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Otherworld / Sisters of the Moon #12
Shadow Rising
We’re the D’Artigo sisters: savvy half-human, half-Fae ex-operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch with three sexy husbands. My sister Delilah is a two-faced werecat and Death Maiden. And me? I’m Menolly, a jian-tu turned vampire in love with a wildly hot werepuma. Unfortunately, life is about to get very, very nasty…
Nerissa and I can’t decide on what we want to do for our promise ceremony and we’re bickering like an old married couple. My sisters and I head to Otherworld for a meeting with Queen Asteria. Once there, we discover that Shadow Wing has dispatched Telazhar—a malevolent necromancer—to reignite the Scorching Wars. And as soon as we return back home, we find Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts, waging a battle to control the magical beings over Earthside. Caught between two terrible enemies in a battle spanning two worlds, we can only hope we’re in time to stop all-out annihilation.
Nerissa and I can’t decide on what we want to do for our promise ceremony and we’re bickering like an old married couple. My sisters and I head to Otherworld for a meeting with Queen Asteria. Once there, we discover that Shadow Wing has dispatched Telazhar—a malevolent necromancer—to reignite the Scorching Wars. And as soon as we return back home, we find Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts, waging a battle to control the magical beings over Earthside. Caught between two terrible enemies in a battle spanning two worlds, we can only hope we’re in time to stop all-out annihilation.
Audiobook
First published October 30, 2012
78 people are currently reading
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About the author
Yasmine Galenorn
251 books3,472 followersNOTE: I SELDOM visit Goodreads and do very little here. Please see my website for more information on my work: https://galenorn.com
New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over 80 books & numerous series, including the Wild Hunt Series, the Moonshadow Bay Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Otherworld Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, and more. She wrote for trad publishers for 20 years until she went indie in 2016.
She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her web site at Galenorn.com. Sign up for her newsletter at: http://galenorn.com/newsletter/
NOTE: ALWAYS check the website and blog, and please sign up for her newsletter there to keep current with new and upcoming releases. Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter are NOT viable places to find out all this information.
New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over 80 books & numerous series, including the Wild Hunt Series, the Moonshadow Bay Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Otherworld Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, and more. She wrote for trad publishers for 20 years until she went indie in 2016.
She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her web site at Galenorn.com. Sign up for her newsletter at: http://galenorn.com/newsletter/
NOTE: ALWAYS check the website and blog, and please sign up for her newsletter there to keep current with new and upcoming releases. Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter are NOT viable places to find out all this information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
March 7, 2018
Rating: 4 stars
Book twelve has its high-lights but I found myself caring less about Menolly and Nerissa's wedding preparations, and more about the upcoming war in Earthside and Otherwold. The changes in everyone's daily lives have a realistic tone and turn that bring these characters and the world building to life. Iris'(and Sharah's) advancing pregnancy, house renovations, family meals, and the abilities of newcomers (Shade) added flavor and foreshadowing to future battles and possible outcomes. I did appreciate gaining a glimpse into Roman's past and learning more about the mysterious the Crimson Veil, that was quite fascinating.
All in all, not a bad book just more of a transitioning one.
Book twelve has its high-lights but I found myself caring less about Menolly and Nerissa's wedding preparations, and more about the upcoming war in Earthside and Otherwold. The changes in everyone's daily lives have a realistic tone and turn that bring these characters and the world building to life. Iris'(and Sharah's) advancing pregnancy, house renovations, family meals, and the abilities of newcomers (Shade) added flavor and foreshadowing to future battles and possible outcomes. I did appreciate gaining a glimpse into Roman's past and learning more about the mysterious the Crimson Veil, that was quite fascinating.
All in all, not a bad book just more of a transitioning one.
December 24, 2012
I really do enjoy this series but it seems that its getting a little "old". Don't get me wrong, I still really like it but not loving it. The gang is all up against another great evil, they face death and have to come up against more demons (of both the inner and physical kind).
This story focuses on Menolly D’Artigo (vampire/Fae) and is told from her perspective. Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts is attacking the earthside while Shadow Wing is attacking Otherworld.
Shadow Rising was an enjoyable read, with an entertaining and interesting story. There was some reconciliations, character growth and a wedding...lots of action and a few interesting turn of events so in the end I give Shadow Rising 4 stars.
This story focuses on Menolly D’Artigo (vampire/Fae) and is told from her perspective. Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts is attacking the earthside while Shadow Wing is attacking Otherworld.
Shadow Rising was an enjoyable read, with an entertaining and interesting story. There was some reconciliations, character growth and a wedding...lots of action and a few interesting turn of events so in the end I give Shadow Rising 4 stars.
June 25, 2015
Menolly’s POV.
D’Artigo sisters – Menolly, Camille and Delilah – together with Chase, Shade and Trillian headed to Otherworld for a meeting with Queen Asteria. New faces, old faces, new problems, new solutions, and so many other things on that meeting I had a hard time catching up actually.
I guess, as much as I love the series and the sisters, this installment has been taxing and too overwhelming for me. Everything is happening all at once without reprieve or downtown and they always complain about it. Actually, I also complain about it. Gah, even in Menolly’s dream state. Seriously. The series is losing its appeal to me. And, too many new faces I already have a hard time getting the already many characters straight and yet I am introduced to othes.
Also, this one is quite familiar. Like that Zach’s ex-fiancé. Same scenario with the casualty.
Too much blubbering on my side. The only thing that’s good about is finally, Menolly and Nerissa’s promise ceremony. Although, it come off a bit cheesy to me you know. I like Roman better but its just the whole consort thing going on there.
Let’s see if I’ll continue reading the series. Its going to be Camille’s and I love Smoky, so…
D’Artigo sisters – Menolly, Camille and Delilah – together with Chase, Shade and Trillian headed to Otherworld for a meeting with Queen Asteria. New faces, old faces, new problems, new solutions, and so many other things on that meeting I had a hard time catching up actually.
I guess, as much as I love the series and the sisters, this installment has been taxing and too overwhelming for me. Everything is happening all at once without reprieve or downtown and they always complain about it. Actually, I also complain about it. Gah, even in Menolly’s dream state. Seriously. The series is losing its appeal to me. And, too many new faces I already have a hard time getting the already many characters straight and yet I am introduced to othes.
Also, this one is quite familiar. Like that Zach’s ex-fiancé. Same scenario with the casualty.
Too much blubbering on my side. The only thing that’s good about is finally, Menolly and Nerissa’s promise ceremony. Although, it come off a bit cheesy to me you know. I like Roman better but its just the whole consort thing going on there.
Let’s see if I’ll continue reading the series. Its going to be Camille’s and I love Smoky, so…
January 7, 2026
Really enjoyed the depth of exploration of Menolly in this book. I loved the struggle she worked through and her enhanced growth with her new support characters. I look forward to more of the girls growth. It is my favorite part of the series. I do enjoy the plot, but the vast additions of so many different character types some times get to be too much to keep straight. In the end, the pluses outweigh the minuses. good stuff.
March 10, 2017
Yine aksiyonun dibine vurduğu bir roman oldu. Sırada Camille var, beklemedeyim...
October 30, 2012
What it's about: Shadow Rising is the 12th book in the Otherworld series and features Menolly this time. I highly recommend reading the previous books, as each one builds on the other. In Shadow Rising Menolly and Nerissa are finally tying the knot in a commitment ceremony, and Menolly would much rather be killing demons than picking out flowers. When the sisters head into the Otherworld they discover a war is building and it all centers on their father. Add to that Menolly's tie to Morio, and you have a way bigger problem than which flowers and music to pick out.
Why you should read it: Yasmine has created a richly intricate world with her Otherworld series. Every book revolves around one of the three sisters and provides a detailed point of view each time. Menolly is probably my favorite sister, given her dark history and complexity. Fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance should definitely give this series a go. Plus, the covers are always so beautiful!
To see what Yasmine says about her heroines and the Otherworld series check out the HEA Blog! http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...
Why you should read it: Yasmine has created a richly intricate world with her Otherworld series. Every book revolves around one of the three sisters and provides a detailed point of view each time. Menolly is probably my favorite sister, given her dark history and complexity. Fans of urban fantasy and paranormal romance should definitely give this series a go. Plus, the covers are always so beautiful!
To see what Yasmine says about her heroines and the Otherworld series check out the HEA Blog! http://www.usatoday.com/story/happyev...
November 13, 2012
This series is starting to loose steam for me. Every book is life and death, the sisters run from one emergency to another, every person they come across is ready to help them. How is this possible?
This book was narrated by Menolly, my most unfavorite sister. I think the reason for that is because she hates herself, hates that she is a vampire, even though she didn't ask for it. I also get tired of her whining through the whole book. I also find her and Nerissa's relationship odd, they are committed to each other, yet give the other a free pass to have sex with men. They are trying to plan a wedding but each is so insecure that it makes me wonder how they will make it as a couple.
It seemed like the sisters were running after the big bad for the whole book, one thing kept happening after another, then the action was wrapped up in 5 pages, it seemed really rushed.
I am hoping the next book will be better.
This book was narrated by Menolly, my most unfavorite sister. I think the reason for that is because she hates herself, hates that she is a vampire, even though she didn't ask for it. I also get tired of her whining through the whole book. I also find her and Nerissa's relationship odd, they are committed to each other, yet give the other a free pass to have sex with men. They are trying to plan a wedding but each is so insecure that it makes me wonder how they will make it as a couple.
It seemed like the sisters were running after the big bad for the whole book, one thing kept happening after another, then the action was wrapped up in 5 pages, it seemed really rushed.
I am hoping the next book will be better.
