Penumbra / Kat Micari

Reviewed by: Pete Barber

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Approximate word count: 10-15,000 words

Availability    

Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: NO

Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

Kat Micari is an author and artist living in the northeast of the United States with her husband, son, and two cats. She enjoys reading a clever turn of phrase, walking in nature, and dancing to the music of the universe. Above all, she loves creating and encouraging others to create. Penumbra is her debut novel.

Description:

A fashion model thwarts an attempted rape by busting the rapist’s nose. When it turns out that the man is a leading member of a paranormal group, the Tenenbrens, she finds herself hunted and has to lean on help from some unlikely sources.

Appraisal:

Little time is spent on character development—the pace is too frantic. The main character is simply called “Beauty,” and after she repels the initial attack, she’s quickly drawn into the fight between Evil --The Tenenbrens who nurture strife, fear, and anger in the city-dwelling humans, and Good—a being known as Rags, the last member of the Bornins who were guardians of the city, along with Lumintes (sentient streetlamps), with assistance from some magical cockroaches (yikes!)

In order to save herself (and the city) Beauty has to find an artifact and deliver it to a certain place in the city, which will unleash an ancient machine and defeat Evil.

There’s not much depth to the plot, no time to question why or how certain events happen, or how the streetlights actually get around the city, or bend and sway sufficiently to be useful in a fight. The Bornin, Rags, is a Chewbacca-like character with magical powers who was very likeable. I’ve rarely seen cockroaches cast in a positive light, so kudos for that little gem of imagination.

All in all, a fast fun read.

Format/Typo Issues:

No typos to mention.

Rating: *** Three stars