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dhilderbrand's review against another edition
3.0
Fun read. Great world. Characters really developed
chllybrd's review against another edition
4.0
What a ride! If you have read Kristen's House of Comarré series you are somewhat familiar with the world of The Crescent City series already. In fact Chrysabelle actually makes a small appearance in HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN. It took me a little bit to get into the story but by the end I was fully invested and ready for book 2 to start.
The main person I had a hard time loving was Harlow. Her reasoning for despising her mother and alienating herself were pretty selfish. I understand the underlying want to know the answers to her questions but her mother didn't seem like the type of person to withhold information out of spite and I felt she needed to get over herself a little and be more understanding. I also had a hard time with her reaction towards her mothers death and the inheritance she was left with. Because of this It took me a while to like Harlow and when she finally got her answers I was glad to see my instincts about her mother were right.
I had no issues enjoying Augustine. We first met him in The House of Comarré series but we really get to know him in HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN. He is very loyal to his friends and family but also a playboy. I liked his sense of justice and the way he carried himself with pretty much every step of the book. The relationship between Harlow and Augustine isn't an easy one. There is a lot of feelings between the two but with that came a lot of head butting, and denial. I am very interested to see how there relationship (whether romantic *fingers crossed* or friendship) grows in book 2.
New Orleans is always a great city to base a paranormal storyline in. Painter did a great job building her world and characters to fit right in. I would recommend Painters new series to anyone who has enjoyed her writing in the past or looking for an intriguing read in the future.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The main person I had a hard time loving was Harlow. Her reasoning for despising her mother and alienating herself were pretty selfish. I understand the underlying want to know the answers to her questions but her mother didn't seem like the type of person to withhold information out of spite and I felt she needed to get over herself a little and be more understanding. I also had a hard time with her reaction towards her mothers death and the inheritance she was left with. Because of this It took me a while to like Harlow and when she finally got her answers I was glad to see my instincts about her mother were right.
I had no issues enjoying Augustine. We first met him in The House of Comarré series but we really get to know him in HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN. He is very loyal to his friends and family but also a playboy. I liked his sense of justice and the way he carried himself with pretty much every step of the book. The relationship between Harlow and Augustine isn't an easy one. There is a lot of feelings between the two but with that came a lot of head butting, and denial. I am very interested to see how there relationship (whether romantic *fingers crossed* or friendship) grows in book 2.
New Orleans is always a great city to base a paranormal storyline in. Painter did a great job building her world and characters to fit right in. I would recommend Painters new series to anyone who has enjoyed her writing in the past or looking for an intriguing read in the future.
* This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
bewoelkt_aber_heiter's review against another edition
3.0
3,5 von 5 Sternen:
Obwohl ich doch einige kleinere Probleme mit der Geschichte hatte, fühlte ich mich von Kristen Painters "House of the Rising Sun" trotzdem wahnsinnig gut unterhalten.
Der Schreibstil war angenehm flüssig. (Ist man Anfänger beim Lesen auf Englisch, ist es jedoch an einigen Stellen etwas anspruchsvoller, könnte ich mir vorstellen.)
Weltentwurf
Am meisten überzeugen konnte mich der Roman mit seinem interessanten Urban Fantasy-Worldbuilding. Painter siedelt ihre Geschichte in New Orleans an, einer sogenannten Haven City, in der übernatürliche Kreaturen, vor allem aber Feen Zuflucht finden können. Den Feen steht eine Art Rat names Elektos vor und ein Guardian beschützt die übernatürliche (Feen)Bevölkerung der Stadt. Vampire werden nicht geduldet und gelten als Feinde. So langsam werde ich mit Feen anscheinend warm, denn ich fand Augustine, Harlow und ihre Freunde klasse. Genauso überzeugt hat mich New Orleans als Setting der Geschichte. Painter schafft es, dass man sich mittendrin im bunten Gewimmel der Stadt wiederfindet und die Szenen sehr schön vor Augen hat.
Charaktere
Sowohl Augustine als auch Harlow sind Feen mit jeweils verschiedenen Fähigkeiten und beide haben eine recht schwere Vergangenheit hinter sich, bei der Probleme mit den Eltern eine entscheidende Rolle spielen. Zusammengebracht werden sie durch Harlows Mutter Olivia.
Beide Charaktere sind also mit Schicksalsschlägen gestraft und haben deshalb ganz bestimmte Eigenheiten entwickelt, die sie sehr greifbar machen. In beide konnte ich mich sehr gut hineinversetzen, denn die Geschichte wird vorrangig aus deren Perspektive erzählt.
Harlow ist jedoch leider nicht ganz die UF-Kick Ass-Heldin, die ich mir erhofft hatte. Sie verleugnet ihre Fähigkeiten, bis auf ihr Talent als Computergenie, und zieht sich schnell zurück. Auf den ersten 100 bis 200 Seiten kam ihr POV im Vergleich zu Augustins für mich etwas zu kurz, obwohl bei Augustine als erwähltem Guardian natürlich einiges mehr an spannungsreicher Handlung passiert ist.
Harlow wächst jedoch in kleinen Schritten immer wieder ein wenig über sich hinaus und war mir dadurch sehr nahe. Man kann ihre Probleme gut nachvollziehen und versteht sie. Ich erhoffe mir für die Folgebände ein wenig mehr Harlow-Action, denn die ist hier noch recht minimal: auf eine stärkere Involvierung in Augustines Ermittlungen als Guardian - und sei es in Form von coolen Nerd-Hacker-Szenen aus einer Computer-Kommandozentrale - wartete ich leider vergebens. (Aber vielleicht geht da auch meine Fantasie mit mir durch.)
Augustine fand ich hingegen von Anfang an interessant und ich kam doch ins Schwärmen. Er macht eine eindeutige Entwicklung vom sorglosen Playboy zum Verantwortungsträger und Beschützer durch. Sein Verhalten gegenüber Harlow ist oft zum Schmunzeln und doch sensibel, was ihn sympathisch gemacht hat.
Spannung
Insgesamt habe ich ein wenig mehr Kampf und Action von diesem Buch erwartet. Es geht zwar in Augustines Ermittlungen Schritt für Schritt voran, aber die Ereignisse überschlagen sich zu keiner Zeit und so kam kein richtiges Tempo in die Geschichte. Dazu trug natürlich bei, dass bei Harlow insgesamt weniger los war als bei Augustine.
Der Showdown fiel entsprechend ebenfalls etwas mau aus, obwohl er durchaus gut durchdacht und spannend war. Wieder hatte ich allerdings im Kontext des Genres ein wenig mehr Action erwartet.
Fazit
"House of the Rising Sun" hat mich mit seinen beiden lebendigen Hauptcharakteren und dem durchdachten und interessanten Weltentwurf sehr gut unterhalten, auch wenn es meinen Erwartungen in Sachen Action und Spannung nicht gerecht werden konnte. Ich hoffe, dass Harlow sich in den beiden Folgebänden der Trilogie noch um einiges weiterentwickeln und ein wenig mehr an der Action teilhaben wird, denn ich sehe noch einiges Potenzial in dieser Buchreihe und in Harlow als Figur im Speziellen.
Obwohl ich doch einige kleinere Probleme mit der Geschichte hatte, fühlte ich mich von Kristen Painters "House of the Rising Sun" trotzdem wahnsinnig gut unterhalten.
Der Schreibstil war angenehm flüssig. (Ist man Anfänger beim Lesen auf Englisch, ist es jedoch an einigen Stellen etwas anspruchsvoller, könnte ich mir vorstellen.)
