Book Review: Feast

By Sandy Amazeen Jul 14, 2011, 1:37 GMT

Halloween is a bad time to return to the woods . . . Madeline MacFaddin ("Mad Mac" to fans of her bestselling magical stories) spent blissful childhood summers in Ticonderoga Falls. And this is where she wants to be now that her adult life is falling apart. The dense surrounding forest holds many memories, some joyous, some tantalizingly only half-remembered. And she\'s always believed there was something ...more

In a genre crowded with tired paranormal creatures, Destefano takes traits from vampires, fae and werewolves to create a race known as the Darklings who feed on human dreams, sometimes to the point of killing the dreamer. After discovering her husband carrying on an affair with her best friend, author Madeline MacFaddin, known as Mad Mac to her fans is newly divorced and suffering from a severe case of writers block. With a deadline rapidly approaching, Maddie packed up her son Tucker and his big German Sheppard and headed to Ticonderoga Falls where her parents had once rented a cabin when she was a child.

Ash is a Darkling bound to the country around Ticonderoga Falls by a curse and his inability to recover from his wife’s murder years ago. He protected Maddie after she wandered off from her parent’s cabin one day and nearly captured by a wild Darkling. Maddie has returned just in time for the Harvest on Halloween night, a time when Darklings gather to feast upon mortal dreams. This year the Harvest includes Ash’s devious, cowardly, power hungry cousin Thane and if Maddie is to save her son from the traitor’s plans, she will need to have faith in some childhood friends and the power of love.

Destefano delivers a satisfyingly complex, original urban fantasy/paranormal romance with a solid storyline and excellent character building. With his history and sometimes questionable activities, Ash is more then the usual tortured male lead. Maddie is a resourceful character and a treat to watch in action as is her son, especially when his pet turns out to be much more then first suspected. This is a feast indeed for readers looking for a more inventive tale.