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lolasreviews's review
4.0
I received a free copy of this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.
After two 3 star reads and a DNF book I was afraid I was going to tumble into one of a reading slumps. I couldn't figure out which book I wanted to read, until I scrolled past this one. It was exactly the type of book I was in the mood for and picking up a book by a favorite author is always a good idea. I love the way Carol Van Natta crafts her stories and how realistic and relatable the main characters are.
As this book was exactly the right type of story I was in the mood for I feel like I enjoyed it even more than I usually would have, which was great. In Graves Below follows the story of Riya and Idrián, after a chance encounter in the dreamwalk Idrián is determined to find her again in the real world as she's his dreampartner. Once they meet in real life they have the same instant connection as in the dreamworld, but there's no time to get to know each other slowly as a demon is trying to wreak havoc in the human world and Riya and Idrián are the only ones who can stop them.
Just like all of Carol Van Natta's main character I immediately took a liking to both Riya and Idrián. Riya is a dancer and composer. She's open minded and creative and I liked her. She has some minor, but awesome, door magic. She has some struggles at the company she currently works at. Idrián is a veteran who lost his lower leg in a bomb accident in Afghanistan and has burn wounds all over his face. He is the sole heir of his family's ranch and has to find his dreampartner and train new dreamwarriors to keep everything his ancestors build intact. He has some earth magic, can dreamwalk and see the spirits of his ancestors.
And together these two are awesome. They have this instant chemistry, but also take time to get to know each other and spend time together before they move things further. While the romance is pretty fast paced, I liked that they only have sex till later in the book and that their connection and love for each other was clear. I loved how Riya only saw the man and not the scars and wounds Idrián had. I enjoyed reading about these two and how they fight the demon(s). There is also some cool dance magic and the dreamwalk thing was pretty interesting too. And some of Idrián's ancestors who stop by in their spirit form and offer sometimes unwelcome advice.
At first I was afraid I would feel like I was missing pieces as I haven't read any other books in the Magic, New Mexico world created by SE Smith. But In Graves Below can perfectly be read as a standalone. I never felt like I was missing anything and I wasn't even able to tell whether any of the side characters we met have their own story or are just side characters. The world building was explained well enough like what I would expect from a first book in a series, enough to follow the story, but leaves me curious to discover more.
I liked the world building and it has a bit of a similar feel to Carol Van Natta's Ice Age Shifter's series. There is a magical town called Magic, but Idrián actually lives outside it's borders, so we only get to see a bit of it. It's clear there is a variety of magic types and creatures out there, but the book only focuses on the magic the main characters have and a bit about the people they meet. Which worked well and also makes me curious to learn more about this world, so I might check out more books set in this world.
To summarize: I really enjoyed In Graves Below. Riya and Idrián felt realistic and believable as main character and they both had their own struggles. They were awesome together and I liked how they had this instant connection, but still took some time to get to know each other before jumping in bed together. I really could feel the love and connection between these two. I liked how Riya didn't even see Idrián's scars and only saw the man he was and never thought less of him because of it. While part of the Magic, new Mexico world this story can easily be read as a standalone and I never felt like I was missing anything. It did make me curious to see more of this world. The world building was done well and focused on the parts and magic related to the main characters. It was a great read and I liked spending time with these characters.
After two 3 star reads and a DNF book I was afraid I was going to tumble into one of a reading slumps. I couldn't figure out which book I wanted to read, until I scrolled past this one. It was exactly the type of book I was in the mood for and picking up a book by a favorite author is always a good idea. I love the way Carol Van Natta crafts her stories and how realistic and relatable the main characters are.
As this book was exactly the right type of story I was in the mood for I feel like I enjoyed it even more than I usually would have, which was great. In Graves Below follows the story of Riya and Idrián, after a chance encounter in the dreamwalk Idrián is determined to find her again in the real world as she's his dreampartner. Once they meet in real life they have the same instant connection as in the dreamworld, but there's no time to get to know each other slowly as a demon is trying to wreak havoc in the human world and Riya and Idrián are the only ones who can stop them.
Just like all of Carol Van Natta's main character I immediately took a liking to both Riya and Idrián. Riya is a dancer and composer. She's open minded and creative and I liked her. She has some minor, but awesome, door magic. She has some struggles at the company she currently works at. Idrián is a veteran who lost his lower leg in a bomb accident in Afghanistan and has burn wounds all over his face. He is the sole heir of his family's ranch and has to find his dreampartner and train new dreamwarriors to keep everything his ancestors build intact. He has some earth magic, can dreamwalk and see the spirits of his ancestors.
And together these two are awesome. They have this instant chemistry, but also take time to get to know each other and spend time together before they move things further. While the romance is pretty fast paced, I liked that they only have sex till later in the book and that their connection and love for each other was clear. I loved how Riya only saw the man and not the scars and wounds Idrián had. I enjoyed reading about these two and how they fight the demon(s). There is also some cool dance magic and the dreamwalk thing was pretty interesting too. And some of Idrián's ancestors who stop by in their spirit form and offer sometimes unwelcome advice.
