Death Be Blue by Katie Epstein ~ a Review

by MK French

Terra Vane is a psychic, able to see the past and glimpses of the future. This had led her to be seen as a freak where she grew up, and for her mother to admit her to an asylum where she had been treated as an experiment. In contrast, coming to the alternate dimension city of Portiside with its psychics, fey, vampires, and shifters of all kind was a miracle. While she is treated as lesser than the other shifters in the Enforcer Field Agency, she pushes herself hard to live up to the ideal. Her partner Kaleb is a wolf shifter, and the two are good friends. Neither back down from a challenge, and this latest case they have to solve has the potential to rock Portiside.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

September 2017; 978-0995625259
ebook, print (288 pages); fantasy

Death Be Blue is the first book in the Terra Vane series, and it was recently revised. The prologue is in a completely different tone from the rest of the book but quickly makes sense as Terra goes through some of the history of the city. I enjoyed seeing the world building here, and it was developed in a more or less natural way. Because this is the first of a series, there is still a lot of info dumping at times, which can slow down the pacing. Even so, there is quite a lot of action that pushes it along; this urban fantasy novel is essentially a police procedural with supernatural creatures and the threat of political forces creeping in. Terra is stubborn and tries constantly to prove she's good enough to be on the team, which is probably her biggest flaw.

Terra is a relatable character, and there are a lot of fun characters backing her up along the way. We have glimpses of the greater world as she and Kaleb move through the city and mention other areas they haven't visited yet. There are some obvious tropes for those familiar with urban fantasy novels, and the close of this novel is a clear set up for the rest of the series. Without having to explain too much about the city or Terra's background, those novels will likely flow a lot more easily.

Buy Death Be Blue at Amazon
(if you hurry you might be able to get it while the ebook is still free)

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and golden retriever.

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