Wicked After Midnight

As a long time Pajiba reader (but never commentor, always lurker) I remember AlabamaPink’s charm and wit and was saddened by the world’s loss when she passed. As a parent of an 8 and 4 year old, my to read pile is ever increasing at a steady rate as I don’t seem to have the time to read that I once did. This year I have decided to read more, and justify all the books I buy, and figured the Cannonball Read would be a good way to hold myself accountable to get the reading done. So here is my first review.

Wicked After Midnight is a Blud Novel by Delilah S. Dawson. It came to my attention through one of John Scalzi’s “The Big Idea” posts on his blog. Through help from my husband, my daughters gave it to me for my birthday in October 2015. Now January, I finally sat down to read it. I somehow missed, or forgot, WAM is a romance novel. It is also fantasy, a bit steampunk and delightfully feminist.

The setting is an alternate world called Sang where humans are referred to as Pinkies, vampires are Bludwo/men (with a new set of vampire rules), daimons feed off emotions and it seems much of the fauna of the world wants to eat you. Yet places and things from our world exist, though sometimes in different forms or purposes. The beginning races through the briefest of set ups to get to the action of the story.

Demi Ward was once human and is now a Bludwoman after coming to Sang. Her Bludwoman abilities allow her to become a contortionist extraordinaire and training in a performing caravan has made her crave the spotlight. Not content with the quiet and “safe” life of the caravan, Demi contrives to get to the Paris equivalent of Sang, which is currently set in a time period similar to the end of the 19th Century in our world, where she desires to become the foremost cabaret performer of her time. Of course, things don’t go according to plan and she gets sucked into a world of danger, intrigue and strong desires that war with her need to be independent of any man.

I thoroughly enjoyed the world, was entertained by the story and made tingly by the sexy bits. The ending is a tour de force of women taking control of their lives and exacting retribution on those who would keep them down. I am definitely interested in checking out other Blud novels when in the mood for some sexy fluff reading.