3 out of 4 stars
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Six years after her father’s tragic death, Donja Bellanger still struggles to adjust to life without him. When her mother decides to remarry, Donja is forced to leave her friends and the place she calls home to live with her new family in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It does not take long before her life begins to spiral out of control. When a visit to an exclusive club for elites gains her the attention of the handsome Torin Mancini, who is an Iridescent (a powerful ancient spirit), her blood lures him in, and he finds himself strangely attracted to her. Except, he is not the only one who has her in his sights. A deadly predator, who has murdered several Chippewa girls on both sides of the Canada-United States border has picked up her scent and is dying to get a taste of her blood. Will Torin’s feelings for Donja overcome his primal instincts to feed on her blood or will he be her undoing? If not, will Donja end up falling prey to the murderous and bloodthirsty predator?
Chasing the Red Queen by Karen Glista is a captivating, paranormal romance novel that takes readers on a thrilling and fun but dangerous adventure into the world of Ojibwe spirits, special bloodlines, and vampire-like creatures. Written in the third-person point of view, we get to follow the two main characters (Donja and Torin) intermittently until their worlds meet. This made things interesting as we got to know both characters and their different worlds separately; thus, the moment they finally met, their interactions were all the more fascinating.
The spell-binding narrative brilliantly blended elements of mysticism, romance, and murder-mystery. The story is elevated further by its well-developed characters; their backstories, relationships, strengths, and weaknesses made them feel genuine. The author’s use of description and world-building were commendable. As a result, I found myself completely immersed in the characters’ world and the events that took place.
Parts of the narrative, such as a physically intimate relationship between a seventeen-year-old and a twenty-six-year-old, may shock some readers. I wondered if this was legal in real life, and a quick Google search revealed that the age of consent in Michigan (where most of the narrative takes place) is sixteen, but raised to eighteen when the older party is an authority figure. The older party in the narrative is a detective; therefore, their interactions bordered on the illegal. The author unapologetically took a no-holds-barred approach when it came to writing the vivid description of the sex-scene and murdered victims; these intimate details and gory description added to the intensity of the novel.
Even though the book is well-written, the copy I read could use a round of professional editing. Donja’s step-sister, Mikayla, was called ‘Makayla’ and ‘Makala’ in different parts of the book. Donja’s grandmother, Anna Bellanger, was known as Anna Nolan before she got married, but another part of the book implied that she was ‘Anna Beaty’ before her marriage. Another inconsistency was when Lisa, Donja’s mum, at one point, tells Anna that Gage took the necessary steps to protect Frankie, but at another says it was Torin. Grammatical errors I noticed include missing articles, pronouns, and quotation marks, as well as the use of ‘now’ in place of ‘how,’ ‘interrupt’ instead of ‘interpret,’ and so on.
Overall, the storyline and plot-twists made for an enchanting narrative. The author also did a fantastic job in wrapping up the narrative. I would recommend this novel to fans of paranormal romance and those who are not put-off by the flaws mentioned in this review. Because of the inconsistencies and errors found, I deducted one point. I, therefore, rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
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Chasing the Red Queen
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