CARNAL SIN

Author: Allison Brennan ISBN: 9780345511683 6/2010 PARANORMAL Publisher: BALLANTINE

Santa Louisa is still reeling from the lethal rampage of the demon Envy, one of the Seven Deadly Sins released from Hell by black magic. The fiendish entity was finally trapped, but when more bodies bearing satanic marks surface in Los Angeles, demon hunter Moira O’Donnell fears the terror has only just begun. Racing to L.A., Moira discovers that the City of Angels is fast becoming the demon Lust’s decadent playground. She suspects another coven is at work, aided indirectly by her diabolical mother, the powerful witch Fiona. But when Moira’s unwanted psychic powers intensify, she fears her connection to the underworld is putting everyone she cares about in grave danger. As supernatural war erupts, Moira and smoldering, seductive Rafe Cooper are caught in the crossfire. Cornered by mortal and unearthly enemies, they must master all their own powers to survive—and to understand if the intensely passionate feelings that bind them are Lust’s demon magic or true desire.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Hmm....not sure how I feel about CARNAL SIN. On the one hand, it does have a unique premise—the Seven Deadly Sins being represented by demons let loose on Earth by evil witches set out to conquer mankind. It also has some thrilling moments and reminds of a B Movie. But, deep down, this one is wordy, waaaaay too long, and lacks the fast pace needed to keep it interesting.

Finishing in 427 paperback pages, CARNAL SIN has a lot of fluff. For having such a cool theme, at times, it moves at a snail's pace. It took a lot of self-control for me to not skip several pages because the story became so bogged down in words. There is too much dialogue, characters that I still cannot see how they contribute to the story, and weird fights that descriptions fail to explain enough to make me care. There are also some very silly scenes, especially in the showdown at the end. Really, that scene took FOREVER, and the players, despite all the so-called demon action going on, moved like slugs. Heck, sometimes they even had time for full-blown conversations during an attack that surely would have been too loud and scary to just stand there and, well, talk. When performing an exorcism to save human souls, is it okay to stop and tell someone what you're doing? Especially when the person knows what you are doing in the first place?

For all its wordiness and silliness, CARNAL SIN is an okay paranormal that picks up where ORIGINA SIN leaves off. I know another book is coming in the series, and I hope it is better than this one.

Shannon Johnson