The Others

August 5, 2024
Evette Davis’s contemporary urban fantasy focuses on Olivia Shepherd, a political consultant whose life is running off the rails. Waking up recently fired, fighting with her best friend, and hungover, she is confronted by a stranger named Elsa, who is a Time Walker, a powerful witch not bound by the linear time stream. To take her life back, Olivia rises to Elsa’s challenges—taking care of her own mental and physical well being, and honing her empathic powers while finding strength in vulnerability. In response to Olvia’s commitment to try, Elsa exposes an unknown world lying in parallel to the modern San Francisco that Olivia has always known, alive with angels, demons, vampires and werewolves, in classic urban fantasy style with some fresh wrinkles.
Politics, romance, and a compelling protagonist power this series starter, as Olivia has the opportunity to work as a consultant for “The Council,'' a global confederacy of supernatural beings manipulating elections. In the course of this work, Olivia meets William, a centuries-old vampire who is as attracted to Olivia as she is to him, despite all the problems a mortal and immortal will inevitably encounter. Davis has created a fully fledged character in Olivia, with a slew of virtues like bravery, boldness, intelligence, and wit, but the author allows her relatable flaws as well.
The voices of the characters are strong, easy to hear and revealing of individual perspectives. The pace of world building is frenetic early in the novel, necessitating attentive reading to parse the plot, schemes, and relationships. However, striking imagery, inventive magic, and personal stakes make the tale a pleasure, and the pace levels out entering the second half of the book. The San Francisco setting enriches the story vivid detail and a charming blend of fact and fantasy—the Bay Area’s fog is both spookily atmospheric and a clever element of the worldbuilding. This book is ideal for readers with modern values rooted in anti-facism. Richly engaging characters and a deft blend of the magical and deeply human populate this enthralling world.
Takeaway: Enthralling urban fantasy of politics, romance, and foggy San Francisco.
Comparable Titles: Seanan McGuire’s October Daye series, Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A