What do you think?
Rate this book
Otherworld / Sisters of the Moon #14
Autumn Whispers
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 Menolly is a vampire married to a wildly hot werepuma. And me? I’m Delilah, a two-faced werecat and Death Maiden. The Supe Community is in danger, and now it’s up to us to unravel a mystery to which we may not want the answers…
When two vampiric software engineers approach us about a missing colleague, we don’t expect to find much. But then Grandmother Coyote steps in and our simple missing persons case rapidly devolves into a nightmare of debauchery, slavery, and corporate greed. Now, we must infiltrate and destroy an underground organization of influential men, led by the mysterious Lowestar Radcliff, before they discover we’re on to them. But one misstep puts our whole operation and our lives in peril, and I must unleash my powers as a Death Maiden, even if it means destroying someone I love.
When two vampiric software engineers approach us about a missing colleague, we don’t expect to find much. But then Grandmother Coyote steps in and our simple missing persons case rapidly devolves into a nightmare of debauchery, slavery, and corporate greed. Now, we must infiltrate and destroy an underground organization of influential men, led by the mysterious Lowestar Radcliff, before they discover we’re on to them. But one misstep puts our whole operation and our lives in peril, and I must unleash my powers as a Death Maiden, even if it means destroying someone I love.
289 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 24, 2013
77 people are currently reading
2699 people want to read
About the author
Yasmine Galenorn
218 books3,464 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
January 6, 2020
Okumayı unutmuşum cidden. İşler kızışmak üzere, bu da ön hazırlık kitabı gibi bir şey olmuş. Arka arkaya okuyabilsek keşke de hiçbir şey unutmasak. Wayfarer yandı ve Menolly'nin kitabını deli gibi merak etmekteyim.
September 28, 2013
I really rate this book 2.5 stars and the extra half is because I am so invested in this series. Three new issues were revealed in this book, but not one was resolved. I can’t even say that there was a cliffhanger ending, because the story just stops. I got confused for a second when there was no new chapter to follow the final sentence. The book also veers from the usual pattern of each book following a different sister. We spent just as much time with Camille as we did with Delilah. If not for the sex scenes with Shade there would have been nothing about this story that made it Delilah’s. Also at this point there are to many damn characters. At one point Delilah and Camille realize that they forgot all about maggie, and to be fair who can blame them. Between worrying about themselves, their sisters, Iris, Bruce, Iris’ twins, Iris’ mother-in-law, Nerissa, Menolly’s daughter what’s her name, Roz, Vanzir, Smokey, Trillian, Shade, Chase, Sharah, that Karask chick, Grandmother Coyote, Bran, Derek, Chrysandra, the couple that owns the coffee shop, Tim the former transvestite, Tim’s husband, Trenyth, Asteria, Carter, Tad, Albert, Sephreh, and their new found cousins Daniel and Hester, who could fault them for letting Maggie slip their minds.
There were to many characters and to many mysteries/adventures. Find a out what’s up with the evil building, find a missing elf, and deal with the beginning of a war. I understand the war is the beginning of a new story arc, but the building and the girl issues should have been resolved. Some characters die, but as you see from my list above there are so damn many it was hard to care, and those aren’t even all the players in this story. I really felt cheated with this book, I hope the next one gets back on track.
There were to many characters and to many mysteries/adventures. Find a out what’s up with the evil building, find a missing elf, and deal with the beginning of a war. I understand the war is the beginning of a new story arc, but the building and the girl issues should have been resolved. Some characters die, but as you see from my list above there are so damn many it was hard to care, and those aren’t even all the players in this story. I really felt cheated with this book, I hope the next one gets back on track.
September 19, 2018
Rating: 3 stars
Book 14 just pushed upcoming events up to date without actually moving the plot forward. The status quo of various individuals are forced into happening, decision making or crushed by Fate. There are more subplots unfolding, new characters and foreboding on the horizon. Not a great deal happens here but at least what does happen is entertaining enough.
Delilah has come a long way since the first books, and I enjoy her as a character more. As usual, I am looking forward to swerving back into Camille's storyline but I suspect with all the drama unfolding in Menolly's life, things are just getting started.
What I disliked the most about this book was the unresolved, abrupt ending that just screeched to a halt. It was as if Galenorn ran out of time, or left a cliff-hanger as an excuse to start the next book. Of course, I will keep reading until this series is done. All in all, not bad but certainly not one of the best in this series.
Book 14 just pushed upcoming events up to date without actually moving the plot forward. The status quo of various individuals are forced into happening, decision making or crushed by Fate. There are more subplots unfolding, new characters and foreboding on the horizon. Not a great deal happens here but at least what does happen is entertaining enough.
Delilah has come a long way since the first books, and I enjoy her as a character more. As usual, I am looking forward to swerving back into Camille's storyline but I suspect with all the drama unfolding in Menolly's life, things are just getting started.
What I disliked the most about this book was the unresolved, abrupt ending that just screeched to a halt. It was as if Galenorn ran out of time, or left a cliff-hanger as an excuse to start the next book. Of course, I will keep reading until this series is done. All in all, not bad but certainly not one of the best in this series.
May 26, 2020
5/5 ⭐️
Another amazing book in the series!!
Another amazing book in the series!!
May 21, 2017
This book got off to a rather frustrating start due to an error, and then ended with a whimper, so despite some great - and emotionally wrenching - stuff in the middle, I am only going to give it four stars.
Now to talk specifics. . .
In the beginning...well, in the very beginning, we're with Delilah as she completes a task for her Death Maiden duties. But then she goes home, and at home, we see a few of the residents, including Roz. Now, Roz was mentioned, but THEN DID A FADE AND WAS MENTIONED NO MORE. (Until later in the story when he again popped into being.)
I mentioned something like this happening in the last book, too. And I know there are A LOT of characters in this series, and a lot of them live in the D'Artigo household, but still. . . How hard is it to keep track of which major secondary characters were mentioned, and which need to be again mentioned when "everyone [else]" goes home or breaks apart?
