My best friend has an author (probably more than one; but one I know of for sure), that she calls her comfort read. I have a few authors I would call my comfort reads – authors you can count on to deliver a good, well-written and enjoyable story. You may know how the story will progress (maybe not always); but you also know you will enjoy the story. Rarely are you disappointed.
Victoria Laurie is one of my comfort reads. I stumbled upon her last year, and quickly had to devour all the books in print I could get my hands on. This was the series I stumbled upon first, so I was excited to get this latest edition in the series.
First let me say I did enjoy and liked this book very much. However, I was surprised to find myself feeling somewhat disappointed with the story progression in the first third or so of the book. M.J. Holliday, her SO, Heath and her BF, Gilly Gillespie are facing one of their toughest challenges – a demon that is targeting and trying to destroy the Whitefeather tribe, Heath’s family. Obviously, Heath is distracted and dealing with grief, as early on, his favorite aunt and uncle have already been killed by the demon threat. What I found somewhat frustrating and annoying is that M.J. and Gilly seem to be slow in responding to the threat and starting an investigation into the history of the clan and the demon that may be responsible for the current havoc. They seem curiously passive, initially. Admittedly, they are hampered by tribal culture, traditions and customs. Still, M.J. is usually a more proactive heroine.
M.J. does become more proactive and Gilly also is more heroic than he normally seems to be. Gilly whines, complains and cowers, but ultimately you can count on him to back up M.J. in the end. In this story, there seems to be less cowering and more immediate stepping up and bravery. The story does pick up quickly and results with an exciting climax. Overall, this was not a disappointment and a very good read.