Witchling (Otherworld, book 1) by Yasmine Galenorn
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Edition Reviewed: Paperback
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: 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’s as unpredictable as the weather, as 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, a 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...
Review:
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.
| Previous book(s) in series: | ||
| Reviewed on BW: | Amazon: | Goodreads: |
| Witchling (1) Changeling (2) Darkling (3) Dragon Wytch (4) Night Huntress (5) Demon Mistress (6) Bone Magic (7) Harvest Hunting (8) Blood Wyne (9) Courting Darkness (10) Shaded Vision (11) Shadow Rising (12) Haunted Moon (13) Autumn Whispers (14) Crimson Veil (15) | Paperback | Kindle | Witchling (1) Changeling (2) Darkling (3) Dragon Wytch (4) Night Huntress (5) Demon Mistress (6) Bone Magic (7) Harvest Hunting (8) Blood Wyne (9) Courting Darkness (10) Shaded Vision (11) Shadow Rising (12) Haunted Moon (13) Autumn Whispers (14) Crimson Veil (15) |
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