I really enjoyed Dark Currents.The world-building was skillful, giving insight into the positive and negative elements of two worlds combining. This setting provided a rich background for the story of an unusual heroine and her struggles with her heritage and the challenges she faces in the course of the story.Being a hellspawn and the official liaison of Hel (the Norse local presiding goddess), Daisy encounters challenges of temptation and to her authority that makes a very entertaining read.The characterization was also strong, with even minor characters getting a light touch of colour, making them feel real and substantial. The main characters grew and changed through the story as events unfolded, adding a layer of depth.I held back on one star for a couple of reasons. The mystery driving the story got wrapped up, not because of running clues to the ground as in an ordinary mystery or detective novel, but rather because a minor character made a decision independent of the major characters. In addition, I found Daisy to be a tad too alluring to just about every man she ran across. We did get her internal monologue on her thoughts which did help and there were enough complications for a whole series, which I will definitely read! I liked it, but did not love it as much as her Kushiel or Sundering series, but I do think it is much better than her Santa Olivia series. I'm going to read the second one. It is a solid urban fantasy. As with most urban fantasy it seems aimed more at female readers than at male ones, this can either be a plus or a minus for you.The cosmology seems interesting but only plays a minor part in the story. The setting itself is unique so far as I know. Magic is in the shadows but there are locations where the spirit worlds touches the real. Supernatural creatures can live in those places without slowly fading away, and mortals who live there are more in the know. So there are equivalents to supernatural oasis scattered around the world, supernatural creatures can travel between them, but cannot settle elsewhere without either dying or losing their special nature. It seems that each oasis has a different spiritual realm tied to it and the small Midwestern town of Pemkowet has a connection to the realm of the Norse goddess Hel.Daisy Johanssen, the main character, has a unique supernatural heritage, but is effectively human. She's basically Hel's liaison to the police. She keeps the supernatural element from causing enough trouble that the humans chop down the Yggdrasil equivalent that anchors the two realms together. Someone dies, and she needs to prove the supernaturals innocent or see that the guilty are punished. It is more a small town mystery with supernatural elements than an epic plot.
What do You think about Dark Currents (2012)?
Sweet baby J! I love this series ass kicking heroine + mythology soup = ding dong!
—Leelee694
Enjoy the characters, and world created. Different but the same.
—jimbly2
