Dark Descendant by Jenna Black

Telling a woman she’s basically a goddess does not get the same response it once did if you go by Nikki’s reaction.  Granted, given the way she is told and the assumptions around her discovery leave much to be desired.  To say the least, she was not surrounded by friendly faces eager to assist her with her adjustment.

That is more or less where the beginning of this story.  Nikki is a young woman coming into her powers.  What powers?  Well, honestly, even Nikki is not sure enough to tell.  This is an interesting twist on the trope of a young person’s journey of understanding dormant, newly acquired or previously unknown powers. From Luke Skywalker to Harry Potter to Eragon, we’ve seen characters on this road to self-discovery.   That, of course, is no reason to dismiss what may be an engaging story.  Fortunately, this story is engaging right from the start.

I really like books written in first person.  It’s an interesting way to learn about the main character and the way they see events. The author does an excellent job of not only letting us get to know Nikki, but, we get a good peek into who most of the characters surrounding her are.

Nikki, her family and her ‘allies’ move take an eventful journey through Washington D.C. as well as parts of Virginia.  Though the book is eventful, is doesn’t feel rushed.  The pacing feels like the natural flow of events.

This story is also unique in that it is basically a detective novel where early in exposition we learn most of what is mysterious.  The bad guys are known even though some of the good guys may be a bit iffy. Still, there may be a twist or two lurking once you think you have it all figured out.

Dark Descendant has many of the things I appreciate in a book: mystery, magic and a strong female lead.  It’s great to have books that might help a young lady see how self-sufficiency along with good allies can be combined.  I would, however, not suggest this story for a young lady (or man) under the age of 17.  There is a bit of frank discussion of mature subjects, mature language and a bit of violence that lands this at the far edge of the PG13 area.

Posted by Tynga at 02:00

 Descendant, Detective, Goddesses, Gods, Pocket, Purchased, Review, Urban Fantasy  4 People left their mark

Tynga is a 32 years old mom of two, from Montreal, working as a lab technician in an hospital specialized in heart disease. In her free time, she enjoys reading all things Paranormal and photography.

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