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Otherworld / Sisters of the Moon #1
Witchling
We're the D'Artigo Sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we're savvy--and sexy--operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times. My sister Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she's stressed. Menolly's a vampire who's still trying to get the hang of being undead. And me? I'm Camille--a wicked-good witch. Except my magic is as unpredictable as the weather, which my enemies are about to find out the hard way...
At the Wayfarer Inn, a portal to Otherworld and the local hangout for humans and beasties alike, our fellow operative, Jocko, has been murdered. Every clue points to Shadow Wing, the soul-munching, badass leader of the Subterranean Realms. He's made it clear that he aims to raze humankind to the ground, turning both Earth and Otherworld into his private playground. Our assignment: keep Shadow Wing and his minions from creeping into Earth via the Wayfarer. The demons figure they're in like Flynn. After all, with only my bumbling sisters and me standing in the way, how can they miss? But we've got a secret for them: Faulty wiring or not, nobody kicks ass like the D'Artigo girls. . .
At the Wayfarer Inn, a portal to Otherworld and the local hangout for humans and beasties alike, our fellow operative, Jocko, has been murdered. Every clue points to Shadow Wing, the soul-munching, badass leader of the Subterranean Realms. He's made it clear that he aims to raze humankind to the ground, turning both Earth and Otherworld into his private playground. Our assignment: keep Shadow Wing and his minions from creeping into Earth via the Wayfarer. The demons figure they're in like Flynn. After all, with only my bumbling sisters and me standing in the way, how can they miss? But we've got a secret for them: Faulty wiring or not, nobody kicks ass like the D'Artigo girls. . .
276 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 3, 2006
434 people are currently reading
12564 people want to read
About the author
Yasmine Galenorn
246 books3,472 followersNOTE: I SELDOM visit Goodreads and do very little here. Please see my website for more information on my work: https://galenorn.com
New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over 80 books & numerous series, including the Wild Hunt Series, the Moonshadow Bay Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Otherworld Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, and more. She wrote for trad publishers for 20 years until she went indie in 2016.
She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her web site at Galenorn.com. Sign up for her newsletter at: http://galenorn.com/newsletter/
NOTE: ALWAYS check the website and blog, and please sign up for her newsletter there to keep current with new and upcoming releases. Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter are NOT viable places to find out all this information.
New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and USA Today bestselling author Yasmine Galenorn writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance, and is the author of over 80 books & numerous series, including the Wild Hunt Series, the Moonshadow Bay Series, the Fury Unbound Series, the Otherworld Series, the Bewitching Bedlam Series, and more. She wrote for trad publishers for 20 years until she went indie in 2016.
She’s also written nonfiction metaphysical books. She is the 2011 Career Achievement Award Winner in Urban Fantasy, given by RT Magazine. Yasmine has been in the Craft since 1980, is a shamanic witch and High Priestess. She describes her life as a blend of teacups and tattoos. She lives in Kirkland, WA, with her husband Samwise and their cats. Yasmine can be reached via her web site at Galenorn.com. Sign up for her newsletter at: http://galenorn.com/newsletter/
NOTE: ALWAYS check the website and blog, and please sign up for her newsletter there to keep current with new and upcoming releases. Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter are NOT viable places to find out all this information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,007 reviews
April 16, 2008
First of three books, dealing with half-fae, half-human sisters, living Earthside. Of course, the fae are known on Earth, so they are minor celebrities locally, despite being half-human. This book is told from Camille's POV, who is a rather incompetent witch. Another sister is a were-cat, who turns not only during a full moon, but also during stressful times, and the third sister was turned into a vamp against her will - but it is unclear what her powers were, if any, before that.
All three sisters work for the fae police force, basically, and all have jobs on earth that act as fronts for it - Camille runs a bookstore, Delliah is a private detective, and Menolly works as a bartender. Not quite sure how if Delliah is a private detective and lives with Camille, who allows the local fairy fan club to follow her around and take pictures, this effects Delliahs business, but whatever.
The first book starts with a giant getting murdered, and of course, there ends up being this huge plot that will destroy both the earth and the fae world and ONLY these three bumbling outcasts from both worlds can stop it.
Of course.
Oh I did I mention that the Fae world is falling apart because the Queen and the nobility is addicted to opium? Really! Opium. Because its the FAE and thats the best they can do. Is OPIUM addiction.
Ok, so, anyway, of course, they save everything. But only sort of. At least only sort of enough to guarantee another two books.
Oh, and there is, indeed, a love triangle. Between the (quite literally) tall, dark and handsome - and dangerous; and the "good guy." My god. Imagine that.
And a dragon. And crone in the woods. Can't forget those.
And after all these cliches and every "been there, done that"
plot points, the ultimate problem with the book is that it is flat. The characters are just so...we are talking "balloon with the air let out of them," so that when I started reading the sneak preview of the second book, I had a hard time telling that I had started reading a new book.
Until I went "Oh, her tail is stuck in a burr patch, so I guess this is now the cat, and not the witch, got it!"
So yeah, when I can't tell the difference between the three main characters, its flat. Way flat.
All three sisters work for the fae police force, basically, and all have jobs on earth that act as fronts for it - Camille runs a bookstore, Delliah is a private detective, and Menolly works as a bartender. Not quite sure how if Delliah is a private detective and lives with Camille, who allows the local fairy fan club to follow her around and take pictures, this effects Delliahs business, but whatever.
The first book starts with a giant getting murdered, and of course, there ends up being this huge plot that will destroy both the earth and the fae world and ONLY these three bumbling outcasts from both worlds can stop it.
Of course.
Oh I did I mention that the Fae world is falling apart because the Queen and the nobility is addicted to opium? Really! Opium. Because its the FAE and thats the best they can do. Is OPIUM addiction.
Ok, so, anyway, of course, they save everything. But only sort of. At least only sort of enough to guarantee another two books.
Oh, and there is, indeed, a love triangle. Between the (quite literally) tall, dark and handsome - and dangerous; and the "good guy." My god. Imagine that.
And a dragon. And crone in the woods. Can't forget those.
And after all these cliches and every "been there, done that"
plot points, the ultimate problem with the book is that it is flat. The characters are just so...we are talking "balloon with the air let out of them," so that when I started reading the sneak preview of the second book, I had a hard time telling that I had started reading a new book.
Until I went "Oh, her tail is stuck in a burr patch, so I guess this is now the cat, and not the witch, got it!"
So yeah, when I can't tell the difference between the three main characters, its flat. Way flat.
February 8, 2017
Warning: I only got 35% into the book. And I freely acknowledge that things could get better. But I couldn't force myself further at this point.
Just some random thoughts on what I did read.
*Characters are one-dimensional. And really not smart. They supposedly were half human/half fae, but even though they lived for years in 'Otherworld' they really didn't know anything. The main character has this contempt for humans, and disregard for what she's supposed to be doing that got on my nerves.
*Told, not shown.
*Info-dump hell! Gah! Where is the natural lay of information. I kept getting lost.
*There's supposedly this HUGE need to move quickly, or the villain (Bad Ass Luke - c'mon!) is going to bring the demons to earth. And yet the heroine has time to take her sister to Vampire's anonymous, have sex with her ex-lover (who apparently has her in thrall!) and worry about getting new shoes while standing over a dead body that was murdered feet from her.
*There's absolutely no logical reason for these three sisters, who are messed up, to work for this Otherworld Intelligence Agency and have to deal with this case of murder, and possible invasion from the demons. Camille is a witch that can't control her spells in the best of circumstances. Her one sister is a newly turned vamp with some more control issues, and her other sister turns into a tabby cat at the slightest sign of stress. Really? These are the operatives you chose to put in charge anywhere, much less something that sounds this important?
*Repetition - I don't care what she's wearing. I don't care about the silver flecks in her eyes (for the 10th time). And I certainly don't need information that they (and I) just read from a book to be repeated to me by character dialogue.
Too much bothering me to continue. Maybe someday - far, far in the future - I'll decide to give this another go.
Just some random thoughts on what I did read.
*Characters are one-dimensional. And really not smart. They supposedly were half human/half fae, but even though they lived for years in 'Otherworld' they really didn't know anything. The main character has this contempt for humans, and disregard for what she's supposed to be doing that got on my nerves.
*Told, not shown.
*Info-dump hell! Gah! Where is the natural lay of information. I kept getting lost.
*There's supposedly this HUGE need to move quickly, or the villain (Bad Ass Luke - c'mon!) is going to bring the demons to earth. And yet the heroine has time to take her sister to Vampire's anonymous, have sex with her ex-lover (who apparently has her in thrall!) and worry about getting new shoes while standing over a dead body that was murdered feet from her.
*There's absolutely no logical reason for these three sisters, who are messed up, to work for this Otherworld Intelligence Agency and have to deal with this case of murder, and possible invasion from the demons. Camille is a witch that can't control her spells in the best of circumstances. Her one sister is a newly turned vamp with some more control issues, and her other sister turns into a tabby cat at the slightest sign of stress. Really? These are the operatives you chose to put in charge anywhere, much less something that sounds this important?
*Repetition - I don't care what she's wearing. I don't care about the silver flecks in her eyes (for the 10th time). And I certainly don't need information that they (and I) just read from a book to be repeated to me by character dialogue.
Too much bothering me to continue. Maybe someday - far, far in the future - I'll decide to give this another go.
June 22, 2009
The problem with this book is that it tried too hard to be something it's not. It tried to be funny, it tried to be sexy and smart, but ended up falling short. The premise sounded like it could be fun, albeit not particularly unique; there have been numerous urban fantasy series featuring sisters/a band of close girl friends and various monsters, but great writers can turn cliches and overused plots into something new and entertaining. Sadly, Galenorn doesn't have that ability, nor does she write very good dialogue, for that matter. It seems Galenorn thought that throwing in random slang everywhere would make the girls sound cool and sassy. It had the opposite effect; they sounded like teenyboppers, and I was seriously tempted to stop reading after the first chapter. The acronyms she kept using for places, agencies and people were even worse - how can you put in so many of those in the first chapter of the first book of the series?! I actually had to check to make sure I was starting from the right one.
The dialogue is clunky and has no flow, and the continuous attempts of Camille to be funny and snarky makes you wince rather than laugh. The overuse of "hon", "darling", "sweetie" and "babe" was grating (between sisters, no less), and the characterization was 2D. Menolly's the tough one with a troubled past, Camille's the sexy socialite who leads the gang, and Delilah's innocent and gentle (to an unbelievable extent). The fact is repeated constantly and when it comes to Delilah, downright shoved in your face. Delilah's innocence, sensitivity and gentleness is probably referred to at least once every chapter. The way she insisted on half-freeing an obviously dangerous criminal/killer to give him WATER came across as downright stupid, not soft-hearted.
And the random insertion of Japanese words was downright terrible. From someone who knows a bit of Japanese and has been surrounded by friends who're either Japanese or has learnt the language at school, I found myself wincing at Galenorn's attempt to incorporate a Japanese character into the novel with what seems to be a fairly elementary (read: Babelfish standard) knowledge of the language. The differences in culture aren't referred to, either; he's just simply there, and all that's mentioned is how cute he is. Perhaps Galenorn simply thought, "Hey, let's throw a random foreigner in there for variety!"
Other things that are not explained or delved into includes their entire background, the actual world that they lived in (beyond the basics that Galenorn skimmed over - they have a Queen who's stuck on opium, a royal court... yeah), or at least some description of the different races. The Svartans sound interesting, but all we're told is that they have many sexual partners and throw them away after they tire of each one. But why are they looked down upon? What on earth are the Sidhe? No idea, we're not told. Or if we were, it was probably several vague lines, smothered in between paragraphs of bad dialogue. Galenorn evidently has no world-building ability whatsoever; the world barely feels like one. It feels more like she threw random fantasy tropes in whenever she felt it'd be convenient.
All in all, everything in this book came across as fairly flat. In the entire book, Galenorn only managed to give us the basic statistics on each character, without there being any depth whatsoever. Numerous characters flood the novel, and yet we know next to nothing about any of them, not to mention the main characters. Their pasts and relationships are skimmed over; we only see them interacting in an awkward manner. The one thing I can say for it is that it's not a boring book. Despite the ridiculous number of flaws, there was some entertainment to be found, perhaps because the characters move past so quickly that you're constantly meeting new people (and you don't get enough time to dwell on how little you know of the older ones). If you read extremely fast with your critical mind turned off and treat it as a filler episode for Buffy, then perhaps there might be some enjoyment to be found in it.
The dialogue is clunky and has no flow, and the continuous attempts of Camille to be funny and snarky makes you wince rather than laugh. The overuse of "hon", "darling", "sweetie" and "babe" was grating (between sisters, no less), and the characterization was 2D. Menolly's the tough one with a troubled past, Camille's the sexy socialite who leads the gang, and Delilah's innocent and gentle (to an unbelievable extent). The fact is repeated constantly and when it comes to Delilah, downright shoved in your face. Delilah's innocence, sensitivity and gentleness is probably referred to at least once every chapter. The way she insisted on half-freeing an obviously dangerous criminal/killer to give him WATER came across as downright stupid, not soft-hearted.
And the random insertion of Japanese words was downright terrible. From someone who knows a bit of Japanese and has been surrounded by friends who're either Japanese or has learnt the language at school, I found myself wincing at Galenorn's attempt to incorporate a Japanese character into the novel with what seems to be a fairly elementary (read: Babelfish standard) knowledge of the language. The differences in culture aren't referred to, either; he's just simply there, and all that's mentioned is how cute he is. Perhaps Galenorn simply thought, "Hey, let's throw a random foreigner in there for variety!"
Other things that are not explained or delved into includes their entire background, the actual world that they lived in (beyond the basics that Galenorn skimmed over - they have a Queen who's stuck on opium, a royal court... yeah), or at least some description of the different races. The Svartans sound interesting, but all we're told is that they have many sexual partners and throw them away after they tire of each one. But why are they looked down upon? What on earth are the Sidhe? No idea, we're not told. Or if we were, it was probably several vague lines, smothered in between paragraphs of bad dialogue. Galenorn evidently has no world-building ability whatsoever; the world barely feels like one. It feels more like she threw random fantasy tropes in whenever she felt it'd be convenient.
All in all, everything in this book came across as fairly flat. In the entire book, Galenorn only managed to give us the basic statistics on each character, without there being any depth whatsoever. Numerous characters flood the novel, and yet we know next to nothing about any of them, not to mention the main characters. Their pasts and relationships are skimmed over; we only see them interacting in an awkward manner. The one thing I can say for it is that it's not a boring book. Despite the ridiculous number of flaws, there was some entertainment to be found, perhaps because the characters move past so quickly that you're constantly meeting new people (and you don't get enough time to dwell on how little you know of the older ones). If you read extremely fast with your critical mind turned off and treat it as a filler episode for Buffy, then perhaps there might be some enjoyment to be found in it.
February 26, 2013
The author lost me when she put in the words "J-Lo esque butt".
Yeah I lost interest really quickly after that.
Yeah I lost interest really quickly after that.
November 4, 2009
The influences here are obvious. Laurell K. Hamilton, Rachel Caine, Kim Harrison, Charmed, Buffy, Angel . . . The result though is tepid because only the superficial bits of these influences have rubbed off and then been regurgitated out into this novel.
It's about three sisters all half human, half fey. We have a witch, a vampire and a werecat. This story is about the witch named Camille. She has really big boobies (double D's if you must know), long lustrous raven hair and a face and body that all the men die for. She likes MAC makeup (hey, I thought even the most inept of the faerie could produce a glamour spell -- but what do I know?), sexy shoes, Victoria's secret undies and sex with hot men. This is our heroine a woman we can all surely identify with, eh?
Camille, it is explained, is an inept witch because she's a half-breed but for some reason she, along with her sisters, work for some sort of covert between the worlds organization. Or something. I'll be honest, my mind started drifting early on here. The info. dumps were what did me in. I felt like I had been dropped plop into the middle of a series and I really hate that. Even more-so when I know this is book #1 of the series.
Apparently, one of their friends has been murdered and a demon has possibly breached the portal (yikes, we better get on this Scoobs!) and they must find 6 seals before a demon named "Badass Luke" (honestly, I did not make that up) or Armageddon will spread hellfire and damnation on all the realm (ok, I may have made part of that up). But instead of rushing out and trying to stop the big baddie straightaway Camille laments that she hasn't had sex in soooo very long and daydreams about her ex-lover who was oh-so-sexy but oh-so-bad for her. Gag me. Will I continue? Probably, I'm quite the glutton for punishment.
Later: Well, I finished it. It didn't get any better, only more convoluted and silly. There was more sex but even that was boring. Ah well, they can't all be winners.
It's about three sisters all half human, half fey. We have a witch, a vampire and a werecat. This story is about the witch named Camille. She has really big boobies (double D's if you must know), long lustrous raven hair and a face and body that all the men die for. She likes MAC makeup (hey, I thought even the most inept of the faerie could produce a glamour spell -- but what do I know?), sexy shoes, Victoria's secret undies and sex with hot men. This is our heroine a woman we can all surely identify with, eh?
Camille, it is explained, is an inept witch because she's a half-breed but for some reason she, along with her sisters, work for some sort of covert between the worlds organization. Or something. I'll be honest, my mind started drifting early on here. The info. dumps were what did me in. I felt like I had been dropped plop into the middle of a series and I really hate that. Even more-so when I know this is book #1 of the series.
Apparently, one of their friends has been murdered and a demon has possibly breached the portal (yikes, we better get on this Scoobs!) and they must find 6 seals before a demon named "Badass Luke" (honestly, I did not make that up) or Armageddon will spread hellfire and damnation on all the realm (ok, I may have made part of that up). But instead of rushing out and trying to stop the big baddie straightaway Camille laments that she hasn't had sex in soooo very long and daydreams about her ex-lover who was oh-so-sexy but oh-so-bad for her. Gag me. Will I continue? Probably, I'm quite the glutton for punishment.
Later: Well, I finished it. It didn't get any better, only more convoluted and silly. There was more sex but even that was boring. Ah well, they can't all be winners.
October 6, 2014
This is a great book...from beginning to end. I have to admit that I am confused when I read other reviews about this book...especially from those that give it one...two...or even three stars. I found every page and plot twist to be an absolute delight...as well as...the way she wove each of the amazing main characters into the story!!! The three sisters...though sisters by blood...are different in their own rights...one being a witch...another being a Were...and the third being a vampire. The three of them...work their powers together to fight the evil of demons who are out to destroy the Earth and OW (Otherworld)... I am going to continue reading the series...and I truly encourage others to read this book...and don't stop...until reaching the END!!!
February 3, 2020
2.5
Dünyası çok güzel aslında tam benlik her tür fantastik öğe var ama kızımız biraz sürtük pek sevmedim erkek karakterler daha iyiydi bence
Dünyası çok güzel aslında tam benlik her tür fantastik öğe var ama kızımız biraz sürtük pek sevmedim erkek karakterler daha iyiydi bence
September 17, 2021
I know a lot of readers like this book. I know some of my friends like this book. believe me, I'm happy for you. It's always nice when you find something you like, grape soda, licorice, chocolate gummy bears, okra.....haggis. Really enjoy.
For me however three words sum up my reaction to this book:
OH-GOOD-GRIEF. I had a little trouble getting words out however as I was fighting my gag reflex.
Yes it's another in a long line of books I hoped to like that I had hopes for and found to be, well for readers other than myself. There is an odd childish tone to the writing here with a strange attitude in our teller. She wants to be very sure that we know she's not a full blood human. Apparently there's a very racist attitude against full blood humans, even by our protagonists....
Our protagonists? Half human/half fairy....one who seems to unintentionally change shape under stress and another who is...are you ready? Think you'll be surprised? Think you'll see it coming? Hang on now...get ready...she is a....VAMPIRE! Yes a vampire.
Never saw that coming did you. I mean it's not like we're tripping over vampires in every other YA, urban fantasy, paranormal romance out there. Just what we need. Another sympathetic, friendly romantic vampire!!!!
At least so far as I saw she doesn't sparkle...I don't know about spreading fairy dust or anything.
Oh and romance? Well...we did get deep kisses...pelvic grinding and "feelings she hadn't had since...."
Well you get the idea. I got maybe half way through before I needed a double shot of insulin to counteract sweetness overload and cast the book aside.
And please don't tell me because I didn't finish this piece of tripe that I shouldn't or can't rate it. It's a one star experience for me....that's WHY I didn't finish it.
So, as I said some like this and I assume the series that follows it...and that's cool. We can't all like the same books. It's a matter of taste and this isn't to mine. If you like it, I'm very happy for you, enjoy.
And I do mean that. If you like the book, I'm happy for you, enjoy.
As for me? Can't recommend it and see it only possibly useful as compost.
For me however three words sum up my reaction to this book:
OH-GOOD-GRIEF. I had a little trouble getting words out however as I was fighting my gag reflex.
Yes it's another in a long line of books I hoped to like that I had hopes for and found to be, well for readers other than myself. There is an odd childish tone to the writing here with a strange attitude in our teller. She wants to be very sure that we know she's not a full blood human. Apparently there's a very racist attitude against full blood humans, even by our protagonists....
Our protagonists? Half human/half fairy....one who seems to unintentionally change shape under stress and another who is...are you ready? Think you'll be surprised? Think you'll see it coming? Hang on now...get ready...she is a....VAMPIRE! Yes a vampire.
Never saw that coming did you. I mean it's not like we're tripping over vampires in every other YA, urban fantasy, paranormal romance out there. Just what we need. Another sympathetic, friendly romantic vampire!!!!
At least so far as I saw she doesn't sparkle...I don't know about spreading fairy dust or anything.
Oh and romance? Well...we did get deep kisses...pelvic grinding and "feelings she hadn't had since...."
Well you get the idea. I got maybe half way through before I needed a double shot of insulin to counteract sweetness overload and cast the book aside.
And please don't tell me because I didn't finish this piece of tripe that I shouldn't or can't rate it. It's a one star experience for me....that's WHY I didn't finish it.
So, as I said some like this and I assume the series that follows it...and that's cool. We can't all like the same books. It's a matter of taste and this isn't to mine. If you like it, I'm very happy for you, enjoy.
And I do mean that. If you like the book, I'm happy for you, enjoy.
As for me? Can't recommend it and see it only possibly useful as compost.
June 9, 2016
Witchling was recommended to me as a series similar to Kate Daniels (my favorite urban fantasy series), so I had to give it a shot.
LIKES:
✔ 3 Sisters with different paranormal abilities. Like TV show 'Charmed' but even more different...
✔ Complex world-building with intricate fae politics.
✔ A lot of paranormal creatures: demons, harpies, gargoyles, dragons, fae, vampires, giants, witches, shifters, ...
DISLIKES:
✘ Info dumping all the time. All the info about the world I got was from Camille's long explanations or her reading passages from books. Show, don't tell!
✘ Love triangle with hints of becoming a quadrangle in the next book...
✘ Wrong outdated pop culture references. For example: "Sarah Conner" (it should be Connor) from 'Terminator'.
✘ Strange spelling that always made me pause and frown. For example: "nekkid" instead of naked.
✘ Porno style. I'm sorry but I honestly can't think of better description. It's how heroine dresses and acts and how sex scenes and sexual tension randomly pop out. Reminded me of Fighting Destiny.
✘ Clothing descriptions. If I wanted a detailed descriptions of (disputably) awesome clothing combos, I will read a fashion blog.
✘ Hmmmm...I am not sure what was intended effect for some things. For example: the fact that Camilles magic backfires or misfires all the time. Should it be funny? It was not. Shot it build tension (what will happen)? It did not.
Witchling was a big miss for me. Although it had complex world-building and a lot of different creatures like (my darling) Kate Daniels series, the style of writing simply didn't fit me.
LIKES:
✔ 3 Sisters with different paranormal abilities. Like TV show 'Charmed' but even more different...
✔ Complex world-building with intricate fae politics.
✔ A lot of paranormal creatures: demons, harpies, gargoyles, dragons, fae, vampires, giants, witches, shifters, ...
DISLIKES:
✘ Info dumping all the time. All the info about the world I got was from Camille's long explanations or her reading passages from books. Show, don't tell!
✘ Love triangle with hints of becoming a quadrangle in the next book...
✘ Wrong outdated pop culture references. For example: "Sarah Conner" (it should be Connor) from 'Terminator'.
✘ Strange spelling that always made me pause and frown. For example: "nekkid" instead of naked.
✘ Porno style. I'm sorry but I honestly can't think of better description. It's how heroine dresses and acts and how sex scenes and sexual tension randomly pop out. Reminded me of Fighting Destiny.
✘ Clothing descriptions. If I wanted a detailed descriptions of (disputably) awesome clothing combos, I will read a fashion blog.
✘ Hmmmm...I am not sure what was intended effect for some things. For example: the fact that Camilles magic backfires or misfires all the time. Should it be funny? It was not. Shot it build tension (what will happen)? It did not.
Witchling was a big miss for me. Although it had complex world-building and a lot of different creatures like (my darling) Kate Daniels series, the style of writing simply didn't fit me.
January 30, 2009
If I could have given it less than one star, I would have. I just couldn't get past her constant use of acronyms and the never ending need to repeat herself. I get it, the main character is flawed, her spells always go wrong, you don't have to tell me a dozen times before she casts every darned spell. It just got tiresome. I wanted to put the book down in the first seventy pages. I made it through to the end because I made a bet that I would finish it. If I hadn't I would have tossed the book in the recycle bin.
I do have to state, if you liked this book, good for you. We all have opinions for a reason! :)
I do have to state, if you liked this book, good for you. We all have opinions for a reason! :)
May 19, 2009
Let me start by saying that I like Yasmine Galenorn's writing quite a lot. I love her pagan/metaphysical books—she's one of the few authors out there who seems to have a genuine passion for the subject matter—and I've also enjoyed the one installment of CHINTZ 'N' CHINA that I've read.
That said, I didn't really enjoy Witchling, the first novel of her SISTERS OF THE MOON series, though I feel kind of bad saying so about something she's obviously worked hard on and feels strongly about.
Yasmine Galenorn has set herself a difficult task here. Most writers of urban fantasy choose a narrator who has grown up in the ordinary, everyday world of humans. Whether the protagonist is aware of the supernatural at the start of the book or not, s/he does begin the story as someone who is more familiar with the human world than with the Otherworld. This enables the author to gradually lead readers into the world, because they can find out bits and pieces of information right along with the character. But Galenorn's protagonist, Camille, is the opposite. She is half-human, but grew up in the Otherworld among Sidhe society and has now moved to Earth as an investigator of supernatural crime. (We'll leave aside the question of whether someone who grew up in Faerie would call it "Otherworld." It seems to me that our world would be called Other by the denizens of Faerie.)
So we have a narrator who ostensibly knows everything about Otherworld and almost everything about supernatural crime. And we have a very short novel, during which the foundation of a series needs to be laid and several skirmishes fought. There's very little "screen time" in which to gradually lead readers into the setting. Instead, every time Camille opens her mouth, an infodump falls out. Because Camille serves mainly as a vehicle for exposition, she isn't very well-developed as a character. Several other characters are either flat (the sisters) or else behave in completely incongruous ways that jar with the way the character seemed at first (Chase). I'm not talking about characters changing through their experiences. This is more like "BAM! I am a completely different person now!"
In addition, I felt that the final scene was sort of jarring with the rest of the story. Its purpose is to set the scene for sequels, but its atmosphere doesn't really fit with the rest of the novel.
However, I'm looking forward to seeing where Yasmine Galenorn goes with SISTERS OF THE MOON. I suspect the characters will be more interesting now that the expository lump is out of the way.
Read this and my review of Changeling at FantasyLiterature.net!
That said, I didn't really enjoy Witchling, the first novel of her SISTERS OF THE MOON series, though I feel kind of bad saying so about something she's obviously worked hard on and feels strongly about.
Yasmine Galenorn has set herself a difficult task here. Most writers of urban fantasy choose a narrator who has grown up in the ordinary, everyday world of humans. Whether the protagonist is aware of the supernatural at the start of the book or not, s/he does begin the story as someone who is more familiar with the human world than with the Otherworld. This enables the author to gradually lead readers into the world, because they can find out bits and pieces of information right along with the character. But Galenorn's protagonist, Camille, is the opposite. She is half-human, but grew up in the Otherworld among Sidhe society and has now moved to Earth as an investigator of supernatural crime. (We'll leave aside the question of whether someone who grew up in Faerie would call it "Otherworld." It seems to me that our world would be called Other by the denizens of Faerie.)
So we have a narrator who ostensibly knows everything about Otherworld and almost everything about supernatural crime. And we have a very short novel, during which the foundation of a series needs to be laid and several skirmishes fought. There's very little "screen time" in which to gradually lead readers into the setting. Instead, every time Camille opens her mouth, an infodump falls out. Because Camille serves mainly as a vehicle for exposition, she isn't very well-developed as a character. Several other characters are either flat (the sisters) or else behave in completely incongruous ways that jar with the way the character seemed at first (Chase). I'm not talking about characters changing through their experiences. This is more like "BAM! I am a completely different person now!"
In addition, I felt that the final scene was sort of jarring with the rest of the story. Its purpose is to set the scene for sequels, but its atmosphere doesn't really fit with the rest of the novel.
However, I'm looking forward to seeing where Yasmine Galenorn goes with SISTERS OF THE MOON. I suspect the characters will be more interesting now that the expository lump is out of the way.
Read this and my review of Changeling at FantasyLiterature.net!
December 4, 2012
A double DNF'd tried to do this one twice and both time I just got bored. Blah blah all they do is talk about this paranormal creature and that paranormal creature...I have great boobs. I masturbate. I was naked for a week. We are all so hot, but we don't have sex. Ok now we have sex in abstract descriptions... done.
October 18, 2010
I think it's sad that after 2 chapters I was done.
It sounded a lot like Charmed from the back cover, but it feels like a Charmed rip-off mixed with a wanna be Merry Gentry.
*sigh* maybe one day I'll finish it, but as of now, the writing irritated me and was boring and repetitive.
It sounded a lot like Charmed from the back cover, but it feels like a Charmed rip-off mixed with a wanna be Merry Gentry.
*sigh* maybe one day I'll finish it, but as of now, the writing irritated me and was boring and repetitive.
August 23, 2009
I wish I knew what caused the sudden rise in popularity of supernatural romance. Perhaps then I could write a book as mediocre as this one and be published just as easily. I had been looking forward to reading this series, as I'm familiar with the author in her other genre and expected good things from her. What a disappointment. Never mind that there didn't seem to be a clear plotline, or that the storyline was crammed with all manner of supernatural beasties that seemed to shift against each other uncomfortably, as though jammed together in a small box, ready to burst out with one wrong move. Eileen Wilks has written a supernatural series with just as many ghoulies and ghosties within her books, yet there is a smoothness and flow, even a sense of rightness, to the disparate cultures and entities represented which is sorely lacking in Galenorn's work. Galenorn's characters are problematic as well. They were erratic and out-of-focus; in short, acting against the basic personality she sets up for each character. Consider that one of them will shapeshift into a tabby cat at the smallest stressor, a family argument, yet can spring into attack mode, knife out and gun blazing, under a stronger stressor such as someone unexpectedly entering the house. Doesn't make sense to me. Then there's the fact that the three main characters, the sisters, are half-fairy. That's fine, I completely understand that. Therefore you don't need to beat me over the head with their fairy-inherited cavalier attitude towards sex, or the fact that one sister is in thrall to a dark fairy and can't fight the compulsion to go screw him every time he walks into a room. Let me state, I am not a prude: Sex is good and fun, and I have no objections to the highly colorful, 16th cen. euphemism (which rhymes with 'duck') that describes it. However, I do have a problem with an author dropping it and other such words with an alarming regularity, enough to distract from the story. Was it some sort of justification or defense on the author's part, to prove that she wasn't just a New Agey Wiccan, that she could also write 'hip' and 'popular' fiction? I don't know, but it's the only thing I can think of.
March 23, 2017
An okay first book, series has potential...
May 15, 2011
It took me a whole 5 months to read a grand total of 276 pages. That says absolutely everything you need to know about the entertainment value of this book. The first few chapters were just horrendous - very, very poor writing. By the time I got to about page 100 I found myself doing other things (like, say, the iorning, which I hate doing) just so I wouldn't find myself opening this book again. In the end I turned it into "bathtime reading" just to force myself to get through it.
Ok, so admittedly, the idea behind the book is pretty solid. However, the execution, for me, was all wrong, wrong, wrong. There was no world building at all, which could have helped the story's case somewhat had the reader been offered a better insight into it all, and the characters remained flat parodies of the roles they were meant to be filling and never managed to round out beyond 2D.
I had major issues with the main character, Camille the witchling, throughout the whole book.
She overuses endearments: hon, darling, sweetheart, etc. - usually while addressing her own sisters.
She's horny and keeps mentioning it: as a reader, we're frequently told how she wants to "jump" other characters' "bones" and she actually do so with two of them.
She's narcissistic: especially towards the start of the book she kept going on about how good looking she is, how great her body is, etc. - and this is written in the first person!
Most definitely not a character out to capture my heart.
Also, what's with the obsession with clothes? Every time any character gets changed, the reader is treated to a detailed description of what they chose to put on. Boring and absolutely unnecessary.
I will not be continuing with this series.
Ok, so admittedly, the idea behind the book is pretty solid. However, the execution, for me, was all wrong, wrong, wrong. There was no world building at all, which could have helped the story's case somewhat had the reader been offered a better insight into it all, and the characters remained flat parodies of the roles they were meant to be filling and never managed to round out beyond 2D.
I had major issues with the main character, Camille the witchling, throughout the whole book.
She overuses endearments: hon, darling, sweetheart, etc. - usually while addressing her own sisters.
She's horny and keeps mentioning it: as a reader, we're frequently told how she wants to "jump" other characters' "bones" and she actually do so with two of them.
She's narcissistic: especially towards the start of the book she kept going on about how good looking she is, how great her body is, etc. - and this is written in the first person!
Most definitely not a character out to capture my heart.
Also, what's with the obsession with clothes? Every time any character gets changed, the reader is treated to a detailed description of what they chose to put on. Boring and absolutely unnecessary.
I will not be continuing with this series.
March 18, 2014
When I´m honest this book was a bit of a disappointment to me! The premise sounded very promising and I liked the idea of three magical sisters (although this concept isn´t really original or new) but – I couldn´t connect with Camille D´Artigo who was the narrator of this book. There were also too many side-characters for my taste and the potential three love-interests of our heroine (no, Camille is not a one-man-woman) bored me. I´m not very fond of "Harem-books" as I call these books where it gets too crowded in the heroine´s bed. I seldom have problems with a heroine and two men but in this book I felt Camille´s irresistibility forced upon me and sorry - I didn´t like it! The whole story went very smooth, no real excitement and danger so I didn´t read on with bated breath. I was fairly sure that nothing would happen to our heroine and her sisters!
I will read the next books in the series which are featuring her sisters Delilah and Menolly but my hopes are not very high that the plot will improve. So let´s wait and see...I like to be surprised!
Note: This book is written in first person!
I will read the next books in the series which are featuring her sisters Delilah and Menolly but my hopes are not very high that the plot will improve. So let´s wait and see...I like to be surprised!
Note: This book is written in first person!
December 30, 2013
I almost put this book down after the first chapter. Talk about a horrible start - it takes half of the book to warm up and be a little bit interesting. There are inexcusably bad puns, and early on, there is a false sense of camaraderie among characters that has not yet been earned from the reader's perspecive. The first few chapters read like a high school senior wrote the book.
Fortunately, the story does improve as the book progresses, and the newly introduced characters are fairly interesting. Plus, the violence is not to extreme, which I think is a plus. The romance is not a central issue in the book either, which is a downer for me, but all in all, the book is okay.
Basic idea: A half farie, half human witch works for the farie version of the CIA and is posted on Earth. She and her two sisters (and assorted hangers-on) take on 3 demons set on stealing a key that will help unlock the hell dimension and allow the demons to overtake the Earth and Farie. The sisters win, but the demons were just lackies of mister big bad demon, and there are 9 keys in all, so of course the series continues.
Fortunately, the story does improve as the book progresses, and the newly introduced characters are fairly interesting. Plus, the violence is not to extreme, which I think is a plus. The romance is not a central issue in the book either, which is a downer for me, but all in all, the book is okay.
Basic idea: A half farie, half human witch works for the farie version of the CIA and is posted on Earth. She and her two sisters (and assorted hangers-on) take on 3 demons set on stealing a key that will help unlock the hell dimension and allow the demons to overtake the Earth and Farie. The sisters win, but the demons were just lackies of mister big bad demon, and there are 9 keys in all, so of course the series continues.
October 23, 2014
I got this at my daughter's request & thought I'd read it first, only to realize quickly I had read it before. Not a bad book, but forgettable, I guess. It is yet another of the current paranormal fantasies that portray our current world with the addition of a fantasy element.
