I really loved this book. Sorcha is a terrific heroine though she definitely has her faults. Merrick is a very powerful Deacon but still an anomaly. But the Pretender was my favorite character. I can't wait to see where the next story takes him. This book isn't listed as a series starter but with the terrible cliff hanger ending, I must assume there is at least another book coming.

The world building is very intense and loosely based on a religious system: priory, lay brother, deacon, abbot, matins, rectory, etc which seems Catholic to me and then there are the Presbyterial council and Episcopal inquiries. The story wasn't religious in nature but it did focus on good versus evil in regards to ghosts from the Otherside. These are evil geists who are brutally viscous murderers. The danger is real and the bond between Sorcha and Merrick is all that saves them from the betrayal of their own.

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What an enjoyable read! Sorcha Faris and Merrick Chambers are deacons whose role is to protect humans from the undead (geists). Sorcha is the strongest fighting deacon in the order and Merrick develops into the strongest sensitive deacon. As they struggle to destroy the geists, they find all previous rules for fighting the undead or for their appearances are changing so the deacons, too, must change defensive tactics. As they travel to Ulrich, a community besieged by geists, they encounter Raed Rossin, pretender to the throne, who bears a terrible curse that haunts him wherever he goes. The three combine their talents in the hope of surviving the onslaught of geists that keep appearing. This is the first in a new exciting series that I plan to follow. Good, good read.

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Geists have been plaguing humanity but humans have their champions against this infestation. Deacons, one active (who actively engage the geists) and one sensitive (who enhance and gather information through their senses) work together to fight the geists and send them back to the otherworld. Sorcha, a powerful active deacon, and Merrick, a powerful sensitive, are paired to help out the citizen's of Ulrich who have an unusual distrust of deacons. They are joined by Raed an ousted former prince who lives with a curse deeply connected to the geists. These three find themselves within a conspiracy that may shake everything they believe.

You are thrown immediately into a riot at the beginning of the story so I admit it took me a minute to really get into things. Having to sort out who did what and who was who. After that minute, however, I was absorbed into this world and the relationships of the characters. Sorcha could be a hard character to connect to as she is all angles and no soft edges, but as we get into her mind, we find some of those soft edges to connect us. Merrick, who is both in awe of Sorcha and irritated with her, also takes a bit to connect to but in the end we are rooting for him and feel that he is a trusted friend. So, yes, I enjoyed the growth of the characters and the interesting world in which this book resides.

As for the mystery and what that holds for this world... you should know by now I will not spill a thing. So, I will add a... *evil laugh* to any curiosity you may have now. I will also give this book 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good adventure, fantasy, a smidgen of steampunk, and a bit of romance. You will enjoy this book.

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