Weltentwurf
Am meisten überzeugen konnte mich der Roman mit seinem interessanten Urban Fantasy-Worldbuilding. Painter siedelt ihre Geschichte in New Orleans an, einer sogenannten Haven City, in der übernatürliche Kreaturen, vor allem aber Feen Zuflucht finden können. Den Feen steht eine Art Rat names Elektos vor und ein Guardian beschützt die übernatürliche (Feen)Bevölkerung der Stadt. Vampire werden nicht geduldet und gelten als Feinde. So langsam werde ich mit Feen anscheinend warm, denn ich fand Augustine, Harlow und ihre Freunde klasse. Genauso überzeugt hat mich New Orleans als Setting der Geschichte. Painter schafft es, dass man sich mittendrin im bunten Gewimmel der Stadt wiederfindet und die Szenen sehr schön vor Augen hat.
Charaktere
Sowohl Augustine als auch Harlow sind Feen mit jeweils verschiedenen Fähigkeiten und beide haben eine recht schwere Vergangenheit hinter sich, bei der Probleme mit den Eltern eine entscheidende Rolle spielen. Zusammengebracht werden sie durch Harlows Mutter Olivia.
Beide Charaktere sind also mit Schicksalsschlägen gestraft und haben deshalb ganz bestimmte Eigenheiten entwickelt, die sie sehr greifbar machen. In beide konnte ich mich sehr gut hineinversetzen, denn die Geschichte wird vorrangig aus deren Perspektive erzählt.
Harlow ist jedoch leider nicht ganz die UF-Kick Ass-Heldin, die ich mir erhofft hatte. Sie verleugnet ihre Fähigkeiten, bis auf ihr Talent als Computergenie, und zieht sich schnell zurück. Auf den ersten 100 bis 200 Seiten kam ihr POV im Vergleich zu Augustins für mich etwas zu kurz, obwohl bei Augustine als erwähltem Guardian natürlich einiges mehr an spannungsreicher Handlung passiert ist.
Harlow wächst jedoch in kleinen Schritten immer wieder ein wenig über sich hinaus und war mir dadurch sehr nahe. Man kann ihre Probleme gut nachvollziehen und versteht sie. Ich erhoffe mir für die Folgebände ein wenig mehr Harlow-Action, denn die ist hier noch recht minimal: auf eine stärkere Involvierung in Augustines Ermittlungen als Guardian - und sei es in Form von coolen Nerd-Hacker-Szenen aus einer Computer-Kommandozentrale - wartete ich leider vergebens. (Aber vielleicht geht da auch meine Fantasie mit mir durch.)
Augustine fand ich hingegen von Anfang an interessant und ich kam doch ins Schwärmen. Er macht eine eindeutige Entwicklung vom sorglosen Playboy zum Verantwortungsträger und Beschützer durch. Sein Verhalten gegenüber Harlow ist oft zum Schmunzeln und doch sensibel, was ihn sympathisch gemacht hat.
Spannung
Insgesamt habe ich ein wenig mehr Kampf und Action von diesem Buch erwartet. Es geht zwar in Augustines Ermittlungen Schritt für Schritt voran, aber die Ereignisse überschlagen sich zu keiner Zeit und so kam kein richtiges Tempo in die Geschichte. Dazu trug natürlich bei, dass bei Harlow insgesamt weniger los war als bei Augustine.
Der Showdown fiel entsprechend ebenfalls etwas mau aus, obwohl er durchaus gut durchdacht und spannend war. Wieder hatte ich allerdings im Kontext des Genres ein wenig mehr Action erwartet.