May 18, 2017
I love this story! And not only because I both laughed and cried during the reading of it. :-)
Before I really get into what I love about this story, though, I feel like I need to qualify my five-star rating. Because I read this book over three days, and because I was violently ill on thesecond first day and, as a result, didn't get to read much, this book lost a lot of its oomph for me. So I am giving it five-stars on the assumption that it would have wowed me had I been able to read it at my usual speed. As things stand today, I know that it was a fabulous story, but I don't have any of the feelings that it was a fabulous story (if that makes sense). Also, regarding my second day/first day mix-up, apparently my illness did a number on my sense of time. Even now (it's now May 17th as I type this update) it "feels" to me like I was sick on Saturday night, but it was actually Friday night (May 12th) when I was ill. :-/
Anyway, moving on to what I most liked: We finally got to see Shade "be Shade"!!! (On page 58.) And since the battles in this book were mostly involving Netherworld spirits, Shade also played a major part in helping out in various ways. It was wonderful! (I just wish some of his abilities had been shared in a Delilah book. After all, he's her lover.)
We also got to meet :-)
Also, the events in that latter spoiler were all after And that latter thing has already had some interesting side effects. :-)
On an even more personal front, This happened at the very end, and it was beautiful, so I cried (twice!). :-)
I also cried nine (or 12, I cried twice in the final scene) pages earlier, after the final battle. I didn't expect to cry over this. After all, this was a character we had only "just met," earlier in this book. And I don't think I did cry for the loss. It was that proved too much for me and put me in tears. :-( (Tears fell on page 280, in Chapter 19.)
I mentioned a line that made me laugh? It was more a scene, and all I'll say is that Menolly laughed over Delilah's comments about and I laughed with her. :-)
So this was a really fun book, though I am a bit disappointed that, once again, And as much as he's changed, and even though it might , I'm still harboring a hope that if any of the major "good guy" characters in this series get killed off, it will be him. :-(
But even with that incident, this was still a fantastic story. And now to share the ending!
And. . .tears. :-)
Oh! One more thing about this story... The only new-to-series beings in this book were the specific types of spirits and demons that we "met." Namely, :-)
Also, no spirit seal activity took place in this book. All of the action did revolve around spirits, though. () :-)
So. . .Did I mention that this is a fun story and I really loved it? (Also, I left a lot out as to what all happened. I only mentioned "the highlights.") :-)
Before I really get into what I love about this story, though, I feel like I need to qualify my five-star rating. Because I read this book over three days, and because I was violently ill on the
Anyway, moving on to what I most liked: We finally got to see Shade "be Shade"!!! (On page 58.) And since the battles in this book were mostly involving Netherworld spirits, Shade also played a major part in helping out in various ways. It was wonderful! (I just wish some of his abilities had been shared in a Delilah book. After all, he's her lover.)
We also got to meet :-)
Also, the events in that latter spoiler were all after And that latter thing has already had some interesting side effects. :-)
On an even more personal front, This happened at the very end, and it was beautiful, so I cried (twice!). :-)
I also cried nine (or 12, I cried twice in the final scene) pages earlier, after the final battle. I didn't expect to cry over this. After all, this was a character we had only "just met," earlier in this book. And I don't think I did cry for the loss. It was that proved too much for me and put me in tears. :-( (Tears fell on page 280, in Chapter 19.)
I mentioned a line that made me laugh? It was more a scene, and all I'll say is that Menolly laughed over Delilah's comments about and I laughed with her. :-)
So this was a really fun book, though I am a bit disappointed that, once again, And as much as he's changed, and even though it might , I'm still harboring a hope that if any of the major "good guy" characters in this series get killed off, it will be him. :-(
But even with that incident, this was still a fantastic story. And now to share the ending!
And. . .tears. :-)
Oh! One more thing about this story... The only new-to-series beings in this book were the specific types of spirits and demons that we "met." Namely, :-)
Also, no spirit seal activity took place in this book. All of the action did revolve around spirits, though. () :-)
So. . .Did I mention that this is a fun story and I really loved it? (Also, I left a lot out as to what all happened. I only mentioned "the highlights.") :-)
November 15, 2021
5/5 ⭐️
Yaaaaay!!!!
Yaaaaay!!!!
January 5, 2015
Twelfth in the Otherworld urban fantasy series surrounding a trio of half-fae, half-human sisters living in Seattle. This story is from Mennolly's point of view.
My Take
I started this series, lo so many installments ago, hating Galenorn's terrible writing. So, you may ask, why have I continued through twelve of them? Because I adore her characters. I love the love and affection, the loyalty, and the backstory of the sisters as well as the additional cast of characters who have clambered on whether as friends or part of their very expanded family. And, yes, Galenorn's writing improves and falls back, and I never know which it will be from story to story. And yet her characters remain the same while their circumstances and love lives continue to amaze and delight.
