Aislinn lives on our earth, but you wouldn’t recognise it if it weren’t for the place names. Lemurians, tall lizard-like creatures who hide behind an illusion of humanity have taken over our world. They sorted out which humans had magic and got rid of the others by luring them into a vortex. Those who remain must fight for the Lemurians against the dark gods that appeared when they took over. Aislinn is one of the ones that fights, and when her Lemurian bosses discover that she has more magic than the normal human they invite her to their realm. On the way, she meets Rune, a wolf who convinces her that she has hunter magic as well as that of a seer, a seeker and a healer – a rare combination – and Fionn, a rather gorgeous hunk of man who turns out to be a Celtic god. Sparks fly and together they confirm her suspicions that the Lemurians are not the benign ones they would have the humans believe. With the old Celtic gods on their side, can the humans free the earth from the Lemurians and the dark gods ?
This is a well-written, tightly edited novel in true urban fantasy style. Aislinn is the typical gutsy heroine from a tortured past who has the obligatory hot sex with the handsome love interest between battles with dark forces. But although it has all the elements required by the genre, this book is never derivative. The combination of science fiction elements with Celtic mythology makes this a truly unique story, and though some aspects were hard to imagine, for example a dragon having sex with a Minotaur, it didn’t detract from the ride.
The author paces the action well, with suitable breathing spaces for characters to grow and relationships to form. The characters are complex, easy to relate to and don’t necessarily behave as you’d expect; the dragon is a good example of a relationship with unexpected developments. The Celtic gods are as delightful as their speech patterns.
The prose is immediate and engaging and draws the reader into the action from page one. The end is a bit of a cliffhanger, but it’s well enough done that I wasn’t left screaming in frustration as I do with most cliffhangers; perhaps this is because I trust the characters to get themselves sorted out in the next book.
In a nutshell, Earth’s Requiem an excellent example of contemporary fantasy with science fiction elements. I recommend it for all fans of urban fantasy and any other fantasy fans who like a bit of heat in their romance.
5 stars.
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Review by Tahlia Newland. Read more of her reviews on Tahlia Newland, real magic. You can also join her on Facebook , Twitter , Google+ or Linkedin.
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