Daisy Johanssen isn't a normal run-of-the-mill police clerk.
Then again she doesn't exactly live in a run-of-the-mill
town either. Daisy lives in Pemkowet, Michigan, a tourist
destination for all things paranormal and current home to
the Norse goddess Hel. Daisy is Hel's liaison between the
mortal world and the world of the eldritch. Fathered by an
incubus and a human woman, Daisy walks a very shaky line
between the worlds, and it is her job to make sure those
worlds remain safe in their interactions with each other.
Lucky for her, she has a nice, normal boyfriend who's
accepted her for who she is. Too bad he has a secret that
could destroy the little town of Pemkowet.
AUTUMN BONES is the second Agent of Hel novel from
bestselling author Jacqueline Carey. I was very excited to
read AUTUMN BONES because I've always been a huge fan of
Norse mythology and Urban Fantasy. I read the entire novel
in one day and immediately ordered the first Agent of
Hel
novel, Dark Currents.
Jacqueline Carey is now officially on
my automatic buy list. Oh, where to start on my list of
reasons to read this novel. Written in the first person,
Daisy drives this story with her quirky worldview, tenacity,
and complex love life. She's a dynamic character who
struggles with her personal choices because when she crosses
a line, she could accidentally trigger Armageddon. It's that
internal conflict of trying to make the right decisions to
fulfill her duty to Hel, to her family, her friends, and her
hometown that had me cheering for her through the entire
novel.
Carey's prose is vivid, sharp, and gritty. The town of
Pemkowet and its residents feel like they could be a real
place and one I'd probably want to vacation in despite
knowing the risk. Carey captures both the good and the bad
of life inside a small town. From the political maneuvering,
to the petty high school grudges that linger into adulthood,
to town secrets that can and do come back to haunt them,
Pemkowet's residents are intimately connected.
I'd be remiss not to mention the steamy side of AUTUMN
BONES. The story starts "with a bang. Or more accurately
whole lot of banging." This is part of the first sentence of
AUTUMN BONES and it is certainly indicative of what's to
come. From the funky, satyr orgy in a gay strip club at the
beginning to the three extremely delectable men who all give
Daisy that spark of desire, the sexual tension runs from
beginning to end. Usually, I'm not a fan of the conflicted
love triangle, but it worked for me here because of Daisy's
character.
AUTUMN BONES by Jacqueline Carey is the second in a
phenomenal Urban Fantasy series that promises to get better
as Daisy and her cast of friends negotiate the intricate
relationship between the human world and the eldritch world.
New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Carey returns
to the curious Midwest tourist community where normal and
paranormal worlds co-exist—however tenuously—under the
watchful eye of a female hellspawn
Fathered by an incubus, raised by a mortal mother, and
liaison to the Pemkowet Police Department, Daisy Johanssen
pulled the community together after a summer tragedy befell
the resort town she calls home. Things are back to normal—as
normal as it gets for a town famous for its supernatural
tourism, and presided over by the reclusive Norse goddess
Hel.
Not only has Daisy now gained respect as Hel’s enforcer,
she’s dating Sinclair Palmer, a nice, seemingly normal human
guy. Not too shabby for the daughter of a demon.
Unfortunately, Sinclair has a secret. And it’s a big one.