Today, I am reviewing the Paranormal Romance story Atancia by Wren Figueiro. This is a medium-ish book of about 100k words that describes a race of immortals known as Durands who feed off of the energy from living things. The protagonist, Atancia (“Atty” to her friends”) learns that she is one of these beings when Ben, a very handsome, urbane, and mature Durand walks into her life.
I give this book a 4.5/5. Here is my breakdown.
Characters: 5/5. Holy…hell. Figueiro does a fantastic job of creating interesting and rich characters. I could feel Atty’s nervousness, Nana’s caring and concern, the electric attraction between her and Ben, Matt’s fumbling…it was all amazingly well done. The characters drive this story, and they do a bang-up job at it.
Plot/Storyline: 5/5. When a book is this good, sometimes you feel worried that you’re overdoing the praise…but it just really was this good. The last half of the story (which is part of a duology, by the way) had me paging through as fast as my eyes could take in the words. There was a sense of compelling action…without what most people would consider “action.” This links back to the Characters section: if Figueiro hadn’t done such an amazing job of creating the people and making us care about them, the story may have stuttered and fallen flat. It did not.
Flow: 5/5. Onward and onward and onward with nary a dull moment. Never did I consider that the descriptions were too long, or too wordy, or that there were better things to do. I was wrapped up in the story and it took me wherever it chose.
Spelling/Grammar: 3.5/5. Ah. This is what kept Atancia from achieving the first perfect 5-star rating I have ever given. There were spelling and grammar mistakes sprinkled throughout – not tremendous, not onerous, not “my-god-what-is-wrong-with-you”…but they were there, and I noticed them. Another proofread (since this is an e-book) would definitely be advised.
Overall: 4.5/5. Yes! Wren Figueiro is a prime example of how independent authors can do excellent work. This is her debut novel, and, if the next in the duology can even keep up with this one, I think she has the potential for a splendid career.
