Teagan Frost’s life is finally back on track. Her role working for the government as a telekinetic operative is going well and she might even be on course for convincing her crush to go out with her. But, little does she know, that sh*t is about to hit the fan . . .
A young boy with the ability to cause earthquakes has come to Los Angeles – home to the San Andreas, one of the most lethal fault lines in the world. If Teagan can’t stop him, the entire city – and the rest of California – could be wiped off the map.
It’s an odd thing to say about a book that contains a bunch of earthquakes and a whole lot of people dying… but I had a lot of fun with this book.
Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air is the second book of Jackson Ford’s Frost Files — a contemporary urban fantasy told from the eyes of Teagan Frost, a girl who can move shit with her mind. In the first book (aptly titled The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind), Teagan learns that she isn’t the only one with powers. The sequel builds on that, with other characters revealed to have powers even more outlandish and devastating.
The antagonist of this book is quite probably the most easily-hateable little shit I’ve ever read about in fiction. Think Joffrey from Game of Thrones, but four years old and with the brains to compliment his narcissism. This little bastard has the power to move organic matter and he soon learns that he has the ability to set off earthquakes. Which he does. For fun. More than once.
In the aftermath of one such Earthquake, Teagan and the rest of China Shop are tasked with tracking down the culprit and putting a stop to them. The action levels are around the same as the first book, but this one felt a bit “tighter” to me. More focused. Purposeful.
The dialogue is as colourful and curse-filled as ever. It’s not quite “witty banter”, it’s more “friends and co-workers yelling obscene shit at each other”. This, along with Teagan’s sarcastic inner-monologue, adds some levity to what would otherwise be a very doom and gloom scenario.
And yeah, this book does touch on some heavy shit. We’re talking about a mad preschooler trying to murder the entire Western coast of America — with an untold amount of people dying as a result. But in a similar way to how comic books and summer blockbusters don’t let mass tragedy get in the way of a good time, Jackson Ford managed to explore that tragedy while still showing me a very fun time along the way.
I enjoyed this book even more than the first one. There’s just something about a sarcastic, superpowered wannabe-chef hunting down a genocidal toddler that speaks to me. I can’t wait for the next book.
We received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to Orbit Books for the review copy!
Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air releases 7th July in ebook and 9th July in paperback!
