Well hello there readers!

What’s going on in your world? Anything interesting? I’m dying to hear stories of the outside world having been stuck at home most nights for grad school.

That being said, I do manage to take little detours in the form of books, and I just finished another one.

This time I read Kakistocracy (Conradverse Chronicles #2) by Alex Shvartsman.

This was a special treat for me. I originally heard of this author through fellow blogger Brittanica Bold’s Book Babblings. After loving the first book, I was lucky enough to be accepted as an ARC reviewer of the sequel (It comes out on 10/17/23!).

The first second I could, I dove right into this book, so let’s get on with this review!

Blurb

If you do it well, lying is every bit as effective as magic.

Conrad Brent has no innate magic, so he bluffs a lot and uses a myriad of magical items to protect Brooklyn from monsters and arcane threats. As a member of the Watch, the group that protects the mundane humans from such dangers, he risks his life on a regular basis. Sometimes twice before lunch. Sometimes during lunch, when he dares order his food from a street cart.

After regaining his position in the Watch which he’d temporarily lost due to the machinations of a variety of evil-doers, Conrad doesn’t want to take any risks he doesn’t have to. But now his boss is missing, there’s a totalitarian new regime in City Hall oppressing all magic users, and the mayor has aligned himself with a diabolical villain.

In order to save the day, Conrad must team up with a recovering necromancer to mediate a dispute between two ancient enemy factions, solve a mystery of a warded house adjacent to a cemetery, and stand with his friends against tyranny.

That is, if the interdimensional fae assassins don’t get him first.

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

Magical mayhem, sinister plots, and mysterious new forces collide in this fantastic work of fantasy. I loved every minute of it!

Having attained godhood and come back down to earth, Conrad Brent now enjoys the chaotic life he once had with the Watch. He patrols his neighborhood, protecting the mundanes from gifted that threaten their safety and that of New York. But when a hunt for a nonhuman killer on the streets goes awry, Conrad is propelled on an impossible path of twist and turns that threatens New York and tests everything he’s got and then some.

From front to end, this was spectacular. There is an ease to Shvartman’s writing. It has a flow that’s easy to get swept away with, and a witty sarcasm that will bust your gut.

I loved the abundance of magic throughout this adventure. It really shines in all of the battle scenes, and it paired perfectly with a mystery element that kept me guessing for most of the book.

Conrad has continued to grow and develop in this novel, and I enjoyed the softer side that we got to see. He’s a complex guy, but he really does care about the Watch, the gifted, and the citizens of New York.

If you haven’t started this series yet, you don’t know what you’re missing! Definitely my favorite book of the year thus far.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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