"Oracle's Moon"
By: Thea Harrison
Synopsis from Amazon:When Grace Andreas's sister, Petra, and her husband are both killed, Grace inherits the Power and responsibilities of the Oracle of Louisville, as well as her sister's two young children--neither of which she is prepared for. Then Khalil, Demonkind and Djinn Prince of House Marid, decides to make himself a part of the household both as guardian and counterpoint to Grace's impudence towards the Elder Races.
Thea Harrison may be my favorite author of 2012. I have been reading the Elder Races series like crazy and have enjoyed each and everyone. Sure their quirky, but she has built this fantastic world that I fall in love with more each book. Starting with "Dragon Bound," the Elder's series covers pretty much all sorts of paranormal figures. Dragons, unicorns, grphyons, etc. You name it, its probably there. "Oracle's Moon" is the enchanting story of Grace Andreas, an oracle of Delphi, and Khalil, a prince and a Djinn being with no shape. Sounds weird, but trust me, it's a good one.
Grace has inherited her oracle powers from her sister Petra. Petra and her husband were killed in a car accident and the powers magically transferred to Grace. In addition, Petra's two small children are also in need of care. At the end of the former book, "Serpent's Kiss" Khalil accompanies Carline and Rune to the Oracle's house. At the start of this tale, he hasn't left.
Khalil is a weird hero, kind of an anti-hero really, but he's so awesome! Forgive my fan girl tendencies, it's just that I really liked him and wasn't expecting it. He is a Djinn, which means he is kind of formless. He can shapeshift and really be anything he wants to be, such as steam, a cat, etc. Anything! Initially, Khalil is intrigued by Grace's children, having had little to no contact with his own daughter. He kind of appoints himself as guardian of the children and as a result, he comes into contact with Aunt Grace who isn't too turned on with the idea of Khalil's semi-guardianship.
The thing at works for this book is the characters. The story is a little outlandish, but the characters sell it. Grace has been crippled and has a lot on her plate when Khalil arrives on her doorstep. She didn't ask for any of these bad things to happen and she is dealing with them the best way she knows how. Khalil is a lot to take in; he's deep, brooding, dark, and has a fierce protective instinct. Yet the tribulations that each goes through simply draws you in like a fish. You know the characters, their motivations, their desires so well that you are seriously invested in the outcome.
"Oracle's Moon" is intense and can be a little difficult to follow if you haven't read the other books in the series. With that being said, run out and buy this now. It's one of those titles I wish could go on and on and I just hated for it to end. This reader is eagerly awaiting the next installment in the series and hoping for another glimpse into the world of Grace and Khalil.
Book Details
Publisher: Berkley
Date of Publication: March 6, 2012
# of Pages: 336
ISBN: 978-0425246597
I read the first book in the Elder series and loved it and keep meaning to play catch up with the rest of the series. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI've read reviews for this series and now I'm convinced that I must read it!
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