The underlying theme which ties it all together is the threat of Shadow Wing, a fearsome and powerful demon battering at the portals to our world. Should he breach earth's gates, the portals to Otherworld will also fall and neither world will survive. Along the way, the girls have picked up new powers, steadier men (so to speak), more and more friends, and a greater confidence in themselves.
In this particular story, while the action centers around the latest big, bad---Gulakah, Lord of Ghosts---the real effort is more of a tidy-up. The blood bond Mennolly was forced to share with Morio is raising havoc, the girls still mourn their father's horrible choices, a greater threat to the girls' side is found on earth and in Otherworld, and Nerissa is angry with Mennolly over their wedding plans.
Ooh, yeah, baby, Mennolly is giving good 'ol dad what for! Their visit to Otherworld makes Chase wonder how he would like living there. More of his powers are emerging while we learn more about Shade's gifts. Then there's Roman's want, his need. It'll just make you cry. Oh, brother, and the reason why the girls were "recruited" for OIA comes up.
LOL, Morio has come up with another flavor for Mennolly's ever-necessary blood. And Mennolly learns what Erin had to go through when she woke as a vampire.
The Story
Summoned to Elqaneve, Queen Asteria gives and gets surprises and orders the girls to Y'Elestrial to see their father. The man who preferred his queen to his children.
It's not their last surprise either, for something is destroying power users Earthside. Murder and destruction dog their footsteps. A Demon Gate threatens all they hold dear. And Roman wants Nerissa.
Chase has his own problems: Sharah doesn't want to marry him and some friends of his are being murderously haunted.
And the pregnant Siobhan Morgan is off with her husband to the Isle of Man to have her baby and claim her inheritance.
The Characters
There are three D'Artigo sisters: Delilah, Camille, and Mennolly. Half-fae, half-human, they are unique individuals who care very much about each other. They live together in an old Victorian in Seattle with their significant others, friends, and allies.
Mennolly, the youngest, was a jian-tu acrobat-spy before she was caught and turned into a vampire. Straightforward with no sense of diplomacy, she will always tell you the truth. She and Nerissa Shale, a lone werepuma, who works as a counselor for FH-CSI, are getting married. Maybe. Mennolly also runs the Wayfarer Bar & Grill, a bar and inn for supes. Derrick Means is her werebadger bartender; Lena and Chrysandra are two of the waitresses; and, Digger is a vampire sent by Roman to help. Mennolly is also Roman's official consort. Roman, a natural and blood son of Blood Wyne, the mother and ruler of all vampires, is making some scary demands.
Delilah is the middle sister, a two-faced were able to shift into two types of cat, a living Death Maiden, and engaged to Shade, a half-shadow dragon, half-Stradolan. She will endeavor to never hurt your feelings.
Camille is the oldest and a Moon Maiden, a priestess to the Moon Mother. She is the diplomat of the three, at least in this installment! She's married to three supernaturals: Trillian Zanzera is Svartan fae; Morio Kuroyama is a Youkai-kitsune (Japanese fox demon), Grandmother Coyote's grandson, and he works death magic with Camille; and, Smoky, a.k.a., Lord Iampaatar, is a half-silver, half-white dragon shifter.
Sephreh ob Tanu is the girls' father, a guardsman loyal and true, who disowned his family for their choices. He's been demoted from Ambassador to liaison between the OIA and the Des'Estar, the guards. Shamas ob Olanda is the girls' cousin, full Fae, and a sorcerer (see Shaded Vision), who works Earthside for Chase. Andrees is an old school friend of the girls who has been sent Earthside and is now missing.
Other allies and friends who live at the house include:
Lady Iris O'Shea, a Finnish house sprite and Priestess of Undutar, has come back from her honeymoon with Bruce O'Shea, a leprechaun who is the head of Irish Studies at the University of Washington. Rozurial, a mercenary and incubus as well as one of Mennolly's lovers, wears a long coat filled with every kind of weapon. Vanzir is a dream-chaser demon who lost his powers and now getting back a variation on them. Maggie is their baby calico gargoyle. Hanna is a hostage rescued in Hexed: Ice Shards (9.5), who now helps out at the house.
Detective Chase Johnson heads up the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI). Events in Bone Magic (7) have changed Chase, and we're still learning what he can do. Sharah, Queen Asteria's niece, and an elfin medic with FB-CSI, is pregnant with Chase's child. Yugi is Chase's second-in-command. Mallen is another elfin medic. Charlotine is a vampire sorceress who works for Queen Asteria and may be the world's only hope.
Lindsey Cartridge is "the director for the Green Goddess Women's Shelter for battered women...and the high priestess of an FBH pagan coven of witches". She gave birth to a girl, Feddrika. Poor kid...even if she is named for Feddrah-Dahns! Frank Willows is a were, the farmer from whom Mennolly gets her blood, and a member of the Supe Community Council.
Vampires Anonymous was founded by Wade and is backed by Roman. Sassy's house and estate are the new VA headquarters---the Seattle Vampire Nexus. Belinda Stevens is his nightmare of a mother. And some idiot turned her into a vampire!
