Dangerous Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Genre: Supernatural, Contemporary, Romance
Published By: Little Brown Books
Pages: 368
Format: Paperback
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

It’s been a little while since I’ve read ‘Beautiful Redemption’, the last in the Caster Chronicles series. OK, it’s been eight months, so it was safe to say that I found myself to be quite lost at the start of this book, especially since I wasn’t willing to pay £1.99 or so for the novella ‘Dangerous Dream’ that came before this full length novel.

Nevertheless, I powered through. Was it the right decision?

Yes?

When authors come out with a new series, featuring the same characters of their previous series, I just have to read it. You know, for a sense of closure. Even if I didn’t completely fall in the love with the predecessor series (and believe me, I didn’t) I still feel the pressure to continue reading the authors’ works. And, if I was unwilling to pay £1.99 for a novella, I sure wasn’t paying £7.99 for the novel.

Perfect solution: a library read. Should I take it as a good or bad sign that I was the first to take this book out?

On with my opinions.

Despite my initial confusion, I managed to get into the story. Ridley and Link were going to New York. As a couple. Or not a couple? Are they a couple? (I hate non-explicit romances.) But already thinks were looking dangerous for the two of them, and my enjoyment of the book. (Did you see what I did there? Heh.)

My pet peeve is when authors have characters that are described to have ‘a terrible secret’ or ‘a hidden past’. The clichés just come rolling in and even though the descriptions are meant to be ambiguous and develop intrigue in the reader, it makes me roll my eyes, sigh and not care. Sorry. Not sorry.

Apparently, Ridley went to Europe and got herself in trouble (because trouble follows that girl like a creepy stalker). You know what else she got?

Another love interest.

Love triangle? Yipee!

This was about as unnecessary as when John was introduced as a rival to Ethan. A good YA book can exist without a love triangle. But, let’s be honest, did Link really deserve Ridley? Weren’t they only together for the convenience of Ethan and Lena? Ridley breaks hearts and doesn’t care. I got the same feeling with her and Link, that there was no real love there.

The plot I found confusing to follow and hard to really like. I didn’t feel like I connected to any of the characters, or understood any of their feelings. Maybe it’s just because I wasn’t that invested in the ‘Caster Chronicles’ but halfway through I wondered why I’d bothered reading it. That sounds bad.

On a positive note, I did like the setting. It had a very ‘Percy Jackson’ feel, using existing issues within a landscape and linking them to the existence of a supernatural world. It was very succinct and easy to imagine.

But when it comes to the villain…is anyone else confused? I thought Abraham died. (Let’s not even mention the garden shears ridiculousness. If only Harry Potter had had some garden shears the night Voldemort came knocking.) Dead is dead, right? So, what’s going on? What’s the threat? The undead?

???

And if I thought the garden shears were the last straw, what about the ending? Now I’m going to have to read the next book in this series (my guess for the title is ‘Dangerous Darkness’ – ooh, how suitable.) It felt like Ridley and Link’s relationship was resolved for the sake of it, not because of any evidenced feelings. Still, Garcia and Stohl have done what they set out to do: made me what to continue reading.

And isn’t that what its all about?

Overall, I give Dangerous Creatures 2.5 stars. Room for improvement. Lots of room.
I promise to use less question marks in my next review.