Jensen smartly infuses the characters’ everyday lives with future worldbuilding (computers have not developed much past 2050 due to scarcity of materials) and the implications of magic. As the story tours readers through this promising milieu, Atlanta and Georgia are rendered plausibly uncanny, though one can thankfully still order a half-rack of dry-rubbed ribs. Pacing is uneven as the storytelling alternates between the breezy and the expository, with revelations like a wall around Manhattan delivered in a smoothly offhanded manner, while moments of reminiscence find the leads caught in italicized reveries. The characters seem so inexperienced in relationships that the novel at times has a Young Adult feel, especially in a daring masquerade climax that boasts elements of Regency farce.

There are some strong seeds of creative worldbuilding that can power future series entries, especially the ideas of magical abilities emerging from virus exposure in the womb and an American landscape torn between pockets of high technology and nature’s post-devastation regrowth. The author’s knowledge of ranching comes through well, and journal entries from the pre-COVID-50 era deepen the narrative. A solidly satisfying ending builds to a strong hook for the sequel.

Takeaway: Surprising urban fantasy of feds, vampires, and Atlanta 150 years in the future.

Comparable Titles: Anne Bishop’s Written in Red, T.S. Paul’s Conjuring Quantico.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: B