REVIEW by Trish: Flock by KJ Bauer

Deep within the abandoned darkness of London sits the hub of a clandestine community – the ‘Office’. For decades, secluded in an underground base of secret history, unworldly knowledge and incogitable crises:

“We’re out of chocolate digestives!”

When two bickering colleagues make a disturbing discovery, their find triggers further adversity. A city-wide upset, a localised riot and the fallout of a powerful, enchanted stone. Not quite their daily grind.

The pair, Amy and Fletch, take on the deadly, paranormal mystery; a series of eerie murders and the sinister truth of a young amnesiac. Teamed with determined workmate Tashta and fiery boss Una, they investigate the magickal London privy to them. The four navigate through absurd conspiracy theories, stolen contraband and the distinct lack of an HR department.

The Office team’s quest embroils them with a charismatic exorcist, a fanboy psychic and an unruly laser-printer. But the danger that awaits is far beyond their job description. Hidden agendas may prove as lethal as the shadowy foe they seek.

About the Book

Flock
by KJ Bauer

Series
n/a; standalone

Genre
Adult
Urban Fantasy
Mystery, Thriller, & Suspense

Publisher
Matador

Publication Date
November 20, 2018

Purchase Your Copy Today!
Amazon

Trish’s Review

Flock isn’t about birds at all. It is about a not-so-secret magical agency housed in London, created to guard the world against threats that might end it. I say not-so-secret because everyone who’s in the know about magic knows about the Office.

I picked this up because I saw glimmers of the tongue-in-cheek humor I enjoy in stories and shows sourced from the UK. I enjoyed those glimmers coming to light in the story, though sometimes I had to double take to realize one did. The ornery printer-copier, the out-of-place video game addiction, the Jedi, and the unremarkable men, all amused me.

I also enjoyed the cast of characters. They were surprising in many ways, humorous and diverse, and highly expressive. On the other hand, I found the use of ‘their’ for the non-human characters to be confusing. It is explained, but I had to remind myself of the explanation as I read. Also, there are a ton of characters in this, a ton, and it felt like I was expected to already have a certain familiarity with them. I can’t tell if this is a sequel, but it sure seems like it is, what with all the established characters seeming to continue on their predetermined character paths. It also seems to have set up for another book, so even if this isn’t a sequel, I’m pretty sure it will have one, if it doesn’t already.

On a similar note, the story works to advance several characters at once, and it handles this by cycling among them rather rapidly, even in ongoing scenes. Paired with the multiple well-established characters whom I had trouble remembering, this made it rather difficult for me to keep up with what was happening to whom. I did eventually get used to the style and pick up on the details that eluded me at the beginning of the reading. By the end, I knew enough to really get into the craziness these folks were getting up to.

Finally, this story was smart in many ways. The humor, the puns, and the witticisms left me chuckling, when I realized they were there. Sometimes I had to pull out the dictionary, many times actually, and I actually highlighted a couple of new words I liked. The plot itself is complex and interrelated, all drawing to a close like a well-formulated mystery novel.

Overall, I enjoyed this story, but it challenged me. I must say folks who enjoy a good urban paranormal with British humor mixed in will likely enjoy this, but I recommend reading this alongside a good cup of tea or caffeine invigorator of choice so as to keep up with the thing. Reading it on the Kindle was very helpful with the handy built-in dictionary, which revealed to me the meanings of all but one of the unfamiliar words I encountered in the reading.

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Disclaimer

The review copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. All titles reviewed on this blog are a fair and honest assessment of the book. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this review. For more information regarding our review process, please visit our Review Policy & Review Request Submission page.