Queen Asteria is the elfin queen and tiring of the fight. Trenyth is her assistant, and he and the queen appreciate the girls.
Additional allies in Otherworld include:
Derisa is the High Priestess from the Grove of the Moon Mother. Darynal, a Svartan is Trillian's blood-oath brother and will be the lead scout. Quall is an undercover assassin for Elqaneve; his father is one of the enemy, the man who sold him into slavery. Taath is one of Asteria's sorcerers. King Uppala-Dahns. Vodox is king of the Svartalfheim and still deciding.
Carter is a leader of the Demonica Vacana Society; he's half-demon and half-Titan through his father Hyperion. Ivana Krask is the Maiden of Karask, an Elder Fae with a love for bright meat.
"The Greenbelt Park District is the most haunted district in Seattle" where Fritz and Abby Liebman have just purchased a fabulous fixer-upper. Only there's a lot more fixing up required than they had planned.
Marion Vespa and her husband, Douglas, coyote shifters, are living with the D'Artigos and friends after their house and café were burnt down in Harvest Hunting (8).
Elaqneve is the Elfin lands in Otherworld (OW), which is a human generic reference for another dimension where many of the elves, gods, and Elemental Lords, etc. all live. Access to OW is through portals. The Sidhe and Fae themselves call it Y'Elestrial.
Talamh Lonrach Oll, the Land of Brilliant Apples, is the realm of the Triple Threat and lies in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range. The Court of the Three Queens is that of the three Earthside Fae queens: Titania is the Queen of Light and Morning of the Seelie; Morgaine is a half-Fae Queen of Dusk and Twilight; and, Aeval is the Queen of Shadow and Night of the Unseelie.
Telazhar, a necromancer training demons for Shadow Wing, is back and threatening two fronts. Bhouts are demonic ghosts---not fully demon, not fully spirit. Degas are like wild animals, uncontrollable. Shadow Wing, a demon lord with plans to invade and conquer earth before he continues on to Otherworld. The Aleksais Psychic Network is led by Halcon Davis.
The Cover
The cover is dark, so very dark with the Seattle skyline and the Space Needle rising in the background while the red-headed and braided Mennolly clad in black leather, crouches and pets a mountain lion atop a skyscraper.
The title speaks the truth about a Shadow Rising over both worlds.
My Take
I started this series, lo so many installments ago, hating Galenorn's terrible writing. So, you may ask, why have I continued through twelve of them? Because I adore her characters. I love the love and affection, the loyalty, and the backstory of the sisters as well as the additional cast of characters who have clambered on whether as friends or part of their very expanded family. And, yes, Galenorn's writing improves and falls back, and I never know which it will be from story to story. And yet her characters remain the same while their circumstances and love lives continue to amaze and delight.
The underlying theme which ties it all together is the threat of Shadow Wing, a fearsome and powerful demon battering at the portals to our world. Should he breach earth's gates, the portals to Otherworld will also fall and neither world will survive. Along the way, the girls have picked up new powers, steadier men (so to speak), more and more friends, and a greater confidence in themselves.
In this particular story, while the action centers around the latest big, bad---Gulakah, Lord of Ghosts---the real effort is more of a tidy-up. The blood bond Mennolly was forced to share with Morio is raising havoc, the girls still mourn their father's horrible choices, a greater threat to the girls' side is found on earth and in Otherworld, and Nerissa is angry with Mennolly over their wedding plans.
Ooh, yeah, baby, Mennolly is giving good 'ol dad what for! Their visit to Otherworld makes Chase wonder how he would like living there. More of his powers are emerging while we learn more about Shade's gifts. Then there's Roman's want, his need. It'll just make you cry. Oh, brother, and the reason why the girls were "recruited" for OIA comes up.
LOL, Morio has come up with another flavor for Mennolly's ever-necessary blood. And Mennolly learns what Erin had to go through when she woke as a vampire.
The Story
Summoned to Elqaneve, Queen Asteria gives and gets surprises and orders the girls to Y'Elestrial to see their father. The man who preferred his queen to his children.
It's not their last surprise either, for something is destroying power users Earthside. Murder and destruction dog their footsteps. A Demon Gate threatens all they hold dear. And Roman wants Nerissa.
Chase has his own problems: Sharah doesn't want to marry him and some friends of his are being murderously haunted.
And the pregnant Siobhan Morgan is off with her husband to the Isle of Man to have her baby and claim her inheritance.
The Characters
There are three D'Artigo sisters: Delilah, Camille, and Mennolly. Half-fae, half-human, they are unique individuals who care very much about each other. They live together in an old Victorian in Seattle with their significant others, friends, and allies.
