The first in an all-new futuristic fantasy series from Keri Arthur—the New York Times bestselling author of the Souls of Fire novels.
When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes in the veil between this world and the next, they allowed entry to the Others—demons, wraiths, and death spirits who turned the shadows into their hunting grounds. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the darkness at bay….
As a déchet—a breed of humanoid super-soldiers almost eradicated by the war—Tiger has spent her life in hiding. But when she risks her life to save a little girl on the outskirts of Central City, she discovers that the child is one of many abducted in broad daylight by a wraith-like being—an impossibility with dangerous implications for everyone on earth.
Because if the light is no longer enough to protect them, nowhere is safe…
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City of Light
by Keri Arthur
Series
Outcast #1
Genre
Urban Fantasy
Paranormal Romance
Publisher
Signet (Imprint of Penguin Group)
Publication Date
January 5, 2016
Amazing and Fascinating. Just two words I would use to describe this brand new series by an author that writes urban fantasy like it’s second nature for her. Anytime I can get in on the ground floor of a new series by an author like this, I am in! I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The world building this time around is the best part of this book. It’s not an info dump, it just is there as part of this new world the author has created. It’s futuristic, although no date is mentioned. It’s a hundred years after a war between the shifters and humans. The shifters won and erradicated the entire army of dechet’s(humanoids) that had been produced by humans to bolster their ranks against the shifters. All except one. Dechet are produced in a test tube, and are bred to be soldiers, spies, seductress’s to be able to spy, and the list goes on. The elite of the shifters and some humans live in a city that is surrounded by a fence that vampires can’t breach. The city takes up the drawbridge at dusk every night and the city lives under bright lights to further discourage the vampires. These vampires are feelingless monsters, ones that reek of blood and death. The criminals or poor, live in a smaller complex outside the city. And a bit farther from that, a former compound of dechet’s lays vacant and partially ruined. That’s where one dechet has made her home since the war unbeknownst to anyone else.
Tiger(named for her white tiger blood) is a dechet that was bred to be a spy and seductress. She is known as a lurer and she looks and acts human. She is one of the few(the lurers) that was given feelings. She is surrounded by the ghosts of the child dechets that lived in the complex at the time it was gassed and all were killed. As a lurer, she was bred to be able to withstand all poisons. Two of my favorite characters, besides Tiger, were two child ghosts that follow Tiger wherever she goes-Cat, a seven year old, and Bear, an adolescent. They are pretty much just small bundles of energy, but they are able to help Tiger in many ways.
I am not going to go that much farther into the story. Suffice it to say that it’s unusual and like nothing I have ever read before. There’s a mystery involving children of the city going missing, as well as action and magic at every turn. Tiger gets pulled into all the magic and intrigue and it made for a page turner fest for me. It’s definitely an adult read due to sexual scenes and violence. It was fascinating and I absolutely loved the whole thing. Must Read for urban fantasy lovers!
The review copy of this title was supplied by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
About Keri Arthur
Keri Arthur, author of the New York Times bestselling Riley Jenson Guardian series, has now written more than thirty-three novels. She’s received several nominations in the Best Contemporary Paranormal category of the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Awards and has won RT’s Career Achievement Award for urban fantasy. She lives with her daughter in Melbourne, Australia.
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I’m a fan of KArthur’s but have gotten behind in her series. (of course!) The world building in City of Light sounds incredible, Lorna, as well as the character development. And so unique! I’m happy you enjoyed it and I’ll look forward to diving into this world – hopefully sooner than later. 😉
I hope you do try it Brandee. I loved the whole thing-I hope the next installments are just as good. Fingers crossed!