When the bombs that stopped the species war tore holes in the veil between this world and the next, they allowed entry to the Others—demons, wraiths, and death spirits who turned the shadows into their hunting grounds. Now, a hundred years later, humans and shifters alike live in artificially lit cities designed to keep the darkness at bay....
As a déchet—a breed of humanoid super-soldiers almost eradicated by the war—Tiger has spent her life in hiding. But when she risks her life to save a little girl on the outskirts of Central City, she discovers that the child is one of many abducted in broad daylight by a wraith-like being—an impossibility with dangerous implications for everyone on earth.
Because if the light is no longer enough to protect them, nowhere is safe...
City of Light, Keri Arthur
Does it sound like there is a lot going on in this novel? There is. Vampires, shifters, wraiths, hybrids, rifts; the reader needs to keep sharp as to what Tiger must do in order to break through every obstacle in her rescue efforts. It’s a little exhausting. A debut fantasy novel must in some ways keep it light on the rules and regs, so that we can easily pickup up the vernacular and have some sense of confidence in knowing how everything works. It’s not so easy to visualize the landscape in CITY OF LIGHT; some elements seem to contradict.
Arthur has created a world still going through the process of change and if you like futuristic Wild West novels, you’ll enjoy what the author has crafted here. Tiger uses sex to obtain information and she has a romantic interest also in this series entry which is an appealing lead into the next Tiger novel. Tiger herself is a bit of an uber super hero; the kitchen sink approach has been used here in that many standard fantasy elements have all been thrown into the one novel. Tiger is purposeful, independent and interesting with her strong self-survival skills and has the stones to be a strong action lead. The melancholic “left behind” setting of this novel is well crafted and the action sequences are again very good. A solid entry into what will be no doubt another successful action series for author Keri Arthur.