Time for a bit of straight fantasy now, with some paranormal romance thrown in. Everyone loves a sexy werewolf, right?
Nic is a teenage girl, who just happens to have a deadly kiss, which her and her adoptive aunts use to hunt down and do away with various people in the cities around her home. It's the usual rogue's gallery of child poisoners, sexual predators and violent murderers.
Surprisingly sedate life really, until two worrying things happen. The first is a death in the family, and the second is the arrival of Aiden, a sexy werewolf who is soul-bound to obey every order Nic gives him.
The first drives the plot, following Nic's journey through the fey world seeking a path to resurrection, and the second drives the romance. Woven throughout this is Nic's discovery of her origins and coming to terms with her ability to murder with a kiss. The early struggles with her serial killer nature are some of the more interesting facets in my opinion, reminding me nicely of Dan Well's John Wayne Cleaver series, especially with her tendency to collect trophies.
Her exploration of the fey world is pretty exciting, having a nice spread of mythologies bashed together, and the characters are all pleasantly distinct. Biggest failing is probably Aiden, because he's so stereotypical that it's a bit painful. He's dangerous, but has to obey her every command, meaning he's safe. He's powerful and magical, but not quite as special as her. And he's vulnerable, needing pulling out of his shell, even though he's hopelessly devoted. I may not be the target audience.
Plotting is fairly tight, though I didn't feel the need to crash through it, reading it leisurely over the space of a week. At various points it tends to run a little too self-reflective, which can interrupt its flow. And I felt it jumped a little too quickly from the initial stalking of the human world to a rather more fantastical reality with the fey. I enjoyed the tension and the human monstrosity on display before Nic discovered what was "behind the veil", and I'd have loved more of that.
Still, it's a relatively decent romance even with the slightly cliche male, and some of the members of the fey court who turn up are rather fun. It's the first in a series, but I've no great desire to read any sequels. Possibly because it's just not my thing.
Tagged: Book Fantasy The Fair Folk Novel Print Netgalley