Fazit
"House of the Rising Sun" hat mich mit seinen beiden lebendigen Hauptcharakteren und dem durchdachten und interessanten Weltentwurf sehr gut unterhalten, auch wenn es meinen Erwartungen in Sachen Action und Spannung nicht gerecht werden konnte. Ich hoffe, dass Harlow sich in den beiden Folgebänden der Trilogie noch um einiges weiterentwickeln und ein wenig mehr an der Action teilhaben wird, denn ich sehe noch einiges Potenzial in dieser Buchreihe und in Harlow als Figur im Speziellen.
duskvamp's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I like that there is some overlap with the characters from another of her series
bookish_babe's review against another edition
4.0
House of the Rising Sun was slow to start but was definitely a satisfying read. I really enjoyed the world-building. There was good attention to detail that kept me interested and the plot was well thought out though I did find a few hiccups here and there that made me wonder. I found the character development to be pretty solid. Each character had a strong and distinguished voice though I had a difficult time relating to Harlow because overall she seemed pretty self-absorbed. She did grow on me as the story progressed but not enough to really make me love her a strong heroine.
Augustine was great though! I think he somehow earned favorite character in the book status for me. He is strong, capable, heroic, and has subtle vulnerabilities that make him more ‘human.’ He really was what captivated my attention most in the story. I think though that we’re being lead into a Harlow and Augustine relationship in the future and I’m not sure how I feel about that. He just seems so great and she seems well, like a brat.
Who knows though, perhaps she will grow on us more as the series progresses.
All in all the story was unique and enjoyable. Like a said, there were a few plot hiccups, primarily in the timeline but nothing that truly detracted from the story. I think this was a great go at a new series and am looking forward to book 2.
Augustine was great though! I think he somehow earned favorite character in the book status for me. He is strong, capable, heroic, and has subtle vulnerabilities that make him more ‘human.’ He really was what captivated my attention most in the story. I think though that we’re being lead into a Harlow and Augustine relationship in the future and I’m not sure how I feel about that. He just seems so great and she seems well, like a brat.
Who knows though, perhaps she will grow on us more as the series progresses.
All in all the story was unique and enjoyable. Like a said, there were a few plot hiccups, primarily in the timeline but nothing that truly detracted from the story. I think this was a great go at a new series and am looking forward to book 2.
pixi_reads's review against another edition
4.0
It's over? No it can't be. I must get the next book of the series....
booklovinmamas's review against another edition
4.0
Review also posted on Book Lovin' Mamas
House of the Rising Sun is the first of Kristen Painter’s new Crescent City series and was one book I had a hard time putting down. If you’ve read her House of Comarré series, you will definitely enjoy this series…especially since Augustine is in it.
Kristen Painter does a spectacular job on the first book to the series with her intricate world-building, exciting storyline, and very lovable characters (especially Augustine, Lally, & Dulcinea). From the first page to the last page, I was thrown into the world of Fae, vampires, and witches in New Orleans with the characters that Kristen created. (One of my favorite cities to visit) If there is absolutely one thing that I adored about this book is how Kristen described in detail the city and surroundings the characters were in. It felt just like I was there in the story with the characters and Kristen described perfectly how NOLA is. (I’ve been there several times and this book just made me want to go back again).
Kristen Painter writes in third person point of view with several characters telling the story…my favorite was being inside of Auggie’s head. He was an interesting character to lear more about, especially with what kind of fae he is. He has a big responsibility in House of the Rising Sun, but that is due to what happened to his beloved, Olivia (who was a 2nd mother…or should I say real and first mother to him). He is forced to take a job that he doesn’t want, but he does it a spectacular job on taking the role seriously, and figuring out what is going on in NOLA.
The other character who gets a lot of exposure in the story is Harlow. I didn’t like her character at first due to her not wanting to be what she was and being whiney all the time it seemed. She was all about herself in the beginning, but something happened to get her to change. Here’s one thing I adored about her…she is a hacker. Oh yes…I love when authors throw in computer techy stuff in stories because I’m a computer geek and it’s the job field I work in. Kristen did an amazing job on explaining what Harlow does. I look forward to finding out more about her abilities and how she handles a certain situation that came to light in this book. (The poor girl went through a lot in this book…and she finally accepted she needed help.)
The supporting characters in the story definitely were entertaining as well. Lally, the human in the story is such a doll and I look forward to more of her later on. Dulcinea is another character I adored because of how she handled certain situations. She was really funny, especially when she was around Auggie and how she would stop everything to hang out with him. I would to with Auggie.
Overall, I enjoyed this book tremendously and look forward to the next installment. I didn’t want to give away any of the storyline because believe me you will want to read this book to find it out for yourself. =) No spoilers from me.
I give this book 4.5 moons and highly recommend it to urban fantasy readers out there and fans of Kristen Painter’s House of Comarré series.
You do not want to miss out on this new series about the supernaturals that inhabit NOLA. If you ever get a chance to visit NOLA, you will definitely need to visit all the historic sites and hang out at Bourbon St. The people of NOLA are amazing to hang out with and the city is great to explore day and night.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
House of the Rising Sun is the first of Kristen Painter’s new Crescent City series and was one book I had a hard time putting down. If you’ve read her House of Comarré series, you will definitely enjoy this series…especially since Augustine is in it.
Kristen Painter does a spectacular job on the first book to the series with her intricate world-building, exciting storyline, and very lovable characters (especially Augustine, Lally, & Dulcinea). From the first page to the last page, I was thrown into the world of Fae, vampires, and witches in New Orleans with the characters that Kristen created. (One of my favorite cities to visit) If there is absolutely one thing that I adored about this book is how Kristen described in detail the city and surroundings the characters were in. It felt just like I was there in the story with the characters and Kristen described perfectly how NOLA is. (I’ve been there several times and this book just made me want to go back again).
Kristen Painter writes in third person point of view with several characters telling the story…my favorite was being inside of Auggie’s head. He was an interesting character to lear more about, especially with what kind of fae he is. He has a big responsibility in House of the Rising Sun, but that is due to what happened to his beloved, Olivia (who was a 2nd mother…or should I say real and first mother to him). He is forced to take a job that he doesn’t want, but he does it a spectacular job on taking the role seriously, and figuring out what is going on in NOLA.
The other character who gets a lot of exposure in the story is Harlow. I didn’t like her character at first due to her not wanting to be what she was and being whiney all the time it seemed. She was all about herself in the beginning, but something happened to get her to change. Here’s one thing I adored about her…she is a hacker. Oh yes…I love when authors throw in computer techy stuff in stories because I’m a computer geek and it’s the job field I work in. Kristen did an amazing job on explaining what Harlow does. I look forward to finding out more about her abilities and how she handles a certain situation that came to light in this book. (The poor girl went through a lot in this book…and she finally accepted she needed help.)
The supporting characters in the story definitely were entertaining as well. Lally, the human in the story is such a doll and I look forward to more of her later on. Dulcinea is another character I adored because of how she handled certain situations. She was really funny, especially when she was around Auggie and how she would stop everything to hang out with him. I would to with Auggie.
Overall, I enjoyed this book tremendously and look forward to the next installment. I didn’t want to give away any of the storyline because believe me you will want to read this book to find it out for yourself. =) No spoilers from me.
I give this book 4.5 moons and highly recommend it to urban fantasy readers out there and fans of Kristen Painter’s House of Comarré series.
You do not want to miss out on this new series about the supernaturals that inhabit NOLA. If you ever get a chance to visit NOLA, you will definitely need to visit all the historic sites and hang out at Bourbon St. The people of NOLA are amazing to hang out with and the city is great to explore day and night.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
gems_31's review against another edition
4.0
SO, the book didn't end where I thought it would. There are still lots of unanswered questions, which I think will be dealt with in the next book. Overall, this is a book that makes me remember what I love about good Urban Fantasy. Engaging characters, intresting premise and a real page turning plot.
Full review to follow
Full review to follow
leelah's review against another edition
1.0
DNF at 75%.
