This urban fantasy story set in a multiverse with loads of winks at high fantasy is a very interesting concept. Val is a forty-something half-elf assassin who works for the US army and hunts down magical creatures who've committed heinous crimes. The world building is very intriguing and draws on a lot of traditions, which made for an eclectic and interesting mix of creatures and fantasy lore. Additionally, having an older MC adds so much! Val is a sarcastic character who I connected with easily even though she's older than I am--I particularly liked the newness of that as it's so very rare.
Although there are some darker themes to this action-packed adventure, it doesn't quite fit into dark fantasy because there author makes excellent use of dry humour (rather than dark humour) and there is a lovely ending that hit the spot perfectly.
If you enjoy action-packed adventure-fantasy with sword-wielding Nordic shield-maidens, but want something different to shake things up, then this is definitely the read for you. I'm sufficiently intrigued that I'd like to keep reading, especially because the snarky and belligerent interactions with the snotty dragon lord amused me and hint at a story arc that includes Zav in future books.
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