Winter Rising by
Richard Amos My rating:
5 of 5 stars This book was weirdly wonderful and I can't wait for Book 2!
Jake Winter is a man who has lost everything; his husband had been murdered and the killer had gotten away. The only 'good' thing that came from it was that Jake got clean, kicked his heroin addiction, stopped smoking and drinking, and started getting into shape. He had a killer to kill and a husband to avenge. On the one year anniversary of his husband's death Jake confronted the 'white eyed' bastard who'd destroyed his life. And had his entire existence turned upside down and inside out.
A deadly game of Cat and Mouse (with Jake the unwitting mouse) leads our hero to Coldharbour, a town shrouded from the rest of the world by magic, sealed by a curse and supposedly inaccessible. And yet the White-Eyed bastard had led him straight into the town through a crack in the magic, and then saved his life. Why would he do then when he'd robbed Jake of everything precious to him? And why the hell was he calling Jake a 'gift' and a 'weapon'?
Coldharbour is a place where evil entities known as 'beast' have broken through from their own realm. It is a town of goblins, trolls, werewolves, vampires, witches and fae (or half fae). It is a place where Jake can tip the balance and save the world from Beast if he can learn how to harness the power within him. Along with his four chosen guardians, Jake battles the Beast on the streets of Coldharbour, hoping to end the war before it bleeds into the rest of the world. Oh yeah, and in between all that Jake really needs to figure out why he turns into a complete idiot around his hot, half-fae guardian.
But what does the White-Eyed bastard want with him and why does he keep saving Jake?
This book was a spine tingler from start to finish. I admit, I was a little leery at first, it was a bit hodge podge and didn't really make sense until a few chapters in. I'm probably dating myself here but it reminded me of that animated fantasy movie, Heavy Metal, the one that jumped from scene to scene with no discernible connection - at first. But by the end you were like 'aha! I get it, I see the connection!' The writing was slick and sharp and full of vibrancy. I found myself sucked into the story, not wanting to put the book down even when I knew I should. The world building Richard does is impressive and seamless. He sets up his reality and makes it plausible. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for the sequel!.
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