Rating: 4.25 stars
Buy Links: Amazon | iBooks | Amazon UK
Length: Novel
Gluttony and Other Hungers is the final book in T.J. Nichols’ excellent urban fantasy Mytho series. The books follow directly upon one another and, as this is the finale, this review has spoilers for some other events in the series. Check out my review of the first book, Lust and Other Drugs, for a spoiler-free review to get you started with the series.
Edra and Jordan are still reeling from the thrill of the Mytho personhood bill passing, as well as from the devastation of the horrible bombing. Edra has seen a lot of Mytho death and informing the families that loved ones have died never gets easier. Edra is getting ready to transition out of his Knight role and into the head of Mytho Servo, but navigating Mytho conflicts is always going to be at least partly his responsibility. So when he and Jordan learn that their friend Sean’s ogre boyfriend, Troy, has been attacked, they begin looking into it further. Some of the more traditional ogre elders are not happy that Troy is dating a human, rather than marrying a woman in the ogre community. Navigating the situation is tricky, particularly as this is one of the first tests of how laws will apply to Mythos now that the new personhood bill has passed.
The guys are also gearing up for their impending wedding. Even though they are already officially mated, this wedding is a symbol not only of their personal love and commitment, but also the public face of Mytho/human partnerships. Protesters are still complaining about the wedding, and so after the bombing, Edra and Jordan can’t help but feel a little worried about things going off smoothly. But they are also looking forward to taking this step together (not to mention finally relaxing with a long honeymoon). The men have come a long way together, and they are finally getting a chance to publicly celebrate their love and their future as a couple.
I have really enjoyed this series and the final book ties the whole thing together so well. One of the hallmarks of these books has always been Nichols’ incredible world building and this story is no different. The series touches on so many different kinds of mythological creatures and the wealth of details Nichols brings to these stories is just amazing. The books incorporate politics, mating rituals, magic, community norms, and so many other little elements for every Mytho being and I just can’t even describe how well Nichols brings it all together. The stories never give a sense of info dump where we are just being told a mess of facts; instead, it is all just really nicely integrated into the story in a way that feels organic. For example, here we learn all about the ogres, how their family units form, what their typical jobs are, what they look like, what their temperaments are, etc. It just gives a sense that these are real beings that just come to life in the story.
This final book brings to a close many of the major events of the series, including setting up Edra for his new role in Mytho Servo. There is also some closure regarding one of the characters who was stirring up a lot of trouble for the men, as well as with regard to Jordan and his parents. But with the resolution of the Mytho personhood vote in the prior book, most of the focus here is on the romance end. I really love Edra and Jordan as a couple and have enjoyed seeing the progression of their relationship over the series. The guys have come so far together and there is such a nice sense of the two men settling into their lives here in this book. We get to see their wedding and it is nice both from the romance end, as well as how Nichols weaves in some of the world building elements.
The story also has a smaller side plot focused on Sean and Troy, which I think makes a nice parallel to Edra and Jordan’s relationship. They are both human/Mytho couples, and Sean and Troy experience many of the same issues that Jordan and Edra face. In their case, they also have to deal with the fact that Troy is less likely to pass as human, as well as that he has an ogre community that he has to navigate. Things are left a little open ended here for them in terms of their conflict resolution. It looks like Nichols is working on a story just for them, so presumably that is why things don’t finish up here, but I did wish for a bit more closure. It appears we are also getting a prequel of sorts featuring a character we meet here focused on the time of the collapse. I am really excited that while this main story is ending, it appears that things are not done here in this world.
I have really enjoyed this series so much and think it is a great urban fantasy with some really excellent world building. Gluttony and Other Hungers brings this series to a wonderful close and I would highly recommend these books to those who enjoy paranormal/urban fantasy stories with great world building.
