Paranormal Detective Shines in New Fantasy Novel Blade Song
Kit has a mouth on her like a drunken sailor and the sword arm of a Samurai warrior. But most of all, in this new fantasy novel what Kit has is a soft spot for kids in trouble. It is this trait more than any other that made me love her right off the bat in what proved to be a fast-paced paranormal detective story. She is a struggling private dick in a world filled with every paranormal being you can name.
There are plenty of tough-chick paranormal private-eye books out there. It seems to be the current fascination in this genre, and not all of them work as far as I am concerned. I probably would have passed this one by if it weren’t for the fact that J.C. Daniels is actually fantasy romance author Shiloh Walker’s latest pen name. That alone was enough to make me check it out, and I am glad I did. It read fast and furious, just like the action in the book. Somehow I found myself well past 2 AM and unable to put it down.
A Dark Paranormal World
Our struggling P.I. is Kit Colbana, and she has been through hell and back herself, so she knows what it feels like to be a kid running from trouble and abuse. When she is approached by a much too good looking and aggressive wer-cat on behalf of his Queen, she at first is not interested. But the picture of the 16 year old runaway becomes more than she can ignore. This is not the kind of gal who turns her back on those in real trouble, as even she knows:
“You don’t do easy, do you?”
“Wouldn’t know it if it bit me on the ass”
The story quickly moves up a notch as Kit finds she is caught in a mystery. The mystery is buried deep in the anger, mistrust and downright hatred that simmer just below the surface between the humans and the paranormal races. Kids on the verge of the big change are disappearing, both witch kids and wer-kids alike. Someone is abducting them and it can’t be for good reasons.
The deeper Kit gets into the case, the more it brings back terrifying memories of the abuse she lived through as a child. The half-breed of a vanishing race of mystical beings, for Kit every abused child brings back horrifying memories that color who she is today and leave her soul vulnerable. If you are squeamish about this kind of stuff, be forewarned that it gets a bit graphic. But it is also what makes this more than just another paranormal mystery story. The darkness that is brought to the foreground with this story makes it gripping and the way Kit deals with it makes her all the more heroic.
A Darker Sense of Romance
Add in a dash of very sexy wer-cat that just can’t quite leave her alone. Now, he may be a bit on the rough side, but somehow it seems right with Damon and I liked that although at first he was abrasive enough to have me dislike him, we slowly see another side of him. It is a softer side that cares for kids and takes care of his own. Maybe not the kind of guy I would spend time with in our world, but in Kit’s world of constant danger, he would be welcome. And that is a big part of what makes this new fantasy novel such a great read.
This is not our world and she never paints it to be so. It is a far darker world, much more violent. I have seen some comments about Damon and his Alpha ways, but for my money part of why he works is that his actions show how dangerous he is because it is a dangerous world he lives in. And don’t even get me started on Jude. He is the vampire that we see woven through the story as well. You get the feeling you really would not want to get to know him too well. Not that you would likely get a choice in the matter.
But Kit lives in a dangerous world peopled with beings that would kill you just as soon as look at you. It is what shapes her and those around her. What is amazing to me is how well it works in this new fantasy novel of wer-cats, vampires and oh ya, alligators. A dangerous world with one hell of a dangerous gal, and one I hope we see more of real soon.
For a small free taste of Kit and her magic blade, check out the short pre-story here.
Then be sure to follow our links to find your own copy of Blade Song in either quick downloading Kindle format or the good old dependable paperback version today.
