Book Review: The Demon and the Fox (The Calations #2) by Tim Susman
You might want to continue this series if you:
-Want to see more worldbuilding outside the college walls
-Are eager for the historical elements to be expanded upon
-Are curious about the attack on the college
-Can tolerate a bit of a slow buildup
-Enjoy summoning the occasional demon
Book 2 of the Calatians series picks up where the first left off, with Kip and his friends continuing their sorcery education. But now that the hurdles of enrollment and apprenticeship are finally cleared, they're able to pay more attention to the mystery of who or what carried out the attack on the college. While Kip continues his studies, even spending some time in London learning from a fellow fire sorcerer, his investigation into the attack attracts new threats to not only his education, but the lives of him and his friends.
And so the stakes rise and things are getting more interesting in the Calatians saga. I was happy to see the pivot out of the typical magical academy formula and toward the mystery of the college attack. Kip's investigation into who/what attacked the college and why brings with it a great deal of worldbuilding beyond the walls of the college, which means more of the historical fantasy elements that make this book shine. John Quincy Adams is visiting the college to discuss revolution, Britain is being oppressive toward its lower classes, the church is rather averse to the whole demon summoning thing, etc. It's everything I was hoping for in this sequel, so I can certainly say I enjoyed it.
The magic in the series is also expanded upon. Demon summoning, as the title would imply, plays a big part in this book. The nature of demons, their dangers, their usefulness, and their capabilities are explained at length, and I personally thought it made for a fascinating summoning system. It also works for character development. Kip's relationship with magic continues to evolve, and it shows us more of who he is. The way Kip treats and uses the demons he summons goes a long way to highlight his qualities, just like how he treated phosphorous elementals with kindness in the first book. I love the way Kip's evolving relationship with magic also helps his character evolve.
I will say that the first half of the story was rather slow. Kip heads off to London to learn fire sorcery from a master who specializes in it, and as a result his friends are left out of the story for a long period of time. I found that an odd choice, as I had grown accustomed to Kip's friends being around, and their dynamics were one of my favorite parts of the first book. As a result, Kip's London journey feels like a bit of a side quest to get through before returning to the main tale. The plot does speed up again when he returns to the colonies, and his friends are more active than ever in the last half at least, so if you find the first half a bit slow like I did, be assured that all the setup done in London will be worth it.
Altogether I'm happy with where the series is going and can't wait to see what the next book holds.
Print: https://furplanet.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=995
Ebook: https://baddogbooks.com/product/the-demon-and-the-fox/
Audiobook: https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781664920491-the-demon-and-the-fox