Life isn't easy for Detective Raven Storm. Her best friend was recently killed and dismembered, her latest case ended with her partner in intensive care, and her mother, the vampiric Mistress of the City is playing matchmaker… again. The last thing she wants is another bizarre murder case with a partner she doesn't know. But that is exactly what she gets when she is handed the enigmatic case of Nathan King, who was found in his car with a gaping hole where his stomach should be.
Soon Raven is unraveling a mystery that leads her deep into the city's preternatural underworld, and into the arms of a sexy vampire she barely knows, but whose heart she seeks in the darkness…
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
After I sent in my book to Vamptasy Publishing, I started doing research into their authors. One of the names I repeatedly kept seeing was Skye Knizley. I never had the opportunity to read her work till it was offered for a review, and once I had this book in my Kindle app I could not shut it off!
Any book with a strong female lead, a woman who needs nothing and no one to help her along in life, is a good book in my opinion, but when that woman is also a vampire (a half-vampire, actually) and a cop, living in the city I grew up in, it makes me like it just a bit more.
When it comes to the paranormal and a crime fiction novel, I always look and see, is it divided evenly between the two genres? Are the characters believable as police? Are the paranormal creatures accurately described? Yes, yes and yes. Does the story work as a crime drama and paranormal thriller? Yep. Can it hold the attention of a vampire fan AND a police procedural fan? Most definitely!
Raven is one of the best characters in fiction today: snarky, sexy and deadly. She walks the line between humanity and vampirism, acting as she pleases and solving crimes that always seem to cross between both worlds.
All of the other characters, the Mistress, Francois Du Guerre and her partner, Levac, are so brilliantly created, I could hear their voices in my head and see them move. Levac, despite his annoying habits, is a very fun character and he gives a lot of life and realism to the story. Even the victims are well written, with the right kind of pasts and secrets.
I think my only issue with this book is how strong, independent Raven quickly melted into a puddle of mush around Francois. It didn't seem to compliment her character; rather, it made me very confused. It should've happened a bit more gradually and with more hesitation to give in on Raven's part.
Aside from that bit, I loved this book and plan on reading the next two ASAP! (I think Raven Storm and Angelica Cross from Stake-Out should get together for a cup of blood!)
Vampire fans and crime fiction fans will love this!
4.5/5--Nearly perfect!
Purchase Stormrise on Amazon!
No comments:
Post a Comment