Nocturnal Book Reviews

4.5/5
I have two words for you, my dear readers, - Criminy Stain. He is a curious mixture of sexy, insightful and unhurried in his seduction of someone who he believes is his soulmate. *sigh* You don't see usual alpha bullshit here and for that I'm deeply grateful.

The world of Sang is parallel to ours but different in its technological evolution which is close to our 19th century. It's full of steam, coal, poverty, dirt and bludbunnies. Yes, you heard it right.

Sang is separated into Blud creatures and Pinkies. Pinkies dominate in the cities and live in constant fear of vampiric countryside and bludrats in town. They cover most of their body with clothes and protective collars while bludmen dress as they like.

Criminy is a Bludman, a magician and a director of a travelling circus. For many years he was waiting for the spell he bought from a witch to find him his soulmate, and at last it found Tish.

Tish is a nurse in our world who looks after terminally ill patients. She just broke up with her abusive boyfriend and is trying to recover her dignity and pride, start a new beginning. When one of her patients dies she is strangely drawn to a medallion she finds in her house. When she pricks herself with the medallion and falls asleep, she wakes up in Sang.

With Criminy's travelling circus she has a chance to be someone different while she is trying to come to terms with this new and strange world without disease and with corsets that make her figure look ravishing. She reinvents herself as Letishia, the fortune teller as it seems she woke up with a touch of Sight. Only when she falls asleep she wakes up in her own world to start the day anew.

When her medallion is stolen by a fanatic Magistrate who came from Tish's world and is bent on ridding Sang from Bludmen, Letishia and Criminy start their dangerous quest of recovering Tish's only way to return to her own life and save the entire species of Bludmen.

This book was gorgeous, grounded, wise, a little bit sad and felt very real. Both Criminy and Tish are fascinating, both surprise you with their hidden depths and both work very well as couple. The elements of steampunk are perfect for this, and I can not wait to read more of Delilah S. Dawson! Her next book Wicked as She Wants comes out in Spring 2013. A long wait, for sure.