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The Underground
In an alternate Seattle, communities of “exotics,” shapeshifters, witches, elves and vampires, live among the murderous human population and are ruled over by the cruel vampire Master, Kurt. The powerful alpha male of the werewolf pack, Parker Berenson, is one of the Master’s enslaved servants and he would like nothing more than to hasten the downfall of the vampire overlord who stole his love, the beautiful mage Garrett Larkin. But in a night city already on the razor’s edge—in the midst of a spate of bloody murders—Parker’s passionate encounter with a stunning interstellar assassin could upset the very delicate balance and ignite a war neither exotics nor humans can survive.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 9, 2013
7 people are currently reading
1093 people want to read
About the author
Roxanne Bland
5 books111 followersAward-winning author Roxanne Bland grew up in Washington, D.C., where she discovered strange and wonderful new worlds through her local public library and bookstores. These and other life experiences have convinced her that reality is highly overrated. To escape, she writes fantasy, science fiction, romance, and a few other genres, sometimes all rolled into the same book. She was named IAOTP's Top Fantasy & Science Fiction Author of the Year for 2019.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
October 28, 2019
I notice that a number of other reviewers have criticised this for having "too much". Up to a point, I can see their point. There are humans, were-animals of many descriptions (even wererats!), vampires, witches, aliens from space, demons from the fifth dimension, then all of these have agendas to describe so it is not short of variety. The net result of this is it takes a little while to get going, and to keep it to a reasonable scale, some of the activities get a fairly quick airbrush. The good news is that despite the other reviewers, this rather remarkably broad collection is assembled into a whole and it all makes sense. That is quite an achievement. There is no point in attempting a plot summary other than to say the demon has been summoned to settle some scores, and it gets out of hand.
The writing is clear, but whether the characters are appropriate I am less sure. The main vampire is more interested in running a business than anything else and the main werewolf is, well, confused. The alien cannot remember why she is there for most of the story. The difficulty with such a broad plot is also that there appears to be no clear theme or problem, so the story seems to wander a bit. There is a lot of fairly explicit sex, but as long as that does not bother you, and you don't want a story that follows a reasonably clear purpose, then this is quite an imaginative entertainment.
The writing is clear, but whether the characters are appropriate I am less sure. The main vampire is more interested in running a business than anything else and the main werewolf is, well, confused. The alien cannot remember why she is there for most of the story. The difficulty with such a broad plot is also that there appears to be no clear theme or problem, so the story seems to wander a bit. There is a lot of fairly explicit sex, but as long as that does not bother you, and you don't want a story that follows a reasonably clear purpose, then this is quite an imaginative entertainment.
December 18, 2020
I recieved a free copy of this book. I have very mixed feelings about this book but any book that can make me that uncomfortable but still make me care enough about the characters and the story to keep going definitely deserves some credit. I will admit the first quarter of the book was not great. It was a bit slow and the characters felt a bit flat but shortly after a very uncomfortable sex ritual things started to pick up and the characters started becoming more complex. The story became intense with a lot of action and a lot of emotions too. I expected some sex which was already pushing out of my comfort zone but I did not expect the sex scenes to be bloody and violent so I ended up much farther outside my comfort zone than I expected. It took me a long time to finish due to extreme discomfort but once I started actually caring about the characters I just couldn't give up on it completely. I had to know how it ended so I pushed through taking it one small section at a time. I believe it shows a lot of talent on the author's part to keep me pushing through that level of discomfort.
July 9, 2020
3 stars
I received an ARC of "The Underground" from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review, and if I am being honest, it didn't wow me, but it didn't make me want to pull out my hair either. It was a little slow for my liking and didn't really pick up for me until about the halfway point of the book. There are a lot of characters within the story including werewolves, vampires, witches, elves and shapeshifters and the book does manage to bring it all together by the end. It's fantasy meets supernatural meets science fiction.
I was quite surprised when I started this book as it detailed some rather explicit sex scenes and delves into child abuse, so trigger warnings are definitely in order. I am usually not a fan of these scenarios and I did find myself skimming over these parts of the books. I originally thought "The Underground" was classified as a Young Adult novel so I was taken aback a little bit with the subject matter in the storyline.
It's a dark, twisted, love triangle between some rather interesting characters and it does shift as the triangle progresses so the ending was not what I was expecting. This was a redeeming factor for me as I do enjoy books that offer readers a twist.
The story focuses on Kurt, the Vampire Master, werewolf pack leader Parker (great background story that added nicely to the overall plotline), and Mage Garrett, the object of desire within the love triangle. When an Assassin enters, Parker is entranced and a war may begin to brew.
"The Underground" is a fairly quick read as I was able to finish it in a few hours. It would most likely appeal to readers who enjoy the supernatural genre.
I received an ARC of "The Underground" from Book Sirens in exchange for an honest review, and if I am being honest, it didn't wow me, but it didn't make me want to pull out my hair either. It was a little slow for my liking and didn't really pick up for me until about the halfway point of the book. There are a lot of characters within the story including werewolves, vampires, witches, elves and shapeshifters and the book does manage to bring it all together by the end. It's fantasy meets supernatural meets science fiction.
I was quite surprised when I started this book as it detailed some rather explicit sex scenes and delves into child abuse, so trigger warnings are definitely in order. I am usually not a fan of these scenarios and I did find myself skimming over these parts of the books. I originally thought "The Underground" was classified as a Young Adult novel so I was taken aback a little bit with the subject matter in the storyline.
It's a dark, twisted, love triangle between some rather interesting characters and it does shift as the triangle progresses so the ending was not what I was expecting. This was a redeeming factor for me as I do enjoy books that offer readers a twist.
The story focuses on Kurt, the Vampire Master, werewolf pack leader Parker (great background story that added nicely to the overall plotline), and Mage Garrett, the object of desire within the love triangle. When an Assassin enters, Parker is entranced and a war may begin to brew.
"The Underground" is a fairly quick read as I was able to finish it in a few hours. It would most likely appeal to readers who enjoy the supernatural genre.
April 24, 2020
I find the story interesting and would like to finish it to see what happens to all of the characters, but I’m looking for YA books appropriate for age 15 and up, and this book is too sexually explicit form the very beginning for me to recommend it to my students. I definitely think there needs to be a warning because it goes into way too much detail for teenagers. Definitely age 18 and up. I’m leaving the review now because I received a free copy. I will try to come back to it over the summer when I have more time for pleasure reading.
