On the run from yet another peasant mob after their latest attempt to create new life from corpse parts, Doctor and his faithful assistant Igor end up in the isolated Ravenwald Manor, only to find out that they are not alone
there. Increasingly disillusioned with the Doctor’s quest, Igor befriends Grimalkin, a witch’s familiar, and Cornelia, the bride of a vampiric Count. Feeling accepted for the first time, Igor begins to realize his own value, and the three work together to prevent the destruction they have helped bring on.
This was very sweet, just not particularly standout for me. Igor, Grim, and Cornelia are all very charming characters, and each of them have had their sense of self-value torn down by their respective masters in some way. I know we love to say that you have to find value in yourself before others can find value in you, but I think in some cases it does take someone extending that love and respect for you first for you to truly see your self-worth. The short chapters were also nice since I was reading this during my first few days of classes and really had to consume it in crumbs between running all over the place. Spare was also an absolute delight and I smiled whenever they were on page.
Unfortunately, I generally need a little more bite to get fully invested in characters. In this book, the henchmen are all pretty pure of heart and all of the villains/masters are pretty straightforwardly bad people, and I could have used some more complexity and moral greyness. Cozy books don’t really do it for me, but I keep reading them because I’m chasing the few books that manage the perfect balance of humor/warmth and angst (Hench, Kaiju Preservation Society, and any of Becky Chambers’ books are some examples that get it perfectly). I liked this well-enough when I was reading it, but ultimately I wasn’t that connected to the characters and I don’t think it will stick with me.
If you love cozy fantasy, I think this you’ll enjoy this a lot! For my fellow sadists, I fear this probably won’t scratch the itch.
Thank you to Marshall J. Moore and Bantam for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!
Happy reading!
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