1) Owlcat Mountain thought Circle of Enemies was the best Twenty Palaces book yet: “The unique system of magic, the complex characters, and the fresh and vibrant plotline all combine to form one of the summer’s best fantasy novels.”

2) Dean Fetzer liked both Game of Cages and Child of Fire enough to use the word “genius”: “Okay, if you don’t like anything fantastical or supernatural, my advice would be to look away now. But you’ll be missing good reads. Your loss.”

3) Samantha Holloway at the NY Journal of Books liked Circle of Enemies quite a bit. “It’s noir made vital again with really strange monsters. It’s a thriller almost totally lacking the usual obsession with the technical details of the weapons, leaving more space for thrills. It’s one man against the dark with only a paper knife and woefully little education. And it’s addictively compelling.”

4) Beth at Library Chicken also liked Circle of Enemies: “It’s a gripping combination of characters and situation, and finishing the last book makes me want to start the series all over again.”

5) Michael B. Sullivan also also liked Circle of Enemies: “But if you’re looking for a dark, action-and-investigation oriented modern day fantasy series, nobody else is writing books quite like Harry Connolly, and you should check out Child of Fire.”

6) Charlaine Harris says nice things about my books: “I think Connolly’s books are startlingly original and suspenseful, and I recommend them all highly.” (Which is very nice! I expect I’ll have to update that link very soon, though)

7) K.C. Shaw at Skunk Cat Book Reviews thought Circle of Enemies was the best book yet: “Connolly’s monsters would freak the hell out of Lovecraft.“

1) Google Alerts didn’t offer this link, but I found it on my own. Marshall Payne really, really didn’t like Child of Fire: “… the overuse of Dick and Jane sentences and lack of expressive writing bothered me…”

2) Over at the blog for Black Gate magazine, “GrueCrow” liked Game of Cages very much: “Catherine and Ray have been dispatched to botch the sale of a predator, who is being held in the “cage” of the title. Of course this doesn’t turn out to be as simple as planned, and the plot deepens in complexity and bounds along from there on without leaving any holes to fall though.”

3) Christine Rains liked both books: “This is dark and gritty urban fantasy at its best.”

4) Dreamwidth user rushthatspeaks liked Game of Cages but thought it was too similar to Child of Fire” “Still, this is perfectly competent fantasy of a kind I would call ‘urban’ except that it’s kind of semi-rural, with an enjoyable Twin Peaks vibe.”

5) Harriet Klausner liked Circle of Enemies: “Fast-paced and loaded with action, Ray’s timely and angst ethical dilemma (think of drones in the war against terrorism) makes for a great tale.” But she calls the book the “final Twenty Palaces urban fantasy thriller.” Does she know something I don’t??? :)

6) Owlcat Mountain liked Game of Cages: “Harry Connolly’s first novel, Child of Fire, was named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly. And indeed, Connolly proved worthy of the honor—for a first-time author, he showed remarkable skill. With his second novel, Game of Cages, he continues the tale of Ray Lilly, an ex-con swept up in a world of magic and danger.”

7) Jaime at Ruled by Books liked Child of Fire: “The characters that Connolly creates, most especially his main character (Ray Lilly), are outstanding. Ray has a very clear voice, which is difficult in the first person point of view common in the Urban Fantasy genre. However, Connolly quickly differentiates him from his peers in the genre.