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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Second in the Twenty Palaces urban fantasy series revolving around Ray Lilly, an ex-car thief striving to just survive.
My Take
Connolly yanks me in right from the start for a story that crosses horror with detective work with amateur black ops. Ray's dilemma of how to keep secrets that are spilling out right and left felt quite real---I do enjoy it when an author gives us these seemingly impossible problems and then slips in the solution. Only, in Game of Cages, the solutions are much more the type we'd stumble over from chance. That is, if we were to be in these situations…!
There's something so hopeful about Ray. He's had a hard start in life. Right up until a short time ago, and, yet, he keeps putting himself out for people, trying to help them even when the change in character of the townspeople is macabre.
Wait a minute...if Catherine is supposed to be an investigator, wouldn't she have more smarts than to go flashing around with her camera? She is such a bitch. Has she considered that the Society thought enough of Ray to have him accompany her? Has she thought that perhaps Ray getting soaked wasn't one of his intentions? Then she keeps being surprised when she's shot at, chased, attacked. Just what kind of investigating does she do for this particular Society that's so safe? She's so clueless… Her idea of sharing a room is pretty archaic, too.
It's a warm small town with individuals who take Ray in, believe him, help him. Even when they turn against him, there's still a collective feeling of protection. It may be on the wrong side and ya just want to skedaddle on outta there...but I can't deny the sense of togetherness. Eek.
It's one strange murder scene after another with dead and living victims. Normal people whose snap to the other side is more horrible because of their normality. Although I feel Connolly left us hanging between the early scenes which ignored pre-pubescents and then pulled 'em in at the end.
I do admire Ray's chutzpah...ordering in a pepperoni pizza at a time like that, but then Connolly lost me on that one turncoat. I don't see what the gain was.
Hmmm, one of the bad guys taunts them about the palaces they're losing…damn, Connolly is such a tease!
The Story
Being summoned to aid Catherine investigate a reported auction of a predator, Ray and Catherine are quickly thrown into the middle of it all when they creep onto a three-car accident with an empty cage, suspicious burns, and a trail that leads to dead bodies.
Yet more bodies pile up as Ray and Catherine fall into traps, escapes, attacks, and betrayals. The peer who does show up from the Society is arrogant and useless, uncaring when Ray informs him that Catherine has been kidnapped. It takes Annalise's curiosity to swing the balance.
The Characters
Ray Lilly is an ex-car thief. Pulled into the world of the Twenty Palace Society, he stays for two reasons: they're keeping the police off his back and he lives to be called to action...even if he does ending up regretting it. His current abode is in the mother-in-law apartment over his Aunt Theresa and Uncle Karl's garage.
Catherine Little has a personality for every situation and is an investigator for the Twenty Palace Society. And she does not like Ray. She likes him even less when she learns he's Annalise's wooden man. Annalise Powliss is a peer for the Society and prit' near unkillable. Talcott Arnold Pratt is the first peer on the scene. He certainly lives up to his last name!
There are four groups of people bidding at the auction: Professor Elisabeta Solorov and her Fellowship; Mr. Yin with Merpati and his troupe of bodyguards; the selfish and self-centered Mr. Kripke from Silicon Valley and his biker friend (yeah, one self- is not enough for this guy!); Herr Zahn is an ancient German with some truly scary powers, Frail seems to be his assistant, and Tattoo, a man with more protective tattoos than Ray. Regina Wilbur is the woman who "owned" Armand the dog all these years. One of the many conditions her niece Stephanie changed when she arrived. Ursula is/was the keeper of the dog.
Steve Cardinal is the head of the neighborhood watch and in charge of law enforcement until the sheriff shows up...if he ever shows up. Actually a pretty level-headed guy.
TheLastKing.
The Twenty Palace Society is a private agency whose sole agenda is to kill predators and people who use magic. Predators are "weird supernatural creatures out of the Empty Spaces". Never a good thing for the world if they show up.
The Cover
The cover makes me feel as though it's the night before Halloween with the orange lightning flashing in the sky behind the old brooding "Victorian" mansion as snow swirls around Ray, looking back over his shoulder.
It is a Game of Cages as Ray tries to corral the sapphire dog.
My Take
Connolly yanks me in right from the start for a story that crosses horror with detective work with amateur black ops. Ray's dilemma of how to keep secrets that are spilling out right and left felt quite real---I do enjoy it when an author gives us these seemingly impossible problems and then slips in the solution. Only, in Game of Cages, the solutions are much more the type we'd stumble over from chance. That is, if we were to be in these situations…!
