I'm going to quote what a gargoyle said, it's just so fitting, this series and book couldn't be described better than "this is so rock!" One would think that Tru's life has some semblance of "normal" after what she went through, pfft... whatever normal is for her, but, having foiled a demon invasion, having survived "the white room", having survived her encounter with Xander, and a new job handed to her, she SHOULD have been all smiles and roses, especially with a certain demon in her life.Then again, WHAT is normal for Tru? She's a half-breed who shouldn't even exist, so her norm is far from "normal", in fact, precisely because of this, so many sups loathe her, want to end here. And boy do they try! Her "unusual" being is reviled by most, she's seen as an abomination who shouldn't be breathing their precious air.
Tru is full of sass, feistiness, and attitude that sends thrills of delight right down to my toes. She has it all in bucket loads, and heck, don't call her an Alicorn, she's an unicorn with wings! Tru is a special character to me, oh who am I kidding, ALL Brogan's characters are special to me! I couldn't be more gobsmacked at how this author does it, these characters entwine themselves around me, through me, in me, talking residence forever in my heart. The growth of all the characters is simply spectacular, well... except for Xander, HE regresses into a bigger sleazeball than he was but this authors talent is so immense, she has even ME forgiving him! So many times did I have the rug pulled out from under me, so many times did my butt take a beating from landing countless times on the floor, but, you know what? I loved every bump and ache!
The fight is real, with everybody and their sidekick after Tru, the spectacular way she deciphers truth from fiction, friend from foe, is fraught with enough tension to decimate and shatter my soul. Thankfully.... this clever tug and release method of the author kept me just this side of implosion, as I too, like Story, barely kept myself intact. Oh golly is Story amaaaazing! What a sweet little pixie! She has come a long way from the frightened, unloved and reclusive pixie we first met. But the top notch prize goes to....TRU! She has evolved into a confident, warm and deadly person, a person who knows, accepts who she is, what she wants and what she needs to do. SHE is no longer a loner, SHE has the most awesome found family who would do anything for her, as she would for them. And frek! The magic that Tru has adds another fabulous aspect to her. But it's the love she feels, the love she dared to expose within her that is her superpower, her motivation and her dedication. Besides her cool friends, there's Kleric...Kleric is a demon I'd gladly give my soul to, can one get a nicer, more beautiful, romantic person??? I doubt that....these words melted more than my heart, "The world is a better place with you in it. My world is better" HE. IS. PERFECTION!
This read was way lighter in tone for much of the book than the previous one, but I should have known Ms Thomas was setting me up, lulling me with her often humourous prose and then bam! Hits me good and solid! I was ducking and flinching as if Brogan threw a handful of spells at me, yeah, THAT'S a signature move by this excellent author, casting the unexpected, throwing emotional punches, plucking at my heartstrings like a maestro violinist. Oh my word, when Justin did, what he did, and Tru was forced to do what she did, my emotions were pulverised! This book was inner reflective with a healthy dose of outer violence. When you have a coven of witches determined to attack and a nest of Vampires who are sinking their teeth (pun intended!)into areas they have no right to, violence is a luxury born out of necessity, luxury, because Tru particularly enjoys violent games played by supernaturals, but her compassion is undeniable and a constant, she'd rather talk them down than end them, so she doesn't do violence for violence sake, hence the necessity. "The loss of life hurts something deep inside me, even though I know they are bad people" But one must do as one needs, right? "What can possibly go wrong" must be my favourite Tru utterance, because, yeah ... Murphy's law and all that!
The skill Ms Thomas meandering plot takes, had me gasping like a fish out of water, flailing helplessly while she drew me in closer and closer. I was drowning in her splendid prose and storytelling, I was delighting in how descriptive and real Tru's thoughts and musings are, how Tru's actions which didn't reflect her inner voice, how Tru's whole life unfolded in front of me where I could see every stitch in the vividly crafted tapestry in front of me. Expertly woven, I can't see the intricacies, the brilliance of the twists until I slam into the tapestry as though it's a brick wall, the WTF moments banish all logical thoughts and leave me reeling! Prime example? Well shoot, ONE of those is Caitlyn, the human who saved Tru, the human who was so unassuming....This is a read where my eyes, unintentionally, move to the bottom of the page to see the page count, and the closer it comes to the end, the more devastated I feel. I mean, I'm compelled to read yet dreading the moment I see "the end" This is a series I NEVER want to end! These are characters so richly complex and varied , I'm very loathe to let go of them, I'm not ready to relinquish the hold they have over me, I'm definitely not ready for the author to release the spell she cast over me! Ms Thomas, I am FOREVER under your spell!