In this, the third book of the "Thorn" series and the approximate midpoint of the whole Maradaine sequence overall, we readers are finally treated to a significant overlap between the characters and plotlines of all of the preceding books. Although the writing tends towards workmanlike or even a little clunky at times, Maresca does a great job pulling the many plot and character threads together. With a cast of characters this large and still expanding, some are inevitably shortchanged on page time, but one gets the sense that one's favorites may have further chances to shine.

I think I devoured this book faster than all the Maradaine books so far, and I am excited to see what comes next.

I requested this thinking that it was part of Maresca's constable series - unfortunately, I have not read the first few of this series so I didn't know the backstory. I plan on reading the first book before starting this one.

The University of Maradaine is bustling with activity as the Grand Tournament of High Colleges is in progress and visiting university students are flooding the campus. Unfortunately, that also means there is ample opportunity for the drug, effitte, to be sold on campus- and someone is taking full advantage of it. Meanwhile, the neighborhood outside of the University, Aventil, is experiencing its own issues. It appears the Thorn is taking out the last of the Rabbits… except the real Thorn knows something is amiss. Veranix Calbert, aka the Thorn, has his hands full as he tries to stop the drug flow on campus while uncovering the Thorn impersonator.

I’ve been secretly hoping that Marshall Ryan Maresca would begin to merge together the various Maradaine series, so I gave a tiny squeal when I read the description of THE IMPOSTERS OF AVENTIL. THE IMPOSTERS OF AVENTIL is the third book in the <i>Maradaine</i> series but pulls in characters from <i>The Maradaine Constabulary</i> series as Inspectors Minox Welling and Satrine Rainey play a crucial role in the storyline. THE IMPOSTERS OF AVENTIL is best appreciated by those familiar with both of the Maradaine series because of the depth of the world building and character development.

Marshall Ryan Maresca has outdone himself with THE IMPOSTERS OF AVENTIL. We get to see deeper pieces of each of the various aspects of the world we’ve been exploring in the various Maradaine series. The changing situation with the street gangs is fascinating and has me excited about what’s in store for the future, particularly since we’re starting to see more camaraderie building between those opposing the gangs.

I love Minox and Satrine and their involvement with Veranix was all that I had hoped for! Marshall Ryan Maresca merges together his various Maradaine series into one heck of a great fantasy read with THE IMPOSTERS OF AVENTIL. If you love fantasy with solid world building and intriguing characters, then don’t hesitate to give THE IMPOSTERS OF AVENTIL and Marshall Ryan Maresca a try.

*Review is in the editing queue at Fresh Fiction*

Well here it is – the first official Maradaine cross-over novel! This was set up to happen perfectly – An Import of Intrigue resulted in the development of the Grand Inspector’s Unit which allowed Inspectors Welling and Rainey to go outside their usual jurisdiction when a Thorn imposter perpetrated an attack on several Aventil officers. The cross-over was well executed, with Veranix and his crew taking center stage as they should and our favorite Inspector duo playing a delightful supporting role. It was so great to finally have characters from both books meet and interact! *fangirling excessively* It also didn’t feel cheesy like all the crossovers in the DC tv universe do…

One of my favorite parts about The Imposters of Aventil is that the whole fiasco is occurring during the biggest collegiate sporting event ever. It’s basically the university Olympics – students and fans from all over have come to participate and the atmosphere is one of a ceaseless drunken revel. It sounds like it would be such a fun event! Veranix of course ends up involved in everything– he performs during the opening ceremony, coaches the U of M tetchball team, AND tries to keep up with his alternate life. Poor guy is stretched so thin you can practically see through him.

There’s really a ton of stuff going on in this book when you look past the main plot. There’s turmoil amongst the gangs since the Red Rabbits were demolished, Colin is on the bad side of the bosses of the Rose Street Princes, a new drug has made its way onto campus, and the Aventil Constabulary has its own heap of nonsense and lackadaisical attitude. There’s always several significant subplots going on in MRM’s books, but I think this is the first time it’s really stood out to me as I read it. I get really into stories and zoom through them without a great deal of thought and things like this don’t usually stand out to me until I reflect upon it afterwards. I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the details either, which is a credit to the author’s writing skills.

