Half-Off Ragnarok: InCryptid, Book 3

I don't re listen to books but it was a great book and glad I listened to it

I enjoyed the mx of humor and action

I thnk they did a great job with all the characters

I'll be the first to admit I'm a shameless Seanan McGuire fangirl. Just accept it. So therefore, by virtue of my 'office' I tend to love everything she writes. I have yet to find an exception to this; though I will admit there was a thing or two that left me a wee bit wanting (but I think it's just because I'm abnormally attached to odd side characters.)

One of the things that ended up being a source of amusement, and simultaneously an irritation: it was ever so slightly predictable in spots. Now, that sounds worse than it is- it's like telling a 'good guy' that "I just want to be friends. It's not you, it's me." Sounds like the kiss of freakin' death when that's not the impression I want to give. Basically, there was more than one aspect that was not a shock or surprise at all, and that's not always a bad thing. There is some comfort in that fact, there is not such a huge 180 slap-to-the-head that makes you thing WTF? On the other hand, a little more flabbergasted shock might not have been such a bad thing to experience.

While there are new characters to learn about and love, there are still some of my favorites from previous books in the InCryptid series: (please excuse my spelling now, as I've primarily listened to the books and that doesn't give any clue if I'm spelling something right) Sarah, even a cameo from Verity, and one cannot forget the Aisling Mice *Hail*. I simply adore those mice, and really, really want a colony of my own. Even if I might go broke on baked goods.

It all boils down to this: Half-Off Ragnarok is a lovely addition to the series, but ultimately not my favorite so far in the series. It was nice hearing more from the male of the Price family, but Verity already danced her way into my heart as my favorite, I think. Besides, he really is quite the geek, and while I love me some hot nerdy men, 'tweed as a valid lifestyle choice' just redlines those warp drives despite the objections from the head engineer. I smidge up from 4♥'s and eagerly await more from the Price family!

After two very entertaining InCryptid books with Verity Price and her Covenant boyfriend Dominic, we now join her older brother Alex in Ohio. I had my doubts about McGuire’s decision to leave Verity and change narrators in the third book, but Alex proved to be a very entertaining, albeit completely different protagonist.

Alex joined his grandparents in Ohio to help his cousin Sarah and oversee the breeding of two basilisks (that sounds much dirtier than it actually is), but he certainly got more than he bargained for. For one, his chaotic life and his many, many secrets prevent him from being a good boyfriend to the Australian beauty he’s currently dating. Then dead, partially petrified bodies start showing up around Alex and his basilisks, as well as his relationship with Shelby simply have to take a back seat.

As usual, someone is targeting the Healy-Price family and this time, Alex is right in the middle of things. With the help of his grandparents, his cuckoo cousin and his girlfriend, he uses his calm, scientific approach to solve a very odd, frightening case. The fact that said scientific approach sometimes includes autopsies on his grandmother’s kitchen table is just a minor detail that barely even registers with the Price-Healy family.

The lines between Seanan McGuire and Mira Grant are starting to blur, and it’s a very good things. There are some common denominators that are easily recognizable regardless of the name she writes under. She likes short, effective quotes at the beginning of each chapter, she always does an insane amount of research, she tends to rely on science as much as she can, and her worldbuilding is nothing short of extraordinary. A pen name doesn’t mean a personality transplant, which is great for the brilliant and funny McGuire/Grant.

Ray Porter was an excellent choice for narrator and I felt that his voice reflected Alex’s calm, geeky personality perfectly. He had minor issues with female voices, but Seanan’s dry, quirky sense of humor wasn’t lost in his narration, which I appreciated more than I can say. If anything, it was made even stronger.

We’ll be joining Alex once more in the next installment titled Pocket Apocalypse. I am determined to go with the audio format once again, especially if they decide to keep Ray Porter on as narrator.

This quote sums up why I loved it. "She did come from Australia and probably expected a vegitable ambush. Australia. The only continent with the difficulty rating of 'Haha, F@*k you! NO!'."

Love the Aeslin mice, love Alex Price's bravado and love Seanan Mcguire's storytelling!

The Aeslin mice - so joyful & so fun
Crow - because who doesn't love a church gryffin?
Alex - because he's AWESOME
Shelby - kick-a** chick... need I say more?

I did read this book before and while I loved it I couldn't get my husband to read the book. The audio version allowed me to introduce him to the series. I've already read all 5 books. And I just knew he would love the book if he gave it a chance. Without these two awesome narrators he would never have known the joy of the Price family & the Cryptid community!

Yes, but it's at the end and it would ruin the book for others if I wrote about it

Seanan Mcguire rocks!

I was so enthralled by the first two books in this series, I picked this one up without looking at any reviews or any synopsis. Thus I was surprised to discover the series had moved on to focus on a different member of the Price family. I had the devoted fan's moment of doubt about this, but this quickly passed as the same interesting action, unfolding characters, and brilliant humor came at me from a fresh voice and perspective. I won't belabor the merits of the story itself--it's a great example of the genre with a great reader. The shift to a new main character still a part of the central family gives me great hopes for a long, exciting, and highly diverse series.

All the different creatures

I was looking for a Ray Porter performance when I came across this book.

I think he should have shot her in the kitchen.

this series ragnorocks! unique perspective and fun , fun ,fun! Hope this becomes a habit...four is not enough!

It was an unusual story line from any other SciFi books that I have read in the past. It is not written in a serious or political way that sometimes to me gets boring. I guess I would call it a bit light-hearted. I love some of the large tome style SciFi Fantasy books but sometimes get tired of the overly done fighting scenes and political agenda books. I know they appeal to many but I generally do a lot of fast forwarding through those scenes or segments.

The narration was very good and the characters became very real to me.

I haven't read the previous books in this series but not sure I want to go back to them to get more info. The author made this book very OK as a read alone. But I am considering reading the next in the series.

Alex is an endearing character and Sarah Zellaby (a personal favourite of mine) makes an appearance.

The new characters are enthralling as are the new species.

Buy if you loved the other books.