Book Review: Death's Sweet Embrace

By Sandy Amazeen Mar 7, 2011, 0:55 GMT

When weresnow leopard Kathryn Jordan, better known as Kit, was banished from her pride, she had to leave her twin daughters and her lover behind, a cruel measure that forced her to survive any way she could in a world where shapeshifters and humans live more or less in harmony. Her past was reawakened when she discovered her daughters were enrolled in one of the classes she was teaching but before Kit can reconnect with them Oberon, the bear team leader, calls her into a crime investigation. A sadistic serial killer has been killing shapeshifters, leaving a gruesome stamp on the corpses giving rise to fears that an old anti-paranormal group was gaining strength again. Surprisingly, Oberon has put Raven, a werewolf and Kit’s former lover on the team as well, giving her plenty to think about as she pits wits against a clever killer.

The many subplots and overabundance of lightly constructed characters takes away from this gritty urban fantasy. Even Raven, one of the main characters suffered from a lack of background which is unfortunate, as it would have created a better sense of history and connection with Kit. Christian and Antoinette from Night’s Cold Kiss make brief appearances and the shapeshifter society is more developed though not enough to make up for the use of formula main characters. The murderer’s identity makes for a nice twist leaving readers with hope for better things to come from this dark series.