Inka York

At first glance: Myself being from the States and this author being British led to some interesting use of imagination on my part since this book had terminology I wasn't used to... and in some cases I was baffled and confuzzled by it. Yet, that aside, this book boasted some beautifully crafted prose but don't worry... this read was not obnoxiously flowery, verbose, or tweeee... it was just compelling evocative writing. Now, unfortunately, I initially found myself a bit bogged down, mired in some sluggish spots... the first half of the book was obviously (taking its sweet ass time) setting things up... having to wade through the dull bits was a bit off-putting BUT when I got to ~ the 50% mark, things started picking up as the Crazy and Fantastical were thrown about.

At a second gander: After the 50% mark, things started to dramatically gain momentum. I finally reached the area where the Who(s), the Why(s), and a touch of the How(s) were being laid out. The info dumpage was borderline excessive. Thankfully it didn't turn out to be too detrimental BUT our FMC, Violet didn’t help matters. She rolled with every punch and handled each bizarre reveal with true teen apathy.

Third impression: there was a TON going on here!! That can be a double-edged sword. Lots going on could mean a spellbinding read ... an adrenaline-fueled tale that blindsides and abducts you then doesn't let go til the very last word. Unfortunately, that was not the case here. Here there were loads and buckets and rivers of reveals... a bunch were Life/belief structure altering- in theory, BUT in actuality, the characters took each and every bit of (unlikely) news/drama and were incredibly blasé about it. It was as if they said, "okay, that's momentous, anyone for tea?". It's somewhat off-putting because no matter what happened, they were unphased. There were Vampires, Succubi, and Werewolves. There were witches, shapeshifters, voodoo-type poisoners, various demons, and demon spawn (that happen to not be intrinsically evil which I liked), plus other "Others" that populated this unique world. The existence of a myriad of Creatures Of The Night alone should be anxiety-inducing, and Life altering but Violet and her sister Amethyst not only heard and encountered these things but they seemed to file them under "Big Freaking Deal" to boot. Violet surmised that she and her twin sister have a (very unique) place/role in this strange world and again they acted as if they might have said... "that's weird, lunch anyone?". The nonchalance when being confronted with dangerous and (quite) shocking news felt inauthentic (imo). Is it a rating-busting missile? Maybe, it sure felt disingenuous.

The end: This section was high-octane and fun to read. I wish it didn't end with so many loose ends flapping about... I'm not usually a fan of cliffhangers. This book had a few interesting twists on old Monster tropes. Some of the characters were well-defined and multi-faceted. . sadly that was not the case with a hand full of other cast members BUT decent characters, a unique plot (and trope management) and a fast pace were all attributes that went a looong way towards helping this read redeem itself from its info dumping ways. Those qualities helped restore some of the penalized Rating Stars.

Overall:

If you're into info ladden stories with a cornucopia of Monster types... then this is totally up your alley. If you like coming of age and into one's powers tales... then this one is definitely for you. If you like unresolved, cliffhanger endings... you're a bit weird but this one is surely for you. I happened to enjoy this story BUT if you asked me those questions before I read this book I'd probably have answered NO to most. I'll most likely be on the lookout for book #2

~ Enjoy

*** I received an advance review copy for free from Booksirens and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ***… (altro)