[Book Review] Inkarna by Nerine Dorman

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Way back in February, I reviewed Blood and Fire, a collaboration between Carrie Clevenger and Nerine Dorman. The story involved Carrie's vampire, Xan Marcelles (his novel, Crooked Fang, is coming soon) and Nerine's reincarnating spirit, Ashton Kennedy. With Inkarna, Ashton gets the chance to tell his own story. And in a world where 'paranormal' books seem to be preoccupied with vampires or werewolves, Nerine Dorman gives us reincarnation, ancient Egyptian mysteries and even daimonic powers. What's not to love?

The story is told by Ashton Kennedy - or rather, by Lizzie, a woman reincarnated into the body of this fairly obnoxious young man. As one of a race of beings known as Inkarna, Lizzie belongs to House Adamastor, a group of people dedicated to knowledge and secrets. Sadly the afterlife is just as riddled with politics and intrigue as the mortal coil, and Lizzie, as Ashton, finds herself caught up in a deadly tug of war with House Montu, a warrior cult - as if it's not hard enough just to deal with the enemies Ashton made during his lifetime! This is some serious stuff, people - no twinkly vampires or cuddly werewolves here. The Inkarna have daimonic powers that put the Jedi and Sith to shame, and when it all kicks off, it REALLY kicks off.

There are many things I loved about Inkarna, and clearly its basis within ancient Egyptian mythology was one of them. Dorman knows her stuff and her passion for the subject bleeds through every word. The concept of a woman finding herself trapped inside a man's body was equally fascinating, and Lizzie's slow transition as she 'grows into' Ashton was impressive and well-handled. The setting of South Africa was also a point of interest - I've never been, but I feel like I've explored Cape Town along with Ashton and Marlise, his partner-in-crime.

There were several occasions when reading that I got so wrapped up in the book that I almost missed train stops, and I'd get "itchy fingers" until I could get back to turning the pages. For anyone who loves paranormal or mystical fiction, or for anyone who likes stories that are a bit out of the ordinary, or for anyone who just enjoys a well-written book, I'd highly recommend Inkarna.

Five blunt pencils out of five!

You can buy the paperback here, or the Kindle edition here. Nerine will be visiting my blog next Wednesday to talk about Inkarna some more!