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A review by kathydavie
Autumn Whispers: An Otherworld Novel by Yasmine Galenorn
4.0
Fourteenth in the Otherworld / Sisters of the Moon urban fantasy series revolving around a family of supernaturals based in Seattle. This particular story is from Delilah's point-of-view.
My Take
It starts so well, and then Galenorn lets me down with her usual ignoring of the obvious. Information that leaps out at you, that I never understand how the character can not make the connection... Nope, it must be set aside and saved for later. I wish she'd offer up a reason for avoiding this. It's like Galenorn has a rule: slap you in the face with the big, HUGE possibility, now set it aside to simmer on low until x way through the story when...oh, suddenly, the character makes the connection. *Eyes rolling fast and furious*
Seems some things are universal amongst sentient beings: lying and manipulating…sigh… Seems all of Y'Elestrial has hidden the truth about gargoyles.
Oooh, a huge chunk about their mother's family background comes out! Don't get too excited though as this only seems to be an introduction of them to the storyline.
Not much sex in here. It's more of an afterthought, which does make sense as there is just so much going on. It's a huge disruption of the series' storyline with a sneak attack and much death and destruction. Well, you can tell by the character list how much is going on. And it's wild with how many people are affected, how many have died. It's fascinating, it's horrifying. And Galenorn leaves us hanging!!
The Story
Delilah is specifically requested to guide this latest forfeit to his doom, and for some reason she just doesn't make the connection. Not for pages. Meanwhile, Mennolly has her own drama: someone is making threatening phone calls.
Women are going missing in Seattle while the progeny of Jenny Greenteeth and Dark Dugald are romping, chomping, and eating their way through Seattle. Daemonic activity has been discovered in a different part of Seattle, and it has Grandmother Coyote worried.
Worse, the girls, their mates, and Chase and Shara have been summoned to Y'Elestrial.
The Characters
Finally growing up, our Delilah is a living Death Maiden, a two-faced Were (she shifts into a tabby cat due to her own powers while her panther form is a gift from the Autumn Lord), and she and her sisters are half-Fae and half-human. She's accepted a proposal from Shade, a half-dragon, who is the Autumn Lord's proxy and in love with Delilah. Lash is his sister and plans on visiting. To see if Delilah is good enough. Arial is Delilah's deceased twin who lives at Haseofon.
Camille is her oldest sister, a priestess of the Moon Mother, and a witch who is married to three men (lucky girl): Smoky, a dragonshifter; Trillian, her Svartan fae alpha husband; and, Morio, a fox demon, a youkai-kitsune, and one of Grandmother Coyote's grandsons with whom Camille works Death Magic. Grandmother makes a reference to Rodney, the bone golem she gifted to Camille. While Camille owns the Indigo Court Bookshop, she hasn't been in for months.
Mennolly is the youngest sister, a vampire married to Nerissa who is a panther shifter. She's also Consort to Roman, a vampire lord and son of Blood Wyne, the vampire queen. Mennolly runs The Wayfarer, a bar and inn for supernaturals. Derrick Means is a were-badger and The Wayfarer's chief bartender. Digger is another bartender, a vampire sent by Roman. Chrysandra has been with The Wayfarer from the beginning.
Sephreh ob Tanu is their father, a Fae member of the Guard Des'Estar. Marie D'Artigo was their human mother who died. Tansy is their unexpected aunt who was in the Seattle area. Hester Lou Fredericks (Sue Ann is her life partner) and Daniel George Fredericks (I'm not trusting him) are sister and brother: Tansy's children. And D'Artigo cousins. An unexpeced gift of information from an unexpected middleman.
The rest of the household consists of a very pregnant Iris (she's a Finnish house sprite, a Talon-haltija, and priestess of Undutar; being a mother is a high honor) and Bruce O'Shea, her leprechaun husband, who is officially Lord Bruce Golden Eagle O'Shea; Vanzir is a reformed demon hooked on Xbox; Maggie is their baby woodland gargoyle; and, Rozurial is an incubus enjoying a friends-with-benefits relationship with Hanna, a Northman who had been held captive by Hyto in Courting Darkness, 10.
Duchess O'Shea is Bruce's mother and quite intent on being properly addressed.
Meals at the D'Artigo house are a traffic jam.
The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI) unit is led by Chase Johnson who is learning more and more about his new powers and living with a pregnant Sharah, niece to Queen Asteria of Elqaneve. Mallen is an elfin medic. Bran, the son of Raven Mother and the Black Unicorn, has been instructing Camille in the use of some of her magic at the Court of the Three Queens. Kendris leads the guards Queen Aeval sends to protect the D'Artigo household.
Trenyth is an adviser to Queen Asteria. Darynal is Trillian's blood-oath brother out on a secret spy mission who hasn't been heard from in weeks. The Knights of Keraastar who hold the spirit seals include: Venus the Moon Child of the Rainier Puma Pride; Benjamin Welter; Luke and his sister Amber; and, Tom Lane, a.k.a., Tam Lin. Queen Tanaquar leads the Fae.
