Sunday, October 23, 2011

Mob Rules by Cameron Haley

I'm just about finished reading Mob Rules and about to dive into it's sequel, Skeleton Crew. I've seen a few reviews of this book (some of them not favorable) and I felt the need to talk about why I really like this book.

The main character, Domino Riley, is not your typical urban fantasy heroine. In fact, she's not really a heroine at all. Domino is an enforcer for a gangster. She wields magic to take care of problems and isn't adverse to killing. She doesn't really feel remorse for the things she's done. She is who and what she is.

Domino is 35 years old. She's at a point in her life where she's reflecting on her choices and sees them in a very realistic light. She knows she's not a good person necessarily, but she can accept that. She's okay with herself - good and bad.

I also like the idea that magic is flowing in the world and that magic users are on the fringes of society. They wield their magic through graffiti tagging, which also lays down the various gangs/mobs territories. I thought it was clever that Domino uses quotes to wield her magic (and that everyone manipulates it in a way that makes it unique to them).

The story follows Domino who has been assigned the job of figuring out who is making a move on her boss and why. She's in charge of taking them down. And she does what's necessary to solve the problem. From that she discovers she has a lot more magical ability than she realized. She also discovers there's more to the world around her than she thought. It puts her in an interesting position where she needs to be the good guy. I like that that makes her uncomfortable.

There are some clever characters in this and some humorous ones. I think the world that Cameron Haley created is unique. And I can't wait to see where it goes in book two. I'm giving it 5 stars.

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