No Country for Old Gnomes by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne- ARC Review

War is coming, and it’s gonna be Pell.

On one side stand the gnomes: smol, cheerful, possessing tidy cardigans and no taste for cruelty.

On the other side sit the halflings, proudly astride their war alpacas, carrying bags of grenades and hungry for a fight. And pretty much anything else.

It takes only one halfling bomb and Offi Numminen’s world is turned upside down—or downside up, really, since he lives in a hole in the ground. His goth cardigans and aggressive melancholy set him apart from the other gnomes, as does his decision to fight back against their halfling oppressors. Suddenly Offi is the leader of a band of lovable misfits and outcasts—from a gryphon who would literally kill for omelets to a young dwarf herbalist who is better with bees than with his cudgel to an assertive and cheerful teen witch with a beard as long as her book of curses—all on a journey to the Toot Towers to confront the dastardly villain intent on tearing Pell asunder. These adventurers never fit in anywhere else, but as they become friends, fight mermaids, and get really angry at this one raccoon, they learn that there’s nothing more heroic than being yourself. (taken from Amazon)

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book will be available for purchase on April 16th of this year

I was so excited to receive this book, because I loved the first book in the Pell series (Kill the Farm Boy). I was hopeful that this would continue in the fun vein of the first, and I was not disappointed.

This fantastic book not only turns classic fantasy tropes upside down, it shakes their pockets for loose change. I loved it! It was chock full of puns, ridiculous situations, and hilarious characters.

Offi, the emo gnome might very well be my favorite. There’s nothing like a cute little gnome wearing gothic blacks, and rolling his eyes, to make a person chuckle. Reading his interactions with Onni was a lesson in how funny tweaking words here and there can be.

The writing was fantastic, the story was quick-moving and funny as Pell, and I honestly can’t think of a single thing I’d change. I enjoyed this book even more than the first, and that’s saying something. I’m still grinning, thinking about prophetic cabbages…

If you enjoy quirky books, word plays, and a healthy dose of humor, this book is for you.