The Devil's Isle #1
Chloe Neill
Urban Fantasy
NAL
336 pages
Available August 4th
Source: ARC from publisher for review
THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.
Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.
Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.
But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn…
MY THOUGHTS
The Veil is an intriguing start to a new series, starting out a bit slow as we're introduced to a post-paranormal invasion New Orleans but gradually picking up speed until we're looking to the next book with more than a little anticipation. Ms. Neill nicely sets up rising tensions between humans and Paras–with Sensitives like Claire smack dab in the middle–and while things aren't quite as explosive either physically or emotionally in this first installment as we might have hoped going in, it's clear the potential for both is there moving forward.Claire is someone easy to follow for several hundred chapters, perhaps not quite making the same memorable impression as Merit right out of the gate, but she's got fight and fire in her along with a healthy dose of common sense, and that makes for a young woman we can't help but want to get to know better. Liam, while again not quite outshining Ethan in terms of memorability, is perfectly enjoyable, the mounting tension between he and Claire something that keeps us turning the pages. It's clear that the romantic journey for the two of them is going to be a long one, but one that will undoubtedly be worth the wait as the battle to keep the Veil firmly closed begins.
As mentioned previously, it takes this story a little while to get going, a bit of history as to how the world came to be as well as backstory on Claire and Liam individually keeping things at a rather sedate pace until we finally get to understand what's happening with the sudden increase in wraith attacks. Once we reach that point however, the final third of the story flies by, giving us a peek of what's to come should the Veil ever be opened again before leaving us satisfied with our stopping point for this first installment.
Rating: 3.5/5
Find Chloe:
This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a
review.
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.
Fab review, Jenny! I have been wanting to read a Paranormal book for the longest time now, maybe I'll give this a go. It's helpful to know that despite the slow start it does pick up eventually resulting in a satisfying climax. Thanks for sharing, lovely review as per usual! :) x
ReplyDeleteSlow starts aren't good starts for me in my opinion but hey I still give them a chance since they sometimes end up amazing! Definitely going to be checking this out soon since I'm always up for some good paranormal read, especially with some good action too! Great review and I'm glad that you liked it!
ReplyDeleteThis one made me think f another series and it took me some time to really get into the story but I liked it. It was a nice one and I'm curious for more now.
ReplyDeleteYep, the beginning was like that for me too. It's been so long since I read the first Chicagoland book, that I don't really remember Merit and Ethan. Re-read time! But I did like Claire and Liam. And Gavin! ;)
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked this Jenny despite the slow start. I do with we would have gotten a bit more because you're right, the ending half was great.
ReplyDeleteI do need to finish the Chicagoland Series. I don't know why I haven't yet.
I love the sound of the romance and the romantic tension that we're going to anticipate. I'm glad that overall this was a good book for you, Jenny. I'll keep what you said in mind about the slow beginning. It's always good to know things like that beforehand so I'm not tempted to DNF.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Jenny!
Great review Jenny! I've been reading this one on my last two night shifts at work but I haven't had a lot of reading time, so I'm only at 50% but even if it's a bit slow and world building, I'm enjoying it loads!
ReplyDeleteThe first book in a new series is always a tough one, isn't it? That worldbuilding can really slow down a book. Sounds like this has potential, though.
ReplyDeleteUrban fantasy series usually take some time to pick up, which is perfectly fine by me. The first books tend to be a bit slower. To be honest, the setting alone is enough to intrigue me, I have so much love for New Orleans and every book that takes place there is something I have to read. Neil deserves some credit, which means I can be patient enough and tolerate a slower beginning. Great review, Jenny.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed The Veil as well Jenny. I thought the setting and unique sups gave it a great start and I'm looking forward to getting to know Claire and Liam more.The beginning felt slow to me also, but I'm glad I pushed through as the ending was great :)
ReplyDeleteI've actually been meaning to dive into more Adult Urban Fantasies lately and I'm glad I stumbled upon your review THE VEIL! It surely sounds intriguing; I don't really mind slow starts to books if it eventually picks up and allows me time to really grow accustomed to the characters and get addicted to the plot. Would you recommend I start reading Neill's books with this one or her other works? Gorgeous review as always, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteI am 55% done now and unlike you I slipped right into the story from page one. UF is one of my favorite genres though.
ReplyDeleteI did not know she has a new book out
ReplyDeleteIt seems like a lot of UF first books aren't the best but do get better as it goes. It sounds like that is what happened IN the first book! :) I do like the sound of this one and want to give it a go!
ReplyDeleteI'm not good with slow beginning because I usually get too bored and peek at my TBR pile (which is majorly intimidating) and figure I've got too many books to read to suffer through a slow beginning, but i'm going to keep in mind what you've said about this one when I pick it up so I can muddle through it and get to the good stuff. I'm glad you liked it Jenny!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I've noticed that most books in the UF genre have a so-so first and sometimes second book, then pick up speed. It was really prevalent with Karen Moning's Fever series, which I wound up loving after an awful start.
ReplyDeleteI've read a bit of this author before, so I'll get check this out!
Though I've become disenchanted with the Chicagoland Vampire series, I'm curious about this new series. I'll have to see if my library has it and give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteI expect this from UF series so I'm okay with this. Some Girls Bite was so slow I DNF the first time around and I love the series now. I hope I like this one!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Claire isn't as memorable as Merit. Still, I really liked her and this world! I particularly like the setting, too. So different from Chicago.
ReplyDeleteEven though it seems like it might take a little while before the book does get up to speed, this sounds like it will be a really good one and a solid beginning to a series as well. I like the sound of the main character. It doesn't sound mind blowing in general, but I think if I did try it, it would be quite enjoyable ^^
ReplyDelete