Also, Morio was mentioned as being elsewhere in this scene, but then he was absent - and rather conspicuously absent, too - until way later in the book. It's like the author reached critical mass on characters and can only talk about "x" number of them at a time. It's very annoying. :-(
Anyway, I didn't realize that Morio was to disappear from Camille's life for much of the book at this point in the beginning. Instead, on page 39, I had a bit of a laugh-out-loud moment. It was regarding the home - and the cat - of the "missing colleague" mentioned in this book's jacket description. Delilah and Camille are at "the missing colleague's" house, looking for clues, and . . .
Along the way to the unsatisfactory ending, we have the emotionally wrenching bits: That last bit happened on pages 226-227, and it's when I finally cried, or at least, I almost cried. Tears formed, but I don't think they fell.
Then on page 279 we had an error of a sort that I most despise: Trenyth is talking, and he says, "We lost [name redacted because...spoiler] to Trenyth's forces." *ARGH!!!* It was Telazhar's forces!!! :-(
And then 10 pages later we have the ending. I am not going to share quotes for this ending, but I will tell you what was going on: Okay, so I lied. The final words are in that spoiler. But as the earlier final words involved . . . Well. I am not at all satisfied with this "ending."
Nothing was resolved!!! Telazhar is still on the move in Otherworld; Lowestar Radcliffe is still free to do whatever it is he is doing (and no, we do not yet know much of what that is...*grrr*); and the "missing colleague" is still missing. :-(
If any of the above three things are resolved in the next book, this book is going to feel like filler. Sure, it introduced the above things, but still. . .filler. And that fact that it already feels like filler, even though I haven't yet read any of the later books? Well, that is not a good thing. :-(
So maybe I should give this book fewer stars? But no, I think the "emotionally wrenching" bits that I mentioned have to count for something. So four stars it is.
We did have one new creature/being introduced in this book - - and Ivana Krask had a role to play in this story. :-) And spirit seals were mentioned - and boy, howdy! - but the ninth one is still to be found.
And I realize that this 289-page book review is short on details, but I can't really think of what else happened in here. If you read one of my first spoilers - the one that has the emotionally wrenching bits in it - and try to imagine all of the action involved that surrounded and/or made up those things, then you might get an idea.
So the action in this book was mostly good and very interesting. As a for instance, Bran was in here! That was a rather fun scene. :-)
But this book feels like filler, because surely the things that were introduced could have been introduced in a not-289-page-way. So was this book just to keep Delilah having a book between Camille and Menolly books? It sure has that feeling. :-/
(And yes, it still feels that way even though this is the book that kicked off .) :-(
Now to talk specifics. . .
In the beginning...well, in the very beginning, we're with Delilah as she completes a task for her Death Maiden duties. But then she goes home, and at home, we see a few of the residents, including Roz. Now, Roz was mentioned, but THEN DID A FADE AND WAS MENTIONED NO MORE. (Until later in the story when he again popped into being.)
I mentioned something like this happening in the last book, too. And I know there are A LOT of characters in this series, and a lot of them live in the D'Artigo household, but still. . . How hard is it to keep track of which major secondary characters were mentioned, and which need to be again mentioned when "everyone [else]" goes home or breaks apart?
Also, Morio was mentioned as being elsewhere in this scene, but then he was absent - and rather conspicuously absent, too - until way later in the book. It's like the author reached critical mass on characters and can only talk about "x" number of them at a time. It's very annoying. :-(
Anyway, I didn't realize that Morio was to disappear from Camille's life for much of the book at this point in the beginning. Instead, on page 39, I had a bit of a laugh-out-loud moment. It was regarding the home - and the cat - of the "missing colleague" mentioned in this book's jacket description. Delilah and Camille are at "the missing colleague's" house, looking for clues, and . . .
A cat was curled up on the sofa, staring at us. He was a gray and white fluff ball, with fur a lot longer than my own. Essentially, one gigantic tribble on legs.(The bold is mine, to show "the funny.") lol ;-)
Along the way to the unsatisfactory ending, we have the emotionally wrenching bits: That last bit happened on pages 226-227, and it's when I finally cried, or at least, I almost cried. Tears formed, but I don't think they fell.
Then on page 279 we had an error of a sort that I most despise: Trenyth is talking, and he says, "We lost [name redacted because...spoiler] to Trenyth's forces." *ARGH!!!* It was Telazhar's forces!!! :-(
And then 10 pages later we have the ending. I am not going to share quotes for this ending, but I will tell you what was going on: Okay, so I lied. The final words are in that spoiler. But as the earlier final words involved . . . Well. I am not at all satisfied with this "ending."
Nothing was resolved!!! Telazhar is still on the move in Otherworld; Lowestar Radcliffe is still free to do whatever it is he is doing (and no, we do not yet know much of what that is...*grrr*); and the "missing colleague" is still missing. :-(
If any of the above three things are resolved in the next book, this book is going to feel like filler. Sure, it introduced the above things, but still. . .filler. And that fact that it already feels like filler, even though I haven't yet read any of the later books? Well, that is not a good thing. :-(
So maybe I should give this book fewer stars? But no, I think the "emotionally wrenching" bits that I mentioned have to count for something. So four stars it is.
We did have one new creature/being introduced in this book - - and Ivana Krask had a role to play in this story. :-) And spirit seals were mentioned - and boy, howdy! - but the ninth one is still to be found.
And I realize that this 289-page book review is short on details, but I can't really think of what else happened in here. If you read one of my first spoilers - the one that has the emotionally wrenching bits in it - and try to imagine all of the action involved that surrounded and/or made up those things, then you might get an idea.
So the action in this book was mostly good and very interesting. As a for instance, Bran was in here! That was a rather fun scene. :-)
But this book feels like filler, because surely the things that were introduced could have been introduced in a not-289-page-way. So was this book just to keep Delilah having a book between Camille and Menolly books? It sure has that feeling. :-/
(And yes, it still feels that way even though this is the book that kicked off .) :-(
November 25, 2018
Diesen Teil der Reihe fand ich leider irgendwie schwächer als die restlichen und das, obwohl ziemlich viel passiert. Oder vielleicht gerade deshalb. Es geschehen grosse Dinge, aber irgendwie kommen die gar nicht wirklich so stark zum Ausdruck. Auch fehlte mir hier etwas die Weitererentwicklung Delilahs.
