I received this book for free from the library in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Source: the library
Alterant
by
Dianna Love, Sherrilyn Kenyon
romance, urban fantasy in Paperback edition that was published by Pocket Star on September 27, 2011 and has 409 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Blood Trinity, Deadly Promises, Whispered Lies, The Curse, Rise of the Gryphon, Man of My Dreams, Invincible, Born of Shadows, Retribution, Big Guns Out of Uniform, Tapestry, In Other Worlds, Dream Warrior, "One BAD Night", Dark Side of the Moon, The Guardian, Infamous, Born of Silence, Aftertaste, Inferno, Styxx, Dangerous Women, Son of No One, Dragonbane, Born of Vengeance, Deadmen Walking, Stygian
Second in the Belador urban fantasy series set in a contemporary Atlanta, Georgia and revolving around an Alterant-Belador, Evalle Kincaid.
My Take
It’s a complex cast of characters and took a bit before I started to remember events from Blood Trinity, 1. And I remembered that I had been fascinated. Now I’m bummed that Alterant is a 2011 publication as it means I have to wait for The Curse!!!
Kenyon and Love are blending old ideas of gods, goddesses, and Native American beliefs with a whole new series of cultures of Alterants, Beladors, and witches. The series incorporates a ruling court with the autocratic approach of the gods and uses our prejudice of the unknown to create a spellbinding story even as they solicit our compassion for Evalle–Feenix cracks me up. I just don’t want him cooking my pizzas!
Amazingly enough, I haven’t any quibbles unless you count wanting to know more than what Kenyon or Love have told us so far.
The Story
Evalle has been summoned to the Tribunal to defend herself against charges of colluding with Tristan, an Alterant, and to provide proof that humans are at no risk from her. A proof she doesn’t have seeing as she’s been kinda busy saving the world. Of course, that won’t cut it with the Tribunal. They tend to favor a scorched earth policy.
There’s another little wrinkle that will affect Evalle’s defense — Alterants are appearing all over the country and killing humans. But to Evalle’s shock and delight, Brina steps up and defends her, pledging her own life that Evalle will be successful in this next task the Tribunal sets for her.
A task that sets her up for failure because Evalle must gain Tristan’s cooperation. A man, an Alterant, whom she put back into prison and who believes she will kill all other Alterants. A policy diametrically opposed to what he plans.
And he has hidden the three Alterants she must locate and produce for the Tribunal.
The Characters
Evalle Kincaid is a half-breed — Belador and Alterant. It’s the Alterant half that makes everyone want to kill her as everyone believes they are unstoppable monsters. To stay alive, Evalle has sworn to uphold the code of the Beladors and to work for VIPER. Feenix is a two-foot tall gargoyle and her friend and pet.
Native American Storm is a tracker and shapeshifts into a jaguar. He has recently arrived in Atlanta and is working temporarily with VIPER and with Evalle as her partner; there’s some personal things he wants from Evalle, and he’s very willing to protect her.
VIPER is…
…a policing organization protecting humans from the non-humans. Vladimir Quinn and Tzader are agents and Evalle’s best friends. Sen is the absolute bane of Evalle’s existence. He lives to destroy her and in his position as go-fer for the Tribunal, he’s in a good spot to do it.
The Nyght Raiders are…
…a team of ex-Special Ops who patrol the city hunting for non-humans — Alterants they shoot on sight. Isak Nyght is their leader. Evalle keeps hoping that Isak never finds out what she is — he’s a good kisser.
The Tribunal is…
…based in the Nether Realm and governs all non-humans and is the court of last resort, usually without any input from its vict…er, the accused. It consists of Pele (Polynesian goddess), Ares (Greek god of war), and Loki (Norse trickster god). Each non-human species answers to a particular god/goddess. The Belador answer to Macha with Brina as the warrior queen of the Belador based on Treoir Island.
Tristan is another Belador-Alterant. Unfortunately for him, however, he’s been caged in for wanting freedom for himself. For his fellow Alterants. A perspective with which Evalle agrees. But conspiring with a Kujoo warlord to destroy the world (Blood Trinity) is just not the way to change anyone’s minds.
The Medb are…
…witches currently ruled by Queen Flaevynn who has imprisoned her husband, Cathbad the Druid, and using her daughter, Kirzia, to further her own plots to prolong her life. Contrary to the prophecy. Both parents will use Kirzia to get what they want although Flaevynn a sadistic perv whom Kirzia is very careful about allowing thoughts of the enemy she loves from surfacing where the queen can read them. Seems the Medb are the only ones to know about a species, the Rias, descended from a beastline traced back to Cú Chulainn. A species that very closely resembles the Alterant.
The Cover
The cover is smokin’ from red to black with the holographic silver hilt of a beautiful sword. The title and authors’ names are in the same silver and is the focus of the story.
