The Geomancer's Apprentice is the first book in an entertaining urban fantasy series (and a debut novel) by Yin Leong. Released 3rd Feb 2021, it's 253 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on KU.
This is an action driven, very well written and engaging classic urban fantasy with a hapless but doesn't-know-her-own-strengths female protagonist in a "chosen one" role. She manages to be funny, sarcastic, kickass and vulnerable at the same time and is exactly the kind of person you'd want backing you up in a tight spot or grabbing a chai latte at the local espresso house. Her sidekick/mentor/boss is an appealing "everyman" and adds a lot to the story.
The creepy and violent elements are present but not overpowering to the plot and there's not a lot of blood and gore directly described in the text (though there's a fair bit of description included of past "echoes" of light horror, body horror, demonic possession, etc. Readers who are extremely squeamish probably won't have any trouble reading the level of description included; it definitely won't be problematic for people who enjoy light horror/dark fantasy.
The fantasy elements and mythology are SE Asian tinged and the author has included a fascinating array of info about Chinese demons, feng shui, and some warmly recounted realities of parental "meddling" and the Chinese mom grapevine in action.
It's not at all derivative, but fans of Patricia Briggs, Kim Harrison, and Kelley Armstrong will likely enjoy this one. There are 5 books in the series at this point and it would be a great choice for a long binge/buddy read.
Four and a half stars. It's a very promising series opener, especially since it's a debut novel. The series hit the ground running.
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