Review: Impressive indie
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 1, 2010
If I have to choose a paranormal `group' that I find most interesting it's witches, I grew up watching Bewitched after all. Morgan Hawkes in No Rest for the Wicca, is nothing like Samantha, she is an ex-homicide cop, using her half-Wiccan heritage to banish spirits in the `Ghostbusters' unit. When young witches are found brutally murdered, Morgan is drawn into the investigation against her will.It's a strong premise that puts the story the realm of urban fantasy. LoTempio's world is a contemporary setting where the paranormal is known and includes a range of supernatural beings and beliefs. Morgan has a half Wiccan, half voodoo heritage and these religions play a central part in the plot. LoTempio shares some fascinating information within the context of the story, using the setting in the university cleverly. I can't judge the accuracy, but it certainly seems genuine and convincing. There are enough red herrings to distract you in the mystery, even though it is reasonably obvious who is behind things well before the conclusion.Morgan's snarky attitude is amusing and she is very human despite her abilties. At times she is a little whiny and petulant but still she is satisfyingly complex. I particularly liked that we saw her relationship with cousin Xia - urban fantasy heroes are usually sadly lacking in family or close girl friends.Cole St John has all the elements of a paranormal hero, he is a vampire with a tortured past, who denies his true nature to do good. His character is well developed and appealing, he is `masculine' yet not alpha. I really liked his role in the relationship with Morgan, he is supportive yet calls her out on her less attractive traits. I do feel he could have done a bit more within the storyline, but then I think this would have tipped the book more to the paranormal romance genre. Their relationship, while part of the story, doesn't overwhelm it.There are a few inconsistencies in the writing, tenses slip on occassion, some of the dialogue could be stronger and there are a handful of typos, but these things are minor and easily ooverlooked.I'm impressed with this indie title, I'm sure that fans of the genre who take a chance on No Rest for the Wicca will enjoy it.