Review: Unusual
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 18, 2012
This was fantastic, I liked everything.First of all, the structure. The story is told in episodes, following the cases of Chris' paranormal detective agency. The cases are not presented in chronological order, so we meet the characters at different stages of their lives, knowing less or more about them case after case. Sometimes it puzzles us, sometimes it makes us more curious, but we keep wanting more.Second, the characters. Chris is the protagonist. He is half ghost, his dad is a ghost tied to his house, his mother is a witch who had to use black magic to conceive Chris. His partner in the agency is Doug, an imp, who can use powerful magic, but he's also gentle and a little bit insecure, since imps are considered like slaves in their world. Sable Brennus, the demon lord, is dark, powerful and sexy, and when Chris and Sable meet, sparkles fly. Then there's Phil, a new detective in the agency, and Zach, a fascinating vampire. There is not only Chris' point-of-view, but there are also the POV's of other characters, and page after page we are invested in their own stories. Chris and Sable's romance is very sexy, because Chris is proud, he comes from the poorest part of town, and being a half-demon, he had to endure a lot of bullying when he was a child. He is also generous and idealistic. Sable is possessive, powerful, but he's smitten with Chris, who can bring out his more playful side.Third, the world building. As I said before, there are a lot of creatures, each with their rules and history. In few strokes the author can paint a whole species, without needing a lot of info dumping. The cases often deal with magical books and I adore these kinds of stories. Also the richness of the world gives a lot of opportunity to devise new stories. I could read them for days.The mix of fantasy, romance, mystery is winning. Recommended!