Book Review: The Unleashing by Shelly Laurenston

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The Unleashing
Call of Crows #1
Author: Shelly Laurenston
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal | Mythology
Released: March 31st 2015
Review Source: Kensington Publishing Corp | Netgalley

WINGING IT

Kera Watson never expected to face death behind a Los Angeles coffee shop. Not after surviving two tours lugging an M16 around the Middle East. If it wasn’t for her hot Viking customer showing up too late to help, nobody would even see her die.

In uncountable years of service to the Allfather Odin, Ludvig “Vig” Rundstrom has never seen anyone kick ass with quite as much style as Kera. He knows one way to save her life—but she might not like it. Signing up with the Crows will get Kera a new set of battle buddies: cackling, gossiping, squabbling, party-hearty women. With wings. So not the Marines.

But Vig can’t give up on someone as special as Kera. With a storm of oh-crap magic speeding straight for L.A., survival will depend on combining their strengths: Kera’s discipline, Vig’s loyalty… and the Crows’ sheer love of battle. Boy, are they in trouble.

This is an Adult romance novel recommended for ages 18+ due to sexual content and mature subject matter.

This book rocked my world.

Paranormal: check!
Deliciously entertaining plot: check!
Characters so great (but also a little bit insane) you have to love them: check!

The Unleashing ticked all the boxes for me. Every quality I found in one of my all time favourite book series (Lord of the Underword  by Gena Showalter) I found in this book. Whilst they're both completely different series with completely different story lines and mythological backgrounds, they're epicly equal.

The journey of this brand new series begins with Kera. She didn't expect to die early, especially not after surviving two tours, and especially not by a man with a knife. Luckily she had an angel in disguise who wasn't willing to let her go just quite yet. Thus, Kara's entered into a world of the Crows, a crazy group of women, and finds herself with more strength than she knows how to handle, wings sprouting from her back and the crazy ladies as her new "sisters". This book was fun, there's no question about it.

I think the thing which made this book stand out the most to me was the main characters. The Crows specifically. They weren't your average mythological creatures. No, they were much better than that. Their characteristics and personalities were so refreshing and different that I couldn't do anything else but smile at their antics and love them. They were crazy and quirky but I wouldn't have changed them for the world. The were utterly fabulous and they made me smile so much that my whole mood lightened.

"You sure you'll respect me in the morning?"

 "I have to, otherwise you'll just beat me to death with one of those damn hammers."

"You have no idea how true that is."

Kera and Ludvig “Vig” Rundstrom had a wonderful romance. Around all the crazy drama, Laurenston still managed to add romance. The connection between the two was pretty much instant, but the romance was beautifully paced and had just the right touch to fit with the novel.

The Unleashing introduced me to a wonderful world of Shelly Laurenston, it's a paranormal romance novel which I think every paranormal fan should give a try.