Yasmine Galenorn also writes mysteries under her own name and under the name India Ink. Yasmine Galenorn's website.
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Sisters of the Moon (Otherworld) — (2006-2011) Publisher: Meet the D'Artigo sisters: half-human, half-faerie, they're savvy — and sexy — operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. But their mixed-blood heritage short-circuits their talents at all the wrong times. Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she's stressed. Menolly's a vampire who's still trying to get the hang of being undead. And Camille is a wicked-good witch, except her magic's as unpredictable as the weather, as her enemies are about to find out — the hard way.
I picked up Witchling simply because Amazon.com suggested it and I hadn’t read an urban fantasy in a while. Simple enough explanation, I think.
Yasmine Galenorn follows the Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance recipe pretty well. She has a heroine who’s sassy, supremely attractive, highly sexually active and surrounded by interesting and powerful characters/creatures that somehow end up following her lead. Galenorn uses our world as the setting while throwing in an explanation for why the Supernatural has suddenly become part of our everyday life. It’s pretty common fare in this genre.
The good part about Witchling is that the plot is fairly quick and Galenorn doesn’t spend too much time delving into the inevitable relationship issues that this genre seems to demand. There is plenty of stuff like that to keep the romance-reader interested, but not enough to drive me away. That is a very, very fine line to walk, but Yasmine Galenorn successfully does it.
The bad part about Witchling is that it is so cliché…. The heroine has to be in love with the bad boy, who her family doesn’t like, who she knows isn’t good for her, but she just can’t leave him alone. Throw in the inevitable not-quite-bad boy who has to compete with the bad boy and suddenly we are smack in the middle of the usual romance hell. This sort of too often regurgitated nonsense is what I like least about this genre.
Ok, so the end result…. Witchling was good despite the faults I mentioned. Galenorn keeps things moving quickly and gives the reader enough action to make the story stay on the right side of urban fantasy. I didn’t love Witchling, but I would read the next one if I didn’t have a Harrison/Briggs/Andrews novel to read instead. —John Hulet
Witchling: Expository Lump
Let me start by saying that I like Yasmine Galenorn's writing quite a lot. I love her pagan/metaphysical books — she's one of the few authors out there who seems to have a genuine passion for the subject matter—and I've also enjoyed the one installment of Chintz 'n' China that I've read.
That said, I didn't really enjoy Witchling, the first novel of her Sisters of the Moon series, though I feel kind of bad saying so about something she's obviously worked hard on and feels strongly about.
Yasmine Galenorn has set herself a difficult task here. Most writers of urban fantasy choose a narrator who has grown up in the ordinary, everyday world of humans. Whether the protagonist is aware of the supernatural at the start of the book or not, s/he does begin the story as someone who is more familiar with the human world than with the Otherworld. This enables the author to gradually lead readers into the world, because they can find out bits and pieces of information right along with the character. But Galenorn's protagonist, Camille, is the opposite. She is half-human, but grew up in the Otherworld among Sidhe society and has now moved to Earth as an investigator of supernatural crime. (We'll leave aside the question of whether someone who grew up in Faerie would call it "Otherworld." It seems to me that our world would be called Other by the denizens of Faerie.)
So we have a narrator who ostensibly knows everything about Otherworld and almost everything about supernatural crime. And we have a very short novel, during which the foundation of a series needs to be laid and several skirmishes fought. There's very little "screen time" in which to gradually lead readers into the setting. Instead, every time Camille opens her mouth, an infodump falls out. Because Camille serves mainly as a vehicle for exposition, she isn't very well-developed as a character. Several other characters are either flat (the sisters) or else behave in completely incongruous ways that jar with the way the character seemed at first (Chase). I'm not talking about characters changing through their experiences. This is more like "BAM! I am a completely different person now!"
In addition, I felt that the final scene was sort of jarring with the rest of the story. Its purpose is to set the scene for sequels, but its atmosphere doesn't really fit with the rest of the novel.
However, I'm looking forward to seeing where Yasmine Galenorn goes with Sisters of the Moon. I suspect the characters will be more interesting now that the expository lump is out of the way. —Kelly Lasiter
Changeling:
Not a book for arachnophobes!
In Changeling, Yasmine Galenorn avoids the thing that annoyed me most in Witchling; namely, the infodumping. Having set the scene in Witchling, Galenorn is free to spend most of Changeling on plot and character development. There is some exposition, but it didn't strike me as excessive. It was just the right amount to get me caught up after two years' absence from Galenorn's universe.
Changeling is written from the point of view of Delilah D'Artigo, a sister of Witchling's heroine. When sexy werepuma Zachary Lyonnesse walks into Delilah's life, he brings two problems with him: a murder mystery, and second thoughts about her relationship with her boyfriend Chase. (Also, Chase's bizarre change of heart in Witchling is explained in Changeling.)
Galenorn, as I already knew from her other writings, has a strong love of nature and knows the Pacific Northwest like the back of her hand. I give her a lot of credit for populating her universe with werecreatures who are plausible for the Seattle area. Other urban fantasies often have weres that seem unrealistic for the habitat in which the books are set. I also love some of the language that flows from Galenorn's pen when she describes nature and the seasons:
"As he spoke, his words seemed to weave a tapestry of music around us. I could hear the thundering of dark clouds as they raced across fields and forests. The swirl of snow grew thick, coiling around us like a whirlwind of white dancers desperate for one last kiss before they melted into oblivion."
Other aspects I enjoyed were a hilarious slapstick scene involving Delilah and some shiny objects, and tantalizing glimpses of Menolly's character. I don't think it'll be two years before I get around to reading Darkling.
