Direct Descendant by Tanya Huff
Rating: 2/5 stars

Summary:
Generations ago, the founders of the idyllic town of Lake Argen made a deal with a dark force. In exchange for their service, the town will stay prosperous and successful, and keep outsiders out. And for generations, it’s worked out great. Until a visitor goes missing, and his wealthy family sends a private investigator to find him, and everything abruptly goes sideways.

Now, Cassidy Prewitt, town baker and part-time servant of the dark force (it’s a family business) has to contend with a rising army of darkness, a very frustrated town, and a very cute PI who she might just be falling for…and who might just be falling for her. And if they can survive their own home-grown apocalypse, they might even just find happiness together.

First Impressions:
I was so excited to dive into Direct Descendant. As a big fan of cosy mysteries, fantasy, magic, and fun and witty horror, the blurb gave me strong Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural vibes, which sounded like it was right up my alley. Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Plot & Pacing:
The plot felt underwhelming overall. Around 80% of the book read like filler, with little actually happening to move the story forward. There wasn’t much suspense, the stakes felt low, and the horror elements didn’t come through. The ending, while tying up the story, felt predictable and lacked the satisfying payoff I’d hoped for.

Adding to the unresolved feeling of the story, there were moments that felt random or completely out of the blue. Since this is a standalone book, these loose ends and sudden twists only made the story feel more incomplete.

The pacing was another issue. The story moved very slowly for much of the book and was bogged down by an overload of unnecessary details. Random descriptions of what the characters were thinking or doing often felt irrelevant to the plot, which not only slowed the pace but also made it hard to stay immersed. I also found the constant pop culture references (including several mentions of Oompa Loompas!) distracting. Instead of grounding the story in the “real world,” they ended up pulling me out of the story.

This also impacted the moment when the plot finally started to pick up. By the time it does, my mind was so full of random information and details that I couldn’t fully immerse myself in the plot anymore.

Writing Style:
The writing wasn’t what I’d expected from a cosy fantasy-horror blend and often felt juvenile. It felt like it was trying too hard to be witty, and while some moments were charming, many felt forced. Additionally, the constant addition of random details made it harder for me to focus on the core story.

As someone with dyslexia, this style of writing made the book especially challenging to read. The clutter of unnecessary descriptions and word choices made my head feel heavy and broke my immersion in the story.

I was also hoping for a cosy yet atmospheric tone that would envelop me in the magic and horror of the world, but instead, the tone felt inconsistent.

Characters:
The characters were okay but ultimately not very memorable. They often felt one-dimensional, and I struggled to connect with them. Early on, it was difficult to differentiate between the POVs because the characters’ voices felt so similar.

While the romance was cute, it relied too heavily on instant attraction and lacked the buildup and tension that could have made it feel more impactful. The characters don’t meet until quite late in the story, and their relationship never really developed beyond surface-level chemistry.

World-Building:
The world felt small and underexplored, and the magic system wasn’t given room to breathe. Like much of the story, it relied on telling rather than showing, which left me with a lot of questions. The world-building had potential but ultimately didn’t feel fully realized.

Final Thoughts:
I really wanted to love Direct Descendant, but sadly, it fell short for me. The combination of a predictable plot, slow pacing, underdeveloped characters, and an overwhelming amount of random details made it hard to stay immersed in the story. While the concept had great potential, the execution didn’t quite deliver the cosy, magical, and horror elements I was hoping for.

There were a couple of elements I enjoyed. The inclusion of a cute monster added a fun and lighthearted touch, and there were moments when the story picked up the pace and became more engaging.

But unfortunately, this was a 2-star read for me. It was also my first book by Tanya Huff, and seeing as the writing style in this book didn’t work for me, I’m not sure if I’ll be picking up another of her books in the future.

That said, I think there’s definitely an audience that will enjoy this book! If you’re looking for a light and cosy read with some hints of magic and a touch of romance, Direct Descendant might be a fun read for you.

I had the wonderful opportunity to read this book as an ARC reader through NetGalley, for which I want to express my gratitude! This review is my honest and voluntary opinion, and I am thrilled to share my thoughts.

This review can be found on Goodreads, but will not be posted on my social media.

