Downpour by Kat Richardson

KRichardson-DownpourI admit to being one of those readers who doesn’t really like reading a book that is part of an established series. However, I’ve read a few here lately that were surprisingly easy to get into and not feel lost in, despite having not read the prior books. Sadly, I cannot say the same for Downpour by Kat Richardson.

After being shot in the back and dying-again- Greywalker Harper Blaine’s only respite from the chaos is her work. But while conducting a pre-trial investigation in the Olympic Peninsula, she sees a ghostly car accident whose victim insists that he was murdered and that the nearby community of Sunset Lakes is to blame.

Harper soon learns that the icy waters of the lake hide a terrible power, and a host of hellish beings under the thrall of a sinister cabal that will use the darkest of arts to achieve their fiendish ends…

After about 10 chapters into Downpour, I just couldn’t continue. This was after several attempts at reading. I just could not connect with the characters or the storyline. The pace of the plot seemed very slow and towards the end of chapter 9, I realized that Ms. Richardson took about 4 pages to go over one scene. In my very very humble opinion (hey, I’ll admit, I am not a creative writer!) this scene could have been accomplished in just a couple of pages. This coming from truly only skimming because I was rapidly losing any kind of interest. Perhaps I’m just a plot/adeneraline junky…meaning I like my books to have quick pacing and a point to the details, not just details for the sake of making a word count. Now, since I have not read the previous six books in the Greywalker series, I could be legitimately missing something. But, to me, a lot of the world building should be completed and the world very well established at this point. I think another area I had problems with was just not being all too interested in the mythology presented. I love otherworldy stuff (fae, demons, weres, etc) as I typically read PNR/UF subgenres. Ms. Richardson’s concept certainly fits this bill, but the mythos presented just didn’t have that “it” factor for me.

The series is set near Port Angeles, WA (yes THAT area of Washington, but never fear, Ms. Richardson’s world is NOTHING like the world we all now associate with the Forks/Port Angeles, Puget Sound area *wink*). The premise of Downpour is that Harper, who has now died twice, can see in between realms…the plane of earth and the plane of death…known as the Grey. After her most recent death, this power has diminished. Harper is a PI and during a recent investigation stumbles across a ghost claiming to have been murdered in a fiery car crash. Apparently Harper cannot let it go and promises to try and help this ghost. This leads her to start investigating and comes upon these odd creatures, which seem to be set in Chinese mythos.

Normally this would be my kind of book, but I truly believe part of my indifference is the fact I have not read the first five books and thus lack that bond I’d normally have with the main characters and a lack of knowledge and sufficient understanding of this world. Perhaps my feelings would be different if I had read the previous novels. Sadly, this was a DNF for me; but for those of you who have read the previous novels, you’re likely to have a completely different take than me.

Read Order
Greywalker
Poltergeist
Underground
Vanished
Labyrinth
Downpour
Seawitch (2012)

Also reviewed by: All Things Urban Fantasy, The Speed of Write, Smexybooks, Nora Adrienne Reviews, Bitten by Books

About Nicole 146 Articles
Attorney by day, Publicist for Barclay Publicity and reviewer/LE (assistant) editor by night. I'm a huge book nerd and love to read. I have 2 dogs, both Labrador retriever mixed breeds, who are very rotten and think they run the house. Let's not lie, they totally do, I just can't them know it ha ha! My usual genre is romance or urban fantasy. I love all things having to do with paranormal, with the occasional good contemp/BDSM/erotica thrown in to spice it all up.

3 Comments

  1. It is a shame you couldn’t get through Downpour, it’s a book on my wishlist and I think not having read the rest of the series will affect your opinion. I’ve not read this one yet though so I can’t agree or disagree on your review but just wanted to touch on a few things.

    The series is actually set in Seattle for the most part with visits to other locations such as London. It is a very good series and worth starting with Greywalker to see how Harper became what she is.

    Underground is especially good with the history of Seattle coming to play an important role in the story.

    Anyway, I hope you give the series a try from the start and see what you think. I understand not everything is for everybody ;)

  2. I reviewed this recently and I would not recommend this book unless are a fan of the series. This was kind of a transitional book for the development of the next story line and the main characters. This is one of my favorite UF series and I would recommend starting at the beginning. It is also what I call a classic UF, there isn’t a strong romance element. It is all about the world.

  3. Grete and Sharon, that’s kind of what I was guessing when I tried to read it…that it’s a series best read in order to get all the world building and context.

    I’d love to be able to read the series from the beginning, but I don’t know if I’ll get the time. :(. You know how it goes…RL commitments, plus a massive TBR stack (book buying habit…who me? *blinks innocently*) to get through. I’ve actually cut myself off from buying new stuff unless it’s next in an established series I’m reading.

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