Embraced by Darkness - Keri Arthur
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More like three and a half stars, really. This is a tricky book. Riley Jenson is on the case again. Blackmailed by her former pack alpha into tracking down a missing pack member, and hunting a vengeful spirit who rips his victims to shreds, she's got a lot on her plate. Throw in the usual love-life complications and this is another neat entry in the Riley Jenson series. Riley shows genuine character growth in each book, and it's a cautious, slightly sad Riley we find here. It's nice to read a series where the characters really do evolve and Arthur does this well.
However, there are issues. The first is perhaps an odd complaint - the two mystery plot strands never dovetailed, as you might expect in a book of this nature. The missing girl plot and the vengeful spirit plot are unrelated, and one is wrapped up so quickly and neatly, you almost don't see the point in it. A shame, because it seemed so promising. The other issue is one I can't go into without spoilers, but suffice to say there's a massive deus ex machina moment that seems cheap and disappointing, given the inventiveness I've come to love in this series.
The good points - Riley's hormones are dancing and jigging less, and Quinn is thankfully absent, although I doubt that will last. I'm waiting patiently for Riley #6 and hoping it gets the series back on track. End verdict - fun but flawed.
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An Enjoyable Series
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I first discovered Keri Arthur in the bargain section of my local Asda. Finding it impossible to resist anything with a vaguely supernatural theme I purchased the book (the first in this series), not expecting much other than another wannabe Laurell K Hamilton.
However, I was very pleasantly surprised at the vivid characterisation and the placement of the main character of Riley, in a parallel modern-day Australia.
The author has successfully - through 5 books - interwoven fantastical elements, occasional strong violence and great sex with crime fighting.
I would strongly recommend this author to anyone, not least because she has exhibited genuine character growth and story arc across each of her books. Something which other series authors have failed to achieve.
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Fifth in the 'Riley Jenson, Guardian' series
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This book is a real improvement over Keri Arthur's earlier stories in Riley Jenson, Guardian series - there is a greater focus on plotting and characterisation and less emphasis on sex to carry the story along. The book starts with Riley on holiday on an island to recover from all the events of the last year (and last four books). She is contacted there by a member of her former pack who demands that she looks into the disappearance of a pack member, Adrienne, and threatens to hurt Riley and Rhoan's mother if she doesn't comply. Shortly afterwards the Directorate ask her to look into the strange murder of a woman who appears to have been torn limb from limb by her fiancé and Riley discerns a supernatural element to the crime. She works on both investigations at the same time, also finding herself under attack from an unknown assailant, dealing with the memories that contact with her pack has dredged up, and trying to make sense of her relationship with Kellen who wants to 'go solo' with her. Riley's not sure if she can commit to that and clearly has some feelings still for vampire Quinn, although he doesn't appear in person in this story.
The plotting in this book was excellent with good pacing and with the variety of two simultaneous investigations. The caustic relationship between Riley and Salliane, 'The Cow', is very amusing, and adds some light relief in a story with a fair amount of darkness. Riley's skills are growing and strengthening and she discovers a new aspect of her nature in this book following the drug treatment that she received in the first instalment. Her brother Rhoan features in this story as he helps Riley at the denouement at the end of the story when they uncover the evil behind a string of grisly deaths from the UK to Germany to Australia.
This book relied far more on plot and characterisation, particularly Riley's workaholic nature and her complete absorption in being a Guardian and how that plays out with her personal relationships, rather than sex; for me, this made it a much stronger read and made Riley a more sympathetic character. It ended on a cliffhanger in Riley's personal life (although the major plot lines were all completed) and made me look forward to the next book. Although part of a series all the relevant backstory was given in a smooth and concise way and so this book would be easy to understand for a first-time reader despite the complex supernatural world and the varied skills that the non-humans have. "Embraced by Darkness" is a great addition to the series and a book that will probably win this author new readers.
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