Darkly intriguing, hauntingly beautiful… A must-read urban fantasy romance.
Kastle follows Bone Chimes, the excellent first installment in the Cascade Saga featuring the pureblood soothsayer, Jordyn Langston, and her fated mate, the Director of Enforcers, Rutger Kanin, with this outstanding second installment. Jordyn Langston is back from death’s door. Her tormentor, Flint, and his followers are dead, and Jordyn learns she has the power to manipulate others’ minds. As she struggles to navigate her rising powers, she realizes she has a duty toward the pack as their enshrined soothsayer. With dark forces threatening to neutralize the pack’s power, she must unite with Rutger and face the sinister enemies while dealing with her inner demons. Jordyn and Routger’s transformations as their inner beasts come to life are explicitly evoked, as are the darkly intriguing paranormal world of werewolves, witches, and other supernatural archetypes. Jordyn’s troubled emotional life, cynical view of the pack’s motivations, the impossible connection with Routger, and touching vulnerability make her an irresistible heroine. Routger, with his determination, grit, and unwavering devotion for Jordyn makes for an endearing hero. Baron Kanin conveys the perfect mixture of strength and irony. The other characters are equally convincing, particularly Prime, whose ruthless ambition and drive make him a thoroughly intimidating antagonist. Jordyn’s transition into a troubled young woman after her kidnapping and then ultimately jaded pawn in Prime’s vastly ambitious supernatural world is done with effortless efficiency, and Kastle skillfully depicts Jordyn and Routger’s complicated relationship as well as their irresistible chemistry. Kastle skillfully crafts a suspenseful setup and resolve it in a satisfactory way. The tension is palpable throughout the narrative, and Kastle adeptly balances her protagonists’ complex innermost lives with the intricately crafted mystery as the powerful enemies, with a feud spanning hundreds of years, arrive in Cascade’s territory, threatening to destroy the pack’s lives. She dramatically highlights the tensions between the pack, and their primordial adversaries, including Prime and Shadow Lord, and the surprises keep coming as the plot builds to a shocking conclusion. The book ends on an uncertain note for the pack, with threat of a civil war looming on their territory, raising readers’ fervor for the next installment in the series. This transportive, wholly realized paranormal romance concerns not only the nature of love and longing but also duty, responsibility, and most importantly, identity. The series deserves a wide readership.