The Hour of Dust & Ashes (Charlie Madigan #3) by Kelly Gay
Urban Fantasy
Paperback
August 30, 2011
Pocket

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “You got me a Buns Of The Month subscription?”

Charlie Madigan, ITF agent, has had a very hard year. Dying and brought back to life, she has acquired unknown powers and gifts that have yet to fully reveal themselves. Her ex husband’s cheated on her and became of victim of his own black magic use. She has inherited an illegal hellhound who adores her daughter and when she accepts the DNA from two off world races in order to save her daughter’s life, she unwittingly covers Atlanta in darkness and has yet to figure out how to remove it. She also is dealing with her feelings for her sexy siren partner Hank. Especially after an altercation with him leaves her bearing his mark. Is it the mark or the man who has Charlie’s heart in a twist? Now someone in the Sons Of Dawn cult is ordering the ash addicts to kill themselves and she has to find the culprit before her sister, Byrn, becomes the next victim. With time running out, Charlie makes a deal with four ancient beings and is forced to enter Hell (Charbydon) with Rex and Hank in order to keep her sister alive.

There are some little spoilers from previous books in here so proceed at your own caution.

The Hour Of Dust And Ashes is the third book in Ms. Gray’s dark and gritty urban fantasy thriller that combines strong personable characters with an ever evolving world that keeps you hanging on to the edge till the end. Filled with emotional and realistic situations, it’s the perfect balance of power and vulnerability. We are not burdened with over ripe angst or ridiculous unbelievable feats. Plot action and sizzling tension is tempered with humor and everyday life.

I absolutely adore this series. A character driven series, we share an intimate connection with Charlie Madigan. Her pain, her sorrow, and her triumphs are also ours. It has been a thrilling ride as we have watched her grow from a lonely figure to having a more enjoyable and intimate connection with her family and friends. Her strong personality and values shine through more and more with each book. She is still scared but she is learning how to trust in herself and others. The world building stays fresh and exciting with constant evolution as we travel through an alternative magical version of Atlanta, GA. Smooth steady pacing and exciting informative dialogue keeps our attention firmly fixed on the prize.

This world that Ms. Gay has created fascinates me with its faint religion based mixture of alien races, called off-worlders. The “heavenly” Elysia and “hellish” Charbydon are presented in the story as the basis for our perceived heaven and hell. Ms. Gay takes it a step further by allowing the off worlders to come forward and integrate into our society thus effectively shattering our religious illusions. We and the humans learn that they have been with us for thousands of years, using our world as their personal battle ground. I like that she stops there and chooses not to further incorporate a religious theme into the storyline. As the three races continue to intersect and mingle, Charlie and her partner Hank are being drawn towards a war that may end end them all. Smooth steady pacing and exciting informative dialogue keeps our attention firmly fixed on the prize

Our protagonist, Charlie Madigan, is the ultimate heroine. Strong, intelligent, and most of all human. Well, almost. Her vulnerability keeps her grounded and approachable as a character. She is a single mother who’s life has been turned upside down, yet she strives to do the right thing for her family and friends, regardless of the outcome. She doesn’t rely on her unpredictable powers to do her job for her. Plain, old fashioned detective work helps her solve her cases. Hank, an off worlder, is a siren and her partner. He is walking sex on a stick and in the beginning of the series, you sensed Charlie’s unease with him. Yet as we and Charlie have gotten to know him, you get the feeling that Hank wants more from Charlie and Charlie isn’t oblivious to him either. She is unsure though because in Better Part Of Darkness, he gave her a mark in a fit of anger that makes her feel good when she’s around him. She is unsure where she stands with him. Is it the man or the siren that calls to her? She also has the normal insecurities of a female faced with a man who can make everyone’s panties drop in a 20 mile radius just with a smile. She can’t phantom why he would want her. The chemistry between them is sexy and hot and the dialogue is humorous with a sensual undertone that had me hoping in my chair in excitement.

“For the record,” he said, looking up at me with a crooked smile, “this is not how I pictured removing your pants for the first time.”

“That confidant, are we?”
His smiled filled out, deep and brimming with humor. “When something is this inevitable. Yes.”

“You’re wearing Spongebob underwear.”

Shit.

My gaze flew downward and my mortification was complete. “Patrick is on my ass.”

“I can take off the voice-mod Charlie.” Hank’s voice dropped. “I can make you feel better with a word.”

I couldn’t help but wonder what he would say. How it would feel. Silly girl. You know exactly how it would feel. And without a doubt I would like it way too much.

Our cast of supporting characters are still as vivid and dynamic as ever. Each one fully capable of holding their own story. I like that each have their own distinct, separate personalities and sub stories; ensuring they are never overwhelmed by our protagonists. Emma, Charlie’s daughter, has had to grow up fast in the last year but holds her own brilliantly. She is a strong presence in the book and the love she and Charlie share is physically shown through out the book. Rex, the reverent, has also become a permanent fixture in the storyline so much so that I cannot imagine him not being there. Living with Charlie and Emma, he may inhabit her ex husband Will’s body but he is 100% mischievous Rex. Regardless of his personal agenda, he will do anything to protect Emma and Charlie.

“Your work’s not bad,“ he told Rex, mistakenly attributing the mark to him.

Oh boy.
A blinding grin split Rex’s face. “Why thank you. It keeps my old lady…in line.”

“Come on, let’s go get Em. We can stop for ice cream on the way home. “

“You think this is an ice cream moment?”

He paused, carefully, as though treading on shaky ground. “Ummm….yes?”

I didn’t respond.

“No?” “This is a Charlie needs to kiss someone’s ass moment?”

The oracle Alessandra is still messing with Charlie and provides a few good laughs as she once again confuses Charlie with her “visions”. We see more old friends in here and get to meet a few new ones with an expansion in the off world backgrounds and practices storyline. In here we learn even more about life on Elysia and Charbydon and the reasons some of those species prefer living on Earth.

The main conflict of the story is a whirlwind of suspense, tension, and action as Charlie has to stop a madman from killing off ash addicts and survive needed gifts from a group of ancient sylphs. Multiple subplots intertwine through out the main conflict, giving us clues to the next book’s main conflict.

Charlie and Hank’s investigation leads them back to the Son Of Dawn cult and Carrig, a High Lord in Charbydon, who Charlie still doesn’t trust. While you really don’t see the villain in here till almost the end, they are still a force to be reckoned with. A series of events set in motion by their actions changes everyone’s lives at the end and not all for the better.

The conclusion is heart stopping and left me shocked speechless. A dramatic finale that wraps up a huge storyline but opens another that left me shaking with the need for book 4 now. Ms. Gay’s Charlie Madigan series is one of my top Urban fantasy series to read and I cannot recommend it enough to everyone who enjoys a dark gritty read with plenty of action, suspense, and humor to keep you entertained till the very last page. I advise you start from the beginning, The Better Part Of Darkness, as the characters and main arc evolve in each book and bleed over to the next.

Rating: A

Recent Reviews:
All Things Urban Fantasy – 4/5
Throuthehaze – 5/5
Urban Fantasy Investigations – 4/5
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