Helpful Score: 11
Different. Very Different. The post-apocalypse world is haunted [sometimes literally] by supernatural forces and laced with corruption. In some areas the supernaturals hold the power and humans manage poorly, in others the humans hold the power and anything supernatural is repressed if not destroyed. Bigotry is rife. It has that dark, brooding 'storm's coming' feel. The geographic setting is interesting [because I'm familiar with it] starting in Stockton and moving to Oakland with trips to San Francisco and the 'Barrens' outside the city.. Religion and traditional religious teachings do not fare well in this book, readers with strong beliefs who are unable to step away may find this book very uncomfortable.
The looming menace that rolls through the book almost overwhelms the romance. The heroine is forced to user her powers to enter the 'Ghostlands' to find and save someone. Like acts of power, there is always a price - she calls on someone who she sees as a demon. The 'demon' hero is furious at being called and vows to return and kill her... Returning to his own homeland he is manipulated to fetch a dangerous tablet back from the world of men - and to kill the heroine. When he arrives, the attraction between them is intense - and they proceed to do a lot of things [throughout the book] which neither his people nor hers would approve. They discover at the end that they have both been pawns in a greater game which will probably continue in later books.
This is not a book you read in one sitting. I found the need for breaks while I absorbed some of the complexities and savored some of the layers and relationships in the world. It was a relatively 'cool' book when compared to her other books I've read in the past.
The looming menace that rolls through the book almost overwhelms the romance. The heroine is forced to user her powers to enter the 'Ghostlands' to find and save someone. Like acts of power, there is always a price - she calls on someone who she sees as a demon. The 'demon' hero is furious at being called and vows to return and kill her... Returning to his own homeland he is manipulated to fetch a dangerous tablet back from the world of men - and to kill the heroine. When he arrives, the attraction between them is intense - and they proceed to do a lot of things [throughout the book] which neither his people nor hers would approve. They discover at the end that they have both been pawns in a greater game which will probably continue in later books.
This is not a book you read in one sitting. I found the need for breaks while I absorbed some of the complexities and savored some of the layers and relationships in the world. It was a relatively 'cool' book when compared to her other books I've read in the past.
Helpful Score: 4
It's hard to put what you feel after reading this book into words. The world Jory Strong created in this book is complex. Demons, humans, magic users, and other supernaturals abound. The relationships between the different beings, their motivations, needs, desires and wants are all very complex and sometimes hard to understand. I must say that she just gets better and better. Don't go into reading this thinking to compare it to her supernatural series that included trace's psychic, storm's fairies, sophie's dragon and drui claiming. This world she is now creating is MUCH more rich, complex, and intriguing. She draws you in quickly and doesn't let go until the end. I had no choice but to read it in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down, but I do think I may need to read it a second time, as I feel I may have missed nuances the first time around. The heroine struggles all through the book to understand her gifts and abilities because she was abandoned as a baby on a woman's doorstep and raised by that woman. She's had no formal training in her gifts, and struggles to understand them and deal with the worry that she is somehow staining her soul in some irredemable way. The hero, who is and isn't a demon, also struggles with his feelings for the heroine. He doesn't want to bind himself to her, but at the same time he can't seem to stay away from her. I understand the other reviewers feelings that there is so much going on in this story that it can start to overwhelm the romance part of the story, but I believe that all the other stuff that goes on in the story shows the building trust and love between the two in a way it couldn't have otherwise. This book is one of the most amazing, compelling, rich, and complex ones I have ever read. I'm hoping it comes out in hardback, because if it does, it will definately go on my keeper shelf. I can only hope that any additional stories live up to the standard she has set in this one. And yes, at the end she left it like their could be other stories about this world coming in the future. I can only hope so! This was an amazing thrill ride. I must admit I hated the fact that the story ended. I wanted more of the world she has created here. I can't wait to see if you does another one. It is a bit on the dark side, but having read stories like the dark series by Christine Feehan, and other writers about vampires, werewolves and the like it didn't bother me. There is a definate leaning in the tone of the book that makes the "church" look manipulative, self-serving, and borderline evil. At one point a man of the "church" threatens to throw her out in the street (since the church owns the house she lives in) if she doesn't use her abilities to help them. So if you have a strong spiritual leaning in regards to your belief in organized church this may not be the book for you. It doesn't come across to me as against a belief in God itself, just in the organized church. Of course if you take into account the things that might change in the church after an apocolypse that couldn explain a lot of it. You definately need an open mind with this book. Wow and Amazing are the two words that keep jumping into my mind. A definately good read!
Helpful Score: 3
I won't give a summary of the book...it's been done. It was erotica...not UF, heck not even romance when you are getting it 'on' in less then 30 pages. I think the word c*ck was the most used word in the book. Why? What does saying c*ck over and over add? And I'm not a prude but come on! Story please!! Their horniest for each other was the overriding theme of the book IMHO. Content...not some much. Porn..yes. Sadly the book had a great premise buried underneath the mindless sex. But getting to that story was such a chore I feel asleep almost every time I picked up the book. Certainly not a book for one sitting...and even the many sex scenes were just bad. *Sigh*
Helpful Score: 1
Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Futuristic erotic romance by Jory Strong. Aisling is an untrained Shamaness taken to the city, to find a rich man's mistress. Aisling is skilled in travelling to the astral plain of the dead. She finds it necessary to call for help in the form of the demon Zureal. He does her bidding, and vows to return and kill her. Except, that Zureal and Ainsling become deeply connected. This is a fantastic, rich story full of detail and sub-plots. The author as a gift for description that makes you believe you can actually feel the character's thoughts and emotions. I love this book. I am definately reading the next one.