A great read - fantasy, magic, gay love and a sprinkling of horror. Well written and entertaining, very enjoyable. I hope this is a series. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this cozy eldritch horror romance! The eldritch horror aspect was so fun and I loved all the different creatures. The characters were interesting and engaging, as well as the plot. Overall this was just a fun read, absolutely recommend!

Direct Descendant is such a great book! I rated this book 4 stars because it's that good and I loved every single second of it. I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can.

Direct Descendant is a cozy fantasy/horror book filled with humor, quirky characters, and a sweet, low-heat "love at first sight" romance. The main characters, Cassie and Melanie, offer two unique perspectives on the events in the book - Cassie is a town local with a supernatural quirk and Melanie is the normal outsider who tries to explain away the supernatural things she sees. The switching perspectives were a great way to engage with the overarching story, particularly when describing the events leading up to their eventual meet cute. Cassie's instant infatuation and daydreaming of their potential meeting was laugh out loud funny, particularly when juxtaposed with Melanie's POV of the same time.

The world-building in this book is quite unique and I enjoyed exploring the concept of a town that has embraced the Darkness for years and enjoys mostly mundane benefits from their Agreement - excellent cell phone coverage, no interference from the government, good healthcare, and adequate school funding. The other characters in the town remain mostly fleshed out by their various quirks, but for the style of writing and the overall sweet nature of the book, I don't think that's a problem.

The only difficulty I had with the book was the beginning. The book drops you into the town of Lake Argent and the event that will instigate everything that transpires in the book with absolutely no explanation. I was so confused by the first few chapters I actually investigated whether this was book 2 in a series to explain what I was missing. Ultimately, the explanation of the town and what's going on comes at the 2/3 mark in the book and by then you've pieced together a lot of it from context. I would encourage any reader to keep going even if you start out a bit confused as the overarching story and sweet romance make it well worth the read.

I really enjoyed how good the cozy horror element was in this storyline. The overall feel worked and had that concept that I was looking for from the description. I was invested in what was happening to the characters and how they were written. Tanya Huff has a strong writing style and was glad I was able to read this. It uses the romance element perfectly and had that overall element that I wanted.

I'm a big lover of all things cozy, so a cozy fantasy-horror sounded right up my alley—but unfortunately, this one didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

The writing style sometimes felt a bit juvenile, which stuck out as I read. The tone didn’t quite match what I’d expected for cozy fantasy, which made it harder to stay immersed in the story. I was hoping for something that would really envelop me in atmosphere, but the writing in this one did the opposite.

The plot also felt a bit weak. I know cozy fantasies come with a delightfully low-stakes plot, but this one just didn’t have much momentum to keep me engaged. On top of that, the insta-love romance didn’t really work for me; I’d have preferred a bit more build-up to keep things interesting.

All that said, I think there’s definitely a certain audience that will love this! If you enjoy the cozy mystery vibe with a bit of humor and a nostalgic feel, this one could be a fun read for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and DAW for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really cosy and charming book! I thought the romance was super cute, and if you liked The House in the Cerulean Sea but wish it was sapphic, I expect you'll have a good time with this. The humour was great, and lots of the jokes and comments made me laugh. The overall tone is very sweet, snarky, and enjoyable to read. I always love a book with eldritch horrors involved, and I thought taking a more humorous, light-hearted approach to this mini-genre was a really unique and fun idea!

However, I think the plot was weak and quite unsatisfying. Even though Melanie is supposed to be an investigator, it never felt like there was much of a mystery going on, as the characters all guessed exactly what was going on within a few chapters, leaving almost 200 pages of the book feeling like filler. There was no real suspense or stakes and I didn't feel that the plot was very compelling regarding the 'eldritch horror' aspect of the book, meaning the ending just felt underwhelming and predictable. The romance was very cute, but it relies HEAVILY on the insta-love trope, resulting in there being no tension or room to develop the relationship for the rest of the book. Very little actually happened in this story, and even though I thought it was written in a very charming way, that doesn't make up for the fact that there's not very much substance.

If you want a cosy, sapphic romance with a witty writing style that is easy to get lost in, I think this is a perfectly good choice. But if you are more like me and struggle to engage with a book with a weak plot and overly convenient solutions, this might not be the best option.