February 21, 2020
A dark supernatural action adventure with enough twists and turns to make you want more. Get acquainted with werewolves, a master vampire, witches and even aliens. A mature read for anyone wanting a detailed, dark and twisted love story with action. Beautifully detailed and well presented characters.
February 8, 2022
There was just too much going on in this book, vampires, werewolves, witches and don’t forget the alien.
Too much jumping around and I just didn’t grow to like any of the characters.
Too much jumping around and I just didn’t grow to like any of the characters.
October 1, 2019
This book caught my attention by all of the genre blends, unfortunately it turned out to be a case of way too many ingredients in the soup to make this an effective story.
The beginning of the book I was intrigued by Parker’s interaction with his wolf and was excited to see what would come next. However I got bored very quickly when it seemed to go into a really deep pity party on his part. Trying to keep up with all of the stops and starts that seemed to plague this story just wore me out after a while. The sex after a while seemed to disintegrate into a bit of mindlessness or passionless maybe? Throw in the gore during some of those scenes and I just flipped past that section hoping to sort through the muddle that was left.
Once you figured out who the villain was the book lost what little tension it had going for it. I was not able to connect or for that matter care about any of the characters, which always make for a laborious read when you aren’t invested.
Maybe not putting so many elements into the story and cutting down on some of the gore and sex and really fleshing out the characters so they didn’t have such an almost cartoon feel to them would have elevated this to a really good story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
The beginning of the book I was intrigued by Parker’s interaction with his wolf and was excited to see what would come next. However I got bored very quickly when it seemed to go into a really deep pity party on his part. Trying to keep up with all of the stops and starts that seemed to plague this story just wore me out after a while. The sex after a while seemed to disintegrate into a bit of mindlessness or passionless maybe? Throw in the gore during some of those scenes and I just flipped past that section hoping to sort through the muddle that was left.
Once you figured out who the villain was the book lost what little tension it had going for it. I was not able to connect or for that matter care about any of the characters, which always make for a laborious read when you aren’t invested.
Maybe not putting so many elements into the story and cutting down on some of the gore and sex and really fleshing out the characters so they didn’t have such an almost cartoon feel to them would have elevated this to a really good story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 16, 2013
Disclaimer: I received this book through the Goodreads First Readers program.
Parker Berenson has recently defeated the old alpha of Seattle's werewolf clan, assuming the title and all its responsibilities. If running the clan wasn't enough, he also has to deal with the local Master vampire, Kurt, and his former lover, Garrett, a powerful witch. "Complecated" doesn't even begin to describe their relationship.
In the world Bland lays out for us, Earth is populated with humans and exotics (in slang-terms, "zots"). There are all manners of weres (-wolves, -rats, -leopards, and even -sharks), as well as witches and vampires. The trouble is, the "normal" population is scared out of their wits by zots and will hunt them down and kill them if their nature is known. The only safe zots are the witches, who get a free pass, because they keep the peace between the creepy-crawlies and the humans. However, if a witch is caught being too nice to a were or a vampire, they end up being burned at the stake. (So much for gratitude.)
And landing in the middle this churning miasma is Melera, a humanoid alien on the run from an interstellar warlord who blew up her planet, effectively leaving her the last of her race, and its queen.
Melera couldn't have landed at a worst time: a serial killer is stalking the population of Seattle, disposing of the bodies in horrific ways. After a pitched battle with Parker, and later being run over by his car, the two find themselves in a relationship that is equal parts lust and violence. The trouble is, Kurt and Garrett want Parker to be their "third" in a complex spell intended to bring normal humans to the side of the zots. And Melera is in their way.
What follows is a lot of violence, bloodshed, backstabbing, demon-summoning, anger-management issues, and sex, culminating in a strange ritual atop the Space Needle.
This novel would have easily been a four-star book, if not for the fact that it is very dark and gritty, with no light moments at all. (The title, The Underground is very fitting in this instance.) I've read urban fantasy for a few years now, and I understand that part of the appeal is that characters are struggling (no rainbow-farting unicorns here) ... but even those protagonists have some good, humorous moments. The only "good" moments in this book came from when the characters were screwing each other -- and even then, those episodes were rife with blood and violence. In one particular scene, Parker's werewolf erection breaches Melera's womb ... and she likes it. I don't know about you, but as a woman, that had me going, "Oh, HELL NO."
If you like your literary landscapes in shades of grey, this book is for you. Although, I have to admit, I've never read a book where space aliens and fantasy creatures collide. Demons and ray guns can exist side-by-side, it seems.
Parker Berenson has recently defeated the old alpha of Seattle's werewolf clan, assuming the title and all its responsibilities. If running the clan wasn't enough, he also has to deal with the local Master vampire, Kurt, and his former lover, Garrett, a powerful witch. "Complecated" doesn't even begin to describe their relationship.
In the world Bland lays out for us, Earth is populated with humans and exotics (in slang-terms, "zots"). There are all manners of weres (-wolves, -rats, -leopards, and even -sharks), as well as witches and vampires. The trouble is, the "normal" population is scared out of their wits by zots and will hunt them down and kill them if their nature is known. The only safe zots are the witches, who get a free pass, because they keep the peace between the creepy-crawlies and the humans. However, if a witch is caught being too nice to a were or a vampire, they end up being burned at the stake. (So much for gratitude.)
And landing in the middle this churning miasma is Melera, a humanoid alien on the run from an interstellar warlord who blew up her planet, effectively leaving her the last of her race, and its queen.
Melera couldn't have landed at a worst time: a serial killer is stalking the population of Seattle, disposing of the bodies in horrific ways. After a pitched battle with Parker, and later being run over by his car, the two find themselves in a relationship that is equal parts lust and violence. The trouble is, Kurt and Garrett want Parker to be their "third" in a complex spell intended to bring normal humans to the side of the zots. And Melera is in their way.
What follows is a lot of violence, bloodshed, backstabbing, demon-summoning, anger-management issues, and sex, culminating in a strange ritual atop the Space Needle.
This novel would have easily been a four-star book, if not for the fact that it is very dark and gritty, with no light moments at all. (The title, The Underground is very fitting in this instance.) I've read urban fantasy for a few years now, and I understand that part of the appeal is that characters are struggling (no rainbow-farting unicorns here) ... but even those protagonists have some good, humorous moments. The only "good" moments in this book came from when the characters were screwing each other -- and even then, those episodes were rife with blood and violence. In one particular scene, Parker's werewolf erection breaches Melera's womb ... and she likes it. I don't know about you, but as a woman, that had me going, "Oh, HELL NO."
If you like your literary landscapes in shades of grey, this book is for you. Although, I have to admit, I've never read a book where space aliens and fantasy creatures collide. Demons and ray guns can exist side-by-side, it seems.
April 17, 2015
I'm going to have to abandon this one having read about a third of it. What promised to be a lively, different, paranormal book left me rather puzzled with my lack of investment in the characters.
Parker, a werewolf alpha and leader of the Seattle pack, struck me as completely ineffectual in that he dithered in making decisions; got angry at being questioned about his actions or non-actions; did not appear to have any control (or even seeming control) over his pack; and IMO did not deserve the recognition of Alpha in any form.
Kurt, the Master Vampire of Seattle, left me with visions of mustache-twirling cacklings whilst issuing threats which were never followed up - a parody of early black-and-white movies featuring vampires trying desperately to appear nasty and evil. Didn't work.
Then we have Garrett, a witch bordering on mage capabilities, who happens to be Parker's chosen 'freja' or mate, and Kurt's occasional lover. Hngh. She's just a self-righteous bitch with a yen for power (or what she thinks is power); plays Parker and Kurt off against each other; and is so arrogantly assured of herself that she makes me cringe.
Then: we have a piece de restistance, in the alien (yup, alien, aka from outer space) in Melera, who is in exile from her home planet (or did the planet blow up or something??). Oh, but she and her father (now dead - conveniently) did some reconnoitering previously and found Earth (aka Dirt) to be habitable for them even though they are not humanlike or can speak the language - but they can shape-shift into suitable shapes enough to satify curiosity. After a chapter on how Melera was coping with living on Earth, not liking the amenities available to her, and learning 'humanspeak' like see-att-ell, I gave up.
As would the humans in this story if they ever realised they were 'not alone'.
Apologies to the author who tried valiantly to make this a "different" paranormal; and to GoodReads who were kind enough to run a First Reads competition in which I was one of the lucky ones.
It's not a bad story really; just too much 'difference' for me.
Parker, a werewolf alpha and leader of the Seattle pack, struck me as completely ineffectual in that he dithered in making decisions; got angry at being questioned about his actions or non-actions; did not appear to have any control (or even seeming control) over his pack; and IMO did not deserve the recognition of Alpha in any form.
Kurt, the Master Vampire of Seattle, left me with visions of mustache-twirling cacklings whilst issuing threats which were never followed up - a parody of early black-and-white movies featuring vampires trying desperately to appear nasty and evil. Didn't work.
Then we have Garrett, a witch bordering on mage capabilities, who happens to be Parker's chosen 'freja' or mate, and Kurt's occasional lover. Hngh. She's just a self-righteous bitch with a yen for power (or what she thinks is power); plays Parker and Kurt off against each other; and is so arrogantly assured of herself that she makes me cringe.
Then: we have a piece de restistance, in the alien (yup, alien, aka from outer space) in Melera, who is in exile from her home planet (or did the planet blow up or something??). Oh, but she and her father (now dead - conveniently) did some reconnoitering previously and found Earth (aka Dirt) to be habitable for them even though they are not humanlike or can speak the language - but they can shape-shift into suitable shapes enough to satify curiosity. After a chapter on how Melera was coping with living on Earth, not liking the amenities available to her, and learning 'humanspeak' like see-att-ell, I gave up.
As would the humans in this story if they ever realised they were 'not alone'.
Apologies to the author who tried valiantly to make this a "different" paranormal; and to GoodReads who were kind enough to run a First Reads competition in which I was one of the lucky ones.
It's not a bad story really; just too much 'difference' for me.
April 5, 2023
Welcome to a world of vampires, werewolves, magic, and alien technology. Speculative fiction is at its best when exploring our existing world through a lens and more often than not (even if the reader doesn't realise it), is through a lens of social attitudes and current events.
The Underground takes the fantastical world and does just that. It explores prejudice (both racial and class) attitudes towards minorities, women, minority women, and privilege and disadvantage as complex and nuanced.
Roxanne Bland introduces us quite quickly to each of the individual races and the joint problem they all have. Into this melting pot comes another problem although it's not obvious until around halfway through what the connection is between each of the story elements.
Be in for a long and slow burning ride, because there is some carefully crafted storytelling here.
The Underground takes the fantastical world and does just that. It explores prejudice (both racial and class) attitudes towards minorities, women, minority women, and privilege and disadvantage as complex and nuanced.
Roxanne Bland introduces us quite quickly to each of the individual races and the joint problem they all have. Into this melting pot comes another problem although it's not obvious until around halfway through what the connection is between each of the story elements.
Be in for a long and slow burning ride, because there is some carefully crafted storytelling here.
March 10, 2013
First I just want to say how much I loved this book. It's not something I would normaly read, so I was completely shocked when I started reading. The reason I loved this book is very simple: it was well written with a great plot and characters.
If you love vampires, witches, ware wolves, and all that stuff you have to run out and buy this book!!!! Its not for children or young readers. And yes that means there are some parts that make it impossible to put it down.
I recieved this book through goodreads first reads.
If you love vampires, witches, ware wolves, and all that stuff you have to run out and buy this book!!!! Its not for children or young readers. And yes that means there are some parts that make it impossible to put it down.
I recieved this book through goodreads first reads.
July 9, 2020
I received this book free through Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.
Maybe 2.5 stars?
This was mostly well-written and definitely had lots of parts that I tend to like in books, but it just didn't do it for me. I will start with what I did like, that being the end of the book, maybe the last 10-20% ish, I'm not sure, but the action at the end was very entertaining and felt very high stakes, easily the best part of the book if you ask me. I also thought there was mostly good world-building and liked the sci-fi fantasy blend.
The only main character I actually liked most of the time was Melera, she was a badass and did not take any shit, she stood up for those she cared about - or I guess for the one person she cared about - and I appreciated her strength.
However, there were a number of things I wasn't really a fan of; for starters the way the author made characters howl, I mean fair enough the guy is a werewolf so howls are kind of expected but writing "Gawwrooo!" to convey "pure misery" did not work, nor did "Ahhhrrhhoo-oohrrgh!". Every time there was a howl of some sort I felt pulled out of the story because it felt ridiculous to read phonetically and in my opinion, it would have been more compelling to just write "He howled". I noticed this throughout along with a few other sounds that the author wrote out and it just felt weird to me every time. A few times I also noticed the tense change completely randomly in the middle of a paragraph, without anything to indicate we had switched to being inside the character's head.
