Review: A Trace of Moonlight

A Trace of Moonlight by Allison Pang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Source: Review copy from the publisher

Abby’s pact with a daemon—whether or not she remembers making it—is binding, so she’d better count herself lucky that (in the words of a daemon who knows better) there’s nearly always a loophole. But her friends’ reckless attempts to free her, well intentioned though they may be, set off a disastrous chain of events. In no time at all, Abby turns her incubus lover mortal, then gets herself killed, cursed, and married to an elven prince whose mother wants her dead. On top of everything else, she’s lost the Key to the CrossRoads to her mortal enemy, who promptly uses his restored power to wreak havoc on the OtherWorld and put its very existence in jeopardy. Only one person can make things right again, but to find her, Abby must place her trust in allies of mixed loyalties, and conquer her nightmares once and for all.

I think I actually liked A Trace of Moonlight the least of the three books in this series. Maybe the storyline wasn't as interesting to me. The writing is pretty good, and I think this is a decent urban fantasy series. It's just definitely not the best I've read.

This was a very quick read, but I felt like there was nothing new here from the previous books in the series. Abby is not really growing as a character, and neither are her relationships.

All that said, I appreciate that there are some new ideas in this series as a whole. I imagine it's difficult to come up with some new and original in the paranormal romance/urban fantasy genre. It's not all more of the same, although at times it seems like too many different things are thrown together in one book.

I would probably recommend this series to paranormal lovers, but there are definitely better series out there.  Also, be sure to read this series in order.  This book really wasn't one that you could pick up and not feel completely lost without having read the previous two.

Book Review: A Brush of Darkness

A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Source: Review copy from the publisher

 Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn’t at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus’s whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there’s no one she can trust to save her.

At first I wasn't really sure if I liked this one, and found myself going back and forth on whether or not I was enjoying myself while reading it. Now that I've finished, I think I can safely say that I liked it, but I didn't love it.

The story was quite interesting, and there were some very original elements to it. I guess I'm not big on sex in books, and this one had quite a lot of it. That made it hard for me to really love the book, even though the author writes quite well. I will be continuing on with the series, though.