Bunny's Reviews: Before Again Review Spotlight

Welcome to the book tour for Before Again by Claire S. Duffy! Read on for more details and a chance to win a copy of the book and a big basket of Glasgow goodies!

Welcome to the book tour for Claire S. Duffy's Before Again! This novel is absolutely something unique and different so prepare yourself for some interesting moments and situations. Like the character, Kirsty, you're going to question what exactly is going on, but just hang in there! You're going to be taken on quite the ride!

Before Again is the first book in the Shadow City series. Kirsty has gotten a text that someone she cared for deeply has passed. So, she makes the trek home to be there for the funeral. What she finds when she gets there is that time has definitely moved forward. A lot has changed, the house she used to know has basically fallen to time. But since she has little plans to stay long, a couple nights in a run down old house shouldn't be that bad. Right? Just avoid the floor where the mice are breeding like it's a marathon race and you should be fine. But what happens when you see something that just doesn't make sense?

Well, Kirsty is going to be having quite the time dealing with strange situations and then finding that time seems to be skipping past her. What is going on?! Trust me, you're going to be wondering the same thing as you read this book. It's confusing, but at the same time it keeps you engaged at the same time. Kirsty is going to have a lot juggling the facts that are falling in her lap and questioning exactly how to handle them all.

This book is absolutely enjoyable, however, it's a good idea to know what you're getting yourself into. LOL! There is a huge difference between British English and American English. Most of us, are used to American English, but this book has quite a bit of British English. So, it took me a while to really parce out what the characters are saying or meaning. That was really the only real detracting element for me. I say that because there were a couple of moments where I was literally tilting my head trying to figure out what they were saying. LOL! It was fun though. LOL!

The deeper the story goes, the more engaging it becomes. Kirsty is an interesting character and all in all, she handles things pretty well. I mean, how many people would be able to face a giant pig and not run screaming in the opposite direction on sight? LOL! I know it's a bad idea, but let's be real "fight or flight" is real.

You get a nice amount of dynamics between the characters that Kirsty interacts with. I won't drop any spoilers, but for sure Agnes, is a piece of work. She has her reasons (to an extent) but...wow.

There is a lot to enjoy in this book, but there are some downfalls. The language I struggled with a bit, and then the pacing in the beginning was slow, but the stage is being set so it's a touch understandable. It takes a minute for the direction to be determined, but when it's decided it gets interesting.

All in all, I'm choosing to rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. This is part of a series, so there will be more to come, so we'll see where Kirsty's story goes from here!

Thank to the author, Claire S. Duffy, and R&R Book Tours for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Before Again (The Shadow City Chronicles #1)

Publication Date: November 30, 2022

Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Paranormal “Buffy meets Outlander”

He’s been killing for hundreds of years.

But he reckoned without her.

Kirsty has always been alone.

It’s fine. It’s what she’s chosen. People, as a general rule, are more trouble than they’re worth. It’s why God invented batteries.

But when she comes across the man being burned alive on the banks of the Clyde, she can’t just let him die. Without a second thought she batters in to save his life…

And accidentally tears the fabric of time.

Now an ancient serial killer is on the loose and only Kirsty can make him regret he was ever born.

Even if it means killing the only person who ever loved her.

Sometimes she can bloody well see all these magic destiny shenanigans far enough.

The twisty, laugh out loud funny start to a seductive fantasy series. Buffy meets Outlander with a side order of Taggart. If you like fast-paced action, Glasgow humour and women who take no prisoners, you’ll love Before Again.

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Excerpt

Kirsty ran faster and faster, desperately trying to ﬁnd that rhythm that cleared her mind. Her lungs burned and her legs trembled, but she pounded on and on. She swerved left, then right, vaulting over the railing around Queens Park as though it were nothing, then raced herself up the path to the ﬂagpole. A swan hissed at her and a dog’s bark echoed in the moonlight. She leapt onto the platform around the ﬂagpole from the path below, clearing at least three metres straight up.

Kirsty drank in the view as she caught her breath. Her brain whirred like a possessed waltzer. Half-thoughts, snatches of feeling, fragments of horror zipped and sizzled and seared across her mind. The white light and the crack of Owen’s spine snapping back into place rattled around and around until Kirsty was dizzy.

What was he? What was she?

The city was spread out before her, lights twinkling in the blackness. The Campsies barely an outline against deep purple clouds. Her city. A city that had ricocheted from poverty to riches and back again; that was famous for being one of the friendliest and most dangerous places in the world. A cultural capital of Europe that had an outbreak of bubonic plague in the twentieth century. A city riddled with vibratey time holes and lepers who play Simon Says with wee girls and maniac serial killers who can’t be killed.

A strange, icy sense of calm enveloped Kirsty. She looked up, and the stars were dazzling, celestial ﬁreworks twinkling a hundred colours, ﬁlling her with awe and strength. The night was still, but a gust of wind swirled around her, whipping up her hair, whispering something she couldn’t catch.

A glittering sound crackled in the air. It sounded like a ﬁre that had almost burnt itself out, leaving only red-hot coals to shimmer and snap. The air itself was alive, ﬁzzing with magic.

Kirsty thought of Mrs McCafferty’s words. Just focus on the next step. Could she do that? A fox screeched in the dark. The Shadow had gone to the Barrowlands that evening to ﬁnd another victim. Owen. Kirsty pictured him coming up the stairs, all smooth and suave in his tailored suit and his silver cigarette case.

He might have been running his victim’s tights through his ﬁngers right now, slowly approaching as she cowered in terror. He might have been displaying her body, ready for some poor bugger to stumble across in the morning. Instead, he was hiding in the dark, trying to put his face back together. That was something.

They hadn’t won the war. Kirsty wasn’t even sure what the war was yet. But they won a wee battle.

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About the Author

When she’s not wandering around Glasgow dreaming up sexy vikings and tears in the fabric of time, Claire S Duffy writes best selling the crime fiction series Glasgow Kiss and the Stockholm Murders under CS Duffy. She’s also a screenwriter and blogs about the feminist dawn of Hollywood at Fully Fifty-Fifty on Substack.

Claire S. Duffy – Fika Books