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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not a bad start, but haven't I read this before?, August 7, 2010
In general I like Yasmine's work, I own all of her fiction books and each series has had it's own voice. I've enjoyed watching her writing style change and grow and become what it is now. I freely admit that her Otherworld series is my favorite out of everything she's done so far, and I may be just reading into things too much when I say that Night Myst reminds me strongly of that series and comes across as a poor man's version of it. I am willing to give Night Myst another read through and look into the next in the series, Night Veil, just to see if I have that same impression or if it was just me.
Cicely Waters, a witch who can call on the wind, comes across as a combination of both Camille and her sister Delilah except that Cicely shifts into an owl, not a cat. Physically speaking, she tends to look more like Camille (dark hair, light eyes, tattoos).
Her cousin Rhiannon reminds me of Menolly just a little in looks (both have red hair) but mainly in the fact that they're both struggling with what they are. While Menolly is a vampire, Rhiannon can call on the element of fire. Both work to keep what they are under control, but while Menolly has embraced it and is working to keep her darker impulses in check, while being true to herself; Rhiannon has her powers on total lock down. She has since she was a teen and accidentally killed someone, because she was mad at her mother. The leader of her mother's coven degreed that since Rhiannon now had blood on her hands, that she wouldn't be taught how to use her magic. Since then Rhiannon has not used her powers and it's starting to bite her in the ass.
Her boyfriend Leo, reminds me of Chase in that Leo, serves as the books liaison between them and the vampires instead of being the go between for OIA and the humans.
Cicely's lover Grieve is the lover that is so wrong and so right at the same time for her, Trillian, anyone?
A war that endangers them, their loved ones and their home, hi Shadow Wing, how are you? And they have to pick a side and play by that side's rules.
Again, that all could just be me seeing things, but I don't want to read a watered down version of a series I already love, I want to read something new.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mystical, Fun start to a new series, June 29, 2010
Readers will immediately be drawn into New Forest, Galenorn's fictional small town in Washington, when Cicely Waters returns home under a cloud of mystery and loss. Cicely is born into magic, and the death of New Forest's town witch, Marta, forces her to return, and face the demons of her past. She quickly becomes embroiled in the dangerous vampiric machinations of the local branch of the Vampire Nation and the mystery surrounding the disappearances of several other magic born locals. Throw a long lost, first lover; a newly risen breed of vampiric fae that use sex and fae glamours to control or kill their victims, and family members coming to terms with their own powers and personal demons into the mix, and you have the literary version of a molotov cocktail.
On the surface, Night Myst may feel very familiar to long time readers of Ms. Galenorn's work. As with her popular Otherworld Series, she has created more of her trademark spell-slinging, ass kicking alpha females; Cicely and her cousin, Rhiannon are both cut from this cloth. The responsibilities of family duty also act as motivations in this book, as is the case with the D'Artigo sisters. The "big bad," Myst, escapes from a prison thought to be permanent; and Cicely even reunites with a past love, Grieve, despite family disapproval, while discovering a new sexual chemistry with an enigmatic Asian who is more than meets the eye.
The sexuality and carnal pursuits in Night Myst are more heightened than in the Otherworld books. If very explicit sexual scenes are not to your taste, you may find yourself skimming over, or skipping, a few sections of story. However, while explicit, it is not gratuitous; the sensuality and sexuality of the vampires - both types - is integral to the story. Unlike the D'Artigo books, the Indigo Court Series is entirely from Cicely's point of view. One of the keenest differences between the old work, and this new series, is the infusion of magic into everything in this fictional town. There is not an issue of "educating" the "mundanes" (or to use terminology from the D'Artigo stories - FBHs - full blooded humans) about magic and magical creatures. The magic just IS; the vampires are out of the coffin and the werewolves howl openly. New Forest is actually home to an exclusive school for the magically inclined - the New Forest Conservatory.
