Reilly’s (Grounding Magic, 2013, etc.) latest novel sees her interest in stories about resilient women caught in magical, otherworldly circumstances veer in a new, darker direction. In this urban fantasy tale, the author digs into the bloody history and language of the Balkans, and Albania in particular, to create the mercenary Elira. She’s an avenger bent on collecting what’s owed to her in criminals’ blood; she dresses like a goth schoolgirl, quotes Shakespeare as doctrine and writes “blood haikus” before quenching her vampiric thirst. However, her mission becomes confused when she crosses paths with a Department of Homeland Security agent named James Goodman, whose girlfriend, Mirjeta, could be Elira’s doppelgänger. When Elira foils a sex trafficking gang’s plan to kidnap Mirjeta, Reilly hints at a connection between the two women, and the specifics unspool as the story progresses. James, meanwhile, attempts to pin crimes on a group of Albanians reporting to the notorious terrorist Imam Krasniqi. The novel shifts back and forth between James’ and Elira’s perspectives as they draw nearer to their quarry; they share a passion for each other and a desire to protect Mirjeta, which makes for a suspenseful, high-stakes tale. However, the many subplots muddy the story: James attends a lecture series on “blood law theology” at Elira’s bookshop; Elira has visions of her one-time Scottish lover, who lived during the time of Bonnie Prince Charlie; Elira learns that she has a mysterious disease that might be causing her bloodlust; and a group of seemingly unconnected evangelical women protest Islam in America. Many of these strands eventually weave together with the main plot, but in the end, big questions about Elira remain unanswered. However, Reilly’s deep knowledge of the Balkans’ history of oppression and her use of native languages give the narrative a keen authenticity. A smart and erotic, if somewhat scattered, thriller that vampire lovers will enjoy.
Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2013
ISBN: 978-0982687581
Page Count: 230
Publisher: Zephon Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
APPRECIATIONS
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