There was also some pretty questionable consent at times, and very creepy thoughts from the male characters which was quite uncomfortable to read. Maybe that's pretty normal in dark, adult urban fantasy like this but I have never read anything like this book before so I don't know and I wasn't a fan.
Plus, Parker's reluctance to believe Melera was an alien after he literally saw her vanish into thin air, and bit him with a part of the body that most definitely does not have teeth. Then a while later when she proved to Parker she was an alien by transforming, he instantly believed her and I was just sat there wondering why the hell she didn't just do that in the first place since it would have been very easy to prove the whole time. It felt like a pretty weak plot point.
Also, did I read this wrong or did Parker say he became a werewolf after drinking from a "wolf stream". So literally anyone could just drink from this stream and poof - werewolf. This wasn't even explained it was just thrown into the book randomly and never touched on again. I am still pretty confused about that. Another instance of this was when Garrett suddenly mentions the night slavers came for her and her family and she was the only one who escaped - this is told to us about 80% into the book, gets two sentences and that's it - we don't hear about it again.
I also couldn't work out Parker and Melera's relationship, at one point Parker thinks "Sometimes it was all he could do not to throttle her." I get that they have a very passionate relationship but things like this were thought by both characters multiple times and that's not what a loving relationship is meant to be like...
Kurt and Garrett's relationship on the other hand felt super random, like I at least understood what the author was trying to do with Parker and Melera's relationship and I believed they had very strong feelings for each other - whether it was always love or not - but Kurt and Garrett being together - or Garrett being in love with Kurt did not feel realistic. There was no chemistry whatsoever as far as I could tell - I could believe they were friends but no more than that, their relationship felt like a second thought to the rest of the storyline and as a result was not compelling.
Maybe 2.5 stars?
This was mostly well-written and definitely had lots of parts that I tend to like in books, but it just didn't do it for me. I will start with what I did like, that being the end of the book, maybe the last 10-20% ish, I'm not sure, but the action at the end was very entertaining and felt very high stakes, easily the best part of the book if you ask me. I also thought there was mostly good world-building and liked the sci-fi fantasy blend.
The only main character I actually liked most of the time was Melera, she was a badass and did not take any shit, she stood up for those she cared about - or I guess for the one person she cared about - and I appreciated her strength.
However, there were a number of things I wasn't really a fan of; for starters the way the author made characters howl, I mean fair enough the guy is a werewolf so howls are kind of expected but writing "Gawwrooo!" to convey "pure misery" did not work, nor did "Ahhhrrhhoo-oohrrgh!". Every time there was a howl of some sort I felt pulled out of the story because it felt ridiculous to read phonetically and in my opinion, it would have been more compelling to just write "He howled". I noticed this throughout along with a few other sounds that the author wrote out and it just felt weird to me every time. A few times I also noticed the tense change completely randomly in the middle of a paragraph, without anything to indicate we had switched to being inside the character's head.
There was also some pretty questionable consent at times, and very creepy thoughts from the male characters which was quite uncomfortable to read. Maybe that's pretty normal in dark, adult urban fantasy like this but I have never read anything like this book before so I don't know and I wasn't a fan.
Plus, Parker's reluctance to believe Melera was an alien after he literally saw her vanish into thin air, and bit him with a part of the body that most definitely does not have teeth. Then a while later when she proved to Parker she was an alien by transforming, he instantly believed her and I was just sat there wondering why the hell she didn't just do that in the first place since it would have been very easy to prove the whole time. It felt like a pretty weak plot point.
Also, did I read this wrong or did Parker say he became a werewolf after drinking from a "wolf stream". So literally anyone could just drink from this stream and poof - werewolf. This wasn't even explained it was just thrown into the book randomly and never touched on again. I am still pretty confused about that. Another instance of this was when Garrett suddenly mentions the night slavers came for her and her family and she was the only one who escaped - this is told to us about 80% into the book, gets two sentences and that's it - we don't hear about it again.
I also couldn't work out Parker and Melera's relationship, at one point Parker thinks "Sometimes it was all he could do not to throttle her." I get that they have a very passionate relationship but things like this were thought by both characters multiple times and that's not what a loving relationship is meant to be like...
Kurt and Garrett's relationship on the other hand felt super random, like I at least understood what the author was trying to do with Parker and Melera's relationship and I believed they had very strong feelings for each other - whether it was always love or not - but Kurt and Garrett being together - or Garrett being in love with Kurt did not feel realistic. There was no chemistry whatsoever as far as I could tell - I could believe they were friends but no more than that, their relationship felt like a second thought to the rest of the storyline and as a result was not compelling.
February 3, 2020
Not Bad but Not For Me
The Underground was my first time reading this author and while the book was overall good, I probably won't read the next in the series. You might enjoy the series, though.
There are a lot of characters in this story. There are witches, vampires, elves, aliens and weres of all kind (werewolves, werepanthers, wererats, etc). Most of the book centers on Kurt (vampire), Garrett (witch) and Parker (werewolve), but you get a little of the others as well.
The things I didn't care for with this book are not necessarily an indicator that the author did a poor job, but more so that this book just didn't fit my preferences. For instance, there was a lot going on in this book. The book constantly jumps from one character to the next and introduces a lot of unusual words or terms. That's not surprising when you're dealing with alien races and a variety of fantasy creatures, but it made the story hard for me to follow and a bit disjointed.
It was also strange for this book to have Parker and Melera (alien) on the cover, but they really didn't start their story together until about 60% through the book. Most of the first half of the book dealt with Garrett and Kurt going about their business and trying to manipulate Parker into a tryst to protect other "Zots" from hateful humans.
I really didn't feel like there was much of a protagonist in this book until Parker and Melera really get together (in the last third of the book). The rest of the book left me feeling like Garrett is manipulative, Kurt is sadistic and treats Parker terribly to try to coerce him into this tryst (despite a couple times mentioning that he loves Parker) and Parker has gotten a raw deal, but is an unlikable drunk, even by his own pack. I guess I like books where there's somebody to root for throughout the book.
