The Beast of Callaire (the Legend Mirror, #1)

by Saruuh Kelsey

Yasmin is a descendant of the Manticore. A creature of Persian mythology. A Legendary. But she doesn't want to be. Unlike the Legendaries in The Red, Yasmin wants nothing more than an ordinary life. She tries to fool herself into believing that she doesn't change into a beast every full moon and savagely kill innocent people. But when Yasmin starts hearing a voice in her head and is drawn into dreams that aren't her own, she is led to Fray-a girl who once saved Yasmin from hunters, who has shadowy memories that hint at her having Legendary magic-and Yasmin is catapulted into a life of Majick and malevolence. Despite the danger around her and Fray, Yasmin might finally have a chance at being a normal girl with a normal girlfriend. But with Legendaries being killed, a war between the Gods brewing, and the beast inside Yasmin becoming stronger each moon, her mundane life is little more than a dream.

• ISBN10: 1291790608
• ISBN13: 9781291790603
• Publish Date: 30 March 2014
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 24 May 2017
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Lulu.com
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 178
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

The Beast of Callaire is an interesting mix of many things. Yasmin is Anglo-African, living in Yorkshire, she's a lesbian, and the daughter of the goddess Venus and a Manticor. She's also the last Manticor and the only one of her kind who is both Crea and Dei, meaning she has two types of magic: her ability to shift and telepathy. Yasmin just wants to be normal, but that doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon, especially since she can't control her beast and has human hunters after her, and she keeps getting swept into a strange girl's dreams.

I really liked the world of The Beast of Callaire. It's nice to get out of the US for a change when it comes to Urban Fantasy. There's a kind of safe house set up in Callaire for the children of Legendaries who aren't wanted by their deity parents. There they learn how to control their powers as well as to be discreet so that humans don't learn about the existence of creatures from myth. I also liked all of the variation in magical abilities; not everyone has the same kind even if they come from the same family line. Then there's Fray, the girl from Yasmin's dreams. She's human, but something more, and Yasmin is destined to protect her. And to love her.

The romance in The Beast of Callaire is cute. It's not insta-love either! Yasmin does break into Fray's home at one point, but it's not seen as romantic. Fray is freaked out, but she knows she needs Yasmin to answer her questions. The two get to know each other as Yasmin tries to help Fray figure out what she is, and then it grows into something more. I really loved the scene when Yasmin's friend not-so-subtly hooks them up! Too funny! I also really liked how this wasn't a story about coming out or accepting ones sexual identity. Yasmin just happens to be gay and that's that. She has bigger things to worry about than who she's attracted to.

I really liked The Beast of Callaire. It was just missing a sense of urgency for me. Like, I never felt like anyone was in any imminent danger even though there was someone draining magic from Legendaries and another someone is after Fray and her special abilities. It was fun to read, but I never fully felt the excitement of what was happening.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.