Review: The Veil (Devil’s Isle #1) by Chloe Neill

The Veil

Author: Chloe Neill

Series: Devil’s Isle

Pages: 336

Publisher: NAL Trade

Amazon

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn… 

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

I am such a huge Chloe Neill fan so I was super excited when I found out she was writing a new UF series; The Veil is the first book in the Devil’s Isle series.

This book started off slowly for me, there was a lot of information to take in and I must admit I almost gave up and started on something else but I am really pleased that I persisted because it ended up being creative an unique with a great cast of well-written characters and an interesting premise.

Our MC is Claire Connolly, she runs a store in NOLA and lives with a dangerous secret: she’s what is known as a Sensitive, a human gifted with magic. The Veil is like a magical barrier that separates the human and the paranormal worlds. Claire knows that revealing her ability would mean being sent off to Devil’s Isle so she needs to learn how to control it before she is found out. 

The world-building is developed extremely well and we are given detailed history about what had happened for things to now be as they are. The Veil that separates humans from the supernatural that lie beyond was torn apart which led to war; now anyone with magical powers are confined in a enclosed community that humans call the District but is otherwise known as Devil’s Isle; the magical aspect was also explained well and was quite imaginative.

As I mentioned the pacing at the beginning was extremely slow for me but it did pick up and became quite exciting; the plot was interesting and quite action-packed and intense; I am excited to see how it all progresses in the next book.

I found all of the characters to be likeable, Claire was kind-hearted, intelligent, resilient and fiercely independent, having recently lost her father she was more or less alone except for her close friends Gunnar and Tadji; we are also introduced to the mysterious and smexy Liam Quinn, a bounty hunter who had me questioning his loyalty throughout so I can’t wait to see how their relationship progresses; we get some strong chemistry but it doesn’t progress much to my disappointment. We are also introduced to the perfect villain, one I couldn’t help but despise.

Chloe Neill’s writing is wonderfully engaging and the world and NOLA setting that we are introduced to was mesmerising. With a fabulous cast of characters, world-building that goes above and beyond and unique magical aspect I am more than eager to read the next book in the Devil’s Isle series.

Overall, The Veil is filled with intense moments, a surprise betrayal, diverse paranormal beings and a satisfying conclusion. It is certainly different to Neill's Chicagoland Vampire series which I appreciated. 

About the author: Chloe Neill is the New York Times bestselling author of the Chicagoland Vampires Novels, the Devil's Isle Novels, and a YA series, the Dark Elite. Chloe was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest. When she's not writing, she bakes, works, and scours the Internet for good recipes and great graphic design. Chloe also maintains her sanity by spending time with her boys--her husband and their dogs, Baxter and Scout.

Connect with Chloe Neill at www.chloeneill.com

Waiting on Wednesday - Chloe Neill & Veronica Rossi

 

Hi everyone!! thank-you so much for stopping by today.

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I couldn’t decide on one so I have two WoW’s for this week - Riders by Veronica Rossi and The Veil by Chloe Neill.

Author: Veronica Rossi

Series: Riders

Amazon pre-order

Publisher: Tor Teen

Release date: 2^nd February 2016

Goodreads 

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

For eighteen-year-old Gideon Blake, nothing but death can keep him from achieving his goal of becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. As it turns out, it does.
Recovering from the accident that most definitely killed him, Gideon finds himself with strange new powers and a bizarre cuff he can’t remove. His death has brought to life his real destiny. He has become War, one of the legendary four horsemen of the apocalypse.
Over the coming weeks, he and the other horsemen—Conquest, Famine and Death—are brought together by a beautiful but frustratingly secretive girl to help save humanity from an ancient evil on the emergence.
They fail.
Now—bound, bloodied, and drugged—Gideon is interrogated by the authorities about his role in a battle that has become an international incident. If he stands any chance of saving his friends and the girl he’s fallen for—not to mention all of humankind—he needs to convince the skeptical government officials the world is in imminent danger.
But will anyone believe him?

Author: Chloe Neill

Series: Devil’s Isle

Amazon pre-order

Publisher: NAL Trade

Release date: 4^th August 2015

Goodreads 

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn…

Waiting on Wednesday - The Veil by Chloe Neill and Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep

Hi everyone!! thank-you so much for stopping by today.

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

I couldn’t decide this week so I have two WoW’s! The Veil by Chloe Neill which is the first book in the Devils Isle series. My second WoW is Cold Burn of Magic by Jennifer Estep, the first book in the Black Blade series.

Author: Chloe Neill

Series: Devils Isle

Amazon pre-order

Publisher: NAL

Release date: 4^TH August 2015

Goodreads 

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn…

Author: Jennifer Estep

Series: Black Blade

Amazon pre-order

Publisher: K-Teen

Release date: 28^th April 2015

Goodreads 

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

There Be Monsters Here. . .

