Review: Corine Solomon #1: Blue Diablo

Title: Corine Solomon #1: Blue Diablo

Author: Ann Aguirre

Date of Publication: April 7, 2009

Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Eighteen months ago, Corine Solomon crossed the border to Mexico City, fleeing her past, her lover, and her "gift." Corine, a handler, can touch something and know its history—and sometimes, its future. Using her ability, she can find the missing—and that’s why people never stop trying to find her. People like her ex, Chance…

Chance, whose uncanny luck has led him to her doorstep, needs her help. Someone dear to them both has gone missing in Laredo, Texas, and the only hope of finding her is through Corine's gift. But their search may prove dangerous as the trail leads them into a strange dark world of demons and sorcerers, ghosts and witchcraft, zombies—and black magic…

My Review:

I'm not a fan of books that include a former lover coming back into a character's life. For some reason not being able to see how they met always makes me feel like I'm being thrown into a story that has no background. However, Blue Diablo didn't feel like that, I didn't feel thrown into the story and Aguirre had a way of weaving the story in such a way that not having all the details of their relationship made sense instead of feeling disorienting. The farther I got into the story the more it became apparent that I was going to really enjoy this novel.

Even though the plot of Blue Diablo was nothing new, Aguirre was able to make it feel fresh and exciting through wonderful writing and amazing character development. A vast majority of the plot involved Corine and Chance, as well as their friends Chuch and Eva, doing legwork and talking to people but Aguirre's writing had a magnetic quality that made me keep reading, even when there was nothing exciting going on. Even though they were few and far between the action moments that were present were heart stopping and full of enough excitement to hold me over until the next one.

Gritty and rough the Mexican setting worked perfectly for the story and really made the entire plot come together. I don't think the kidnapping aspect would have been as dramatic without the setting and in the end it was part of what really made the novel. Another thing that really made the novel come together was Chance's gift, the gift of luck. I was completely fascinated by his abilities and I absolutely cannot wait to read the next novel so I can learn more about how they work.

The only thing I didn't like about this novel was the infuriating love triangle. Love triangles never make anybody happy and the triangle in Blue Diablo was especially annoying because of how back and forth all the character were. Nobody could make up their mind and before long I got sick of reading about the back and forth games between Corine, Jesse, and Chance. Not to mention it was totally obvious who Corine wanted the entire time; she spends a vast majority of her time thinking about Chance and their past relationship and how she wants him back even though she thinks it wouldn't be good for her.

Fans of urban fantasy who aren't scared of a terrible love triangle won't be disappointed by Blue Diablo. Aguirre's captivating writing and wonderful character development make for the few shortcomings in this novel and in the end I found myself loving this novel more than I initially thought I would. Count me in for the next novel!

4/5