Review: The Beast of Callaire by Saruuh Kelsey
What: The Beast of Callaire (The Legend Mirror #1) by Saruuh Kelsey
Who: N/A
When: May 20th 2014
How: A copy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Yasmin is a descendant of the Manticore. A creature of Persian mythology. A Legendary.
But she doesn’t want to be. Unlike the Legendaries in The Red, Yasmin wants nothing more than an ordinary life. She tries to fool herself into believing that she doesn’t change into a beast every full moon and savagely kill innocent people.
But when Yasmin starts hearing a voice in her head and is drawn into dreams that aren’t her own, she is led to Fray—a girl who once saved Yasmin from hunters, who has shadowy memories that hint at her having Legendary magic—and Yasmin is catapulted into a life of Majick and malevolence.
Despite the danger around her and Fray, Yasmin might finally have a chance at being a normal girl with a normal girlfriend. But with Legendaries being killed, a war between the Gods brewing, and the beast inside Yasmin becoming stronger each moon, her mundane life is little more than a dream.
Saruuh Kelsey is becoming one of my favourite indie authors. I absolutely love the tone of her novels, as well as the characters, and the plots. As soon as I started The Beast of Callaire, I was sucked in. I liked it from the moment it began.
Yasmin isn’t your run of the mill paranormal novel heroine. She’s not ready and willing to take on the world at the slightest push. She’s not the bravest or strongest in all the land (as heroines often are). She’s just pretty normal. Yasmin is afraid of things, and she sometimes wants to run. Just like anyone would in her situation.
But her strength, however, is Fray. How much she cares for the other girl is heart-warming. Her protectiveness and attraction to her are all squishy, if that makes sense. You know when something is so cute and adorable that it’s squishy? Yasmin and Fray are squishy.
One thing I really liked about The Beast of Callaire was the flow. The chapters and the sections within the chapters are quite short, but they’re short in that they are succinct. There aren’t 100 pages of lead up to an event, and then another 100 pages of the main characters working through the aftermath of the event. The progression of time through The Beast of Callaire is really believable, and I liked it very much.
The one downfall I think was the names. There are a lot of terms thrown around in the novel, and sometimes it was hard keeping track of who was who and what was what. I think perhaps a glossary in the front or the back of the novel could really help the reader understand what the characters are talking about when they mention these terms, and what the difference is, for example, between Numen and Numina.
I devoured this book because of the easy way that Saruuh has with words. She weaves an incredibly interesting story and definitely leaves you wanting for more. I know I am waiting for the second book in The Legend Mirror series!
© 2014, Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity. All rights reserved.
This one definitely looks interesting. A manticore for a main character isn’t something I’ve encountered before. Plus good characters and story flow? Yes please. Although I might be like you about the terms. Those are always hard for me to remember, understand, and get into.
It was interesting! It was a paranormal thread that I haven’t come across before, which made it fun to read.
There aren’t too many terms, there are just a few that are a bit similar. I got used to it though. :)
I don’t think I’ve ever read of Persian Mythology, so I’m really interested in this book! I think seeing a relatively “weak” main character is kind of refreshing, because seeing them grow is just a wonderful experience. Great review, Chiara! :)
Me, neither! And it was so refreshing not to read of the same old paranormal creatures.
And yes, it is interesting to read about a character who isn’t all ready to face trials and tribulations. So it’s great to see them grow into that through the course of the book. :)
Thanks, Marianne! :D
This book sounds really good. I love that it doesn’t have the typical heroine because as awesome as that is, its nice to have a change sometimes. I also think I would enjoy the (what sounds like) spin on werewolves. Any time there’s magic in a book I’m happy. Great review! :)
It is! :D I thought it was wonderful to have an atypical heroine – it made the story so interesting to read. :)
It’s a bit similar to werewolves, but also very different at the same time. I am a fan of magic, as well. :D Thank you!