Review--The Better Part of Darkness by Kelly Gay (Book 12 in Reading Challenge)

ATLANTA: IT'S THE PROMISED CITY FOR THE OFF-WORLDERS, FOREIGNERS FROM THE ALTERNATE DIMENSIONS OF HEAVEN-LIKE ELYSIA AND HELL-LIKE CHARBYDON. SOME BRING GOOD WORKS AND MIRACLES. AND SOME BRING UNIMAGINABLE EVIL...

Charlie Madigan is a divorced mother of one, and a kick-ass cop trained to take down the toughest human and off-world criminals. She's recently returned from the dead and after a brutal attack, an unexpected revival that has left her plagued by ruthless nightmares and random outbursts of strength that make doing her job for Atlanta P.D.'s Integration Task Force even harder. Since the Revelation, the criminal element in Underground Atlanta has grown, leaving Charlie and her partner Hank to keep the chaos to a dull roar. But now an insidious new danger is descending on her city with terrifying speed, threatening innocent lives: a deadly, off-world narcotic known as ash. Charlie is determined to uncovers the source of ash before it targets another victim--but can she protect those she loves from a force more powerful than heaven and hell combined?

Finished Kelly Gay's Better Part of Darkness today and was only mildly satisfied. I can't understand why. The writing was good, the characters strong, a decent plot line, and yet I found myself struggling to read the book through. It wasn't bad, just not to my taste.

Charlie was an excellent character and a strong heroine to boot, plus she was a mother, making her far different than the other UF heroines we've seen lately--single 20-30 something year olds. Charlie was entertaining as well, she had a witty personality and I enjoyed her character over all. Her interactions with her ex-husband were mildly steamy and thrilling and her bickering with her partner were chuckle worthy, she was also a great mom.

The strain of relationship between Charlie and Will was intense. They're exes and yet it is obvious they still care for one another.

There was little confusion, for me at least, with the world views here. The two different otherworlds that coexist in other realms with Earth and how the people from there are different and not human. And thus the drug was what caused the problems because it came from this world.

Perhaps it was this confusion that led me to not fully enjoy the book as I wanted. There was also a little confusion for me with Charlie's past, having died for a few hours and then returned to life. It gets explained in more details in the book.

There was plenty of action as something tragic happens to Charlie, that makes her fight all the more and seek help from her friends and other unlikely allies. There are quite a few surprises along the way as well. Overall it wasn't a bad read, just not my kind of read. Therefore I give the book 3.5/5 stars.

This was my 12th book in the September Spectacular Reading Challenge.