Review--Blue Diablo

RIGHT NOW I'M A REDHEAD. I'VE BEEN BLOND AND BRUNETTE AS THE SITUATION REQUIRES, THOUGH AN UNSCHEDULED COLOR CHANGE USUALLY MEANS I NEED TO RELOCATE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. SO FAR, I'M DOING WELL HERE. NOBODY KNOWS WHAT I'M RUNNING FROM. AND I'D LIKE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY.

Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border and wound up in Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her "gift". Corine, a handler, can touch something and know its history--and that's why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance.

Chance, whose uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep, needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine's gift. But their search may prove dangerous as the trail leads them into a strange, dark world or demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies--and black magic....

Despite my better judgment I read today and finished up Blue Diablo, while I am still waiting on the mail to bring me my copy of Blood Song, now I have nothing new to read and will have to find something to re-read.

But I wasn't disappointed with this new, to me, book by Ann Aguirre. I received this from a friend at RT and decided to give it a try when I was in need of a read and I was rather pleased with this one.

Right away we learn that Corine is talented and ran away from her lover, her past, and her "gift", but even as the BOC describes, you already know that you can't outrun your past forever. And it took over a year for her old lover to find her.

The tension starts off quickly as he asks her to help him find his mother who has gone missing. He needs Corine to use her gift to find her. Corine has the power of touch, she can tell things about an item and it's owner by touching the item. Corine never really names it and I can't think of the word for it...I thought it was something like psychotermy...but my spelling is horrendous at times when I can't use spell check or spell check refuses to help me spell the desired word.

Anyway, since Corine cares for Chance's mother just as much as he does, she agrees to help him, but what really sweetens the deal is the information Chance promises to give Corine if she helps him find his mother. Which I don't want to get to into...but it has to do with Corine's past, which while not the central focus of the novel, it does pop up now and again. Because it is important to Corine and her gift.

A few other surprises occur along the way, such as a potential new love interest. There is a LOT of tension between Corine and Chance, but the new guy proves a problem for them to rekindle their relationship. I honestly can't decide who I want Corine to be with. At one point I was rooting for Chance, but then I turned to the other guy. You learn a little bit about what Corine and Chance's relationship was like when they were together through Corine's conflicting feelings over the two men and it makes a rather difficult decision for me, to say who I would like to see her with. And Corine's even more confused!

Another surprise comes when an enemy from her past comes around and winds up in the same town as Corine and Chance. That was an interesting development as well, but I won't go further. It's rather difficult to think where that may go...

The relationships between Corine and everyone were written wonderfully. There was tension so thick between her and Chance you would have trouble cutting through it with the knife. Or however that saying goes, I know they say so thick you can cut a knife through it, but this was really thick tension because Corine didn't know what she wanted to do in regards to her heart and feelings, she was being tugged back and forth.

Other secondary characters who played a large role, were Chuch and Eva. Friends of Chance, who has a lot of connections. I still don't quite understand who Chance really is, besides having unfathomable luck, hence his name, so we don't even know what his real name is, Corine doesn't either. But Chuch and Eva were definitely interesting people who were full of surprises. When we first meet Eva, you almost thought she was going to kill Chuch when she found Corine standing in her skimpy clothing in the kitchen one morning. Obviously all was forgiven since the two play pivotal roles in helping Chance and Corine in their quest.

They were both rather resourceful too in surprising ways, but I don't want to spoil those little surprises. Again, it's not like OMG! I didn't see that coming kind of surprise, it's just surprising.

While the ending was satisfying in some ways, I thought it just wrapped up the mystery bit a little too quickly. I was expecting something BIG, really big, but it was just...eh. There was an explanation story or whatever that took maybe 2-3 pages at the most and then it ended. There is definitely a question of what will Corine do now and many more questions concerning Corine and her decision-making that leaves you to wonder what will happen.

Overall it was a rather interesting read and I am considering getting the next one, Hell Fire, somewhere down the line.

Now I will probably re-read something until my copy of Blood Song gets here. According to the tracking device it's set for June 16, but it apparently arrived in the mailing area just before noon. Soooo, hopefully it will get to the store by tomorrow when it ever gets sent out and I can possibly pick it up on Tuesday since I have to work all day Monday. Crossing my fingers!