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
The Sight
by
Chloe Neill
urban fantasy in Paperback edition that was published by NAL Trade on August 16, 2016 and has 330 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include Some Girls Bite, Friday Night Bites, Twice Bitten, Hard Bitten, Firespell, Hexbound, Drink Deep, Charmfall, Biting Cold, House Rules, Biting Bad, Kicking It, Blood Games, The Veil, Midnight Marked, Dark Debt, Blade Bound, The Hunt, Wild Hunger, The Beyond, The Bright and Breaking Sea, "Slaying It"
Second in the Devil’s Isle alternate world urban fantasy series with humans pitted against the Paranormals of the Court and the Consularis who battled the humans in New Orleans. The focus is on Claire Connolly.
My Take
The Sight condemns bigotry and extremism on both sides. Neill makes sure to point it out with the extremes to which the enemies will go. I always hope that no one could possibly be that ignorant, but it is human nature to freak out about anything unusual. Anything outside most people’s perceptions.
Like…oh, Ezekiel. Ezekiel is disgusting. If he were married, he’d be one of those guys who think a woman’s place is pregnant and in the kitchen, bowing down to his every word. His group wants to kill anyone who doesn’t believe in their creed and makes me think of ISIS, Muslim terrorists, Hitler…
The conflict with Ezekiel is one half of the story. The other half is Claire’s discoveries about all that her father didn’t tell her. It wasn’t just that he didn’t tell her what he was or her own risk, but the land and its building, the supplies, and so much more that he kept hidden.
On the negative side, it sounds as if the Paranormals only invaded New Orleans, so I don’t understand why it’s six years later, and New Orleans is still struggling with an apocalyptic-style existence. Romance-wise, Neill is not making me feel Malachi wanting Claire. She’s telling me, but I ain’t buyin’.
Oh, man. I will never understand that trope the bad guys always use when they’re shocked that someone not on their side shoots them. Why is it always okay for the bad guys to shoot people, but it’s not okay for people to shoot back?
I like Tadji’s idea for countering Reveillon, of getting humans in the Quarter to be more visible, more active. And while I love that Gunnar finally gets that clue, it takes Moses returning to Devil’s Isle after their earlier dangers to tip him over that edge. It does get better when the commandant considers the parameters. I was so proud of people’s response to the threats. And I absolutely adore Gunnar’s stance about Devil’s Isle!! It’ll be well worth jumping on #3 when it comes out to find out if PCC actually makes some positive moves.
That ending will tick you off no end, especially considering what Claire had seen on the other side of the Veil in The Veil, 1. As for Claire’s decision to battle Ezekiel, it seemed too simplistic. As if Neill realized she was nearing the limit on the number of words and had to finish it up. Then Liam’s actions were stupid. It was a crappy way to end the story and, again, much too simplistic.
The Story
The paranormal war that engulfed New Orleans seven years ago is over, and the humans won, but at a cost. Their confidence is high until the battle for the city begins again when a dangerous cult rises up, targeting Paranormals and anyone who isn’t killing them.
Most Paranormals are sitting ducks in the prison of Devil’s Isle…and that includes the Sensitives, humans infected with magic, who have been rounded up and locked away. Claire could easily be one, but her secret is safe. Or it was.
The Characters
Claire Connolly is a bounty hunter-in-training, a Sensitive whose power is telekinesis, and the owner of the Royal Mercantile, an antique-store-cum-general store on Royal Street in the French Quarter. She’d been 18 when her father was killed. Tadji Dupree is Claire’s best friend and pursuing a degree in linguistics.
Liam Quinn is a bounty hunter who fears loving Claire. And with whom Claire is in love. Eleanor Arsenault is Liam’s grandmother who insists on living inside Devil’s Isle. No human knows that the blind woman can “see” magic. Foster is her Labrador. Gracie is the sister who was murdered by Paranormals. Gavin is Liam’s younger brother. Their Quinn grandfather had a place out on the bayou. Pike is a Paranormal who helps guard Eleanor along with Moses who is brilliant with electronics and computers. Blythe is another bounty hunter.
Delta is…
…a coalition of Paranormals and humans dedicated to changing the treatment of Paranormals. Malachi is an angel and had been a Consularis general on the Paranormal side. He’s agreed to help Claire. Darby Craig is a scientist who was thrown out. Erida served under Malachi as a marshal.
Containment is…
…a division of the Paranormal Combatant Command (PCC). It manages Devil’s Isle and the former war zone. Gunnar Landreau is in charge and is one of Claire’s best friends. Will Burke is a Sensitive who can become invisible, a member of Delta who works for Containment as a PCC Materiel agent, and is in love with Tadji. More agents include Tucker Hitchens; Alice Colfax, who is PCC Logistics and Community Relations; and, Jack Broussard who hates Claire and all Paranormals and does his best to make life difficult for them. The Commandant is Gunnar’s boss.
John Reece is with the army and investigating Containment after its handling of the Memorial Battle in The Veil.
Devil’s Isle is…
…the prison for the Paranormals in what was once the Marigny neighborhood. Solomon, Moses’ cousin, thinks he rules inside. Thora and Nedra are part of a family Vendi visits. The nurses at the Devil’s Isle clinic include Lizzie, a Paranormal who uses flame, and Victoria and Vendi, a Xana, who do rounds.
Mr. Bernard is rumored to have been a pediatrician; now he runs the ferry to Algiers. Jasmine now runs her father’s marina on the north side of Lake Borgne. Some of Claire’s neighbors include the naughty Mrs. Porter, Mrs. Jones, and Chief Tony Mercier, who leads the Vanguard, an organization of New Orleans veterans from the war. The Donaldsons didn’t stick around.
The Beyond is…
…on the other side of the Veil with two rival groups: the Consularis who insisted on structure and rules with no flexibility and the Court of Dawn (which includes the Seelie) who insisted on power, respect, and possessions.
Reveillon is…
…a hate group led by Ezekiel. They despise all Paranormals and the human traitors who allow them to live. Chip Alexander Thompson had a vision. Louis was a man who was known for his guitar playing who made the mistake of saying no to Ezekiel.
Camp Couturie is…
…the biggest and first federal refugee camp in New Orleans and is located in City Park. Lonnie Dear is working the market as well as her arrow knitting needles.
Wraiths are humans infected by magic, Sensitives, who have lost control. The MIGECC Act, the Measure for the Illegality of Glamour and Enchantment in Conflict Communities, a.k.a., the Magic Act, declares all magic illegal. Anyone caught using magic is put in Devil’s Isle.
The Cover and Title
The cover is the forest green of Claire’s army jacket, her long red hair flying in the wind, as she stands on one of the wrought iron balconies of the Royal Mercantile, the sky behind her roiling deep purples. The author’s name is in a pale yellow with the title in a deteriorating white.
The title is how Claire is discovered, The Sight of her battle.
