SIGILS OF SPRING

This seventh installment of an urban fantasy series finds lovers with supernatural powers surprisingly helpless when mysterious abductors grab one of them.

Quentin d’Arcy may finally be able to work through some things. Long-buried memories of his father’s unimaginable abuse have resurfaced and plagued him with nightmares. But now, Quentin, a wealthy British earl, is back at his San Diego home with his beloved American lover, Laurence Riley. He’s seeing therapists, hoping he can be honest about his psychokinesis. But while Quentin has faced the likes of dark creatures and fiendish sociopaths, he may now be up against his greatest threat—a meddlesome YouTuber. Cameron Delaney believes incidents Quentin has been involved in prove the spirit of the earl’s mother has been haunting him. This internet ghost hunter even stirs up a horde of paranormal fanatics who crowd around Quentin and Laurence’s La Jolla mansion like paparazzi. Surely Delaney will be the first person Laurence suspects when kidnappers get their hands on Quentin. But Laurence should be able to see psychically where his lover is—so why can’t he? Quentin, too, has been having trouble controlling his psychokinesis, which he now can’t access at all. While Quentin tries throwing light on his captors’ motives, Laurence’s search becomes desperate, as most of his friends’ special gifts are useless. He has no choice but to turn to a relative stranger, who may be wielding dark magic, and an enemy whom Laurence probably shouldn’t trust. Answers to the kidnapping plot along with a possible escape may lie in Quentin’s sordid past.

This ostensibly simple caper follows Rites of Winter (2019), which explored the land of the dead. While it seems as if Faulkner has taken a lighthearted detour, this book aptly delves into dark themes that shroud the entire series. Quentin, for example, is a prisoner of familial ties, and Laurence has long represented his freedom. This installment is likewise a prime example of how strongly the author links each volume. There are endless references to past events and characters, from a question in Book 6 that’s still lingering to the name-dropping of an antagonist from the very first novel. Readers will best enjoy this series from the beginning and in sequential order, as they may otherwise find themselves lost. Elsewhere, Faulkner takes a satirical stab at amateur newshounds. Delaney’s desire to inflate his million subscribers on YouTube propels him to frightening lengths and to forgo common sense and decency. At the same time, it’s a welcome sight when characters display skills outside the supernatural. Rodger, one of the superpowered teens that Quentin and Laurence mentor, excels at some old-fashioned detective work that uses his computer expertise, which, rather hilariously, bewilders Laurence. The cast shines, including despicable Delaney; a villain who pops up halfway through the story; and a bevy of returning characters. While the protagonists are, as always, an indelible, series-worthy couple, others stand out as well, such as Laurence’s familiar, Windsor, a charming raven with whom he often communicates telepathically. The ending hints at an evil that the heroes may not have encountered yet.

This enthralling, sensational tale further bolsters a series about love and superpowers.