Review: Fierce Urban Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 1, 2014
As with her prequel, Angel Bait, Tricia immerses us in a gritty, alternate Detroit where humans co-exist with Others--shifters, vampires, angels, demons, and nephilim. The nephilim, known as The Bound Ones, are Heaven's half-human, half-angel assassins and the focus of the series.In ANGEL KIN, we follow nephilim Cain as he works hard to protect human Katie Logan from Cain's own brother, Abel, a rogue nephilim who has, sadly, aligned himself with Heaven's enemies, aka The Renegades.At the onset of the story, Katie witnesses Abel brutally murder a city official. The scene is gripping and graphic (sorry, no spoilers here) and Abel's character so well drawn that they both continue to haunt my mind (in a good way!).This line from the scene gives you insight into the kind of bad guy we're dealing with: (quote) "Stab yourself...Again...This time without the scream." (end quote)From there, the story keeps up a great pace, with ever escalating stakes that kept me riveted to the page. Along with the oodles of tension in the tight plot, we're also treated to a steamy and heart-wrenching and heart-warming romance between Cain, our tortured badass alpha hero with a deep-seated need to protect those he loves, and Katie, our smart, streetwise heroine with a generous heart. While their insta-attraction is a pleasure to read, it's their love that grows over the course of the story that adds my favorite layer to the overall narrative. It's as sweet as it is sexy.Bottom line: ANGEL KIN is dark and gripping, fast-paced and poignant, with action scenes that will delight urban fantasy fans and well-drawn characters who deliver the fun and the snark exactly when it's needed in the story.For example: (quote) Cain checked his shirt and dismissed the evidence of his vamp encounter. "Killed a mosquito." (end quote)I look forward to the next installment in the series.