Seanan McGuire

Chaos choreography

The fifth book in New York Times-bestselling Seanan McGuire's witty urban fantasy InCryptid series about a family of cryptozoologists who act as a buffer between humans and the magical creatures living in secret around us. "The only thing more fun than an October Daye book is an InCryptid book." —Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of Sookie Stackhouse series Destiny, Noun: 1. The inevitable or irresistible course of events. 2. The inescapable future. 3. See also “Screwed.” Verity Price is back on the West Coast and getting back into the swing of the family business: cryptozoology. She's rescuing cryptids from bad situations, protecting them from monster-hunters, and generally risking life and limb for the greater good, with her ex-Covenant partner/husband, Dominic, by her side. Her ballroom dance career is behind her...or so she thinks. When Verity gets the call from the producers of Dance or Die, the reality show she almost won several years before, she finds the lure of a comeback impossible to resist, and she and Dominic are off to L.A. for one last shot at the big time. Of course, nothing is that simple. When two of her fellow contestants turn up dead, Verity will need every ally she can find—and a couple she wasn't looking for—in order to navigate the complicated steps of both the tango and a murder investigation without blowing her cover. It doesn't help that her official family backup is her grandmother, Alice Price-Healy, who thinks "subtle" is something that happens to other people. Winning this competition may have just become a matter of life and death.

Chaos Choreography

Jeff James

I’m on a roll at this point! The InCryptid books are the only thing I want to listen to during my walks, and I’m going to use up a year’s worth of Audible credits way too soon.

Chaos Choreography switches perspectives back to Verity Price, the focus of the first two books in the series. This is kind of a nice trick, because each protagonist gives the series its own flavor. You can have the shared world of cryptozoologists, but if there isn’t a story to tell about one of the Price kids, McGuire can switch to another.

This installment is particularly absurd and focuses on Verity’s time as a contestant on an all-stars version of a reality show dance competition. When eliminated contestants start getting vivisected and covered with strange runes, Verity has to try to stop the villains without losing her competitive edge. Needless to say, complications ensue.

Mere minutes after finishing this book, I bought book six. The series to date (as of this writing) totals eight published books with one more scheduled for next year. At least I still have enough credits left to catch up.

Didi Chanoch

I'm going to split this review in two parts, the first for non InCryptid readers, and the second for readers of the series. 

This is the 5th InCryptid novel and the 3rd starring Verity Price, middle daughter of the younger generation of the Price family, cryptozoologists who defend the creatures and people who science has yet to classify while also defending humanity from the worse of those. In this one, Verity returns to her first love: dancing. She's called to join an all-star season of the dance reality show she - or rather, she in a wig and under an assumed name - almost won a few years previously. If you've never read a Seanan McGuire novel, you might be happy for Verity, as she goes on this lovely adventure. If you've read pretty much any Seanan McGuire, you know things aren't ever going to be simple or easy for our protagonist. This was, in my opinion, the best InCryptid novel yet, and is highly recommended. 

Now, on to the second part, with spoilers for previous books in the series.

It's so great to go back to Verity. While I'm still waiting for the Antimony novels to arrive, I prefer Verity to Alex. I was delighted by the relationships, family and otherwise, woven in the story, none more than Verity's current relationship with Dominic. One of the reasons I don't love Romance is the ever occurring complications. I just like a good relationship, well described, and Verity and Dominic have a great one. It was also great to have this part of Verity's life fleshed out, and to see her growth as a character. Plus, a family member we haven't seen in the novels plays a major part, and I loved that family member. 

All in all, an excellent installment in the series, and one that raises the stakes. And now, let's have some Antimony.

Maggie Gordon

Chaos Choreography is Seanan McGuire at her most fun with the added bonus that the POV character for this volume is the ever wonderful Verity, middle child of the Price family and ballroom dancer! 

Incryptid is an urban fantasy series about a dynasty of cryptozoologists who are trying to ensure that cryptids (aka creatures we think are mythical) can live peaceably in society without getting killed by humans or eating humans. This is a challenging task given the fact that humanity is also not supposed to know about cryptids, and there's a human organisation dedicated to wiping them off the planet. The books/short stories are told through the eyes of the different family members through the generations, though my favourite thus far is Verity, the woman who tried to escape her family's legacy, but got drawn back in.

In previous books, Verity's ballroom dancing career was put on hold when she had to step up her duties to the cryptid community in New York. During her time there she met, converted, and married one of the family's sworn enemies, and both of them had just settled back down with the rest of the family when a wonderful dance opportunity is dumped in Verity's lap. A few years previous she was a contestant on Dance or Die, coming second, and now there's going to be a season of all the top contestants from the past few years. This is her last chance to see whether she can make it as a dancer, but when contestants wind up dead she's plunged back into her cryptozoologist role. 

Chaos Choreography is filled with wittiness, energy, and a plot that doesn't let up! Plus, on top of getting to check in with Verity and Dominic, everyone finally gets to met Grandma Alice, the 80 year old dimension hopping lady who looks like she's in her 20s. I am very excited to learn more about Alice's strange life, but she was a delight to meet in this novel!

Pick up the Incrypid novels if you are a fan of fun urban fantasy! They are creative, full of amazing creatures, and full of frenetic energy that leaves you wanting more!

Chaos choreography

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