The City of Lost Fortunes (Cresesnt City 1) - Bryan Camp

"Jude has been lying low since the storm, which caused so many things to be lost that it played havoc with his magic, and he is hiding from his own power, his divine former employer, and a debt owed to the Fortune god of New Orleans. But his six-year retirement ends abruptly when the Fortune god is murdered and Jude is drawn back into the world he tried so desperately to leave behind. A world full of magic, monsters, and miracles. A world where he must find out who is responsible for the Fortune god’s death, uncover the plot that threatens the city’s soul, and discover what his talent for lost things has always been trying to show him: what it means to be his father’s son."

The City of Lost Fortunes is an ode, a dedication, to New Orleans and its people. A fantastic, imaginative fairytale-like puzzle of gods and monsters, supernatural folklore and myths. It is an incredible venture into a world otherwise unseen to mere mortals, topped up with a generous dose of attitude, unexpected nuggets of wisdom and twists, underlined by an unwillingness to fold in a game with an open ending.

It's gorgeously written book, though naturally so and just enough that as I read I kept realizing how much I was enjoying the descriptions, the language, the refrains that cast so many echoes throughout the story. The events and the New Orleans it takes place in are vivid. So are the characters, their flaws and their desires. It's also a ton of dark and fascinating fun.          

I liked all of the characters in the book- some of them we have all heard about through various tales, but it seemed to me that Bryan Camp is a special kind of puppeteer to bring them all together: angels, vampires, zombies, psychopomps, voodoo loas riding the human bodies, ghouls… I’m telling you, this book is a treasure and when you’re reading it, you’re the pirate taking a dive into a loot of pure gold. A completely wonderful book for anyone loves mythology, folklore, magic realism or urban fantasy.  

Jude was a fun yet sympathetic character to follow through this winding story, at once cheering him on and laughing at his antics. His trickster nature a true delight to see come forward.

Age Rating 14+. Deals with a few mature themes and some strong language.