Tuesday 25 August 2015

Review: The Veil (Devil’s Isle #1) by Chloe Neill

The Veil (Devil's Isle, #1)The Veil

Author: Chloe Neill
Series: Devil’s Isle
Pages: 336
Publisher: NAL Trade

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn…
 

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

I am such a huge Chloe Neill fan so I was super excited when I found out she was writing a new UF series; The Veil is the first book in the Devil’s Isle series.

This book started off slowly for me, there was a lot of information to take in and I must admit I almost gave up and started on something else but I am really pleased that I persisted because it ended up being creative an unique with a great cast of well-written characters and an interesting premise.

Our MC is Claire Connolly, she runs a store in NOLA and lives with a dangerous secret: she’s what is known as a Sensitive, a human gifted with magic. The Veil is like a magical barrier that separates the human and the paranormal worlds. Claire knows that revealing her ability would mean being sent off to Devil’s Isle so she needs to learn how to control it before she is found out. 

The world-building is developed extremely well and we are given detailed history about what had happened for things to now be as they are. The Veil that separates humans from the supernatural that lie beyond was torn apart which led to war; now anyone with magical powers are confined in a enclosed community that humans call the District but is otherwise known as Devil’s Isle; the magical aspect was also explained well and was quite imaginative.

As I mentioned the pacing at the beginning was extremely slow for me but it did pick up and became quite exciting; the plot was interesting and quite action-packed and intense; I am excited to see how it all progresses in the next book.

I found all of the characters to be likeable, Claire was kind-hearted, intelligent, resilient and fiercely independent, having recently lost her father she was more or less alone except for her close friends Gunnar and Tadji; we are also introduced to the mysterious and smexy Liam Quinn, a bounty hunter who had me questioning his loyalty throughout so I can’t wait to see how their relationship progresses; we get some strong chemistry but it doesn’t progress much to my disappointment. We are also introduced to the perfect villain, one I couldn’t help but despise.

Chloe Neill’s writing is wonderfully engaging and the world and NOLA setting that we are introduced to was mesmerising. With a fabulous cast of characters, world-building that goes above and beyond and unique magical aspect I am more than eager to read the next book in the Devil’s Isle series.

Overall, The Veil is filled with intense moments, a surprise betrayal, diverse paranormal beings and a satisfying conclusion. It is certainly different to Neill's Chicagoland Vampire series which I appreciated. 



About the author: Chloe Neill is the New York Times bestselling author of the Chicagoland Vampires Novels, the Devil's Isle Novels, and a YA series, the Dark Elite. Chloe was born and raised in the South, but now makes her home in the Midwest. When she's not writing, she bakes, works, and scours the Internet for good recipes and great graphic design. Chloe also maintains her sanity by spending time with her boys--her husband and their dogs, Baxter and Scout.

Connect with Chloe Neill at www.chloeneill.com

6 comments:

  1. YES! I agree completely! This one started out really slow for me as well, there was a lot of world building and history to take in, but soon I got swept up in the story and I can't wait to see what happens next. I'm hoping for more development of the romance in the next book too, I really like Claire and Liam together:)

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    1. I almost gave up but I'm so glad I persisted :-) I would love a bit more from the romance.

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  2. I liked this book, gave it a 4 stars. The only things I disliked, there wasn't much in the way of romance. Also, it was mainly just an info dump to set up the series. Great review!

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    1. Yes, I agree! I would love more from the romance - hopefully now that the world-building has been formed there will be less info dumping in the next book.

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  3. I really slipped right into this one, but I am glad it picked up for you and that you enjoyed it. I am excited to continue.

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    1. Super excited for the next book Kimba! such a shame there is such a wait..

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