05 October 2015

The Girl and the Gargoyle


(Copy provided by NetGalley.)


From Goodreads:
"Being half-witch/half-demon and dating Marcus, a gargoyle and a demon enemy, is complicated enough for Lucy. She can almost tolerate Jude, her demon father, forcing her to undergo combat training. But when Marcus’s long-lost family returns to Chicago, her world begins to crumble. Marcus's mother wants him to leave to join the gargoyle clan; his father wants him to help kill Jude. There’s one major problem with this: if Jude dies, Lucy dies.

Marcus will do whatever it takes to save Lucy and her father. Meanwhile Lucy has her own plan and with the aid of a surprise newcomer, seeks help from the most unlikely—and dangerous—source."

~~~~~

FIRST OF ALL: This is the *second* book of the series. Even reading the synopsis below will spoil you for the first one. SO, if you hate spoilers, go find the first book and read that. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

That being said, I have not read the first book in this series, but I never once felt lost. Gruber does an excellent job of providing information as needed and building on what's already there, which allowed me to enjoy the story on its own.

And enjoy it I did! Granted, I'm a sucker for urban fantasy, and this one fits the bill. Lucy is a demon/witch, her boyfriend is a gargoyle, and life is just NOT EASY for those two. Especially with their parents being mortal enemies and all, and Lucy having had a pretty rough life in the years prior to where the series picks up, it's a miracle these two have normal reactions to anything at all. And Lucy definitely has her weak moments. But she allows her support system to bolster her, and she doesn't give up. In fact, the only thing that throws me off in the reading experience is Gruber's use of present tense, but I got past that pretty quickly. The characters feel real to me, and the conflict is interesting. I can tell that the influential characters from the first story have a presence in this second book, and I love that sense of continuity. I would be intrigued to read this series from beginning to end.



Gentle Reader Alert: There is some semi-graphic violence in this story, and a few swears.


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