A clairvoyant's vision sends Celia racing to evacuate a local elementary school before a concealed magical bomb goes off. She gets almost everyone out but is caught in the explosion!
Amazingly, the bomb seems to cause no damage...until two weeks later, when a stubborn bruise on Celia's leg turns out to be the first sign of a magical zombie plague. Schoolchildren and their parents are the next victims. The cure is both painful and in extremely short supply.
Worse, it soon becomes clear that there are more explosions to come. But helping the FBI track down the bomber isn't Celia's only problem. Her abusive, alcoholic mother has broken out of prison on the Sirens' island; her ghostly little sister has possessed a young girl; and one of Celia's boyfriends has mysteriously disappeared in the middle of a casting.
Another book finished in my TBR challenge, this one just as challenging to read since I haven't read Demon Song since it released in 2011. So yeah, major gaps there! Cat Adams's The Isis Collar was still a very entertaining read. I can't remember much on backstory, but the little tidbits that are critical to the story are brought back up again. Including a brief mentioning of what went down last time.
Luckily, this doesn't seem to be a series where the last book is totally vital to the next one. Of course it is in a chronological sense, but...I struggle to explain what I mean, so I won't bother. Anyway, the cover description pretty much tells you the beginning of the novel in a nutshell. Celia goes to a school to try to get it evacuated in time before a bomb goes off, which is a lot more difficult than it sounds or should be for that matter. Needless to say, the beginning chapters were very intense indeed!
When Celia remains injured two weeks later, things are looking a little serious. Something is wrong, but Celia doesn't really have a clue as to what it could be. After a bunch of doctors run a bunch of tests, it's conclusive that she has contracted some sort of zombie virus, that left unchecked will turn her into a zombie. Anyone who was caught in the crossfires of the bomb is capable of catching it, along with anyone who they have contact with--exchanging saliva, getting blood or saliva into open wounds, that kind of thing. Worse yet, the school in Celia's town is not the first to be attacked.
This was a pretty exciting and thrilling read. There was definite mystery going on and trying to find the bad guy--or woman in this case, for in the very beginning, Celia hears a woman's voice telling her to activate the bomb. This woman turns out to be a powerful witch of some sort. Celia has no clue to her identity, she just sees example after example of her power and it is pretty damn big.
The pacing to this novel was pretty good. For awhile in the beginning I thought it was a tad slow, because it was more trying to figure out what was wrong with Celia. Which was interesting in itself, for it was a big mystery and all. Once Celia is cured though is when the action seems to take off!
The romance in this one was pretty awesome too! I can't remember who I was rooting for in this love triangle, we have Bruno--Celia's ex, who was engaged to be married but that's over--and Creede--a powerful mage who can make Celia's toes curl. And Bruno's a mage too. Celia doesn't seem to have a clue as to who she wants either, for there were romantic interludes with both mages. Regardless, I find myself rooting for Creede, I just happen to like him more even though there's still a lot Celia (and the reader) doesn't really know about him.
Her romantic issues aside, Celia has a lot to deal with in this one. Her mother has escaped her Siren prison, her little sister starts possessing another young girl, her grandmother is pretty peeved at Celia for the way she treats her mother--which they have a very strained relationship, so Celia isn't really all rainbows and sunshine with her mom--, and there seems to be another ghost or spirit or something hanging around Celia lately. There's no clue as to who this entity might be, but I look forward to finding out!
The actual Isis Collar is in the book, but doesn't really pop up til the near end, like page 300 or something. And it's only then that we realize how powerful this object is. That part I found a little odd, since it is the title of the book, I would've thought it would at least pop up in name at some earlier point, but oh well.
The Isis Collar was a fabulous read overall! Despite my memory lapse from two years ago, I was still able to enjoy it. Love Celia's little curse that she says when the moment calls for it: "Fuck a duck!" It's short, simple, to the point and it rhymes! Looking forward to seeing what the next adventure The Eldritch Conspiracy brings!
Overall rating 4.5/5 stars
So many have enjoyed this series. And it's one I would like to get one day. :) Thank you!
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