Overall, the book isn't bad. I like the different character types, but it all felt like too much too soon. The action was a little darker and rougher than I typically read, but I could have got past it if there were a more likeable protagonist throughout. Parker and Melera are interesting when they finally get together, it just took too long to reach that point in my opinion. If you like a lot of different fantasy races and exploring the inner workings of those races trying to live together peacefully with humans, you might really like this book. I will probably pass on the next book, but wouldn't rule out trying this author again in the future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Underground was my first time reading this author and while the book was overall good, I probably won't read the next in the series. You might enjoy the series, though.
There are a lot of characters in this story. There are witches, vampires, elves, aliens and weres of all kind (werewolves, werepanthers, wererats, etc). Most of the book centers on Kurt (vampire), Garrett (witch) and Parker (werewolve), but you get a little of the others as well.
The things I didn't care for with this book are not necessarily an indicator that the author did a poor job, but more so that this book just didn't fit my preferences. For instance, there was a lot going on in this book. The book constantly jumps from one character to the next and introduces a lot of unusual words or terms. That's not surprising when you're dealing with alien races and a variety of fantasy creatures, but it made the story hard for me to follow and a bit disjointed.
It was also strange for this book to have Parker and Melera (alien) on the cover, but they really didn't start their story together until about 60% through the book. Most of the first half of the book dealt with Garrett and Kurt going about their business and trying to manipulate Parker into a tryst to protect other "Zots" from hateful humans.
I really didn't feel like there was much of a protagonist in this book until Parker and Melera really get together (in the last third of the book). The rest of the book left me feeling like Garrett is manipulative, Kurt is sadistic and treats Parker terribly to try to coerce him into this tryst (despite a couple times mentioning that he loves Parker) and Parker has gotten a raw deal, but is an unlikable drunk, even by his own pack. I guess I like books where there's somebody to root for throughout the book.
Overall, the book isn't bad. I like the different character types, but it all felt like too much too soon. The action was a little darker and rougher than I typically read, but I could have got past it if there were a more likeable protagonist throughout. Parker and Melera are interesting when they finally get together, it just took too long to reach that point in my opinion. If you like a lot of different fantasy races and exploring the inner workings of those races trying to live together peacefully with humans, you might really like this book. I will probably pass on the next book, but wouldn't rule out trying this author again in the future.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. My thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 30, 2024
I got this book from voracious readers.
It took me a while to get through this book between life and trying to wrap my head around the story.
The world building was well done but throwing an alien into the mix threw me off totally. I wasn't sure if I was reading a sci-fi or an urban fantasy, but I was intrigued so I kept reading. Yes I did read the blurb but I haven't read many sci-fi books so it took a little getting used to.
I was about 30% of the way in before I actually grasped what was going on and got to know who each of the characters were and the dynamics between them.
This story is a bit darker and grittier than others I've read and I don't mean that in any way negatively, I enjoyed it and was enthralled by it.
I wanted Parker to be a more likeable character, I wanted him to grow into a more likeable character, to rise up and be the alpha that I felt he could've been. But he met his alien, Melera, and seemed to fall into a bubble where she became his everything to the detriment of everyone and everything else.
Kurt, the city's vampire master was at the beginning described as despicable, calculating, merciless, power-hungry and cruel. He is all these things but also more. As the story progressed, his backstory emerged and he became more interesting. I enjoyed reading his POV. He is arrogant and that arrogance cost him the relationship he could've had with Parker when he became his servant.
Garrett is the mage in this trio, Kurt's partner and Parker freyja. She is a very strong character with a clear vision of her goal and how to get there. She's the most likeable character. She's strong without being overbearing or snarky. She has a lot on her plate between the coven, Kurt and Parker.
The plot evolves from tensions in Seattle to a demon released into the world in order to cause a revolution. It was well paced and had plenty of action and intrigue. I really liked the use of multiple POV and it helped keep the story moving.
I enjoyed it. It was a good intro into the world and had a strong storyline.
It took me a while to get through this book between life and trying to wrap my head around the story.
The world building was well done but throwing an alien into the mix threw me off totally. I wasn't sure if I was reading a sci-fi or an urban fantasy, but I was intrigued so I kept reading. Yes I did read the blurb but I haven't read many sci-fi books so it took a little getting used to.
I was about 30% of the way in before I actually grasped what was going on and got to know who each of the characters were and the dynamics between them.
This story is a bit darker and grittier than others I've read and I don't mean that in any way negatively, I enjoyed it and was enthralled by it.
I wanted Parker to be a more likeable character, I wanted him to grow into a more likeable character, to rise up and be the alpha that I felt he could've been. But he met his alien, Melera, and seemed to fall into a bubble where she became his everything to the detriment of everyone and everything else.
Kurt, the city's vampire master was at the beginning described as despicable, calculating, merciless, power-hungry and cruel. He is all these things but also more. As the story progressed, his backstory emerged and he became more interesting. I enjoyed reading his POV. He is arrogant and that arrogance cost him the relationship he could've had with Parker when he became his servant.
Garrett is the mage in this trio, Kurt's partner and Parker freyja. She is a very strong character with a clear vision of her goal and how to get there. She's the most likeable character. She's strong without being overbearing or snarky. She has a lot on her plate between the coven, Kurt and Parker.
The plot evolves from tensions in Seattle to a demon released into the world in order to cause a revolution. It was well paced and had plenty of action and intrigue. I really liked the use of multiple POV and it helped keep the story moving.
I enjoyed it. It was a good intro into the world and had a strong storyline.
March 12, 2021
I really enjoyed how the things on Earth are described by the characters that haven’t seen Earth before. This was really clever and a real credit to the author! I also really enjoyed that we get to see the different characters’ lives running simultaneously until we get to see their stories cross paths. I wasn’t very keen on the sex scenes as I thought they were unncessesary which then made them seem a bit crude. I was completely hooked from the first chapter which shows what a good book this is as it isn’t a genre I would usually pick but once I started I couldn’t put it down! I think the writer’s style absolutely brought the book to life with the way the characters’ stories ran alongside each other until they crossed paths. I didn’t see any issues with the author’s grammar at all and thought the story flowed really well. The story made me feel every emotion possible, even within the same chapter! The main characters’ definitely did grow during the course of the novel and I really enjoyed seeing this throughout the story. This really helped with feeling different emotions throughout the book as it meant you cared for the characters and could really understand their feelings. The story did vaguely remind me of the Vampire Diaries due to the different species within. I believe the intended audience is those who enjoy Sci-Fi books but also those looking for something very different than what they would normally choose. I think the most memorable part of the book was the relationships between the different characters. This is because there were so many complicated relationships within the book that did cross over quite a bit. I think the book did absolutely live up to the blurb but to make it even better I think it could have been written in the third person as if by a few of the different main characters. This would make it more mysterious and hook you in even more! I would definitely read the next book in the series or other novels by the same author.
