A Brush of Darkness by Allison Pang

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

The man of her dreams might be the cause of her nightmares.

Six months ago, Abby Sinclair was struggling to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Now, she has an enchanted iPod, a miniature unicorn living in her underwear drawer, and a magical marketplace to manage. But despite her growing knowledge of the OtherWorld, Abby isn't at all prepared for Brystion, the dark, mysterious, and sexy-as- sin incubus searching for his sister, convinced Abby has the key to the succubus's whereabouts. Abby has enough problems without having this seductive shape-shifter literally invade her dreams to get information. But when her Faery boss and some of her friends vanish, as well, Abby and Brystion must form an uneasy alliance. As she is sucked deeper and deeper into this perilous world of faeries, angels, and daemons, Abby realizes her life is in as much danger as her heart—and there's no one she can trust to save her.

Review:

Just when I thought I've seen about it all in paranormal books comes Allison Pang's A Brush of Darkness with its strong, witty lead characters, a paranormal world that's nearly unlike anything I've read about before, a swoon-worthy incubus love interest, and most importantly, a unicorn. A Brush of Darkness truly is the one of the rock stars in urban fantasy, and that makes it something really special, in my opinion.

If you told Abby six months ago that she would soon be the touchstone of a faery, fighting off monsters, and falling slowly in love with a incubus, she probably would've have laughed you off. Because six months ago, she had a life filled with dancing and success, but after a sudden, life-changing accident, she falls into a life of despair and darkness. Though, now with her new life, as well as her sidekick unicorn and enchanted i pod, she's living a nice life. Well, until the faery she's touchstoned to and Brystion's, the incubus mentioned above, sister go missing. At first, Abby thinks is nothing, but as more people start to disappear, she knows something up, so now it's up to her and Brystion to save the day. But will they be able to put aside their differences to do this? And how far will Abby go to prove to Brystion that he is the guy for her? Only time will will tell in this deeply enchanting tale of touchstones, incubus, a soul playing violinist, angels, and unicorns that will leave you eager for more, more, and more.

Out of all the parts I loved in A Brush of Darkness, I would have to say my absolute favorite would be the characters, Abby is particular. Abby is someone who's been through a hell and back, but that doesn't stop her from living her life to the fullest, because with everything that's happened to her, she knows that life is a precious gift, even if it may not seem like it sometimes. And with that new opinion of the world, she's brave and fearless, someone who would go to the end of the world to save the new friends she has made, and all this made her someone that was not only relatable and likable, but someone who was also easy to root for. Better yet, I loved her relationship with Brystion, the sexy incubus, who's truly the trademark bad boy with a good heart. For one, it developed at a reasonable speed, and it was based on so much more than just attraction, which I liked. In addition to this, I have to say I loved the Abby's unicorn, who was crude, funny, and just delightful all around as well as Mel, Abby's best friend.

Another part of this book I enjoyed was the world Allison created within it. At first, the whole idea of touchstones and the different people of this urban fantasy world could be a little confusing, but after a while it set it's place, quickly becoming something that when mixed with a plot full of twist and turns and paranormal goodness and Allison's writing, which made this book move at a rapid pace, was nearly flawless.

And the ending? Cliff-hanger-ish but in the best kind of way, because now I can't wait to read the sequel!

In all, A Brush of Darkness is a book I highly, highly suggest to all urban fantasy fans out there. Engaging, fun, and fast paced, it will have even the most reluctant readers clamoring for more.

Grade: A-

A Brush of Darkness is now out!

Source: Simon and Schuster's Galley Grab