The Veil by Chloe Neill

The Veil by Chloe Neill
Also by this author: Lucky Break, Dark Debt, The Sight, Blade Bound, The Hunt, Wild Hunger
Published by Penguin on August 4th 2015
Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Urban, Romance, Paranormal, Contemporary, General
Pages: 336
Format: eARC
ISBN: 9780698184527
ASIN: B00OQS4GCK
Goodreads

This post contains affiliate links, please see our 'About' page.

FTC disclaimer applies, please visit 'About' page

A brand new series from New York Times bestselling author Chloe Neill.   Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.   Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.   Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.  As more and more Sensitives fall prey to their magic, and unleash their hunger on the city, Claire and Liam must work together to save New Orleans, or else the city will burn…From the Trade Paperback edition.

Buy on Amazon

Buy on Barnes and Noble

Buy on iTunes

~ Karen’s Review of The Veil ~

Chloe Neill‘s newest series starts seven years after the veil between the supernatural world of ‘fairy’ and the known world is ripped apart making our world accessible to those ‘other’ beings who have magic. Despite the invaders having used magic, the human population of the United States pushed back and was able to close the rift.  The war left a scarred earth in the southern hemisphere and New Orleans is at the epicenter of this world.  Despite the world being turned on its axis, there are those who remain in the devastated area because it is their home and life should be lived in the place that you love.  Not all the magical ‘others’ were sent back when the rift was sealed and those who were left have been confined to a prison area called Devil’s Isle/The District, a walled off area of New Orleans. It is an internment camp for those with magical origins and those who have been corrupted by magic.  Neill uses the city not only as a place but also as a character since the city is alive with vitality even in its war ravaged state.  It is the power of the city and the people that inhabit it that drew me into the story. Neill does an excellent job of plopping down the reader into a post war area that is ruled by red tape, shortages and an outsourced military presence.  We all know how well outsourcing our military has worked for the government in the past!  The Zone, the area of the United States laid waste by war, is treated like a distant, not liked stepchild by the undamaged areas.  I kept thinking that the inhabitants of The Veil needed UPS’s supply change logistics to get in goods and services. Seven years after a ruinous war, it’s a seaport that still does not have enough goods and services .  The reality is that after hurricane Katrina, our present day New Orleans was not treated much better that the one in this urban fantasy novel.  Katrina’s damage was a decade ago and New Orleans still has her scars, so Neill’s urban fantasy supply problems are not unbelievable.

The novel revolves around Claire Connolly. As the synopsis states, she is a Sensitive, meaning she can access magic which is a huge no-no in the world that Neill has created.  Magic corrupts humans since they were not made to use it.  It eats at their life force and it irrevocably changes them into monsters needing to feed on others.  The use of magic is an addiction and Claire believes there is no way for her to stop the change that will soon ravage her life. She lives a wary existence, dreading what is coming but also hiding from exposure.   Thrust into Claire’s life is bounty hunter Liam Quinn who just happens to know a thing or twenty about magic and those who can survive using it.  With Quinn’s instrusion into Claire’s life, a whole new world is opened up to her. Claire thought she knew the world she inhabited. She thought she knew who were friends versus who were enemies, but her perception of the world is changed dramatically by Quinn’s entrance into it.

Neill writes an intriguing urban fantasy tale, fraught with danger, thrills, magic and maybe a budding romance between Quinn and Claire.  As in previous Neill books, her romantic build up is on slow burn. Her characters never do rush into love or intimacy without knowing each other, allowing firm foundations for their relationships.

I know that I will be along for the entire ride of this series since I can’t wait to explore more of the world of Devil’s Isle.  As Neill has proven in the past, her series’ normally have a long game story arc and I am excited to see where this takes me in her new world.

 

Rating Report
Plot
Characters
Writing
Pacing
Cover
Overall: