Keri Arthur created a fairly complex urban fantasy world in City of Light, the opening volume in her Outcast series. That world which features a long running enmity between ‘shifters’ and humans alongside vampires, ghosts and interdimensional rifts that allowed destructive wraiths into the world. So despite some action, the first fifty pages or so of Winter Halo feel like a large, if necessary, recap to get readers back up to speed.

Winter Halo once again focuses on Tiger, the last of a race of super soldiers created for long ago war between the shifters and the humans. Tiger is packed with biophysical and magical features – she was bred to gather intelligence by seducing the enemy, has super strength, can change her physical features, can rapidly heal herself and can read people’s minds particularly when she is having sex with them. Tiger is still trying to track down missing children, possibly being used in an experiment to create vampires who can move in daylight. The trail leads her and her companion Jonas, a shifter with whom there is piles of unresolved sexual tension, to the evil Winter Halo corporation.

While advancing the story of the missing children, Winter Halo does little to broaden Arthur’s world. The plot, built mainly around a number of infiltrations into the Winter Halo headquarters, feels repetitive and key events, like the attempted destruction of Tiger’s home, go unexplained. Once again, Tiger’s huge arsenal of superpowers and abilities, allow her to gather necessary intelligence and escape dangerous situations. As with the previous novel there are plenty of well paced action scenes, more than a little sex and the aforementioned unrequited romance. But Winter Halo feels like treading water after the originality and pace of the first book in this series.

Book Two of the Outcast series. Keri Arthur continues the story right after the events of the first book, a couple of weeks give or take. Once again Keri Arthur has entertained and keep me on the edge of my seat. I love this post apocalyptic paranormal world. A world first divided by a shifter/human/vampire war, then nearly destroyed by the bombs the shifters dropped to end the war. But the bombs did something to the fabric of the universe and now deadly rifts appear and suck you in. Most people don't survive but the ones that do come back different. I do recommend reading the first book in the series because events happen in The City of Light that are mentioned but not explained in this book that pertain to what's going to happen.

When the first book ended Tiger and her ghosts….(No spoilers just in case you haven't read the first book) and although she told Nuri and Jonas that she wouldn't help them anymore she gone off on her own to continue the search. But to find out what she needs she had to accept help from Nuri and Jonas, especially since the bad guys know who she is and where to find her they just can't get to her but that doesn't stop them from trying.

Jonas and Tiger have been fighting the attraction they feel for each other. They should hate each other; him a shifter the race that mercilessly killed her kind, and she a déchet a genetically created blend of shifter human and vampire to seduce and kill shifters in the war. Jonas final admits that he judged Tiger harshly and is willing to see where this attraction will take them; Tiger just had to admit that's what she wants too. Tiger uses the connections Nuri has to get inside of Winter Halo the company that has control of false rifts and using them to kidnap children. They are also trying to control the vampires and the wraiths that come out of the rifts and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Overall, I can't believe how good this book is. One thing….Damn you cliffhanger!

Winter Halo marks the sequel to the excellent paranormal/urban fantasy series starter, City of Lights by Keri Arthur that I really enjoyed last year. The series introduced us to Tiger, a super-soldier created through genetic experiments during the savage war that destroyed earth hundreds of years before. Tiger is a dechet, known for their skills to ‘lure’ targets, seek information and kill. City of Lights lays the foundations for this dystopian world of the Outcasts where darkness brings vampires and wraiths and other unnamed dangers out in the open – and the two species, humans and shifters live huddled away in fear and confusion, deep within the brightly lit multi-tiered city called the Central; an uneasy peace brokered between the two that ended the war, but only on paper. The seething hatred for the devastation caused by the war continues to rage among the minds of these survivors and this forms a crucial foil to everything that unfolds in this series.

Tiger, the only dechet who survived the genocide perpetrated on her kinds during the war, is thus wary of company or friends. Trust doesn’t come easy. The first book was excellent because, as a reader, I was so emotionally strung and connected to the lows and highs of what Tiger, the first person narrator, goes through. And by Rhea, does she go through a lot!