October 24, 2016
Things are never quiet for the D’Artigo sisters. They’ve been called on to find a missing fae. Grandmother Coyote has some ominous warnings for them concerning a Daemonically charged building (and when one of the Hags of Fate warns you about something you need to pay attention) and the sisters even learn more about their family history – and unknown members of the human side.
But all of that is eclipsed as the war in the Otherworld reaches new and terrible heights.
There’s so much I love about this series. I love the rich world setting. I love the many different groups on Earth and in Otherworld. I love that they all have their own histories and politics and agendas and magic and presence. I love that there’s such a huge richness to everything
I love that there’s so much effort to make even relatively minor side characters into fully flesh out beings with their own stories, their own wants and needs and agendas and personlaities
I really love the connection between these characters – all of them. There’s a real sense of family and community – both chosen family and blood kin, lovers and friends. The connections are excellent. There’s also a lot of close and meaningful female friendships – not just with the sisters, but with Iris and Sharah, with numerous women in their lives. There’s a wonderful lack of bitterness or snarling between them I really appreciate
There’s some good LGBTQ diversity. The gay male couple are vanishingly minor and only appear when the sisters want something. But Menolly is bisexual and married to another woman who she values deeply and their relationship is held up as being every bit as meaningful as those of the other sisters. Their long lost human cousins also include a lesbian couple which, while minor in this book, is likely to be more involved in the next
We still don’t have many POC considering the vastness of the cast, really the only memorable, notable POC I can think of is Morio, who is Japanese, and even he wasn’t exactly a meaningful part of this book. Yes, Trillion is dark skinned, but as I’ve said before I’m not sure if this fits comfortably as racial inclusion as he’s not really any human race- but a dark skinned species of elf; even if it is good to see supernatural creatures not all be white by default
I really don’t love Shade and Delilah. While I have said that even minor characters are well developed and have histories and agendas and a presence – the exception is Shade. Which is a problem since he’s Delilah’s love interest and a major character – but he’s hollow. I don’t even know what his shadowy-ness even means. He just is.
Which, in turn, makes the repeated sex between them in this book (with so many plot lines) feel gratuitous, unnecessary and occasionally outright callous. Stopping to have sex rather than hurrying to see if the babies had been born and the mother ok? That’s cold.
It seems nearly every book in this series I mention that there is too much detail and too much description – and sadly that continues in this book as well. Like Camille and Delilah are going somewhere so we have to have a scene where they decide which car they’re going to drive and how Delilah’s jeep is in the shop and how frustrating it is for her until they get it back – which they do. I mean, at no point was Delilah not having her jeep relevant to the story – so why was it here? Chekhov’s gun!
Read More
But all of that is eclipsed as the war in the Otherworld reaches new and terrible heights.
There’s so much I love about this series. I love the rich world setting. I love the many different groups on Earth and in Otherworld. I love that they all have their own histories and politics and agendas and magic and presence. I love that there’s such a huge richness to everything
I love that there’s so much effort to make even relatively minor side characters into fully flesh out beings with their own stories, their own wants and needs and agendas and personlaities
I really love the connection between these characters – all of them. There’s a real sense of family and community – both chosen family and blood kin, lovers and friends. The connections are excellent. There’s also a lot of close and meaningful female friendships – not just with the sisters, but with Iris and Sharah, with numerous women in their lives. There’s a wonderful lack of bitterness or snarling between them I really appreciate
There’s some good LGBTQ diversity. The gay male couple are vanishingly minor and only appear when the sisters want something. But Menolly is bisexual and married to another woman who she values deeply and their relationship is held up as being every bit as meaningful as those of the other sisters. Their long lost human cousins also include a lesbian couple which, while minor in this book, is likely to be more involved in the next
We still don’t have many POC considering the vastness of the cast, really the only memorable, notable POC I can think of is Morio, who is Japanese, and even he wasn’t exactly a meaningful part of this book. Yes, Trillion is dark skinned, but as I’ve said before I’m not sure if this fits comfortably as racial inclusion as he’s not really any human race- but a dark skinned species of elf; even if it is good to see supernatural creatures not all be white by default
I really don’t love Shade and Delilah. While I have said that even minor characters are well developed and have histories and agendas and a presence – the exception is Shade. Which is a problem since he’s Delilah’s love interest and a major character – but he’s hollow. I don’t even know what his shadowy-ness even means. He just is.
Which, in turn, makes the repeated sex between them in this book (with so many plot lines) feel gratuitous, unnecessary and occasionally outright callous. Stopping to have sex rather than hurrying to see if the babies had been born and the mother ok? That’s cold.
It seems nearly every book in this series I mention that there is too much detail and too much description – and sadly that continues in this book as well. Like Camille and Delilah are going somewhere so we have to have a scene where they decide which car they’re going to drive and how Delilah’s jeep is in the shop and how frustrating it is for her until they get it back – which they do. I mean, at no point was Delilah not having her jeep relevant to the story – so why was it here? Chekhov’s gun!
Read More
September 26, 2013
As the D’Artigo sisters embark on trying to help out a couple of friends find a missing colleague, they have no idea how things are going to change. Besides their ongoing battle with Shadow Wing, who rules the subterranean realm and wants to open the portals to unleash hell on earth, they are approached by Grandmother Coyote, one of the Hags of Fate, for help. And no one, I mean NO ONE, refuses her. She informs the sisters of coming changes that will wreak havoc on earth as well back home in Otherworld. They are also made aware of a power emanating from a building in downtown Seattle. Seems these sisters just can’t catch a break. Oh, and Delilah’s training as a death maiden will finally put her front and center when she is called to go in on her own to take a soul to it’s final resting place…….or two.
Once they start their search for the friend of their colleague’s, they soon realize that things aren’t as simple as they first appeared. They soon learn that the missing friend was taken into an underground organization by a less than stellar citizen who has far reaching ties and seemingly unlimited resources. In the middle of this investigation, the Wayfarer, a Supe bar owned by Menolly (one of the sisters) is attacked and burned to the ground and there are several fatalities. And to top it all off, they have to head back to Otherworld, namely Elqaneve, for a meeting with Queen Asteria, who is holding the spirit seals that Shadow Wing is desperately searching for in order to open the portals.
Upon their arrival in Elqaneve, Camille feels an evil presence and as they enter the castle things go bad very quickly. Very very bad, very very quickly………….. The evil presence is a storm stronger than anything they’ve ever experienced. It is a living, breathing entity that is leaving complete and utter devastation in its wake. The sisters and their entourage were separated once the building started collapsing and Queen Asteria’s right hand man whisks Camille and Delilah away to a safe location. While waiting on the storm to pass, Delilah is called into action as a death maiden to escort a soul to its final destination. She had been forewarned that one of the souls that she’d be escorting would be hard to accept…………What an understatement. Once that job is finished, she and Camille make their way back home to try and make sense of everything that’s going on. They also have no way of knowing who survived and who didn’t. Will the sisters and their entourage be reunited? Well, you’ll just have to read to find out.
Galenorn has once again written an intriguing story of good versus evil, and boy, did evil get a leg up in this one! There was so much happening in this that it was hard for me to put into words to make it understandable. Suffice it to say, parts of this one were a little hard to read. We lose a pretty major player in the good versus evil game. And, for the first time in this series, there were loose ends left hanging. LOTS OF THEM!!!! Normally, at the end of the books in this series, things are carried through to fruition, at least the current story line. The next rolls into the next stage of the battle. This one left me hanging so high, my shoulder got yanked out of socket! LOL!! I for one CANNOT wait for the next installment!!
Once they start their search for the friend of their colleague’s, they soon realize that things aren’t as simple as they first appeared. They soon learn that the missing friend was taken into an underground organization by a less than stellar citizen who has far reaching ties and seemingly unlimited resources. In the middle of this investigation, the Wayfarer, a Supe bar owned by Menolly (one of the sisters) is attacked and burned to the ground and there are several fatalities. And to top it all off, they have to head back to Otherworld, namely Elqaneve, for a meeting with Queen Asteria, who is holding the spirit seals that Shadow Wing is desperately searching for in order to open the portals.
Upon their arrival in Elqaneve, Camille feels an evil presence and as they enter the castle things go bad very quickly. Very very bad, very very quickly………….. The evil presence is a storm stronger than anything they’ve ever experienced. It is a living, breathing entity that is leaving complete and utter devastation in its wake. The sisters and their entourage were separated once the building started collapsing and Queen Asteria’s right hand man whisks Camille and Delilah away to a safe location. While waiting on the storm to pass, Delilah is called into action as a death maiden to escort a soul to its final destination. She had been forewarned that one of the souls that she’d be escorting would be hard to accept…………What an understatement. Once that job is finished, she and Camille make their way back home to try and make sense of everything that’s going on. They also have no way of knowing who survived and who didn’t. Will the sisters and their entourage be reunited? Well, you’ll just have to read to find out.
Galenorn has once again written an intriguing story of good versus evil, and boy, did evil get a leg up in this one! There was so much happening in this that it was hard for me to put into words to make it understandable. Suffice it to say, parts of this one were a little hard to read. We lose a pretty major player in the good versus evil game. And, for the first time in this series, there were loose ends left hanging. LOTS OF THEM!!!! Normally, at the end of the books in this series, things are carried through to fruition, at least the current story line. The next rolls into the next stage of the battle. This one left me hanging so high, my shoulder got yanked out of socket! LOL!! I for one CANNOT wait for the next installment!!
November 7, 2013
This book was horrendously disappointing.
I say this as someone who considers Yasmine Galenorn to be one of her favorite authors, and the Otherworld series a Buy-On-Sight. But the last book, Haunted Moon, gave me the uneasy feeling that the series had jumped the shark...and this book confirms it.
Where to begin with this? It's a mess. An absolute mess. There are so many plot twists, stuffed in with a seemingly haphazard, incoherent hand, it's a wonder the book's spine isn't bulging. The characters are rushed from crisis to crisis, with no room for them (or the reader) to breathe, think or move. There is a war (more like a holocaust), several heartbreaking deaths, a fire that burns one character's bar to the ground, a missing-persons case, a nest of nasty beasties that has to be destroyed, a new character that is apparently going to be the next (but not the worst, Big Bad--that one is still waiting in the wings), and to top it all off, not one, not two, but three babies are born.
There is enough happening here for three books. It's too much. The pacing is terrible--it's just pedal-to-the-metal all the way through, with no time to slow down and absorb what is taking place. Character development is, out of necessity, given short shrift: as in, there's almost none. Part of the problem with this is something I've complained about before: while the world is wonderful, rich and detailed and marvelously layered, there are simply too many characters. We don't need any more Elder Fae, enemies, lovers or husbands to keep track of. When I have to keep checking the glossary in the back to remember who this person is supposed to be, that's a sign the cast needs to be pared down.
The most maddening thing about this book, though, is the fact that nothing is resolved. There is no proper ending, just a three-page sex scene. While that's not a bad thing in and of itself, it sure as hell doesn't lead to a satisfying reading experience. I reached that chapter and turned the page, expecting something to happen with the zillion other storylines, but no. I wanted to shout: "That's it? You've got to be kidding me."
Unfortunately, the author didn't appear to be joking.
Of course, that means this unholy mess will spill over into the next book, which (according to the series' regular sequence) will feature Menolly, one of my favorite characters. I'm weeping for her already, because this debacle has made me far more wary of buying the next book.
Please, Yasmine. Don't do this. You've got a wonderful world here, and a good story. Don't ruin it.
