Night Myst (Indigo Court, Book 1)

This is the first book in a new series by paranormal romance writer Yasmine Galenorn. Like her hit "Otherworld" series, this is set in the Seattle area and is filled with all sorts of vampires, Fae, and other paranormal beings. The ambiance of this series, however, is much darker. The Crimson Court of the vampire nation and the Indigo Court of Vampiric Fae are on the verge of war and caught in between, like the low countries between Germany and France, are the Fae of the Golden Forest. The protagonist, Cecily Waters, is a witch of extraordinary power who does not even realize her full powers or her full lineage, at the start of the story. There is real tension, lots of action, and the start of a great new series in this new offering.

From reading other reviews, I'd like to clarify to readers that - despite what others have written - "Night Myst" is NOT an urban fantasy book but a DARK fantasy book. *Sigh* I feel sooo much better getting that tidbit out of the way! :) On to the review... "Night Myst" by Yasmine Galenorn is the first offering in a new dark fantasy series revolving around such wonderous (and wicked) beings such as the Fae, vampires, magic users, shapeshifters, and I think that's about it (for now). Our lead heroine, Cecily Waters, is a magic user who has lived the past few years of her life on the road, having been the child of (then somewhat responsible for) a selfish mother who placed her own needs/addictions above her daughter. Despite the fact that her mother's been dead for the past two years (due to a combination of drug use & the addiction to being a "bloodwhore" for vampires), Cecily remained on the road - working odd jobs & never staying in one spot for too long. She is summoned by her Aunt Heather & cousin Rhiannon - both magic users like Cecily, back to her hometown of New Forest because of malevolent happenings that have been occuring. Other magic users have either died (usually in violent ways) or have gone missing & the local police aren't helping any. The town's elderly "head" magic user died very recently by having her throat ripped out & left Cecily her store (which offers spells/enchantments) as well as her position as the new head in town. Cecily returns to New Forest, and despite being glad to see her relatives once again, she's also concerned about running into her former love Grieve, a Fae prince, whom she left behind years before. Soon enough, she reunites with Grieve because of a family problem & she finds him much changed (and not for the better). I'll sort of stop there, not wanting to divulge more of the plot - but Cecily comes to find that an evil new Fae court (the Indigo Court) has come into power because of an accident some years ago & they are proving to be a major threat to magic users, vampires, and Fae alike. Fans of dark fantasy books will enjoy the fast pace & action of "Night Myst"...it's a book that grabs readers from the first paragraph and doesn't let go. Galenorn's rich environment of otherworldly beings is fascinating and offers some interesting supporting characters (such as Chatter, Rhiannon, Kaylin, Lannan, & more) that give real life to the plot. All in all, an excellent read & a great addition to the dark fantasy genre.

Yaxmine Galenorn has written a novel bound to be remembered. Incredible vampires, fae to creep you out or make you fall in love, a host of paranormal characters, many bent on indescribably mischief! I have enjoyed all of this writer's books but with NIGHT MYST she shows the burgeoning power of her talent. One wonders just how far she can go--I doubt if there are any limitations. Stella Cameron

Readers will immediately be drawn into New Forest, Galenorn's fictional small town in Washington, when Cicely Waters returns home under a cloud of mystery and loss. Cicely is born into magic, and the death of New Forest's town witch, Marta, forces her to return, and face the demons of her past. She quickly becomes embroiled in the dangerous vampiric machinations of the local branch of the Vampire Nation and the mystery surrounding the disappearances of several other magic born locals. Throw a long lost, first lover; a newly risen breed of vampiric fae that use sex and fae glamours to control or kill their victims, and family members coming to terms with their own powers and personal demons into the mix, and you have the literary version of a molotov cocktail. On the surface, Night Myst may feel very familiar to long time readers of Ms. Galenorn's work. As with her popular Otherworld Series, she has created more of her trademark spell-slinging, ass kicking alpha females; Cicely and her cousin, Rhiannon are both cut from this cloth. The responsibilities of family duty also act as motivations in this book, as is the case with the D'Artigo sisters. The "big bad," Myst, escapes from a prison thought to be permanent; and Cicely even reunites with a past love, Grieve, despite family disapproval, while discovering a new sexual chemistry with an enigmatic Asian who is more than meets the eye. The sexuality and carnal pursuits in Night Myst are more heightened than in the Otherworld books. If very explicit sexual scenes are not to your taste, you may find yourself skimming over, or skipping, a few sections of story. However, while explicit, it is not gratuitous; the sensuality and sexuality of the vampires - both types - is integral to the story. Unlike the D'Artigo books, the Indigo Court Series is entirely from Cicely's point of view. One of the keenest differences between the old work, and this new series, is the infusion of magic into everything in this fictional town. There is not an issue of "educating" the "mundanes" (or to use terminology from the D'Artigo stories - FBHs - full blooded humans) about magic and magical creatures. The magic just IS; the vampires are out of the coffin and the werewolves howl openly. New Forest is actually home to an exclusive school for the magically inclined - the New Forest Conservatory. The pacing is not as smooth as the last couple of releases from Ms. Galenorn. This seems to be more due to the fact that she's setting up a new world, with a very intricate mythology, and establishing several core characters, while clipping through a lot of plot. Many "first books" in a series suffer from this; but it seems to be a fair trade off in this case. Cicely and her cousin, Rhia, are both quite engaging and you find yourself rooting for them very early on in the story, not just because they're the "good guys," but because they're likable, accessible characters. The vampires are also fascinating and the political maneuveri

Yasmine Galenorn created another fabulous story and a wonderful set of characters. NIGHT MYST is the first book in the new Indigo Court series, which promises to be just as action packed and magical as her Sisters of the Moon series. Following Cicely Waters, an elemental witch as she struggles to discover herself while uncovering a dark force that has taken over her hometown, NIGHT MYST combines magic and mysticism with a fair amount of drama and adventure. The one thing that I really love about Ms. Galenorn's books is her character development. The main plot of NIGHT MYST involves Cicely discovering the vampiric fae queen, MYST of the Indigo court. More dangerous than either vampires or fae, this deadly combination is definitely a force to be reckoned with. As we journey through the story and learn more about the dangers here, Ms. Galenorn gives us some good glimpses into Cicely and the troubled romance she has with the dark Grieve. Rather than just spouting out a quick backstory for Cicely, Ms. Galenorn weaves this into the book, allowing us to learn about Cicely just as she learns about herself. I found this method of pulling the reader into the story to be quite effective; it really helped bring the characters and story to life. Speaking of characters - did I already mention that I love Cicely as a character? The fact that she can control the wind just makes her that much more awesome to me. Her "sidekick" is her air elemental and this added dimension to the story is like the icing on the cake. As with her other books, Ms. Galenorn's writing style in NIGHT MYST is very clear and easy to read. She uses fairly realistic language and it is pretty easy to imagine someone sitting on the side of the road using the same dialogue that she gives her characters. Well, okay, perhaps minus the vampiric bloodsucking bit. At least I hope so anyway. I believe that fans of the Urban Fantasy or Paranormal genres will definitely find something to love in NIGHT MYST. This is a robust story that keeps the reader guessing and anticipating from page one all the way through to the end. Also, previous fans of Ms. Galenorn's will be happy to note that this new series looks to be just as good as her others. I highly recommend it and am anxious to see where the story is going to go in future books.