Capers are better with magic

After The Prophecy Con was just The Palace Job, rebooted, The Paladin Caper manages to be something new and aaaaaah I love it. I fully recognize that I love these books more than they truly deserve but I don’t care because they are FUN goddammit and sometimes that’s all you need.

The OMG cliffhanger at the end of the last book is pretty predictably resolved and I’m okay with it. You won’t be mad either, trust me. This is of course another book in which our trusty crew is tasked with saving the entire world but fine, those stakes work, even if they are getting a little old. I guess the first book was only accidentally about saving the world. In this book, the Ancients want to return and take over and generally go back to being horrible, and (am I below the fold now?) Loch and her crew are the only ones who can stop them.

It’s fun! There are a lot of “how are they going to get out of this!” moments. There are a lot of wonderful coincidences and last-minute saves that feel almost cinematic. I’m still waiting for this series to be optioned into a movie because it would make all the money (if done well). I am 100% here for the dark unicorn and her increasingly unsubtle seduction of virgins (who are surprisingly plentiful!) I feel like Tern and Hessler are done a little bit badly by in this book, but under the sheer number of characters, someone was going to get the short shrift. It won’t stop me from fantasy casting. I’m thinking Gina Torres for Loch.