Review: Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish

Title: Owl and the Japanese Circus (The Adventures of Owl #1)
Author: Krista Charish
Publisher: Gallery (Simon & Schuster)
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Acquired Via: Library
Fans of Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, and Linda Hamilton will flock to the kick-ass world of Owl, a modern-day “Indiana Jane” who reluctantly navigates the hidden supernatural world.

Ex-archaeology grad student turned international antiquities thief, Alix—better known now as Owl—has one rule. No supernatural jobs. Ever. Until she crosses paths with Mr. Kurosawa, a red dragon who owns and runs the Japanese Circus Casino in Las Vegas. He insists Owl retrieve an artifact stolen three thousand years ago, and makes her an offer she can’t refuse: he’ll get rid of a pack of vampires that want her dead. A dragon is about the only entity on the planet that can deliver on Owl’s vampire problem – and let’s face it, dragons are known to eat the odd thief.

Owl retraces the steps of Mr. Kurosawa’s ancient thief from Japan to Bali with the help of her best friend, Nadya, and an attractive mercenary. As it turns out though, finding the scroll is the least of her worries. When she figures out one of Mr. Kurosawa’s trusted advisors is orchestrating a plan to use a weapon powerful enough to wipe out a city, things go to hell in a hand basket fast…and Owl has to pick sides.

My Review

This review was originally posted at http://kimheniadis.com and used to introduce the newest reviewer, Kim, to the fold.

You know that old saying, Don’t Choose a Book by Its Cover? I usually don’t. I often pick a book by its title, that’s why I chose Owl and the Japanese Circus by Kristi Charish. Owls in a Japanese circus act? What are they doing? But wait, this is an Urban Fantasy, so that can’t even be close to what it’s about. I flipped the book over and started reading the back.

Fans of Kim Harrison, Jim Butcher, and Linda Hamilton will flock to the kick-ass world of Owl, a modern-day “Indiana Jane” who reluctantly navigates the hidden supernatural world.

Harrison and Butcher’s books are ones that I read as soon as they come out. And I’ve never heard of Linda Hamilton, but maybe they meant Laurell K. Hamilton, and I used to read her books... sounds excellent so far.

Then I read “modern-day “Indiana Jane”. What is that meme? Shut up and take my money.

I have watched the first three Indiana Jones movies more times than Kate Chapshaw screams in The Temple of Doom. Plus my mom always wanted to be an archaeologist, which meant a part of me growing up wanted to be that too (as well as a veterinarian or a detective).

Yeah, the advertising team knew exactly what to say to get me to pick up this book.

This is a fast paced book with Owl, her friends and her cat (whose breed is used to hunt vampires) going from archaeology dig to an encounter with dangerous supernaturals, one after another. But Charish still leaves time for great character development, and the start of a romance.

I am not an online gamer myself, but a lot of my friends are, so I really enjoyed how Charish incorporated a second story line, that is essential to the main story, with the gaming world. Although Owl has a strict rule of keeping the two worlds separate, one of the people on her team doesn't care to follow that rule. And this is a very good thing for Owl.

It was mentioned quite a few times in Owl and the Japanese Circus about Owl being socially awkward. But for me it came across more as being young, not having had a lot of experiences with guys, and in general, not giving a f*** what people (especially supernaturals) thought of her.

We do see some growth of Owl by the end of the book, which was wonderful, especially in the romance department. One of my rants is when one or both of the main characters keeps going back and for with, I like you, but I don’t/can’t like you. There was a touch of this, but it was handled well, and didn’t make me want to put the book down.

So if you like your books with dragons, nagas, vampires, cats, incubuses, samurai ghosts, thralls, nymphs, archaeologists, or online gamers, then you’re in luck. Even if you don’t I would still recommend reading Owl and the Japanese Circus.

Go get yourself a copy and then come back here and tell me what you thought. I’ll be here, waiting patiently for the next book in the series, Owl and the City of Angels, to come out.

- 4/5 Stars -

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