January 2020: “Emma’s Fury: The Last Winter” By Linda Rainier

Summary (Warning: Mild Spoilers):

In a modern world under the rule of Greek Gods, the Fury are the judges, jury, and executioners of justice for supernatural crimes in order to bring balance to the earth. The Fury, protected by their Gyges, follow orders passed down from the Mothers. Except, the Fury are dwindling – as their numbers decrease questions begin to arise, especially when one of those murdered is a Mother.

Emma and her Gyges, David, become caught up in a bizarre and terrifying mystery involving vampires, werewolves, fae, secret identities, Titan cults, and a plan that could end the world. In order to save each other and the power structures preventing the collapse of the unseen modern world, they must face their trauma, their emotions, and worst of all, the truth.

When every character has something to hide, come along on a dark supernatural adventure as we hope Emma and David can find a way to save the world.

Overall Response:

“Emma’s Fury: The Last Winter” is one of those books that captivated me from the first chapter. The descriptions engulf the reader in the scene, and the hand to hand combat scenes are some of the best I have ever read. If I was a better artist these fight scenes could so easily translate to a comic book format in the best possible way. For those that enjoy fiery scenes between villains that are the most extreme form of frenemy with benefits with each other with the added tension of knowing how wrong everything happening is – this is definitely the book for you.

Rainier succeeded in doing two things that made the book so much fun to read. First, She succeeded in keeping the reader a step ahead of the characters as they tried to solve a mystery while still providing plenty of twists and turns that took a reader off guard. Second, her characters have moods that change in very human-like ways corresponding to exhaustion levels and internal states. Moods are often missed by authors for the sake of consistency, and I do understand that it is difficult to balance a character’s voice with dynamic moods, but these characters have unique voices. Well developed characters are essential and I love it.

I often find myself identifying with Emma on a very personal level throughout the book and this is unusual for me as a reader, particularly with such an emotional character. I find myself wanting to do psychological analysis on many of the characters in similar ways that I have seen readers attempt to diagnose characters with a variety of disorders as outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – Fifth Edition. In order for the characters to be at the level a reader could do that an author has taken the time to truly develop each individual personality. I am not an expert on this and hope that someone who is will read this book because this is brilliant.

For those that enjoy what I will call, with the utmost love and respect intended, “Greek Mythology Lite” with a variety of supernatural lore thrown in this is a fantastic read. There were times I couldn’t put it down and in the end I was so excited that this is book one of a series because it means the story isn’t over. I cannot wait to dive back into Emma’s adventures and see where the aftermath of this book takes these characters as we continue to explore the modern underworld.

LGBTQA?

There are some hints and references to a variety of types of relationships that are inclusive, though as part of the story romance is very specifically excluded. This does not impact my recommendation that anyone interested in modern dark fantasy should read this book.

Grammar

There were a few minimal concerns that I brought up directly in an email to the author. These did not interrupt the reading experience.

Twilight Zone

Every book has at least one. In this case, I think it may have been me – “Emma pauses briefly as she becomes keenly aware of a distant yet familiar presence. It is akin to a fragrance that is unrecognizable as it dances along her skin.” This sentence really confused me, but at the same time I imagined a cartoon cat going into an extremely alarmed posture with electricity. I’m not sure how to interpret it and maybe it’s too trippy of a synesthetic experience for me to fully grasp.

Want to learn more about the Author?

You can buy the book here. I had the pleasure of interviewing Linda Rainier as the first installment of my 2020 Author Interview series. Please take a moment to read her responses to my questions on her writing process. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.