WINTER HALO is book 2 in the Outcast series by
urban fantasy writer Keri Arthur. Arthur's heroines are
always gutsy women with magical or supernatural gifts who
are suckers for helping those in need. They also tend to
be sexually free, sleeping not only with the hero of the
series but many other men as well, which usually causes a
problem for the heroine. Arthur's heroine, Tiger, is
definitely true to form.
I am a rabid fan of Arthur's early work. HerRiley
Jensen series and Dark Angels series are both
fantastic, and I think they are what keep bringing me back
to her currents works. I've actually given up on her
Souls of Fire series this past year, but I will be
continuing with this Outcast series. WINTER HALO is
an entertaining futuristic fantasy. This series definitely
needs to been read in order, though, because Winter Halo
relies on the reader knowing what happened in book 1, City
of Light.
Tiger is a déchet, a humanoid supersoldier created by
humans to help them win the interspecies war with the
shapeshifters. Tiger was created as a lure, specifically
created to infiltrate shifter camps and seduce those in
charge, and harvest their memories via touch for intel,
then kill them. In book 1, Tiger and her reluctant allies
discover that Central City's children are being kidnapped
and experimented upon as part of the bad guys' plan to create
vampires that can be immune to light.
Tiger is a total badass, and is incredibly loyal, which I
really like. She will throw herself into dangerous
situations against unbelievable odds for things she believes
in, which means the author can throw her into all kinds of
wild situations. And what Tiger really believes in now is
saving these kidnapped children. She is willing to die to
try to save those she deems in need of the greatest
protection.
Saving the endangered children is the prime driving
force moving Tiger and her erstwhile allies as they battle
evil henchmen and try to infiltrate the location where the
kids are being held. Sometimes it seems a little insane
that everyone is so focused on saving the children instead
of trying to defeat the bad guys and prevent the UV-
resistant vampires from being created. Witches, shifters,
humans, and déchet alike would be wiped out if the vampires
can overcome the one way humans can defend themselves, ya
know?
It seems like anything that can go wrong will as Tiger
works to achieve her mission. The tension remains
believably high throughout the book, with the stakes just
rising and rising for Tiger and her companions. Arthur
does a great job of keeping me glued to the pages in WINTER
HALO, and I'm hoping for more forward progress with the
overlapping challenges in book 3.
From the New York Times bestselling author of the
Souls of Fire novels comes the second in the futuristic
fantasy series that will make you want to keep the lights
on...When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes
in the veil between worlds, they allowed entry to the
Others. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters
alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the
darkness at bay....
The humanoid supersoldiers known as the déchet were almost
eradicated by the war. Ever since, Tiger has tried to live
her life in peace in hiding. But in the wake of her
discovery that Central City’s children are being kidnapped
and experimented on, Tiger’s conscience won’t let her look
the other way.
The key to saving them lies within the walls of a
pharmaceutical company called Winter Halo. But as she learns
more about the facility, Tiger’s mission is derailed by a
complication: Winter Halo’s female security guards are being
systematically attacked by an unknown force.
Now Tiger must summon all her gifts to stop those
responsible for both atrocities—no matter the cost to herself...