Title: Light Work on Dark Days
Author Name & Publisher: S. McDonald Powell (NineStar Press)
Publication Date: December 7, 2015
A malignant, predatory energy is gathering force in the world. Its chosen host, the global Elite, are its willing servants. A centuries-old war has raged between this evil and those brave enough to oppose it, but now the Elite are bringing the conflict to America. Old money brings old sins, introducing the wealthy of New York City to their aberrant tastes. Worst of all, it’s only a matter of time before they plan to unify their power and wealth to establish a One World government with which they will hold sway over the lives of all. And yet, they are not the only ones stalking the streets of New York…
Dr Eryn Wilde is no ordinary pathologist. As high priestess of the Morrígan, Eryn works to thwart the Elite with the aid of the magical order, Aes Sídhe—a light in the darkness and the antithesis to the Temple, the Elite’s cohort of dark magicians.
In the bleak of December, Eryn is called to the scene of a fatal car incident, only to find a trunk full of severed limbs. Much to Eryn’s chagrin, the beautiful and intelligent Homicide Detective Rebekah Luzzatto is tasked with working on the case. As events unfold that take them deeper into the world of politics, corporate greed, blackmail, and murder, it becomes increasingly difficult for Eryn to stay away from Rebekah, despite being afraid that she will meet the same end as her last lover.
Between the two of them, will they find a way to make their relationship work? Hopefully while preventing the Elite from opening the gates of hell and ushering in World War III?
An elite along around the world have been taking control and carrying out stomach-churning acts. Eyrn is part of Aes Sidhe, a group of people dedicated to the end of their reign of terror. The Elite have people everywhere and Eryn’s life is in danger. She becomes involved with Rebekkah but fears that their relationship and their lives are in jeopardy and struggles with whether to stay together or not.
The story is brilliantly told and truly gripping. Although there is a paranormal element some of the descriptions of the Elite and their influence was not far off the mark in reality. I loved the relationship that bloomed between Eryn and Rebekkah and wanted it to work out for them. They had so many obstacle in their way though and that ranked up the tension. The tale itself was wonderfully imagines and I had no problem getting lost in it for a few hours.
I hope there are more tales to be told of Eryn and Rebekkah and the Aes Sidhe. I feel we aren’t finished with them yet!
There were a lot of things in this book to like. The story flowed easily, following logical paths, consistent world-building, likable characters. The biggest problem for me was the overwhelming reach and saturation of the conspiracy. The book reads like a conspiracy theorist’s manifesto, which for me, was extremely tiring. The problem with this type of conspiracy is that those at the top have to ensure they have control of everything, and everybody in a position to expose them. It’s just too big to not make a mistake, especially when they’re doing something that most in society have deemed taboo. There’s also the problem that the main character has so many things she can’t speak of, that you’re constantly wondering if you know what’s really going on. I have a problem, as a reader, when the story makes me feel like I’m being left out in the cold. The romantic relationship between Eryn and Rebekah happened way too fast for me. First they barely knew or talked to each other, then they were suddenly succumbing to their hidden feelings for one another, and during that first intimate encounter the main character reveals that she’s in love with her new lover. The last thing that was a little out of place for me was the tendency for socio-economic conversations as small talk by people who probably wouldn’t ever think about having discussions like that. It seemed jarring.
Overall, the book was interesting, and so easy to read that I just kept turning page after page. But I probably won’t pick up book two. Conspiracy theories take a lot of energy, as well as a certain juxtaposition of suspended disbelief and paranoid hyperconnectivity. I’m a little too lazy to be that energetic.
~AmyP
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