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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
She can do better, June 1, 2010
When I heard that Laura Bickle would bring out another urban fantasy series under the pseudonym Alayna Williams I was over the moon. Since I enjoyed Embers so much, I thought that DARK ORACLE would be a sure deal. Even if the cover looked like it was photoshopped by an amateur, the concept sounded interesting. Profiler Tara Gilian was used to hunt serial killers, but one of them turned on her and the experience left her scarred physically as well as mentally. When her former allies, the Oracles of Delphi call her for help, Tara wants to refuse. She's done with this scene. Her cards tell her to help them though and it's hard to refuse fate. While I was reading DARK ORACLE a suspicion sneaked up on me. Writers rarely sell their first novel and they often have several novels they are shopping around, trying to get a publisher. I believe that DARK ORACLE is the older and Embers the more recent novel. That's the most logical explanation for the differing skill sets shown by the author. 'Cause there is a difference - not only in style and tone - but in the level of expertise. Let's start with the concept. In theory a criminal profiler who solves her cases with the help of tarot, doesn't sound bad. Especially, when this profiler abandoned the secret society of oracles where her deceased mother was a prominent member. The reality is mind bogglingly dull. When Tara lays her cards, she describes them in great detail. Why would she do that? She knows these cards (and what's on them) better than the back of her hand! At first I thought they were magical and that the pictures would change slightly to adapt to the situation, but it turns out the cards are mundane. Some of the sets hold more than eight cards and when Tara finishes with the last one I had already forgotten what had come before. Her results are vague and can't compare with the more flashy methods of the other oracles. Maybe someone, who is familiar with tarot, will appreciate this part of the story more than I. Still, there must be a way to make these scenes interesting. The male dominated military against female dominated magical society fighting for possession of a new, extremely dangerous technology (military wants to use it for nefarious purposes, oracles want to prevent its use) plot is stereotypical and cheesy. Williams struggles bravely against the cheesefest, but it breaks through time and time again. While the characters have the potential to ground the story in reality, they often add to the melodrama. I liked Tara's background, the way she was scarred emotionally and physically and how she tried to deal with it (not always successfully). However, others portray her as a warrior (the other oracles, her mother, her boyfriend), but there is nothing in her mental make up to convince me of it. Neither her power nor her personality seem suited to this task. That doesn't mean she can't hold her own if she needs to, but there's a vulnerability, a softness, a passivity to Tara that don't mesh with my understanding of the term "warrior". I also didn't like the relationship with her sorta-boyfriend. It develops in leaps and bounds, backtracks again and there's much agonizing on Tara's part. No thanks. The best thing about this novel is a minor character. Wily old Martin knows enough about heart attacks to outfox the enemy and enough about sensual massages to embarrass his protégé. There is something about him that feels real and authentic, that others lacked. In the end I was happy I discovered Laura Bickle first. If it had been the other way round I'm not sure I would have tried the superior Embers and I would have missed out on a very enjoyable novel.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!, May 22, 2010
Laura Bickle, aka Alayna Williams, is NOT writing the same old Urban Fantasy. She has some very fresh ideas! If you're a die-hard looking for vampires and werewolves in your UF, this isn't for you, but if you're ready for something /different/, read THIS. Think X-Files but with Scully as the lead and she actually possesses some magical skills. Tara, the main character, left her job with the feds after being the target of a serial killer she was investigating. She's scarred inside and out, but she's drawn back in by this new case. While the subject of the main plot involves sci-fi stuff like dark energy, the story was completely plausible to me and seemed very well-researched. It wasn't told in a way that made me feel like I needed to /be/ a scientist to understand it. Bravo! There's government conspiracy, dangerous scientific technology at stake, a love interest, and a murder-mystery to solve. Meanwhile, Tara has to face her old fears /and/ the people who let her down. Very entertaining story. Looking forward to the next installment.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating mystery novel - great use of tarot cards in the story!, June 9, 2011
I was excited to dive into a mystery novel whose main character was a tarot reader, even if in the back of my mind, I expected the storyline to pale in comparison to the tarot bits I was looking forward to. I was delighted to find that the entire story captured my attention and held it. It kept me on my toes, turning pages, wanting to find out what happened next. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, start to finish. It contained action, mystery, mysticism, drama, romance and Tarot (as well as other divination methods). The main character Tara was a criminal profiler, using her intuitive tarot skills to help her track suspects and solve cases. She abandoned her career after a near-fatal experience with a serial killer she tracked down. She is urged out of hiding by Delphi's Daughters, a secret society her mother was a member of. They request her help with the case of a missing scientist who has harnessed the power of dark energy, which in the wrong hands, could prove disastrous for humankind. Tara's unlikely partner is left-brained Agent Harry Li. Their attraction to one another develops throughout the story, hindered along the way by Tara's secret intuitive side which she keeps hidden from him, along with her self-consciousness from being physically and emotionally scarred. While Tara and Harry are on the trail of the missing scientist, they are being tracked themselves by a wayward and dangerous member of Delphi's Daughters and corrupt government officials who want Tara dead. As the story progresses, Tara pulls out her tarot deck every once in awhile to guide her in the next direction. We are privy to her readings, as she uses several spreads. Following are the spreads and readings you will find in the book. Each reading is detailed with the card drawn, the position it falls under, and the interpretations. Tara also frequently connects the cards to the cards drawn in previous readings throughout the book. Chapter 1: Celtic Cross Chapter 5: Impromptu 3-Card Spread Chapter 8: 9-Card Past-Present-Future Spread Chapter 15: Two 1-Card Readings & a 7-Card Ouroboros Spread Chapter 16: Impromptu 2-Card Spread Chapter 20: 9-Card Tree of Life Spread (This is the only reading she does for another person.) In addition to tarot cards, there are also other methods of divination used by the members of Delphi's Daughters including geomancy, runes, scrying and pyromancy. I loved this fascinating additional layer to the story. The experience Tara goes through, in hiding her tarot cards from Agent Li is something I think a great many tarot readers will relate to, as hiding this aspect of one's life from certain people is an unfortunate reality I believe many tarot readers have had to deal with at one time or another. The author used a variety of decks herself to help her with the storyline and character backgrounds. When I finished the book, I wanted more. I wanted to know what was next for the characters. So I was thrilled when the sequel, Rogue Oracle came out! I highly recommended both books! (See my blog for a more extensive review of this book.) ~ Kiki (TarotDame.com)
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