Available at Amazon.com

Georgina Kincaid just isn’t into her job. Sure, living off of the life energies of men she seduced used to be fun centuries ago, but now bringing good men down just makes her feel guilty. Is it too much for a succubus to ask to have just one worthwhile relationship in her immortal life? But fulfilling her dream of meeting the right man (who she won’t kill by sleeping with him) has to be put on hold when several minor immortals in the Seattle community are killed or murdered. Not one to allow her boss to handle the big issues, Georgina does her own investigating, developing theories on who might be behind the attacks far beyond the alleged vampire hunter that both the local archdemon and angel are blaming for the attacks. But her investigations don’t go unnoticed, and soon Georgina finds herself in the kind of danger even a succubus can’t handle alone.

As Flames Rising readers will know, I enjoyed Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy (my review). It didn’t surprise me that I liked Succubus Blues, but it did surprise me how fundamentally different in tone Mead’s YA books are from her adult fiction. Georgina is a sassy narrator with a strong voice and a winning personality. (She’s a succubus afterall–she has to be charismatic.) But the most charming thing about her is her desire to live like a human; she rejects the succubus lifestyle because she’s been doing it for so long, and she’s seen and caused enough hurt to last her a lifetime. Bit by bit, she reveals information about her human life and how she became a minion of Hell. It is her relationships with mortals–those she’s romantically interested in and those who count among her close friends–that helps to keep her human, and her strained relationship with the local minions of good that give her additional complexity. Georgina is incredibly easy to empathize with–she feels very deeply, and when she wept, I wept. The supporting cast, from mortal writer Seth Morganstern, to bossy demon John-Cusack-wannabe, to Carter, an angel who hangs out with demons, are well drawn, with insecurities, motivations, and identities all their own.

I am often wowed by new writers, but seldom do I feel so utterly bowled-over as I did by Succubus Blues. Maybe it’s her use of typically neglected players in the angels v. demons battle, or maybe it’s just the personality of Georgina, but whatever it is, Succubus Blues wowed me. I read it all in one sitting, and started the sequel immediately thereafter. This is one that I definitely, highly recommend.

Review by Alana Abbott

Look for more horror fiction at DriveThruHorror.com.

Tags | demons, richelle mead, urban fantasy, vampires