Calculated Risks - (Grumpy) Book Review

 

Calculated Risks (InCryptid #10)

by Seanan McGuire

What is it about:

The tenth book in the fast-paced InCryptid urban fantasy series returns to the mishaps of the Price family, eccentric cryptozoologists who safeguard the world of magical creatures living in secret among humans.

Just when Sarah Zellaby, adopted Price cousin and telepathic ambush predator, thought that things couldn’t get worse, she’s had to go and prove herself wrong. After being kidnapped and manipulated by her birth family, she has undergone a transformation called an instar, reaching back to her Apocritic origins to metamorphize. While externally the same, she is internally much more powerful, and much more difficult to control.

Even by herself. After years of denial, the fact that she will always be a cuckoo has become impossible to deny.

Now stranded in another dimension with a handful of allies who seem to have no idea who she is–including her cousin Annie and her maybe-boyfriend Artie, both of whom have forgotten their relationship–and a bunch of cuckoos with good reason to want her dead, Sarah must figure out not only how to contend with her situation, but with the new realities of her future. What is she now? Who is she now? Is that person someone she can live with?

And when all is said and done, will she be able to get the people she loves, whether or not they’ve forgotten her, safely home?

What did I think of it:

This review will be grumpy and spoilery!

I really love this series. I even managed to read through three! books about Antimony, who I don't particularly like because of the excellent worldbuilding and the fun side characters.

I loved the first book about Sarah, and was so invested in her relationship with Artie, something that's been set up from the start of this series. So imagine my disappointment that in this book Artie (and the others who were with Sarah at the end of the last book) has forgotten all about Sarah.

"Ok", I thought. "I can deal with that. He will still try to work together with her, right?"

Yeah...

Of course it's Antimony who decides to trust Sarah and work with her. So once again I was left with Antimony stealing the spotlight while Sarah tries to keep up. Artie was pushed somewhere to the background for most of the book.

I skimmed some parts, I'll confess. 

I just am so tired of Antimony by now. Can we just give others a chance to shine? She had three books of her own, can she not hog half of Sarah's story? I really wanted more Artie here.

So even though I still liked the overall story and the worldbuilding, I didn't enjoy this book as much as the others. I really hope the next book will finally have less Antimony and will focus on others.

Why should you read it:

It's a fun Urban Fantasy even if it's heavy on Antimony.

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