There's something so hopeful about Ray. He's had a hard start in life. Right up until a short time ago, and, yet, he keeps putting himself out for people, trying to help them even when the change in character of the townspeople is macabre.
Wait a minute...if Catherine is supposed to be an investigator, wouldn't she have more smarts than to go flashing around with her camera? She is such a bitch. Has she considered that the Society thought enough of Ray to have him accompany her? Has she thought that perhaps Ray getting soaked wasn't one of his intentions? Then she keeps being surprised when she's shot at, chased, attacked. Just what kind of investigating does she do for this particular Society that's so safe? She's so clueless… Her idea of sharing a room is pretty archaic, too.
It's a warm small town with individuals who take Ray in, believe him, help him. Even when they turn against him, there's still a collective feeling of protection. It may be on the wrong side and ya just want to skedaddle on outta there...but I can't deny the sense of togetherness. Eek.
It's one strange murder scene after another with dead and living victims. Normal people whose snap to the other side is more horrible because of their normality. Although I feel Connolly left us hanging between the early scenes which ignored pre-pubescents and then pulled 'em in at the end.
I do admire Ray's chutzpah...ordering in a pepperoni pizza at a time like that, but then Connolly lost me on that one turncoat. I don't see what the gain was.
Hmmm, one of the bad guys taunts them about the palaces they're losing…damn, Connolly is such a tease!
The Story
Being summoned to aid Catherine investigate a reported auction of a predator, Ray and Catherine are quickly thrown into the middle of it all when they creep onto a three-car accident with an empty cage, suspicious burns, and a trail that leads to dead bodies.
Yet more bodies pile up as Ray and Catherine fall into traps, escapes, attacks, and betrayals. The peer who does show up from the Society is arrogant and useless, uncaring when Ray informs him that Catherine has been kidnapped. It takes Annalise's curiosity to swing the balance.
The Characters
Ray Lilly is an ex-car thief. Pulled into the world of the Twenty Palace Society, he stays for two reasons: they're keeping the police off his back and he lives to be called to action...even if he does ending up regretting it. His current abode is in the mother-in-law apartment over his Aunt Theresa and Uncle Karl's garage.
Catherine Little has a personality for every situation and is an investigator for the Twenty Palace Society. And she does not like Ray. She likes him even less when she learns he's Annalise's wooden man. Annalise Powliss is a peer for the Society and prit' near unkillable. Talcott Arnold Pratt is the first peer on the scene. He certainly lives up to his last name!
There are four groups of people bidding at the auction: Professor Elisabeta Solorov and her Fellowship; Mr. Yin with Merpati and his troupe of bodyguards; the selfish and self-centered Mr. Kripke from Silicon Valley and his biker friend (yeah, one self- is not enough for this guy!); Herr Zahn is an ancient German with some truly scary powers, Frail seems to be his assistant, and Tattoo, a man with more protective tattoos than Ray. Regina Wilbur is the woman who "owned" Armand the dog all these years. One of the many conditions her niece Stephanie changed when she arrived. Ursula is/was the keeper of the dog.
Steve Cardinal is the head of the neighborhood watch and in charge of law enforcement until the sheriff shows up...if he ever shows up. Actually a pretty level-headed guy.
TheLastKing.
The Twenty Palace Society is a private agency whose sole agenda is to kill predators and people who use magic. Predators are "weird supernatural creatures out of the Empty Spaces". Never a good thing for the world if they show up.
The Cover
The cover makes me feel as though it's the night before Halloween with the orange lightning flashing in the sky behind the old brooding "Victorian" mansion as snow swirls around Ray, looking back over his shoulder.
It is a Game of Cages as Ray tries to corral the sapphire dog.
tolstoyan_literary_odyssey's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
crankyoldnerd's review against another edition
5.0
This is the second book in the 'Twenty Palaces" series. I was late to the party and just recently discovered this series. Unfortunately after I fell in love with the first book I discovered that after the third book the series was dropped by the publisher.
That is by no means a reason not to read these.
While it is a second in the series, you don't have to read the first one to completely enjoy this one. I love that in a series, the books have a lose background together (so far) and if you happen to pick this one up first it won't kill you / confuse you to not have read the first one too much.
