Title: Fire Baptized (Book One, Habitat Series)
Author: Kenya Wright
Format: Ebook provided by Bewitching Blog Tours for review
Since the 1970s humans have forced supernaturals to live in caged cities. Silver brands embedded in their foreheads identify them by species: a full moon for Vampires, a crescent moon for Shifters, a pair of wings for Fairies, and the list goes on, for each supernatural species has been tagged and categorized by humans.
Lanore Vesta is marked with a silver X, the brand of Mixbreeds, second-class citizens shunned by society. She stays to herself, revealing her ability to create fire only during emergencies. All she wants to do is graduate college and stop having to steal to survive. But when she stumbles upon a murder in progress, she catches the attention of a supernatural killer. Now all she wants is to stop finding dead bodies in her apartment.
Enlisting help from her Were-cheetah ex-boyfriend MeShack and a new mysterious friend named Zulu, she is steered through the habitat’s raunchy nightlife. But their presence sometimes proves to be more burden than help, as they fight for her attention.
While the corpses pile up, and the scent of blood fills the air, Lanore is left wondering: will she find the psycho or die trying?
Fire Baptized really takes a whole different perspective at the entire paranormal
world. I liked this book quite a bit, it
drew me in from the first page and I was interested the entire way through. The female protagonist is Lanore, who is a
mixbreed supernatural being. Most
importantly, she can create fire, which is totally awesome. She lives in Santeria, which is pretty much a
caged city holding all supernatural beings in one place while regular humans
live on the outside. It’s gritty and raw,
and everything just seemed electric.
Kenya Wright even goes further and defines districts in Santeria, she
gives you fantastic details and you really feel like you are right there. Interesting fact: all supernatural beings
have a brand that shows what kind of being they are, and mixbreeds (like
Lanore) have a silver “X” on their forehead.
One night when Lanore is on
her way home she witnesses a murder. A
really horrible murder. And even worse,
the killer sees her. There are some
really gruesome things in this story, but they are written about in such a way
that it isn’t stomach churning.
This book is really a treat
because there is this storyline about the murder, and Lanore’s witness of
it. She is trying to find the murderer,
who is also taunting her and obviously knows more of her than the other way
around. But aside from that, you also
get a bit of romance in the form of a triangle between Lanore, Meshack, and
Zulu. MeShack is the were-cheetah she
has known since she was a child. They’ve
been in a relationship and it didn’t work, but there is still definite feelings
and chemistry there. Zulu is also a
mixbreed, and the leader of the MFE (Mixbreeds For Equality). He has some serious feelings for Lanore, and
she definitely feels something back. But
life with Zulu would mean a lot of danger; rallies, rebels and revolutionaries
trying to change life for mixbreeds within Santeria.
Personally, I am pulling for
MeShack. I love a good shapeshifter, and
he has all of those alpha qualities that I love to read about in books. He is fiercely protective of Lanore, strong
and cunning. I can’t tell you who she
picks, obviously, but I can tell you it is a treat to watch how it all plays
out.
And be sure to check out my interview with author, Kenya Wright and enter for a chance to win a copy of Fire Baptized HERE