May 5, 2021
I received a free copy of this book from "Voracious Readers Only" in exchange for an honest review.
A simple description of the plot is that it focuses on Kurt, a vampire master, Parker an alpha werewolf, and Garret, a mage. There's also an ET named Melera. Kurt and Garret wish to protect "zots" (i.e magical creatures) from humans, but need Parker in doing so, and try and force his hand by manipulating him. But then after murders plague Seattle, tensions between humans and zots increase.
The good: I thought it was detailed and beautifully written. The chapters were short, keeping my interest. I also felt like the characters were dynamic and complex. They were unique from one another, even in cases of supporting characters, such as Pinkie.
I also have to mention how great the formatting looks. I'm pretty picky when it comes to formatting, especially in kindle books. I've seen some books have huge indentations that are distracting or even literal spaces between paragraphs. But you can tell this author paid close attention and properly formatted her book. It's usually not something you notice unless it looks horrible or is wrong.
The not-so-good: there is a sexual assault early on in the book in chapter three. It can be glossed over if needed. I was taken back as it was in beginning chapters.
I wish Melera's story would have started sooner in her story, instead of being backstory. There's talk about her dad and lover dying and her enemy, Beloc, figuring out that they (Melera, Tarq, and Ruri) were part of the rebellion, but it's included as backstory. I found this more interesting than where the reader was introduced to Melera.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. It's fast pace and the plot moves along nicely. I give it a solid four stars.
A simple description of the plot is that it focuses on Kurt, a vampire master, Parker an alpha werewolf, and Garret, a mage. There's also an ET named Melera. Kurt and Garret wish to protect "zots" (i.e magical creatures) from humans, but need Parker in doing so, and try and force his hand by manipulating him. But then after murders plague Seattle, tensions between humans and zots increase.
The good: I thought it was detailed and beautifully written. The chapters were short, keeping my interest. I also felt like the characters were dynamic and complex. They were unique from one another, even in cases of supporting characters, such as Pinkie.
I also have to mention how great the formatting looks. I'm pretty picky when it comes to formatting, especially in kindle books. I've seen some books have huge indentations that are distracting or even literal spaces between paragraphs. But you can tell this author paid close attention and properly formatted her book. It's usually not something you notice unless it looks horrible or is wrong.
The not-so-good: there is a sexual assault early on in the book in chapter three. It can be glossed over if needed. I was taken back as it was in beginning chapters.
I wish Melera's story would have started sooner in her story, instead of being backstory. There's talk about her dad and lover dying and her enemy, Beloc, figuring out that they (Melera, Tarq, and Ruri) were part of the rebellion, but it's included as backstory. I found this more interesting than where the reader was introduced to Melera.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this book. It's fast pace and the plot moves along nicely. I give it a solid four stars.
December 13, 2017
I’m really becoming a fan of Roxanne Bland’s books… this is the second one I’ve read from her – the first being “The Moreva of Astoreth”. This one, “The Underground” stands independently of its predecessor with all new characters and storyline. But like the first, the writing is terrific, there is lots of great action (more so later in the book) and plenty of twists (which while a tad detectable still fun), lots of interesting dialogue between the characters (and themselves at times), and daunting obstacles to overcome, all of which is tied together with fast paced high stakes and sexy, erotic and dangerous situations. If you're looking for something that is light years out of the ordinary, then this is definitely a great place to look. I like the way that Ms. Bland writes so descriptively and really makes us know the characters inside and out. I just wish that I had a clearer idea of exactly what the goals of the characters were, as sometimes I wasn’t sure. And I was confused by many of the italics dialogues – were they thoughts or what? Whose? A fun and different book, for sure, but very different from the norm. Hope to read more from Ms. Bland soon! This is a book that is only for adults over 18.
December 13, 2017
I thought “The Underground” started off a little slow, but thankfully it picked up before too long, and I was not a fan at all of the ‘thoughts’ the characters were constantly saying (in the italics). Just felt wordy and unnecessary and almost slightly pretentious for some reason. That being said, I may have enjoyed this book more than the first one I read from Ms. Bland. The slow-building action kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time, and we saw far more character development in this book (bizarre as it was at times). Though I will say, I’m not sure we needed such a wide POV from the multitude of characters in this one. I just want to feel a little more connected to them as characters, which goes by the wayside with such broad perspectives. The lead characters were very likable/dislikable/addicting/fascinating/shocking, and backed by a great cast of well-drawn secondary characters. While it does have lots of action, it feels more character driven which I prefer, to be honest. I wasn’t all that pleased with how it ended, but I’m keeping an open mind for now and hope that there will be more and this isn’t the end of this motley crew of characters. Definitely different, pushes the envelope, takes risks, and is for adults only.
May 18, 2021
This took me a bit of time to get into.
Although It wasn’t really the story that was the problem.
It was the way the actual physical writing was formatted, set out & presented on my iPhone Kindle app.
Let me explain:
So every couple of pages when I got to the end of a page & turned to the next it would totally miss out a few words or a sentence. Making the first thing I read on the next page make absolutely no sense at all.
I had to change the size of my text in order to read the missing sentences & then change it back again.
I tried lots of different settings but no matter how big or small I set my text it would still miss out any sentences which fell at the end/beginning of a page.
On many occasion I nearly just didn’t bother with the book. I’m not sure it was worth it as this was so frustrating & totally ruined the flow of the story & stopped me immersing & losing myself in the story.
I really hope this is just a mistake, an over site on whoever formats these ebooks as it will definitely stop me from further purchases.
The actual story was very good & I’m sure under different circumstances I would have really enjoyed it.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
Although It wasn’t really the story that was the problem.
It was the way the actual physical writing was formatted, set out & presented on my iPhone Kindle app.
Let me explain:
So every couple of pages when I got to the end of a page & turned to the next it would totally miss out a few words or a sentence. Making the first thing I read on the next page make absolutely no sense at all.
I had to change the size of my text in order to read the missing sentences & then change it back again.
I tried lots of different settings but no matter how big or small I set my text it would still miss out any sentences which fell at the end/beginning of a page.
On many occasion I nearly just didn’t bother with the book. I’m not sure it was worth it as this was so frustrating & totally ruined the flow of the story & stopped me immersing & losing myself in the story.
