Review – Clean Sweep

Title:

Clean Sweep

Series:

Innkeeper Chronicles #1

Author:

Ilona Andrews

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Blurb:

On the outside, Dina Demille is the epitome of normal. She runs a quaint Victorian Bed and Breakfast in a small Texas town, owns a Shih Tzu named Beast, and is a perfect neighbor, whose biggest problem should be what to serve her guests for breakfast. But Dina is…different: Her broom is a deadly weapon; her Inn is magic and thinks for itself. Meant to be a lodging for otherworldly visitors, the only permanent guest is a retired Galactic aristocrat who can’t leave the grounds because she’s responsible for the deaths of millions and someone might shoot her on sight. Under the circumstances, “normal” is a bit of a stretch for Dina.

And now, something with wicked claws and deepwater teeth has begun to hunt at night….Feeling responsible for her neighbors, Dina decides to get involved. Before long, she has to juggle dealing with the annoyingly attractive, ex-military, new neighbor, Sean Evans—an alpha-strain werewolf—and the equally arresting cosmic vampire soldier, Arland, while trying to keep her inn and its guests safe. But the enemy she’s facing is unlike anything she’s ever encountered. It’s smart, vicious, and lethal, and putting herself between this creature and her neighbors might just cost her everything.

Review

5stars rating
INTRO:

I never really started this series for some reason, even though I’ve had it for a while. So yay for BSB for giving me the push… it feels like this is going to become one of my favourites! But then again, pretty much everything the author wrote/writes is 😀

Worldbuilding:

I really liked how the stage was set and how the information came to us. It wasn’t an information dump but rather a slow and steady information stream. We learned about the world, the inn, Dina’s role as she came across issues that needed the info.
As always, the environments and scenes were well described and clear.

Character development:

You have to love Dina; I mean… she is intelligent, funny, kicks ass with the help of the inn and Beast 😀 and is just so much fun to read about! We’ve gotten to know a bit about her past, her family and what she wants: to find her parents.
Sean and Arland made me chuckle (and facepalm) pretty often. Put the two of them together in a room and just enjoy the show, I would say 😀 I really hope to see a lot more of them in the following instalments as they both bring a lot to the table (and to Dina *wink* *wink*)
I love how the characters feel so alive, so real and believable, and not only the main characters but also the few side characters that we encountered.

Pacing & Flow:

You pick up the book, get the lay of the land and then it grabs you and doesn’t let you go, like… at all! So, of course, I read this book in one sitting as I just couldn’t put it down (who needs sleep anyway, right?).
Great flow and balance between the action and the conversation.

The book itself:

The book is well written with no (noticeable) errors. There is no sex described (if that is important to you).
It has 225 pages, spread over 16 chapters and is told from Dina’s point of view.

Final Thoughts:

I loved this first book of the series! The setting was great, the characters were awesome and overall… it just made me want to continue the next book immediately! 😀