At first I was afraid I would feel like I was missing pieces as I haven't read any other books in the Magic, New Mexico world created by SE Smith. But In Graves Below can perfectly be read as a standalone. I never felt like I was missing anything and I wasn't even able to tell whether any of the side characters we met have their own story or are just side characters. The world building was explained well enough like what I would expect from a first book in a series, enough to follow the story, but leaves me curious to discover more.
I liked the world building and it has a bit of a similar feel to Carol Van Natta's Ice Age Shifter's series. There is a magical town called Magic, but Idrián actually lives outside it's borders, so we only get to see a bit of it. It's clear there is a variety of magic types and creatures out there, but the book only focuses on the magic the main characters have and a bit about the people they meet. Which worked well and also makes me curious to learn more about this world, so I might check out more books set in this world.
To summarize: I really enjoyed In Graves Below. Riya and Idrián felt realistic and believable as main character and they both had their own struggles. They were awesome together and I liked how they had this instant connection, but still took some time to get to know each other before jumping in bed together. I really could feel the love and connection between these two. I liked how Riya didn't even see Idrián's scars and only saw the man he was and never thought less of him because of it. While part of the Magic, new Mexico world this story can easily be read as a standalone and I never felt like I was missing anything. It did make me curious to see more of this world. The world building was done well and focused on the parts and magic related to the main characters. It was a great read and I liked spending time with these characters.
leesarpel's review
4.0
Riya Sanobal, a door mage, barista, and modern dance choreographer, dreams of a lovely man with eagle feet who fights demons. She’s a little confused when Idrian Odair, the warrior from her dreams, shows up at her practice space and says he’s been looking for her. Idrian is the last dreamwalker of his people and is searching for his dreamwalk partner because his grandfather’s ghost is constantly heckling him about it. There’s a prophecy involving her, and a potential demon influx. Can the two of them use their dreamwalking and non-dream talents to save Denver from incoming badness?
It seems like Van Natta has done her research on prostheses and Idrian’s relationship with his is presented in a matter-of-fact manner: he constantly has to take care of it. It’s not the focus of his character but it does come up in the plot, so it’s good to see that introduced early and integrated into the story so that we’re not surprised when it becomes a concern.
Riya and Idrian are attracted to each other from their first meeting, and don’t take long to acknowledge that and act on it. It’s easy to see why: they’re compatible adults with adult behavior. These two were pretty much made for each other, and there are no difficulties in their romance within it or externally (like one is a tenured professor in Philadelphia so is tied to that location). I don’t know how I feel about that, even though I like that they don’t make conflict out of nothing. The conflict is instead in the mystery of some foul play and fighting some demons.
The demons are pretty original in presentation: their behaviors aren’t surprising but how the manifest and extrude isn’t something I’ve read before. The dreamwalk realm seems a little more generic as a setting. The way characters do some activation magic there is cleverly executed, though.
There’s a cute moment of levity in the final conflict that tickled my sense of the absurd. This was a fun read for an afternoon.
I received a free ARC for review purposes.
It seems like Van Natta has done her research on prostheses and Idrian’s relationship with his is presented in a matter-of-fact manner: he constantly has to take care of it. It’s not the focus of his character but it does come up in the plot, so it’s good to see that introduced early and integrated into the story so that we’re not surprised when it becomes a concern.
Riya and Idrian are attracted to each other from their first meeting, and don’t take long to acknowledge that and act on it. It’s easy to see why: they’re compatible adults with adult behavior. These two were pretty much made for each other, and there are no difficulties in their romance within it or externally (like one is a tenured professor in Philadelphia so is tied to that location). I don’t know how I feel about that, even though I like that they don’t make conflict out of nothing. The conflict is instead in the mystery of some foul play and fighting some demons.
The demons are pretty original in presentation: their behaviors aren’t surprising but how the manifest and extrude isn’t something I’ve read before. The dreamwalk realm seems a little more generic as a setting. The way characters do some activation magic there is cleverly executed, though.
There’s a cute moment of levity in the final conflict that tickled my sense of the absurd. This was a fun read for an afternoon.
I received a free ARC for review purposes.
writeramyshannon's review
5.0
Another great book
Van Natta's In Graves Below is another great book from this wonderful writer. I read as much as I can from Van Natta, and always enjoy her books. This book was simply magical and yes, majestic. A scarred Vet that's a dream walker is just the start of the story. It's remarkable and I read it from cover to cover. There are definitely interesting characters, with the powers of magic, both light and dark, with that hint of paranormal. Van Natta gives this reader just what she wants when reading this type of story. Well done, indeed.
Van Natta's In Graves Below is another great book from this wonderful writer. I read as much as I can from Van Natta, and always enjoy her books. This book was simply magical and yes, majestic. A scarred Vet that's a dream walker is just the start of the story. It's remarkable and I read it from cover to cover. There are definitely interesting characters, with the powers of magic, both light and dark, with that hint of paranormal. Van Natta gives this reader just what she wants when reading this type of story. Well done, indeed.
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