Every single one of the Maradaine books have been adventurous, fun reads that leave me with a sunnier disposition by the end. I honestly wish I knew more people (in person) that read fantasy because I would foist these books at them in a heartbeat! I would recommend reading them in publication order so you can get the max effect and avoid any potential spoilers, however minor they may be, but it’s not required or anything. I think these would be particularly appealing to those younger readers who are beginning to venture out of the YA genre and into “adult” fantasy because they do have a fast paced, action packed storyline, relatable characters, and even a smidgen of love interest in the Maradaine series. I realize I always end up talking about the all the series together, but The Imposters of Aventil in particular was a great story and made more exceptional by how well the character cross-over was handled. Can’t wait for the next one!

The Imposters of Aventil, by author Marshall Ryan Maresca, is the third installment in the Maradaine series. This is a story that surrounds a yearly event called The Grand Tournament of the High Colleges. Protagonist Veranix Calbert leads a double life. By day he's a magic student at the University of Maradine. By night he is the crime fighting superhero known as The Thorn.

Thorn has become a notorious vigilante who has riled up a whole lot of enemies while targeting a particular drug called Effitte and a particularly bad man who has brought the drug to Maradine and to the campus of the University of Maradine. The Thorn's main nemesis is Willem Fenmere who we really don't see much of until the final chapter. Which is why you should definitely have read The Thorn of Dentonhill and The Alchemy of Chaos before starting this book. 

There is a whole lot of things that you must understand before jumping feet first into this series. Thorn is a marked man. He has stuck is nose into places that the gangs of Aventil don't take kindly too. Including one that his cousin Colin belongs to. He gets himself into tricky situations that takes extraordinary talent to evade capture. So, when Thorn impostors start creating chaos all over Aventil, the real Thorn and his group of friends (Delwin, Kaiana, Jiarna, & Phadre) must step up and stop them with a bit of help from Rainey and Welling.

I felt like an idiot after reading this story. When I saw the cover had Inspector Third Class Satrine (Tricky) Rainey, and her partner Inspector Third Class Minox (Jinx) Welling on it, I jumped to the wrong conclusion. A conclusion that I am happy to rectify by requesting books 1 & 2 from my local library. Maresca is an author who currently has (3) series going on at the same time. Maradine, The Maradine Constabulary, and The Holver Alley Crew. When I say they are all current, I mean they take place concurrently and in the same time frame.

If you are a reader who loves epic fantasy, then you will love these series. You will love the world building. You will love the characters of all three series. You will love the danger & action & adventure. All three series are set in what the author is calling Maradine. Maradine is a dangerous place to be which is why those like Raine and Welling are out on the streets trying to keep innocents safe. Which is why those like the Thorn and his group have made it their mission to stop the sell of a drug called Effitte into neighborhoods. So, while Rainey and Welling are players in this story, it is Veranix Calbert aka the Thorn and his group whose story this really is. 

I loved having the crossover aspects of this story. The addition of Rainey and Welling to the story was a brilliant move by Maresca. The addition of Welling's brother and sister was also a plus. I also loved the curiosity of having a mage like Welling, who has no formal training and is considered an outcast, meeting with someone like Veranix who is going to school for magic but isn't as brilliant as say someone like Jiarna. You can truly see the differences between who has had training and who is considered dangerous because he is an unsanctioned mage. I would think that the author is going to have to explain that particular aspect sooner rather than later since Welling has a target on his back.

The Thorn is back and turns out he is back double. Vernix Calber has his hands full with duties and then he has to find out who his imposter is. A good addition to the series. There is danger, some fun, and tension enough to keep anyone reading.