I say this as someone who considers Yasmine Galenorn to be one of her favorite authors, and the Otherworld series a Buy-On-Sight. But the last book, Haunted Moon, gave me the uneasy feeling that the series had jumped the shark...and this book confirms it.
Where to begin with this? It's a mess. An absolute mess. There are so many plot twists, stuffed in with a seemingly haphazard, incoherent hand, it's a wonder the book's spine isn't bulging. The characters are rushed from crisis to crisis, with no room for them (or the reader) to breathe, think or move. There is a war (more like a holocaust), several heartbreaking deaths, a fire that burns one character's bar to the ground, a missing-persons case, a nest of nasty beasties that has to be destroyed, a new character that is apparently going to be the next (but not the worst, Big Bad--that one is still waiting in the wings), and to top it all off, not one, not two, but three babies are born.
There is enough happening here for three books. It's too much. The pacing is terrible--it's just pedal-to-the-metal all the way through, with no time to slow down and absorb what is taking place. Character development is, out of necessity, given short shrift: as in, there's almost none. Part of the problem with this is something I've complained about before: while the world is wonderful, rich and detailed and marvelously layered, there are simply too many characters. We don't need any more Elder Fae, enemies, lovers or husbands to keep track of. When I have to keep checking the glossary in the back to remember who this person is supposed to be, that's a sign the cast needs to be pared down.
The most maddening thing about this book, though, is the fact that nothing is resolved. There is no proper ending, just a three-page sex scene. While that's not a bad thing in and of itself, it sure as hell doesn't lead to a satisfying reading experience. I reached that chapter and turned the page, expecting something to happen with the zillion other storylines, but no. I wanted to shout: "That's it? You've got to be kidding me."
Unfortunately, the author didn't appear to be joking.
Of course, that means this unholy mess will spill over into the next book, which (according to the series' regular sequence) will feature Menolly, one of my favorite characters. I'm weeping for her already, because this debacle has made me far more wary of buying the next book.
Please, Yasmine. Don't do this. You've got a wonderful world here, and a good story. Don't ruin it.
April 27, 2014
I've seen mixed reviews on this particular book in the series "Otherworld". I however, still thoroughly enjoyed it. Yes, you can tell that it had many different stories going on but to me the story line was much like life. You cannot plan or prepare for the unexpected. Yes, the girls had way more to deal with than normal in the earlier books and no they didn't deal with things as they came along but instead randomly dealt with the issues. Kinda reminds me of me when I forget to take my ADD meds and am running around like a chicken with its head cut off but not accomplishing alot.
It did not however, distract me from everything that was going on or the issues that each sister faced.
The only thing that this book lacked in my opinion was the hot sex scenes, but then again it was from Delilahs point of view :)
It did not however, distract me from everything that was going on or the issues that each sister faced.
The only thing that this book lacked in my opinion was the hot sex scenes, but then again it was from Delilahs point of view :)
November 6, 2013
This series is starting to loose it's luster for me. It seems that each book is packed full of life and death situations and the timeline is fairly short. In the overall larger story arc so much happened, the thing is that with this book there weren't any wins, it was all losses for the sisters, which made for a depressing book. The few happy moments, and there were few, had to do with babies and even then not all was happy. I felt so sorry for Chase and Shara, both were stuck with hard choices in the aftermath of war, Shara more so. With all the upheaval it will be interesting to see where things go from here.
January 12, 2014
As with previous installments in this series we have rotated back to Delilah as the main narrator. Of the 3 sisters I have the hardest time connecting with her although things have improved since she became a Death Maiden. This for me was "filler" book or "holding" spot but there is a lot of information that we are obviously going to need moving forward and I am glad it was a Delilah book that had that role. As always Yasmine's writing sucked me in and the story this is building up to amazing. Can't wait for Crimson Veil! Hopefully then some of the many questions from this one will be answered. V""V
October 7, 2013
2.5
As much as I waited for this to come out, once I read it I was underwhelmed. Delilah is my favorite and I was looking forward to her story to deepen and unfold, but except for 2 times (which just seemed "convenient") her plot line went nowhere. Delilah's point of view seemed to get drown out by Camille's dialogue.
It was just okay and maybe because so much time passed from the last one I read and this one, I just lost interest.
As much as I waited for this to come out, once I read it I was underwhelmed. Delilah is my favorite and I was looking forward to her story to deepen and unfold, but except for 2 times (which just seemed "convenient") her plot line went nowhere. Delilah's point of view seemed to get drown out by Camille's dialogue.
It was just okay and maybe because so much time passed from the last one I read and this one, I just lost interest.
November 19, 2013
Is that really the ending...I feel like I'm missing a few chapters.
October 18, 2013
Fourteenth in the Otherworld / Sisters of the Moon urban fantasy series revolving around a family of supernaturals based in Seattle. This particular story is from Delilah's point-of-view.
My Take
It starts so well, and then Galenorn lets me down with her usual ignoring of the obvious. Information that leaps out at you, that I never understand how the character can not make the connection... Nope, it must be set aside and saved for later. I wish she'd offer up a reason for avoiding this. It's like Galenorn has a rule: slap you in the face with the big, HUGE possibility, now set it aside to simmer on low until x way through the story when...oh, suddenly, the character makes the connection. *Eyes rolling fast and furious*
Seems some things are universal amongst sentient beings: lying and manipulating��sigh… Seems all of Y'Elestrial has hidden the truth about gargoyles.
Oooh, a huge chunk about their mother's family background comes out! Don't get too excited though as this only seems to be an introduction of them to the storyline.
Not much sex in here. It's more of an afterthought, which does make sense as there is just so much going on. It's a huge disruption of the series' storyline with a sneak attack and much death and destruction. Well, you can tell by the character list how much is going on. And it's wild with how many people are affected, how many have died. It's fascinating, it's horrifying. And Galenorn leaves us hanging!!
The Story
Delilah is specifically requested to guide this latest forfeit to his doom, and for some reason she just doesn't make the connection. Not for pages. Meanwhile, Mennolly has her own drama: someone is making threatening phone calls.
