The Succubus Gift, An Urban Fantasy (The Telepathic Clans Saga, Book 1) [Kindle Edition]

I was looking for one of Richelle Mead's Succubus books when I saw this one. I was cautious at first since I noticed it was a self-published novel but I find the idea of a story centered around a succubus interesting and bought it anyway. It's very different take than Mead's series.

It's actually a great read! The plot was entertaining and different than a lot of the telepathic-centric urban fantasy stories that I came across. It was a lot of fun to read. Each character was very colorful--particularly that Rebecca and Brenna! It was really interesting to read about an untraditional relationship between Brenna and Collin, too.

There's a lot of details to remember like what Talent and Gift does what, so I'd recommend reading this in a short time period. I'm sure if you put it down for too long you'll forget what means what. Luckily, I had the day to myself so I could plow through it. And the ending was suspenseful. I didn't know what was going to happen next. I'm looking forward to the sequel.

I'd recommend this for anyone that's looking for a different experience from paranormal romances.

This is a book that wastes no time in getting down to business. We barely even know the main character's name yet, and suddenly we're smack-dab in the middle of an unexpected family reunion made awkward by supernatural secrets and secret society politics. It's a little bewildering, but it certainly serves to keep you off-balance, unsure as to what's coming next. Fortunately, Brenna is a strong, colourful, likeable character who serves to keep the reader grounded. Even though she's been a telepath all her life, the revelations of a wider supernatural world (and her place in it) are as new to her as it is to us.

There were two elements of the book that initially kept me reading, and ultimately kept me entertained. The first is the mythology behind the book, which incorporates an ancient Goddess, gifts of telepathy and telekinesis, and an actual succubus. I liked the way Kingsolver played with out expectations of the various elements, twisting them to create a mythological background all her own. It's quite varied and strong, and really holds the novel together.

The second element, the one that kept me entertained, is the strength of her characters. Strong, vibrant, and colourful, they all seem larger than life, the kind of people you really wish could exist off the page. More than that, though, they are characters that grow and evolve. In some cases, that growth simply comes from us learning more about them. In the case of Brenna, however, she really does develop over the course of the story, maturing from this nervous, insecure young woman into someone far more confident, powerful, and capable.

If I were to have one complaint, it would be that the pacing is somewhat uneven. That frantic, headlong rush into the story gives way to several drawn out scenes that seem a little too carefully crafted to create drama, as opposed to moving the story along. It's not a huge issue, and nothing that impacted my enjoyment of the read, just an observation looking back. For the most part, the storytelling is solid and both the action and the romantic sequences work well.

All-in-all, a pleasant surprise.

[I recieved a complimentary copy of the book from the author or publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.]

While skipping around the web looking for something different to load to the Kindle, I saw the "Top Pick" review for this book on NightOwlReviews.com's PARANORMAL page and decided to check it out. As another reviewer quipped on the storyline, "Some days a girl just wants to pull the covers over her head and stay in bed -- with a willing young man of course." After reading just the few preview pages, I was hooked and had to continue...so much for my Saturday night! Once I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. With a strong female protagonist and juicy storyline, it had my required three big Ls - Lust, Laughs and Literate. The characters are all great and the storyline really pulls the reader in. It has enough hooks to ensure you want to read the rest of the books in the series. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill paranormal storyline. With over 200 pages, it kept me involved right through to the end and wishing there was more. I think this author will be past self-publishing soon. A delightful first novel for an author I am definitely going to be following in the future.