Out of Body by Stella Cameron

Title: Out of Body
Author: Stella Cameron
Series: Court of Angels (book #1)
Next in series: Out of Mind

My rating: 2 Stars

Synopsis: Born into an ancient family of clairvoyants, Marley Millet is no stranger to the unsettling aspects of the psychic world but now she has encountered a dangerous foe. After witnessing the fate of two missing women, Marley teams up with former cop turned writer, Gray Fisher. Can these two unlikely allies uncover the truth before it is too late and an unspeakable evil takes hold in the world?

Review: Psychic phenomena are one of my favorite premises but Out of Body fails dismally in this area. The book would probably have been better as a straight serial killer/romantic suspense story without the paranormal aspects.

The plot moves at a snail’s pace and the writing is overly descriptive with some confusing jumps both in content and logic. The nature of the supernatural creature allegedly responsible for the victims’ disappearances remains unclear as does the identity of the actual perpetrator. Moreover, the supposed twist at the end is neither surprising nor exciting. 

The romance is lackluster and it is difficult to care about either of the characters. Marley and Gray are supposedly fated mates but their chemistry is non-existent and the explanation of their connection completely illogical.  Marley is too independent and secretive. She doesn’t even trust the members of her own family and never asks for help even though she is in desperate need of it (definitely TSTL). Gray’s characterization is better. He has a traumatic past and it is interesting to see his developing abilities but the reason he is drawn to Marley remains unexplained.  

Out of Body is disjointed and confusing, and the secondary characters are not interesting enough to compel me to continue with the series.