Chamber Pot Fantasy - Hatching a Witchling

Today's book has women of interspecies heritage who carve a role for themselves within a earth based police system with their paranormal powers.


From the book jacket
We’re the D’Artigo sisters: Half-human, half-Faerie, we’re savvy – and sexy – operatives for the Otherworld Intelligence Agency.  But our mixed-blood heritage short-circuits our talents at all the wrong times.; My sister Delilah shapeshifts into a tabby cat whenever she’d stressed. Menolly’s a vampire who still trying to get the hang of being undead. And me? I’m Camille – a wicked-good witch. Except my magic’s as unpredictable as the weather, which my enemies are about to find out the hard way…
At the Wayfarer Inn, a portal to Otherworld and the local hangout for humans and beasties alike, a fellow operative, Jocko, has been murdered. Every clue points to Shadow Wing, the soul-munching, bad-ass leader of the Subterranean Realms. He's made it clear that he aims to raze humankind to the ground, turning both Earth and Otherworld into his private playground.
Our assignment: keep Shadow Wing and his minions from creeping into Earth via the Wayfarer. The demons figure they're in like Flynn.; After all, with only my bumbling sisters and me standing in the way, how can they miss? But we've got a secret for them: Faulty wiring or not, nobody kicks ass like the D'Artigo girls…


Consider this, a covert operative with a less than perfect family life must save the world and prove her value to her family and her self at the same time.

I know that many an urban fantasy author create female characters with awful homelives. In fact, I found an author's blog dedicated to this phenomenon. In this book we have it and more. I got the feeling that the sisters have guilt for fitting in so well in the human world in spite of their halfling heritage. Because of this guilt they romanticize Otherworld and speak of their longing to return. In reality, Otherworld is corrupt and run by opiate abusers. Their father would rather they remain Earthside.
I am interested to see how this conflict will develop throughout the series.


I didn't mind that she and her sisters have less than perfect powers. Camille our witch narrator, can never be sure that a spell she performs will work as planned.  Even though they have been given huge responsibilities on Earthside they don't seem to be well connected within the Otherworld system and its Queen. Or know much about the third realm, the Subterreanean Realm of  "not very good creatures." I assume that the subsequent books explain why these three have been chosen.



 The book is listed as a paranormal romance. I detest misleading descriptions. So, I will spare you the irritation, if you think that shopping for sexy underwear while you are in the middle of a mystery that could prevent the deaths of many is sexy then this is your kind of romance. That was about it for romance in this story.
I should mention the book starts very slow. I had trouble getting to the second half but once the dragon appeared I was sucked into the story. No. I will not elaborate on that. Overall, I thought there were too many characters introduced throughout the book. Every few pages another fairy creature or demon had to be introduced and his/her heritage described. 

I did take note of the dragon.

A friend asked me if I read fantasy. I explained that I do but I detest chamber pot fantasy.
Expectantly, his hairy eyebrows showed confusion. He may have stuttered when he asked, "chamberpots?"
Right, chamberpots.
I am talking about Technology. I don't read fantasy if there is no technology. I think Camille said it best after she rolled out of bed one night.

Thirsty, I slipped out of bed and padded into the bathroom, where I poured myself a glass of water. Technology and its wonders. Gotta love it, I thought.

Technology.
I am not reading a story without some kind of technology. And I don't mean where magic is the technology. And dammit, a story where living with running water on demand is preferential to living in a land made entirely of magic. Call me a technophiliac. I don't care.

Now that I have read the fantasy story, I give it a B-.