Review: Asylum Tales book 0.5
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 18, 2012
The Asylum Interviews are two prequel novellas for Jocelyn Drake's new Asylum Tales series and this first story Bronx gets us off to a great start. The author has created what looks to be a promising world full of an interesting selection of paranormal creatures from warlocks and witches through to incubi and even trolls. It can be hard to introduce a new world in a novella but I think the author has done a fantastic job, she gave enough information to hook me in without too much info dumping to take away from the story. The plot was solid and gives a good insight into people who I'm assuming will be some of the main players in the series.Our main character is Gage who is the owner of the Asylum tattoo parlour and a skilled tattoo artist. We get a few hints at a troubled past and he seems to have plenty of secrets that I'm looking forward to exploring as the series continues. When a night out with a friend goes awry Gage is rescued by troll Bronx. Bronx is also a tattoo artist and is in the area because he had heard that Gage might be hiring so when Gage's friend asks for a tattoo to help with a very specific problem Bronx offers to help. The tattoos that Gage and Bronx create aren't quite the same as the tattoos that we are all familiar with, well they may look the same but potions mixed in with the inks can be used to create all kinds of different effects. Unfortunately the tattoo they create for incubus Parker has a very awkward side effect and it isn't going to be easy for Bronx and Gage to fix the problem that they have caused.As someone who loves tats I always look out for stories where the main characters have tattoos - there is something irresistible about a hunky, inked up hero! - so I can't tell you how excited I am about the idea of a series set around a tattoo parlour. Especially one that creates magical tattoos! If the unforeseen side effects of the tattoos are always this interesting then I have a feeling this is going to be a very amusing series. I would like to point out that the cover is a little misleading, it looks more like a paranormal romance cover but the story is definitely urban fantasy. There is no romance in sight so though don't be put off by the cover if you're not a PNR fan.If you're already excited about Jocelynn Drake's new series then this novella will definitely help to whet your appetite for Angel's Ink but if you've not heard of the series before or like me are new to the author then this would be a great place to start.