Never Ever have I.... I'm joking but how clever is this title??? There IS a Never (FMC) there IS an Ever(Nadia), a character who's just like Never, magically that is and she's cool too! I love Never, I love how she gets herself into all sorts of....ummm.... situations, and how she gets out of them. With her penchant for violence one might think she's unhinged but after what she went through, what she lived through as a captive, heck, she's a kitten! And golly am I ultra intrigued by the Bone Reader! The delicious delivery of this author, has him and his side kick Visitor, shrouded in more layers than a portion of Mille-Fueille! He knows too much, he sees too much but can Never SEE see him? Heck no! He's like a liquid that metamorphosises constantly, ebbing and flowing so she can't get a "read" on what he is, nevermind what he looks like. And that's her speciality, being able to see/feel emotions, to discern truth from lie, an Intuitive, a very rare magical being. She thought she was the only one until she met Nadia, now there be 2...
I can't get over how well this author builds her characters, I almost see her as a master potter of clay, shaping, moulding, changing her piece of art into something different, better. Take Brutus for example, he was a serious thorn in Never's side, arrogant, pompous, hells, if he wasn't so huge I'd say he had an inferiority complex and his grudging acceptance of Never turns into fully fledged respect. So much so, I started LIKING him! Abby, who's grown in leaps and bounds, Chrys who is so vibrant, her effervescence splashes over everyone! Never's found family just keeps on growing and my grin does too, Todd, Lynx, Elois, the fabulous once vamp Hugh, plus an entire mansion full of vamps who adore her, yeah, if anyone deserved the love and affection raining down on them, it's Never. Oh lordie does she get herself in all sorts of binds, and she scampers, fights, reasons herself out of them, all by her sheer determination to do good, all by her sheer resoluteness to never be in a compromised love situation. Pfft, the Fates really laughed at that one! Her tug of war within herself over Nahum was realistic, her fear of letting anyone in, of being beholden to them is so palpable but what's that saying? "love makes the world go round" it sure as heck does! I love love LOVE Nahum, he's so patient and caring and giving, he's as deadly as an adder but he's an all round sweetheart who just adores Never.
So, not only is the relationship thing an issue for Never, so too is the Magika, who's head representative, Amun stinks of corruption and greed. Oh boy, the action, the drama surrounding this exploration of who is and who isn't corrupt had so many unexpected twists and a heck of a lot of me dry swallowing, all my salvia magically disappeared...Lots of tongue in cheek banter and musings, often comical, keep the theme lighter, balancing out the dramatic tension that permeates, seeping through like a bucket full of holes; excellently done. That ending, OMG, I would have yelled out NOOOOOOO had I not already had the next book lined up.....This book and series is excellently penned, the "different strokes for different folks" rings fresh, vibrant and sheer exhilaration in reading it! What a ride Ms Reames, what a fabulous ride!