Author: Lilith Saintcrow - http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com
Format: Kindle ebook. Free from Net Galley for a review. Amazon.
Did it feel like a full novel: Yes
Cliffhanger: No
Genre: paranormal/fantasy, romance
Dates Read: Nov 2-Dec 29, 2015
Official Blurb: Demons are preying on schoolchildren in her city, so Francesca Barnes does what any red-blooded librarian would do—she does some research and goes hunting. But the books she finds in a secret cache don't tell her the whole story. Chess has no idea what she's just stepped into or just how special she is. Orion is Drakul, part demon, and a loyal servant of the Order. He doesn't expect a motorcycle-riding librarian to be messing around with demonic forces, and he doesn't expect her to smell so damn good. But Ryan's got bigger problems. His partner has disappeared, and the forces of Darkness are rising. Now Chess is Ryan's only hope of finding his partner, and Ryan is Chess's only hope of survival because the demons now know Chess exists and that she is the heir to a long-lost power that could push back their dark tide. If Ryan can keep her alive long enough, she just might be the key to destroying the demons completely. But Ryan doesn't know he's been betrayed by the very Order he serves. And if Chess does, by some miracle survive, he won't ever be able to touch her again. . .
One Sentence: Librarian protected by half-demon; should be overdone but was quite delightful!
Full Review: That cover just snags the eye, doesn't it? *wipes off drool*
But yes, this was a rather enjoyable story! Chess was likable about 90% of the time (really it was mainly that twice she just HAD to fall into the romance trope of "getting pissy and not listening", it felt railroaded the first time so at least I could forgive her for that one). She loves Buster Keaton and the Who's on First sketch, and really that pretty much made me her friend. Well, and she loves books of course, heh. I liked the way she could handle herself, though alas it was only used at the very end, so it almost felt like a Mary Sue-power. Ryan was a guy I could really fall for. I didn't care for him calling her 'Sweetheart' and not seeming to care that it bothered her, or this one part he gets so upset he thinks that he's gonna 'show her who's in charge'. But that part is kind of like the ones I disliked for Chess: short and didn't do too much damage because they felt like they were added merely for drama and they aren't really true portrayals of them.
Other than that, I REALLY liked the rest of Ryan's character. He was otherwise mainly possessive in a "You're my only one" more so than the ugly "You're my property" manner, of which the latter is such a turnoff. He has pride in himself being the best he could be, coupled with a touch of inferiority (being that he's half-demon and his loyalties lying with people who consider him an animal that could snap at anytime). And if you've been reading my posts for a while, you know that hits me in the feels. I also liked how devoted he was to her, that always counts for bonus points! His 'dangerous'ness wasn't all that exemplified but for a small bit, but I think that's something stylistic of the writer. For instance, the whole demon-preying-on-schoolkids is almost a flashback, and there's a couple of other scenes that are more referenced to than actually played out.
This magic world was pretty cool, though I wish we'd had a better understanding of the Malik and Drakul earlier in the book than it came. I hope that another of this author's books takes place in the same universe, as it seemed very interesting. Maybe even Melwyn and Samuel? I can only hope! Regardless I am very happy that I had snagged a second of Ms. Saintcrow's books on Net Galley, even if it takes place in a different world.
Received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment