Bayou Moon by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked Bayou Moon better than On the Edge for some reason. I think one reason may be that the hero was not a blonde, Norse god, good-guy type. Yes, I prefer the damaged, brooding hero, slightly unstable but with a good heart, who deserves a chance at happiness and can also seriously kick butt when needed. What can I say? William made a much more interesting story than Declan, in my opinion.
Oh, and Cerise is another strong heroine who can keep up with the butt-kicking and lead an entire clan of Edgers into either food or war as needed. I really liked her, too.
I felt much more comfortable with the Edge in this one. I got the hang of the world after the first book, and I decided it's really cool. This one takes place much deeper in the Edge than the previous book, so there are no trips to Walmart (bonus!). At first, I wasn't sure I was going to like a setting entirely in the swamp, but it was so unusual that it ended up setting this book apart from pretty much any I've read. It added a vivid layer to the world-building that enriched the whole story.
Although the Romance element was still very strong, the Paranormal / family feud aspects easily held their own, and the people in the world were wonderfully varied. I love it when side characters add flavor instead of being generic. I enjoyed so many of the Mar clan, and the villains were so... gross! This definitely has its share of gore, as I'm coming to expect from the Ilona Andrews team.
I admit, I was a bit irritated with the ending. I think it could have been much stronger if it didn't take a Romance-complicating turn that was really not necessary. It felt contrived, as that kind of plot device usually does to me. I had forgotten I was reading a Romance until that point. Oh well.
This series still offers some of the best Paranormal Romances I've read - there's much more to them than the Romances. Everything combined to make a rich and layered story, full of swampy, Edgy atmosphere, family humor, magic and dire battles. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
No comments:
Post a Comment