Yvonne Navarro

AFTERAGE was a whole lot of freaking fun!

The vampire apocalypse has already occurred and entire cities have been decimated. With isolated survivors cut off even from each other-how could a premise this good go wrong? The good news is, it didn't.

What I liked most was the...I guess I'll put it as...different levels of vampire. They have differing levels of energy and power. I won't even get into the Queen. (That's what I'm calling her.)

I also liked how the story of each survivor, (or show more surviving group), was introduced. I think it takes a special skill and confidence to jump into a story with a large cast and Yvonne Navarro did it deftly and with panache. I never felt that the story was lost or unwieldy. It all came together in a most satisfying way.

With a lot of strong female characters populating the landscape of vampire-ridden Chicago, how could I not enjoy this book? I especially liked Louise and her little dog, Beau, and of course, I had a fondness for Jo as well. (Though I could not help being reminded of Swan, a character in another GREAT post apocalyptic tale. Bonus points if you know what character and/or book I'm talking about.)

AFTERAGE was written in the 90's but it doesn't feel dated. I think that's because there's no electricity in this world, so phones and the internet would be out of the picture anyway. Even though decades have passed since this was written, the characters and themes involved are timeless. They still worked their way into my heart, and perhaps if you let them, they'll work their way into your heart as well.

Highly recommended!

You can get your copy here, (but read my 2nd note below first!): https://www.amazon.com/AfterAge-Yvonne-Navarro-ebook/dp/B004J17GTO/chashorcor-20

*I read this book because of THE HORROR SHOW WITH BRIAN KEENE podcast. (They're doing an online book group and this is the second book they're reading.) I probably wouldn't have made time to read it otherwise, so thanks to the HORROR SHOW crew for bringing it to my attention. *

**This is not the edition I read. I read the copy included in [b:A Haunting of Horrors: A Twenty-Novel eBook Bundle of Horror and the Occult|23995027|A Haunting of Horrors A Twenty-Novel eBook Bundle of Horror and the Occult|Chet Williamson|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437541338s/23995027.jpg|43595795]. The individual novels therein do NOT come up in a search of one's Kindle library, but luckily I pulled up the book and happily discovered AFTERAGE was in there. I only mention this in case you have this volume as well. ** show less

Before reading Highborn, I was familiar with Yvonne Navarro only as she had written a few of the Buffy, the Vampire Slayer novels. I had enjoyed her writing based on one of my favorite shows of all time (no small thing, that) and was definitely interested to see what she would do with characters and a world of her own creation.

Highborn was a deeper, more developed story than a lot of the urban fantasy coming out today. Brynna had a nice fish-out-of-water thing going for her that helped make show more her hardened demon personality understandable and humorous at times. Her character was the highlight of the novel, but almost equally enjoyable was the way the story always had a surprising wist just as things were starting to settle down. Every time it seemed like the story was wrapping up, something other, completely plausible, thing happened to continue the tale. Obviously, all those unread pages at the end of the book should have been my first clue, but it was so easy to get wrapped up in the story that I wouldn't even notice I was no where near the end.

I don't have much interest in reading about demons living in hell and because of this, Highborn's prologue made me wary of the story to come. Luckily, the prologue was short and gave just enough information for the reader to get an idea of Brynna's previous life without giving too much of that information up front. As the story progressed, we learned more about Brynna's experiences, but in bits and pieces as they related to the current plot progression. This did wonders for keeping me fully interested in the modern, Earth-based story.

