Well, this was happiness between two covers: a new book AND a new series from the inestimable Anne Bishop.  This was even wish fulfillment; in my last review of her Others series, I'd hoped for a new storyline.  Ms Bishop has a very distinctive voice and tone in her books; although that is decidedly different between her Others and Blood Jewels series.  I'd like to think I'd know I was in a Bishop book without the benefit of a cover or title page.  I could feel that in this new book.  The feel of the book was closer to the Others series but was different enough to make it a new experience.

In this world there are places of convergence - where the mundane human world brushes up against an otherworldly existence.  Destiny Park is one such place; a go-to destination for humans looking for a clue to their destiny or a chance to change it.  Destiny Park is on an island and the only transport on or off the island is at the pleasure of the Ferryman - and this comes with unbreakable rules.

Beth Fahey is a cop and assigned to the precinct that directly liaises with the authority on the Isle of Wyrd.  Not everyone is cut out to be in this precinct where they often have occasion to visit the island during investigations.  The denizens, known as Arcana, do their best to keep humans from seeing things that could break them but sometimes things are seen and there is a bit of turnover in the police precinct; so everyone is curious to see if this green female detective will make it or break.  She becomes something of an enigma as exposure to the island inhabitants not only doesn't send her screaming but instead she is welcomed in a way that no other human has been.  This is confusing for her, as well.

The problem is, of course, that humans are stupidly confounding and stubborn. Despite the rules in place to protect them, there are always those who don't believe the rules are important or that they don't apply.  So there are always incidents of people trying to circumvent the Ferryman or leave the protected areas of the island and getting…lost.  Beth and her fellow officers tread carefully when they have to go to the island to ask questions; they aren't special, just more easily tolerated.  But Beth now…she's treated differently.  Her police captain begins to appreciate how special she is when she can get information and answers that aren't usually forthcoming.

The plot has a loose structure that encompasses several storylines; all of which concern either an abuser or a lost person, sometimes both at once.  Whether Beth is looking for a supernatural gun used in a shooting, a missing child, or an abused woman, she is learning bit by bit how the island is governed and what happens when rules are broken.  There are "gates" on the island, forbidden to humans, where a wrong thought or intention can send a human on a never-ending train journey, a trip to a non-human town, or even change the person into something else.  The nature of the choice or change is linked directly to the human's intentions.  For example, a boy fleeing danger will find safe haven even if the inhabitants aren't human; but the boy or man with evil intentions chasing someone may find themselves lost or forever changed, and not for their good.

The Arcana don't particularly care about humans but they've made Destiny Park in order to allow humans access to their abilities; for a price.  Their card readers are the real thing if one really wants to know one's future; but the price can be very different from person to person.  Actually changing one's destiny can also be quite expensive.  The Arcana don't appreciate having trouble caused by humans who don't obey the rules, bringing the investigating detectives onto the island asking questions that, often, cannot be answered; but they are sympathetic to sincere requests for help.  They will help and hide people who need to be saved from abusers; although their idea of helping can be disconcerting.  But they don't particularly care to find missing people who are lost in Wyrd; they consider that the human's fate is tied to their personal choices and that's something the person has to live with.  That makes the police understandably frustrated in their investigations. But Beth…she can find people and answers.  Unfortunately, that makes her a target for hate and she may need the island to save herself.

As I said, there are several storylines within this book; a severely abused woman trying to save herself, a boy being harassed by violent bullies, an abused child; and the abusers themselves - convinced that might makes right.  That was actually a nice twist; that the abusers aren't just grey forms with the story focused on saving their victims.  The abusers have their own stories and need to save themselves but destiny, as they say, is a bitch.  And over all this is the thread of discovering just who and what Beth is.

If the reader is familiar with the Others series, much of the story will feel familiar not just in the worldbuilding but also in the characters.  The biggest difference between this series and the Others is how much more is done with the humans' perspective.  I have always particularly respected Bishop's ability to create otherworldly characters but I will own that this series doesn't do that very well.  All the characters are relatable.  And the theme is clearly a platform for Bishop to decry society's inability to protect the abused.  I don't care; I love her voice and I am sympathetic to the plot.  I desperately hope for another long-running series that I can wallow in for several years but I am concerned that there isn't enough to carry it.  I will hope.    ~~ Catherine Book

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