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
Shaded Vision
by
Yasmine Galenorn
urban fantasy in Paperback edition that was published by Berkley on February 7, 2012 and has 306 pages.
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Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Hexed, Witchling, Changeling, Never After, Darkling, Demon Mistress, Dragon Wytch, Bone Magic, Night Huntress, Harvest Hunting, Blood Wyne, Courting Darkness, Shadow Rising, Haunted Moon, Night Myst, Night Veil, Night Seeker, Autumn Whispers, Night Vision, Night’s End, Priestess Dreaming, Panther Prowling, "Flight From Hell", Flight From Death, Souljacker, Legend of the Jade Dragon, Darkness Raging, Fury Rising, Murder Under a Mystic Moon, Ghost of a Chance, Once Upon A Curse, A Harvest of Bones, One Hex of a Wedding, Starlight Hollow, Moon Shimmers
Eleventh in the Otherworld / Sisters of the Moon urban fantasy series revolving back and forth between the points-of-view of three sisters. This story is from Delilah’s perspective.
My Take
I’m getting tired of Delilah’s immaturity. Hasn’t she any control of her kittycat side? It’s just embarrassing. She’s whining all over the place about how everyone is changing and, ahem, growing up. And she doesn’t like it. It seems it’s okay for Delilah to change, but not for anyone else. Even Shade is getting sick of her immaturity.
I did enjoy the boys’ idea of a party. Typical. Cigars, drinking, poker, and Xbox. It’s just when you combine these activities with dragon shifters, an incubus, a leprechaun, a demon, the fae, and an evolving human, well, it boggles the mind.
Oh, I love the sense of family in this series. They’re talking about building a house for Iris and Bruce when they get back from their honeymoon. I am curious as to how big the D’Artigo sisters’ property is…? Then there’s the other side of family when Camille blows up after learning about Shamas’ big secret. Gimme a break! How inane can she get? So Shamas learned magic. Has he done anything, anything at all to merit the way she treats him now? Bitch.
Oh, now just wait. They learn information critical to the safety of the spirit seals and…they postpone warning Queen Asteria!?? Will someone explain this to me. Turns out that Asteria has information on Chase’s bloodline.
There is just so much action all over the place in this story, I’m panting with exhaustion. I’m really impressed that Galenorn managed to shoehorn it all into just one story.
The Story
It’s Iris’ wedding tomorrow and the boys are staying home to have their own bachelor’s party while the girls are out celebrating with the typical stripper and drinks. If only Delilah had some self-control, it could have been a great party.
Oh, it’s just as well since Yugi calls to report a bombing of the Supe Community Meeting place. Just one of a series of firebombings. Seems someone wants to rain down retaliation, for the Kyonnai coyote shifters are back and they are ticked.
There’s also a huge rise in hate crimes against the supernatural.
The Characters
There are three D’Artigo sisters: Delilah, Camille, and Mennolly. They are half-fae and half-human with a lot of individual differences. They live together in an old Victorian in Seattle with their significant others, friends, and allies.
Delilah is the middle sister, a shifter into two types of cat, a living Death Maiden fated to bear the Autumn Lord’s child through the services of Shade, a half-shadow dragon, half-Stradolan. Her dead twin, Arial, is also a cat shifter and watches over her from an astral plane. Greta is a Death Maiden and Delilah’s teacher; she lives in Haseofon. Hi’ran is the name the Autumn Lord, an Elemental Lord, the Harvestman, has given Delilah to use for him.
Camille is the oldest and a Moon Maiden, a priestess to the Moon Mother. She’s married to three supernaturals: Trillian is Svartan fae (he’s teaching Hanna how to read); Morio Kuroyama is a Youkai-kitsune (Japanese fox demon), Grandmother Coyote’s grandson, and he works death magic with Camille; and, Smoky, a.k.a., Lord Iampaatar, is a half-silver, half-white dragon shifter. Rodney is a bone golem, a gift from Grandmother Coyote.
Mennolly, the youngest, was an jian-tu acrobat-spy before she was caught and turned into a vampire. Now she runs the Wayfarer Bar & Grill, a bar and inn for supes. She’s promised to Nerissa Shale, a lone werepuma who cut her ties with her former pride and now works as a counselor for FH-CSI. Mennolly is also the official consort to Roman, a natural and blood son of Blood Wyne, the mother and ruler of all vampires. He’s an extremely powerful vampire in Seattle who steps up in this story. Vampires Anonymous was founded by Wade. When Sassy died, her will gave the VA her house and estate which has been turned into VA headquarters with Erin Marshal, Mennolly’s child, as its official secretary. Mari is Wade’s assistant, an Earthside Fae. Frederick Corvax is the new vampire regent for the Northwest.
Sephreh ob Tanu is the girls’ father who preferred to follow his lover’s directives than stay loyal to family. Humph, didn’t seem to do him much good!
