A Book Obsession..: Early Review: Panther Prowling by Yasmine Galenorn

Early Review: Panther Prowling by Yasmine Galenorn

, by Kt Clapsadl

Priestess Dreaming by Yasmine Galenorn

Otherworld #17

We’re the D’Artigo sisters: savvy half-human, half-Fae operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency. My sister Camille is a wicked-good witch with three gorgeous husbands. Menolly is a vampire married to a werepuma. And me? I’m Delilah, a two-faced werecat and a Death Maiden. While the war in Otherworld is expanding, so is my newly renamed PI business. And my next case is about to make life very interesting…

While waiting for Shadow Wing’s next move, I decide to revamp my ragtag PI agency into the Cat’s Eye Investigations firm. My first client turns out to be our cousin Daniel. During the grand reopening for the Wayfarer, he shows up while being chased by a rampaging ghost. Daniel has procured a rare and valuable sword, and a ring of ghostly warriors comes attached to it. Protectors of the soul trapped within it, the spirits are out to stop anybody who threatens the weapon. As my sisters and I unravel the history of the sword, we quickly realize that the entity locked within the blade is a dangerous king from times gone by—and he’s about to break free and try to recover his crown…

I've noticed a pattern with this series. I enjoy Camille's installments by far the most, and Menolly's are pretty enjoyable as well. However, Delilah's seem to be very hit or miss for me. I just don't identify with her at all, and despite how long this series has been running, she seems to have made very little progress in character growth. No matter what happens, she just wants to turn tail and hide, and while she doesn't actually do so, the constant inner debate about it has become tiresome and tedious. It seems that any mention of responsibility or "growing" is met with an inner (or outer) debate on how she wishes they could just all escape this. The other two seem to have better accepted their lots in life, so it just rubs me the wrong way that Delilah still has not.

As I said, Delilah's books are largely hit or miss for me, with the "hits" being dependant on a great plot. Unfortunately this time around, the plot just didn't suck me in enough. A rouge sword spirit? It just didn't work as a real threat. Frankly, that's a shame as the result of this showdown may have cost one of the main characters more than any other threat has before. I won't spoil it, but the danger/consequence had the worst lasting impact of anything they had faced, and yet despite all that it barely affected me. Considering what happened, I should have been devastated alongside the characters, but it felt two-dimensional rather than three, and frankly I felt cheated by this. Perhaps it's because they were wishy washy and vague about what actually happened and how permanent it would be. So, I'm left wondering if it's a real consequence or not, overall lessening the impact.

I have to wonder if this series just has been running too long. Granted most times I'm the first to be upset when favorite series end, but this time around I think it might be past due. I just feel like the books have departed so far from the original series ARC, and no longer focus on the spirit seals and the real war that each new installment feels more and more like filler material. Maybe I'm wrong, and once things get back to Camille and Menolly, and hopefully the spirit seals quest I'll enjoy the reads more, but for PANTHER PROWLING, it just didn't work enough for me.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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