Review: Glimmer of The Other (The Other Realm Series Book 1) by Heather G Harris

Glimmer of The Other by Heather G. Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

British Urban Fantasy At It’s Best

I’d probably give this book 4.5 ⭐️ if I could.

This is the first book in a continuing series. The book finishes at a natural break in the story, but there is a definite hook to make you want to read the next in the series.

Jessica ‘Jinx’ Sharp is a private detective. She went into business for herself when she was 18 after the still-unsolved murder of her parents. One of her strengths that helps her with her chosen career, other than the ability to pick locks, is her skill at telling truth from lies.

When Jinx is hired to solve a missing person case she ends up being lumbered with another detective, Stone, who was brought on by the missing woman’s family friend. Stone may be attractive but Jinx is a loner by nature and preference. She has one friend, a neighbour with who she is friendly with and a Great Dane called Gatto. No one else has entered her circle of trust since the death of her parents.

When Stone reveals to Jinx that she’s only sort of human as she’s a member of the Other Realm and is a truth-teller, she winds up being exposed to a whole new world. She meets dragons, elves, vampyres and trolls and learns about magic. She also learns that the missing woman has touched the Other Realm, something somebody from the Common Realm should never do. She definitely needs Stone to help navigate this new world to help save her client’s daughter.

I love that this is a British urban fantasy novel. You don’t see many of those and this one is very good indeed. The world-building is imaginative and fun and seems to be well thought out. The plot is interesting and complex, keeping you guessing from start to finish and I really felt sucked in to the story.

I really liked Jinx. I thought she was a believable and admirable woman, who had a good head on her shoulders, something I really like in an MFC. She was intelligent, practical and unflappable. She drew on her experience and her newly discovered abilities to investigate in an unfamiliar world in a way that was believable, even if she did grasp hold of magical concepts quite quickly.

I loved that Jinx’s Great Dane was actually a hell hound and he had his own abilities that aided Jinx. I also like that there is an explanation for his very rare bonding with Jinx and it’s not a complete fluke.

Stone was an interesting MMC. He’s a feared Inspector and a warrior wizard. He’s protective of Jinx and helps her a great deal in coming to terms with the new world she’s exposed to. There is flirtation and the temptation to become romantically involved but it’s put aside for the case. This is not paranormal romantic fiction, it’s a straight-up urban fantasy. We are also introduced to several other characters that are important in the Other Realm and I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t pop up in future books.

The plot is complex and intriguing and I read the book in one go because I really wanted to know what happened next. I was kept guessing throughout the story, which I always enjoy. My one complaint is that it had time travel in the story and I HATE that. It confuses me and I spend ages trying to work out if it’s rational or not and I miss out on the pure pleasure of just being swept along by the plot. I also generally feel it’s a somewhat lazy solution to problems within a plot. I don’t think that’s the case here as it seems to be woven through the whole structure of the storyline and isn’t just a ‘fix it’.

I really am looking forward to seeing if the next book is as good as this one. I very much hope so!

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