A Hint of Delirium (Fated Fae Elementals Book 1)
by Karina Espinosa
My review follows:
Seeing the world through Violet’s eyes may make you feel
like your crazy, but there is more to our world that mortals may never know or
see. It sucks to see things others can’t, to be diagnosed as a schizophrenic
all your life. Makes holding a job tough. Be that as it may, when some Adonis,
at the bar where she worked, tried to pay with leaves, Violet had had enough.
She called him out, crumbling the leaves in front of him. Others, including her
boss, around her didn’t see what she saw, they only saw a couple hundred-dollar
bills destroyed by her. Once again there went her job. And now the Adonis creep
had followed her home.
Ansel was on a mission for the Seelie Queen and while interrupting
his mission for the her wasn’t a smart move on his part; he had gotten sidetracked
after his run in with the young woman at the bar where he was meeting an
informant. There was something about this girl that was off. How had she seen
though the glamor that masked him and the leaves? He soon found he wasn’t the
only one interested in learning more about who or what she was, and some of the
others simply wanted her dead. When he
saw the iron ankle bracelet she always wore, he was quick to seek answers that
would change not only Violet’s world but could bring real danger to the realm
of the Fae as well.
More trouble comes
when his brother Alec, turns up. Alec who chose to side with the Unseelie King
despite his family’s allegiance to the Seelie Queen. It turns out that Alec and Ansel were looking
for the same thing, a powerfully dangerous artifact. Legend has it that the orb
holds sway over all four powerful elements (earth, wind, fire and water) part of
the magic of the Fae. In ancient times, it was believed to be too powerful for
any one Fae to control all the elements. So, it had been entrusted to a small
group of humans to carry it within them, passing it on from one generation to
the next at birth. While a league of humans were to protect the secret of the
current generation’s carrier or killing the carrier if need be to stop the Fae
from getting their hands on the orb.
Built around the legend of the orb and the hunt for it by
both the Seelie and the Unseelie, with a group of humans who will stop at
nothing to keep it from the Fae, including murder. Violet is at the center, at twenty-five
she still lives with her mother, who was feeding her pills for her “hallucinations”
and regular visits to a shrink all along keeping dangerous secrets from her. Each
of the characters have flaws, that enrich the story keeping you guessing how
they will handle situations that come up. As Ansel and Violet draw close,
Violet will have to make some tough choices the protect the two people in her
life who are most important to her, while withholding the complete truth from
them. There are cultural differences as well between Violet and Ansel they will
have to come to terms with. One is their view on human life forms. As a Fae
being, for Ansel, human life holds very little value and may be easily disposed
of.
This is the first book in the series with Violet learning
secrets long kept from her, a danger filled world where making the right
decision could lead to even worst turmoil for everyone. So, hang on to your
seat the ride has just begun.
If you are a fan of Karina
Espinosa, you might find a few changes way she tells this beginning tale. For
me these changes enrich the telling through dialogue, that at times is snarky,
charged with under currents and thoughtful, descriptions of sets that quickly
place me at the scene, and interaction between characters feels closer. I am
even enjoying one of the main antiheroes. I loved the fact that Karina doesn’t
let the reader get comfortable before snatching the rug out from under my feet,
dangling more trials and tribulations in front of Violet and Ansel along with a
heathy dig from Alec. While the steam between Ansel and Violet has just started
heating up, which can be a catalyst for misunderstandings with the best
intentions at its core. Definitely a series to pick up and share, since one
book will lead into the next. Along with storylines that leave a lot of room
for What if? What will happen next? and Who
do I really want to strangle?
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