Saturday, March 26, 2011

Queen of Shadows / Dianne Sylvan / 389 p.

What really intrigued me about this book enough to check it out was its setting--Austin, my old stomping grounds during college and a few years after. I also felt in the mood for some escapaist reading, but not particularly from the paranormal romance genre.

Honestly, I find most of the paranormal romances a little predictable and have read enough that I crave more original fare. They usually follow this model: girl has psychic or supernatural powers. She attracts notice of dark, dangerous vampire (who really has a heart of gold), they eventually hit it off, and either he turns her into a vampire or she assumes some sort of supernatural role. She may be a tough girl in the beginning (like Buffy) or not, but by the end she becomes a tough girl, able to kill without too many qualms. Perhaps these stories demonstrate that women can be as tough as men, yet filled with a feminine power. The violence bothers me, even though the enemies are literally dehumanized evil creatures.

This particular novel followed the model but proved entertaining enough to keep me reading. Not only was every mention of a familiar Austin street or place turn out to be fun for me, but the writer knows her craft and I was quickly invested in the characters. You know in the back of your mind that the two lead characters will probably be a couple, but how? What sparks will fly when they meet? Will they defeat the bad guys? I'd recommend this book if you're in the mood for an entertaining read from this genre.

MOBIUS  DBRL  Amazon

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