City of Light / Keri Arthur

City of Light

(Outcast #1)

by Keri Arthur

fantasy, chicklit

copyright 2016

read in August 2017

rated 9/10: really, really good

Action from go to whoa. Not just fighting action but sneaky action, hot sex action, glaring at enemies who may be friends action... Never a dull moment. And it is not forced. (Interestingly, the preview of book two is non-stop action -- of the forced kind. No matter. That's just chapter one of book two.)

The heroine is gutsy, attractive, powerful, able and willing to fight. Better yet -- her motives are eminently acceptable. She is willing to put her life on the line for... a reason which I can fully understand and fully support. A reason which places this book firmly in the chick lit category.

Also -- since this is chicklit -- the heroine has a lover who may be evil and a potential lover who is a traditional to-the-death enemy. Romeo and Juliet? Chicklit ! A well used cliche, used well.

The story is set in a post apocalyptic world. A world which has been shattered by -- presumably -- nuclear war. "Bombs" are mentioned, with no further detail. Is this science fiction?

The post-war world is pure fantasy. There may be vague scientific explanations... but ghosts, vampires, shape-shifters, are fantasy. I'm happy to also add the created, genetically modified creatures into the fantasy category. There is no explanation of their mechanics, they are simply fantastic :-)

The world is wild... yet sensible. The various creatures are extensions of earlier fantastic creatures... yet with realistic limitations and motivations. (Though some motivations are not yet clear.)

City of Light is great fun. The characters are strong and understandable. The heroine is driven by believable and acceptable motivations, the team for good share the essential features of those motivations. With enough additional emotional baggage to maintain a solid sense of individuality. And, of course, conflict.

Was I in the mood for a fast and furious piece of positive -- in a moral sense -- chick lit? Possibly. Does that bias my rating? Probably.

I rate on my own enjoyment. I really did enjoy reading this book.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
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"If you're not part of the solution, you're in government." … per Ginger Meggs