Book Review ~ A Brush of Darkness (Abby Sinclair #1) by Allison Pang

A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang

Book Stats:
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format Reviewed: E-Book
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: January 25, 2011
Series: Abby Sinclair #1
Source: Personal Purchase

The man of her dreams might be the cause of her nightmares.
Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.

Why I read this book?: I saw a review for this book on Mindful Musings and decided that it was something that I wanted to try.

What I liked?: Abby Sinclair! She’s just full of awesome as well as piss and vinegar. Abby is the TouchStone to the Protectorate and is suddenly put in charge when Moria, the Protectorate, goes missing. I also enjoyed all the mystery that was included in the book. When Moria goes missing more disappearances are brought to light AND THAT is when things get a little crazy. Oh and let’s not forget all the humor that is through out this book as well. I really enjoyed the host of secondary characters as well. Especially Phineas, the horny little unicorn.

What I disliked?: I didn’t really care for Brystion. I don’t know what it was exactly about him that I didn’t like but it definitely had an impact on my overall feel for the book. As a result of me not really liking Brystion, I really did “feel” the romance between Abby and Brystion. I also didn’t care for how Moria really let Abby down. I didn’t really like how certain characters in the book treated Abby at the beginning of the book and then had a complete turn about at the end either.

Overall Impression: I really enjoyed this book. It’s chock full of humor and mystery. This book from what I can tell is classified as a Paranormal Romance but to me it read more like an Urban Fantasy. It just didn’t read like a PNR, if that makes sense at all.

Rating: 3.75/5

Book Review ~ Iron Crossed (Mercy Thompson #3) by Patricia Briggs

Iron Crossed by Patricia Briggs

Book Stats:
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy/PNR/Fantasy
Format Reviewed: Mass Market Paperback, 287 pages
Publisher: Ace
Release Date: January 2, 2008
Series: Mercy Thompson #3
Source: paperbackswap.com

I could smell her fear, and it satisfied something deep inside me that had been writhing under her cool, superior gaze. I curled my upper lip so she could get a good look at my sharp teeth. I might only weigh thirty or so pounds in my coyote shape, but I was a predator… Mechanic Mercy Thompson can shift her shape – but not her loyalty. When her former boss and mentor is arrested for murder and left to rot behind bars by his own kind, it’s up to Mercy to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not.
Mercy’s loyalty is under pressure from other directions, too. Werewolves are not known for their patience, and if Mercy can’t decide between the two she cares for, Sam and Adam may make the choice for her…

Why I read this book?: I’ve read the last two books in this series back to back, which is an extremely rare occurrence, and I really wanted to keep up with what’s going on in Mercy’s life so I just kept going. I think I’m going to keep going until I run out of books:) 2013 you can’t get here fast enough!

What I liked?: As usual, Mercy! She’s got this almost obnoxious sense of loyalty and when Zee gets into deep trouble she just jumps in with both feet to clear his name. That is also the point when shit hits the fan as well. I really liked that in this book Mercy finally chose between Adam and Samuel. I really liked that in this book we learn more about the fae and their folklore, there were some pretty interesting stories that were mentioned in this book. The action and suspense were right up there with the last two books and I really liked how we were introduced to Adam’s “vengeful” side and more of the pack behaviors. Like in the first book, the bad guy wasn’t obvious until the very end and I was really surprised to see that Mercy was wrong about her suspicions.

What I disliked?: This book started off slower than I really liked. It took a fair amount of reading and setting the book down before I got to the point that things started happening and the book grabbed my attention. I also disliked that new characters and plot points were brought into the book but once introduced where never really expanded upon. Maybe they make appearances in upcoming books but I would have liked to see a little more detail.

Overall Impression: This book is considerably more gritty than the last two books. Even though it isn’t my favorite in the series I think it’s still a really good installment and I’m off to start Bone Crossed!

Rating: 3.75/5