Review: Clever Take On Urban Fantasy That Needs A Little More Polish
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 27, 2012
As I read books I am often already writing the reviews in my head. That was certainly the case here and most of what I had to say remains true. But it's never a good idea to judge a book before you've got to the end.This book is an easy read and certainly a different angle on the popular Urban Fantasy sub-genre. The early chapters give us a setup that should remind people of many tv law shows. Which isn't a bad thing, because they're often popular for a reason.Characters are quickly sketched in and it doesn't take long to get a rough idea about how this version of the US (Texas in particular) differs from our own.There are times, however, when the author comes across as a little heavy handed. Telling us things that would have been better presented through the subtext.  Just a little more polish would probably have moved this from 3 to 4  stars in my mind I think. Because I like the characters and I like the story.Actually one of my favorite relationships is between the lawyer Hunter Gamble and his own lawyer father. It has a little more subtlety than the usual antagonism.I would have liked the arcane elements to be addressed a little more rigorously though. Sabrina morphs from newbie witch to practically master sorceress in a matter of months. And what exactly are the mechanisms of zombie existence in this world?The ending is something of a shock and it took me a while to process it. But in the end it makes sense and results in a stronger story and cleverly ties into the book title. Certainly it leaves all sorts of interesting angles for a sequel.And I really hope that the author writes a sequel because there's a lot to like here. The _arcane rights_ makes a great lens to address civil rights without getting too preachy. there are a lot of questions about _The Unveiling_ and exactly what it means, not to mention some background plot points that remain unresolved.While I do have some criticisms I would definitely buy a sequel.