Banshee's Embrace

Jacqueline is confused at what is happening to her after a strange attack.  She should have died, but her husband sacrificed his life for hers.    Strangely, since then she is drawn to death, moreover she can see when it is coming for someone.  Even stranger is the urge to sing for those who are dying.  All of this happening to her becomes disturbing and affects her emotions.  Jacqueline meets Toby who has been charged with keeping an eye on her, as he knows the truth about her banshee origins, and how rare half-banshees are.  While they are rare, if in the wrong hand she can be a very powerful weapon, and Toby must work to help keep her safe from those who want to use her.  Jacqueline finds herself falling in love with Toby when she is kidnapped by another wizard and she must use her powers to save herself and the man she loves.

I was really excited about this book because it is something different from the typical, ghosts, vampire, werewolf, demon, angel stories we have been seeing all too often.  The idea of the main character being a banshee had a lot of potential for me and I had very high expectations for something unique.  That being said the book was very well written and entertaining, but it didn’t hit the mark for me.  The beginning was rather confusing and seemed to stumble a bit as it gives readers a back story of Jacqueline.  But once you get about 25% through, the story really picks up and begins to fly.

The book is paranormal romance, I would have personally enjoyed it without the romance aspect to it. I know sometimes it adds depth to the characters and gives them something more than her being a banshee and him a wizard trying to save her, but sometimes it also takes away from the story.  It almost feels like it began to take away from the story.  The romance didn’t help build a connection to the readers, nor did it seem to be natural.  The book unfortunately does not stand out as all that fantastic to me, yes it is a good read and a great way to spend an afternoon.  But there isn’t much that is making me excited to read the next book or hold on to the characters the way I do with another book.

Would I recommend this novel, sure. I think there are people who would greatly appreciate the story and get enjoyment out of it.  As for a rating, I would give this a 3 out of 5 star rating for the reason that it’s didn’t grasp me and hold on, and I have forgotten most it shortly after reading it.