Review: Solid concept, mediocre delivery (spoilers)
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 5, 2013
I really like John Conroe's series Demon Accords. Black Frost doesn't come close.I read this story in a few hours. Once I finished I felt like I had just read an outline of a longer series. Perhaps this is what John intended and I could see a trilogy being made from this one story quite easily. The trouble is that this is sold as a stand alone although characters from Demon Accords do make an appearance later on.Character development is next to zero and I never feel attached to any of them.For example, when the protagonists parents die he just brushes it off. There is next to no emotional effect that I can discern then or afterwards. Yes, he needs to find his daughter but the aftermath of their deaths is so devoid of emotion it felt wrong to me.His wife was from China and she didn't know her real parents. This little bit of information is never expanded on. When I read this I thought "changeling". Sadly this was never built upon.Unlike most Urban Fantasy there is no romance. I felt for a second that Airwhen was a possibility when she was obviously Fae but that never developed and all subsequent contact with her or Neeve, for that matter, was negative. Urban Fantasy needs romance or at least the promise of romance. Even Bill the Vampire has that.These are just a couple of niggling issues among many.Overall the concept is solid with decent background but little depth. If I was the author I would rewrite this book.