Who's Afraid?

I kindly received this ARC from Hachette Australia, Piatkus via NG in return for an honest review. "It took me a second to realise that I wasn't screaming at all. Following me down into the unknown was a piercing howl." Alright ladies and gents, let's hop straight into the plot!

Tommi Grayson is 22 years old, living in Dundee- Scotland, a passionate curator and artist, an eccentric blue haired gal, mourning the loss of her mother. Tommi decides that the only way she'll cope is if she finds her father, not that she wants to meet him and have a reunion. she wants to meet the rapist that helped bring her into this world. Going to New Zealand to find those Maori long-buried roots, she stumbles into something that will forever change her life- the Ihi pack. She's abducted, tortured and almost raped. But the worst thing is- on a moonlit night, fur and howls overtake her life.

This book was awesome! No joke! Bravo Maria Lewis! *claps* This book is a fantastic start to a new urban fantasy series, it had great characters (and seriously creepy ones), it had intrigue, love/ romance, gore and mystery. Also the characters were beautifully fleshed out, I loved Tommi's character! I'm still a little confused on the insistence of blue hair, but heck, who am I to cramp her style? Tommi is a really likable character, she can have a few *facepalm* moments but she is determined to bring out the best of the worst situations. Now Lorcan MacCarthy is a stud muffin! I really liked his character, he complemented Tommi's eccentric persona with his warrior- calm demeanor. He is H.A.N.D.S.O.M.E (it needed to be spelt out for emphasis) plus the dude fights with a sword, i mean come on, do you need anything else? But seriously, he did come across as a bit too saintly at times, but i like him! The world-building in this was really well thought out- the praetorian guard, the Askari, The Treize, etc... at times i did feel a bit overwhelmed with piecing and remembering exactly who was who, but the author does a great job at explaining and once you get it, it's easy peasy. Also, I have a soft spot for where Tommi went when she was in New Zealand! I stayed in Rotorua for 3 months and traveled all over new zealand so reading a book on that location made me smile! Lewis writes really well! She fully engages and draws you into her story and won't let go until the book ends. WARNING- Mature content and language, an almost rape scene, and plenty of blood and gore. I really like the plot twist, but that ending caught me totally aback. I'm definitely curious to see where book 2 will be going! Give it a go guys! Stay Awesome my lovelies! -The Book Herald Check out my blog- The Book Herald Blog (Help the little people!) tweet me @thebookherald