Scribal Goddess

Title: Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between
Author: J.A. Saare
Series: #1 of Rhiannon's Law
Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
Age restriction? Yes. One explicit sex scene
Published: 30 April 2011
Recommended for: Fans of Urban Fantasy, fans of snarky main characters, vamp lovers and those who just enjoy a great story
Buy: Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between @ Amazon

Excellent read with a strong plot structure and incredible characters. Highly recommended.

DESCRIPTION: One bad corpse can ruin your whole day.

No one knows that better than Rhiannon Murphy.

She left behind the flash and sass of Miami for the no-nonsense groove of New York City, eager for a clean slate and a fresh start. A bartender by trade, a loud mouth by choice, and a necromancer by chance; she managed to keep her nifty talent hidden from those around her—until now. ...more

REVIEW: I liked this book WAY more than I thought I would. At first I was like: girl with special powers, check. Sexay Vampire Dood Love Interest, check. Badass badmouthin' attitude-slinging asskicking heroine, check. However, I was very soon surprised with how much depth the author managed to put into the characters and their interactions. She took familiar tropes and went above and beyond to make them personal and fresh.

The plot is well structured, although I found that there were awkward moments. One of them is the way in which Rhiannon reveals the abusive past she'd been hinting at from the first chapter. I was seriously like OKAY WHUT?, not at what she revealed (heart-breaking stuff) but at the how of it. Clumsy plotting, the kind of thing a good editor would have picked up on.

Another thing that slightly vexed me was that there were two or three scenes (one chapter) that were completely unnecessary. This is something I'm particularly sensitive too, since it's a huge flaw and struggle for me in my own writing as well (I either over-compensate by making it All Action All the Time or I'm left with chapters and chapters describing mundane, unimportant crap, so I really have a lot of sympathy with this flaw). 

Other than these two minor things, I was ALL OVER this book. Unlike many people, I wasn't upset with the "cliffhanger" ending at all. The plot arc for this book was done, it was just a teaser introduction to the next book's premise. 

However, the best part of the book for me? The "romance" aspect did not dominate the plot at all. I found that SO refreshing and incredibly satisfying and I simply can. not. wait for The Renfield Virus - out in AUGUST!  

Who would like this book: Older teens, fans of any form of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance.