I started and finished this book within just over twenty four hours. That should tell you how drawn into this story I was. This series just gets more and more involving with each book. Connor Grey is a character that will intrigue, fascinate, perhaps annoy some, but he will never bore a reader.

In this outing for Connor Grey, things just get more complicated. The black mass in Connor’s head has developed a menacing attribute that truly scares and horrifies Connor. He goes to some drastic measures to try to unlock the mystery of this presence in his brain, and finds a connection with a sinister fae that cannot be good.

Trouble is brewing for Boston, and the Weird. The troubles between the Fae and the Boston Police Department, The Guild (Celtic Fae) and the Consortium (Teutonic Fae), are escalating. In addition, there is a war building between the Dead Fae (they crossed over from TirNaNog–Land of the Dead–after the events that took place on Samhain, in Unfallen Dead) and the living Fae. Fae are dying, Dead and non-Dead, and Connor has been called to investigate these deaths.

A woman from Connor’s past comes back in his life, serving as the Seelie Court-appointed healer to the ailing Guildsmaster Manus ap Eagan. Her connection to Connor and with the Police Commissioner, Brian Murdock, who happens to be the father of Connor’s friend Leonard Murdock, threatens to pour fuel on the powder keg that is Boston and the Weird.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, although it left me exhausted, uncomfortable with unanswered questions, and sad from the intensely tangled fates of those within this story. Connor continues to grow as a character, and Mr. Del Franco also reveals further layers to Murdock, a man who has his faith in his Catholic religion, and his father, seriously shaken. Connor’s troubles with this dark mass in his head left me unsettled, as he struggles with the knowledge of a possibly evil presence inside of him that craves power and destruction.

Readers with interest in the folklore of the various faerie entities will find enjoyment in this novel, as Mr. Del Franco introduces even more mythical characters and beings. The gamut runs from cwn annwyn ( the hellhound), to berserkers, to jotunn, or giants. I was captivated with the world within the so-called normal reality of the big city of Boston.

The elements that made me a fan of this series are present in this story in spades: excellent worldbuilding, characterization, and storytelling. Characters that I am deeply involved in, who do not always incite admiration, but definitely have my sympathy and interest, inhabit this novel. In fact, the name of this novel perfectly describes its characters: flawed, complex, and far from perfect in their actions and motivations.

Unperfect Souls ends with a bang, as usual, and I am left with the urge to find out just what will happen next as the Weird is seriously shaken by the power struggles within it. And then, there is the internal struggle that Connor Grey faces. He is a strong character. That is a good thing. With the way things end in this story, he will need all the strength he can get. I hope the next book comes out soon, so I can find out where Mr. Del Franco will lead Connor Grey next.

Book Stats:

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin’s Paperbacks; First Edition edition (August 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312946147
• ISBN-13: 978-0312946142

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Books in the Connor Grey series in the order they should be read:
Unshapely Things
Unquiet Dreams
Unfallen Dead
Unperfect Souls
Uncertain Allies