21 June 2010

Review: Storm Born by Richelle Mead


Title: Storm Born
Author: Richelle Mead
Series: Dark Swan #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: August 1, 2008
Blurb:
Just typical. No love life to speak of for months, then all at once, every horny creature in the Otherworld wants to get in your pants...

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...


This book was months on my TBR pile, and this weekend I finally decided to read it. Richelle Mead is a very popular author, but I have to confess this is the first book I've read that's been written by her.

Eugenie is a strong character, very independent & an "hermit". She's also a powerful shaman, who learned everything she knows from her father.
Kiyo is a mystery since the beginning, and I have to say that the more I discovered about him, the less I liked him.
Dorian is a gentry king. I liked him since the first time he was introduced. He has a sense of humour, he's manipulative, clever, but at the same time you know you can count on him. I loved seeing he's relationship with Eugenie develop.

The book got me hooked since the first page, where Eugenie has to fight a spirit that's inside a shoe. I liked how part of the story was set in our world and the other part in the Otherworld. Eugenie's three spirits gave the book a touch of humour while they also provided important information to the lead character.
The Otherworld was a very interesting setting and I liked seeing how different it was from our world from Eugenie's eyes.

This is a great urban fantasy book, with a powerful lead character, a strong plot, a love triangle and enough twists in the story to keep you turning pages non-stop.


Memorable Lines:

Dorian's eyes flicked back to me. "Did you have any idea what a creature of nightmare you are around here? Mothers tell their children Odile Dark Swan will come for them if they're bad."
"Hey, I don't seek them out. I only come for them if they come for me first."
"Interesting," he said, arching an eyebrow. "But if that's how you like it, so be it. I always admire women who know what they want in the bedroom."



Next Book:
Thorn Queen - Dark Swan #2

Rating:

7 comments:

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

I enjoyed this one too! I actually read this one after Vampire Academy! Now I have to wait until January for her next book in the series where Richelle said some BIG things are going to happen! Can't wait!

Great review!

Anonymous said...

I really enjoyed this book, and it's sequel (Thorn Queen) ... it really is an excellent Urban Fantasy series, one of the best I've read as well :) I also went off Kiyo the more I read about him (and believe me, he gets even less appealing in the sequel :o). Team Dorian :)

j said...

I have been curious about the rest of Mead's books, since I love the VA series. This one one sounds like a fun fantasy read! Thanks for the reivew!

Liz @ Cleverly Inked said...

Sounds good. Fab review

Your blog is very cute and unique. I am always looking for those types of blogs. Happy Reading :)

Nat said...

OOOOHHH!! I was so excited to see that you read this book! I love Richelle Mead and have read her Vampire Academy series (which is outstanding) and her Georgina Kincaid series (which is OK) but haven't read this series yet. I'm so glad you liked it and I'll be buying it soon!
Here from the CEP!

Unknown said...

I loved the title. Eugenie and Dorian's characters seem pretty likable and the plot sounds interesting as well. I want to read this already.

Eden said...

Richelle Mead is one of my favorite authors and this is the only series of hers I haven't read so I'm going to get right on it.