by Jess Haines
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Paperback: 352 Pages
Publication: July 2, 2013 by Zebra
The Others–vampires, werewolves, things that go chomp in the night–don’t just live in nightmares anymore. They’ve joined with he mortal world. And for private investigator Shiarra Waynest, that means mayhem…
Have a one night stand with a vampire, and you can end up paying for it for eternity. P.I. Shiarra Waynest, an expert on the Others, knows that better than most. Yet here she is, waking up beside charismatic vamp Alec Royce with an aching head…and neck. Luckily, Shia has the perfect excuse for getting out of town–namely, a couple of irate East Coast werewolf packs who’d like to turn her into a chew toy.
On Royce’s suggestion, Shia temporarily relocates to Los Angeles. But something is rotten–literally–in the state of California, where local vampires are being attacked by zombies. Who could be powerful enough to control them–and reckless enough to target the immortal? Following the trail will lead Shia to a terrifying truth, and to an ancient enemy with a personal grudge…
Forsaken by the Others is an action-packed novel filled with mystery and intrigue. Shia has gone from worrying about keeping her PI agency afloat to dealing with vampire politics and all the Others in New York who would love to tear her to pieces. Rather unwillingly for someone whose life is in mortal danger, Shia relocates to Los Angeles temporarily with her good friend and fellow PI Sara. Being a woman of action, however, Shia can’t stay still and finds herself investigating a case of zombies that have been killing her vampiric host’s people.
Shia reminds me of an older Rose from Vampire Academy and some Val Shapiro from Parker Blue’s Demon Underground series. She’s rough around the edges, impulsive, and quick to take action. She’s also fiercely loyal and someone you can trust your back with in a fight. At the same time, there’s a vulnerable side to her. She’s suffered a lot over the course of the series, and now she not only has to deal with the guilt over the hardships she’s brought onto her friends and family, she isn’t sure if she’s entirely human because of the vampire blood and lycanthrope infection. Shia values her humanity, which I respect about her. Shia’s human-ness adds another layer to her character and sets her apart from other MCs because she has to work around her human weaknesses in order to fight with the Others.
Those who like a seductive vampire will be delighted with how Shia and Royce’s relationship is progressing. And what’s nice is that the romance doesn’t overtake the plot in the book. In fact, Royce is very absent in this book because he’s back home in New York trying to make it a safer place for Shia, so you could say that there is actually too little of Royce here. I wouldn’t have minded seeing more of him and hopefully we will in future installments.
There’s also plenty of kickass action for those who love to see a good fight and all kinds of funny for those who appreciate a good laugh, ranging from the “ohmigosh are they going to get out of there alive???” scenes to those where even Shia realizes the irony of the situation. I felt so bad for Shia and Sara when they knock at the door of a Goliath werewolf, but their reaction to him is hilarious.
Forsaken by the Others is what I’d call a lighter urban fantsy read. While it has its dark moments, there’s always plenty of humor to go around, which isn’t hard to find when you have such an outspoken, charismatic MC like Shia. I recommend this for urban fantasy lovers who love good humor and fight scenes with some sexy mixed in.
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Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Julie says
Oooh, I know what to read now when I start branching into adult titles. Loved your review!
Crystal says
Thanks, Julie! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did! 🙂
Cali Willette says
Great review! I love a good mystery book and I love the cover of this one too. <3
Crystal says
I love a good mystery book as well, and UF mysteries have always been a favorite of mine 🙂