Book two, picks up right where city of lights ended. Tiger – and her uneasy alliance with Nuri, the powerful earth witch and Jonas, a ranger who is also a shifter of the cat family, still continues on. The main narrative here follows Tiger and gang hot on the trail of the missing children from book one. The book starts off on a pulsating high, a high-octane action chase sequence with the vampires and slowly settles down to a fast paced rhythm as we follow the trail of the kidnapped children to a mysterious pharma company called Winter Halo, deep within the Central city. Tiger infiltrates the security of the company and realizes that the shady dealings extend much beyond, within the walls. Female security guards go missing and she suspects a much deeper ploy here, something that might have earth-shattering consequences if the experiments come true.

This book, just as the first one, is full of thrilling action set pieces as Tiger and Jonas, finally set aside their mutual distrust and hatred and work towards a common goal. However, the sparks of attraction that we felt right from book one, still hasn’t caught on to become that inferno you would expect. It’s more of a slow burn – and sometimes, for me as a reader, a bit frustrating. Tiger gets thrown together with Jonas quite a lot in this book and their teaser interactions never really heats over, the knowing smiles, the innuendos and the squabbles never get over and gets repetitive. But the good thing is, hey – Jonas and Tiger may finally have gone to first base.

There are several secondary plots that emerge in this book and I for one, am definitely excited about the final reveals and how the tapestry gets woven together. Tiger remains a charming, selfless heroine – who in spite of being this hot, super spy who uses her sexual charms to get information, remains an endearing character with a lot of heart. Chiefly because of her interactions with the child-ghosts Bear and Cat, who have been her chief companions for long now and who get to play a lot more important role in this book than the first. Jonas reveals a lot more of his own background in this book and has almost grown to be a protagonist at par with Tiger, whom the reader wants to get behind of. There are several questions laid open now – with the plot developments like what happened to Penny, the girl who was first rescued by Tiger in the book one beginning or how would the alliance between Tiger and Nuri play out – and of course, who is the mystery perpetrator of all these genetic experiments that could have disastrous consequences in the world.

An excellent sequel that builds up on the fascinating world-building done with book one, Winter Halo has all the ingredients that endeared us to Tiger and this brutal world of deadly vampires, shape-shifters and mind-bending magic. If you haven't yet read the Outcast, then you should head straight away into this dangerous and bizarre futuristic world teetering on the edge of a disaster, rest assured you will love it.

Winter Halo (An Outcast Novel) is a great second book to this series! The characters and story line are well-developed. Tiger is a genetically designed humanoid supersoldier with with shifter, vampire, and human DNA. They are called déchet. They get close to their targets and learn government secrets during the war. Now children are being taken and Tiger has to help Jonas to find them. What has come to light is that the Pharmaceutical company is behind the kidnapping. they are taking the children and experimenting on them. Tiger infiltrates the company to see how they are doing it? This story will draw you into this world and will notlet you go until the very last page, then it will have you wanting more. I recommend this book and series to everyone. I give WINTER HALO 5/5 STARS.

This novel was not quite what I was expecting from the description. I am not a fan of vampire novels and after reading about 10% of this novel decided it was not for me.

Review goes live on the blog on Feb 14 at 5 pm [GMT+2] and will show up on Goodreads sometime later.

In a Flutter: Fun & touching
Fluttering Thoughts:
Worldbuilding: The Outcast world is an interesting mix of futuristic and UF, with paranormal elements like shifters, vampires, wraiths, witches, ghosts – all sorts of goodies.
Characters: Tiger was a very interesting main character. It seemed to me than rather than try to elicit empathy, she simply went about doing what needed to be done and hit lots of my soft spots as a result. I admired her, I disagreed with some of her methods or reasoning processes, but got where she was coming from and enjoyed following along as she did her thing.
I also loved Cat and Bear, all the kids’ ghosts really, and their team work was pure win. And Jonas was pretty much adorable in his alpha male-ness. I’m so looking forward to the future when it comes to these two 😀
Plot: The story was a great mix of action/adventure, mystery, some romance sprinkled on top. I enjoyed the read, though in places the tempo felt a bit slow.
Writing: First person, past tense narrative, Tiger’s POV. It felt like narrative had a larger percentage than dialogue, and it might have slowed the tempo for me.
Curb Appeal: Cool cover, hooking blurb for my UF cravings.