It's not as great as you'd think, living in a tourist town that's known as "the most magical place in America." Same boring high school, just twice as many monsters under the bridges and rival Families killing each other for power. 

I try to keep out of it. I've got my mom's bloodiron sword and my slightly illegal home in the basement of the municipal library. And a couple of Talents I try to keep quiet, including very light fingers and a way with a lock pick. 

But then some nasty characters bring their Family feud into my friend's pawn shop, and I have to make a call--get involved, or watch a cute guy die because I didn't. I guess I made the wrong choice, because now I'm stuck putting everything on the line for Devon Sinclair. My mom was murdered because of the Families, and it looks like I'm going to end up just like her. . 

REVIEW Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires #4) by Chloe Neill

 

 Author: Chloe Neill

Pages: 350

Genre: Urban Fantasy

NAL Trade 

AMAZON: Hard Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, Book 4)

From the blurb (Goodreads).

Times are hard for newly minted vampire Merit. Ever since shapeshifters announced their presence to the world, humans have been rallying against supernaturals--and they're camping outside of Cadogan House with protest signs that could turn to pitchforks at any moment. Inside its doors, things between Merit and her Master, green-eyed heartbreaker Ethan Sullivan are ... tense. But then the mayor of Chicago calls Merit and Ethan to a clandestine meeting and tells them about a violent vamp attack that has left three women missing. His message is simple: get your House in order. Or else.

Merit needs to get to the bottom of this crime, but it doesn't help that she can't tell who's on her side. So she secretly calls in a favor from someone who's tall, dark, and part of underground vamp group that may have some deep intel on the attack. Merit soon finds herself in the heady, dark heart of Chicago's supernatural society--a world full of vampires who seem too ready to fulfill the protesting human's worst fears, and a place where she'll learn that you can't be a vampire without getting a little blood on your hands..

REVIEW: 4 out of 5 Stars

I had read many comments about the ending of Hard Bitten so I was quite nervous about starting it; Chicagoland Vampires is one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series and after reading it until the early hours of this morning, I am completely and utterly DEVASTATED! I am hoping the ending is just a sorcery parlor trick (wishful thinking) but I am shattered.

Anyhow, I have no idea how to write this review without giving away major spoilers and the way this book panned out certainly makes for some HUGE changes to this series, my thoughts are in scrambles.

It's been two months since the attack on Cadogan House which forced Shapeshifters into the public eye and placed vampires back into the spotlight not portraying them in the best light. Humans appear to be growing restless and with increased violence and anti-vampire protests it is causing fear amongst many.

In Hard Bitten we see Ethan given an ultimatum by Mayor Tate to either sort out the Human/Vampire relationship and put a stop to the out of control raves or face imprisonment; having a ban being placed on his involvement by the presidium, it is left up to Merit along with Red Guard Jonah to uncover the truth and investigate the reported slaughter and feeding frenzies which has left 3 women missing.
Ethan has to be kept out of the loop and provide no assistance so the fallout doesn't force the GP in to placing the House into receivership. Surrounding these circumstances is also the threat of Celina and where and what she is up to.

I was shocked at who was behind the betrayal of vamps and the cause of the rave problems, I never would have guessed and this form of betrayal seems to be consistent with each of the CV books.

Merit is one of my favorite protagonist,  she is strong and determined, she stands up for herself, she fights for what she believes in and maintains her dignity.

I always enjoy the tension and wonderful chemistry between Merit and Ethan, she is still struggling to forgive and trust him but he persisted and is really trying to change. Their interactions and emotional connection is great. They work well together.

The secondary characters which I have grown to love continued to develop and grow in strength emotionally there just weren’t enough scenes with them which was disappointing; I have always enjoyed Merit and Mallory’s relationship with their fun banter and snark; I found it hard seeing Mallory struggle with what she is becoming; that being a powerful sorcerer. It was also nice seeing Luc and Lindsey’s relationship progress, they are well suited.

Ignoring the ending, It was fast paced, intriguing with a fantastic plot, I always enjoy Merit’s wit and humor; Hard Bitten is brilliantly written and has great suspense and mystery. It is certainly a book that brings out all emotions, one minute your happy, the next sad and then all of a sudden mad and left feeling betrayed.

Merit is a fighter and I am hoping she finds the strength in Drink Deep to go forward.

A blog entry from Ms Neill offers big hugs and asks us to trust her, I sincerely hope we can because I am the sort of reader who really gets personally invested in a series and when there is a huge plot twist, it completely throws my thought process and feelings towards not only the series but also the author. I am hoping for some form of resolution in Drink Deep and am thankful we have less than 6 months to wait..