That said, Changeling is not perfect. Galenorn still gives her baddies horribly cheesy names. The romance plot fell a little flat for me; I guess I didn't like either of Delilah's guys as much as she did. Two major "power-ups" for Delilah in one book seemed excessive. And I don't know that this is a book that'll stick in my memory permanently. It's good fun, though, if you like urban fantasy with a prominent romance plot. —Kelly Lasiter
Bone Magic
Bone Magic is the seventh book in Yasmine Galenorn's Otherworld (Sisters of the Moon) series. A self-described paranormal romance, Bone Magic continues to follow the adventures of the D'Artigo sisters as they fight the impending invasion of the normal world by the Underworld Demons. The sisters are part-Fae and have special powers that may enable them to save the world.
Galenorn knows her way around the paranormal romance genre and with her seventh Otherworldnovel, she is clearly hitting her stride. Camille, the protagonist of Bone Magic, is a pretty classic example of the paranormal heroine, except without the self-esteem issues (she knows that she's powerful and really good-looking) and without the conventional hang-ups. Galenorn writes with an almost brazen disregard for the moral dilemmas that weigh down a lot of paranormal female characters, and it’s refreshing. Camille and her sisters are not encumbered by any sexual or political ideology. They are loyal to friends and willing to right perceived wrongs, but having one, two, or three different lovers at the same time is simply accepted.
The story is interesting. Camille and her posse of lovers/husbands have a number of problems to deal with, including a new demon general, a summons to Otherworld, and a difficult choice that Camille’s dragon lover Smoky must make. Camille faces challenges both large and small, and some of them have really awful consequences. The fight scenes are fun, and Galenorn doesn’t let her cast breeze through them unscathed. That, too, sets the Otherworld series apart from some others in the subgenre. Galenorn has a talent for plotting.
That said, if you’re an urban fantasy fan, don't get your hopes up. Camille spends much of the book worrying about relationship issues; this and other common romance themes place Bone Magic squarely in the paranormal romance category. Just don't expect it to be something it's not, and you’ll find a pleasant romp through a well-built world, with plenty of steamy sex scenes. Bone Magic is a very good paranormal romance, but less satisfactory as an urban fantasy. —John Hulet
Indigo Court — (2010-2011) Publisher:
Eons ago, vampires tried to turn the Dark Fae in order to harness their magic, only to create a demonic enemy more powerful than they imagined. Now Myst, the Vampiric Fae Queen of the Indigo Court, has enough power to begin a long prophesied supernatural war. And Cicely Waters, a witch who can control the wind, may be the only one who can stop her — and save her beloved Fae prince from the Queen's enslavement.
Night Myst: Don't go in the woods!
Cicely Waters, 26 year-old black-clad, green-eyed, tight-abbed, tattooed, street-fighting witch, has been summoned back to her Cascadian hometown so she can use her powers to help solve the mystery of a witch's murder and some strange disappearances. Soon Cicely finds that things are worse than she could have imagined when she learns that the Indigo Court, an old race of vampiric fae, are planning to take control of both their vampire and fae ancestors. Cicely and her pals will have to make an uncomfortable alliance with the Crimson Court vampires to beat this even nastier foe.
I don't normally read contemporary urban fantasy, but I wanted to try Night Myst because it's been released on audio by Tantor Audio and I love their books. As usual, their production was beautiful and perfectly cast. Cassandra Campbell narrated Night Myst and she is completely convincing with all of her roles and has a wonderful range of voices that suit both the female and male characters. Her voice for Cicely isn't whiny and her male voices are strong and masculine-sounding (two places where I've heard plenty of female readers go wrong). I definitely recommend Tantor's audio version for anyone who wants to read Night Myst.
So, how did I, who am admittedly not a fan of this subgenre, like Night Myst? The bottom line is this: Night Myst kept me entertained for 11 hours, but I probably will not read the rest of the series. I'm now realizing more and more that it's me: I just don't much like this type of novel. However, I think Night Mystwill be appealing to those who do enjoy this subgenre.
The plot of this first book in the INDIGO COURT series is quick and interesting and, while it wraps up satisfactorily here (the characters accomplish much of what they set out to do), the real battle is just beginning and it promises to be intense. Cicely is a strong, likable heroine with a realistic voice and it's from her POV that we hear her story.
I hope her English teacher doesn't hear it, though, because s/he would almost certainly be dismayed at Cicely's overuse of words such as cerulean and sparkle (and all of its derivatives), tired expressions and clichés ("like a deer in the headlights") and some out-of-style slang and ugly vulgarity. I'm going to charitably forgive one ancient vampire for this bad simile and assume its construction was caused by extreme stress:
Listen to me. If the Indigo Court rises up, then you'll sympathize with us so fast and so hard that you'll beg me to turn you! They would eat you alive, like piranha going after a deer that's stumbled in the forest.
...or perhaps he's been alive so long that he's witnessed some sort of transitional missing link that the rest of us aren't aware of...
Okay, so the language in Night Myst is uninspiring — it's charmless and mundane. Even the parts that are supposed to be beautiful — descriptions of sparkly elementals, sparkly vampires, and sparkly snow — all feel gaudy, as if infused with purple neon and sequins like the pony toys my daughters play with. I also had some issues with all the heritage, powers, and magical gifts that Cicely suddenly and easily acquires.
Another big issue for me (and I recognize this as my problem) is that I just don't like vampires. Vampires "freak me out" (as Cicely would say) and sex scenes with them are more horrifying than arousing to me. I've tried to get over this little phobia, but I can't seem to.
Overall, Night Myst is likely to be a good read for those who like vampires, sparkles, and a strong kick-ass heroine. The audio version is a terrific production, so I recommend this format if you plan to read Night Myst. —Kat Hooper
Witchling
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