Greta is Delilah's mentor, the leader of the Death Maidens of the Autumn Lord, a.k.a., Hi'ran, one of the Harvestmen. When not performing her duties or mentoring Delilah, she resides in Haseofon, the temple of the Death Maidens. Derisa is High Priestess of the Moon Mother's witches who follow the Bright Moon; Camille is being trained to be the High Priestess of the Moon Mother's sorceresses who follow the Dark Moon.
Grandmother Coyote is one of the Hags of Fate. Ignore her at your peril. Prince Mithra and Astralis are granticular gargoyles freed by Grandmother. King Virgil is their father. Ivana Krask, the Maiden of Karask, has a thing for bright meat, and she's one of the Elder Fae with great powers who assuredly knows how to deal with dreglins. Be very, very careful how you speak with her.
Tad and Albert are vampires who work at Microsoft...hmmmm...and they have concerns. Violet is their friend and fellow employee. Tanne Baum is Violet's German Fae boyfriend from the Black Forest. Wade Stevens is the director of Vampires Anonymous, a self-help support group for vamps. Carter is a half-demon, half-Titan demigod who keeps an eye on the magical scene in Seattle and is friends with the girls. He's also dating a dragon named Shimmer.
Marion is a shapeshifter who owns the Supe-Urban Café. Tim Winthrop is another friend and a female impersonator who finally got his computer science degree. He runs a lingerie shop, Erin Matthews' Scarlet Harlot, and is married to Jason, the mechanic who's working on Delilah's Jeep.
Gerald Hanson is/was a lawyer and a werewolf, but it's not his profession but his bloodline and actions that concern us now. Michael Farantino is his ancestor whose legacy Hanson had inherited. Lowestar Radcliffe is the current heir with a sketchy background. Suvika is an ancient demigod of vice and debauchery. Seems demons are different from daemons.
Telazhar is a necromancer who's been training demons for Shadow Wing, a demon lord with plans to invade and conquer Earth before he continues on to Otherworld.
Jenny Greenteeth and Dark Dugald are both flesheaters whose children are the dreglins. She's similar to a kelpie but more dangerous while he's the leader of the barguests [sic], the Black Angus dogs.
The OIA is the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.
The Cover
The cover is shades of orange with the focus on Delilah in black jeans and jean jacket where she's perched, rather cat-like on a chimney in the middle of towering office buildings glowing in the night. A magic circle frames her panther self, snarling in the center.
The title could go two ways: a world about to die or Autumn Whispers as the Autumn Lord begins to make his presence felt more frequently in so many ways.
My Take
It starts so well, and then Galenorn lets me down with her usual ignoring of the obvious. Information that leaps out at you, that I never understand how the character can not make the connection... Nope, it must be set aside and saved for later. I wish she'd offer up a reason for avoiding this. It's like Galenorn has a rule: slap you in the face with the big, HUGE possibility, now set it aside to simmer on low until x way through the story when...oh, suddenly, the character makes the connection. *Eyes rolling fast and furious*
Seems some things are universal amongst sentient beings: lying and manipulating…sigh… Seems all of Y'Elestrial has hidden the truth about gargoyles.
Oooh, a huge chunk about their mother's family background comes out! Don't get too excited though as this only seems to be an introduction of them to the storyline.
Not much sex in here. It's more of an afterthought, which does make sense as there is just so much going on. It's a huge disruption of the series' storyline with a sneak attack and much death and destruction. Well, you can tell by the character list how much is going on. And it's wild with how many people are affected, how many have died. It's fascinating, it's horrifying. And Galenorn leaves us hanging!!
The Story
Delilah is specifically requested to guide this latest forfeit to his doom, and for some reason she just doesn't make the connection. Not for pages. Meanwhile, Mennolly has her own drama: someone is making threatening phone calls.
Women are going missing in Seattle while the progeny of Jenny Greenteeth and Dark Dugald are romping, chomping, and eating their way through Seattle. Daemonic activity has been discovered in a different part of Seattle, and it has Grandmother Coyote worried.
Worse, the girls, their mates, and Chase and Shara have been summoned to Y'Elestrial.
The Characters
Finally growing up, our Delilah is a living Death Maiden, a two-faced Were (she shifts into a tabby cat due to her own powers while her panther form is a gift from the Autumn Lord), and she and her sisters are half-Fae and half-human. She's accepted a proposal from Shade, a half-dragon, who is the Autumn Lord's proxy and in love with Delilah. Lash is his sister and plans on visiting. To see if Delilah is good enough. Arial is Delilah's deceased twin who lives at Haseofon.
Camille is her oldest sister, a priestess of the Moon Mother, and a witch who is married to three men (lucky girl): Smoky, a dragonshifter; Trillian, her Svartan fae alpha husband; and, Morio, a fox demon, a youkai-kitsune, and one of Grandmother Coyote's grandsons with whom Camille works Death Magic. Grandmother makes a reference to Rodney, the bone golem she gifted to Camille. While Camille owns the Indigo Court Bookshop, she hasn't been in for months.
