Syn in the City: A Synemancer Novel

Cara Augustine has men issues. Syn in the City is her origin story, where she discovers her powers and begins dealing with the implications of those powers. In this book, a demonic entity is aware of her potential and that only Cara will be able to defeat it. On the path towards their meeting, Cara’s powers manifest, making life very interesting for her and those around her. She has the ability to switch part of her soul with that of another supernatural creature, gaining some of the limitations of that person while at the same time focusing that power and combining it with others to create some very powerful effects.

The key to this book is its great character development. Cara starts as the least powerful character in the book, with no confidence on how to deal with men. She expects to be forgotten, but then her powers manifest, making her the most powerful character and giving her all of the confidence with men she would ever need. The men are presented fully-fleshed, and as she falls in love with each it is shown what they bring to the table as equals and not just living power batteries. The plot is solid, even allowing for the time that passes in the story, and the it builds to a very satisfying climax, in more ways than one.

This is definitely a fun romp. Although it sometimes combines romance with urban fantasy, those romances add spice the story, making a story that traverses some great territory and never gets boring. This book shows that not all great books need be steak; sometimes the best book is the literary equivalent of lemon meringue pie, and this book is definitely tart enough for the most discriminating palate. This is definitely the fun read of the season.