Early Review: Blackhearted Betrayal by Kasey Mackenzie
Blackhearted Betrayal by Kasey Mackenzie
Shades of Fury #3
As a Fury, Riss Holloway belongs to an arcane race that has meted
out justice since time immemorial. As Boston's Chief Magical
Investigator, she's responsible for solving any crimes committed by or
against supernaturals. But now that she's going home, Riss has no idea
just how dangerous--and personal--the crimes have become.
Riss Holloway has taken a leave of absence from her mortal job as Chief
Magical Investigator for the Boston PD. Right now she's determined to
focus on her Fury duties: like assisting her mother with an unsettling
friction brewing in the Sisterhood--a faction of Furies sworn to serve all the Deities equally. Until now.
Someone is playing favorites. As a result Riss is ushered into a
tumultuous civil war--and not one just tearing apart the Sisterhood, but
one embroiling every god and goddess into the chaos as well. What was
once a precept, to stand as a united whole policing arcanekind for
millennia, has been divided by something Riss never imagined--and
choosing sides could be the most dangerous move she's ever made.
Leaving the Magical Crimes Unit in the capable hands of her partner, Trinity, Riss is taking a much needed leave of absence to help her mother sort out the troubles in the Sisterhood of Furies. The Furies are charged with keeping the peace between all the Arcane and Mundane races, and have always remained impartial. However, something has changed and some of the Furies are favoring a certain god over the other, bringing about the start of a civil war that could throw both gods and mortals alike into its chaos. Tasked with preventing the devastation such a war would cause, Riss and a very select few allies set out to bring down the ones responsible and find a danger greater than any of them has every faced.
Based on the setup of the previous installment, I had been expecting Blackhearted Betrayal to be centered in the middle of the political mess going on in the sisterhood. I was particularly excited about this because I knew the emotions and tensions would be flying due to the Fury's being very quick to temper, hopefully making things much more action packed this time around. However, Kasey took the stakes even higher by throwing in unruly gods and goddesses. In fact, this addition brought a whole new element to the series, and really ratcheted my enjoyment level up several notches especially considering how big of a fan I am of Greek and Egyptian mythology. Granted, these gods and goddesses were referred to in the previous books, but they didn't really play a role in things. Bringing them to the forefront made me one very happy camper. Considering the way things ended I doubt they will be returning to be background anytime soon.
I was so happy to see Riss being back to her usual tough as nails self. I'm not sure what happened in Green Eyed Envy, but she was definitely too weak in the gills for my taste. In Blackhearted Betrayal, her fire and fierceness are back and better than ever. Granted, the situation she is placed under probably has a lot to do with her will being "re-ironed" as there is an incredible amount at stake. That re-found iron will was thoroughly tested in this book, and Riss never once faltered despite the odds and high costs. I was especially impressed with the way she stood her ground and held true to her quest despite it almost costing her what she holds the most dear. In fact, Riss realizes how far she is willing to go and just how much she would sacrifice to uphold her duty. Trust me, she definitely isn't found lacking this time around, and proves very worthy of her station as a Fury.
I'm a little worried about the continuation of the series as the only information I could find on Kasey's website was that she was contracted for three books. It would really be a shame if there weren't more books because I feel like we have only scratched the surface of potential in these books. So I'll definitely be crossing my fingers for more. A vast improvement over the last installment, Blackhearted Betrayal has completely renewed my faith in the Shades of Fury Series, and shouldn't be missed.
(Received a copy from the publisher)
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