I really hope this is just a mistake, an over site on whoever formats these ebooks as it will definitely stop me from further purchases.
The actual story was very good & I’m sure under different circumstances I would have really enjoyed it.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
April 4, 2020
This book desperately needs Content Warnings.
Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance are somewhat expected to involve a lot of stuff which is not safe for work, and this book delivers on that, but what is less expected and could really trigger some emotional issues is the relatively frequent references to rape, and the less frequent but still present references to child abuse, there's even a large amount of snuff.
Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable book for the most part, but the strong associations between sex and abuse early on in the book without being prepared for it, made for strong dislike of major characters that was difficult to overcome. Also one of the characters believing they loved someone while also wanting to "break" that person smacked of abusive power dynamics and could easily remind people who have been in abusive relationships of the gaslighting they were subjected to.
All in all, I would probably have given it a much higher rating if I'd known roughly what to expect and been in the right mood for gore, vore and thinly veiled excuses to force the characters to have sex with people they don't want to.
Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance are somewhat expected to involve a lot of stuff which is not safe for work, and this book delivers on that, but what is less expected and could really trigger some emotional issues is the relatively frequent references to rape, and the less frequent but still present references to child abuse, there's even a large amount of snuff.
Don't get me wrong, it was an enjoyable book for the most part, but the strong associations between sex and abuse early on in the book without being prepared for it, made for strong dislike of major characters that was difficult to overcome. Also one of the characters believing they loved someone while also wanting to "break" that person smacked of abusive power dynamics and could easily remind people who have been in abusive relationships of the gaslighting they were subjected to.
All in all, I would probably have given it a much higher rating if I'd known roughly what to expect and been in the right mood for gore, vore and thinly veiled excuses to force the characters to have sex with people they don't want to.
April 10, 2020
I received a copy of this book from BookSiren and any opinions expressed are my own.
This is a paranormal romance novel that is definitely not your normal lovey dovey. The sex scenes are over the top and sometimes violent. Not PG-13. This book was just a little to much over the top for me. There were vampires, witches, mages, elves, aliens and shapeshifters (werewolfs, weresharks, wererats and were...etc). Why couldn't there just be werewolves? Why confuse things even more? There were so many characters that it took awhile to get the story flowing. There was also so many back stories going like Parker's, the Alpha Werewolves Pack Leader, talks about drinking from a werestream but that is never explained. Melera, the space alien, is on the run from someone named Beloc but that is just left hanging out there at the end of the book; Is there going to be a sequel? The book did have a very original storyline. I did enjoy reading about the witches and the demon. I also enjoyed reading about Parker and Melera. Maybe, a little more editing.
This is a paranormal romance novel that is definitely not your normal lovey dovey. The sex scenes are over the top and sometimes violent. Not PG-13. This book was just a little to much over the top for me. There were vampires, witches, mages, elves, aliens and shapeshifters (werewolfs, weresharks, wererats and were...etc). Why couldn't there just be werewolves? Why confuse things even more? There were so many characters that it took awhile to get the story flowing. There was also so many back stories going like Parker's, the Alpha Werewolves Pack Leader, talks about drinking from a werestream but that is never explained. Melera, the space alien, is on the run from someone named Beloc but that is just left hanging out there at the end of the book; Is there going to be a sequel? The book did have a very original storyline. I did enjoy reading about the witches and the demon. I also enjoyed reading about Parker and Melera. Maybe, a little more editing.
May 29, 2020
89. Dangerous. *I received this book for free from Voracious Readers in exchange for an honest review* First - explicit sex scenes and swearing. So warned. Second - there were a lot of characters and a lot of different fantasy beings. That said, it was easy to read and I didn’t at all find it confusing, which was amazing. I don’t often read fantasy books so a lot of it was fairly new and I still followed along quite easily. Third - I enjoyed the storyline. A lot of things happened in the story. I would love more books with the same main characters - going into more depth with them. But also more books about other sub-characters. Finally - a great read. I liked how easy it was to read, the characters and the story. If you like fantasy (and you’re an adult - the sex was intense) give it a read! #roxannebland #theunderground #voraciousreaders
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August 23, 2020
This book falls right in my wheelhouse . I loved the vampire, witch , werewolf mythos and science fiction in a magical realism context. With present day Seattle as a backdrop, a complex hierarchical system of exotics (witches, weres, elves, etc) "zots" is in place headed by Kurt the Vampire Master who rules with a strict and sometimes brutal hand. That hand is often used to humiliate Parker Berenson, the head of the Wolf were pack who by decree is the servant of the vampire master. Rounding out this trio is Garrett a witch and mage who is partnered with both of them and who seeks to create a lasting peace between the zots and humans. When a series of bizarre murders begin cropping up around Seattle, it doesn't take long for humans to begin hunting zots in retaliation. The story follows the three as they attempt to hold on to what they have in the face of devastating cruelty and otherworldly interference. This was an enjoyable read with well thought out characters and motivations. I look forward to reading the next novel in the series.
May 8, 2021
I received a free copy of this book from VRO in return for my honest opinion and review.
This is a supernatural adventure with heaps of action and enough twists and turns to hook you. You will meet witches, werewolves, vampires, elves, pixies and even aliens. In fact, there are so many different creatures and species to meet at the beginning of the book, that it can feel a bit overwhelming at the start. Bear with it, because this number of characters in turn creates a rich tapestry of life, fabulous detailed characters and a terrific never predictable plot. There are no stereotype supernatural beings in this story, so forget what you think you know about them.
For those who have read Invasion, The Underground is the prequel to this book. It is in this book that we learn about the origin of Kurt the vampire, Garett the mage and Parker the werewolf and how they got mixed up in human politics.
I really enjoyed this book, so much so that it has even tempted me to begin reading Invasion again but with new eyes
This is a supernatural adventure with heaps of action and enough twists and turns to hook you. You will meet witches, werewolves, vampires, elves, pixies and even aliens. In fact, there are so many different creatures and species to meet at the beginning of the book, that it can feel a bit overwhelming at the start. Bear with it, because this number of characters in turn creates a rich tapestry of life, fabulous detailed characters and a terrific never predictable plot. There are no stereotype supernatural beings in this story, so forget what you think you know about them.
For those who have read Invasion, The Underground is the prequel to this book. It is in this book that we learn about the origin of Kurt the vampire, Garett the mage and Parker the werewolf and how they got mixed up in human politics.