Mennolly, the youngest, was a jian-tu acrobat-spy before she was caught and turned into a vampire. Straightforward with no sense of diplomacy, she will always tell you the truth. She and Nerissa Shale, a lone werepuma, who works as a counselor for FH-CSI, are getting married. Maybe. Mennolly also runs the Wayfarer Bar & Grill, a bar and inn for supes. Derrick Means is her werebadger bartender; Lena and Chrysandra are two of the waitresses; and, Digger is a vampire sent by Roman to help. Mennolly is also Roman's official consort. Roman, a natural and blood son of Blood Wyne, the mother and ruler of all vampires, is making some scary demands.
Delilah is the middle sister, a two-faced were able to shift into two types of cat, a living Death Maiden, and engaged to Shade, a half-shadow dragon, half-Stradolan. She will endeavor to never hurt your feelings.
Camille is the oldest and a Moon Maiden, a priestess to the Moon Mother. She is the diplomat of the three, at least in this installment! She's married to three supernaturals: Trillian Zanzera is Svartan fae; Morio Kuroyama is a Youkai-kitsune (Japanese fox demon), Grandmother Coyote's grandson, and he works death magic with Camille; and, Smoky, a.k.a., Lord Iampaatar, is a half-silver, half-white dragon shifter.
Sephreh ob Tanu is the girls' father, a guardsman loyal and true, who disowned his family for their choices. He's been demoted from Ambassador to liaison between the OIA and the Des'Estar, the guards. Shamas ob Olanda is the girls' cousin, full Fae, and a sorcerer (see Shaded Vision), who works Earthside for Chase. Andrees is an old school friend of the girls who has been sent Earthside and is now missing.
Other allies and friends who live at the house include:
Lady Iris O'Shea, a Finnish house sprite and Priestess of Undutar, has come back from her honeymoon with Bruce O'Shea, a leprechaun who is the head of Irish Studies at the University of Washington. Rozurial, a mercenary and incubus as well as one of Mennolly's lovers, wears a long coat filled with every kind of weapon. Vanzir is a dream-chaser demon who lost his powers and now getting back a variation on them. Maggie is their baby calico gargoyle. Hanna is a hostage rescued in Hexed: Ice Shards (9.5), who now helps out at the house.
Detective Chase Johnson heads up the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI). Events in Bone Magic (7) have changed Chase, and we're still learning what he can do. Sharah, Queen Asteria's niece, and an elfin medic with FB-CSI, is pregnant with Chase's child. Yugi is Chase's second-in-command. Mallen is another elfin medic. Charlotine is a vampire sorceress who works for Queen Asteria and may be the world's only hope.
Lindsey Cartridge is "the director for the Green Goddess Women's Shelter for battered women...and the high priestess of an FBH pagan coven of witches". She gave birth to a girl, Feddrika. Poor kid...even if she is named for Feddrah-Dahns! Frank Willows is a were, the farmer from whom Mennolly gets her blood, and a member of the Supe Community Council.
Vampires Anonymous was founded by Wade and is backed by Roman. Sassy's house and estate are the new VA headquarters---the Seattle Vampire Nexus. Belinda Stevens is his nightmare of a mother. And some idiot turned her into a vampire!
Queen Asteria is the elfin queen and tiring of the fight. Trenyth is her assistant, and he and the queen appreciate the girls.
Additional allies in Otherworld include:
Derisa is the High Priestess from the Grove of the Moon Mother. Darynal, a Svartan is Trillian's blood-oath brother and will be the lead scout. Quall is an undercover assassin for Elqaneve; his father is one of the enemy, the man who sold him into slavery. Taath is one of Asteria's sorcerers. King Uppala-Dahns. Vodox is king of the Svartalfheim and still deciding.
Carter is a leader of the Demonica Vacana Society; he's half-demon and half-Titan through his father Hyperion. Ivana Krask is the Maiden of Karask, an Elder Fae with a love for bright meat.
"The Greenbelt Park District is the most haunted district in Seattle" where Fritz and Abby Liebman have just purchased a fabulous fixer-upper. Only there's a lot more fixing up required than they had planned.
Marion Vespa and her husband, Douglas, coyote shifters, are living with the D'Artigos and friends after their house and café were burnt down in Harvest Hunting (8).
Elaqneve is the Elfin lands in Otherworld (OW), which is a human generic reference for another dimension where many of the elves, gods, and Elemental Lords, etc. all live. Access to OW is through portals. The Sidhe and Fae themselves call it Y'Elestrial.
Talamh Lonrach Oll, the Land of Brilliant Apples, is the realm of the Triple Threat and lies in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range. The Court of the Three Queens is that of the three Earthside Fae queens: Titania is the Queen of Light and Morning of the Seelie; Morgaine is a half-Fae Queen of Dusk and Twilight; and, Aeval is the Queen of Shadow and Night of the Unseelie.
Telazhar, a necromancer training demons for Shadow Wing, is back and threatening two fronts. Bhouts are demonic ghosts---not fully demon, not fully spirit. Degas are like wild animals, uncontrollable. Shadow Wing, a demon lord with plans to invade and conquer earth before he continues on to Otherworld. The Aleksais Psychic Network is led by Halcon Davis.