The Imposters of Aventil is the third in a trilogy-tie in in the world of Maradaine by Marshall Ryan Maresca on Penguin's DAW imprint.
High fantasy world, young ensemble cast, mystery and mayhem. It might be formulaic, but it's great going down, easily digestible and keeps everyone coming back for more. The action is nonstop and well written.

It fits in the slot left by 'what happened next' to Harry and co, but honestly, Mr. Maresca is a better writer than J.K. Rowling was (at least at the beginning of her career). He's a gifted storyteller and has the technical chops to write snappy dialogue and action which doesn't fall flat.

Take a bunch of college kids at a local magical+ university, add one vigilante trainee mage outsider (the Thorn) with a heap of past history on a quest to take down the local drug pusher kingpin, toss in a lookalike bad guy running around killing people to everyone up in arms and hunting the Thorn, and stir in a pair of semi-scary FBI equivalents who are VERY interested in sorting out the fallout before the smoke clears.

I enjoyed the heck out of this novel. I read it as a standalone, and did follow everything which was going on (another technical coup to the author) without any trouble. I read the other books in the series as a follow-up and do recommend reading them in order if possible. The series fill in a great deal of detail and nuance for one another. Reading the follow ups, I had a fair number of 'aha!' moments.

The book is a hefty 400 pages, but the action and plotting pulled me along. It was a fun, undemanding, well written fantasy, thoroughly enjoyable.

Four stars, nonstop action, magic and excitement.

Imposters of Aventil carries forward with the fun and excitement I’ve come to expect from the Maradaine series. The Thorn has a habit of getting himself in compromising positions sometimes, and bending (OK, maybe breaking) the law to suit his end purpose fighting the drug trade. But in this, he finds himself the suspect in cases he has nothing to do with. There is an imposter who is using the guise of the Thorn while stirring up trouble with both the constabulary, but also the gangs. Effate also appears to have made its way onto campus. Both of these things make Veranix’s work as the Thorn considerably more dangerous, but also motivates him. Like he needed more motivation to fight the effate drug trade!

Previously I have said that I think Maresca’s series could be read independently and in any order. I mean, I guess you still could, but with this book I would no longer recommend it. This may be the third book in the Maradaine series, but it prominently features Minox and Satrine from the Constabulary series and knowing their background makes this book feel more complete and satisfying. For example, the Constabulary series provides the reader with Minox’s history as an uncircled mage and how that plays in the constabulary as well as what that means within this world historically. This is not absolutely critical for this book, there is enough information there to get an idea of what the reader needs to know, but having read the Constabulary series adds a good amount of character depth and understanding as to how the world works and why Minox’s status as an uncircled mage is so significant.

This one was better for me than the constabulary ones, perhaps just because the detective aspect is not my favorite in general. And to be clear, I did still enjoy the Constabulary books, just not as much as Holver Alley Crew or the Maradaine books series. As for negatives, there were some aspects of this book that just felt a bit more fabricated and coincidental than I typically prefer, and I found myself having to shore up my willing suspension of disbelief.

That said, I also felt like this book played on the strengths of the two series (Maradaine and Constabulary). It had the team work and camaraderie (and vigilante-ism) that I enjoy in Maradaine, and brought it together with the duo of Minox and Satrine. I always enjoyed that powerful team that is made up of two outcasts within their department and I really enjoy Veranix and his friends as they try to hand out their own form of justice. The combination was interesting because the Veranix is obviously on the wrong side of the law even if his heart is in the right, so the introduction of a the law enforcing team of Minox and Satrine made you wonder how things would work as the two sets of characters are at odds with one another.

As it turned out, I really did like the mix of the characters from the different series, its fun seeing them cross paths. With the resolution of this series, I can see where Maresca could be headed for the next project, and I am definitely intrigued. This may be the end of one trilogy, but it does feel like it could be the start of something else and I look forward to seeing what is to come.

