An engaging otherworldly thriller with an upstanding hero.
In Mike’s debut urban fantasy, a man learns not only that he’s part-angel, but also that he must go up against a power-hungry demon.
Agent Michael Lieberman’s antiterrorism unit in New York City is working on an arms-dealing case. Things take a frightening turn when a stranger apparently doses him, triggering what appear to be hallucinations of black worms attached to people around him. But he may not be hallucinating at all; according to angel Gabriel, who drops by his apartment, he’s half-mortal and half-archangel and can see things that many others can’t—including demons. These creatures hail from the spirit realm that overlaps the mortal world, and Michael finds out that has little time to unearth the nefarious scheme that archdemon Mammon is cooking up. Meanwhile, Michael joins New York City police detective Sara Wilson’s investigation into a homicide of a notorious billionaire that be related to terrorism. As it happens, this crime links to Mammon’s plan, as does Michael’s complicated past—most notably, his parents’ death when he was young, and his older sister’s disappearance more than a decade ago. The capable agent trains with his newly acquired wings and conjurable flaming sword so he can battle demonic hordes. Mike packs exposition into this first novel in a planned series. This gives the story an initially measured pace as Michael comes to terms with what he is. Things pick up, however, as the mystery deepens and the billionaire’s murder case expands to involve other affluent businessmen. Similarly, several action scenes energize the latter half, and Michael puts his flaming sword and Gabriel’s training to good use. Michael appealingly rolls with the punches, quickly adjusting to such horrific, grotesque sights as creatures “glinting golden” as they writhe around in another character’s mouth. He doesn’t hesitate to put himself at risk protecting the mortal realm, and along the way, he also falls into a smartly understated romance with Sara. There’s surprising resolution for a series opener, though there remain plenty of avenues for sequels to explore.
An engaging otherworldly thriller with an upstanding hero.Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2022
ISBN: 9789925786947
Page Count: 340
Publisher: Audere Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.
A young Navarrian woman faces even greater challenges in her second year at dragon-riding school.
Violet Sorrengail did all the normal things one would do as a first-year student at Basgiath War College: made new friends, fell in love, and survived multiple assassination attempts. She was also the first rider to ever bond with two dragons: Tairn, a powerful black dragon with a distinguished battle history, and Andarna, a baby dragon too young to carry a rider. At the end of Fourth Wing (2023), Violet and her lover, Xaden Riorson, discovered that Navarre is under attack from wyvern, evil two-legged dragons, and venin, soulless monsters that harvest energy from the ground. Navarrians had always been told that these were monsters of legend and myth, not real creatures dangerously close to breaking through Navarre’s wards and attacking civilian populations. In this overly long sequel, Violet, Xaden, and their dragons are determined to find a way to protect Navarre, despite the fact that the army and government hid the truth about these creatures. Due to the machinations of several traitorous instructors at Basgiath, Xaden and Violet are separated for most of the book—he’s stationed at a distant outpost, leaving her to handle the treacherous, cutthroat world of the war college on her own. Violet is repeatedly threatened by her new vice commandant, a brutal man who wants to silence her. Although Violet and her dragons continue to model extreme bravery, the novel feels repetitive and more than a little sloppy, leaving obvious questions about the world unanswered. The book is full of action and just as full of plot holes, including scenes that are illogical or disconnected from the main narrative. Secondary characters are ignored until a scene requires them to assist Violet or to be killed in the endless violence that plagues their school.
Unrelenting, and not in a good way.Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374172
Page Count: 640
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.
On the orders of her mother, a woman goes to dragon-riding school.
Even though her mother is a general in Navarre’s army, 20-year-old Violet Sorrengail was raised by her father to follow his path as a scribe. After his death, though, Violet's mother shocks her by forcing her to enter the elite and deadly dragon rider academy at Basgiath War College. Most students die at the War College: during training sessions, at the hands of their classmates, or by the very dragons they hope to one day be paired with. From Day One, Violet is targeted by her classmates, some because they hate her mother, others because they think she’s too physically frail to succeed. She must survive a daily gauntlet of physical challenges and the deadly attacks of classmates, which she does with the help of secret knowledge handed down by her two older siblings, who'd been students there before her. Violet is at the mercy of the plot rather than being in charge of it, hurtling through one obstacle after another. As a result, the story is action-packed and fast-paced, but Violet is a strange mix of pure competence and total passivity, always managing to come out on the winning side. The book is categorized as romantasy, with Violet pulled between the comforting love she feels from her childhood best friend, Dain Aetos, and the incendiary attraction she feels for family enemy Xaden Riorson. However, the way Dain constantly undermines Violet's abilities and his lack of character development make this an unconvincing storyline. The plots and subplots aren’t well-integrated, with the first half purely focused on Violet’s training, followed by a brief detour for romance, and then a final focus on outside threats.
Read this for the action-packed plot, not character development or worldbuilding.Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781649374042
Page Count: 528
Publisher: Red Tower
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2024
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
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