As a Warrior of the Celestial Blade, fantasy writer Tess Noncoire has first hand experience with the subjects of her books. After a rough night fighting off a vengeful Windago demon, Tess gets a panicked call for help from her friend Allie, one of the Cape’s local cops. A naked woman just appeared out of nowhere in front of Allie’s patrol car and a pack of toothy gnomes were busily eating their way to the inside, so much for Tess’s dreams of a warm Mexican vacation. WindScribe, the young woman turns out to be a member of the coven that vanished twenty-eight years earlier yet she doesn’t appear to have aged a day and the gnomes are actually Orculli demons who will stop at nothing to bring her back to their prison. Sworn to protect WindScribe who clearly is keeping secrets, Tess takes things personal when the Orculli take a chunk out of her aunt MoonFeather. Life continues to spiral out of control when Tess’s mom shows up in love with Darren Estevez, a demon who just happens to be the father of Tess’s would-be boyfriend, Damiri. Tess knows she can’t trust Damiri, he is not wholly human and won’t answer her many questions plus there is something not right about the attraction she feels for him. She is being haunted by her husband’s ghost, hunted by the Windago and chewed out by Scrape, the imp Tess is permanently bonded to as a Warrior of the Celestial Blade, perhaps Gollum the archivist can sort things out before things really get out of control.
Frost has created a fresh, slightly tongue in cheek fantasy populated with a large cast of eccentric figures and just enough pathos to be interesting. Several storylines overlap and take off again providing plenty of fodder for future tales as by the conclusion, there are several loose ends to be resolved.
USA
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