[REVIEW] Darkling – Yasmine Galenorn

Yasmine Galenorn
Darkling (Sisters of the Moon, Book 3)
Penguin Berkley (US: 2nd January 2008)
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There’s everything but the kitchen sink in the third instalment of the best-selling Sisters of the Moon series.

Half-human and half-Faerie, the D’Artigo sisters are as at home in Seattle as they are in the Otherworld. Camille is a witch, and rules the roost. Delilah shape-shifts into a tabby cat when stressed, but can be a panther at other times. Menolly is a vampire, but not because of her half-Faerie heritage – but for the psycho-sadist Dredge who’s likely responsible for the outbreak of newborn vampires and the havoc they’re causing Seattle.

Vampires, shifters, witches, demons, sprites, gargoyles – you name it; this book as it all. (And a preview of the next book even includes unicorns.) But is it all necessary? Everything fits together well, the characters seem well formed, and the plot’s intriguing. Yet something I can’t put my finger on is stopping this good book from being great. It’s missing the “wow” factor.

But a bothersome issue is the way Menolly and Camille treat Delilah – with kid gloves. The whole “we can’t stress her out”, “got to protect her” attitude they have comes across as condescending. So why isn’t “Kitten” giving her sisters a stern talking-to? They acknowledge her strength and computer skills, but that’s not enough.

But since there are further books in the series contracted, maybe Delilah will get to kick their arses after all. One can only hope…