The Daemon Whisperer

The Daemon Whisperer (The Liminals, #1) Candice Bundy has definitely started something fresh with this series. What first struck me about The Daemon Whisperer was Meri's personality. She is a strong, but believable, female character. Meri hurts. She carries baggage and craves revenge. Underneath the calm exterior is a woman who just wants to feel vindicated. I liked Meri a lot to be completely honest. Watching her grow from a wary, reserved person to someone who could trust in others was extremely satisfying.
 
Pair that with a whole new take on daemons and I was hooked. Perhaps it's because I'm so new to the UF genre, but this is the first book I've read that really deals with daemons and the way that they operate. The line that Bundy walks between beauty and brutality is truly wonderful. Meri's interactions with the other side really give the reader a look into why things end up where they ultimately do. There is a whole new world build in this book, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
 
Really, if Meri had just continued right on being a bad-ass daemon dealer I would have been perfectly okay with it. What threw the book into a tailspin for me was the romantic subplot. We have a woman whose parents were viciously murdered by a daemon. A woman who makes it her job to keep these entities away from her and under her control. Then, all of the sudden, one walks into her life that has her head over heels in lust. This just felt forced to me, and not believable at all. Don't get me wrong, I liked Azimuth. It's just that the two of them together didn't seem to make sense.
 
I also had no idea that there were heavy erotic scenes in the story. While these didn't really affect my reading at all, I do think it's important to note to others who might want to give this series a shot. The line between UF and PNR in The Daemon Whisperer is very thin. I'm a fan of sex in my books (if it's done well), but if you're not you might be turned off by Meri's very interesting talents. That's all you'll get from me. No spoilers! Just be warned that there is sex and it is sizzling.
 
So there you have it. I wavered for a long time on what to give this first book in The Liminals Series. Despite any issues, The Daemon Whisperer was a read I ultimately enjoyed. I'm looking forward to seeing where Meri's story takes her next, and how much more she grows in her new role. The world that Candice Bundy has built is tantalizing and I'm fairly certain I'm in for the long haul.