Wildest hunger – written by Laura Laakso, read by Kate Rawson.
What happens when blood is no longer enough? This is the opening question of this latest adventure of Yannia Wilde from the Wilde investigations series. Yannia lives and works in Old London – a magical place – within the greater city of London as a Private Investigator. As a member of the Wild Folk Yannia has special super-natural abilities that enable her to take on the attributes of animals from nature around her which greatly assist her investigations. Yannia investigates magical crimes in Old London and with the help of her loyal, young apprentice Karrion (a bird Mage) she works with Chief Superintendent Jamie of a special police unit of London’s New Scotland Yard as a consultant to solve magical crimes. In this adventure half-eaten bodies are being found in Old London and Yannia suspects a Wild Folk is responsible but all Wild Folk abide the gravest law of their people that human flesh must never be consumed so who is the predator and why is this happening. When a young boy is abducted from his home and horribly killed Yannia knows she is the only person who can hunt down the predator and stop the killings before all Wild Folk become suspected and their wild home of the Conclave is threatened. Amidst this horror magical political intrigue swirls as a new member of the Magical Council suspected of being a Leech disappears and his Mage partner is shockingly beaten and murdered in their home.
Laakso’s characterizations are brilliant. You’ll wish you knew Yannia and had a best friend like Karrion – I know I do! Laakson ever so subtly draws the reader into her magical world of characters and crimes as you quickly and easily come to accept that the contemporary world of humans in London co-exists seamlessly with the magical world and beings of Old London. If you enjoy being immersed in a world of magical intrigue and fantasy with the added suspense of murder, abduction, disappearance and political powerplays you’ll enjoy Laakso’s Wilde investigations series and Wildest hunger as much as me. 5 stars out of 5!