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A review by ria_mhrj
A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang
2.0
It was a rollercoaster ride for me, reading this book. Terrible to admit, but I judged the book by its cover (the cross-eyed, provocatively dressed diva pose doesn't really work for me), but a friend lent me her copy so I set my unfair judgement aside and started the book. And you know what? Despite the magical iPod and the multi-coloured hair and the pet unicorn, I found I was enjoying myself.
The world of A Brush of Darkness is both interesting and unique, something that is hard to achieve in the cluttered landscape of urban fantasy. I loved the concept of the four paths and the role that humans play amidst the supernatural races. The central mystery was gripping and had a clever denouement that kept me invested.
So why only 2 stars? Unfortunately, as I reached the end of the book I found that I had gradually come to dislike both Abby, the narrator of the book, and Brystion, the love interest.
Let's start with Brystion. An incubus for a hero is an interesting proposition, but his inconsistencies ultimately drove me berserk. It seemed that in every conversation with Abby, he oscillated between wanting to seduce her, mocking her stupidity, grumbling about her lack of faith and then happily betraying her. At the end of the book, a hot, eye-patch sporting faery shows up and my instant reaction was "oh goody, a different love interest!", even though there were only about 10 pages left. Never a good sign.
And then there's Abby. At the start of the book, I quite liked her - yes, she's relatively clueless as to what is going on around her, but she is not afraid to stand up for herself and demonstrates a degree of self-awareness. Her past was nicely sketched and the continuing impact the accident has on her life was subtly crafted into the story without jarring.
Here comes the but: unfortunately, Abby was just a bit too self involved for me to get fully on her side. Over the course of the book, her friends and associates endures some fairly unpleasant experiences and Abby was often lacking in sympathy or a sense of urgency, whilst still making plenty of time for Brystion's attentions (your boss has been missing for months, your best friend has had her soul stolen and your other best friend is kidnapped from her bed and you have time for sex? Really?!). Too often I found that what was intended as "snarky heroine" dialogue came across as just plain bitchy.
I know it has been a grumbly review, but the book was not without its merits. With a new love interest and more examples of Abby giving a damn about other people, I reckon I could get on board. However, it must be noted that this book could be the source of a very fun drinking game - every time the words "groan", "grunt" or "growl" appear, do a shot. You'll be smashed by chapter five.
The world of A Brush of Darkness is both interesting and unique, something that is hard to achieve in the cluttered landscape of urban fantasy. I loved the concept of the four paths and the role that humans play amidst the supernatural races. The central mystery was gripping and had a clever denouement that kept me invested.
So why only 2 stars? Unfortunately, as I reached the end of the book I found that I had gradually come to dislike both Abby, the narrator of the book, and Brystion, the love interest.
Let's start with Brystion. An incubus for a hero is an interesting proposition, but his inconsistencies ultimately drove me berserk. It seemed that in every conversation with Abby, he oscillated between wanting to seduce her, mocking her stupidity, grumbling about her lack of faith and then happily betraying her. At the end of the book, a hot, eye-patch sporting faery shows up and my instant reaction was "oh goody, a different love interest!", even though there were only about 10 pages left. Never a good sign.
And then there's Abby. At the start of the book, I quite liked her - yes, she's relatively clueless as to what is going on around her, but she is not afraid to stand up for herself and demonstrates a degree of self-awareness. Her past was nicely sketched and the continuing impact the accident has on her life was subtly crafted into the story without jarring.
Here comes the but: unfortunately, Abby was just a bit too self involved for me to get fully on her side. Over the course of the book, her friends and associates endures some fairly unpleasant experiences and Abby was often lacking in sympathy or a sense of urgency, whilst still making plenty of time for Brystion's attentions (your boss has been missing for months, your best friend has had her soul stolen and your other best friend is kidnapped from her bed and you have time for sex? Really?!). Too often I found that what was intended as "snarky heroine" dialogue came across as just plain bitchy.
I know it has been a grumbly review, but the book was not without its merits. With a new love interest and more examples of Abby giving a damn about other people, I reckon I could get on board. However, it must be noted that this book could be the source of a very fun drinking game - every time the words "groan", "grunt" or "growl" appear, do a shot. You'll be smashed by chapter five.