Women are going missing in Seattle while the progeny of Jenny Greenteeth and Dark Dugald are romping, chomping, and eating their way through Seattle. Daemonic activity has been discovered in a different part of Seattle, and it has Grandmother Coyote worried.
Worse, the girls, their mates, and Chase and Shara have been summoned to Y'Elestrial.
The Characters
Finally growing up, our Delilah is a living Death Maiden, a two-faced Were (she shifts into a tabby cat due to her own powers while her panther form is a gift from the Autumn Lord), and she and her sisters are half-Fae and half-human. She's accepted a proposal from Shade, a half-dragon, who is the Autumn Lord's proxy and in love with Delilah. Lash is his sister and plans on visiting. To see if Delilah is good enough. Arial is Delilah's deceased twin who lives at Haseofon.
Camille is her oldest sister, a priestess of the Moon Mother, and a witch who is married to three men (lucky girl): Smoky, a dragonshifter; Trillian, her Svartan fae alpha husband; and, Morio, a fox demon, a youkai-kitsune, and one of Grandmother Coyote's grandsons with whom Camille works Death Magic. Grandmother makes a reference to Rodney, the bone golem she gifted to Camille. While Camille owns the Indigo Court Bookshop, she hasn't been in for months.
Mennolly is the youngest sister, a vampire married to Nerissa who is a panther shifter. She's also Consort to Roman, a vampire lord and son of Blood Wyne, the vampire queen. Mennolly runs The Wayfarer, a bar and inn for supernaturals. Derrick Means is a were-badger and The Wayfarer's chief bartender. Digger is another bartender, a vampire sent by Roman. Chrysandra has been with The Wayfarer from the beginning.
Sephreh ob Tanu is their father, a Fae member of the Guard Des'Estar. Marie D'Artigo was their human mother who died. Tansy is their unexpected aunt who was in the Seattle area. Hester Lou Fredericks (Sue Ann is her life partner) and Daniel George Fredericks (I'm not trusting him) are sister and brother: Tansy's children. And D'Artigo cousins. An unexpeced gift of information from an unexpected middleman.
The rest of the household consists of a very pregnant Iris (she's a Finnish house sprite, a Talon-haltija, and priestess of Undutar; being a mother is a high honor) and Bruce O'Shea, her leprechaun husband, who is officially Lord Bruce Golden Eagle O'Shea; Vanzir is a reformed demon hooked on Xbox; Maggie is their baby woodland gargoyle; and, Rozurial is an incubus enjoying a friends-with-benefits relationship with Hanna, a Northman who had been held captive by Hyto in Courting Darkness , 10.
Duchess O'Shea is Bruce's mother and quite intent on being properly addressed.
Meals at the D'Artigo house are a traffic jam.
The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI) unit is led by Chase Johnson who is learning more and more about his new powers and living with a pregnant Sharah, niece to Queen Asteria of Elqaneve. Mallen is an elfin medic. Bran, the son of Raven Mother and the Black Unicorn, has been instructing Camille in the use of some of her magic at the Court of the Three Queens. Kendris leads the guards Queen Aeval sends to protect the D'Artigo household.
Trenyth is an adviser to Queen Asteria. Darynal is Trillian's blood-oath brother out on a secret spy mission who hasn't been heard from in weeks. The Knights of Keraastar who hold the spirit seals include: Venus the Moon Child of the Rainier Puma Pride; Benjamin Welter; Luke and his sister Amber; and, Tom Lane, a.k.a., Tam Lin. Queen Tanaquar leads the Fae.
Greta is Delilah's mentor, the leader of the Death Maidens of the Autumn Lord, a.k.a., Hi'ran, one of the Harvestmen. When not performing her duties or mentoring Delilah, she resides in Haseofon, the temple of the Death Maidens. Derisa is High Priestess of the Moon Mother's witches who follow the Bright Moon; Camille is being trained to be the High Priestess of the Moon Mother's sorceresses who follow the Dark Moon.
Grandmother Coyote is one of the Hags of Fate. Ignore her at your peril. Prince Mithra and Astralis are granticular gargoyles freed by Grandmother. King Virgil is their father. Ivana Krask, the Maiden of Karask, has a thing for bright meat, and she's one of the Elder Fae with great powers who assuredly knows how to deal with dreglins. Be very, very careful how you speak with her.
Tad and Albert are vampires who work at Microsoft...hmmmm...and they have concerns. Violet is their friend and fellow employee. Tanne Baum is Violet's German Fae boyfriend from the Black Forest. Wade Stevens is the director of Vampires Anonymous, a self-help support group for vamps. Carter is a half-demon, half-Titan demigod who keeps an eye on the magical scene in Seattle and is friends with the girls. He's also dating a dragon named Shimmer.
Marion is a shapeshifter who owns the Supe-Urban Café. Tim Winthrop is another friend and a female impersonator who finally got his computer science degree. He runs a lingerie shop, Erin Matthews' Scarlet Harlot, and is married to Jason, the mechanic who's working on Delilah's Jeep.
Gerald Hanson is/was a lawyer and a werewolf, but it's not his profession but his bloodline and actions that concern us now. Michael Farantino is his ancestor whose legacy Hanson had inherited. Lowestar Radcliffe is the current heir with a sketchy background. Suvika is an ancient demigod of vice and debauchery. Seems demons are different from daemons.
Telazhar is a necromancer who's been training demons for Shadow Wing, a demon lord with plans to invade and conquer Earth before he continues on to Otherworld.
Jenny Greenteeth and Dark Dugald are both flesheaters whose children are the dreglins. She's similar to a kelpie but more dangerous while he's the leader of the barguests [sic], the Black Angus dogs.
The OIA is the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.
The Cover
The cover is shades of orange with the focus on Delilah in black jeans and jean jacket where she's perched, rather cat-like on a chimney in the middle of towering office buildings glowing in the night. A magic circle frames her panther self, snarling in the center.
The title could go two ways: a world about to die or Autumn Whispers as the Autumn Lord begins to make his presence felt more frequently in so many ways.
