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A review by seinsinnes
Behind the Veil by E.J. Dawson
4.0
Not an overly surprising storyline but very satisfying. Very strong and well drawn characters.
I enjoyed many of the descriptive passages: clothes and furnishings. They helped to really bring the setting to life, like the way the main character carefully crafts the atmosphere of her session room. The descriptions of Letitia’s meteorological style empathic ability are delightful.
I think maybe partly due to the setting being LA, it made me think of hard boiled detective fiction. The main character is a lone operator working to solve clients' problems and becomes embroiled in a bigger mystery. However, the shadowy underworld is more literal here. In this way she functions as a sort of occult detective though a very reluctant one. Some of Ms. Hawking’s problems would be within Marlowe’s purview but she has others he could only dream of and all without the aid of his copious amounts of whiskey. Perhaps it is less hard boiled and more an omelette with a side of gothic. The story alternates between strongly gothic elements and a sort of detective mystery combined with a romance plot as well.
I found it very absorbing. I’d probably give another star except for a few niggling issues. My first impression wasn’t good. For me the opening scene bordered on the mawkish. Like a strangely off note at the beginning of a moving sonata: don’t judge the book by its first few pages. I also think sometimes the dialog could’ve been allowed to stand on its own without quite as much intervening thoughts and feelings and there were a few turns of phrase I found jarring.
That said, the overall effect is splendid. I loved Letitia's arc and watching her gain more hold over her power.
I enjoyed many of the descriptive passages: clothes and furnishings. They helped to really bring the setting to life, like the way the main character carefully crafts the atmosphere of her session room. The descriptions of Letitia’s meteorological style empathic ability are delightful.
I think maybe partly due to the setting being LA, it made me think of hard boiled detective fiction. The main character is a lone operator working to solve clients' problems and becomes embroiled in a bigger mystery. However, the shadowy underworld is more literal here. In this way she functions as a sort of occult detective though a very reluctant one. Some of Ms. Hawking’s problems would be within Marlowe’s purview but she has others he could only dream of and all without the aid of his copious amounts of whiskey. Perhaps it is less hard boiled and more an omelette with a side of gothic. The story alternates between strongly gothic elements and a sort of detective mystery combined with a romance plot as well.
I found it very absorbing. I’d probably give another star except for a few niggling issues. My first impression wasn’t good. For me the opening scene bordered on the mawkish. Like a strangely off note at the beginning of a moving sonata: don’t judge the book by its first few pages. I also think sometimes the dialog could’ve been allowed to stand on its own without quite as much intervening thoughts and feelings and there were a few turns of phrase I found jarring.
That said, the overall effect is splendid. I loved Letitia's arc and watching her gain more hold over her power.