AURA #1
Publisher: Totally Bound
Pages: 225
Characters: Quinn/Valerian
POV: 3rd
Genre: Paranormal, Series
Blurb:
An unregistered, human con wizard and a duty-bound, straightlaced elf cop. As New York explodes with dangerous creatures, their passion goes nuclear.
After a terrible magical accident at Berkeley created unpredictable holes between realities—all manner of non-human creatures started popping into our world. These displacements, called RARE—Random Anomalous Reality Events—have taken magic out of fiction and relocated it firmly in reality, resulting in a great deal of chaos and confusion. Displaced elf Valerian works with AURA—the Agency of Unnatural Resettlement and Assimilation—to intercept these beings as they appear in the human world, helping the peaceful ones and subduing the violent, malevolent ones. It’s good, satisfying work, and Val would be happy if he wasn’t so lonely.
Quinten is a young mage just trying to get by, but New York isn’t the easiest city to make a living. If his methods are sometimes morally dubious, his heart is still in the right place. Of course for Quinn, the right place means firmly locked away, protected at all costs. Living by his wits and sometimes magically-induced luck, he works as a ‘free-lance magic user’, or unregistered mage and small time con—according to the authorities. The last thing Quinn wants is to draw the cops’ attention, but when an Event happens right on top of him, he’s forced to turn to AURA for help. Valerian isn’t at all what he’d expected in an AURA cop, and he certainly wasn’t expecting to join forces with the sexy elf, a snarky drow and a bitter incubus when certain individuals in power try to stop the RARE by any means necessary.
Things are not all what they seem at AURA headquarters, and a greater evil lurks at the top than anyone could have imagined.
Review
I loved this story and didn’t want to put it down. The combination of interesting flawed characters, fabulous worldbuilding, and an intriguing plot drew me in immediately. I’ve read both authors before but not co-writing together and will be reading the rest of the series, which has gone on my paperback list.
The set up is interesting with humans and supernaturals existing and working side by side within AURA. I liked Val and Quinn’s relationship, except they needed to actually talk to each other much sooner than they finally did. I like how they’re both outsiders, with Quinn downplaying his magic, and trying to move past his tragic past. I loved how Val has trouble trying to figure out the nuances of human speech and behaviour. I thought his reoccurring nightmares about his crossing over were realistic, as were his despair that he’d never find someone to fill the hole in his heart again. Their finally coming together with their HEA was sweet and well worth the read.
I also liked Kai, and his sweet relationship with his Yeti partner Tenzin. I liked Sin too, and the twist of being an incubus who has to deny his true nature in order to feed and survive. I loved how they all figured out Quinn and Val were together.
I loved how they all had to work together to take down the evil that is taking over their world, and the twist as to what that evil actually is. And that there are consequences for what has happened and not everyone survives.
The story was a page turning combination of romance, drama, angst, and action which fed in and out of the main plotline. The worldbuilding is detailed and obviously well thought out, especially in the differences between the two worlds.
More please.
5 out of 5 stars.
Drops of Ink 