My Take
It starts so well, and then Galenorn lets me down with her usual ignoring of the obvious. Information that leaps out at you, that I never understand how the character can not make the connection... Nope, it must be set aside and saved for later. I wish she'd offer up a reason for avoiding this. It's like Galenorn has a rule: slap you in the face with the big, HUGE possibility, now set it aside to simmer on low until x way through the story when...oh, suddenly, the character makes the connection. *Eyes rolling fast and furious*
Seems some things are universal amongst sentient beings: lying and manipulating��sigh… Seems all of Y'Elestrial has hidden the truth about gargoyles.
Oooh, a huge chunk about their mother's family background comes out! Don't get too excited though as this only seems to be an introduction of them to the storyline.
Not much sex in here. It's more of an afterthought, which does make sense as there is just so much going on. It's a huge disruption of the series' storyline with a sneak attack and much death and destruction. Well, you can tell by the character list how much is going on. And it's wild with how many people are affected, how many have died. It's fascinating, it's horrifying. And Galenorn leaves us hanging!!
The Story
Delilah is specifically requested to guide this latest forfeit to his doom, and for some reason she just doesn't make the connection. Not for pages. Meanwhile, Mennolly has her own drama: someone is making threatening phone calls.
Women are going missing in Seattle while the progeny of Jenny Greenteeth and Dark Dugald are romping, chomping, and eating their way through Seattle. Daemonic activity has been discovered in a different part of Seattle, and it has Grandmother Coyote worried.
Worse, the girls, their mates, and Chase and Shara have been summoned to Y'Elestrial.
The Characters
Finally growing up, our Delilah is a living Death Maiden, a two-faced Were (she shifts into a tabby cat due to her own powers while her panther form is a gift from the Autumn Lord), and she and her sisters are half-Fae and half-human. She's accepted a proposal from Shade, a half-dragon, who is the Autumn Lord's proxy and in love with Delilah. Lash is his sister and plans on visiting. To see if Delilah is good enough. Arial is Delilah's deceased twin who lives at Haseofon.
Camille is her oldest sister, a priestess of the Moon Mother, and a witch who is married to three men (lucky girl): Smoky, a dragonshifter; Trillian, her Svartan fae alpha husband; and, Morio, a fox demon, a youkai-kitsune, and one of Grandmother Coyote's grandsons with whom Camille works Death Magic. Grandmother makes a reference to Rodney, the bone golem she gifted to Camille. While Camille owns the Indigo Court Bookshop, she hasn't been in for months.
Mennolly is the youngest sister, a vampire married to Nerissa who is a panther shifter. She's also Consort to Roman, a vampire lord and son of Blood Wyne, the vampire queen. Mennolly runs The Wayfarer, a bar and inn for supernaturals. Derrick Means is a were-badger and The Wayfarer's chief bartender. Digger is another bartender, a vampire sent by Roman. Chrysandra has been with The Wayfarer from the beginning.
Sephreh ob Tanu is their father, a Fae member of the Guard Des'Estar. Marie D'Artigo was their human mother who died. Tansy is their unexpected aunt who was in the Seattle area. Hester Lou Fredericks (Sue Ann is her life partner) and Daniel George Fredericks (I'm not trusting him) are sister and brother: Tansy's children. And D'Artigo cousins. An unexpeced gift of information from an unexpected middleman.
The rest of the household consists of a very pregnant Iris (she's a Finnish house sprite, a Talon-haltija, and priestess of Undutar; being a mother is a high honor) and Bruce O'Shea, her leprechaun husband, who is officially Lord Bruce Golden Eagle O'Shea; Vanzir is a reformed demon hooked on Xbox; Maggie is their baby woodland gargoyle; and, Rozurial is an incubus enjoying a friends-with-benefits relationship with Hanna, a Northman who had been held captive by Hyto in Courting Darkness , 10.
Duchess O'Shea is Bruce's mother and quite intent on being properly addressed.
Meals at the D'Artigo house are a traffic jam.
The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI) unit is led by Chase Johnson who is learning more and more about his new powers and living with a pregnant Sharah, niece to Queen Asteria of Elqaneve. Mallen is an elfin medic. Bran, the son of Raven Mother and the Black Unicorn, has been instructing Camille in the use of some of her magic at the Court of the Three Queens. Kendris leads the guards Queen Aeval sends to protect the D'Artigo household.
Trenyth is an adviser to Queen Asteria. Darynal is Trillian's blood-oath brother out on a secret spy mission who hasn't been heard from in weeks. The Knights of Keraastar who hold the spirit seals include: Venus the Moon Child of the Rainier Puma Pride; Benjamin Welter; Luke and his sister Amber; and, Tom Lane, a.k.a., Tam Lin. Queen Tanaquar leads the Fae.
Greta is Delilah's mentor, the leader of the Death Maidens of the Autumn Lord, a.k.a., Hi'ran, one of the Harvestmen. When not performing her duties or mentoring Delilah, she resides in Haseofon, the temple of the Death Maidens. Derisa is High Priestess of the Moon Mother's witches who follow the Bright Moon; Camille is being trained to be the High Priestess of the Moon Mother's sorceresses who follow the Dark Moon.
Grandmother Coyote is one of the Hags of Fate. Ignore her at your peril. Prince Mithra and Astralis are granticular gargoyles freed by Grandmother. King Virgil is their father. Ivana Krask, the Maiden of Karask, has a thing for bright meat, and she's one of the Elder Fae with great powers who assuredly knows how to deal with dreglins. Be very, very careful how you speak with her.
Tad and Albert are vampires who work at Microsoft...hmmmm...and they have concerns. Violet is their friend and fellow employee. Tanne Baum is Violet's German Fae boyfriend from the Black Forest. Wade Stevens is the director of Vampires Anonymous, a self-help support group for vamps. Carter is a half-demon, half-Titan demigod who keeps an eye on the magical scene in Seattle and is friends with the girls. He's also dating a dragon named Shimmer.