The pacing is not as smooth as the last couple of releases from Ms. Galenorn. This seems to be more due to the fact that she's setting up a new world, with a very intricate mythology, and establishing several core characters, while clipping through a lot of plot. Many "first books" in a series suffer from this; but it seems to be a fair trade off in this case. Cicely and her cousin, Rhia, are both quite engaging and you find yourself rooting for them very early on in the story, not just because they're the "good guys," but because they're likable, accessible characters. The vampires are also fascinating and the political maneuvering amongst the higher echelon of the Vampire Nation, contrasting with the more brutal, elemental vampiric fae, will suck you into their world.
Overall, Night Myst proves to be a highly enjoyable read, and The Indigo Court shows the potential for becoming an even more addictive series than the Otherworld books. I look forward to seeing where Ms. Galenorn takes Cicely and her readers, next June, when Night Veil is released.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Don't go in the woods! (There are piranha in there.), September 2, 2010
Cicely Waters, 26 year-old black-clad, green-eyed, tight-abbed, tattooed, street-fighting witch, has been summoned back to her Cascadian hometown so she can use her powers to help solve the mystery of a witch's murder and some strange disappearances. Soon Cicely finds that things are worse than she could have imagined when she learns that the Indigo Court, an old race of vampiric fae, are planning to take control of both their vampire and fae ancestors. Cicely and her pals will have to make an uncomfortable alliance with the Crimson Court vampires to beat this even nastier foe.
I don't normally read contemporary urban fantasy, but I wanted to try Night Myst because it's been released on audio by Tantor Audio and I love their books. As usual, their production was beautiful and perfectly cast. Cassandra Campbell narrated Night Myst and she is completely convincing with all of her roles and has a wonderful range of voices that suit both the female and male characters. Her voice for Cicely isn't whiny and her male voices are strong and masculine-sounding (two places where I've heard plenty of female readers go wrong). I definitely recommend Tantor's audio version for anyone who wants to read Night Myst.
So, how did I, who am admittedly not a fan of this subgenre, like Night Myst? The bottom line is this: Night Myst kept me entertained for 11 hours, but I probably will not read the rest of the series. I'm now realizing more and more that it's me: I just don't much like this type of novel. However, I think Night Myst will be appealing to those who do enjoy this subgenre.
The plot of this first book in the INDIGO COURT series is quick and interesting and, while it wraps up satisfactorily here (the characters accomplish much of what they set out to do), the real battle is just beginning and it promises to be intense. Cicely is a strong, likable heroine with a realistic voice and it's from her POV that we hear her story.
I hope her English teacher doesn't hear it, though, because s/he would almost certainly be dismayed at Cicely's overuse of words such as cerulean and sparkle (and all of its derivatives), tired expressions and clichés ("like a deer in the headlights") and some out-of-style slang and ugly vulgarity. I'm going to charitably forgive one ancient vampire for this bad simile and assume its construction was caused by extreme stress:
"Listen to me. If the Indigo Court rises up, then you'll sympathize with us so fast and so hard that you'll beg me to turn you! They would eat you alive, like piranha going after a deer that's stumbled in the forest."
...or perhaps he's been alive so long that he's witnessed some sort of transitional missing link that the rest of us aren't aware of...
Okay, so the language in Night Myst is uninspiring -- it's a bit charmless and mundane. Even the parts that are supposed to be beautiful -- descriptions of sparkly elementals, sparkly vampires, and sparkly snow -- all feel gaudy, as if infused with purple neon and sequins like the pony toys my daughters play with. I also had some issues with all the heritage, powers, and magical gifts that Cicely suddenly and easily acquires.
Another big issue for me (and I recognize this as my problem) is that I just don't like vampires. Vampires "freak me out" (as Cicely would say) and sex scenes with them are more horrifying than arousing to me. I've tried to get over this little phobia, but I can't seem to.
Overall, Night Myst is likely to be a good read for those who like vampires, sparkles, and a strong kick-ass heroine. The audio version is a terrific production, so I recommend this format if you plan to read Night Myst.
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