All Trent remembers from his past is a brick wall, he remembers nothing but the wall where he awoke one year earlier, he did not even remember his name but he is on the ever search for his past, even if that means looking in unconventional places. Trent finds himself working for one of Brooklyn's crime bosses on the hope that he can uncover clues as to who Trent was, but this means that Trent is in the line of fire, constantly. Which really isn't so bad, when you don't die. But when Trent dies there is a price. The closest living individual near him dies as he takes their life force in order to survive. When Trent is sent to steal an antique box he is about to find out that he is not the only supernatural individual in the world and that box is linked to the old as time struggle between good and evil and Trent has to decide what is more important to him, discovering who he is or saving New York City.
This was an awesome debut novel, Kaufman was able to keep me on the edge of my seat as there never seemed to be a dull moment in this book, with a mystery that kept me guessing right to the end and I'm sure it will keep you guessing too. I have said it many times before in this genre I want to read something new and different it cannot always be about vampires, werewolves and witches. However, although this book has all three of them I did not find Kaufmann's use of these characters tired or the usual, there were some different aspects to all of them.
I personally think there are not enough male lead protagonists out there within the paranormal genre. I like the change of having a male lead as it offers something completely different all around and can really define how a book is structured. Additionally, I'm always a fan of the anti hero, and Trent fits this description well. All he wants is to find why he unable to die and will go to any costs in order to archive this, even if means stealing for a living. Trent also is trying to find out who he is as (literally) as he cannot remember his past and I found that this made him a more complex character. Trent is also a very meticulous and you can see him weight the pros and cons of every action that he takes, even those that you may not agree with. You can really feel his struggle between whether he should do something for himself or the greater good.
I'm really interested to see not only who Trent was is the past and who he will become, but also the power(s) that exist inside him. I mean what/who causes him to come back to life each time he dies. Is Trent really a good guy or a bad guy. I am looking forward to the second novel in this series to see what answers Kaufmann has for me.
All of the secondary characters were interesting as well, and as stated above, although Kaufmann does not really introduce new types of creatures, his spin on some of the classics was refreshing. Kaufmann also introduced some creatures that we have heard of before, but often take a backseat to the more popular ones, in this novel there is a heavy presence of gargoyles, which i thought was unique and I enjoyed of Kaufmann seat of their world and culture. In fact overall, the world building and flow of the novel is really well done.
Kaufmann has written a novel that those who enjoy the paranormal or urban fantasy genre will want to flock to. Well written, non stop action, great mystery, well developed characters and an interesting premise will hold readers captivated (there is even a little bit of romance and it really is just a touch, for those who need/want that in their reads). I know I will read the next book by Kaufmann and I hope he continues on the dark path that happens through out the book. I think that Kaufmann is going to be a big name in the future in these genres.
Enjoy!!!
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