The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin
(Book #1 of the SPI Files series)
Rating: 🍁🍁🍁🍁
Overall: Loved, loved, loved it. Fun, funny, and fast-paced. Go read this now.
The Good Stuff:
1) This story is chock full of shiny, awesome, colourful secondary characters. From the dragon-lady boss who's actually a dragon, to Rolf the Viking Grendel hunter, to Ollie the supernatural pawn shop owner. Every single one is fan-frickin-tastic!
2) Lisa Shearin has a gift for making me laugh out loud while reading her books, and The Grendel Affair is no exception. The snark-factor is high without being annoying, and the dialogue is sharp and witty.
3) The chemistry between Mac and Ian is palpable without being forced or contrived. The scene with the water-logged jeans and the knife? Whew! *fans self*
4) I like the world that Ms. Shearin has created - kind of like MIB, with supernaturals instead of aliens. And with more gravitas (smart funny instead of slapstick funny).
5) The plot was fast-paced, believable, and kept me turning the pages until it was over. Definitely a one-sitting read that ended far too soon.
6) As a huge fan of Ms. Shearin's Raine Benares series, I was worried this would be a case of 'pluck Raine out of fantasy world, stick her in a new situation and see what happens.' But it wasn't - Mac was still a smart and sassy heroine, but her voice and character were distinct from Raine's. I liked that she was the newbie, and that she wasn't very good at some of the aspects of her job yet. I'm looking forward to seeing her develop as an SPI agent.
7) The bad guys were a real, formidable threat. It's the first book in a series, so we knew from the get-go that things are going to work out, but Ms. Shearin manages to make the threat real despite that knowledge so kudos to her for that!
The Not-So-Good Stuff:
1) I was a little disappointed with Mac's back story. Or rather her lack of back story. Yes, we're told where she comes from and what she can do, and how she ended up at SPI, but we don't really know much about her beyond that. Who is Mac? I like her, and it doesn't really hurt the story overall, but I came away with a kind of flat picture of her.
2) This is incredibly minor, but was anyone else bugged by the header on the cover saying "A SPI-Files Novel"?
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