Redemption by C.J. Barry Review

This dark urban fantasy made me stop and consider whether or not I would want certain types of evil to be atoned for and forgiven. The heroine, Reya, is a Redeemer. Right before these really bad people die she shows up and gives them the chance to acknowledge their wrongs and repent so that they are able to pass on. I, personally, find comfort in the belief that God sees all and that vengeance is His. That evil is punished in the end even if the evil doer is sorry. I'm not a preachy kind of girl, but the theme of this book struck a chord in me. I don't want a habitual rapist, murderer, or abuser to be able to get off easy at the end of his/her life. Sometimes evil people need killing and eternal punishment. But, hey, that's just me and that may speak more to my character than I would like. I can hold a grudge with the best of them when it comes to outright evil. I can forgive someone for stealing from me, but if you violently assault someone through rape or any other repeated physical abuse? Forget about it. I'm not that good of a person yet.

The male protagonist in this story is Thane. Thane is a cop with a ruthless streak and is not afraid to use a little vigilante justice to bring the bad guys to heel. Thane is not opposed to using questionable and outright illegal methods to make sure that the perpetrators receive what he feels is a more appropriate punishment than what they may have otherwise received if they had moved through the legal system in a more traditional way. Thane knows that his methods are questionable but he has the "you do what you gotta do" mentality.

I usually right my reviews pretty quickly after I read a book, but I had to step back a little from this one. I may be putting more emphasis on the themes in this story than what was intended by the author. What I came away with from reading this is basically this. Is everyone deserving of redemption? And if not where would I draw the line. Do I believe that there are unforgivable sins? I admit that I was shocked that a book that I went into lightly brought these issues up for me. I didn't really like Reya or Thane, but I was truly drawn into the story. I will admit while writing this review that I still don't really know how I feel about it. This story is unique and if you don't mind walking on the darker side of urban fantasy it is definitely one you may want to delve into and see where you fall on the redemption scale. All in all I have to give this story a thumbs up. Although disturbing, the story definitely stuck with me and made me consider things that I haven't been prodded into in a while. 

Happy Reading!
Monica

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 I received a copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.