Paranormal/Futuristic
Ravenous: The Dark Forgotten
By Katherine Petersen
Jan 10, 2009 - 4:28:08 PM

Holly Carver busts ghosts, poltergeists and the like for tuition money, and thanks to her most recent job, she’ll get her money in on time. But the house Steve Raglan, her realtor client, wants her to neutralize has other ideas. Built from the magic of a coven of witches, like Holly’s ancestral home, the house survives on the magic and declines without the magic. Still half-sentient at this point, it still has a bad attitude.

In fact, four students and two professors—including her boyfriend, Ben--have already disappeared inside, and Holly has to try to find them. She succeeds with the help of her sexy vampire partner, Alessandro Caravelli, but she also opens a whole new can of worms, or more accurately demons and changelings and ghouls.

Holly hasn’t practiced “big” magic since an incident with her sister years ago caused her to lose a year of her life. She has suffered great pain when she has tried to perform “big” magic like the necromancy her family has always practiced.

But she will have to pull out all the stops to fight Geneva, the worst demon of all to save Fairview. She has Alessandro’s support, but Alessandro wants to do more than help, and Holly finds it difficult not to succumb to his charms even though dating a vampire can be a deadly prospect. Omara, the vampire queen, comes to town and plays her own manipulative mind games to keep Holly off balance.

Sharon Ashwood has written a fast-paced urban fantasy in RAVENOUS: THE DARK FORGOTTEN. Her characters brim over with personality, and the book has non-stop action that will keep the reader turning pages long into the night as this reviewer’s lack of sleep can attest. She set a more horror-oriented first scene, but the darkness lifted as the book progressed. The tension between Holly and Alessandro gives this tale a flavor of romance without it being a “romance” novel.

Holly, who lost her parents as a young child and hasn’t spoken much with her sister since the magical accident, is realistic with struggles like everyone else. She has a sassy grandmother who adds spunk to the story. Overall, Ashwood has created a wonderful fantasy romp that’s tough to put down until the end. I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.