My rating: 4 of 5 stars
GENRE: Urban Fantasy
THEME: Mystery, Dragons, Paranormal
RECEIVED: Publisher
BLURB:
We’re Supernatural Protection & Investigations, known as SPI. Things that go bump in the night, the monsters you thought didn’t exist? We battle them and keep you safe. But some supernatural baddies are just too big to contain, even for us…
When I moved to New York to become a world famous journalist, I never imagined that snagging a job at a seedy tabloid would change my career path from trashy reporter to undercover agent. I’m Makenna Fraser, a Seer for SPI. I can see through any disguise, shield, or spell that a paranormal pest can come up with. I track down creatures and my partner, Ian Byrne, takes them out—usually saving my skin in the process.
Our cases are generally pretty routine, but a sickle-wielding serial killer has been prowling the city’s subway tunnels. And the murderer’s not human. The fiend in question, a descendant of Grendel—yes, that Grendel—shares his ancestor’s hatred of parties, revelry, and drunkards. And with New Year’s Eve in Times Square only two days away, we need to bag him quickly. Because if we don’t find him—and the organization behind him—by midnight, our secret’s out and everyone’s time is up.
When I moved to New York to become a world famous journalist, I never imagined that snagging a job at a seedy tabloid would change my career path from trashy reporter to undercover agent. I’m Makenna Fraser, a Seer for SPI. I can see through any disguise, shield, or spell that a paranormal pest can come up with. I track down creatures and my partner, Ian Byrne, takes them out—usually saving my skin in the process.
Our cases are generally pretty routine, but a sickle-wielding serial killer has been prowling the city’s subway tunnels. And the murderer’s not human. The fiend in question, a descendant of Grendel—yes, that Grendel—shares his ancestor’s hatred of parties, revelry, and drunkards. And with New Year’s Eve in Times Square only two days away, we need to bag him quickly. Because if we don’t find him—and the organization behind him—by midnight, our secret’s out and everyone’s time is up.
REVIEW:
I read the first few in Shearin’s Raine Benares series and really loved her take on a strong female lead and fantasy. I was excited to start her latest series that focuses on an agency that takes care of the paranormal investigations in a world that doesn’t know there is such a thing. This is definitely a series that urban fantasy readers will enjoy, as well as fans of Sleepy Hollow and Grimm will want to read this asap!
The Grendel Affair follows Makenna Fraser who is a seer and thought her dream of becoming a journalist instead of following her family path as a sheriff or marshal was what she wanted. But now in New York she is hired as a seer for the S.P.I (Supernatural Protection & Investigations) as an undercover agent, her ability to see the glamour and magic makes her rare so she is always under protection. When one night goes from bad to worst she discovers that a descendant of Grendel is alive and breeding, making the upcoming new year in time square a scary place for human and a hunting ground for the Grendel. Mac and her partner and protector Ian have to stop the Grendel before humans get killed and know the existence of the paranormal.
Mac is an interesting character because she’s not a tough as nails type of character nor does she think first but acts instead. She is also very accident prone and seems to get herself into some tricky situations, luckily her partner Ian always gets her out of trouble. But nonetheless she is always wanting to do what’s right and help when she can, even though she doesn’t have the training like the rest of her agency. She is a spirited and humorous character and I loved how she just can’t seem to do things the right way but the chaotic difficult way. She progresses through the story and starts to become comfortable with the life-threatening job that she’s gotten herself into. I have a feeling she will become that kick butt type of character one day as she has so much potential.
Ian is all business and ready to fight, he has his hand on the trigger constantly and the other hand trying to make sure his partner isn’t getting into trouble. His past is quite sad, but it toughened him a bit to be ready for the paranormal bad guys that are seeking to make his life harder. He has a dangerous enemy and The Grendel is only the beginning. There is so much behind his character; he even starts to grow soft for Mac even though he gets annoyed with her sometimes.
Overall I enjoyed the writing style and creative paranormal world that Shearin created. Her secondary characters are a bonus, with kick butt werewolves, an awesome dragon lady as a boss, vampires, and elfs. Plus the villain’s are just as good and seriously would scare the heck out of me if they existed, think Walking Dead but ghouls. I can’t wait to continue with Mac and Ian in the next book, they have some great chemistry and work well together as major opposites.
RECOMMENDATION:
This is an adult novel, fans of urban fantasy wont want to miss out on this series. If you enjoyed Gini Koch’s Kitty Katt alien series and Jamie Quaid’s Boyfriend from Hell, you’ll love The Grendel Affair by Lisa Shearin.
*This novel was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you so much for the great & generous review, Kristen!
ReplyDelete