The story is set in the modern world, and kicks off with a bang from the start. It's told from the viewpoint of Ray, who in the past wasn't the best of kids, and as an adult got involved in something that ended up with a lot of people dead. However, a mysterious group called Twenty Palaces somehow cleared his name, and he is now a helper called a 'Wooden Man' of a powerful magician. Their job is to find bad things with magic, and kill all who are involved.
This time, Ray gets picked up by an 'investigator' vs. a 'peer' we met in the first book. They are trying to check something out when everything goes to crap, and people start dying. People that kinda deserve it, and people who don't. There is some interesting Moral Dilemma's in the character's development, and we learn more about his background and what got him where he is slowly leaked out over the progress of the novel. We have multiple people who may or may not be bad guys, a small town's festival with the potential for a blood bath from a runaway monster, and a prick of a peer who thinks he can do this all on his own and that Ray and his new friend / investigator Catherine are beneath his notice.
I am very excited/sad to read the next in the series. I love this authors style of story. No love stories, you don't know to cheer or fear the main character, and his universe of magic is fairly fascinating and rather refreshing compared to tried and true spell casters & evil things that go bump in the night. I highly recommend you check this out and the others in the series.
That is by no means a reason not to read these.
While it is a second in the series, you don't have to read the first one to completely enjoy this one. I love that in a series, the books have a lose background together (so far) and if you happen to pick this one up first it won't kill you / confuse you to not have read the first one too much.
The story is set in the modern world, and kicks off with a bang from the start. It's told from the viewpoint of Ray, who in the past wasn't the best of kids, and as an adult got involved in something that ended up with a lot of people dead. However, a mysterious group called Twenty Palaces somehow cleared his name, and he is now a helper called a 'Wooden Man' of a powerful magician. Their job is to find bad things with magic, and kill all who are involved.
This time, Ray gets picked up by an 'investigator' vs. a 'peer' we met in the first book. They are trying to check something out when everything goes to crap, and people start dying. People that kinda deserve it, and people who don't. There is some interesting Moral Dilemma's in the character's development, and we learn more about his background and what got him where he is slowly leaked out over the progress of the novel. We have multiple people who may or may not be bad guys, a small town's festival with the potential for a blood bath from a runaway monster, and a prick of a peer who thinks he can do this all on his own and that Ray and his new friend / investigator Catherine are beneath his notice.
I am very excited/sad to read the next in the series. I love this authors style of story. No love stories, you don't know to cheer or fear the main character, and his universe of magic is fairly fascinating and rather refreshing compared to tried and true spell casters & evil things that go bump in the night. I highly recommend you check this out and the others in the series.
twowhoodles's review against another edition
4.0
Really solid sequel. I've decided these are more horror than anything. Paranormal horror? If you liked the first, this is more of the same.
kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
Ray Lilly is picked up from his blue collar job by Catherine, an investigator for the Twenty Palaces Society, a ruthless group of humans who will stop at nothing to keep other people from using magic.
Ray is a Wooden Man, a magically protected servant of a sorceror who, after the first book, Child of Fire, was sure he was going to end up in jail due to the crimes he had to commit in the name of "protection."
But the Twenty Palaces society is not done with him yet. Catherine takes him to the small town of Washaway, where Ray will have to decide how far he is willing to go, and who he is willing to kill, in order to both stay "in the know" about magic in our world, as well as protect others from a horrible, alien predator.
I'm not an action-oriented reader. I like relationships, and plots revealing themselves slowly.
However, the breathless pace with which Ray finds himself drawn into the action (you keep thinking things will get better, or that a sorceror will arrive and clean everything up, but it never quite reaches that point) and held spellbound as Ray makes decision after decision about death and pain and what he's willing to bear.
Excellent read. The only dissatisfaction I have is that I wanted more development between Ray and Catherine (and that is brought to a screeching halt partway through the book due to something I can't say without spoilerage) or Ray and Annalise (she comes in way too late for very much there) to set the backdrop for his moral quandaries.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Chips and salsa, for the way that you start eating them, and then look up a moment later and realize you've eaten the whole bag and your mouth is smarting from the spicy salsa.
Ray is a Wooden Man, a magically protected servant of a sorceror who, after the first book, Child of Fire, was sure he was going to end up in jail due to the crimes he had to commit in the name of "protection."
But the Twenty Palaces society is not done with him yet. Catherine takes him to the small town of Washaway, where Ray will have to decide how far he is willing to go, and who he is willing to kill, in order to both stay "in the know" about magic in our world, as well as protect others from a horrible, alien predator.
