Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Reviewer: Maryann
Get It On Amazon | B&N | Kobo
iBooks | Angus Robertson | Indigo
About The Book
Her past is postage due and centaurs are ready to collect.
Through Rain and Missing Mantaurs is a dark fantasy most daring and eccentric. A tale not for the faint of heart. Pony is a bipedal half-breed centaur with no desire to waste tears on a past she can’t remember. She’s busy enough with her mail routes and package deliveries, and of course, floundering through hot-cold love affairs with the high class courtesans Mardyth and Lullaby.
The mundane drudgery of her life shatters when Konstantine Bywater takes over as Lightfoot Delivery’s new boss. He asks questions she can’t possibly answer, and stirs up a tragic past better left dead and buried.
But running away is no longer an option. Not when Kon and his minions accuse Mardyth of an unspeakable crime. With her lover’s life at stake, Pony won’t stop until she uncovers not only the truth of Mardyth’s innocence, but the truth of the past as well.
The Review
Pony is a mail courier for Lightfoot Delivery in Nura City. She’s strong, brave and will fight to protect herself and the mail. She’s a sad type of creature as she seems naive at times and has low self-esteem, but she hides it well with her snark. She’s a half-breed, centaur/human and recognized as bipedal.
From the age of five she’s been raised by two men, Callum and Upshaw. Callum has now passed – he was the guardian who really made an impression on her. He always seems to be inside her head with the advice that he gave her.
Pony wishes to have a family and someone to love her. She is in love with Mardyth, an elf who’s a high class courtesan, married to Nicholas. But even though the three are caring and friendly, Mardyth at times doesn’t treat Pony very well.
On one of her mail pickups, she comes across a band of Centaurs and has to fight her way out. She defeats a young palomino and escapes with his bow.
After the confrontation with the Centaurs, she finds herself having run-ins with those she describes as Green Hat, Brown Eyes, and Green Scarf. Then she meets Blue Eyes.
All those she encounters along the way, and Mardyth himself, will bring truth, betrayal, lies, and secrets with them, and will make her remember a time when she was just five years old. This dangerous and adventurous journey will be an awakening for Pony.
Who can she trust, love and will she loose her freedom?
I didn’t find the triggers listed for this novel very noticeable.
This was a first time read for me from Jeanne Marcella. “Through Rain and Missing Mantaurs” is well written, with unique world and character building. By no means a quick read, the book is full of ideas to absorb and think about, as well as an abundance of twists and turns for Pony, especially with all the secrets that are revealed.
This novel has Gods, Goddesses, elemental powers, telepathy, spells and magic, a cross between lore, mythology and fantasy. It deals with the differences between humans, Centaurs, Mantaurs, Kentauroi, Elves and courtesans and the intolerance and social structure that exists between them.
This is an outstanding book – I can’t wait to find out what Marcella has in store for Pony next!
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
