Phoenix Unrisen
Mar. 14th, 2010 03:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
serynI didn't write anything about Phoenix Unrisen by Kathleen Nance. I really enjoyed it. I had kiboshed the idea of reading the book because it was set in New Orleans and published after Katrina. "There is no point in reading this; it's just going to be whinging about how 'no one helped them.'" But it wasn't like that at all. There were bits that were clearly adapted to be post-Katrina, talking about areas that weren't rebuilt yet, patchy communities, and similar things, but with this sense of hope for the rebuilding.
The book was written before Katrina and published after, with just enough edits to accommodate the profound environmental difference.
The premise of the book was really interesting too, freelance paranormal reporter and a veterinarian who specializes in exotic animals and just happens to be a mage guardian. It was really a nice mix of things and needed to have been set somewhere like New Orleans in order to make sense.
I liked a lot of the interpersonal conflict in this story, especially the heroine's aversion to magic. The way that was handled made the story seem more realistic when they struggled to be happy together.
The actual plot though, that was needlessly cumbersome with so many red herrings that I couldn't even keep track of it. It seemed like everybody was the villain and that was more true than expected because so many people had a piece of it or were more than usually nefarious.
What I like about Nance's books is the way whatever supernatural thing is blended with the actual reality. It's kind of like how a non-gritty urban fantasy is... only this was a mage not a vampire.
It was a romance, but an extremely high quality one. It was an actual book. I ordered the first two Djinn books Nance wrote based on my enjoyment of this one and Jigsaw.
The book was written before Katrina and published after, with just enough edits to accommodate the profound environmental difference.
The premise of the book was really interesting too, freelance paranormal reporter and a veterinarian who specializes in exotic animals and just happens to be a mage guardian. It was really a nice mix of things and needed to have been set somewhere like New Orleans in order to make sense.
I liked a lot of the interpersonal conflict in this story, especially the heroine's aversion to magic. The way that was handled made the story seem more realistic when they struggled to be happy together.
The actual plot though, that was needlessly cumbersome with so many red herrings that I couldn't even keep track of it. It seemed like everybody was the villain and that was more true than expected because so many people had a piece of it or were more than usually nefarious.
What I like about Nance's books is the way whatever supernatural thing is blended with the actual reality. It's kind of like how a non-gritty urban fantasy is... only this was a mage not a vampire.
It was a romance, but an extremely high quality one. It was an actual book. I ordered the first two Djinn books Nance wrote based on my enjoyment of this one and Jigsaw.