In this case, we have 3 half-Sidhe sisters who are stationed on our Earth as part of a government agency from the OW (Other World). A third world is ruled by demons. The 3 worlds were once all in constant communication, but years ago separated except for a few portals, to protect them. Now the bad guys want to take over all 3 & the sisters stand in the way. Fairly predictable, but well written & an interesting take on the idea.
The pace is well done. Lots of action with background information doled out as needed. The characters were pretty well done too. At first, they seemed a little clichéd, but as the book progressed, the characters filled in & one developed especially well. While I never doubted the outcome for a moment, the paths taken to arrive there were interesting. I'm looking forward to the next!
In this case, we have 3 half-Sidhe sisters who are stationed on our Earth as part of a government agency from the OW (Other World). A third world is ruled by demons. The 3 worlds were once all in constant communication, but years ago separated except for a few portals, to protect them. Now the bad guys want to take over all 3 & the sisters stand in the way. Fairly predictable, but well written & an interesting take on the idea.
The pace is well done. Lots of action with background information doled out as needed. The characters were pretty well done too. At first, they seemed a little clichéd, but as the book progressed, the characters filled in & one developed especially well. While I never doubted the outcome for a moment, the paths taken to arrive there were interesting. I'm looking forward to the next!
December 18, 2015
Sisters of the moon series is totally enjoyable and one of my fave's
the reason i like this series so much is not just because you get witches, vampires, were's, humans, dragons, incubuses, demons etc. but because its so well written/put together. the characters feel so real like you personally know them, its also more interesting because they are all going through different things.
the first book "Witchling" is about Camille - a wicked-good witch, who is only half blooded Fae half blooded human so her magic is always short-circuiting. she's the oldest of the sisters and totally fab with her fashion sense.
each book comes from a different sisters point of view, which really helps you get the whole picture and helps you see the "non" main characters from different perspectives.
well i wont go into any more detail so you can read all of the surprises for yourself with out me spoiling it and also i'm a reader not a writer so enjoy and have fun :)
the reason i like this series so much is not just because you get witches, vampires, were's, humans, dragons, incubuses, demons etc. but because its so well written/put together. the characters feel so real like you personally know them, its also more interesting because they are all going through different things.
the first book "Witchling" is about Camille - a wicked-good witch, who is only half blooded Fae half blooded human so her magic is always short-circuiting. she's the oldest of the sisters and totally fab with her fashion sense.
each book comes from a different sisters point of view, which really helps you get the whole picture and helps you see the "non" main characters from different perspectives.
well i wont go into any more detail so you can read all of the surprises for yourself with out me spoiling it and also i'm a reader not a writer so enjoy and have fun :)
July 30, 2013
Loved it! I still need to read the rest of the series, but this book was a fabulous introduction into the world that Yasmine Galenorn has created. I love the sisters and the relationship between them. I really like how Yasmine Galenorn has the series set up so that readers can read from the POV of each sister. A minor warning since this book is frequently shelved in the Romance department: This is not a traditional Romance novel. The series would be more accurately described as Urban Fantasy and as such should probably be in Sci-Fi/Fantasy, but I've always found it shelved in Romance. I provide this warning because this is a really good book, but I know how expectation vs. reality can skew a reader's feelings. If you're expecting traditional Romance, you might be disappointed, but if you know going in that that's not what this is, then there's nothing to be disappointed about. :)
January 20, 2020
Whenever a reader picks up a paranormal book the biggest hope is to get a diverse world, interesting characters, and unique mythology. Witchling delivers. The series focuses on the three D'Artigo sisters Camille, Delilah, and Menolly. Each one as different from their looks to personalities. It's refreshing to have a series focus on sisterly love—nothing too gooey. The girls are OIA (Otherworld Intelligence Agency) agents sent earth side since their track record isn't all that great. The girls are half sidhe and half human, causing their magic to go haywire and get them in all kinds of trouble. Camille is the witch, Delilah, the house cat shifter, and Menolly the vampire.
Each book is told by a sister, starting with the oldest Camille. Camille is a required taste, coming off completely self absorbed. When she's in the middle of a demonic crisis she takes time to buy some lingerie. She's a buxom bombshell, she knows it and she flaunts it! She owns her sexuality and I love it. There's a lot of layers to Galenorn's characters and they have to be peeled back. Especially when a simple murder of an OIA agent turns into an end of the world scenario. A demon, Shadow Wing, is gathering Spirit Seals to merge the Subterranean realms, Otherworld, and Earth together. Many characters have to step up to the plate.
There's the full blooded human Chase, who comes off as a perv and slowly redeems himself. One of Camille's lovers is Trillian a Svartan, "dark elf", he's a cocky ass—which is what a guy has to be to be with Camille and handle her. Like Camille I don't love him, I grow to appreciate him. Morio enters the stage, a dark and mysterious Fox Demon and things get heated up! Then Smoky the dragon, with a kind streak, pops up and he turns into a powerful ally—and man. Lot's of man candy! Don't worry it's not all about Camille's lovers and the men in her life. The sisters have things going on and it's fun keeping tabs on them as Menolly starts to go to Vampires Anonymous, and Delilah has a few firsts.
It seems like more and more PNR/UF titles have very sparse writing, or trendy writing. Such as the House of Night series, Accidentally Friends series, some of Mary Janice Davidson's, and so many others. Galenorn's style is poetic at times, and the images it paints are sometimes breath taking and other times harsh. That doesn't mean that the writing isn't "modern" there's plenty of media humor from movies, music, and such. The best thing about Galenorn's style is the mix of rich writing with some of the slang of today. Everything blends beautifully from action to romance, mystery to sisterly love, horror to humor and so on. A few times I even had to look up the definition of a couple of words, which in my book is a good thing!
There are so many amazing creatures, mythology, and ideas to work with in the Otherworld series. Galenorn balances it all so well! The way the Otherkin see humans and humans see the myths is amazing. Some humans treat them like celebrities, others with indifference, and then of course the human only extremists. The mythical creatures for the most part see humans as lowly and don't exactly treat them right, but just like with the way humans there are other factions. The worlds blend together beautifully from politics to magic, and it's wonderful.
What a great start to a series! Each sister is very appealing and it's exciting to be able to change POV between the three Camille, Delilah, and Menolly each book. The characters and the way they interact are so complex, and I love how Galenorn's simple touches make them seem real. Between the amazing mythology and Otherworld politics I am one happy fantasy reader. The save the world plot is just the cherry on top! This book, and clearly this series is going to be magic!
Sexual Content: Considering that the sidhe are pretty lose and free with sex it’s not to bad. There are sex scenes, but nothing to graphic.
4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
Each book is told by a sister, starting with the oldest Camille. Camille is a required taste, coming off completely self absorbed. When she's in the middle of a demonic crisis she takes time to buy some lingerie. She's a buxom bombshell, she knows it and she flaunts it! She owns her sexuality and I love it. There's a lot of layers to Galenorn's characters and they have to be peeled back. Especially when a simple murder of an OIA agent turns into an end of the world scenario. A demon, Shadow Wing, is gathering Spirit Seals to merge the Subterranean realms, Otherworld, and Earth together. Many characters have to step up to the plate.
There's the full blooded human Chase, who comes off as a perv and slowly redeems himself. One of Camille's lovers is Trillian a Svartan, "dark elf", he's a cocky ass—which is what a guy has to be to be with Camille and handle her. Like Camille I don't love him, I grow to appreciate him. Morio enters the stage, a dark and mysterious Fox Demon and things get heated up! Then Smoky the dragon, with a kind streak, pops up and he turns into a powerful ally—and man. Lot's of man candy! Don't worry it's not all about Camille's lovers and the men in her life. The sisters have things going on and it's fun keeping tabs on them as Menolly starts to go to Vampires Anonymous, and Delilah has a few firsts.
