ARC Review – One Foot in the Fade

From Goodreads:

In a city that lost its magic, an angel falls in a downtown street. His wings are feathered, whole—undeniably magical—the man clearly flew, because he left one hell of a mess when he plummeted into the sidewalk.

But what sent him up? What brought him down? And will the answers help Fetch bring the magic back for good?

Working alongside necromancers, genies, and shadowy secret societies, through the wildest forests and dingiest dive bars, this case will leave its mark on Fetch’s body, his soul, and the fate of the world.

The Audiobook is read by Luke Arnold himself. Usually I would shy away from books read by the author, but Luke Arnold also being an actor his voice acting is impeccable. The Character voices are distinct and interesting and paint more detail into the characters. It gives us the reader the impression of what each of the characters sound in Arnold’s head, which again just builds out the character a wee bit more.

I adore Fetch Philips. I love the mix of classical Noir detective and high fantasy hero. I love how he has those two warring sides of him in his head. The sweep into action without thinking side mixed with the self doubting, reaching for alcohol as a crutch, voice in his head that belittles him, his determination to help. He is just such a dynamic character. I love how he is both his own worst enemy but also knows he can do it. He is just very human. I really enjoyed his growth as a person in this one, the introspection was not as dark and started to tend towards the hopeful. We still get all the false bravado and cheeky banter we have got used to but also we got a lot more the the trusting side to Fetch in this one. There are still the moments of sheer stupidity and moments of heart-warming joy that I have come to expect from these books

The story was amazing, part investigation, part buddy journey across the wild and magical land (replete with training montages), part heist. All of it was entertaining. I loved some of the new characters we met, learning more and more about the world outside Sunder City and what happened after the Coda. As we spend so long outside the city this book does take on a more classic fantasy adventure than the previous more urban fantasy based books. However, I think this move really keeps things interesting as we get to explore more and witness how the whole world is adapting and changing to life without magic and not just Sunder city itself. It takes Fetch out of his comfort zone and with new companions allows him to grow as a character a lot more

I did find this instalment to be a lot slower paced than the previous two but again this felt a lot more character driven. We got to see and experience a lot more about this world as readers and that was just as enjoyable as the fights every 2nd page of the previous books. Arnold’s writing is so well balanced and truly makes this book. It is so well paced knowing when to hit us with action, with a little sass or with a heart wrenching moment. All of these keep the pages turning. And oh the ending, bittersweet yet satisfying it does open up for more in this series which does make me excited.

Overall, like I have said before about both Book 1 and 2 and now about 3 these books just have the perfect combination of magic, mystery, pensive angst, and humour, to make it an excellent read. It is such a unique setting and story that are a joy to read.