This story was a curious mix of mythical figures from different lore. Elves, shifters, a voodoo priestess and a lone vampire, among other beings, thrown together in a paranormal fantasy tale about nothing less than the salvation of Earth, or at least the United States. The result was actually not half bad, perhaps not overly original but reassuringly familiar like a home-cooked meal. I found the writing style smooth, although a bit stilted at times (not only when the Elves spoke, but also in the narrative). The actual pairing and building of a relationship between Aron and Clay was well-crafted, a nice variation on the finding your soulmate theme.In my opinion this story suffered most from its shortness. By employing popular mythical beings, the author could mostly borrow the clichés, working on the assumption that every reader might be familiar with the respective lore. Yet, there was still a lot or worldbuilding left which was mostly dealt with through the character’s musings, through dialogue or simple telling of facts. While sometimes getting bogged down in insignificant details, this way of conveying background information failed to really pull me into the world. It also took away from the characterizations; the acting persons unfortunately remained flat and two-dimensional despite the alternating narrative viewpoints. The most elaborated character was Clay, but his internal inconsistencies were bothersome enough to keep him from really coming alive (only one example: why did he feel compelled to hide his homosexuality from his team although most of them were gay themselves?)The actual action, i.e. the final battle was done off-page; the story ended rather abruptly with Aron’s and Clay’s union. All things considered, this story wasn’t exactly noteworthy although fans of the author might want to read it nevertheless.
Feliz Faber
I'm Feliz Faber, writer, translator, proofer--and reader.
This story was a curious mix of mythical figures from different lore. Elves, shifters, a voodoo priestess and a lone vampire, among other beings, thrown together in a paranormal fantasy tale about nothing less than the salvation of Earth, or at least the United States. The result was actually not half bad, perhaps not overly original but reassuringly familiar like a home-cooked meal. I found the writing style smooth, although a bit stilted at times (not only when the Elves spoke, but also in the narrative). The actual pairing and building of a relationship between Aron and Clay was well-crafted, a nice variation on the finding your soulmate theme.In my opinion this story suffered most from its shortness. By employing popular mythical beings, the author could mostly borrow the clichés, working on the assumption that every reader might be familiar with the respective lore. Yet, there was still a lot or worldbuilding left which was mostly dealt with through the character’s musings, through dialogue or simple telling of facts. While sometimes getting bogged down in insignificant details, this way of conveying background information failed to really pull me into the world. It also took away from the characterizations; the acting persons unfortunately remained flat and two-dimensional despite the alternating narrative viewpoints. The most elaborated character was Clay, but his internal inconsistencies were bothersome enough to keep him from really coming alive (only one example: why did he feel compelled to hide his homosexuality from his team although most of them were gay themselves?)The actual action, i.e. the final battle was done off-page; the story ended rather abruptly with Aron’s and Clay’s union. All things considered, this story wasn’t exactly noteworthy although fans of the author might want to read it nevertheless.
