Urban Fantasy Review: Wolf Night by Tracey Sinclair

Wolf Night by Tracey Sinclair (Cassandra Bick Chronicles #2)

review copy from the author

Synopsis from Goodreads
After narrowly averting a supernatural war in London, Cassandra Bick just wants life to get back to normal. Or as normal as life can be when you run a dating agency for vampires, your best friend is a witch and the oldest, strongest and sexiest vampire in town is taking a very personal interest in your business. But when a vicious new supernatural enemy threatens her friends, Cass finds herself once again fighting for the fate of her city – and having to face some demons of her own.

Snarky, sexy and fast paced, Wolf Night will leave you breathless. 

Amazon kindle US($3.50)/UK(£2.40)

9/10

* * *

Well, it definitely left me breathless because I was laughing too hard through most of the book.

Wolf Night was wonderful and it satisfied a craving for a popular vampire culture pisstake. I remember liking book #1, Dark Dates, but since then Tracey settled into the genre comfortably and her writing got considerably better.



The thing is, the plot is good and it's pure urban fantasy, but it's the banter between the characters which really gets you.

Laclos for example who is a spitting image of Jean-Claude from Anita Blake's series and a 2000-year old vampire ruling London doesn't take himself seriously and plays on cultural cliches.

“I have tried to be romantic, have I not? I have flirted, I have charmed – and I am well aware of just how charming I can be – and I have been attentive. I have sent you some of the finest wines money can buy…” 

“Oh. So, I probably shouldn’t be drinking them like cheap plonk, should I?” I frowned, guiltily, and he flashed me a brief, appalled glance. I think it was the first time I’d properly shocked him.

 “Once I get to the stage of bringing you actual furniture, I am afraid I am running out of ideas, beyond swooping through your bedroom windows in a velvet cloak and watching you while you sleep – which not only has been done to death by my predecessors, but is, I think you’ll agree, actually slightly creepy. So, no, this is not romantic. But I was rather under the impression that you were tired of hollow romantic gestures, when they come from a basis of untruth.”

 I frowned at him. He had me there. I really wasn’t doing that well in this argument. As usual, I tried to mask my confusion with humour. 

“You totally have a velvet cape, don’t you?” 

He allowed himself a small smile, then turned the full force of that dark gaze on me.

 “Would it help if I put it on?”

Also Cass herself is full of witty comebacks, but as an owner of dating agency which helps to bring vampires and wannabies together she's seen it all and treats vamps who are entirely self-absorbed for their own good with a great measure of sarcasm.

“Did it ever occur to you, Laclos, that your bodyguards wouldn’t keep turning on you if you weren’t such a twat to them?”

 But this is just a tip of the iceberg. There is wonderful Medea, a witch, who is getting married to her partner shifter Katie, and of course there is delicious Cain, a supernatural monster killer, whom Cass has been attracted to all her life.

The drawback of Dark Dates which I've mentioned before, weak characterization of the main heroes of the book, disappears in Wolf Night. The reader has no problem seeing Cass, Laclos, Cain, Medea and Katie and understanding their motivation which really makes book #2 so much stronger and so much more pleasurable.

If the big bad of Dark Dates was a vampire, this time Cass and Co. have to fight a nasty bunch of Scottish werewolves, causing chaos in their beloved city. Wolf Night is dark, snarkalicious and explores what it's like to be a supernatural in modern world, crazy on Twilight, True Blood and Winchester brothers.

Highly recommended.

* * *

Честно говоря, я с этой книги просто оборжалась! Мне посчастливилось встретиться с Трэйси в прошлый раз, когда мы были в Лондоне, она - чудесный человечек, и если первая мне её книга понравилась, то со второй я просто выпадала, и была рада тому, насколько улучшился её авторский стиль. Она видимо нашла наконец-таки свою нишу в жанре, и Волчья Ночь так и сверкала задорным сарказмом и прибаутками, типичными для английского юмора.

Во второй книге также все герои наконец-то обрели чёткую характеризацию.

Если например, я не могла понять Лаклоса в Тёмных Свиданиях, то в  Волчьей Ночи у меня с ним не было никаких проблем. Из него вышел шикарный персонаж харизматичного древнего вампира, срисованного с Жан-Клода и играющего на смехотворных вампирских клише популярной культуры. Самое важное, у Лаклоса есть чувство юмора и он не боится смеяться над самим собой.

То же касается Каина, загадочного бессмертного охотника за монстрами, которого Касс знает всю свою жизнь. Он ведёт себя в меру своего опыта и принимает Касс со всеми её зашибонами такой, какая она есть.

Касс тоже прекрасно выписана, с типичной английской практичностью и без моральных извращений пуританцев-американцев. И вообще, с книгами Трэйси расслабляешься, так как они не склонны к излишней морализации, характерной для авторов из США.

В общем, очень всем советую.