A Blight of Blackwings

I think my enjoyment of this was hurt a little by just how long it was between volumes. I remember loving the first installment, but I didn't remember very much of what actually happened and probably could have used a reread before jumping in. That said, I think Kevin Hearne has made a really cool world with a really cool magic system, and I liked all the characters except Hanima who feels like a magic pixie dream girl and whose speech is so anachronistic as to break her chapters for me. But I love a bard, I love stories within stories, I love palace intrigue, and it's got all that and then some, so if you're looking for a fun high fantasy, I'd still say give this series a try.