Author: Richelle Mead
Genre: Urban fantasy/paranormal romance
Pages: Paperback, 361
Published: August 2008
Publisher: Zebra
ISBN: 0-4201-2579-6
Rating:
" Eugenie Markham is a powerful shaman who does a brisk trade banishing spirits and fey who cross into the mortal world. Mercenary, yes, but a girl's got to eat. Her most recent case, however, is enough to ruin her appetite. Hired to find a teenager who has been taken to the Otherworld, Eugenie comes face to face with a startling prophecy—one that uncovers dark secrets about her past and claims that Eugenie's first-born will threaten the future of the world as she knows it.
"Now Eugenie is a hot target for every ambitious demon and Otherworldy ne'er-do-well, and the ones who don't want to knock her up want her dead. Eugenie handles a Glock as smoothly as she wields a wand, but she needs some formidable allies for a job like this. She finds them in Dorian, a seductive fairy king with a taste for bondage, and Kiyo, a gorgeous shape-shifter who redefines animal attraction. But with enemies growing bolder and time running out, Eugenie realizes that the greatest danger is yet to come, and it lies in the dark powers that are stirring to life within her . . ."
~ Jacket copy
Thoughts: I've wanted to read the Georgia Kincaid series for awhile; however, this book ended up in my hands first. Having no experience with Mead before this, I cannot compare Storm Born to the other series. A lot of reviews online say that something was lost between the Kincaid series and this one. Unfortunately, I cannot address that. That being said, I did enjoy this book.
Even though the plot was an old tried-and-true storyline, I felt that Mead was able to give it her own voice. The land of the Otherworld being a living thing and choosing the ruler reminded me of older myths. Calling on that gave the story a little more authority. Further, it was an interesting idea to have the gentry/fairies have their own unique powers and not just the ambiguous magic. Even though Dorian was strong, he could only control things related to earth. The same went for Aeson and the other gentry Eugenie dealt with.
To me, little character quirks really flesh out a character. Eugenie's obsession with puzzles made her more real and down to earth. It made her not too big and too bad. It reminded me of Anita Blake's her love for penguins and crazy coffee mugs.
The character development felt a little uneven. Mead did a good job with Eugenie and an excellent job with Dorian. However, she didn't spend anytime with Kiyo. For a guy who was Eugenie's final choice, it would have made sense for Mead to spend a lot of time on him. Further, if Kiyo loved her as much as he professed, why did he never spend time wooing her? Dorian, while well within his rights to refuse her requests, moved heaven and earth (literally earth) for her. Yet, through all of that, she still decided to distrust him. In the end, Kiyo ended up getting on my nerves and pissing me off.
I loved how Mead wrote Dorian. In his behavior and moods, he seemed to really exemplify the playful and mischievous nature of the sidhe in Celtic myth. I am very curious to see him in later books.
The whole rape storyline pissed me off. Even though Mead explained the reason behind it, I felt it was weak. In addition, it felt as though she should be honored that she was so desired for her bloodline and her womb. At what point should a woman feel honored because people want to rape her? That is ludicrous!
Eugenie (despite the awful name) is a powerful heroine; however, I am afraid that her connection with Kiyo will just weaken her. It will be interesting to see how the following books show her progression in magic and her new role.
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