MentatJack

• Official Marla Mason Website
• Read my review of Blood Engines

Fans of urban fantasy that were jarred by the lack of romance in Blood Engines, will enjoy the more complex personal relationships in Poison Sleep. Even some of the platonic relationships will pull on your heart strings.

We learn more about Marla’s relationship to her city, Felport. I love this description of one of Marla’s rivals:

Conquer the world. Crush all opposition with iron boots. You know, guy stuff. Very linear, very top-down.

In contrast, Marla walks the streets of her city. She knows who squats where and finds promise in the most unlikely places. Protecting every part of this city is Marla’s driving force.

I noticed when reading Blood Engines that Pratt like to show us sorcerers that specialize in distinct magic systems and show Marla in contrast as a brute-force-mancer that uses any magic she can get her hands on. In Poison Sleep we encounter sympathetic magic, chaos magic, dream magic, love magic, filth magic and fungal magic. Marla manipulates some, embraces some, counters others and when all else fails beats things into submission. Diplomacy happens, but Marla doesn’t get much on her.

Poison Sleep is even darker than Blood Enginges, but it remains a fun, well crafted story. It could easily stand on it’s own as a novel, but I can’t wait to read the next installment, Dead Reign.