Yam Cake reviewed Deadline by Stephanie Ahn
All the right ingredients but no spark
3 stars
Fresh off circling the drain and trying to rebuild her life, Harry is a detective-mage in New York City just trying to pay her rent. A huge case falls into her lap out of nowhere, something she feels is way out of her pay grade. Against her better instincts, she takes the case from an ex-Meresti apprentice, a weak-willed man once aligned with one of the city's most powerful mage families.
This leads Harry to all sorts of danger, including but not limited to: sewer-dwelling alligator moles, an extremely awkward reunion with old flame Miriam Meresti, negotiating with a succubus for information, the sudden appearance of a demon who'd like Harry's soul in exchange for some help and more.
If this sounds like a riot, that's because it was! Some of this was a lot of fun but, here's the kicker, I found it hard to really connect with Harry. …
Fresh off circling the drain and trying to rebuild her life, Harry is a detective-mage in New York City just trying to pay her rent. A huge case falls into her lap out of nowhere, something she feels is way out of her pay grade. Against her better instincts, she takes the case from an ex-Meresti apprentice, a weak-willed man once aligned with one of the city's most powerful mage families.
This leads Harry to all sorts of danger, including but not limited to: sewer-dwelling alligator moles, an extremely awkward reunion with old flame Miriam Meresti, negotiating with a succubus for information, the sudden appearance of a demon who'd like Harry's soul in exchange for some help and more.
If this sounds like a riot, that's because it was! Some of this was a lot of fun but, here's the kicker, I found it hard to really connect with Harry. Despite the fact that she's ten times closer to my own background (Asian gay disaster ✔️, makes bad decisions ✔️, maybe cursed? ✔️), I couldn't help but feel detached from her predicament.
I found myself aching for the wry and energetic narrative voice of Will Parker from Stephen Spotswood's Pentecost & Parker mysteries instead. Or, the dry wit of reluctant freelance exorcist Felix Castor instead, a man who's also had his own entanglements with succubi. Although, if we are to run with the theme of mysteries with a strong dose of the supernatural with a lesbian lead, I should probably read Book 2 of Rachel Ford's Flint & Co series next.
