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A review by thiefofcamorr
Unclean Spirits by M.L.N. Hanover
3.0
‘Unclean Spirits’ by M. L. N. Hanover is the first in the Black Sun’s Daughter series, which currently has four books available. A fifth is forthcoming, and it is unknown whether that will be the last.
We are introduced to Jayné (zha-nay, not Jane) Heller, a young woman who inherits everything her uncle Eric had to his name after he is murdered. Along with properties all across the world and a few extremely full bank accounts, he has also left her with an unlikely business – the one that got him killed in the first place.
Jayné soon meets a few business associates Eric ran with, and finds out (after nearly being killed herself) that they all dealt against a group of wizards known as the ‘Invisible College’, a group who force demon spirits onto unsuspecting humans, to then use them for their own growing power and needs.
She’s unable to believe this is actually possible, yet she has to learn quickly as they make it clear they don’t like her uncle or any heir that he’s left behind. Add to the pot the fact Jayné can’t sit by witnessing what the Invisible College are doing to innocents, or what happened to her uncle in the first place, she soon starts believing and decides she’s more than willing to fight back.
‘Unclean Spirits’ has a slow start as it pulls you into the story, introducing the other characters who Jayné meets and is able to call on, explaining how the demons work in this verse and so on. However, once it gets going it has an easy writing style that’s quick to read and devour.
The characters are what makes this story interesting – not exactly run of the mill (especially the first one she meets, Midian) and you learn just enough of them to want to learn more, and no more than that. We also get to see Jayné grow throughout the book, as she becomes more capable with her new life in general.
The plot is different enough from the usual vampire and werewolf prose out there – sharing elements, yet individually served. The fight scenes are effective, and the abilities shown are decent.
This book could stand as a read-alone, but it will probably make you want to look into the rest of the series, as well as the other work the author has done. You may have heard of the author under the name Daniel Abraham (The Long Price Quartet and The Dagger and the Coin Quintet) or as James S. A. Corey for the Expanse Series (with Ty Frank) with the first book of the series, ‘Leviathan Wakes’ up as a finalist for the 2012 ‘Best Novel’ Hugo Award.
We are introduced to Jayné (zha-nay, not Jane) Heller, a young woman who inherits everything her uncle Eric had to his name after he is murdered. Along with properties all across the world and a few extremely full bank accounts, he has also left her with an unlikely business – the one that got him killed in the first place.
Jayné soon meets a few business associates Eric ran with, and finds out (after nearly being killed herself) that they all dealt against a group of wizards known as the ‘Invisible College’, a group who force demon spirits onto unsuspecting humans, to then use them for their own growing power and needs.
She’s unable to believe this is actually possible, yet she has to learn quickly as they make it clear they don’t like her uncle or any heir that he’s left behind. Add to the pot the fact Jayné can’t sit by witnessing what the Invisible College are doing to innocents, or what happened to her uncle in the first place, she soon starts believing and decides she’s more than willing to fight back.
‘Unclean Spirits’ has a slow start as it pulls you into the story, introducing the other characters who Jayné meets and is able to call on, explaining how the demons work in this verse and so on. However, once it gets going it has an easy writing style that’s quick to read and devour.
The characters are what makes this story interesting – not exactly run of the mill (especially the first one she meets, Midian) and you learn just enough of them to want to learn more, and no more than that. We also get to see Jayné grow throughout the book, as she becomes more capable with her new life in general.
The plot is different enough from the usual vampire and werewolf prose out there – sharing elements, yet individually served. The fight scenes are effective, and the abilities shown are decent.
This book could stand as a read-alone, but it will probably make you want to look into the rest of the series, as well as the other work the author has done. You may have heard of the author under the name Daniel Abraham (The Long Price Quartet and The Dagger and the Coin Quintet) or as James S. A. Corey for the Expanse Series (with Ty Frank) with the first book of the series, ‘Leviathan Wakes’ up as a finalist for the 2012 ‘Best Novel’ Hugo Award.