Review: Good paranormal read
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 24, 2012
I won't bother recapping the characters and the storyline here. But let me start with the good news: this is a well-crafted story, one of the better urban fantasy/paranormals I've read lately. Well-edited (yay!), adequately laid plot, and male and female protagonists I could really get behind ... at the beginning. Their backstories were handled with aplomb, moving the plot along and including only that which was necessary.Now, the problem I had was later in the book: the characters, particularly Dante, become caricatures and really pushed my suspension of disbelief. Jace is a woman in a man's world, a cop, having fought through and past her personal demons and upbringing, on the cusp of success. When she encounters Dante her personality changes from determined, self-sufficient to obsessive and needy, barely able to stave off the forces compelling her submission. Dante comes across as rigid, unyielding, controlling and one-dimensional. The antagonists (especially Markos) were often inserted in such a way that it was difficult to distinguish one from the other. Dante's and Jace's attraction was largely consummated with `fireworks' and strange `feelings' (very paranormal-ish, but real human emotions and physical responses would have actually made this more sensual). And the ending was disappointing in that Jace actually capitulates to the paranormal `draw' of Dante, forsaking her commitment to her career. Of the minor characters, Dante's sister Cassie was true-to-life as a headstrong teenager but Jace's brother Jimmy seemed more a contrivance than anything else. I like growth and change in characters: for Dante - none, and Jace - wrong direction.Obviously my reaction to the characters is something that I own, an opinion, and others may not feel the same. It's still a good read. But because of my issues with the characters I can only give it 3 stars.