Title: Nica of Los Angeles (Frames Book 1)
Author: Sue Perry
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Book Blurb:
Nica Sheridan Taggart Ambrose Taggart Ickovic (S.T.A.T.Ic.) craves action and change, which leaves her life as stable as old dynamite. She appoints herself a private detective and gets a mysterious case that leads her into adventures beyond imagining - and she's got a crazy imagination. She enters a world of multiple dimensions called Frames, where buildings and lawn chairs can be sentient, a stray cat has great powers, books can be killers, and clouds can be spies. On the surface, Nica tackles missing person cases, while in the larger reality of the Frames she is swept into an escalating battle with stakes that could not be higher. In this first book of the FRAMES quartet, a band of allies that includes structures, landforms, and creatures sets out to stop Warty Sebaceous Cysts, a repulsive trio. The Cysts casually commit genocide to free their imprisoned leader, Maelstrom, who would bring cruelty and horror to all the Frames. There is danger everywhere in the Frames, but also a mind-boggling expansion of reality. Nica feels challenged, engrossed, and strangely at home. As she sees it, she was born to travel the Frames.
My Review:
Nica is a rookie private detective and even though she tried her best to not get involved, she's drawn into three weird cases. Before Nica has a chance to blink twice, the world she knows falls away and the truth is revealed. The world is made up of Frames where anything is possible and Nica is called upon to help defeat the Big Bad.
I have to admit, when I first started reading this book, I was totally confused. I didn't have any background information and immediately was drawn into the mind of Nica. It was intense and yet that intensity is like a character all its own when reading this book. Original and I loved it!
Filled with twists, turns and so much action I hyperventilated, Nica of Los Angeles is an addictive read. Sue Perry did a superb job weaving the story with such description I became a part of the action. It reminded me of The Matrix on several levels and I can't wait read the next installment.
If you love Urban Fantasy with dashes of film noir, you've got to read this book.
Favorite Character: Nica. I loved how open she is as a character. As the reader, we're thrown into her head and let me tell you, it's a trip. She's gritty, honest, quirky and kicks ass. I love her as a heroine and I can't wait to read more.
Favorite Quote:
"Looking at matters from many perspectives impedes progress. I rely on reflex and certainty to remain alive and protect the Frames."
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Buy Links:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/449074
Author Biography:
It all started at a high school track. I went by a hurdle and imagined its reaction to getting kicked and knocked; I wondered if the hurdle played favorites - did it ever stretch up or hunker down (ever so slightly, no one would notice) as a runner passed overhead? Nearby, the gymnasium pulsed with cheers during a basketball game, and suddenly I saw the years of endless games and assemblies from the gym's perspective.
That first notion of seemingly insentient stuff with its own life and attitude evolved into the FRAMES quartet of books. No track hurdles or high school gymnasiums yet grace the cast, but I'm just finishing book 2 - with two more volumes to go, who knows? After all, in the world of FRAMES, anything is possible somewhere.
I do feel a debt to that hurdle and that gym so maybe I should include them. Writing FRAMES has been a blast, Nica is great fun to have around, and, above all, I'm grateful for the enthusiasm so many readers have shared about FRAMES.
Social Media Links:
Website/Blog: http://www.sueperryauthor.com
Twitter: @sueperrywrites
Goodreads:
Reviewed by: Mrs. N