Synopsis from Amazon:
Vampire, werewolf, avian, magus...
It's up to the parahumans of the Purple Door District of Chicago to put their differences aside to save Bianca and stop a dark threat from destroying their peaceful community.
>>>>>>>>>>
My Review:
Which is to say, it was awesome! I was intrigued first of all by the mention of bird shifters--usually, shifters are of the four-footed, or at least mammalian variety. But birds? The only place I'd really seen that was on the aforementioned show. The second thing that intrigued me was the idea that there could be a system in place as a haven of protection for shifters and other parahumans--such as Fae and vampires, for example. What would such a place be like? I'd read other books that dealt with their "nonhuman" characters in a similar manner: placing them in protective neighborhoods or reservations, and the like. What would Bianca's journey be like, a teenager on the run, with people trying to hunt her down, and nowhere safe, no family left to give her sanctuary?
Not to give too much away, but Erin Casey executed her answer to this question quite brilliantly. I love it when a good premise gets sculpted into a solid plot!
Firstly, the characters were a wonderful mix of varying strengths and weaknesses, with all their quirks and flaws and just personality in general! Bianca is innocent and wary without being too jaded and always carrying a chip on her shoulder--those sort of characters get really boring if they're just always rebuffing other characters' attempts at being nice! Gladus is knowledgeable and enigmatic and protective without being prickly or withdrawn--she's personable and tender when she needs to be, and yet not afraid to back down when the situation calls for firmness. The difference between the way the Avians like Carlos and Hayley interacted, versus the pack of werewolves like Paytah and Nick and Kat was also a shining example.
The other part I loved about this book was the way it developed its own lore: the Ether, and the way that a Magus could use it to manipulate reality in certain ways, but only to a certain extent, and different magic-users had different names, depending on how the accessed the power and how they utilized it. The concept of the Purple Door, too--a certain region marked by some kind of purple decoration, like a flowerpot or a porch light, signaling that this was an area safeguarded by a Violet Marshall, one elected member of the community who kept the peace between races and ensured that no one was threatened by the Hunters, those who saw parahumans as a threat and wanted to eliminate them. There were definite rules and roles for everyone, and it was all explained fairly well throughout, so that the reader wasn't too befuddled by heady concepts, and could stay emotionally connected to various characters throughout!
I found plenty of characters to root for, I could form clear pictures of each character in my mind, their reactions and responses resonated deeply with me, I can attest to at least a couple late nights when I was going to stop reading at a certain point but I just couldn't!
The Purple Door District earns a full *****5 STAR***** rating from me, and I'll even add an Upstream Writer Certified DEFINITELY Recommended endorsement. I found it thrilling, mysterious, and absolutely enjoyable from start to finish--and I would seriously consider acquiring the entire series!
Color me impressed! If anything, this book just made me miss the fact that Grimm is no longer running...
Which is to say, it was awesome! I was intrigued first of all by the mention of bird shifters--usually, shifters are of the four-footed, or at least mammalian variety. But birds? The only place I'd really seen that was on the aforementioned show. The second thing that intrigued me was the idea that there could be a system in place as a haven of protection for shifters and other parahumans--such as Fae and vampires, for example. What would such a place be like? I'd read other books that dealt with their "nonhuman" characters in a similar manner: placing them in protective neighborhoods or reservations, and the like. What would Bianca's journey be like, a teenager on the run, with people trying to hunt her down, and nowhere safe, no family left to give her sanctuary?
Not to give too much away, but Erin Casey executed her answer to this question quite brilliantly. I love it when a good premise gets sculpted into a solid plot!
Firstly, the characters were a wonderful mix of varying strengths and weaknesses, with all their quirks and flaws and just personality in general! Bianca is innocent and wary without being too jaded and always carrying a chip on her shoulder--those sort of characters get really boring if they're just always rebuffing other characters' attempts at being nice! Gladus is knowledgeable and enigmatic and protective without being prickly or withdrawn--she's personable and tender when she needs to be, and yet not afraid to back down when the situation calls for firmness. The difference between the way the Avians like Carlos and Hayley interacted, versus the pack of werewolves like Paytah and Nick and Kat was also a shining example.
The other part I loved about this book was the way it developed its own lore: the Ether, and the way that a Magus could use it to manipulate reality in certain ways, but only to a certain extent, and different magic-users had different names, depending on how the accessed the power and how they utilized it. The concept of the Purple Door, too--a certain region marked by some kind of purple decoration, like a flowerpot or a porch light, signaling that this was an area safeguarded by a Violet Marshall, one elected member of the community who kept the peace between races and ensured that no one was threatened by the Hunters, those who saw parahumans as a threat and wanted to eliminate them. There were definite rules and roles for everyone, and it was all explained fairly well throughout, so that the reader wasn't too befuddled by heady concepts, and could stay emotionally connected to various characters throughout!
I found plenty of characters to root for, I could form clear pictures of each character in my mind, their reactions and responses resonated deeply with me, I can attest to at least a couple late nights when I was going to stop reading at a certain point but I just couldn't!
The Purple Door District earns a full *****5 STAR***** rating from me, and I'll even add an Upstream Writer Certified DEFINITELY Recommended endorsement. I found it thrilling, mysterious, and absolutely enjoyable from start to finish--and I would seriously consider acquiring the entire series!
Further Reading: (Shifter Fantasy/Urban Fantasy/Engaging Plot)
The Therian Way--Kimberly Rogers
-Leopard's Heart
-Wolf's Path
-Tiger's Shadow
-Leopard's Heart
-Wolf's Path
-Tiger's Shadow
Verona: The Complete Mermaid Tales--Pauline Creeden
-Scales
-Submerged
-Salt
-Surfacing
-Scales
-Submerged
-Salt
-Surfacing
The Portal Prophecies--C. A. King
-A Keeper's Destiny
-A Halloween's Curse
-Frost Bitten
-A Keeper's Destiny
-A Halloween's Curse
-Frost Bitten
The Bhinian Empire--Miriam Forster
-City of A Thousand Dolls
-Empire of Shadows
-City of A Thousand Dolls
-Empire of Shadows
Wonderland Guardian Academy Series--Pauline Creeden
-Red The Wolf Tracker
-Red The Wolf Tracker
Talented Series--Amy Hopkins
-A Drop of Dream
-A Dash of Fiend
-A Splash of Truth
-A Drop of Dream
-A Dash of Fiend
-A Splash of Truth
The PSS Chronicles--Ripley Patton
-Ghost Hand
-Ghost Hold
-Ghost Heart
-Ghost Hope
-Ghost Hand
-Ghost Hold
-Ghost Heart
-Ghost Hope
The LouisiAngel Series--C. L. Coffey
-Angel in Training
-Angel Eclipsed
-Angel Tormented
-Angel in Training
-Angel Eclipsed
-Angel Tormented
Judah Black Series--E. A. Copen
-Fortunate Son (prequel novella)
-Guilty By Association
-Blood Debt
-Fortunate Son (prequel novella)
-Guilty By Association
-Blood Debt
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