It seems like more and more PNR/UF titles have very sparse writing, or trendy writing. Such as the House of Night series, Accidentally Friends series, some of Mary Janice Davidson's, and so many others. Galenorn's style is poetic at times, and the images it paints are sometimes breath taking and other times harsh. That doesn't mean that the writing isn't "modern" there's plenty of media humor from movies, music, and such. The best thing about Galenorn's style is the mix of rich writing with some of the slang of today. Everything blends beautifully from action to romance, mystery to sisterly love, horror to humor and so on. A few times I even had to look up the definition of a couple of words, which in my book is a good thing!
There are so many amazing creatures, mythology, and ideas to work with in the Otherworld series. Galenorn balances it all so well! The way the Otherkin see humans and humans see the myths is amazing. Some humans treat them like celebrities, others with indifference, and then of course the human only extremists. The mythical creatures for the most part see humans as lowly and don't exactly treat them right, but just like with the way humans there are other factions. The worlds blend together beautifully from politics to magic, and it's wonderful.
What a great start to a series! Each sister is very appealing and it's exciting to be able to change POV between the three Camille, Delilah, and Menolly each book. The characters and the way they interact are so complex, and I love how Galenorn's simple touches make them seem real. Between the amazing mythology and Otherworld politics I am one happy fantasy reader. The save the world plot is just the cherry on top! This book, and clearly this series is going to be magic!
Sexual Content: Considering that the sidhe are pretty lose and free with sex it’s not to bad. There are sex scenes, but nothing to graphic.
4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
February 14, 2017
4.5 stars - great!
First read August 10-11, 2013.
Reread January 20-21, 2017.
The below review is adapted/updated from my first review, after first reading.
I loved this book! Everything I like most in my fiction was in it: wonderful characters (likable heroes and villainous villains), an engaging story, plenty of action, great dialogue, a nice touch of humor and mystery, and steamy sex (lol).
Camille and her sisters are great! I'm really happy to have begun my journey on getting reacquainted with them, and their men. In this first book, told from Camille's point-of-view, we met only Camille's men (I think): Trillian, Morio, and Smoky. But they are all delightful, in different ways. :-)
I liked all the good guys, though of the guys, I'm not sure who I like best: probably Smoky, though, given how much I like dragon-shifters. Morio comes in at a close second. :-)
I also really liked the demons, though saying I "liked" them might be going too far. They were nicely creepy and dangerous, though. :-)
I fell in love with Maggie, the baby gargoyle. She is adorable! Iris and the other secondary characters were also very likable.
All told, in this book we met Faerie beings, a Talon-haltija (house sprite), demons, a gargoyle, a yokai-kitsune (fox demon), a dragon (!!!), a harpy, an Elemental (one of the Hags of Fate), a floraed, and an Elf. :-) I think that's all of them. Though there was also a giant (but ).
Really, I just loved everything about this story. The plot is basically this: A super-bad demon has taken over the Subterranean Realms and has designs on Earth and Otherworld, too. To further his plans, he needs spirit seals, but Camille and her sisters are doing everything in their power to find the seals first to prevent the Big Bad from accomplishing his goals.
Along the way to finding the first of the seals, we see Camille be reunited with one lover and meet one (or two?) more. We also meet a lot of new-to-us characters, friends of the D'Artigo sisters, and some enemies, some old and some new. :-)
All in all, I really love this story, this world (it's set mostly in Western Washington! In Seattle!), and these characters. The only reason I'm lowering my rating from 5 stars to 4.5 is because I did not laugh or cry during my reading of this book. . .
But it is a GREAT story.
And I'll close this review with a reiteration of my opening comment: I loved this book!
First read August 10-11, 2013.
Reread January 20-21, 2017.
The below review is adapted/updated from my first review, after first reading.
I loved this book! Everything I like most in my fiction was in it: wonderful characters (likable heroes and villainous villains), an engaging story, plenty of action, great dialogue, a nice touch of humor and mystery, and steamy sex (lol).
Camille and her sisters are great! I'm really happy to have begun my journey on getting reacquainted with them, and their men. In this first book, told from Camille's point-of-view, we met only Camille's men (I think): Trillian, Morio, and Smoky. But they are all delightful, in different ways. :-)
I liked all the good guys, though of the guys, I'm not sure who I like best: probably Smoky, though, given how much I like dragon-shifters. Morio comes in at a close second. :-)
I also really liked the demons, though saying I "liked" them might be going too far. They were nicely creepy and dangerous, though. :-)
I fell in love with Maggie, the baby gargoyle. She is adorable! Iris and the other secondary characters were also very likable.
All told, in this book we met Faerie beings, a Talon-haltija (house sprite), demons, a gargoyle, a yokai-kitsune (fox demon), a dragon (!!!), a harpy, an Elemental (one of the Hags of Fate), a floraed, and an Elf. :-) I think that's all of them. Though there was also a giant (but ).
Really, I just loved everything about this story. The plot is basically this: A super-bad demon has taken over the Subterranean Realms and has designs on Earth and Otherworld, too. To further his plans, he needs spirit seals, but Camille and her sisters are doing everything in their power to find the seals first to prevent the Big Bad from accomplishing his goals.
Along the way to finding the first of the seals, we see Camille be reunited with one lover and meet one (or two?) more. We also meet a lot of new-to-us characters, friends of the D'Artigo sisters, and some enemies, some old and some new. :-)
All in all, I really love this story, this world (it's set mostly in Western Washington! In Seattle!), and these characters. The only reason I'm lowering my rating from 5 stars to 4.5 is because I did not laugh or cry during my reading of this book. . .
But it is a GREAT story.
And I'll close this review with a reiteration of my opening comment: I loved this book!
December 16, 2010
Synopsis: Meet the D'Artigo sisters: half-human, half-faerie, savvy and sexy-operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But their mixed-blood heritage short-circuits their talents at all the wrong times. Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she's stressed. Menolly's a vampire who's still trying to get the hang of being undead. And Camille is a wicked-good witch, except her magic's as unpredictable as the weather, as her enemies are about to find out-the hard way.
Narrator Camille is a good witch who runs a Seattle bookstore while working as an Otherworld Intelligence operative, sent Earthside to keep an eye on things. When an operative from the Wayfaerer, a human/Faerie hangout, is killed, Camille springs into action with her sisters.
Tracing the murder back to evil demon leader Shadow Wing, the sisters find evidence of a far-reaching plot, but the Otherworld Intelligence Agency offers no help, stifled by bureaucratic red tape and a nasty Otherworld battle.
This is the first book of the series, and the POV by Camille is interesting to say the least. I actually preferred the character of Menolly better. Yes, she's a vampire, but she doesn't hesitate to do what needs to be done, including killing a demon by drinking his blood. Camille seems to have alot more hangups than Menolly, including a former sex toy who creeps back into her life.
Not only do we have witches, werecats, and vampires, but we also have a Dragon who has the best dialogue in the story. Sorry, but I love snarky dialogue. It keeps the story hoping along, and it adds another element to the storyline.
We have, of course, two love interests for Camille; Trillian who they just can't seem to keep their hands off each other. We also have a kitsune (fox) who also desires Camille and ends up almost tearing each others clothes off while under a spell. (Of course, that storyline is left wide open with nothing solved and Trillian was hurt badly.)
