This reader's personal opinion, ©2019, all rights reserved, not to be quoted, clipped or used in any way by goodreads, Google Play, amazon.com or other commercial booksellers*
Oh boy, this was an excellent -- almost classic -- urban fantasy.
Rather surprised me; mostly because it was a random library find in with a bunch of cozy mysteries where I thought it was going to be a cozy mystery.
This one had a feisty heroine neither an idiot or so super-powerful it was almost like reading a deus ex machina story. The worldbuilding kept an internal logic and clearly can develop into future books to make a juicy series.
Kincaid Strange is a "practitioner" -- someone who can see ghosts, the other side, and raise zombies. I know, *groan*, how many of those series are there? But, this is no Anita Blake ripoff. Kincaid has a life, friends, and a struggling business since the authorities no longer allow law enforcement to use consultants like her and have outlawed raising zombies (even for court appearances). A chance encounter with a newly raised zombie -- not raised by her -- launches a story that held me start to finish.
I want to read more of this world and these characters.
*©2019. All rights reserved except permission is granted to author or publisher (except Penumbra Publishing) to reprint/quote in whole or in part. I may also have cross-posted on Libib, LibraryThing, and other sites including retailers like kobo and Barnes and Noble. Posting on any site does not grant that site permission to share with any third parties or indicate release of copyright.
Ratings scale used in absence of a booklikes suggested rating scale:
★★★★★ = All Time Favorite
★★★★½ = Extraordinary Book. Really Loved It.
★★★★☆ = Loved It.
★★★½☆ = Really Liked.
★★★☆☆ = Liked.
★★½☆☆ = Liked parts; parts only okay. Would read more by author.
★★☆☆☆ = Average. Okay.
★½☆☆☆ = Disliked or meh? but kept reading in hopes would improve.
★☆☆☆☆ = Loathed It. Possibly DNF and a torturous read.
½☆☆☆☆ = So vile was a DNF or should have been. Cannot imagine anyone liking. (Might also be just an "uploaded" word spew or collection that should not be dignified by calling itself a "published book." If author is going batshit crazy in the blogosphere over reviews -- I now know why they are getting bad reviews. Or maybe author should take remedial classes for language written in until basic concepts like using sentences sink in. Is author even old enough to sign a publishing contract or do they need a legal guardian to sign for them?)