Game of Cages

A fast, action-packed, engrossing read. I Finished it with my toast and tea this morning. However, I didn't like it as well as I did Child of Fire, the first Twenty Palaces novel. Fans of the Dresden Files would enjoy these novels, though the character of Ray Lilly isn't as humorous or sarcastic as Harry Dresden and therefore less appealing to me. It would depend on what kind of character you prefer, I suppose.

I love this series and I'm only two books in. We meet up with Ray Lilly several months after Child of Fire. He's working at a grocery store and trying to forget about the events in Hammer Bay when an investigator with the Twenty Palaces Society shows up. A group is auctioning off a predator, and they're being sent in to gather information.

On the one hand I'm disappointed by the fact that we see less of Annalise in this book, as I find the interaction between she and Ray a lot of fun. On the other hand, we get to see Ray flounder about on his own without any magical backup, making his own mistakes and coming into his own. I'm also pretty intrigued by the insinuations that Ray is something more than your average Wooden Man. It's a bit obvious, or he wouldn't be our main character, but hints are definitely being dropped that Ray might be something special, or have more of a future in the Twenty Palaces Society than as low tier cannon fodder. It's a great hook and I'll definitely be coming back for more.