The Cover
The cover is dark, so very dark with the Seattle skyline and the Space Needle rising in the background while the red-headed and braided Mennolly clad in black leather, crouches and pets a mountain lion atop a skyscraper.
The title speaks the truth about a Shadow Rising over both worlds.
November 24, 2012
What can I say about this series that I haven’t said before? This is the twelfth book, and it is still going strong and fresh. There is no real progress though; things are getting direr by the day in Seattle, and in Otherworld. War is threatening, and allies have to be found soon.
Two good things happened though, the girls make up with their father, who shows real remorse about the way he treated Camille and Menolly, and it is time for the wedding between Menolly and Nerissa! Which was a lovely ceremony, only I would have preferred Camille as the performing priestess.
Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts, is in Seattle, and ghostly activities are cropping up everywhere, and not with mundane ghosts. Evil sprits, demon ghosts, soul suckers abound. There has to be a Demon Gate to the Nether Realms, letting them in. And only the most powerful of Lords can control them. The magical community is hit hard.
Chase is discovering more and more about his powers though, and that is not without danger. But we also learn a bit more about Shade, Delilah’s love, and Roman, the Vampire Ruler, of whom Menolly is the official Consort, even though she loves Nerissa. We finally get to meet Blood Wyne, Romans’ mother, and the ultimate Vampire Queen, and wow, did I love that part of the story! Yasmine Galenorn is a master at describing rituals and scenes, and it is just amazing.
Next to all the fighting, and the hurrying from one scene to the other, there is bit of time for home, for friends, to enjoy life, but their home is invaded again and again by evil, and Camille has to ask Ivana, the Maiden of Karask, for help again. Still, I think she will be needed in this battle again and again, and I hope Menolly can stay out of her debt by making the right bargains. It sure is intriguing to read about the Elder Fae. They really are scary.
But as usual, I am looking forward to the next book, which will be starring Camille again, and I hope to learn a bit more about the Courts of the Fae Queens, and the rituals of the Moon Mother. Camille is to lead the Wild Hunt.
Yasmine Galenorn is a really great author, she writes parts that are on the cusp of very scary (for me, that is), but she also can tug on my heart strings with the various relationships and their problems and hopes and dreams. Her characters are very lifelike and I love the sister that is telling the story in each book the most, though I usually do admire Camille the most. They started out together, three sisters, and have all found friends and lovers and other helpers, their family has extended, and the world keeps getting build more and more in each book.
If you want to start reading this series, please start with the first book, or you cannot possibly enjoy the dynamics in the interactions of the various characters.
9 stars
full review on my blog, www.boeklogboek.blogspot.com
Two good things happened though, the girls make up with their father, who shows real remorse about the way he treated Camille and Menolly, and it is time for the wedding between Menolly and Nerissa! Which was a lovely ceremony, only I would have preferred Camille as the performing priestess.
Gulakah, the Lord of Ghosts, is in Seattle, and ghostly activities are cropping up everywhere, and not with mundane ghosts. Evil sprits, demon ghosts, soul suckers abound. There has to be a Demon Gate to the Nether Realms, letting them in. And only the most powerful of Lords can control them. The magical community is hit hard.
Chase is discovering more and more about his powers though, and that is not without danger. But we also learn a bit more about Shade, Delilah’s love, and Roman, the Vampire Ruler, of whom Menolly is the official Consort, even though she loves Nerissa. We finally get to meet Blood Wyne, Romans’ mother, and the ultimate Vampire Queen, and wow, did I love that part of the story! Yasmine Galenorn is a master at describing rituals and scenes, and it is just amazing.
Next to all the fighting, and the hurrying from one scene to the other, there is bit of time for home, for friends, to enjoy life, but their home is invaded again and again by evil, and Camille has to ask Ivana, the Maiden of Karask, for help again. Still, I think she will be needed in this battle again and again, and I hope Menolly can stay out of her debt by making the right bargains. It sure is intriguing to read about the Elder Fae. They really are scary.
But as usual, I am looking forward to the next book, which will be starring Camille again, and I hope to learn a bit more about the Courts of the Fae Queens, and the rituals of the Moon Mother. Camille is to lead the Wild Hunt.
Yasmine Galenorn is a really great author, she writes parts that are on the cusp of very scary (for me, that is), but she also can tug on my heart strings with the various relationships and their problems and hopes and dreams. Her characters are very lifelike and I love the sister that is telling the story in each book the most, though I usually do admire Camille the most. They started out together, three sisters, and have all found friends and lovers and other helpers, their family has extended, and the world keeps getting build more and more in each book.
If you want to start reading this series, please start with the first book, or you cannot possibly enjoy the dynamics in the interactions of the various characters.
