I ended up listening to this as an audiobook, instead of reading it because I found the pacing so uneven. The beginning is quite good - I was really getting into the action of it and the world as well as how Claire fit in. I felt we got a really good idea of the characters, but abruptly (after the attack the first few rays of frenzied "oh man this is a problem" moments) things took a way chill slow attitude to introducing everything all over again.

It felt kind of like the first and second part got mixed up somehow. I had a better understanding of what magic Claire was HIDING from everybody in the beginning then I did as the world building continued and we learned about the different kinds of magic and taboos and sensitives.

Meanwhile the ending...I know this is part of a series but I got so wound up in Liam & Claire's relationship I was feeling a bit let down that it didn't' seem to move much further than the start. The battle confused me - even listening to it - and I think part of it was because we went from HIGH ACTION to low building to HIGH ACTION with abrupt feeling transitions. ( )

A great setup, an interesting premise, an intriguing world, and a sub-par execution full of plot holes and contradictions.

I wanted to love this story because it managed to paint a very compelling not quite post-apocalyptic outline of a world suddenly confronted with a gritty kind of magic and a new, hard reality.

But the author does nothing with it. The bad guys are two-dimensional cardboard cutouts. The story is entirely based on blatant and unreasonable racism without any kind of interesting nuance.
The world, which initially seems very interesting, turns out to be flawed and full of contradictions. Facts about the world are just made up on the spot without any consideration of how they contradict other things to a frustrating degree. It's not just one or two contradictions that were hard to solve or simply overlooked. No care whatsoever has been taken to even attempt to do consistent world-building. It's vaguely post-apocalyptic for the atmosphere but everything beyond that is just made up on the fly.

I couldn't have come up with a more uninspired and run-of-the-mill plot if I tried.

It's just shallow in every aspect.

I listened to 9 out of 10 hours of the audiobook before dropping it and there is no indication anything even vaguely interesting is on the horizon beyond a textbook boring climax. ( )

The first book in a new series by the author who writes the Chicagoland Vampires series, one of my favorite go-to UF series for snark and entertaining characters, The Veil started off slowly - so slowly I was a bit worried I was in for a let-down.

Seven years ago, the Veil that separates humanity from what lies beyond was torn apart, and New Orleans was engulfed in a supernatural war. Now, those with paranormal powers have been confined in a walled community called Devil's Isle.

Claire is a human but 7 months before the story begins she discovers she's a Sensitive and is absorbing magic. Her need to keep this a secret is overcome one night when she sees a girl being attacked by wraiths and uses her magic to save her. Liam is a bounty hunter who witnesses Claire's use of magic and offers to help her destroy the evidence and get her training to use and control her magic, so she doesn't become a wraith herself.

Things didn't pick up for me until the end of the chapter 4. There was just too much time spend in Claire's head up to this point. It works, because I ended up with the post-war scene quite clearly created in my head, as well as a strong sense of the melancholy, struggles and determination of NOLA's residents, but it was slow and it was boring.

Once chapter 5 started, I started to get interested. Things started to happen. I like Clair and Liam and especially liked the slow build-up of snarky dialogue between them as they got to know each other better. No romance in this one, although some near misses; it seems we're in for a slow burn between these two before anyone gets lucky.

Overall, I was satisfied with the story; the slow start and a few editing errors that should have been caught brought the rating down. (on page 188, Liam leaves the truck running because he may not be able to re-start it. In the next paragraph, when he leaves the truck door open, Claire muses that it hardly matters because a wraith couldn't hot-wire a vehicle. If the truck was left running, why would anyone need to hot-wire it?) But I am looking forward to the next book and finding out more about the characters in Delta and seeing what happens next. ( )

Listened to audio narrated by Amy Landon.

The world has changed since the Veil was discovered and fell, allowing various creatures into our world bent on taking over. After a long battle the Veil has been closed, all magic has been outlawed, anyone with magic is quarantined on Devil's Isle. On top of that some humans have become sensitive to magic and if they absorb too much magic they become mindless killings wraiths.

Claire runs her family's story in the Quarter, they have a long history in the Quarter. She discovered nine month's ago by accident that she's a sensitive and is freaking out.

Liam is a wraith bounty hunter. He knows sensitives don't have to become wraiths and works to help Claire, while trying to figure out what's changing in the recent wraith attacks.

New Orleans is living under military rule with 'Containment' enforcing the new laws trying to remove any and all magic or spiritualism. The war has messed with the land and supplies are short.
There's the good guys, bad guys and the sneaky guys keeping you on your toes.

This is an interesting new world, there's no true romance as of yet but the author dangles possibilities. It feels post-apocalyptic with a healthy dose of magic. There are spots that seem odd but the story is so engaging it makes you willing to over look them hoping it will be sorted out in the future. A very good start to a new series.

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Somehow I managed to miss Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampire series, so I came to "The Veil" with no expectations other than it had been recommended by Faith Hunter, who writes the Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series.

"The Veil" makes a promising start to Chloe Neill's new "Devil's Isle" series. The premise of the book is original and intriguing. It takes places in New Orleans seven years after the end of a war that started when "the Veil" that separates our world from the magical one was torn open by magical forces that wanted to conquer the Earth. They lost. The Veil was resealed. Nothing was the same afterwards.

I liked the complexity and plausibility of the post-war world that Chloe Neill constructed and I enjoyed how she revealed it gradually by expanding the understanding of the main character, Claire Connolly. Claire, who was in her teens when the war happened and lost her father to it, now runs the antiques store in The French Quarter that her father left her. She is trying to lead a quiet, hardworking life, honouring the memory of her father and not drawing attention to herself. Given that she has magical powers that are currently illegal and that she can't stop herself from coming to the rescue of women under threat. this turns out to be an ambition she can't fulfil.

This is a fun, light read, with likeable characters, interesting ideas and good actions scenes. It tends a little towards Young Adult in its politics-lite view of the world but it is still an entertaining read for grown-ups.

I groaned a little at how beautiful everyone had to be, especially the main male character. It didn't add anything for me except slightly clichéd romance and struck a false note amongst all the original ideas.

It works as a standalone but is mainly a set up for the series. I didn't mind that. The second book is already out and I'm looking forward to it.

I recommend this to anyone who wants some original, upbeat, urban fantasy and who doesn't mind the odd bit of eye-candy ogling along the way. ( )