The Shambling Guide to New York City by Mur Lafferty ★★★★☆

A Joyful reading experience.

Fiction – Adult - Urban Fantasy

361 pages

Publication Date:  2013

The Shambling Guides #1

Zoe is sure she can find the right job in New York City as a travel book editor, but when she thinks she may have found it one thing holds her back.  The fact that she is human.  Tenacious with a hardy helping of desperate Zoe finally convinces them she is the right girl for the job, now all she has to do is convince herself. 

This was a fun and quirky story from page one, with a clever and snarky writing style that made me laugh out loud.  Lafferty creates an interesting world with a well-constructed back story and subcultures.  The lovely eccentric characters added texture and various view points, from John the incubus who is slightly obsessed with Zoe to Arthur the human who can understand Zoe, but is still way more of an outsider than Zoe. 

Zoe is smart, observant and tenacious.  She is affected by the monster world, but doesn’t let it completely overwhelm her, she is also just a vulnerable human, but not impotent in a world of super powers and monsters which is a very nice balance.  I loved the excerpt sections in between the chapters and the foreshadowing in them.  One thing wasn’t my favorite.  There is one very racy scene and I have to say if the whole book was like that I would have been really unhappy, but fortunately it was only a brief part sandwiched in between deliciously scrumptious other ones.

This book is a jewel; yep I have been reduced to a gushing fangirl over this book.  I have been thinking of giving my fangirl side a name since she seems to have her own personality.  Maybe something like Mildred, a sassy girl with a black Daria bob, thick glasses and enough curves to warrant a drive carefully sign.  I’ll have to think on it.  But I digress back to review.  I felt in the very core of my being that this book could be delightful and it was.  Of course I tend to be a sucker for quirky.  The closet feeling I can relate my excitement to while reading this story is bubbly.  This book made me feel bubbly - not a great descriptor, I know - but that is how it made me feel, bubbly with joy at the writing, the characters and the story possibilities.