Friday 28 November 2014

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Darkest London 1: Firelight - Kristen Callihan

Release Date: 29/09/14
Publisher:  Piatkus

SYNOPSIS:

London, 1881 Once the flames are ignited ...Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman. They will burn for eternity ...Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask.


REVIEW:

I love to try a debut and when its blended with Urban Fantasy I like the way that so many possibilities are offered. What occurs within this title is a tale that feels partly like a cross between Beauty and the Beast alongside a murder mystery. Its definitely quirky and the prose is fairly solid, however for me, the book did have quite a few problems.

Firstly it felt a little too predictable, the characters one stereotype after another and when added overall to pace that felt flat at times makes this an OK book for me. As a debut its pretty solid and I’m definitely going to keep an eye on Kristen from now on.

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