If you liked the TV series Charmed, then you will like the similiarities between the two. You have three sisters with different powers and they end up fighting against demons.
My question for the author is, did you really mean to make Camille have 34DD breasts? I mean, come on already. And really, she can't wear pants, she can only wear dresses that make her look like a street walker? Just asking!
Anway, 3.5 stars I rate this first book, and am looking for Changeling to read next.
Narrator Camille is a good witch who runs a Seattle bookstore while working as an Otherworld Intelligence operative, sent Earthside to keep an eye on things. When an operative from the Wayfaerer, a human/Faerie hangout, is killed, Camille springs into action with her sisters.
Tracing the murder back to evil demon leader Shadow Wing, the sisters find evidence of a far-reaching plot, but the Otherworld Intelligence Agency offers no help, stifled by bureaucratic red tape and a nasty Otherworld battle.
This is the first book of the series, and the POV by Camille is interesting to say the least. I actually preferred the character of Menolly better. Yes, she's a vampire, but she doesn't hesitate to do what needs to be done, including killing a demon by drinking his blood. Camille seems to have alot more hangups than Menolly, including a former sex toy who creeps back into her life.
Not only do we have witches, werecats, and vampires, but we also have a Dragon who has the best dialogue in the story. Sorry, but I love snarky dialogue. It keeps the story hoping along, and it adds another element to the storyline.
We have, of course, two love interests for Camille; Trillian who they just can't seem to keep their hands off each other. We also have a kitsune (fox) who also desires Camille and ends up almost tearing each others clothes off while under a spell. (Of course, that storyline is left wide open with nothing solved and Trillian was hurt badly.)
If you liked the TV series Charmed, then you will like the similiarities between the two. You have three sisters with different powers and they end up fighting against demons.
My question for the author is, did you really mean to make Camille have 34DD breasts? I mean, come on already. And really, she can't wear pants, she can only wear dresses that make her look like a street walker? Just asking!
Anway, 3.5 stars I rate this first book, and am looking for Changeling to read next.
dnf
February 7, 2019DNF ch 8
Cheesy and simply not very good. Plus, weirdly sexual for no reason. Things like the main character randomly deciding to go shopping in the middle of an emergency, but not just shopping, lingerie shopping. It's like the author never missed an opportunity to add "spice," but it was annoying the hell out of me. I'm done.
Cheesy and simply not very good. Plus, weirdly sexual for no reason. Things like the main character randomly deciding to go shopping in the middle of an emergency, but not just shopping, lingerie shopping. It's like the author never missed an opportunity to add "spice," but it was annoying the hell out of me. I'm done.
February 16, 2008
Ok, I don't normally read books from the Romance section. There is a relatively new category in that section, however, paranormal romance. Most of those books also are not to my taste; however, some are much more fantasty or sci fi than romance...and those I sometimes read.
This series falls into that latter category. The plot is actually more important than who falls into bed with whom. The premise is: take 3 sisters who are half human -- half fae and send them to Earth...and high jinx ensue. LOL They are feisty, smart and klutzy all at the same time. Each of the 3 books focuses on one of the 3 sisters, with the others co-starring. And the series is set in Seattle, a lovely murky place that's a naturally great setting for vampires, weres, demons, elves, spirits of nature and whatever else you can conjure up.
These are fun, entertaining books. Not great literature...just a fun romp...and we all need a fun romp from time to time. ;-)
This series falls into that latter category. The plot is actually more important than who falls into bed with whom. The premise is: take 3 sisters who are half human -- half fae and send them to Earth...and high jinx ensue. LOL They are feisty, smart and klutzy all at the same time. Each of the 3 books focuses on one of the 3 sisters, with the others co-starring. And the series is set in Seattle, a lovely murky place that's a naturally great setting for vampires, weres, demons, elves, spirits of nature and whatever else you can conjure up.
These are fun, entertaining books. Not great literature...just a fun romp...and we all need a fun romp from time to time. ;-)
August 30, 2016
The publisher tags this series as “paranormal romance” but we think urban fantasy is a better description. There are three half Fae/half human sisters and, conveniently, every third book features a different sibling. This first book in the series focuses on Camille D’Artigo, the witch. Camille’s magic and love life don’t always work out the way she plans it, but what does? Come join the sisters as they protect the Earth from Dredge as he searches for the seals that will allow him to unleash demons on unsuspecting humans. As an added bonus, who wouldn’t like to learn how to care for a pet gargoyle?
December 23, 2021
Actual rating: 2/5 stars
I enjoyed my time reading this, I just wish the characters and the world were a bit more fleshed out instead of information about them just being thrown at the reader.
I enjoyed my time reading this, I just wish the characters and the world were a bit more fleshed out instead of information about them just being thrown at the reader.
October 10, 2021
A paltry two stars.
There are some UF books that are so standard they're almost the equivalent of a painting by numbers set; this book is one of them.It's almost like the author has a check-list: 'feisty' heroine with big boobs and (supposedly) smart lines? Check. Love interest, with the possibility of a love triangle in the future? Check. Big boss ending leaving enough of a cliffhanger for the sequel? Check. It's all so predictable and boring.
The storyline: the D'Artigo sisters are three half human-half faeries who work on Earth for the OIA (Otherworld Intelligence Agency); our narrator, Camille, is a witch; one of her sisters is a werecat, the other a newly turned vampire who works in a bar that also doubles as a portal to the Otherworld. Another bar worker is killed and the sisters find out a demon with the catchy name of Bad Ass Luke (yes, really) is responsible; he's staging a coup of sorts and he wants to find an amulet that will enable him to reunite the Subterranean Realms (Hell) with Earth and the Otherworld, at which point the demons will wipe out humankind and probably the various varieties of faerie too.
The thing that's supposed to separate these characters from a multitude of others is the fact that their half-human blood has given their abilities some serious quirks. Camille's magical powers short-circuit at the worst time, her werecat sister Delilah changes into a tabby housecat when she's stressed. Presumably the writer found this funnier than I did.
So - yes, it was pretty standard. I don't think anyone will be surprised that I'm not going to read any more in the series. If you like lightweight UF bordering on PNR you may like it, but I don't recommend it; there's better stuff out there.
There are some UF books that are so standard they're almost the equivalent of a painting by numbers set; this book is one of them.It's almost like the author has a check-list: 'feisty' heroine with big boobs and (supposedly) smart lines? Check. Love interest, with the possibility of a love triangle in the future? Check. Big boss ending leaving enough of a cliffhanger for the sequel? Check. It's all so predictable and boring.
The storyline: the D'Artigo sisters are three half human-half faeries who work on Earth for the OIA (Otherworld Intelligence Agency); our narrator, Camille, is a witch; one of her sisters is a werecat, the other a newly turned vampire who works in a bar that also doubles as a portal to the Otherworld. Another bar worker is killed and the sisters find out a demon with the catchy name of Bad Ass Luke (yes, really) is responsible; he's staging a coup of sorts and he wants to find an amulet that will enable him to reunite the Subterranean Realms (Hell) with Earth and the Otherworld, at which point the demons will wipe out humankind and probably the various varieties of faerie too.
The thing that's supposed to separate these characters from a multitude of others is the fact that their half-human blood has given their abilities some serious quirks. Camille's magical powers short-circuit at the worst time, her werecat sister Delilah changes into a tabby housecat when she's stressed. Presumably the writer found this funnier than I did.
So - yes, it was pretty standard. I don't think anyone will be surprised that I'm not going to read any more in the series. If you like lightweight UF bordering on PNR you may like it, but I don't recommend it; there's better stuff out there.
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