This could have easily been a 5 butterflies read for me, had there been a more alert tempo to the read. I really enjoyed characters, story, world, and am looking forward to the next novel in the series.
I recommend Winter Halo to fans of UF with a futuristic spin, fans of well-told stories that involve an interesting mix of elements. I wouldn’t say it’s for the adrenaline junkies of UF, but more for those looking for consistent reads that tackle issues all societies struggle with.

There's just something about Keri's writing that feels like coming home. Each book has a familiar feel that I greatly enjoy. But don't get me wrong, that familiar feel does not mean that the books are in any way similar or redundant, it's just that they have a consistent pattern of very high stakes, stellar characters, and action that builds to a satisfying crescendo in every book. I know without a doubt that every new book she writes will be a guaranteed solid block of entertainment, and WINTER HALO was no exception.

While the first book centered more on building this new series world, WINTER HALO started to focus more on the characters, which I greatly enjoyed. Tiger is truly an amazing woman, so incredibly admirable for not becoming bitter despite all she's endured. What's even more amazing is her willingness (although somewhat reluctantly at times) to all but sacrifice herself by going into almost impossible no win situations in order to help find the children. For all the shifters hatred of her they'd be hard pressed to find a more sacrificing person among themselves. Speaking of shifters, the steam and almost forbidden yet fierce attraction between Tiger and Jonas kicked up a notch this time around. It's going to be one heck of a dance to see where things lead with them, that's for sure.

All in all if you enjoy a fast paced, action packed read with a fascinating world, and stellar characters that more than satisfy, this is the book for you. I've said before, and I'll say it again, Keri is a master at her craft.

WINTER HALO is the fascinating second book of the Outcast series and starts out where book 1 CITY OF LIGHT ends. I am a big fan of author Keri Arthur, fell in love with her Riley Jensen series and didn't want her Nikki and Michael stories to end. I always enjoyed her strong, tenacious heroines and Tiger is just the same. A dechat is not suppose to have emotions but Tiger has them as she was trained as a lure and assassin and you see it in the way she is determined to save children from the evil that is happening to them.

At first WINTER HALO felt stilted, sort of like the author had some left over ideas from the first book and didn't want to discard them. But as I read the flow kicked in and I was caught up in the action and drama. Nuri and Jonah, the witch and mercenary from the first book, managed to be a little less antagonistic toward Tiger. In fact, it was nice to see that there does seem to be a definitive change in Jonah's attitude. I also love that her little ghosts Cat and Bear are back and more helpful than ever. While reading this book I had no trouble feeling as if I were inside this world, I believe this is Ms. Arthur's truest ability as a writer, to have her readers feel what the characters are feeling, seeing and doing.

I look forward to the next installment as I want to see what happens to Jonah and Tiger, Penny, his niece, and the other children, the vampires and how do they stop them or can they be stopped. In other words, I can't wait to visit this intriguing world again!

Annetta Sweetko, Fresh Fiction reviewer

For complete review go to http://freshfiction.com/review.php?id=61833

Despite being a successful award winning author I don’t believe Keri Arthur really gets the recognition or attention she deserves for her writing. Regardless of the genre, sub-genre or the topic, Arthur always gives her readers a run for their money.

Winter Halo, which is the second book in the Outcast series, is a perfect example of her ability to flow seamlessly from one genre to the other within the same story. It’s a dystopian extravaganza with sci-fi elements and an urban fantasy flair.