The Imposters of Aventil is the third in Marshall Ryan Maresca’s “Maradaine” sequence of novels. The author has also written several other series in the same universe – and if you’ve been following those, there’s some crossover here.

Aventil is one of the districts in the city of Maradaine. In comparison to others that we’ve seen in previous books, it’s rather prosperous. There’s a university, packed out with a large number of well-heeled students – aspiring lawyers, magnates of tomorrow, and the occasional wizard. The streets are fairly clean, and if the money of the University is one reason, another in is because Aventil’s crime is organised, but also fractured. There are several different street gangs, all with their fingers in separate pieces of Aventil territory, and each with their own history and grudges with each other. That said, they all deeply resent intrusion into that territory from the outside – and will band together to savage interlopers. They’re insulated by a police force which is more lethargic than actively corrupt –unwilling to rock the boat, start trouble, or indeed finish it. Aventil is, in its way, thriving – money moves and everyone has an interest in a stable neighbourhood, and as a result it has a cosmopolitan and socially active feel. This is especially true of the University, which sees wonderfully insular, with its own politics and problems, looking out on the rest of the neighbourhood from a bubble of privilege you can almost see rising off the page.

The characters…well, there’s the infamous Thorn, of course, and his gang of merry followers. Then there’s Inspector’s Rainey and Welling, brought in to investigate murders, and trying to chase down the Thorn. Alongside them, there’s our connection to the Aventil street gangs, who also happens to be tied to the Thorn. Also a small horde of side characters. I think my only complaint here is that given the smorgasbord of characters present, we don’t get to spend a lot of time with all of them. It’s great seeing the crossover between different aspects of Maresca’s worlds, but I think we could have done with a text twice the size to give them all room to breathe.

Still, the characterisation is solid – especially for Minox and Welling, whose cool competence, and incisive intelligence mixes well with troubled consciences and icy pragmatism. Those two pretty much own any page that they’re on. The Thorn and his gang, on the other hand – well, I need to go back to the earlier books to really get the context of their relationships, I think. But coming to it fresh, there’s a sense of history missing; I was able to get a sense of what tied the characters together, and it all worked, but I suspect that the deeper context from previous books would have helped immensely. Still, they each get their moments to shine. There’s a sequence that felt reminiscent of fight club halfway through the book which really shaped one of the Thorn’s accomplices for me, for example – in their reaction to danger and courage in the face of adversity. They also have a sense of privilege which seems to gradually deflate as the story goes on – as the stakes rise, and they run afoul of meddling inspectors.

They’re joined by our eyes in the gangs. This one was easier to come to without the context, really – a lone actor, of sorts. He’s a man struggling with old loyalties and old curses; an internal monologue turns these over for the reader, with a genuine voice, and a tone that seems tired of the life that’s led this far. There’s loyalty and bravery there as well, and a sense that the centre can not hold. It’s a stark contrast to the Inspector’s view of the criminal fraternity of Aventil as thugs and menaces – noting that there are costs and consequences, that gang work is violent and sometimes ugly, but not stripping away the essential humanity beneath. This is one whom I’d follow again – to see where he ends up, if nothing else

All of these characters are thrown together in a melting pot, as the Thorn appears to go on something of a murder spree. Execept of course that he hasn’t, as far as he knows. Maresca has form in this area – a slow burning plot, with investigations, discoveries, false leads and revelations, leading to an explosive conclusion. He doesn’t disappoint this time either. I was turning pages to work out exactly what was going on, trying to understand what drove the murders, who was behind them and why – and then, as that started to gel together, kept turning pages to see what would happen next. It’s a sharply observed investigative thriller, this one, in a mature and well crafted fantasy world.

Is it worth reading? I suspect if you’re new to Maradaine, you might want to go back to the start of this series, or to the start of Rainey and Welling’s adventures; it works as a standalone, but definitely benefits from exposure to the rest of the series. If you’re already a follower of the Thorn, I’d say pick this one up.