4.5 out of 5 stars
I’ll be the first to admit that I do not listen to a ton of Urban Fantasy. I believe a couple of the series I’ve read by C.T. Phipps would be considered that and I’ve enjoyed those. But I went into this with a completely open mind. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into and I enjoy diving into a book like that. Basically, I cannot ruin the book before it’s even started.
I’ve never read anything by Chris Underwood (or any of the other authors that this was compared to) but I did enjoy the way that this book was written. It was almost relentless and really enjoyable. Every time I thought I had Ozzy figured out – he would surprise me. The same thing went for the plot. Every time I thought I knew where it was going, it would flip me on my head. This book definitely kept me guessing.
I’m having a hard time describing what I liked about this due to the fact that I don’t know UF that well and I also don’t want to spoil the book for those who want to read it. I did like the setting of the book a lot (and thankfully it seems like we’re going to get more here). Lost Falls felt like one of those large small towns. Every one knew each other but also there was a lot of things going on that no one knew about at the same time. Lost Falls felt like a place that I would love to visit but hate to stay. Underwood did a great job describing the city, it’s inhabitants, and the overall vibe.
Now, if you’re looking for a review of the typical Urban Fantasy tropes – I cannot give that, but I can tell you I listen to a lot of books and this one was enjoyable and really well written. It’s also well narrated as well. Bennett is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators, especially because it seems you can’t pin him to one specific genre. He took Underwood’s enjoyable story and turned it into a performance (without going overboard on the acting part of it). Bennett truly became Ozzy and that’s pretty awesome.
Part mystery/PI novel and part fantasy – Cunning Devil was something new and unique to me and a book that I’ll think about as we head into 2020.