Ok, I decided to leave this book at 75% mark, but I hated it since 15% mark. If I manage to read half of a book, I tend to stick to it to end, even if I know I wouldn't like it, so can you imagine how annoyed I was if I left it then?
I never read Painter before, but urban fantasy is one of my favorite genres and this story is set in New Orleans. Hell, the setting was my main hook.
So, our hero Augustine was ok, if rather generic lady-man character (we are in Nola, of course there has to be Gambit character). You know the type.. he sleeps with women, but he doesn't feel anything for them and they leave him empty and he forgets them after... I am so tired of this. Why can't a guy enjoy company of ladies and various night stands and then meet a girl who rocks his world? You don't have to slum other girls to make me see how heroine is unique (hint: she is the one because she is different then other girls. Yawn.).
Which brings me to heroine and my main reason for dnf'ing. I couldn't stand her. Author decided to make her a nerdy and recluse,so she is great with computers and yet she can't seem to find the most basic information. And I hated her voice. Author didn't so anything to show us she is geeky, she just said it is and you have to create a picture in your head with every stereotypical thing attached to it. Her mother is a famous actress and they don't have a good relationship because her mother refused to tell her anything about her father. So, we are spending a lot of page time with her dwelling how hurt she is because that left a huge hole in her, and she must know who he is... And yet, all she do is alienating her mother- she refuses to stay in touch with her- because... a way to fulfill that huge gap lack of your father left in your life is to throw your mother out of your life, too. -__-
It's ridiculous. Her need to know who her father was so overplayed and to make it her entire purpose to do anything was just not working for me. Every time she was in a scene I was annoyed I had to leave it.
audiobookmel's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars for story
3.5 stars for narration
3.5 stars overall
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
This book was on my list as soon as I saw it. I read Kristen Painter's House of Comarre series in its entirety last year and loved it. When I saw it was going be on audio, I thought "Score!".
This book is a slight spinoff of the House of Comarre series. It is set in the same New Orleans with the same world. If you haven't read that series, don't fret, you won't be lost in the slightest. There is some character overlap, but no so much that you will miss anything. While I recommend trying the House of Comarre series, I don't think it matters if you read this first, so jump on in.
This series focuses more on the fae world, instead of the vampires. There are many different kinds of fae and they are out in the open, so humans are aware of them. Not all of the fae are able to blend in with humans, but some more than others. Our man character, Augustine, really can't blend. He has six fingers on each hand (not to be confused with the man who kills Inigo Montoya's father) and horns which he takes to sawing off most of the time (though it seems his hide better than Hellboy's). Others might only have a difference in skin, eye or hair color that don't work well in humans.
The world building that Painter has done is great, as I expected. She gives great detail without going overboard. You know exactly what you have to know, without too many details bogging down the story. You really get the feel of New Orleans, which makes me really want to visit.
The characters are great and flaud. Augustine's mother berates him throughout his entire childhood, as if it were his fault she got pregnant from a fae. He is eventually taken in by a fae movie star named Olivia, who has a small part in the HoC series. She becomes a mother figure to him. Olivia uses him as somewhat of a surrogate child, Harlow, who wants nothing to do with her. Harlow is not a happy person. She doesn't like being fae. She believes that she is only half fae, and that her father is human. She doesn't know because her mother won't talk about him at all. This is the strain between mother and daughter.
Augustine takes on the duty to help protect the city from some rogue vampires who are going around and killing not only the fae, but tourists as well. He pulls together a great ragtag team to help him run the vampires out of town, including other fae, the previous Guardian's widow and even the full human housekeeper plays a roll. One of my favorite characters is Dulcinea, who is a very close friend and former short term lover of Augustine. She was just a great character who I think will have a great story to tell. I hope we get to hear more about her going forward. I think she will make a great sidekick.
