3 out of 5 stars
Let me just start by saying I enjoyed this book enough that now that I know there is a sequel, I’ll hate myself but I’ll probably still buy it. That said, it still drove me crazy. It was a slow start for me and the protagonist, Kincaid Strange felt like a very familiar character, a conglomeration of similar tough women leads you find in urban paranormal series (like a Jane Yellowrock or a Kate Daniels.) Leather jacket – check. Motorcycle – check. “Don’t give a shit” attitude – check. Kincaid is a quasi-voodoo practitioner who makes her living by raising zombies and communing with ghosts in Seattle. Despite the slow start, the middle parts flew but then you get toward the end and it just becomes a mess again. It made for a confusing, unsatisfying ending.
Per the back cover description:
For starters, she’s only twenty-seven. Then there’s the fact that she lives in rain-soaked Seattle, which is not exactly Haiti. And she’s broke. With raising zombies outlawed throughout the continental USA, Kincaid has to eke out a living running seances for university students with more money than brains who are desperate for guitar lessons with the ghost of a Seattle grunge rocker–who happens to be Kincaid’s on-again, off-again roommate.
Then a stray zombie turns up outside her neighborhood bar: Cameron Wight, an up-and-coming visual artist with no recollection of how he died or who raised him. Not only is it dangerous for Kincaid to be caught with an unauthorized zombie, she soon realizes he’s tied to a spate of murders: someone is targeting the zombies and voodoo practitioners in Seattle’s infamous Underground City, a paranormal hub. When the police refuse to investigate, the City’s oldest and foremost zombie asks Kincaid to help. Raising ghosts and zombies is one thing, but finding a murderer? She’s broke, but she’s not stupid.
And then she becomes the target… As the saying goes, when it rains it pours, especially in Seattle.
I suppose if you look at this book as more of a foundational, world-building story, then that would go a long way toward excusing the disorganized plot. I like it enough to stick with it and I have high hopes that the second book will be better than the first. I’ll let you know, once I get a chance to read it.
I’m not reading as much these days as I’m focusing on my writing for the next few months. I’ll also be working on setting up an Etsy shop for some of my handicrafts and vintage tea cups. My plate is full but that’s the way I like it.
Best wishes for the New Year!
Kind regards,
Anne
Tea and Trifles 