The seventh book in the funny and fast-paced InCryptid urban fantasy series returns to the mishaps of the Price family, eccentric cryptozoologists who safeguard the world of magical creatures living in secret among humans. Includes an all-new Aeslin mice novella and a map of Lowryland! Penance, noun: 1. Punishment for past actions. 2. An attempt to pay for what can't be bought. 3. See also "exile." Antimony Price is on the run. With the Covenant on her tail and her family still in danger, she needs to get far, far away from anyone who might recognize her--including her own mice. For the first time in a long time, a Price is flying without a safety net. Where do you go when you need to disappear into a crowd without worrying about attracting attention? An amusement park, of course. Some people would call Lowryland the amusement park. It's one of the largest in Florida, the keystone of the Lowry entertainment empire...but for Annie, it's a place to hide. She's just trying to keep her head down long enough to come up with a plan that will get her home without getting anyone killed. No small order when she's rooming with gorgons and sylphs, trying to placate frustrated ghosts, and rushing to get to work on time. Then the accidents begin. The discovery of a dead man brings Annie to the attention of the secret cabal of magic users running Lowryland from behind the scenes. They want the fire that sleeps in her fingers. They want her on their side. They want to help her--although their help, like everything else, comes with a price. No plan. Minimal backup. No way out. Annie's about to get a crash course in the reality behind the pretty facade. If she's lucky, she'll survive the experience. Praise for the InCryptid series: "The only thing more fun than an October Daye book is an InCryptid book. Swift narrative, charm, great world-building ...all the McGuire trademarks." —Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times -bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse series "[ Half-Off Ragnarok ] is kind of like taking a tour through a very deadly theme park made up of alternating parts awesome and terrifying . Come to think of it, that sums up this series quite nicely.... This book effectively acts as a jumping-on point to those just coming in." —Tor.com " Half-Off Ragnarok is my favorite book in the InCryptid series thus far.... If urban fantasy, intriguing animals, and fast-paced adventure is your thing, you’re going to love Half-Off Ragnarok . Highly recommended." —Jennifer Brozek "McGuire creates a sense of wonder and playfulness with her love for mythology and folklore .... Her enthusiastic and fast-paced style makes this an entertaining page-turner." — Publishers Weekly "A funny, fast-paced and genuinely suspenseful adventure that is sure to engross and entertain.... There is still a wide world for the intrepid Price family to explore, much to readers' guaranteed delight." — RT Reviews "While chock-full of quality worldbuilding, realistic characters, and a double helping of sass , at its core, Half-Off Ragnarok is a book about judging others according to stereotypes, how nurture can overcome nature, and the importance of family." —Ranting Dragon Seanan McGuire lives and works in Washington State, where she shares her somewhat idiosyncratic home with her collection of books, creepy dolls, and enormous blue cats. When not writing--which is fairly rare--she enjoys travel, and can regularly be found any place where there are cornfields, haunted houses, or frogs. A Campbell, Hugo, and Nebula Award-winning author, Seanan's first book ( Rosemary and Rue , the beginning of the October Daye series) was released in 2009, with more than twenty books across various series following since. Seanan doesn't sleep much. You can visit her at www.seananmcguire.com. Prologue “Woe betide the damned soul who tries to get between me and my children. I’m only the nice one in this family because I don’t care enough to hurt you.” –Evelyn Baker The locker room of Lewis and Clark High School, Portland, Oregon Six years ago Cheerleaders filled the room. Most were half-clad; all were getting dressed with the ruthless speed and lack of artifice universal to teenage girls with no one they needed to put on a show for. The show would come later, when the Trailblazers football team took the field with their loyal spirit squad behind them, waving their pom-poms and cheering for victory. A new girl rushed into the room, forcing the others to make room or get knocked over. Her game bag was slung over her shoulder and her auburn hair was pulled into a sloppy ponytail, tied off with a wilted spirit ribbon in Trailblazers blue and gold. A freshman girl straightened from her crouch too slowly; the newcomer placed a hand between her shoulders and used her as an impromptu vault, landing on the other side of her without breaking stride. A diminutive peroxide blonde with the figure of a Tolkien