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jennrocca's review against another edition
4.0
Eh - good. It was a fun sequel to the Shambling Guide. You learn a ton more about the world she's set up. The premise for another books is clearly established. A few surprises.
mellhay's review against another edition
4.0
I so enjoy the fun animosity between Zoe and her undead 'friends' and co-workers (employees). Trouble always seems to find Zoe, and she adapts so well.
We learn more about Citytalkers with Zoe and take in the sights of New Orleans.
The story makes me smile and keep going for fun and to see what troubles Zoe stumbles into, or out of, and what we can learn of the coterie.
****FULL REVIEW****
Zoe picks her team of writers, which includes hiring the Norse Goddess Eir, and takes the new high-speed train to New Orleans. A ghost train. Zoe's "boyfriend" has lost his Zoetist herbs, the herbs keeping him from going zombie. The Zoetist who knows the secret recipe is out of town and unreachable. New Orleans is where the Zoetist trained and his mentor, if still here, could help Arthur. Zoe finds another like her, with the same ability as her, and he always seems to run in the face of trouble. He seems to be on someones want list, very badly. Why does he run and what is going on? Zoe stumbles into more trouble in New Orleans as she learns about her powers and tries to help all her friends.
We see several of Zoe's new 'friends', more like employees, again. A few we are missing, and will be missed after Decembers happening. Zoe starts to think a few of her employees could be friends, but remembers most of the coterie would eat her for dinner. Then fondly remembers Granny Good Mae telling her NOT to trust them. Zoe struggles with this through the book, seeing a side to a few of her co-workers she may not be able to accept with being human. Arthur is having troubles adjusting to 'monsters' being so near and that Zoe works for them. This seems to be a hurdle in their relationship along with his impending death. Arthur is trying to come to terms with many things.
We remember that night in December, one month ago. Zoe is healed but she remembers what she saw her friends/co-workers do that night. Zoe also knows what she is now, a city-talker like Granny Good Mae. But there's no one around to teach her what to do to talk to the city.
Aaah, we do learn more secrets and the history of city talkers. Awesome! This opens so many doors. Answers questions and makes me curious to learn more of this deep history of coterie and city talkers. Can't wait to learn it! There is a shortage of them and cities are dying due to lack of connection to bring care to the city.
Trouble always seems to find Zoe, or is it her finding it? Either way, it makes for an amazing journey. Now the question is; who's trying to kill her now, all the way in New Orleans?
I enjoy the fun animosity between Zoe and her "undead" friends. They all have their quarks and troubles, a few of those troubles find them in New Orleans. But when you've lived as long as several of them, that happens.
Zoe brings out the smile as I read her and her comments. And the troubles they all plow through. Fun read that I will come back too. Zoe is a fun character that will not back down when there is trouble. She is the character to read when looking for enjoyable and urban fantasy troubles.
We learn more about Citytalkers with Zoe and take in the sights of New Orleans.
The story makes me smile and keep going for fun and to see what troubles Zoe stumbles into, or out of, and what we can learn of the coterie.
****FULL REVIEW****
Zoe picks her team of writers, which includes hiring the Norse Goddess Eir, and takes the new high-speed train to New Orleans. A ghost train. Zoe's "boyfriend" has lost his Zoetist herbs, the herbs keeping him from going zombie. The Zoetist who knows the secret recipe is out of town and unreachable. New Orleans is where the Zoetist trained and his mentor, if still here, could help Arthur. Zoe finds another like her, with the same ability as her, and he always seems to run in the face of trouble. He seems to be on someones want list, very badly. Why does he run and what is going on? Zoe stumbles into more trouble in New Orleans as she learns about her powers and tries to help all her friends.
We see several of Zoe's new 'friends', more like employees, again. A few we are missing, and will be missed after Decembers happening. Zoe starts to think a few of her employees could be friends, but remembers most of the coterie would eat her for dinner. Then fondly remembers Granny Good Mae telling her NOT to trust them. Zoe struggles with this through the book, seeing a side to a few of her co-workers she may not be able to accept with being human. Arthur is having troubles adjusting to 'monsters' being so near and that Zoe works for them. This seems to be a hurdle in their relationship along with his impending death. Arthur is trying to come to terms with many things.
We remember that night in December, one month ago. Zoe is healed but she remembers what she saw her friends/co-workers do that night. Zoe also knows what she is now, a city-talker like Granny Good Mae. But there's no one around to teach her what to do to talk to the city.
