The Storms Cry (Rayne Whitmore series) by Alanna J. Faison

This is a book that gives us some of Selene’s history before she joined the story in t Rayne Whitmore series. We knew her past was bad… and this book is very very very clear how very bad it is.

This means this shot story comes with a whole lot of trigger warnings for rape and abuse.

We’ve read a lot of books and seen a lot of shows that have used rape as a gratuitous plot device. It is used for titillation, sexualisation and clumsy gross characterisation all of which is usually unnecessary and thrown in for various shallow, terrible reasons.

But this book is a good reminder that just because there are some utterly terrible depictions doesn’t mean that all depictions have no worth – especially since, as we’ve said before, it isn’t a good idea to ignore that these things exist

Selene is a lesbian – and though a powerful witch her father has no interest in her happiness, but what she can bring to the family. Her treatment and abuse stems very much from the dual opinion – and the opinion of the men around him – that women exist to be the property of their fathers (and husbands) and that heterosexuality is compulsory. These oppressions all too often and do lead to women forced into relationships with men they don’t want, rape and corrective rape.

Selene, for all her power, is seen as an asset to her family, she is seen by her father as someone who can be used to further the power and influence of himself and his family- her sexuality is irrelevant to her making an “appropriate” marriage. It’s an oppression as old as matrimony itself.

We see a lot of this through Selene’s point of view and the brutality she faces but there are some other subtle notes as well especially for such a short story – from the helplessness of her mother to the complicity of her brother to her father’s willingness to use the lives of women around Selene to control her behaviour.

It’s a good reminder that personal power and strength doesn’t mean you can easily overcome and oppressive situation – and it’s not “weakness” that  prevent people from leaving or saving themselves.

Killer Rayne (The Rayne Whitmore Series #2) by Alanna J Faison

Rayne has passed through her trial by fire of the first book. She has been Unmade, her family has been destroyed and her first forays back into the world have not gone to plan

Now she prepares, she rallies her allies, her friends, she claims what is hers, she demands loyalty and lays down the foundations for the coming war.  Namen Young has destroyed her family, the lives of so many and is threatening to destroy everything – and Rayne is raising what she can to stop him.

This book is relatively slow paced – and certainly a lot slower than the last one. Its story is more an interval than a closed character arc without on particularly storyline or a real conclusion at the end so much as it is another chapter in Rayne’s ongoing saga. It absolutely cannot be read stand alone – as without the former book and the book which will come next it is completely lost without context or purpose

And all of this is a good thing. The first book was so incredibly fast, jumping from plot line to plot line to event to event so quickly that a slower paced book to consolidate was needed. As part of the series this book is excellent, it gives us time to catch our breath, remind ourselves of what is at stake and who the major players are in Rayne’s world and her battle against Namen. We’re reminded of the nature of the war and what all the powers are (since this world is so wide and varied with a lot of complex forces in play).

We ran through the world last book, introducing everything at a break neck pace but without really having the time to get to know anyone or look too far beneath except to know there was a lot beneath to know. Now we get to slow down and really look at things like the werewolf past, the nature of the witches, the relationships between the characters, the society of the vampires and look at the various motivations that drive everyone

It also really laid down how this fight was going to happen – not just as an epic battle of claws and swords and woo-woo powers (though that would certainly have a place) but also through proxies and by influence and generally by controlling mortal forces and supernatural allies. Ultimately, part of this conflict began – and certainly the reason it slaughtered Rayne’s family – out of fear that humanity were going to rise up and use their numbers and new technology to destroy the supernaturals. This not only affects Rayne through her business (and her father’s arms business targeting supernaturals) but also lays the foundation for what they want and looks at the balance between humanity as victims or a threat. Again, there’s a lot interesting topics and conflicts that are now being developed to make for a much richer story

The Unmaking (Rayne Whitmore Series #1) by Alanna J Faison

Rayne Whitmore had an extremely privileged life – not without issues, but with a loving family, immense wealth and a girlfriend, Selene, who loves her. But this comfortable life is shaken badly when she sees what terrible things her father has to do to preserve it.

But it’s only the beginning – the retaliation brings demons to her family’s door and leaves Rayne devastated, grieving and lost with the knowledge that monsters and magic still exist. Only Selene is there to offer comfort – and knowledge of the magical world that had been hidden from her. It’s a world Rayne will have to become more deeply involved in if she ever wants to justice for her family and to ensure she will never be the victim again.

We have a huge world here – with a lot of layers but also a lot of depth. We don’t just have a world that has trawled every supernatural mythology out there, declared “these exist” and then moved on and relied on tropes to characterise them. We don’t just have demons and gods and vampires and werewolves, they have histories and cultures and development – or at least hints of them (more would be an unconscionable info-dump) to set out what is actually meant by these terms in this setting, to show that the author has developed and created these rather than just slapped some fangs on a sexy person and said “behold, vampire – you know how this goes.” There’s a lot built into things like the werewolf packs, the history of the vampires and their societies, the internal problems with the witchborn and how that affects Selene’s life and past.

This genre is very very full and it’s hard to take concepts that are long established and tweak them sufficiently to bring originals spins on them – this book does it, it makes something new out of the old tropes, brings a lot of originality while still keeping the familiar.

Rayne is also an excellent character. She’s a Black lesbian, which is excellent inclusion, both of these both inform her and are very present in her character. She’s in a long term relationship with Selene, a latina lesbian and being a lesbian touches on her relationship with her (sadly absent) mother and how she lives and interacts with immortals later. Similarly race and ethnicity are present in the characterisation, language choice, explanations, descriptions, and generally are integral part of their characters. It’s not just a tossed away description but nor is it a heavily hammered, all consuming stereotype. It was a nice balance and excellent character development and inclusion (and not limited – we have numerous main POC, several bisexual and another lesbian character. There is a problematic “everyone is bi” insistence from the immortals but Rayne herself is quick and firm to shoot that down, there’s also a bit of a shaky idea that gay male werewolves can’t possibly exist for random, unnecessary reasons).