carolesrandomlife

This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life.

I loved this book! I decided to read this book because the premise sounded really interesting. Plus it is the first book in a new series so I jumped right in and never looked back. This book was one that sucked me right in and I found it very hard to put down. The world building was amazing and the world that is in this book is different than anything else that I have ever read. The story grabbed me right away and it really never stopped. It wasn't a perfect story but it was highly entertaining with a lot of action.

I liked Tig right away. She is really an easy to like tough character from the start. I grew to like her more and more as the story unfolded and I learned more about her. Tiger is a déchet. A déchet is basically an engineered super-solider that is a blend of human, shifter, and vampire. Déchets are not born. They were created by humans to fight in the war between the humans and the shifters. Everyone believes that all of the déchets were killed at the end of the war so she must keep her true identity a secret.

Tig is tough but she has quite the soft spot for children. She lives in the same bunker that she lived in at the end of the war. The only difference is that now she lives with the ghosts of the other déchet that did not survive the war most of them children. Two of the ghosts, Cat and Bear, spend a lot of time with Tig and are able to leave the complex because of their strong bond. Cat and Bear are ghosts but they were children at the time of their death so Tig is determined to keep them safe. She is fiercely protective of all the ghosts. It is no surprise that she will sacrifice everything to save the children that are mysteriously being abducted.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book was the fact that it was very easy to slip into this world. I had honestly expected that there would be some info-dumping since this is the first book in a futuristic fantasy series. While there was a lot of information about the world shared in the story, I never felt like it was being dumped on me. The world building happened seamlessly as the story unfolded. This really is a very complex world but I was never confused about anything going on. I really enjoyed this world and thought that it was very creative and unique.

I also really enjoyed the characters. Tig wasn't perfect which I think added to her appeal. At her core, she was good and I found that I liked the way she handled difficult situations. Her abilities were very interesting. I can't remember reading about another character that could do nearly as many things as she can do. It will be fun to see how she uses all of her talents as the series progresses. I also really liked Jonas. He is a shifter who is not really sure that he should be trusting Tig. Jonas is the kind of character that will question things but once he gives his word he will follow through.

The only thing that I didn't care as much for was the sex scenes that kind of came out of nowhere. It just seemed like there wasn't enough build up leading to the sex and I really didn't feel the chemistry between the characters involved. I don't mind a good sex scene but only when it moves the plot forward. Throwing a sex scene into a book just so it is there doesn't do a thing for me. I think that it was supposed to help illustrate that Tig is wired a little differently than a human but it just seemed forced to me.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a futuristic fantasy. The book does end with a few unresolved issues and I am looking forward to seeing how things work out in future installments in this new series. This is the first book by Keri Arthur that I have had a chance to read but I look forward to reading more very soon.

I received an advance reader edition of this book from Penguin Group - Signet via NetGalley for the purpose of providing an honest review.

Initial Thoughts
I loved this one! Excellent world building with wonderfully interesting characters. I can't wait to get my hands on the next one in this series.