Aaah, we do learn more secrets and the history of city talkers. Awesome! This opens so many doors. Answers questions and makes me curious to learn more of this deep history of coterie and city talkers. Can't wait to learn it! There is a shortage of them and cities are dying due to lack of connection to bring care to the city.
Trouble always seems to find Zoe, or is it her finding it? Either way, it makes for an amazing journey. Now the question is; who's trying to kill her now, all the way in New Orleans?
I enjoy the fun animosity between Zoe and her "undead" friends. They all have their quarks and troubles, a few of those troubles find them in New Orleans. But when you've lived as long as several of them, that happens.
Zoe brings out the smile as I read her and her comments. And the troubles they all plow through. Fun read that I will come back too. Zoe is a fun character that will not back down when there is trouble. She is the character to read when looking for enjoyable and urban fantasy troubles.
sylvatica's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
especiallysarah's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this but it definitely struggled a little from second book syndrome - lots of info dumping to build the world just saved by Zoe and the other characters being interesting and Zoe's exhaustion being relatable.
lisawreading's review against another edition
3.0
A fun 2nd book in a very entertaining urban fantasy series! Ghost Train to New Orleans doesn't quite measure up to The Shambling Guide to New York City, possibly because it's a sequel and lacks that brand-new shiny quality of the first book. Still, Ghost Train is a quirky and humorous read, full of action and butt-kicking, and adds yet more elements to the mythology of main character Zoe's newly discovered world of monsters and mayhem.
(My full review is posted at Bookshelf Fantasies.)
(My full review is posted at Bookshelf Fantasies.)
uberaubs's review against another edition
5.0
Expanded on the citytalker past and powers, really enjoy where that story is going
raven_morgan's review against another edition
4.0
"The Ghost Train to New Orleans" is the second book in Mur Lafferty's "Shambling Guides" urban fantasy series.
In the first book in the series, "The Shambling Guide to New York", Zoe Norris, an editor of travel guides, found herself jobless and desperate. She talked her way into a job editing travel guides at Underground Publishing, and was plunged into a strange new world filled with coterie (zombies, vampires, gods and pretty much every magical creature you can think of) and zoetists, humans with the power to create life. And some awesome golems (I'm sorry, I will probably never be over the awesomeness of the golems in the first book).
The last book in "The Shambling Guides" showed me, as a reader burned out on urban fantasy, that the genre could be fun again. The second book in the series is perhaps more sober, but there are still gleams of that fun that shine through.
This is a more accomplished book than the first one in the series, and it feels as though Lafferty has really gotten her feet with her world. I love that some of the things that didn't make sense with Zoe in the first book are beginning to be explained, and Zoe herself is more confident as a character.
I also love the complete lack of love triangles and characters who do stupid things for love (or declaring eternal love after knowing someone for a day).
There's a real poignancy to how Lafferty has woven the real world into this book - Hurricane Katrina devastated the coterie world just as it did the human (not to mention the poor, broken City itself).
I hope that there are going to be more books in this series. I'd love to see more cities through the eyes of the Shambling Guides.
eARC provided by Netgalley.
In the first book in the series, "The Shambling Guide to New York", Zoe Norris, an editor of travel guides, found herself jobless and desperate. She talked her way into a job editing travel guides at Underground Publishing, and was plunged into a strange new world filled with coterie (zombies, vampires, gods and pretty much every magical creature you can think of) and zoetists, humans with the power to create life. And some awesome golems (I'm sorry, I will probably never be over the awesomeness of the golems in the first book).
The last book in "The Shambling Guides" showed me, as a reader burned out on urban fantasy, that the genre could be fun again. The second book in the series is perhaps more sober, but there are still gleams of that fun that shine through.
This is a more accomplished book than the first one in the series, and it feels as though Lafferty has really gotten her feet with her world. I love that some of the things that didn't make sense with Zoe in the first book are beginning to be explained, and Zoe herself is more confident as a character.
I also love the complete lack of love triangles and characters who do stupid things for love (or declaring eternal love after knowing someone for a day).
There's a real poignancy to how Lafferty has woven the real world into this book - Hurricane Katrina devastated the coterie world just as it did the human (not to mention the poor, broken City itself).
I hope that there are going to be more books in this series. I'd love to see more cities through the eyes of the Shambling Guides.
eARC provided by Netgalley.
lauralauralaura's review
3.5
Nothing to add to my review of the first book in the series, but in the best way. If there were 3-5 more books in this series I would definitely read them.
marpesea's review against another edition
3.0
Closer to a 3.5, this was a solid sequel to the first.