Top positive review
4.0 out of 5 starsAll in all, a good read for the urban paranormal fan.
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2017
Quite a fun first book in a new world - or worlds, as our world lives alongside another, and main character Maggie lives on the Other Side, and works between worlds. It's one of the perks of being able to create your own portals, and she's monetized it as a tracker, bringing back the oogie boogeys and bad guys who overstay their welcome in the normal world. Plus, it makes it a lot easier to visit her normal twin sister. Necessary, when your mom's a Normal with second sight and your dad - well, your dad was like you, until he disappeared mid-transport one day.
Maggie's predictably unpredictable life gets turned on its head once the elf shows up to hire her, though, and along the way Maggie learns a bit about friendship and family, and about her own powers.
So you know. quite typical in formula for an urban fantasy - but done in an engaging and new way, with clever descriptions of LA, and ways of integrating our world into one of magic that are genuinely creative. This book does suffer a bit from world-building-itis - a bit more time spent setting up things we need to know - but it doesn't suffer much for it, and I'll definitely be continuing with this series. In particular, as a heroine, Maggie is human and flawed, but not in the kind of way that makes you want to reach through the screen and strangle her; she doesn't spend a lifetime beating herself up for mistakes, and she learns from them. A coherent plot, sensible heroine, ending that still sets up future plots, an engaging story - it's hard to ask for much more from a few hours reading.
