Search - Blue Diablo (Corine Solomon, Bk 1)

This book right away does a couple of things that gave it high points in my book:

First of all the setting was not all in the United States, which is refreshing when I see it anywhere. Corine is living in Mexico before events mean she has to travel to Laredo, Texas, and this is reflected in her day to day life, the food, and the language. Spanish is peppered throughout the dialog, and I'm very glad that I took enough Spanish classes in my lifetime to understand it! I also enjoyed the descriptions of food (ah how I love reading about food).

The second thing was Chance, Corine's ex-boyfriend, who is a half (at least) Asian hero. I have a huge soft spot for mixed race characters!. He's a very intriguing guy - at first he seems very polished and put together, sort of distant, but I think the reader gets this through the way Corine sees him because the book is written from her first person point of view. As the story progresses Corine begins to realize he may not be the person she thought he was. He's also changed in the year that Corine was away, and there are still feelings on both sides about the other. It's a little bit painful on both their parts and ultimately I hope things work out for them, but Corine is not quick to forgive at all. They have issues to sort out. I had to agree that Corine wasn't always the most gracious character, but love is messy sometimes. On the other hand, it almost seems like Chance actually likes her more for it (Disfunctional? I can't decide. There were a one scene in particular which springs to mind).

Overall: I liked it - an urban fantasy with an international flare. It's an action packed first book, full of flawed but likeable characters and relationships. Must read for Ann Aguirre fans, and urban fantasy lovers who want to try out a new author who haven't read this one before.

Corine has been on the run ever since her mother (an openly practicing witch in Georga) was killed by a mob. When her mother died she managed to give Corine two gifts. First, the ability to tell when trouble is coming. Second, the ability to tell what went on around an object. This gift hold a price though - any object with enough "charge" to hold an image will burn Corine's hands when it gives her that image. Corine has finally managed to settle down in one place - Mexico City - for almost a year when her ex finds her and tells her that his mother is missing.

Together they set off to find his mother.

The Good: I loved all the side characters. They were (mostly) well written and very interesting. Several of them were gifted with some fun things - like Corine's ex, Chance, who was gifted with luck. The author has a gift for imagery. The story and plot are all right, but nothing that exciting.

The Bad: I didn't care for Corine. She was often deliberately hurtful to those around her, usually as a means of keeping her distance from them, although once it was a case of "they'll thank me later". She was incredibly annoying about having two potential love interests and not being able to choose. Love triangles tend to annoy me as either 1) the person they're thinking of leaving didn't do anything wrong (no matter what the main character thinks) or 2) one of the people in consideration are obviously a bad choice for them. Very few author's balance things out well.

Corine wasn't the only character to be inconsistent for no good reason either.

While I know that Chance's gift was luck, there were still a few things that I found just absolutely ridiculous, like a super intelligent dog that was able to give them some help, and a bad guy from Corine's past that shows up to help them out.

I really enjoyed this one. Corine is a very likeable and well drawn character, as are the other cast members. Excellent read! Can't wait to read the rest of the series

Contemporary Urban Fantasy by Ann Aguirre, first in the Corine Solomon series. Corine inherited a gift from her mother, the ability to touch and object, and know where it has been. But the gift comes with a price, and some people would hunt Corine down, either to burn her as a witch, or to use her gift for their own purpose. So, Corine is hiding out in Mexico. Then her ex, Chance finds her, to ask her help, to find his mom. Thus, the adventure begins. The story is a little convuluted, but fair. The relationship between Corine and Chance is a secondary story. Not a bad tale, but I prefer the futuristic Sirantha Jax. Fair.

This is a really fantastic start to a new series. If you like books that have just a dash of paranormal and just a touch of romance plus a ton of action then this is your book.

First I love the main character. Corine Solomon. Her back story is unexplored and full of great potential. She's cheeky and fun to read about. Her power is just low key enough she doesn't seem like a Master of the Universe type. Some of these paranormal books have a crazy amount of paranormal ability stuck into one character. (I'm thinking of you Anita Blake. Sheesh. Way to ruin a series)

I also love her hero/sidekick/ex Chance. You never even get to know his real name. He's got just enough mystery to him to be totally intriguing. Also his power is one I had not even thought of before. So that was a nice bonus.

I thought the storyline was nice and tight. There were even some surprises along the way for me. Lots of action and friends helping out.

All in all a great start to the series. I have the second book and I will be reading it tonight!