They Met in a Tavern

They Met In A Tavern is a fantastical, exciting novel full of magical adventure which explores themes of friendship, atonement and second chances. Elijah Menchaca's wonderful prose style kept me enthralled from start to finish and what really made the story memorable for me was his deft character portrayals. There is a fairly large cast of characters to keep track of, but each one is fully defined and I absolutely loved the interactions between the group of former friends. It takes most of the story before we find out the whole truth about what fractured their friendship so deeply, and their clumsy, frequently rebuffed attempts at reconciliation are all the more intriguing for their glimpses of what had gone so horribly wrong in the past.

Menchaca's vivid world building gives everyone fully realised locations in which to play out their roles. The variety of weapons and magical devices he imagines is breathtaking and I appreciated how everyone has their own style - Phoenix's weapons are his own home-engineered spellcasting devices, for example, while Church relies on prayer and his connection to a saint. There is a strong sense too of how different the main friends are now from the young group they once were. The hints of nostalgia for what was lost are particularly poignant, especially when they contrast with the novel's humour. Of everyone, I think the irrepressible Brass was my favourite though I enjoyed spending time with everyone. Although They Met In A Tavern is an excellent standalone novel, I do hope that this is the first of a series because I would love to return to the Glintchasers world. I'm not generally much of a fantasy reader, but this book really captivated me.