Voodoo shop owner Sophie Nouveau has it all: love, purpose, and the magical ability to change evil people good. Following in her family’s otherworldly footsteps, she emerges into the New Orleans voodoo community by taking part in a public voodoo baptism. However, she still hasn’t told Taj, the love of her life, about the paranormal skeletons in her closet. So when he leaves the country indefinitely and without explanation, she realizes they are both masters at keeping secrets. And since true love is the source of Sophie’s Mind Changer spell, she not only loses her soul mate, she loses her ability to protect herself and her city against an emerging threat.
Hordes of dead blackbirds fall from the sky. A diabolical fog attacks Poppy, Sophie’s best friend. And a shape-shifting bloodsucker preys on children in the bayous. Sophie must figure out who or what is at the root of this bad mojo. With her own magic on the fritz, though, Sophie cannot go it alone. Along the way she gets help from Jacques, who isn’t the diabolical murderer she thought he was, and a secret voodoo council. Can she learn to love again, regain her power in time, and save New Orleans from a monster?
Emergence is the second book in the Voodoo Butterfly series, and we start pretty much where we left off. Sophia and Taj are still together, although things aren't quite as smooth as they were. However, trouble isn't far away, and Poppy ends up being injured. This is just the tip of the iceberg, and things quickly go downhill for Sophie. Add to that, Taj disappears mysteriously, quickly followed by Avi.
I'll be honest here, for a while I was worried this was going to become the ubiquitous love triangle, but Camille Faye managed to avoid that in this book. Now, I'm not saying it may not happen in the future, but for now, in this book, we're safe.
There is plenty of action and adventure in this book, possibly more than Voodoo Butterfly, and it is great to see Sophie growing in confidence and power. We also meet more of the Mambos, and find out more about them, which made for incredible reading.
I am absolutely loving this series, as it is exceptionally written, with no editing or grammatical errors that spoil my reading. The story is intricate and intriguing, definitely leaving me wanting more. With a great cast of supporting characters to round things off, there is simply nothing about this series/book that I don't like.
Fair warning though - there is still a mystery to solve regarding Taj, and it does end on a cliffhanger. I know something is going on with him, but I'll always be Team Jacques!
Definitely recommended by me!
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *