Magic for Nothing / Seanan McGuire

4 out of 5 stars

As the youngest of the three Price children, Antimony is used to people not expecting much from her. She’s been happy playing roller derby and hanging out with her cousins, leaving the globe-trotting to her older siblings while she stays at home and tries to decide what she wants to do with her life. She always knew that one day, things would have to change. She didn’t think they’d change so fast.

Annie’s expectations keep getting shattered. She didn’t expect Verity to declare war on the Covenant of St. George on live television. She didn’t expect the Covenant to take her sister’s threat seriously. And she definitely didn’t expect to be packed off to London to infiltrate the Covenant from the inside…but as the only Price in her generation without a strong resemblance to the rest of the family, she’s the perfect choice to play spy. They need to know what’s coming. Their lives may depend on it.

But Annie has some secrets of her own, like the fact that she’s started setting things on fire when she touches them, and has no idea how to control it. Now she’s headed halfway around the world, into the den of the enemy, where blowing her cover could get her killed. She’s pretty sure things can’t get much worse.

A fabulous Friday night read. A glass of wine and another volume of InCryptid.

In this installment, we get to know the youngest Price, Antimony (Annie), as she gets drafted into the family’s plans. Her carnival and roller derby past will serve her in good-stead as she attempts to infiltrate the Covenant of St. George.

We learn more about the Covenant and Price family dynamics, plus McGuire manages to neatly tie in her ghost characters, previously explored in Sparrow Hill Road. For me, the best part was Annie’s companion Aeslin mouse, Mindy, who makes contact with the Aeslin who remained in the U.K. I love her new companion, Mork, who joins Annie & Mindy to serve & protect cryptids. McGuire is obviously old enough to have seen & enjoyed Robin Williams’ first TV show, Mork & Mindy, which I hadn’t thought of in years.

As per usual, the mice make the book for me. I adore them and I’m not sure I would love the books the way I do without the magical mice.

How long until the next book?