I'm not an action-oriented reader. I like relationships, and plots revealing themselves slowly.
However, the breathless pace with which Ray finds himself drawn into the action (you keep thinking things will get better, or that a sorceror will arrive and clean everything up, but it never quite reaches that point) and held spellbound as Ray makes decision after decision about death and pain and what he's willing to bear.
Excellent read. The only dissatisfaction I have is that I wanted more development between Ray and Catherine (and that is brought to a screeching halt partway through the book due to something I can't say without spoilerage) or Ray and Annalise (she comes in way too late for very much there) to set the backdrop for his moral quandaries.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Chips and salsa, for the way that you start eating them, and then look up a moment later and realize you've eaten the whole bag and your mouth is smarting from the spicy salsa.
sling's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked the first book in the series; feeling that it had a lot of potential. The second one picks up a little while after, when the aftermath of the first had died down but not disappeared altogether.
The beginning was strong: new mission, new partner, a bit of rescue from the humdrum. Unfortunately the premise is similar despite the attempt to change it up. Instead of knowing a predator is loose in a small town, this time Ray and Catherine are just in the area to investigate. Of course that doesn't last long as the predator gets free and starts wreaking havoc.
It seemed to me while reading, that there was a lot of running from place to place, just missing the predator, and not that much story. There were tantalizing hints of the different orders within the Twenty Palace Society, rogues, and flashes of curious backstory. Because of this, the book seemed a bit thin.
Ray Lilly is still a great protagonist, with character growth, internal conflicts and difficult choices to make. You get a real sense of him trying to best he can and the author does a great job of showing not telling. I would just like to see him in more interesting circumstances.
The beginning was strong: new mission, new partner, a bit of rescue from the humdrum. Unfortunately the premise is similar despite the attempt to change it up. Instead of knowing a predator is loose in a small town, this time Ray and Catherine are just in the area to investigate. Of course that doesn't last long as the predator gets free and starts wreaking havoc.
It seemed to me while reading, that there was a lot of running from place to place, just missing the predator, and not that much story. There were tantalizing hints of the different orders within the Twenty Palace Society, rogues, and flashes of curious backstory. Because of this, the book seemed a bit thin.
Ray Lilly is still a great protagonist, with character growth, internal conflicts and difficult choices to make. You get a real sense of him trying to best he can and the author does a great job of showing not telling. I would just like to see him in more interesting circumstances.
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
3.0
I think I found the first of this series through Felicia Day's Goodreads. I liked the first one pretty well, so I picked up the next two at some point. I'm not sure what it was, but I didn't like this one as well. I think it might have been the non-stop action. I've never been a fan of that part when there's not a lot of meaningful interaction between characters. Also, the vast number of players in this one was confusing as hell. The nicknames helped a lot, but even if you took those out, there were still a LOT of named people and I had a hard time remembering them all. I still liked it well enough and will definitely read the next one at some point.
drey72's review against another edition
4.0
Ray Lilly has (luckily? surprisingly?) survived the events at Hammer Bay in Child of Fire and is working the late shift at a supermarket when someone shows up from the society to bring him along on a job. A little one, but a job nonetheless...
Then he finds out that Catherine's not a peer, she's an investigator, sent to check out an auction. And when things get hairy--there was a predator being auctioned, and it's now loose--Ray can only really depend on himself, while trying to keep Catherine and the residents of Washaway safe. Difficult to do when all he has is his ghost knife, and the local law enforcement breathing down his back because he can't tell them anything.
Harry Connolly keeps you on your toes from the first page until the very last word as you ride shotgun with Ray in this rough-and-tumble read. Check it out if this is how you hang (but read Child of Fire first).
Then he finds out that Catherine's not a peer, she's an investigator, sent to check out an auction. And when things get hairy--there was a predator being auctioned, and it's now loose--Ray can only really depend on himself, while trying to keep Catherine and the residents of Washaway safe. Difficult to do when all he has is his ghost knife, and the local law enforcement breathing down his back because he can't tell them anything.
Harry Connolly keeps you on your toes from the first page until the very last word as you ride shotgun with Ray in this rough-and-tumble read. Check it out if this is how you hang (but read Child of Fire first).
mspris's review against another edition
4.0
This is a strong series and very entertaining, I enjoyed this book the most of the series so far!