Uncertain AlliesAuthor: Mark Del Franco
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Connor Grey Series, Book 5
ISBN: #9780441020409
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (304 pgs), ebook
I received a copy of this book from the PUBLISHER for the purposes of an honest review.
From the author’s website:
After a night of riots and fires, the Boston neighborhood known as the Weird lies in ruins. When a body is found drained of its essence, ex- Guild investigator Connor Grey fears one of the most dangerous fey is still loose in the city. But things are not what they seem. As he is drawn deeper into the case, shades of the past threaten the present as an explosive secret tears apart the city–and brings the world to the brink of war.
What B is talking about:
Connor Grey is a druid without his powers and a lot of enemies. When he’s asked to investigate a series of unexplained disappearances, he stumbles across a murdered dwarf and the beginning of a mystery he feels obligated to solve. Connor has a lot more questions than answers, and it seems that each success he achieves in the case only leads to even more questions. With rival factions on the brink of war, and an old enemy back and wreaking havoc, he’ll have to learn to place his trust in others if he wants to win and keep those he cares about alive.
Del Franco has created a vivid world filled with new takes on some familiar creatures, as well as a few original creatures I’d never seen before. Against the familiar landscape of Boston, the Weird is home to all manner of the unfamiliar, operating under its own laws and unwilling to change anytime soon. His characters are seldom flat and uninteresting, but tend to rely on healthy doses of snarky cynicism throughout their dialogues, which I always appreciate.
Uncertain Allies is an intriguing read with more than a few unexpected turns. As is usual when reading a later book in an unfamiliar series, there was a bit of a learning curve, but once I became familiar with the key players, the story itself drew me in handily. Del Franco is a talented and descriptive author, and I enjoyed feeling a part of the novel and seeing the pieces fall into place as the story progressed. I think Uncertain Allies is a good story on its own, and I am extremely curious to read the earlier novels in the Connor Grey Series now as well.
B’s Rating:
Liked it a lot – recommend (B+)
It sounds like a very interesting book and I loved the review. I think it’s fun to be able to pick up a book in the series and understand the main points so you can through it without having to read the entire series…although I still enjoy going back and reading the first few books in the series so I can indepthly understand it all.
A druid without powers? Sounds scary (for him). I too love a series that you can pick up one of the books from the middle and not be totally lost. Great review, I’m adding it to my TBR list. 🙂