Marion is a shapeshifter who owns the Supe-Urban Café. Tim Winthrop is another friend and a female impersonator who finally got his computer science degree. He runs a lingerie shop, Erin Matthews' Scarlet Harlot, and is married to Jason, the mechanic who's working on Delilah's Jeep.
Gerald Hanson is/was a lawyer and a werewolf, but it's not his profession but his bloodline and actions that concern us now. Michael Farantino is his ancestor whose legacy Hanson had inherited. Lowestar Radcliffe is the current heir with a sketchy background. Suvika is an ancient demigod of vice and debauchery. Seems demons are different from daemons.
Telazhar is a necromancer who's been training demons for Shadow Wing, a demon lord with plans to invade and conquer Earth before he continues on to Otherworld.
Jenny Greenteeth and Dark Dugald are both flesheaters whose children are the dreglins. She's similar to a kelpie but more dangerous while he's the leader of the barguests [sic], the Black Angus dogs.
The OIA is the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.
The Cover
The cover is shades of orange with the focus on Delilah in black jeans and jean jacket where she's perched, rather cat-like on a chimney in the middle of towering office buildings glowing in the night. A magic circle frames her panther self, snarling in the center.
The title could go two ways: a world about to die or Autumn Whispers as the Autumn Lord begins to make his presence felt more frequently in so many ways.
September 21, 2023
Not as engaging as I remembered
I read the previous books in this series many years ago, in paperback. I really enjoyed them, but for some reason I got involved with other things and stopped reading the series. I finally decided to jump back in and continue.
I remember (from long ago) the family dynamics of the sisters as being one of the things that appealed to me. I also remember the hot romance with their very interesting partners. Although one or two of the supporting characters failed to jog my memory as I read this book, overall it didn't take long to get back into the World and the characters.
Maybe it was because it took me a while to get familiar again with the series..... but the book kind of dragged for me. I found myself putting it down and then telling myself to pick it up and continue. It seemed to lack romantic chemistry. There really wasn't enough action or family dynamics compared to what I thought I remembered.
I was looking forward to finally finishing this series, but now I'm not sure that I will. Maybe ill try one more book....
I read the previous books in this series many years ago, in paperback. I really enjoyed them, but for some reason I got involved with other things and stopped reading the series. I finally decided to jump back in and continue.
I remember (from long ago) the family dynamics of the sisters as being one of the things that appealed to me. I also remember the hot romance with their very interesting partners. Although one or two of the supporting characters failed to jog my memory as I read this book, overall it didn't take long to get back into the World and the characters.
Maybe it was because it took me a while to get familiar again with the series..... but the book kind of dragged for me. I found myself putting it down and then telling myself to pick it up and continue. It seemed to lack romantic chemistry. There really wasn't enough action or family dynamics compared to what I thought I remembered.
I was looking forward to finally finishing this series, but now I'm not sure that I will. Maybe ill try one more book....
August 2, 2017
I am obviously invested in this series as I am now on book 14. I am curious to see where the story goes, but this is not the kind of series where when I finish a book I can't wait to get the next one. It will probably be at least a month before I pick this series up again. I prefer the books that focus on Dehlila, which this one was. Since it's been a while since I read the previous book I didn't really remember what was going on in the story. It doesn't take long to get caught back up which is nice. I do feel like this time there was a lot more foreshadowing in this book than before. I think I have a pretty good idea what some of the main storylines are going to be in the next book.
June 28, 2017
Having read the rest of the series, and seeing how the sisters, Delilah in this case, have grown, this book was hard. It was very emotional, and a big turning point in their lives, and the war they're fighting. I enjoyed reading this one and I'm ready to move on to see how they deal with these new challenges.
March 11, 2018
i don't know why this is supposed to be the last installment the way she ended it, or am i just assuming it's the end of the searies? I shouldn't even give it a three, but i did like the way she wrote, other then the fact that there was little to no ending what so ever....
first time reader i don't think i'm going to read anymore of her books
first time reader i don't think i'm going to read anymore of her books
June 22, 2018
This one was a little slow for me idk why , but it was still a good read. this series I can't say enough about it , it is amazing! love, love, love the author. It took me a little longer to finish but I had put it down and I finally got back into the reading frenzy and finished it and onto the next almost done with this series :)
May 20, 2024
3.5/5
This review is taken from my notes from when I finished the book years ago.
Written from Deliliah's pov. I love this series. However, unlike the other books in the series, this felt more like it was part of an unfinished story. That being said, there are some incredibly important events that take place. There is also the appearance of a different/new enemy not related to Shadow Wing.
This review is taken from my notes from when I finished the book years ago.
Written from Deliliah's pov. I love this series. However, unlike the other books in the series, this felt more like it was part of an unfinished story. That being said, there are some incredibly important events that take place. There is also the appearance of a different/new enemy not related to Shadow Wing.
April 25, 2018
Autumn Whispers
The war is in full swing. The Elfin Queen Asteria has died. And the sorcerers have made a living storm of destruction. The sister's shoulder the kids if the Wayfair bar to demon terror attack.
The war is in full swing. The Elfin Queen Asteria has died. And the sorcerers have made a living storm of destruction. The sister's shoulder the kids if the Wayfair bar to demon terror attack.
June 19, 2017
This series gets better and better with every book I read.
September 7, 2017
Not one of my favorite in the series, but I'll continue one.
July 4, 2018
Series with three narrators, each equally bossy during her story.
I’m more partial to Camille than the other two.
I’m more partial to Camille than the other two.
October 29, 2018
was extremely depressed with the ending. The story did not close at all. There are three story lines going on and not even one has a descent closure.
February 9, 2019
Nope. Nope.. I tried with this series, I really did, but I am so BORED!
November 2, 2020
Explosive. Wow. Didnt see that coming. Storys really picking up pace
November 21, 2020
Something was so off with this one idk why I didn't like it as much as I did previous ones
October 14, 2022
Kind of surprised with the ending. I expected a resolution to some of the issues, but it just ended. Will need to start the next one soon.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews