Michelle F's Reviews > Strange Practice

I tend to associate “beach read” with suspense/thriller novels, and I feel as though I need an equivalent term for the Urban Fantasy genre. I'm taking suggestions! For me they are those books that are exciting and gripping but ultimately ubiquitous. Not bad at all, just utterly forgettable.

With all that preamble, the good news about Strange Practice is that a few things elevated it just out of that category of entertainment for me:

-Greta Helsing is a doctor to the undead. This is a variation of the (fun but) common UF/detective riff that adds a fresh new flavour that I quite liked. I would gladly read a whole series of short novels just about the job itself, even without a dark sinister over-plot.

-Even though this book has a dark sinister over-plot, it seemed to me that Shaw made some effort, within the action, to show me who her characters are when they are at home. I could have done with more of it, but I felt like she worked it in fairly skillfully.

-Greta has potential, I think, but she has not hit her stride yet. Luckily and surprisingly, Strange Practice has an ensemble cast. The shifting points of view add interest and allow for an expanded view of Shaw's worldbuilding...

-...which I thought was pretty great. Digging deeper than your standard vampires, there is a ton of potential with all the creatures and the society that keeps them secret. And even with the vampires the author has created different 'types', which I thought was a nice touch.

Without doubt there are things that didn't impress me. Most frustrating were some unconvincing connecting threads in the story's big mystery. Nothing was polished quite as nicely as it could have been, and as I peruse other reviews I am identifying with much of the criticism.

After a bit of time away from it however, it is the fun stuff that stands out in my memory. That and a few surprising stylistic choices make me want to see how this trilogy plays out.

(still, this is a 'rounded up' rating. It's not quite a solid four stars on its own.)