Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire

June 1st, 2018 Kimberly Review 34 Comments

1st Jun
Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire
Tricks for Free
by Seanan McGuire
Series: InCryptid #7
Narrator: Emily Bauer
Length: 11 hours and 49 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Narration: 4.5 cups

Penance, noun:
1. Punishment for past actions.
2. An attempt to pay for what can’t be bought.
3. See also “exile.”

Antimony Price is on the run. With the Covenant on her tail and her family still in danger, she needs to get far, far away from anyone who might recognize her—including her own mice. For the first time in a long time, a Price is flying without a safety net. Where do you go when you need to disappear into a crowd without worrying about attracting attention? An amusement park, of course.

Some people would call Lowryland the amusement park. It’s one of the largest in Florida, the keystone of the Lowry entertainment empire…but for Annie, it’s a place to hide. She’s just trying to keep her head down long enough to come up with a plan that will get her home without getting anyone killed. No small order when she’s rooming with gorgons and sylphs, trying to placate frustrated ghosts, and rushing to get to work on time.

Then the accidents begin. The discovery of a dead man brings Annie to the attention of the secret cabal of magic users running Lowryland from behind the scenes. They want the fire that sleeps in her fingers. They want her on their side. They want to help her—although their help, like everything else, comes with a price.

No plan. Minimal backup. No way out. Annie’s about to get a crash course in the reality behind the pretty facade. If she’s lucky, she’ll survive the experience.

urban magical SUSPENSE MURDERMYSTERY

I finally caught up on the InCryptid series, but the release of Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire fell during Take Control, so I had to wait until April to enjoy it. McGuire has created a unique urban fantasy surrounding the Price family. In Tricks for Free, we are with Antimony Price who is on the run from the Covenant of St. George and hiding at a theme park in sunny Florida. The tale that unfolds is fast-paced and places Antimony at a crossroads.

Not wanting the Covenant to follow her and find her family,  Annie (Antimony) works her way to Florida where she secures a job at Lowryland Amusement Park. Lowryland is one of the largest amusement parks and second only to Disneyland. Luck seems to fall her way as she lands a job that provides housing. She finds herself rooming with a gorgon and sylph. While she misses a certain monkey and would dearly love to be home with her family things are going well. That is until her roommate stumbles over a dead body and her powers become harder to control.

The tale that unfolds was fun with twists, mysteries, and magic.  We soon discover a secret cabal of magic users who run Lowryland from behind the scenes. They attempt to recruit Annie and offer to teach her how to control her powers but at what price? Annie’s ghostly Aunt, her roommates, and a surprise visitor made things interests and they soon find themselves in danger.

McGuire takes us behind the scenes with details about Lowryland and daily operations. I imagine a lot of theme parks have similar setups and found it interesting. Unusual cryptids, danger and the constant threat of discovery made Tricks for Free a pageturner. I loved learning more about Annie’s roommates and the costs of using magic.

Annie has to make some tough decisions, and while her personality often betrays her youthfulness and family ranking, she does have spunk and a pure heart. The pacing of the story had a great ebb and flow providing suspenseful moments and character growth.

Emily Bauer continues to narrate the series. I felt she captured Annie from her youthfulness to sheer determination. Bauer does a lovely job with pacing, tone, and build up as the story progressed. She provided unique voices for each character and enhanced the story.

McGuire sprinkled in a little romance, humor, and kickassery which made Tricks for Free another fun installment in the Incryptid series.

Seanan McGuire sprinkled in a little romance, humor, and kickassery into Tricks for Free making it another fun installment in the Incryptid series. #loveaudiobooks #JIAM Click To Tweet

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

34 Responses to “Tricks for Free by Seanan McGuire”

  1. verushka

    … like how does Seanan McGuire sleep or do anything else besides write? I am constantly in awe of her and her imagination!

  2. Sophia Rose

    The feeling of accomplishment and sadness for catching up on a series. 🙂
    Annie’s story sounds fun. Neat how the narrator captured her youthful spirit in the story.

  3. Anne

    This is another one of those series I have yet to start, really everything by this author. Someday. Anne – Books of My Heart

  4. Heidi

    I read book one last month, finally and enjoyed it. Two is on my Kindle waiting for me. I wish I could get these on audio, but my library doesn’t carry them. Bummer! Can’t wait to get further.

  5. Vanessa

    Wow. Sounds like a really good series indeed. Definitely checking it out. Happy Donut Day!

  6. RO

    I like the magic and suspense in this one, but you know I would have to read the actual book and not the audio version, right? (lol) Happy Friday! Hugs…RO