Author: Eva Vertrice
First published: 2023
Contains spoilers
The blurb: In 1161 A.D., Merek gifts his cousin and lover Maerwynn a silver ring, adorned with strange symbols and a black stone. That same night, an unwelcome visitor to Maerwynn’s chambers, forces her to throw the ring out the castle window and into the river below to try and save her and Merek’s life.
800 years later, the ring appears once again in a small auction house in modern day New York City. Maerwynn, now Rachel, and her companion Lilith, want it at any price. They aren’t the only ones.
The ring has secrets, but so do Rachel and Lilith. Can they still trust each other once their secrets unravel and they discover their connection to the ring and their part in a giant power struggle in Heaven?
The review: A Fury is an urban fantasy concentrated on Rachel, a vampire, and her companion Lily (the blurb giving away that she is Lilith). Rachel comes across as a moral vampire, turned against her will after being raped and searching for the ring that was the cause of the attack and, in turn, the vampire who turned her in order to avenge herself. Although they are companions, it is clear that they have not necessarily been honest with each other – Rachel continued to search for the ring after telling Lily she was done with the business and whilst she knew Lily wasn’t human (and her blood, whilst unappetising, can allow Rachel to walk in daylight), Lily has never revealed her nature and origin.
The setting is one of a hidden world behind ours and certainly urban fantasy. There is a large Judeo-Christian aspect to the mythology with angels and demons (as well as Lilith) front and centre, but there are also other folklores represented with some Celtic and some Greek aspects being used. Sometimes using the Judeo-Christian mythology so heavily can sit uneasily with the polytheistic folklores but these seemed to work smoothly. We also get some historical appearance, such as Captain Kidd in a flashback chapter and the still alive Edward Kelly.
The prose were strong, for the most part, with the characters being given distinct voices and the narrative crisp. There is a degree of wish fulfilment in the rich, beautiful, deadly and powerful Rachel but that is not necessarily a bad thing. There is some interesting lore around the vampires and angels (and some deliberate gaps, for instance Rachel can enter a church but avoids the holy water, though she doesn’t know if it will impact her). The book read at a quick pace and kept the reader’s attention and the narrative has its own identity. Recommended for fans of urban horror. 7 out of 10.
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