Allies and friends who live at the house include:
Lady Iris Kuusi, a Finnish house sprite and Priestess of Undutar as well as the girls’ housekeeper, is pregnant and about to marry Bruce O’Shea, a leprechaun who will be starting a job as the head of Irish Studies at the University of Washington. Rozurial is a mercenary and incubus as well as one of Mennolly’s lovers. Vanzir is a dream-chaser demon we all thought was without his powers. Maggie is their baby calico gargoyle. Hanna is a hostage rescued in Hexed: “Ice Shards”, 9.5, who now helps out at the house. Shamas ob Olanda is the girls’ cousin and full Fae. He works Earthside for Chase, and he’s been hiding some powerful secrets that have Camille super furious.
Detective Chase Johnson heads up the Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI). Events in Bone Magic, 7 have changed Chase. He’s evolving into something other. He learns some news about his bloodline and it’s freaking Chase out about his relationship with Sharah, Queen Asteria’s niece, and an elfin medic with FB-CSI. Yugi is Chase’s second-in-command. Mallen is another elfin medic. Frostling is a new hire at FH-CSI and is a full-blooded Fae.
Queen Asteria is the elfin queen and caretaker of the seals the girls have recovered so far. She has formed the Keraastar Knights to wield the spirit seals. Seems that Amber’s brother Luke has some ability to wield one (see Harvest Hunting, 8). Trenyth is her assistant (and we suspect he’s in love with her). Alfina is an elf who was raped.
Carter is the half-demon, half-Titan leader of the Demonica Vacana Society with a new assistant/lover, Tobias, a djinn. Grandmother Coyote is one of the Hags of Fate, who helps the worlds retain balance. Tim Winthrop, a.k.a., Cleo Blanco, runs the website for the Supe Community Council. Jason is his partner and they both come to the wedding. Wilbur is their neighbor and a necromancer whose time in special ops leads to unexpected consequences and some terrifying discoveries. Martin is his ghoul with a weird master-servant relationship.
Marion Vespa is a coyote shifter who runs the Supe-Urban Café. She was a huge help in Harvest Hunting. Aid that backfires horribly. Trixie Jones is her sister. Exo Reed is a wolf shifter who owns the Halcyon Hotel, a hotel that caters to supernaturals. He’s been an absolute rock in the community. Claudia is his wife and they have kids. Thomas Creia is a weredog with a wife and two boys; his sister is Shane. Salvatore Tienes is a wolfshifter; his uncle is Geraldo. Wylie Smith is a coyote shifter and Delilah’s first real case.
Amanda Flanders, Neely Reed, and Carlos Rodrigues are with the United Worlds Church. Full humans. They are pledging their support to the Supernatural Community along with the vampires and the Triple Threat.
Telazhar is a necromancer who’s been training demons for Shadow Wing, a demon lord with plans to invade and conquer earth before he continues on to Otherworld. Van and Jaycee are a pair of Tregart sorcerers we’ve encountered before (Harvest Hunting); a pair who got away. Gulakah is the Lord of Ghosts, the latest general from Shadow Wing. Newkirk is a regular at the Energy Exchange and he has a spirit seal. Feris is a Tregart demon.
Trytian is a daemon who can’t make up his mind which side he will support. All the girls know is that he doesn’t want Shadow Wing either. A new perspective on Van and Jaycee has some horrendous consequenes on some of his soldiers. Andy Gambit is a disgusting xenophobic pig of a yellow journalist. You so want to read this one as he gets his in this story!
Elaqneve is the Elfin lands in Otherworld (OW), which is a human generic reference for another dimension where many of the elves, gods, and Elemental Lords, etc. all live. Access to OW is through portals. The Sidhe and Fae themselves call it Y’Eírialiastar. The city-state in OW where the girls were raised is Y’Elestrial and is ruled over by Queen Tanaquar. The Ionyc Seas are a current of energy by which some of the supernaturals can travel.
Talamh Lonrach Oll, the Land of Brilliant Apples, is what the Triple Threat are calling the land they bought in the foothills of the Cascade Mountain Range and they are recognized as a sovereign nation by the U.S. government.
The Court of the Three Queens (the girls call them the Triple Threat) is that of the three Earthside Fae queens: Titania is the Queen of Light and Morning of the Seelie; Morgaine is a half-Fae Queen of Dusk and Twilight; and, Aeval is the Queen of Shadow and Night of the Unseelie. They all come to the wedding. Camille’s pledge to Aeval’s court has caused their father to disown her. Turnabout is fair play and the girls’ have disowned him as well as resigning from the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. Now they work for Queen Asteria.
The Cover and Title
The cover is shades of gold. A golden forest forms the backdrop for the short-haired Delilah in her black, gold-trimmed tank top and faded black jeans, a black cat snarling in the background. Oh yeah, those tattoos of Delilah’s are starting to come in quite colorfully.
I can’t figure out what inspired the title.
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