Frostbite

Starred review from May 23, 2016
Debut author Bader introduces readers to the Modern Knights series with an extremely impressive first novel of delicious urban fantasy with just a hint of romance. Colin Fisher, wizard, is a Harvard dropout who’s become a wanderer, searching for answers regarding his fiancée’s disappearance years ago. He and his car, Dorothy, have been traversing the present-day United States, but now he feels obligated to head home to Colorado to see his dying, estranged father one last time. His plans, however, have a way of abruptly changing, and Colin’s agenda is disrupted when he finds a body in Oklahoma that’s missing its heart. This fantastical thrill ride is filled with perfectly timed pop-culture references, stunning plot twists, and the snarky (and sometimes offensive) stylings of Colin’s inner voice. Along the way he finds a job as the personal wizard for a man who embodies the sneaky evil of corporate homogeneity, and he begins dating Veruca, his boss’s pink-wearing personal assassin. Readers who have wearied of depictions of religion clashing with magic will be delighted that Colin is a devoutly Catholic wizard who’s as comfortable attending Mass as reading from The Necronomicon. Well-researched and creatively presented humor and action perfectly blend with moral quandaries in this outstanding debut.