Liviania’s Quick-Quack Review of Queene of Light (Lightworld/Darkworld, Book 1) by Jennifer Armintrout
Paranormal romance released by MIRA 29 Sep 09

Jennifer Armintrout wrote a popular series about vampires, and now she’s moving onto that other familiar supernatural creature, faeries.  I enjoyed her premise, since posits the opposite of many supernatural “coming-outs.”  The humans remain more powerful, and the supernatural is forced to live in the sewers.  But the Seelie and Unseelie still don’t like each other, causing life in the sewers to be sharply divided.

Ayla, an assassin, is looked down-upon because of her half-human heritage.  She takes pride in her job, but the only way to improve her lot is to marry Garret, the queen’s brother, who has been pushing his suit.  Of course, she sees him as her mentor only, not as a love interest.  But in the sewers she runs across the Death Angel Malachi and fails to kill him, as she is sworn too.  Unfortunately, she finds herself more drawn to him than wanting to kill him.

I found both Ayla and Malachi to be interesting characters. While Ayla is strongly shaped by the prejudices of her people, Malachi is much less familiar with society.  Ayla tries to do her best based on what she knows of the world, although her decisions might not always be the best based on what the reader knows.  I also liked the side characters, from the mad queen to the strange Keller who aids Malachi.

I must admit, I also enjoy the political maneuvering of Garret.  He’s unlikeable, but understandable.  His mad sister is not a great ruler and he can’t take the throne since he’s male.  If he were more honorable and less selfish, he could have been the hero of a similar story.

There were not many twists and turns in Queene of Light, but there was an enjoyable story set in a solid world.  I look forward to the other two novels in the series to see what Armintrout will do with her sewer-bound faery land.  I may also pick up the aforementioned vampire books, to see if her premise in them is as inventive.

Grade: B

Summary:

An unimagined destiny an undeniable passion.

In a time not long from now, the veil between fantasy and reality is ripped asunder creatures of myth and fairytale spill into the mortal world. Enchanted yet horrified, humans force the magical beings Underground, to colonize the sewers and abandoned subway tunnels beneath their glittering cities.

But even magic folk cannot dwell in harmony and soon two Worlds emerge: the Lightworld, home to faeries, dragons and dwarves; and the Darkworld, where vampires, werewolves, angels and demons lurk.

Now, in the dank and shadowy place between Lightworld and Darkworld, a transformation is about to begin….

Ayla, a half-faery, half-human assassin is stalked by Malachi, a Death Angel tasked with harvesting mortal souls. They clash. Immortality evaporates, forging a bond neither may survive. And in the face of unbridled ambitions and untested loyalties, an ominous prophecy is revealed that will shake the Worlds.

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