9 stars
full review on my blog, www.boeklogboek.blogspot.com
December 9, 2012
Took a while to get into this one, but it finally go rolling. Although, this story has gone on so long with so many characters coming in and storylines diverging, it feels like it's going nowhere and I'm beginning to confuse people. Whenever a decision is made to go anywhere, it takes a full paragraph just to list and divvy up who is going where.
The books are good, but I am bored with this series.
The books are good, but I am bored with this series.
September 4, 2014
The book wasn't awful but it was rather dull and slow moving in my opinion. Menolly just CONSTANTLY berates herself for being a vampire and it makes things depressing. The use of the word Cunt and Fuck doesn't do anything to add to the sexiness or story, if anything it just makes it more abrasive. At this point I am just trying to finish out the series so that I don't leave it open ended.
December 30, 2012
Sort of a "meh" on this one. I think there are getting to be so many characters I can't keep track. As someone else mentioned the series is moving slowly too. Will I read the next one? Probably but I no longer look forward to them the way I did at the beginning.
October 15, 2015
4.5 stars I am so glad that the sisters are finding their souls mates but man things are getting harder for them
September 18, 2013
I am losing interest in this series...
December 31, 2015
Cried At the end!
April 8, 2024
Round up to 4.5 stars.
February 10, 2019
This is told from Menolly's PoV and I'd say best read fairly close to the previous book, 'Shaded Vision' fresh in your mind. I had forgotten some things and you may not get the whole subtext on some things if it isn't fresh. The book starts with going to Other World, and you'd think the story would stay there with the Queen introducing them to three new characters they have to deal with (but don't necessarily trust), then they are sent to another part of Otherworld to deal with their father and work another agreement with that group. Do they stay in Otherworld? Nope, they go back to Earth and are plunged into one thing after another. Between personal entanglements, fighting ghosts, siphoning creature attacks, I honestly felt it was way over the top, but maybe that's what the author wanted. She definitely repeated how overwhelmed they were and tired of the constant putting out fires. The great thing about big arching series is that you get to revisit previous characters and see what's happening in their lives, and usually you get to learn more about other characters or histories. The bad thing about these double digit series books is that when they are still fighting the same fight, you begin to wish it would end. Don't get me wrong I really enjoy these characters, I just want the big bad they keep fighting to be over and give us something new. I did like seeing Menolly's wedding to Nerissa Shale.
See my other reviews at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/
See my other reviews at https://wyldheartreads.wordpress.com/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2017
This series is a very good series, there are parts that are slow or some areas repeated which we can do without . but the overall series in a whole I love it very much. It has everything paranormal and is written very well. reminds me of what real people actually do in there lives or in the hear of the moment. I have enjoyed this series and I would recommend it to others who enjoy reading of magic shifters vampires fairy's dragons everything sisters and their loves and family trying to keep earth and otherworld safe from the demons, ghosts, gods, ghouls, werespiders..... ect. it is a great series long.... but worth the 📖 ❕
May 8, 2019
J’ai eu beaucoup de mal à finir ce tome et pourtant, j’adore cette série. Je pense que c’est dû au fait que la narratrice soit Menolly qui n’est vraiment la sœur que je préfère. L’autre raison, c’est que j’ai le sentiment de stagner, la lutte avec l’ombre est toujours en cours et malheureusement ne semble pas vouloir se terminer.
L’action avance à vitesse d’escargot avec de longs passages d’introspection et de retour sur le passé, à mon avis inutile. Je me suis ennuyée et loin d’éclaircir l’intrigue, l’auteure nous embrouille plus qu’autre chose. Une déception ce tome, j’espère que le prochain sera meilleur, sinon, je pense abandonner la série.
L’action avance à vitesse d’escargot avec de longs passages d’introspection et de retour sur le passé, à mon avis inutile. Je me suis ennuyée et loin d’éclaircir l’intrigue, l’auteure nous embrouille plus qu’autre chose. Une déception ce tome, j’espère que le prochain sera meilleur, sinon, je pense abandonner la série.
July 22, 2017
Tired of all the sex in the books. It detracts from the story. I used to be read the books by Laurel Hamilton until they were nothing but sex. I'm afraid this series is headed for the same toilet. Worse with each one.
January 23, 2023
Another great read by one of my favorite urban fantasy authors. Great characters, great plot, great scenes, great romance. This was another one I could not put down. Like always, looking forward to the next in this great series.
November 16, 2016
literally mind-blowing and unexpected turn of events as usual. loved the risks and turn of events. horrifyingly interesting and intense battles every-now and then
March 7, 2018
Enjoying Roman as a character more than I thought.
August 13, 2019
This is a fantastic series!! Each book is better than the one before it! I love how the characters are evolving!
March 11, 2020
Love this series!
August 9, 2020
She's my favorite of the sisters
January 21, 2021
Very good read. I'm glad Menolly found her happiness. She deserves it.
June 3, 2021
Was honestly surprised it was over, I could have kept going with this story - so good thing it’s a series and I can now start the next one.
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