Review: Night Myst - Yasmine Galenorn

Eons ago, vampires tried to turn the dark Fae in order to harness their magic, only to create a demonic enemy more powerful than they could have imagined.  Having quietly amassed their strength for centuries, the Vampiric Fae are determined to enslave the world.  Now Myst, Queen of the Indigo Court, is rising again - and a long-prophesied war is about to begin . . .

Cicely Waters, a witch who can control the wind, has returned home to New Forest, Washington, after learning that her family is in danger.  The Indigo Court holds the city in fear.  People are vanishing, and strange deaths plague the town.  And when she is swept into an unexpected and passionate reunion with Grieve, the Fae prince who taught her how to harness the wind, Cicely finds herself with a fierce and territorial lover.

But Grieve has become enslaved by Myst's court, and now, caught between two evils, the lovers must survive the machinations of the Vampiric Fae queen, even as Cicely untangles the hidden secrets to her own heritage.

Indigo Court Series:
Night Myst
Night Veil
Night Seeker (2012)

Visit Yasmine Galenorn's website for more information

Review:
It has been years since Cicely last returned to her family's home, she was brought up by her junkie mother and they were always on the road, running from dealers they owed money to and looking for her mother's next fix.  But as soon as she finds out that her aunt and cousin are in danger Cicely knows it is time to go back and help protect them.  She could never have imagined the danger she will have to face though, she always thought the vampires were bad but that was before she found out about the Indigo Court - the court of the Vampiric Fae.

This is the first book I've read by Yasmine Galenorn but it definitely won't be the last!  Night Myst is a dark and gritty urban fantasy that leaves you never quite sure how the characters will survive to the end and it makes for gripping reading.  As can often be the case with the first book of a series there were times when I was a little confused about the rules of the world and the different abilities the characters had but once the story got going and I'd figured out who everyone was I didn't want to put it down.

Cicely has spent years protecting both herself and her mother and living a nomadic lifestyle so she is street smart and knows how to look after herself.  There are a few times when she walks into danger without thinking things through though so she is by no means a perfect heroine.  She is willing to admit her mistakes though and she is prepared to ask for and accept help from her friends which is something I admired.  I was really interested in her abilities and I loved the way her wind elemental, Ulean, looks out for her and warns her about coming dangers.  It does feel at times that she is completely out of her depth, the vampires in this story are pure evil but even saying that they are nowhere near as bad as the vampiric fae.  Cicely is forced into working with her enemies because they are the lesser of two evils but it doesn't take her long to realise she has made a bargain with the devil.  I'm hoping that we get to see her stand up for herself more as the series progresses and she learns to have better control over her magical powers.

The story moves along at a fast pace with Cicely and her friends facing danger at every turn.  We are introduced to a great selection of characters and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of them better.  I'm not sure why but I have a really bad feeling about her cousin's boyfriend Leo, I'll just have to wait and see if that feeling is justified.  While I liked Grieve and could see why Cicely is attracted to him I didn't get to know him well enough to fall for him yet.  He is definitely sexy, I liked the connection between them and am going to enjoy discovering more about their history in the next book.

Night Myst ends on quite a cliffhanger and I'm just glad that I've already got my copy of the next book, Night Veil, so I can find out what happens next.  There is plenty of scope for where Yasmine Galenorn can take the series so I'm looking forward to discovering which directions she chooses.  This is a strong start to a new series that I'm sure will only get better with each book, I'd highly recommend it if you like your urban fantasy dark and at times disturbing.  I'm definitely going to have to check out the authors Otherworld series too.

Source: Received from Turnaround in exchange for an honest review

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