Tombyards & Butterflies

This was fun. I can see this Urban Fantasy series becoming a comfort read for me. ‘Tombyards & Butterflies’ released me from the grip of a mini reading slump that had left me unable to engage with the books I’d planned to read, even though I could see that the books were just as good as I’d expected them to be. I knew I needed something fresh, fast, and entertaining to revive my interest. ’Tombyards & Butterflies’ delivered all of that and more.

Although ‘Tombyards & Butterflies’ is the first book in an Urban Fantasy series that now stands at twenty-nine books, it felt like I was stepping into a well-established series. The story hit the ground running and challenged me to keep up. The opening scene had Montague and show more Strong chasing a huge werewolf through the streets of Mahatten. I didn’t know who either of them was, what they were capable of or what their relationship to each other was, but I could see that these were folks who’d worked together a long time and who were confident enough in each other’s abilities that they had time for banter even while a rampaging were was trying to rip them apart. The scene pulled me into the action and stirred my curiosity.

After the werewolf had been dealt with, I expected the pace to slow so that we could have some introspection and some worldbuilding in the way of so many Urban Fantasy stories, but that didn’t happen. The pace didn’t let up. The action was continuous, and the threat level kept rising. Strong and Montague quickly become entangled in plots and subplots that lead to them being the only ones who might stand a chance of saving the world, as long as they do it in the next 48 hours or so.

Yet the frantic pace of the plot didn’t mean that world-building and character development were neglected. This is a world with a complex history, with gods from every pantheon and with supernatural creatures of just about every kind you can imagine, but there’s no infodumping or lengthy elaboration of magical theory. Instead, I got to discover this world through the eyes of Simon Strong, a man who is much more interested in doing stuff than thinking about stuff. Stone's not a supernatural. He has no magical abilities. He knows how to fight, and his big mouth means that he pisses off enough vampires, weres, gods and sorcerers to ensure that he has lots of opportunities to practice his fighting skills. One consequence of his big mouth is that he’s been cursed by the goddess Kali and is unable to die, or at least to stay dead. I loved the idea that this was a curse and not a gift.

Strong’s irreverent stubbornness sets the tone for the book. This is a full-fledged Urban Fantasy which shamelessly twists into new shapes almost all the tropes I’ve ever seen, and yet it manages to feel fresh and energetic. There is a lot of humour, but that’s just because Stone can’t help himself. The underlying story is full of very dangerous people doing very violent things. The body count is huge, but it doesn’t descend into tedious, trapped-in-a-video-game fighfest like a John Wick movie.

‘Tombyards & Butterflies’ is a complete action/thriller novel in its own right, but the plot also lays the foundation for a series, with Strong and Montague acquiring allies and enemies along the way whom I’m sure I’ll meet regularly in the series.

I read the whole thing in a day and finished it feeling energised and keen to read more . show less

Fast and nasty

The dialogue is snappy and clever. The plot plays out at high-speed with almost no pauses between battles.

But...

Witty banter can’t replace character development. They basically go from explosion to explosion, with stops for food, information from gods, and new weapons. Like a bad action movie. And it’s set in some alternate New York that doesn’t entirely make sense.

It feels like the middle of a series and not the first book.

The prose is clean and professional grade.

This couldn't be more clichéed, stereotypical, and shallow if it tried.
But I think it accomplished exactly what it set out to do.

I expect there is a certain audience that isn't yet surfeited with those clichées and doesn't have the same expectation of originality I do and can therefore get much more enjoyment out of this.

It was a fun read if you can look past those flaws.

Book source ~ Kindle Unlimited

Simon Strong and Tristan Montague own a detective agency in New York. But they aren’t your run-of-the-mill PIs. They deal with the strange and the weird. You know, much like themselves. Monty is a battle mage and Simon is, well, a special case. Michiko Nakatomi, a powerful vampire on the Dark Council, has requested they pick up a shunned vampire. Right after doing this difficult job (but before they can get her settled), Karma shows up (it’s complicated) and tasks them with finding Charon. He’s missing and no one can find him. Well, isn’t that a shitter? That job leads them to Hades and even Death. With a capital D. You know, the guy, not the state of being. Though that last one is not out of the show more question before these jobs are done. Because wow, shit just hit the fan.

If you are a fan of Harry Dresden then this series should interest you. It tries a bit too hard and the writing is a tad lacking, but it’s still entertaining and fascinating. Simon is a rough around the edges smart ass and Monty is a badass, but refined. They make an interesting pair. There’s no back story as to how these two came to be friends let alone business partners, but it’s not really necessary to the storyline. It starts off running and doesn’t quit until the end. Non-stop magical danger with smartassery thrown in and magic, too. I’m sufficiently intrigued enough to continue on with book 2. show less

My Thoughts:
Glad I stumbled into this series!

This is another " Dresden Files by Jim Butcher " story where the characters even mention "that wizard in Chicago" urban fantasy worlds combobulation. Originality-wise, it has been around the block once or twice too many... However, it is not necessarily the originality that I am looking for as an urban fantasy reader, it is how the story is told! And Orlando Sanchez is wonderful!! In fact, for an author to pull it off and compete in a very congested market, one has to be good enough for readers to keep coming back. And this author pulled it off. How's that for talent?! And of course, my favouritest of them all, is Peaches! My image of Peaches in my head is not that of a scary hellhound, but show more he is still a puppy. Besides he is bound to Simon. He gets his fierce hellhound look only when there are bad guys around.

And hey, there is a plot too! Plot is not something I highly prize in an urban fantasy book as I would in a crime fiction one. But this book got it anyway. Another kudos to the author! The title... so Hack mentioned it, but, it still hasn't been explained what the ef**** it is!?!...

Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 5
Story itself = 4.5
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 4
Pace = 3.5
Plot = 3.5
Narration = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5

http://www.cherrymischievous.com/2020/08/tomyards-butterflies.html show less

Honestly, I am torn about this book. I wavered between three and four stars, but it ultimately came down closer to a three. It feels like an intriguing basis for an urban fantasy series, but at the same time, the world is not fleshed out. It's action-packed, but light on details and some of the known details don't make much sense. More time on the backstory and less on the action would have made all the difference to me.

Full review: https://rebeccasreadingcorner.blog/review-orlando-a-sanchez-tombyards-butterflie...

Tombyards & Butterflies by Orlando A Sanchez and narrated by Kevin T Collins is a great fantasy read with lots of gods, creatures, and magic! Plenty of action, friendship, evil, magic, spells, different gods, and unpredictable situations kept this book going at a good clip! Great dialogue, witty, and clever writing, and an excellent plot!
Narration was excellent too! Can't wait for the next book!