A Touch of Fever by Nazri Noor

Nazri Noor has penned a number of urban fantasy series, but this is the first book of his to appear on my radar. I confess though, that the main draw was Zachary Johnson’s name listed as the narrator; I’ve only listened to him once before (in Emma Scott’s Someday, Someday, which he co-narrated with Greg Tremblay) but liked his work enough to want to listen to him again, and when this title was offered for review, I grabbed the opportunity.

A Touch of Fever is a fun romp through an interesting fantastical world inhabited by (among others) imps, merfolk, enchanters, dragons, sylphs, fae and a scene-stealing gryphon combined with a murder mystery and a childhood friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance between (says the blurb) a fast-talking artificer and a snarky sorcerer. Arcane Hearts is an ongoing series (book four is due for release at the end of January) and this story ends on a firm HFN; this is so far the only one of the set available in audio, but I hope the others will follow.

Jackson Pryde is an Artificer, someone with very low-level magical ability who creates enchanted devices designed to direct and amplify magic. When we first meet him, he’s at one of his regular sparring sessions with Zephyr – a gryphon – “Half eagle. Half lion. Pure asshole” – and attempting to win using a magical gauntlet of his own creation. Unfortunately, however, the gauntlet still needs work – as evinced by the fact that Jackson has to concede the bout once again. But more tinkering requires more money – and for Jackson, that’s not easy to come by, which is why he’s interested in the flyers he’s seen posted offering a huge reward for the identification of whoever is responsible for a recent spate of baffling murders.

Jackson makes his way to the Black Market – a bustling bazaar of wonders, a massive emporium of the rare and magical that travels its way around the world in a dimension that acts as a kind of portal between it and the ‘real’ world. He hears that the Garland – the guild of those who work with plants and flowers – is looking to acquire a special item, a Chrysanthemyst (a mutated chrysanthemum that has petals like crystals) and that they’re prepared to pay handsomely for it. Jackson offers his services, but is told that owing to the danger involved, it’s a two-person job that will also require the skills of an accomplished mage. He insists he only works alone, but is immediately informed that a suitable partner has already been found for him. Jackson’s heart sinks when he hears the name of Alexander Wright – the man who was once his best friend and is now the bane of his existence.

Xander and Jackson’s youthful friendship ended after Xander’s ambitious and wealthy parents sent their son – a magical prodigy – away to train at Madame Grayhaven’s School for Gifted Boys. Though they’re still neighbours, the two men don’t get on at all now – Jackson thinks Xander is a pretentious prick, and takes delight in winding him up whenever Xander appears on his doorstep to complain about the noise from Jackson’s workshop disturbing his studies. Xander has been selected to join the ranks of the Incandescent, mages of great power who have the potential to become great leaders and pioneers. But to Jackson he’s just plain annoying, what with his complaints and his air of superiority. And his handsome face. And his ridiculously silky-looking black and white hair.

Neither of them is exactly delighted at the prospect of working together but they’re going to have to if they’re to complete the task they’ve been engaged to do.  Getting to the Chrysanthemyst is not going to be easy; the site must be approached from the air, but the plant is protected by an angry, vicious sylph who has so far prevented anyone from landing on the remote crag by destroying them in the air. It looks as though Jackson and Xander have been stymied before they’ve even begun – even a mage as powerful as Xander can’t fly two people – but Jackson calmly, and with immense satisfaction at besting Xander, tells them he can get them there, no problem.

It’s clear early on that the animosity between Jackson and Xander is basically due to misconception and frustrated mutual attraction. They’ve jibed and sniped at each other constantly for years, and Jackson is obviously still hurt by what he sees as Xander’s abandonment – both physically and of their friendship – and Xander is, for the most part, simply reacting to Jackson’s hostility as a way of hiding his own hurt feelings. They have terrific chemistry, their sniping and snarking is blatant foreplay, and I’m always up for a good dollop of sizzling UST. Forced to work together – and with a nudge from a match-making gryphon – they start to remember what it was like to be friends and to realise how much they’ve missed each other. They begin to let their guard down around each other and admit to the attraction zinging between them – but Xander is destined for Incandescence and a relationship with Jackson – or anyone – is out of the question, for reasons he is determined to conceal.

Jackson is the sole PoV character and I liked his self-aware, tongue-in-cheek manner and the way his and Xander’s differences complement each other. The mystery is well done, with the author seeming to set up a couple of disparate storylines which he then skilfully pulls together as we head into a tense and exciting climax. The world-building is excellent – I loved the idea of a moving dimension that goes wherever its wares are needed that allows its inhabitants to hop on and off at its various destinations (rather like a tantastical cruise liner!) – and the information about the magical world and systems is incorporated naturally as part of the story and without info-dumps. The history given to the Artificers – once revered creators of magical artefacts who are now sadly diminished in both number and consequence – is a sad but compelling detail that adds to the overall richness of the world the author has created.

The small secondary cast is well-defined. Zephyr is a hoot, and I especially liked Lore, the Artificer’s Intelligence invented by Jackson’s late parents who gleans his information about the world from watching re-runs of soaps and sit-coms, and who takes a kind of parental role in Jackson’s life.

I did have a couple of quibbles though; Jackson and Xander move from ‘I don’t like you’ to getting it on pretty quickly, and there’s a plot point near the end (so I’ll be vague to avoid spoilers) that injects real tension into the story and seriously endangers our heroes which is then resolved in a way that isn’t well-explained and felt like a bit of a cop-out and I’ve pushed the story grade down a bit because of it.

I thoroughly enjoyed Zachary Johnson’s performance and hope he’s on board for the rest of the series. His narration is well-paced and his vocal characterisations are nicely judged all-round. He portrays Zephyr using a (very good) English accent and an expansive tone that work to give the impression of a creature who is well aware of his own magnificence – and also a bit of a drama queen. It’s a delightfully over-the-top rendition with a touch of the hammy actor about it! I also liked his characterisation of Lore, who I immediately thought of as a kind of J.A.R.V.I.S – Lore is static and has a physical form, but he’s just as protective and given to well-placed sarcasm, and again, the English accent he’s given is accurate and consistent. When it comes to the two leads, Mr. Johnson does a great job of capturing Jackson’s voice in particular, the quick wit and smart comebacks are well-timed and he allows his insecurities and vulnerabilities to peek through when called for. Other than a very few instances where Jackson and Xander sounded a bit too similar, they’re easy to distinguish in conversation, and all the secondary characters are clearly differentiated. Mr Johnson is also great at amping up the tension in the action scenes or moments of danger, keeping the momentum going without falling over that fine line between breathless excitement and caricature.

A Touch of Fever was another unexpected hit and I’m really glad I took a chance on it. The story and characters are fun, the worldbuilding is excellent and the author’s confident, breezy style is captivating. Zachary Johnson – who is definitely going on my list of narrators to trust after this – delivers a thoroughly entertaining performance that enhances an already enjoyable book, and I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.

Caz