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Jaylia3

Reflections

Eager reader of history, mystery, classics, biographies, steampunk, lit fic, science, scifi, and etc. My reviews are mostly positive--I rarely finish or write about books I don't enjoy. My TBR is too high for that.

Witty urban fantasy fun

The Ghost Train to New Orleans - Mur Lafferty

How would you like to attend a masked Carnival ball hosted by a shady dude called “The One Who Kills and Is Thanked For It” when you’ve packed only grubby clothes and you’re flanked by two omni-gorgeous goddesses?  Zoë  isn’t crazy about it, but it’s all part of her job editing travel guides for the undead and immortal. It’s a job she’s very good at and while, yes, it can be a little nerve-wracking overseeing writers who’d love to eat her brains, smite her dead, or drink her blood, times are tough and Zoë needs the steady income. Plus she now has a water sprite, a death goddess, and a Valkyrie as her best friends, which can sometimes be unsettling but is still pretty cool. At least that’s what Zoë thinks most of the time.

 

I can’t resist this witty urban fantasy series and one of the best things about it is Zoë, a non-paranormal human who recently discovered she isn’t quite as ordinary as she thought. It turns out she can talk to the souls of cities--a trick that may come in handy for a travel editor if she can figure out how to master it. In this book she and her team of writers take a high speed ghost train to New Orleans to gather material for their next city guide, but Zoë is also hoping to help her new boyfriend Arthur find a voodoo-like herbalist somewhere in the swamps who may have medicine to stave off Arthur’s zombie infection.

 

Right from the start there are difficulties. Zoë is relegated to coach while her writers ride first class because the paranormals in charge don’t consider humans quite equal, their train is robbed by a bunch of ghosts in badly fitting cowboy costumes, and Arthur is refusing Zoë’s help and has knocked himself out with Benadryl for the trip so they can’t talk about it. Once in New Orleans Zoë starts assigning stories, but the sultry, playful, paranormal-rich ambiance of the city is not helping anyone’s focus, though it is quite entertaining to read about.

 

Zoë has mostly embraced her unusual job and new experiences, plunging ahead with all the determination and common sense she can muster even when it’s hard to tell ally from foe. While she sometimes has an attitude, Zoë always (almost) tries to do the right thing, even wanting to console a deeply depressed vampire co-worker who’s tempted to use her for comfort food. With great characters, ongoing suspense, plenty of surprises, and lots of laughs I finished Ghost Train to New Orleans longing for Zoë’s next adventure.

 

Source: http://jaylia3.booklikes.com/post/862143/witty-urban-fantasy-fun