Tiger holland gave NO REST FOR THE WICCA a five star review. Currently an e-book on Amazon, it will soon be available in paperback:
Review by: Tiger Holland on Oct. 14, 2010 :
Morgan Hawkes is a pararnormal investigator with a small genetic advantage—she's half Wiccan, meaning that she has enough supernatural ability to deal with ghosts and send them along their merry way to the next world. Her father was a bokor, a master of voodoo, but she's not really comfortable with either side of her heritage because her father delved into dark magic and her mother never stood her ground on any important moral issues. For Morgan, whose mixed parentage assured that she was was shunned by almost everyone on both sides of her family, her genes are a constant reminder of an unhappy past and the only benefit she gets from being half-and-half is a little added power while she's on the case “ghostbusting”. She even left her awesome former job working in the Central City homicide department because a mixed voodoo/magic spell she used on a criminal backfired and killed her partner. Now, Morgan's being offered a chance to work with Special Forces to bring down a serial killer who seems to be using his victims for voodoo rituals. The job will mean re-opening old wounds and working with a partner again, a self-assured Inheritor vampire named Cole St. John. Is a possible relationship with Cole worth crossing co-worker boundaries? And even more importantly, is Morgan willing to take the risk of tapping into her dark side to solve these crimes?
The worldbuilding is pretty solid, here, and I admired the variety of species and forces at play. It's an “everything and the kitchen sink” paranormal world, containing not just vampires, weres, shifters, witches, daemons, and trolls, but subspecies of each, all of which have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. No Rest doesn't overload the reader with too much information early on, but later in the novel there's some pretty seriously detailed discussions of rituals and spell books, partly because of the lecture scenes when Morgan has to go undercover at a university, since all the victims have been witches, like herself, who were taking classes in the Supernatural Sciences. The voodoo facts get deeply chilling at times, but Morgan's strong, unfliching POV keeps the story from ranging too far into creepy territory.
Speaking of Morgan, she's a heroine to love. She has a great snarky sense of humor, and is a kind of modern successor to the tough, fast-talking dames in old detective novels and black and white movies like His Girl Friday. She's good and she doesn't use her powers to benefit herself—basically just the kind of gal you'd want on your side during any problematic situation, big or small. But though she has a certain magical ability, I was most pleased by her human side. The practical details can make or break an urban fantasy for me, and Morgan lives in a very realistic fashion: she can defend herself, but that's because she works out regularly, not because she's supernaturally strong; she can't afford to buy top-line business suits; if she goes without sleep, she's exhausted (and looks it) the next morning; if she gets hungry, she has to slap together a ham and cheese sandwich. The character doesn't exist in a vacuum—she breathes and deals with everyday stuff along with supernatural challenges and crime scenes straight out of CSI.
Cole St. John is a good counterpart for Morgan. He's only a half-vampire (he might be called a dhampir elsewhere) and except for some mind-reading, he's just like any human guy. He's kind of high-handed is his first dealings with Morgan, but she needs someone who doesn't sugar-coat the past. While other people try to spare her feelings, Cole agrees with her that the accident that killed her partner was her own fault, but he also says that she has to learn from her past and forgive herself. It's hard not to like Cole. He's good at what he does, tough without being a jerk, and polished without coming off as overly smooth. I love the insights we get into his character, like how he's conflicted about his vampire heritage since he also had a troubled family life, very similar to Morgan's upbringing. I'm hoping for future books with these two, so that we can see further details about Cole and what makes him tick.
Apart from a few coincidences and some typos, this story was fantastic. I read and enjoyed it just like any urban fantasy I'd pull off a bookstore shelf, and I love the worldbuilding, the romance, and Morgan's growth as she faces her past problems and forges ahead to build a new future for herself. Here's hoping there are more installments coming!
Review by: Tiger Holland on Oct. 14, 2010 :
Morgan Hawkes is a pararnormal investigator with a small genetic advantage—she's half Wiccan, meaning that she has enough supernatural ability to deal with ghosts and send them along their merry way to the next world. Her father was a bokor, a master of voodoo, but she's not really comfortable with either side of her heritage because her father delved into dark magic and her mother never stood her ground on any important moral issues. For Morgan, whose mixed parentage assured that she was was shunned by almost everyone on both sides of her family, her genes are a constant reminder of an unhappy past and the only benefit she gets from being half-and-half is a little added power while she's on the case “ghostbusting”. She even left her awesome former job working in the Central City homicide department because a mixed voodoo/magic spell she used on a criminal backfired and killed her partner. Now, Morgan's being offered a chance to work with Special Forces to bring down a serial killer who seems to be using his victims for voodoo rituals. The job will mean re-opening old wounds and working with a partner again, a self-assured Inheritor vampire named Cole St. John. Is a possible relationship with Cole worth crossing co-worker boundaries? And even more importantly, is Morgan willing to take the risk of tapping into her dark side to solve these crimes?
The worldbuilding is pretty solid, here, and I admired the variety of species and forces at play. It's an “everything and the kitchen sink” paranormal world, containing not just vampires, weres, shifters, witches, daemons, and trolls, but subspecies of each, all of which have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. No Rest doesn't overload the reader with too much information early on, but later in the novel there's some pretty seriously detailed discussions of rituals and spell books, partly because of the lecture scenes when Morgan has to go undercover at a university, since all the victims have been witches, like herself, who were taking classes in the Supernatural Sciences. The voodoo facts get deeply chilling at times, but Morgan's strong, unfliching POV keeps the story from ranging too far into creepy territory.
Speaking of Morgan, she's a heroine to love. She has a great snarky sense of humor, and is a kind of modern successor to the tough, fast-talking dames in old detective novels and black and white movies like His Girl Friday. She's good and she doesn't use her powers to benefit herself—basically just the kind of gal you'd want on your side during any problematic situation, big or small. But though she has a certain magical ability, I was most pleased by her human side. The practical details can make or break an urban fantasy for me, and Morgan lives in a very realistic fashion: she can defend herself, but that's because she works out regularly, not because she's supernaturally strong; she can't afford to buy top-line business suits; if she goes without sleep, she's exhausted (and looks it) the next morning; if she gets hungry, she has to slap together a ham and cheese sandwich. The character doesn't exist in a vacuum—she breathes and deals with everyday stuff along with supernatural challenges and crime scenes straight out of CSI.
Cole St. John is a good counterpart for Morgan. He's only a half-vampire (he might be called a dhampir elsewhere) and except for some mind-reading, he's just like any human guy. He's kind of high-handed is his first dealings with Morgan, but she needs someone who doesn't sugar-coat the past. While other people try to spare her feelings, Cole agrees with her that the accident that killed her partner was her own fault, but he also says that she has to learn from her past and forgive herself. It's hard not to like Cole. He's good at what he does, tough without being a jerk, and polished without coming off as overly smooth. I love the insights we get into his character, like how he's conflicted about his vampire heritage since he also had a troubled family life, very similar to Morgan's upbringing. I'm hoping for future books with these two, so that we can see further details about Cole and what makes him tick.
Apart from a few coincidences and some typos, this story was fantastic. I read and enjoyed it just like any urban fantasy I'd pull off a bookstore shelf, and I love the worldbuilding, the romance, and Morgan's growth as she faces her past problems and forges ahead to build a new future for herself. Here's hoping there are more installments coming!