It is set in a world of genetically enhanced soldiers, shifters, ghosts, vampires and perhaps a few humans. Tiger is determined to save a small group of children, who have been kidnapped with the intent of committing unimaginable atrocities.

Watch this space for the Tiger and Jonas saga, because it is definitely coming. The sexual tension between the two of them is like a volcano set to erupt. No pun intended. Okay that’s a lie it’s totally intended. Jonas can’t help but be drawn to the feisty dechet, perhaps because she is the complete opposite of what he thinks she should be like.

Instead of hard cold reasoning there is a strong compassionate vein, and her ability to communicate with ghosts makes her seem more humane instead of like the genetically enhanced soldier she actually is.

One of the more fascinating aspects of Tiger is the way she compartmentalizes her actions, emotions and choices. Her sexual activities are sorted into boxes labelled ‘a means to an end.’ All business all the time. Maybe it is time she did it for herself and for the pleasure instead.

I am looking forward to the third part in this series, especially a possible Tiger and Jonas relationship. Winter Halo is an action driven read with creative ideas, intricate world-building and plenty of potential for further development.

It was, as always with a Keri Arthur book, a read I would recommend.
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy of Winter Halo.*

Summary from Goodreads:
When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes in the veil between worlds, they allowed entry to the Others. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the darkness at bay....

The humanoid supersoldiers known as the déchet were almost eradicated by the war. Ever since, Tiger has tried to live her life in peace in hiding. But in the wake of her discovery that Central City’s children are being kidnapped and experimented on, Tiger’s conscience won’t let her look the other way.

The key to saving them lies within the walls of a pharmaceutical company called Winter Halo. But as she learns more about the facility, Tiger’s mission is derailed by a complication: Winter Halo’s female security guards are being systematically attacked by an unknown force.

Now Tiger must summon all her gifts to stop those responsible for both atrocities—no matter the cost to herself...

My Thoughts:

I am loving this series so much! I read the first book in this series, City of Light, earlier this year and just adored it. I've been pining for this book every since I finished and was so excited to finally get the chance to read this one. I'm happy to say that I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first book. What a mark of a great series (and author)! One of the things that I love most about this series is how original and unique it feels. Tiger is a déchet which is both a very rare and dangerous thing to be in this new world. Tiger was created in a laboratory and created for a specific purpose which gives her many special skills and abilities. The entire world that Arthur has created with shifters, vampires, wraiths, and all kinds of other supernatural creatures just feels so fresh to me. I can't seem to get enough of it! Then you add in a fast paced storyline where Tiger constantly gets herself into trouble and I found myself flying through this book as fast as I could.

This might be slightly spoiler-ly (there is your warning) but I really liked that with this book we got to see more of Tiger's relationship with Jonas. I like that the characters are starting to trust Tiger more and find that I'm anxious for more of that in the third book. My one and only complaint with this book was that it definitely had a build up to the next book feel. There was resolution at the end so don't get me wrong but there was also a lot of set up for book three. It didn't bother me too much though as now I'm absolutely chomping at the bit to get my hands on that next book. The wait is going to be the hardest part!! I'm going to have to move on to one of Arthur's other series while I wait for this next book to be released. The ending of this book was completely intense! I got to a point where I just couldn't see how it was all going to end and the author had me on the edge of my seat. It was completely worth the ride and I am left eager for more.

Overall, this is by far one of my favorite new series that I have found in 2016. It is pretty rare that I'm caught up with a series but when the books are this good...well, how could I not be? I think that fans of science fiction and urban fantasy would both enjoy these books. I do think that you should start with book one first just so that you get the full back story as this second book continues on after events from the first. You don't have to as the author does a pretty great job of refreshing the reader on everything that happened but I just think the reading experience would be better reading in order. I would highly recommend this book and the series. I can't say enough good things about it!

Bottom Line: Such a great follow-up to book one! I need more!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher courtesy of NetGalley.