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Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Shadow Path + giveaway

This is a wonderful beginning to promising Urban Fantasy series. I want to make it clear that this is a UF, not a paranormal romance. This first book in her Portal series is a stepping off point for future books. It spends a lot of time world building. Blair does this in a very clear manner, you don’t feel like information is dumped on you. I think Shadow Path is a must read if you want to understand any future books.

Blurb:
Magic and crime. Agatha Christie meets J.R.R. Tolkien in “Shadow Path,” the first book in the new Portals series by author P.L. Blair.
An Ogre murdered with a rune-inscribed sword is just the beginning as Kat Morales, a very human detective on the Corpus Christi, Texas, police force, and her Elf partner Tevis McLeod follow a blood trail that leads to Pixies, necromancy and Magic of the Blackest kind ... to its climax in a stronghold Between worlds, where Tevis must duel spell for spell with a former lover who wants to see her old flame extinguished permanently.

Long ago there was a portal between our world and the “otherworld” or Realms, as its inhabitants call it. All the magical creatures of human myth and legend came from there. I love how Blair included all our favorite mythical creatures, giving a new twist to why and how they became part of our history.

You have everything from the Greek/Roman gods and goddesses to the Celtic elves, pixies, banshees and dwarves along with many more unpleasant magical beings. Wizards from the Realm decided to close the portal to protect humans from Othersiders who wanted to pass themselves off as gods.

It has been 4 years since the portal was opened again, though no one knows why or how. Many creatures came through and are coexisting with humans without incident. Kat Morales is a human detective and has been paired with a very private and good looking Elf named Tavis. I really liked how his character is slowly developed. There is much Kat doesn’t know or understand about him even though they have worked together for a few years. Tavis has the potential to be a powerful practitioner of magic, but turned his back on magic for reasons we discover later on. He has a tendency to downplay his strengths and his importance over in the Realms. There is an air of mystery about him that is very sexy. I look forward to learning more about him ;)

Some humans have the ability to become practitioners of magic, but they must carry the P-gene. Kat tested negative for it, but there is more to her than we discover in this story. Kat is smart and logical and has the makings of a kick-butt heroine.

While there aren’t any romantic interactions between the two, he is very protective of Kat and there is a subtle attraction between them. I can’t wait to see if it turns into something else over the course of the series.

There is a large cast of well developed secondary characters that I think we will see in future books. Arvandus is a Wizard from the Realms that now works with the FBI helping to eliminate creatures from the Realms that are out to harm humans. He is a good friend and mentor to Tavis. I especially liked Maeve, a Banshee who runs a magic store in town. There is also a Djinn named Achmed, who is bound rather reluctantly to Arvandus, and Gairth, Arvandus’s nephew, a Lovetalker/Wizard. I am not sure what he can do, but he seems to have Cupid like tendencies.

My only complaints are the lack of action through most of the book, but the climatic magical battle at the end is top notch. The other thing is the price. The ecopy is priced higher than most paperback books.

One last thing…have you ever wondered where your cat goes when it disappears for a while? I now know where they go .

4 “don’t mess with the Pixies” Sheep




SS (edited by BAK)

GIVEAWAY- One lucky winner is going to walk away with an ecopy of Shadow Path just by leaving a comment on this review below. Make sure to enter your email address so we have a way to contact you.

Open to everyone.
Contest ends June 29th at midnight.
Good luck!


23 comments:

  1. Thanks for your insightful review. With my limited income, as much as I would love to read this book, price is a major consideration (along with actually finding the time). I would LOVE to win a digital copy of this book. The blurb and excerpts I have read are simply wonderful.
    Laurie
    lauriej170(at)gmail(dot)com
    Laurie's Interviews

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  2. @Laurie, thanks for following :) I think this series could be fun. Maybe it will go on sale in the future.

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  3. This sounds like a great read! My interest is well and truly piqued. Great review!

    Happy Blogging,
    Laurielu
    bonafidereflections@gmail.com

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  4. I love the mix of different lore going on here. Sounds really good with a great storyline. Fun review Sharon, good luck to everyone who enters!

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  5. I like the sounds of the world that Blair has built. As a writer I know how hard it can be to lay out the ground rules for a brand new reality, so I'm not put off by the time it takes -- especially if (as you say) it pays off with a great action scene in the end.

    Thanks for taking the time to blog about this book -- it's not one I was likely to run across. Definitely going to my TBR list!

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  6. Doncha just love a new series - book ones are the bomb! Thank you so much for sharing today about what sounds like a great story and of course for the wonderful giveaway opportunity. I enjoy meeting new characters in a story and look forward getting to know new imaginary friends :)

    dz59001[at]gmail[dot]com

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  7. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  8. Sounds like an interesting world! Added to my TBR list.

    shauntih(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  9. :) great review:)I always like UF:)

    Heather Powers
    earthsbooknook at gmail dot com

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  10. I enjoyed the review and Shadow Path sounds great, I'd love to win a copy.

    Barbed1951 at aol dot com

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  11. Sounds very good! Sign me up!

    shannonispeachie[at]gmail

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  12. Not as fond of UF as PR, but this seems like a good read. Thanks for the review. Kathryn P.

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  13. Thanks for the giveaway

    GFC Michele Luker

    jmluker at winco dot net

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  14. "...You have everything from the Greek/Roman gods and goddesses to the Celtic elves, pixies, banshees and dwarves.."

    Holy cow! Now that sounds action packed, right there! :D

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  15. I would love to win this. Have been looking for a new series.

    nayjf@yahoo.com

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  16. I'd love to read this.

    Morganlafey86(at)aol(dot)com

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  17. great review and it sounds like something i'd love to read.
    scrtsbpal at yahoo dot com

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  18. Thanks to everyone who's visited and commented so far. I got caught up in some complications of life (life is what happens while you're busy making plans), so this is my first chance to check back here.
    Thanks also for a wonderful book review.

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  19. My 10 year old drew a name out of a box and the winner is.....DANI!!!!!!
    *throws confetti*

    We will let PL Blair know and she will be sending you the book!!!

    (DANI, you have to vacuum up the confetti. It is only fair )

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  20. Thanks Sharon and also thanks to PL Blair for offering the draw. I love Urban Fantasy and I'm looking forward to reading this interesting new book - right after I tidy this up!

    *mutters while dragging around a vacuum cleaner - who the heck invented confetti?*

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