Of Scions and Men

In the past, I have enjoyed Ms. Sloan's husband's books, so I was intrigued when I saw that she had a book coming out and that is was in a genre I liked. I was expecting that I would like her book at least half as much as I did her husband's. What I wasn't expecting was to like it as much as I did! After a little bit of a rocky start, the book went full steam ahead with action, drama, interesting characters, while leaving me with a yearning to read more. Ro is a very spunky and fearless heroine who has a very soft spot for her little brother, which is why she's a scion in the first place. Her vampire Devon is a devoted leader who wishes nothing but the best for the both of them, which Ro is blind to, one of the few things that bothered me about this novel. Add in intrigue, a bird shifter, and a terrific plot and you have a terrific, all-around great book. I am so looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Curiosity Quills Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review. This exact review will also be posted on Amazon and Goodreads.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I just finished the book and wish there was a sequel to read! Devon and Rowan were such likable people. There were no parts of the book where I was bored or ready to read something instead of finishing it. This is a great start to a series I hope continues to be as good or better than this first book. Courtney Sloan will be an author I read in the future. Vampires, scions & shifters are in the book. There's mystery, humor & love. It has it all. I'll be telling friends and family to read this.

Of Scions and Men is the first book in a new urban fantasy series and as such, it does a good job in introducing the readers to the world and the characters who inhabit it.

And that's no small feat, I can tell you. First books in a series have the thankless job of showing the reader a brand new world and making sure that they love the protagonist enough to stick not only until the end of one book, but to keep reading the series, AND they need to do that while avoiding info dumps and expositions and still telling an interesting story. So I’m always happy when a start a new series and am hooked from the get go.

So what is this world that Rowan inhabits? This is a world where the war against terror escalated into a full blown all out Third World War and threatened to wipe the human race off the face of the Earth. Supernatural beings like vampires and shifters, who had until then been content to stay in the shadows and make normal people believe they didn’t exist, decided to intervene and put a stop to the massacre, because, in the case of vampires, they were reluctant to lose their food source. By the time vampires took control of the world and bought order and peace again (in a rather ruthless and bloody fashion, I must admit), most of the planet was a smoldering radioactive mess. And humans aren't in charge of anything, not even their own lives anymore.

Rowan Brady sold her life, her career and her blood when she chose to become a vampire's Scion, but it was the only way she could ensure that her brother would have a roof over his head and enough food to eat every day. And even though the loss of freedom and the obligation to give a pint of blood a week to her master is a bitter pill to swallow, in exchange Rowan got a job she loves with the police, making sure that supernaturals don't engage in illegal blood trade.

I like Rowan and her relationship with Devon. I like how she tries to make the best out of a bad situation and preserve every sliver of independence she can while basically having Devon in her head and thoughts 24 / 7. I like that she always relies on herself and doesn't flash her scion get out of jail card left and right. I like that she is a truly though and capable protagonist.

I like the fact that Devon isn't your typical domineering selfish and rather violent male lead we usually get in those kind of books. If fact, as vampire masters go, he is a good one to be scioned to.

I do have a few gripes with this book though, hence the 4 out of 5 stars.

The first one is with Lyle. Lyle is gay and flamboyantly so, since even his true form is a blue jay. He could have been such an interesting character if he'd been fleshed out instead of being a walking assembly of clichés. As he stands now, he is more of a plot point and trusty sidekick to Rowan, always there to help her out and listen to her problems. That's annoying. I want to know what makes him tick. I want to know his backstory. I want to know what pushed him to display his orientation so blatantly in a world where being gay is greatly frowned upon. Why did he chose to come out of the closet and become an outcast? Hopefully, we will discover more about Lyle in the next books because that's one character I could really fall in love with.

My second gripe is with Rowan's constant resentment towards Devon and the fact that she became a scion. I would understand that if she'd been forced to do that against her will, but she CHOSE to become a scion. Yes, it was for her brother's sake, but still, nobody bent her arm or held her at gunpoint when she agreed to this. And it makes even less sense that she would rail against Devon instead of her little brother whom she is making all those sacrifices for. Also, this reaction is rather out of character for her, at least in my opinion. Rowan is a person used to making tough decisions and owning to the consequences, so rehashing this resentment over and over again gets old really fast.

But all in all, this is a solid first instalment of a new series and I will certainly look forward to the next book. And I would recommend it to lovers of urban fantasy.

PS. I received an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.