Book Review: Oracle’s Moon by Thea Harrison

Title: Oracle’s Moon (Amazon)
Series: Elder Races, #4
Author: Thea Harrison
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: bought
Published: March 6, 2012 by Berkley

As a second daughter, Grace Andreas never had to worry about the intrigues of the Elder Races. But when her sister, Petra, and Petra’s husband are both killed, Grace inherits the Power and responsibilities of the Oracle of Louisville, as well as her sister’s two young children – neither of which she is prepared for.

Yet, she is not alone. Khalil, Demonkind and Djinn prince of House Marid – driven by his genuine caring for the children – has decided to make himself a part of the household both as their guardian and as an exasperating counterpoint to Grace’s impudence toward the Elder Races.

But when an attempt is made on Grace’s life, she realizes that Khalil is the only one who can protect her – and offer her more than a mortal man…

In a Nutshell: ORACLE’S MOON totally lived up to my very high expectations. The romance is emotionally satisfying and the world building continues to be outstanding. Series fans and new fans alike will adore this book as I did.

The Set Up: Grace was unprepared to inherit the Oracle’s prophetic power when her sister was suddenly killed in a car accident. Now Grace has to raise her niece and nephew while trying to be the Prophetess for the entire paranormal world. Suddenly Grace has an unexpected guardian and protector, the powerful Djinn Khalil. Khalil is a being of spirit and doesn’t understand the power of the flesh—until he meets the struggling Grace.

Why I Read this Book: I am an Elder Races junkie and totally adore this series. In the previous book, Serpent’s Kiss readers were teased with a brief introduction to Grace, Khalil and their relationship so I couldn’t wait to read their story.

What I Liked: I am nearly giddy to say this book surpassed my expectations! To begin with, Grace and Khalil are fully developed characters before becoming a couple. This allowed me as a reader to like both of them and WANT to watch them fall in love and fight the world together. Grace’s struggles to care for her sister’s kids while learning about her own powers is compelling and shows a lot about her tenacious but loving personality. At no time did Grace do the “too-stupid-to-live” routine that some authors have their paranormal heroines do just to provide tension or conflict. I rarely like romance heroines as much as the heroes but I can honestly say I loved Grace as much as I did Khalil. Khalil too is a three-dimensional character, complete with character flaws (haughty much!?) and emotional injury (his estrangement from his daughter). Khalil arguably had the most character development as he starts the book aloof from fleshly life for his higher plan of existence as a Djinn but then learns the joy of life with Grace and the children. I promise you will fall in love with both characters before they fall in love with each other.

The romance between Grace and Khalil is utterly delicious in its emotional and sexual complexity. Grace and Khalil are both reluctant to even start a relationship but their attraction and interest in each other is undeniable. I love the scenes at the book’s beginning where these two wary people play an adult game of truth as it illustrates their playful interaction. I adore how Harrison shows these two people falling in love and doesn’t just use sex to demonstrate their love. By the time Grace and Khalil consummate their relationship, they’re already emotional intimate and the sex means so much more. This was all very well done and I know readers will adore this romance as I did.

What I Also Liked: The kick-ass the Elder world building is here is captivating. The Djinn are mentioned in the previous books but developed here. I loved this world building as it’s different than the Wyr which is the focus in the previous three books, along with the Vampire race in book three. The author has one fine imagination to have all these races have their own unique mythos and still be interesting without confusing the heck out of me. I know series fans will be like me and be happy to briefly reunite with two couples from books one and three. Harrison’s world building is so great that it’s become the standard I now measure other paranormal books against.

What I Didn’t Like: That I have to wait so long until the next full-length novel in the series. Thankfully, the author has a novella in this series, Natural Evil, releasing later this month to tide me over!

IMO: ORACLE’S MOON is an out-effin-standing book fans of paranormal romance must read—today!

J9’s Rating: