Beyond the Veil by Pippa DaCosta
Series: The Veil #1
Rating: ★★★☆☆
If your ex is the Prince of Greed, you’d better be ready to raise Hell.
Charlie Henderson is living a lie. Her real name is Muse, she’s half demon, and her attempt at a normal life is about to go up in smoke.
When an assassin walks into her life, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, Muse must return to the one man she hoped never to see again and ask for help. The Prince of Greed isn’t known for his charity. The price is high, and the cost could tear her apart.
Trapped between the malevolent intentions of a Prince of Hell and an assassin with ulterior motives, Muse must embrace the lure of chaos at her core—the demon inside her—in order to survive.
This isn’t my first introduction to Pippa DaCosta, but it is one of her earlier series. I liked this book, and think it’s a decent start to a series, but it’s definitely not up to the level of writing skill that I’ve read by her previously. And therein lies my problem.
The technical skill involved in writing a book is one that’s often overlooked, because when it’s good it just fades into the background and becomes a unnoticed non-issue. But when it’s lacking, it is much more obvious. And it was obvious here. I struggled with sections, paragraphs, and transitions. I struggled with word choices and thoughts. It was hard to follow what characters were thinking, and why. I was thrown out of the story more than once because of the way the words were strung together – they just didn’t make sense or flow.
All of that takes away from what is a really interesting premise. Demons exist and are living in our world. But it’s not their world. Their world is just beyond the Veil. They apparently have control over elements, which they draw from the environment around them, and can cause widespread destruction. They also may have some other random powers. And there’s the (rare) ability to be a half-blood – though most are killed immediately….except Muse, of course. And that’s about the extent of what I know about the world. Which is another problem for me.
Speaking of Muse: why wasn’t she killed like most half-bloods? I hope that’s something that’s covered in the future, because I would really like to understand more about the dynamics there. Muse and I struggled. I don’t think she’s weak, like I’ve seen some other people say, but she’s definitely a bit passive. A big part of that is that she needs to hit rock-bottom, per se, before she realizes exactly what she will and will not live without. So I get it, and I can love the character growth, while at the same time it frustrated me. I don’t like passive characters, characters that let things happen to them, or wait for someone else to make a decision or the first move. Still, by the end, Muse is taking charge and I’m excited to see her exact her revenge – on everyone that deserves it. And her demon is awesome as hell. Literally.
Thankfully, I’ve got book two loaded and ready to go.
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