I really enjoyed this book, so much so that it has even tempted me to begin reading Invasion again but with new eyes
December 13, 2017
Roxanne Bland puts the chips on the table when she tried to blend a vampire, witch, and werewolf together in a tryst to bring peace to a city that doesn’t even want it. The humans are content pretending there aren’t “exotics” living among them and the “exotics” want to live in peace. All that changes when a serial killer targets both start a war that makes losers of all involved.
The complex life of leading a pack of werewolves in Seattle would have been welcoming to Parker Berenson. But the responsibility of leading a pack also makes him a servant to the ruling Vampire, Kurt, who happens to be infatuated with Parker. Betrayal of a witch leaves Parker angry, almost angry enough to lose control of his pack. With built up anger he doesn’t see the real enemy that threatens his pack, his city, or his life. The Slayer will come for him again, it must he saw it, but in what form and will he recognize it? Could it be the beautiful alien he is falling in love with?
The complex life of leading a pack of werewolves in Seattle would have been welcoming to Parker Berenson. But the responsibility of leading a pack also makes him a servant to the ruling Vampire, Kurt, who happens to be infatuated with Parker. Betrayal of a witch leaves Parker angry, almost angry enough to lose control of his pack. With built up anger he doesn’t see the real enemy that threatens his pack, his city, or his life. The Slayer will come for him again, it must he saw it, but in what form and will he recognize it? Could it be the beautiful alien he is falling in love with?
March 18, 2020
Roxanne's penchant for unorthodox genre blending makes for an intriguing, unique, fun and original read for any fan of horror, fantasy or sci-fi, with a writing style that's distinctive as Bland knows her voice. The story itself is engaging and fresh as Bland takes you into a fictional world of her own creation that stands strong on its own and isn't just another fictional universe. The characters are interesting personalities with goals, motives, thoughts and feelings of their own that mesh well with the world she has created.
I wasn't very impressed with the protagonist Parker at first, he struck me as just another werewolf, but as the novel wore on I became quite a fan. At first I wasn't sold on the meshing of genres and how it fit into the story being told, but again as the story continued I got more and more sucked into it, and as a fan of genre blends myself can only approve. If you're looking for a fresh, exciting and unique, original story, then look no further. XD
I wasn't very impressed with the protagonist Parker at first, he struck me as just another werewolf, but as the novel wore on I became quite a fan. At first I wasn't sold on the meshing of genres and how it fit into the story being told, but again as the story continued I got more and more sucked into it, and as a fan of genre blends myself can only approve. If you're looking for a fresh, exciting and unique, original story, then look no further. XD
July 20, 2020
I received a copy of this book from voracious readers only.
I am new to the fantasy genre. I found this book reasonably easy to read and somewhat enjoyable.
Unfortunately I felt that there were too many characters that I had to keep up with, some of who we get to know quite well, others that held a fleeting role and I questioned why we were being introduced to them.
As far as the story goes, it has a few off shoots that aren't really developed well and left me wondering what it has to do with the main story. These off shoots, like the revolutionists, felt like they were added as a last minute effort to add something else to the story but didn't really make sense.
The language and sex scenes were quite explicit- a warning would have been most beneficial, especially when my teenager started reading over my shoulder.
Having said all that, the story flowed well, was easy to read and my imagination was able to be exercised.
I am new to the fantasy genre. I found this book reasonably easy to read and somewhat enjoyable.
Unfortunately I felt that there were too many characters that I had to keep up with, some of who we get to know quite well, others that held a fleeting role and I questioned why we were being introduced to them.
As far as the story goes, it has a few off shoots that aren't really developed well and left me wondering what it has to do with the main story. These off shoots, like the revolutionists, felt like they were added as a last minute effort to add something else to the story but didn't really make sense.
The language and sex scenes were quite explicit- a warning would have been most beneficial, especially when my teenager started reading over my shoulder.
Having said all that, the story flowed well, was easy to read and my imagination was able to be exercised.
July 23, 2021
I received this from the author to read and review... As some other readers have mentioned i found the constant leap to different characters a bit jarring...I was confused about which direction the story was heading? One rift between the humans and zots or one within the alien universe. There was also no background or further exploration into Pinkie's actions, motives, how she even planned/ instigated everything...she was in the background and didn't really contribute much even tho she had caused all the trouble. Garret who acted as if Pinkie was a good friend really didn't know her...it took one member of her coven who just happen to remember that Pinkie had told her she was a Demonologist. It has the potential to be really good. I love the crazy idea of mixing vamps, weres, witches and aliens...just wished the story was done slightly differently and that some of the characters were fully explored and connected together better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2021
A unique take on the Supernatural world. Set in the city of Seattle, all supernatural beings must hide their gifts to avoid being discovered and executed by the human population. The city is dominated by Master vampire Kurt who has control over the alpha of the werewolf pack Parker Berenson and the witch coven through mage Garrett Larkin.
A series of murders has alarmed everyone and the supernatural residents are trying to find the killer to avoid the mass slaughter of their people. The arrival of Melera (a being from another dimension) adds another level of complexity and an unexpected romance. In places the novel cuts between the several story lines and the language that has been created to describe the other dimensions and its creatures sometimes needs to be read again for understanding and context. Imaginative and unlike anything I have read before.
(The author kindly made a copy of this novel available for review via Voracious Readers – with thanks).
A series of murders has alarmed everyone and the supernatural residents are trying to find the killer to avoid the mass slaughter of their people. The arrival of Melera (a being from another dimension) adds another level of complexity and an unexpected romance. In places the novel cuts between the several story lines and the language that has been created to describe the other dimensions and its creatures sometimes needs to be read again for understanding and context. Imaginative and unlike anything I have read before.
(The author kindly made a copy of this novel available for review via Voracious Readers – with thanks).
July 17, 2017
Roxanne Bland's book is anything but bland - it is a thrilling mixture of story types, coming together to build a text that you can devour in one sitting and then want to pick up again. Truly thrilling at some points, you will feel your pulse start to jump as you read. If you are a fan of supernatural romances and stories, this is certainly a great book for you to pick up. It takes a few pages to really get into their story, but once you are into it, you are there and you will immediately understand what the society is all about, which is why this isn't a home run 5-star story. Still, the rest of the book really builds on this world and it is interesting to see it in juxtaposition to our world.
Note that this story does get a little bit strange at times and definitely has some (hot hot hot) adult content.
Note that this story does get a little bit strange at times and definitely has some (hot hot hot) adult content.
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