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
"Flight From Hell"
by
Yasmine Galenorn
It is part of the , series and is a urban fantasy in eBook edition that was published by InterMix on August 19, 2014 and has 126 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, Shaded Vision, Shadow Rising, Haunted Moon, Night Myst, Night Veil, Night Seeker, Autumn Whispers, Night Vision, Night’s End, Priestess Dreaming, Panther Prowling, 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
A prequel in the Fly By Night urban fantasy spin-off series from Galenorn’s Otherworld / Sisters of the Moon and introducing Shimmer, a dragon outcast from the Dragon Reaches. Both series are set in Seattle.
My Take
This is a very smooth introduction to the Fly By Night spin-off series with most of the action involving the D’Artigo sisters and told from Mennolly’s viewpoint. Which is rather odd since it is supposed to be a subseries with new protagonists.
The action is typical Otherworld problems — Galenorn does spend a LOT of time explaining past events. Most of it isn’t necessary, and I’m wondering if she was padding the story out.
The new characters Galenorn introduces are fascinating, and it’s enough to make me extremely curious to read Flight From Death to see what happens next.
Loose threads that aren’t that important (but inquiring minds wanna know *grin*) include that comment Alex makes about Carter being the master of pain, the reason for those tunnels under the mausoleum, who’s right about Shimmer — Carter or Alex, and was it the danger that turned Shimmer away or…?
I had the impression that Shimmer had been here on Earth for a few years, but it turns out she’s only been here a few weeks. It didn’t feel right. Shimmer certainly accomplished a LOT on Earth in those few days! Buying a house, working on the garden, dating, causing people to fall in love with her, online dating… Nah, Galenorn needs to change those “weeks” to at least “months”. Another niggle was how easy it was to pull Shimmer out. All that lead-up and that’s it??
Yeah, I’m still curious. I do enjoy this series despite Galenorn’s uneven writing — its those characters you can’t help but love!
The Story
There’s trouble in Seattle. Vampires are being made and let loose to kill, and Roman is insistent on Mennolly putting a stop to it. Then Carter steps in with a problem. He’s a friend, and they must help. Only, it seems he holds the key to it all.
The Characters
Shimmer is an orphan, an outcaste blue dragon caught in the act. Her boyfriend is Carter, a demi-god — half-demon and half-Titan (his father was Hyperion, a Greek Titan, and his mother a demoness), as well as a friend of the D’Artigos. He’s also a member of the Demonica Vacana Society, which well suits his fascination with history. Lara and Roxy are his cats.
Fly By Night Magical Investigations Agency is…
…owned by Alex Radcliffe, a vampire and an old friend of Lord Vine. He’s involved with a very possessive succubus, Glenda. Bette is a Melusine, a water spirit who changes into a water moccasin, and the receptionist at the agency. Ralph, a werewolf, is in charge of IT and faints at the sight of blood.
The D’Artigo sisters are…
…half-fae and half-human sisters who run the Otherworld Intelligence Agency (OIA) Earthside for the fae. Mennolly D’Artigo is the youngest sister and was turned vampire when she was caught spying. She’s married to Nerissa, a werepuma, and she is the official consort to Roman who re-sired her. Her bar, the Wayfarer, burned down two weeks ago (Autumn Whispers, 14).
Camille D’Artigo, the oldest of the sisters, is a Moon Witch and priestess for the Moon Mother. She’s also married to Lord Iampaatar, a.k.a., Smoky, a half-white, half-silver dragon; Trillian, a Svartan; and, Morio, a youkai-kitsune who is teaching her to use death magic.
Delilah D’Artigo, the middle sister, has three aspects: a two-faced Were as a kitty and a black panther. Her blade is Lysanthra. She’s engaged to Shade, a half-shadow dragon, half-Stradolan. Both are servants of the Autumn Lord, a Harvestman. More of the “family” includes Rozurial, an incubus; Iris who has started up an advice column to provide her with some balance as she takes care of the twins; and, Hanna, their housekeeper (Courting Darkness, 10).
Wilbur Folkes, former Special Ops, is a necromancer who looks like ZZ Top and is a neighbor of the D’Artigos. When his brother, Martin, died, he turned him into a poker-playing ghoul.
The Dragon Reaches are…
…the homeland of the dragons and on another plane. The Wing Liege is Lord Vine. The Elder Council rules the dragons. The Greanfyr caste are white dragons, greedy and vicious. Smoky’s mother is Lady Vishana and his father is Iamfosan Dreyerie, Lord of the Celestial Caste. Lost and Foundling is an orphanage dreyerie (with a bad reputation) for unclaimed dragon children.
Roman is a vampire, the son of Blood Wyne, who is the Queen of the Crimson Veil (all the vampires).
The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigations Unit (FH-CSI) is…
…run by Detective Chase Johnson who is missing Sharah. Mallen is the current chief of the medical unit.
Julian Eichmann is a vampire-sorcerer who started up a new club. Glory had been Julian’s wife two hundred years ago.
The Greenbelt Park District, a.k.a., Spooksville Central, is the most haunted area in Seattle. An FBH is a full-blooded human. Bunny Severance had been the matriarch back in the 1940s; Clyde had been the family member who went bugnuts. Teddy was the family friend. Dredge was a vicious, truly nasty vampire who turned Mennolly.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a range of deep blues with a sassy and skeptical-looking Mennolly, blue beads in her cornrows, a royal blue turtleneck (at last, a sense of reality!), blue jeans, and a black leather jacket. She’s carrying a fancy-looking ax and standing, with one leg bent, in front of a midnight-dark mausoleum, the full moon hanging low.
I’m not sure what the title refers to. It could be a “Flight From Hell” in that Shimmer has escaped death in too many ways.
