I should probably state up-front that I never like overly erotic
urban fantasy or paranormal romance. I like the romatnic elements
but could do without the overly-descriptive sex. I'm not a prude,
but that idea is that I wnated ot be entertained when I read these
kinds of novels. If I want to be aroused, I'll read erotic fiction
or literature specifically geared towards that. One should just
keep that in mind when reading this review.
Therefore, I wasn't too keen on this novel. It reminded me too much
of Laurell K. Hamilton's later work in the Anita Blake series.
Carson is great at the beginning, sweet and naive... but by the end
it becomes all about how much power she has, how she may be
becoming a mix of species, and how much sexual experimentation is
she willing to go through with Nikodemus.
That's a bit of a turn-off for me, as I said, because I'm a
traditionalist when I'm reading novels. For hot and sexy, I go
elsewhere. I don't want to read about characters who are nearly
omnipotent or whom absolutely everyone is iresistibly attracted to.
While Carson isn't quite invincible, there's a lot that lends
itself to her someday becoming so.
I also found Nikodemus a little odd. It's hinted that he is
incredibly old, but there were occasions that felt a little
immature or too "modern." I have reservations about the idea of
someone living thousands of years but becoming attached to a
t-shirt purchased from a popular website. It just felt a little too
anachronistic compared to the old world feel of the other
characters, the history of their universe, and the hierarchy within
the species.
As for the mythos itself, that I did like. There's some similarites
between the idea of the mages and fiends and the weather wardens
and djinn in Rachel Caine's Weather Wardens series. There's the
same concept of the former posessing the latter to do their
bidding. That could lead down some interesting story paths and I
enjoyed those bits more than the others.
If you're looking for something hot and steamy with supernatural
elements, you're more than likely to enjoy this. Otherwise, it's
not something I would keep following as there wasn't enough of the
elements I actually like.