Book Review: The Veil by Chloe Neill
Title: THE VEIL
Series: A Devil's Isle Novel
Author: Chloe Neill
Sale Date: August 4, 2015
Age: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 336
Publisher: NAL Trade
Source: ARC from Publishers
Rating: 4 Stars
Buy: Amazon
Add to: Goodreads
Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.
Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.
Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.
But when the Veil threatens to shatter completely, Claire and Liam must work together to stop it, or else New Orleans will burn.
Imagine a typical hot, sweltering October day in the heart of New Orleans. Now imagine the barrier that separates magic from the human world suddenly ripped apart, spewing forth Paranormals leaving chaos and destruction in their wake. This is the world author Chloe Neill creates in her urban fantasy series opener THE VEIL.
The war is over with the Paranormals now imprisoned and everyone trying to pick up the pieces, only there’s something they left behind … MAGIC. Meet Claire Connolly a “Sensitive.” She is a part of the rare population affected by the magic leftover from the war with the Paras. Normally having a touch of magical abilities could be potentially beneficial, not to mention kind of cool, but there are a few problems. All magic is outlawed as humans don’t always process the magic well, eventually turning into wraiths with succubus like behavior who want to feed endlessly on magic.
I enjoyed learning all about Claire and the fascinating world created in THE VEIL. NOLA is such a great setting and there a distinctive vibe it lends to the story. Claire, our heroine is no quitter. She’s a survivor coming to terms with the magic now a part of her life. She’s independent with an enjoyable maturity about her.
The beginning of the story runs a little slow with a setup, but we get to know Claire on a great one-to-one basis and a good feel for the setting of Devil’s Isle and post-war New Orleans. Readers meet Liam after he witnesses Claire using her abilities defending someone being attacked. He decides to help her with her magic which includes an introduction to the unique inhabitants of Devil’s Isle. Nothing is black and white, and everything that Claire has held to be true is about to be turned upside down. Though there’s very little romance, I did enjoy the interaction and chemistry Claire and Liam share. Secondary characters, both of this world and otherworldly, make for interesting reading.
Magic, battles, and dark plots all round out this story as THE VEIL begins an introduction to what I’m sure new and old fans, as well as Urban fantasy aficionados, will find an entertaining new series. I’m looking forward to following Claire’s story in the next installment of Devil’s Isle series.
