Review: A wildly entertaining story with a heroine who is anything but ordinary
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 1, 2013
DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD gives readers a kick-ass heroine who is anything but ordinary, a world that is refreshingly different, an enemy who is both deadly and a bit of a mystery and a story that has action aplenty, an intriguing puzzle and a love interest who is most definitely interesting.Author Rinda Elliott went out of the box when creating her characters and her story. Even her title, DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD, is atypical of stories in the genre. But it invites readers to learn more, to meet her character Bergdis Hildegun O'Dell, a.k.a. Beri, and the other rather unconventional and uniquely named characters in her story.DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD follows Beri O'Dell as she tries to solve the mystery behind the mass comas that have befallen a number of people, including her sister Elsa, and find answers to questions about just who, and possibly what, she really is. With little to go on, she must rely on a perky witch named Blythe who is far more talented than she appears to be at first glance, her spirit guides - Fred and Phro - one of whom claims to be the goddess of love, and a Minoan Warrior, Nikolos, who has quite a few secrets he's keeping.Many of which look to be dark. And a few of which might just be dangerous. Especially to Beri, who can't seem to fight her growing attraction to him.With a wildly entertaining and eclectic cast of characters, a heroine with an acerbic tongue and "hit first, ask questions later" approach to investigating, a constant slew of grotesque and violent enemies to keep Beri busy, and a touch of sexual tension added to the mix, DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD is an incredibly appealing, fun and exciting first book in author Rinda Elliott's new series.So, what more can I possibly say about DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD?It was witty and clever. The premise was definitely different - in a great way. The characters were not your typical character archetypes. The enemy - the dweller on the threshold - was more than a little bit scary.The opening quotation and the prologue immediately drew me in. And while it took a few pages into the story itself before I was able to figure out just what was going on, once I discovered its rhythm I was hooked.Beri wasn't your typical run-of-the-mill heroine. She wasn't a damsel in distress. And while she wasn't always the easiest character to relate to, I loved her from the moment I met her. Her abilities were absolutely fascinating and I hope to discover more about them in future books in the series.The story kept its focus on the urban fantasy/paranormal elements, keeping the suspense and action levels up, but didn't shortchange the romance, which was equally important to the story's outcome. And it was nice to discover a story whose love interest wasn't in the least bit cookie-cutter.From its unusual title, to its diverse characters, to their unique abilities, to the dark and disturbing world, I just knew that this book would set itself apart from the crowd. And it did that and so much more.Rinda Elliott's new series is definitely one I'm adding to my "must reads" list. And her character, Beri, is a new favorite.