books and partly felt like a big goodbye World tour but in the end I had fun reading it and that's what matters.

[J.M. Celi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful ending to a series I thoroughly enjoyed, and an awesome nod to the very excellent Iron Druid series! Lots of storylines are crammed into this book, and they weave well together and really give a feel for how busy the life of a sigil agent is. All the myriad missions and plots were a good time, and I never found myself wanting the author to get back to something "better." It was all good. SO many characters across this series and the Iron Druid got a satisfying amount of page time, and I was so happy to get one more fix of so many characters whom I adore. Finally, as a conclusion to a series, it was bittersweet, but it was SO good. Everything wrapped up in a way that I couldn't be happier with.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been lucky enough to receive this complete trilogy as ARCs from Net Galley. While I liked the first two books, they just weren’t engaging as the Iron Druid, despite his actually appearing in the second book. I said in my review for both book 1 and 2 that I would keep reading, but hoped the next one would have a little more pizazz. While I think the likelihood of this happening is nil, I nevertheless feel as if Mr. Hearne read my reviews and set out to make me happy. This final book in the trilogy pulled out all the stops, it was extremely funny and entertaining, and sweet, with happily ever afters for the hole crew. Now that I have what I wanted, I’m so sorry that it is over!

[Rex Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Marvelous Ending …. for now?

This has been the most fun series! Not only is the story and characters good, but you get to learn elements of Scots Gaelic and have that lilt roll around in your head while you read. Hearn ended this trilogy the right way and at a good pace. Not everything was wrapped up at once, new issues, like bureaucrats named Vane created concerns, a new god, old gods, a really big goddess right under our noses the entire time, the conversion of a goddess into a superhero, hobgoblin family dynamics, an appearance by Minnie Driver, and a happy ending for Al. All good though sad to see it end. But there is this apprentice now ……

[Ted Bade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting series in this universe. While the story was excellent and the characters are well defined and interesting, the best part for me was that this was an audio book, and the narrator got the Glasgowean Scottish accent down perfectly. I won't say much about the story, except that is is a fantasy, takes place in the universe Mr. Hearne created for the Iron Druid series, and that this is the final book in this series.

Well worth the read, but better as an audio book.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so sad to come to the end of the trilogy. The wrap up of the series was phenomenal! I love the characters, the obvious research that goes into each story, the overall arch and each individual book. Start at Hounded, The Iron Druid Chronicles and read them al.

Also, I can’t wait to hear Luke Daniels read this!

[Pirate Schmirate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey for this amazing ARC.

I'm torn between unfettered joy and debilitating misery. I loved this book. I'm upset it's the last of the series. We get to see just about everyone again. Al and Buck tear things up, there's a suitcase laced with raw chicken, murderous mushroom sigils, Lhurnog and a sneaky Paul Simon quote!!

Tell your friends!

[Jenifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic ending to the series. Everything outstanding was resolved, most of it how I wanted, and you're left imagining that the world continues on, even though we don't get any more from this world. Now that it's all over, there's a part of me that wants to start all over at the first Iron Druid book and reread both series.

[Wenzel Roessler · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the finest books i've had the pleasure to read. Such well written in diverse characters that come alive to the mind. And there is so much action and plot development that goes on in this book, yet it never seems bogged down. It has a very light flow to the whole story. The author treat each character with such care, he treats each word with such care.

[Michele The Stick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Candle and Crow was enjoyable. I tend to like Kevin Hearne's brand of humor and writing style. It doesn't take itself too seriously but it also has heart and a decent plot. I will be sad to say goodbye to Al and I enjoyed the Iron Druid cameos in this one, especially Oberon.

I listened to this one and I adore Luke Daniels, he does a great job with the voices.

[Derek Cuglietta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved all of these books and the Iron Druid series is one of my favorites. This was a great ending to the story. I loved all the characters and the fun they had with all the Gods and a fair folk along the way. I can't wait to see what comes next.