Book Review: "A Wild Light" by Marjorie M. Liu

"Obsidian shadows of the flesh…tattoos with hearts, minds, and dreams. By day, they are my armor. By night, they unwind from my body to take on forms of their own—demons of the flesh, turned into flesh." ~Marjorie M. Liu

From this quote on the book jacket, I knew this was going to be a mind expanding book to read. The idea of tattoo's coming to life is a concept I have not come across in a book before, nor had I even contemplated this concept, yet, here it is, opening my mind up to a myriad of possibilities.

This book is a demon whose claws grip you, not letting up until it has you in it's thrall. The suspense and the action draw you into it's web, while it's words haunt you, begging entrance to your mind.

This dark fantasy is reminiscent of Clive Barker's Weaveworld, in it's grasp of other worlds. It depicts a world of magic that exists within our own world, unveiling demons and lightbringers, zombies and avatars, and other fantastic and supernatural creatures from behind the Veil.

The story begins with Maxine killing a zombie, a yearly ritual on her birthday, which is also the anniversary of her mother's death. Then it's off to the birthday party, with pies made by her grandfather. Next thing she knows, she awakens in a pool of blood, next to the dead body of her grandfather, remembering nothing, not even her Lightbringer soul mate.

From there, we are taken into her world, that world of magic that no one in this world remembers anymore. The Veil has been ripped, demons hover, waiting to descend upon us, seeking vengeance and death, and it's up to Maxine and her Lightbringer boyfriend Grant, and her personal demons, to save us all. Can she hold back the forces of evil, the demons from beyond the Veil, or will our world be destroyed by demons, whom she surrealistically imagines could soon be marching down the streets of Seattle?

This book goes from surreal to fantasy to action and adventure to romance, moving quickly, sinking it's claws into our minds, and leaving it's demon tracks there. We are made to remember how magical this world can be, with her fantastic creatures, and mesmerizing words. This is our world and then some, as we step sideways into another world, that lies waiting for us in this book.

This is the third Hunter Kiss novel in the series. If the first two are anything like this, I must find them, I must read them, inhale them, bring their world into alignment with my own, for I cannot live without these words opening up my mind, even further. Any fan of the supernatural will love this book, as will any fantasy fan. I believe that every fan will find something within these pages that will resonate deep within them, and keep them up late, thinking about magic and mystery, demons and dreams.






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Marjorie M. Liu's Website

"A Wild Light" on Amazon

The first two Hunter Kiss novels on Amazon:
Book 1: The Iron Hunt

Book 2: Darkness Calls
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May the books of our lives, always open our minds just a tad bit more...
Walk in Beauty,
Michelle