While I loved the story, plot, worldbuilding and most of the characters, Harlow really brings the book down. She is just such a brat it is hard to look past all her flaws and selfishness. We do see her grow in the story as she learns more about her family and past. Augustine is such a caring character, makes up for many of her flaws. I just don't see what he sees in her. He seems to care more for everyone than himself. I just hope this pairing doesn't bite him on the ass.
Narration
While I don't think it was great, I don't think it detracts from the story. The flow and character voices are fine and you can differentiate each character great. My biggest complaint is that the narrator seemed to force the Cajun and Southern accents on the characters. The voices just didn't go with what I was picturing in my head for some the characters. They were almost so stereotypical that it was a little bit of a turnoff. I'm normally an accent junkie. I love listening to accents when they are done well and not that these accents were bad, they just didn't fit for some reason. As I got more into the story, it didn't bother as much as it did in the beginning. I will continue to listen to the series going forward, if they keep this narrator.
I like to thank Hachette Audio for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars for narration
3.5 stars overall
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
This book was on my list as soon as I saw it. I read Kristen Painter's House of Comarre series in its entirety last year and loved it. When I saw it was going be on audio, I thought "Score!".
This book is a slight spinoff of the House of Comarre series. It is set in the same New Orleans with the same world. If you haven't read that series, don't fret, you won't be lost in the slightest. There is some character overlap, but no so much that you will miss anything. While I recommend trying the House of Comarre series, I don't think it matters if you read this first, so jump on in.
This series focuses more on the fae world, instead of the vampires. There are many different kinds of fae and they are out in the open, so humans are aware of them. Not all of the fae are able to blend in with humans, but some more than others. Our man character, Augustine, really can't blend. He has six fingers on each hand (not to be confused with the man who kills Inigo Montoya's father) and horns which he takes to sawing off most of the time (though it seems his hide better than Hellboy's). Others might only have a difference in skin, eye or hair color that don't work well in humans.
The world building that Painter has done is great, as I expected. She gives great detail without going overboard. You know exactly what you have to know, without too many details bogging down the story. You really get the feel of New Orleans, which makes me really want to visit.
The characters are great and flaud. Augustine's mother berates him throughout his entire childhood, as if it were his fault she got pregnant from a fae. He is eventually taken in by a fae movie star named Olivia, who has a small part in the HoC series. She becomes a mother figure to him. Olivia uses him as somewhat of a surrogate child, Harlow, who wants nothing to do with her. Harlow is not a happy person. She doesn't like being fae. She believes that she is only half fae, and that her father is human. She doesn't know because her mother won't talk about him at all. This is the strain between mother and daughter.
Augustine takes on the duty to help protect the city from some rogue vampires who are going around and killing not only the fae, but tourists as well. He pulls together a great ragtag team to help him run the vampires out of town, including other fae, the previous Guardian's widow and even the full human housekeeper plays a roll. One of my favorite characters is Dulcinea, who is a very close friend and former short term lover of Augustine. She was just a great character who I think will have a great story to tell. I hope we get to hear more about her going forward. I think she will make a great sidekick.
While I loved the story, plot, worldbuilding and most of the characters, Harlow really brings the book down. She is just such a brat it is hard to look past all her flaws and selfishness. We do see her grow in the story as she learns more about her family and past. Augustine is such a caring character, makes up for many of her flaws. I just don't see what he sees in her. He seems to care more for everyone than himself. I just hope this pairing doesn't bite him on the ass.
Narration
While I don't think it was great, I don't think it detracts from the story. The flow and character voices are fine and you can differentiate each character great. My biggest complaint is that the narrator seemed to force the Cajun and Southern accents on the characters. The voices just didn't go with what I was picturing in my head for some the characters. They were almost so stereotypical that it was a little bit of a turnoff. I'm normally an accent junkie. I love listening to accents when they are done well and not that these accents were bad, they just didn't fit for some reason. As I got more into the story, it didn't bother as much as it did in the beginning. I will continue to listen to the series going forward, if they keep this narrator.
I like to thank Hachette Audio for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.