Title: Ghost
Series: Wolf’s-own 01
Author: Carole Cummings
Genre: High Fantasy
Length: Novel (350pgs)
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press (17th February 2012)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥5Hearts
Reviewer: Pixie
Blurb: Dwelling in the land of Ada and defending magic users called the Jin, Fen Jacin-rei is a trained assassin and an Untouchable, one whose mind hosts the Voices of the Ancestors, spirits of long-dead magicians. His fate should be one of madness and solitude, yet Fen Jacin-rei desperately clings to his sanity and ferociously protects the family he loves. But how does Fen do it? Kamen Malick has every intention of finding out.
When Malick and his own small band of assassins ambush Fen in an alley, Malick offers Fen one choice: join us or die. Determined to decode the intrigue that surrounds Fen—and to have the Untouchable for himself—Malick sets to unraveling Fen’s past while Fen delves into the mysteries surrounding Malick.
As Fen’s secrets slowly unfold, Malick is drawn into a crusade that isn’t his, one surprisingly similar to his own quest for vengeance. Yet irony is a bitter reward when Malick discovers the one he wants is already hopelessly entangled with the one he hunts.
Purchase Link: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=2786
Glossary for words and meanings at the beginning of book.
Review: Oh, my freaking God… put down whatever you are doing get this book and read your little hearts out. This type of book is the reason why I love fantasy so much, the pure joy of the imagination, the complete world building and the mysterious characters that all have their own stories.
Fen Jacin-rei is an Untouchable, a Ghost, a loner driven to distraction by the voices that plague him; it is only his training that saves him from complete madness. Kamen Malick is the leader of a small band of assassins who has been ordered to get Fen working with them at any cost. But, as secrets come out about Fen, Malick has his own secrets that he is trying desperately to keep hidden.
Wow, just freaking wow, the world building in this book is world-class, the characters are all incredible and the story-line and plot are fantastic. The story begins with Malick looking for Fen and finding him from then on the story and characters will intrigue and baffle you. Malick is just so full of awe about himself, but he is completely loveable, Fen is a cold hard-hearted bastard, but as you get to know his story and background you understand his need to be as cold as possible.
The story is from many POV not just Malick and Fen’s, but also from Malick’s group of friends and Fen’s mentor which means that we get a full-bodied story will lots of detail, but we never lose focus of the story-line. Malick spends most of the book trying to seduce Fen, because he has a very cavalier attitude towards sex and it isn’t until he knows Fen a little better that he realizes that he genuinely likes Fen. Fen spends a lot of time rebuffing Malick, because of how he was treated in the past. We also have flashbacks to Fen’s life before; starting on the night he was born.
I really can’t tell you more about the story-line, because really it would ruin it for you. This is a journey that you have to take yourself, because you have to be immersed to absorb all the details that make it so good. The ending isn’t a happy ever after or a happy for now, it’s a ‘we have to see what happens’, it is left in a place that will be picked up again in the next book (4 books altogether) and it will be a continuation of this story. Malick and Fen do get together in this and yes, they have explosive, erotic and sensual sex, but Malick has a long way to go to gain Fen’s complete trust and hopefully his love. While Fen will probably find it hard to believe Malick, because of Malick’s own manipulation early on.
So, In all honesty this is a fantasy whose characters just happen to be gay. If you are expecting sex and love on every page then don’t bother. This is a genuine Fantasy like Mercedes Lackey’s The Last Herald Mage Trilogy. So, I recommend this to those who love fantasy, mystery, bloody fights, intrigue, scorching hot sex, great characters, awesome world building and the promise of another three books to come.