Mennolly is the youngest sister, a vampire married to Nerissa who is a panther shifter. She's also Consort to Roman, a vampire lord and son of Blood Wyne, the vampire queen. Mennolly runs The Wayfarer, a bar and inn for supernaturals. Derrick Means is a were-badger and The Wayfarer's chief bartender. Digger is another bartender, a vampire sent by Roman. Chrysandra has been with The Wayfarer from the beginning.
Sephreh ob Tanu is their father, a Fae member of the Guard Des'Estar. Marie D'Artigo was their human mother who died. Tansy is their unexpected aunt who was in the Seattle area. Hester Lou Fredericks (Sue Ann is her life partner) and Daniel George Fredericks (I'm not trusting him) are sister and brother: Tansy's children. And D'Artigo cousins. An unexpeced gift of information from an unexpected middleman.
The rest of the household consists of a very pregnant Iris (she's a Finnish house sprite, a Talon-haltija, and priestess of Undutar; being a mother is a high honor) and Bruce O'Shea, her leprechaun husband, who is officially Lord Bruce Golden Eagle O'Shea; Vanzir is a reformed demon hooked on Xbox; Maggie is their baby woodland gargoyle; and, Rozurial is an incubus enjoying a friends-with-benefits relationship with Hanna, a Northman who had been held captive by Hyto in Courting Darkness, 10.
Duchess O'Shea is Bruce's mother and quite intent on being properly addressed.
Meals at the D'Artigo house are a traffic jam.
The Faerie-Human Crime Scene Investigation (FH-CSI) unit is led by Chase Johnson who is learning more and more about his new powers and living with a pregnant Sharah, niece to Queen Asteria of Elqaneve. Mallen is an elfin medic. Bran, the son of Raven Mother and the Black Unicorn, has been instructing Camille in the use of some of her magic at the Court of the Three Queens. Kendris leads the guards Queen Aeval sends to protect the D'Artigo household.
Trenyth is an adviser to Queen Asteria. Darynal is Trillian's blood-oath brother out on a secret spy mission who hasn't been heard from in weeks. The Knights of Keraastar who hold the spirit seals include: Venus the Moon Child of the Rainier Puma Pride; Benjamin Welter; Luke and his sister Amber; and, Tom Lane, a.k.a., Tam Lin. Queen Tanaquar leads the Fae.
Greta is Delilah's mentor, the leader of the Death Maidens of the Autumn Lord, a.k.a., Hi'ran, one of the Harvestmen. When not performing her duties or mentoring Delilah, she resides in Haseofon, the temple of the Death Maidens. Derisa is High Priestess of the Moon Mother's witches who follow the Bright Moon; Camille is being trained to be the High Priestess of the Moon Mother's sorceresses who follow the Dark Moon.
Grandmother Coyote is one of the Hags of Fate. Ignore her at your peril. Prince Mithra and Astralis are granticular gargoyles freed by Grandmother. King Virgil is their father. Ivana Krask, the Maiden of Karask, has a thing for bright meat, and she's one of the Elder Fae with great powers who assuredly knows how to deal with dreglins. Be very, very careful how you speak with her.
Tad and Albert are vampires who work at Microsoft...hmmmm...and they have concerns. Violet is their friend and fellow employee. Tanne Baum is Violet's German Fae boyfriend from the Black Forest. Wade Stevens is the director of Vampires Anonymous, a self-help support group for vamps. Carter is a half-demon, half-Titan demigod who keeps an eye on the magical scene in Seattle and is friends with the girls. He's also dating a dragon named Shimmer.
Marion is a shapeshifter who owns the Supe-Urban Café. Tim Winthrop is another friend and a female impersonator who finally got his computer science degree. He runs a lingerie shop, Erin Matthews' Scarlet Harlot, and is married to Jason, the mechanic who's working on Delilah's Jeep.
Gerald Hanson is/was a lawyer and a werewolf, but it's not his profession but his bloodline and actions that concern us now. Michael Farantino is his ancestor whose legacy Hanson had inherited. Lowestar Radcliffe is the current heir with a sketchy background. Suvika is an ancient demigod of vice and debauchery. Seems demons are different from daemons.
Telazhar is a necromancer who's been training demons for Shadow Wing, a demon lord with plans to invade and conquer Earth before he continues on to Otherworld.
Jenny Greenteeth and Dark Dugald are both flesheaters whose children are the dreglins. She's similar to a kelpie but more dangerous while he's the leader of the barguests [sic], the Black Angus dogs.
The OIA is the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.
The Cover
The cover is shades of orange with the focus on Delilah in black jeans and jean jacket where she's perched, rather cat-like on a chimney in the middle of towering office buildings glowing in the night. A magic circle frames her panther self, snarling in the center.
The title could go two ways: a world about to die or Autumn Whispers as the Autumn Lord begins to make his presence felt more frequently in so many ways.