Book: Nightshades
Author: Melissa F. Olson
Published: 19th July 2016
Publisher: Tor
Pages: 176
Source: eArc provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Source: eArc provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Coming into this book, I wasn't really sure what to expect - the only thing I knew was that there were vampire-type creatures, that weren't your usual vampires thank god.
The book follows the events after a series of people have gone missing, and federal agents have been murdered. The BPI (Bureau of Paranormal Investigations) are tasked with apprehending the culprits. The main protagonist, Alex McKenna is tasked with investigating the crimes and apprehending the culprits. McKenna is new on the scene and has a severely limited amount of time to solve the murders and make sense of the shade-related killings. The shades are 'vampire-esque' creatures, except way more violent and creepy than you're likely to encounter in your usual ~twilight~ era novel.
This all leads to McKenna tracking down Rosalind 'Lindy' Frederick - a shade trying to maintain a low profile - who works the night shift as a translator in an office.
To start with, the premise was intriguing and I appreciated the unique take on vampires (no sparkles here, guys). The opening is suitably engaging and the creatures are mysterious and intriguing; there is a real draw to continue reading & not put the book down.
The characters are likable and make for an unusual pairing, and I appreciated the gender balance. Alex is smart, determined and a relatively level-headed character. Lindy is quick-thinking, calculating and altogether bad-ass. She recognises the weaknesses of her own race (they are predators but they need prey to survive) and tries to perfect her human appearance by copying the behaviour of her co-workers. I thought her actions were really interesting and definitely showed a lot of tact (what can I say, I prefer a smart female protagonist).
After McKenna's offer of working together, she's understandably apprehensive - I mean, if she agrees to help it's basically like signing her own death warrant - there's a vampire hierarchy, you know, and shit will go down if you try to make waves. I really enjoyed their pairing - they make a good team and the balance is just right; there's a little light romance but nothing too overpowering.
The pacing is reasonably good, however due to the length (this is essentially a novella) the characters are introduced fairly quickly (cutting costs on characterisation and background), and we are plunged straight into the main story-line/action, which can make the plot feel slightly rushed or incomplete.
Ultimately, this is a relatively enjoyable read (although would have benefited from being a full-length novel). The characters are endearing and intriguing, but their background, motivations and development are sacrificed to make way for the main action, making it slightly difficult to become invested in the outcome.
The book follows the events after a series of people have gone missing, and federal agents have been murdered. The BPI (Bureau of Paranormal Investigations) are tasked with apprehending the culprits. The main protagonist, Alex McKenna is tasked with investigating the crimes and apprehending the culprits. McKenna is new on the scene and has a severely limited amount of time to solve the murders and make sense of the shade-related killings. The shades are 'vampire-esque' creatures, except way more violent and creepy than you're likely to encounter in your usual ~twilight~ era novel.
This all leads to McKenna tracking down Rosalind 'Lindy' Frederick - a shade trying to maintain a low profile - who works the night shift as a translator in an office.
To start with, the premise was intriguing and I appreciated the unique take on vampires (no sparkles here, guys). The opening is suitably engaging and the creatures are mysterious and intriguing; there is a real draw to continue reading & not put the book down.
The characters are likable and make for an unusual pairing, and I appreciated the gender balance. Alex is smart, determined and a relatively level-headed character. Lindy is quick-thinking, calculating and altogether bad-ass. She recognises the weaknesses of her own race (they are predators but they need prey to survive) and tries to perfect her human appearance by copying the behaviour of her co-workers. I thought her actions were really interesting and definitely showed a lot of tact (what can I say, I prefer a smart female protagonist).
After McKenna's offer of working together, she's understandably apprehensive - I mean, if she agrees to help it's basically like signing her own death warrant - there's a vampire hierarchy, you know, and shit will go down if you try to make waves. I really enjoyed their pairing - they make a good team and the balance is just right; there's a little light romance but nothing too overpowering.
The pacing is reasonably good, however due to the length (this is essentially a novella) the characters are introduced fairly quickly (cutting costs on characterisation and background), and we are plunged straight into the main story-line/action, which can make the plot feel slightly rushed or incomplete.
Ultimately, this is a relatively enjoyable read (although would have benefited from being a full-length novel). The characters are endearing and intriguing, but their background, motivations and development are sacrificed to make way for the main action, making it slightly difficult to become invested in the outcome.
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