I never go out of my way to read books about demons, angels, fallen angels or any of the other Heaven/Hell flavors, but I plan on doing just that with the Dark Redemption series. Brynna is a character that I need to follow, need to know more about and need to see how life works out for her. Highborn is a great book. show less

Despite the torments of eons serving the Devil, fallen angel Brynna, holds on to a hope of redemption. She is determined to deserve the forgiveness of her Maker, and escapes her Hellish existence taking on the guise of a mortal with vague plans to earn her Grace. It is difficult for Brynna to assimilate in modern day America, she struggles to empathise with the concerns of humanity and understand everyday tasks. When a man is killed by a sniper in front of her, Brynna becomes involved in the show more investigation by Detective Eran Redmond for someone who is targeting Nephilim, those born of a human mother and angelic father, all the while hunted by the Devils minions, because He wants her back.Highborn is a strong start to this new urban fantasy series with interesting elements and characters. The fallen angel trope is becoming increasingly popular in the genre but Navarro gives it an original twist. Once an angel, and now a demon, Brynna is now hiding from Hell disguised as a human. It has been hundreds of years since she has spent any time on Earth and even though she finds astonishing beauty in the simplest of things, she is essentially removed from human emotions. She has to work to develop compassion and mercy given her natural inclination to violence. Brynna provides an unique perspective with her detached curiosity and I enjoyed the growth of her character as she becomes involved with different people and situations. There is the beginning of a relationship for Brynna and Eran, though it is not a dominant theme The pair face unusual challenges given Brynna's background and I will be interested to see how it develops. The storyline provides fast paced action and flows well. Navarro has firmly established the rules for her world without heavy handed tracts of text and combines the paranormal with the mundane seamlessly. The mystery surrounding the identity and purpose of the sniper is a little weak, but the author neatly weaves several disparate events together into a solid well written storyline. Highborn heralds an intriguing new urban fantasy series with a dark edge. I really enjoyed the strong characters and storyline and I'm looking forward to the second book,[b:Concrete Savior|9690825|Concrete Savior (Dark Redemption, #2)|Yvonne Navarro|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293557633s/9690825.jpg|14578929],due for release early next month. show less

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

I generally love Craig White’s cover art (Carrie Vaughn, Adrian Phoenix, Jaye Wells have all had Craig covers) but I’m not a fan of the cover for HIGHBORN (or the description, for that matter). It completely fails to capture the character and tone of this book. It’s not about a polished, slick woman ready to dole out a supernatural butt kicking to whoever gets on her bad side (isn’t that what the cover implies?). Brynna couldn’t be further show more from how she is depicted here.

First of all, she’s a demon. She’s spent eons in Hell apathetic to the incessant screams of the myriads of souls damned for eternity. Hers is a bleak and callous existence until she begins to question her own damnation and the chance of redemption. She escapes to earth in order to save her demon soul.

Brynna is an amazing character. A far cry from the sleek and savvy cover model. She’s been so conditioned by her hellish life that her initial experiences on earth are first bliss at the physical sensations such mundane things as cool, wet water and the smooth sour smells of the dumpster she spends her first night under. Contrast that with her curious detachment as she is talking to her first human when his brains are literally blown out all over her. She simply walks away, oblivious to the horrified stares of everyone she passes:

"Brynna straightened, then realized someone was screaming. It was an older man in a white coat behind the counter at the end of the aisle, and the only reason she even noticed was because it was so odd to her senses that there was just one man screaming instead of thousands." –HIGHBORN

Brynna does have to fight against her natural inclinations for violence and corruption, but she also surprises herself by her newfound desires for compassion and mercy. It’s this dual nature that captures the attention of Chicago cop Eran Redmond.

As much as I was completely caught up in Brynna’s story as she sought to redeem her soul and elude Lucifer’s Hunters, the romance that developed between her and Eran never quite took off for me the way I had hoped. It remained too safe and staid. There was no real fire between them. I also could have done without all the supporting characters that Brynna had to help. Those storylines were where the book dragged.

Overall, HIGHBORN was a pleasant surprise. The character of Brynna was a refreshing change from the typical UF heroine with her alien-like curiosity and controlled strength. Her story to Hell and back is one I can’t wait to read more of. CONCRETE SAVIOR, book two in the Dark Redemption series is slated for release in June 2011 and I plan on being first in line. show less