Title: Rogue Myths (Gatekeeper Book One)
Publisher/Author: Layla Lawlor
Pages: 360pp

Kay Darrow just wants to focus on school; in defiance of her overbearing mother, she is happily pursuing an arts degree in upstate New York and living in a ramshackle house on the edge of a national forest. Sure, money is tight and she has to turn on her car with a screwdriver, but she’s happy. And then, one night, a monster stumbles into her front yard pursued by a man with a glowing, flaming sword …. Now Kay finds herself reluctantly bonded to a life-sucking weapon that can change form as needed, being mentored by an ancient and wary bean sidhe, and pursuing monsters instead of attending classes. Kay’s crash course in all things magical and monstrous may not be enough, though, to save herself and her friends … not with one of the greatest monsters of Greek mythology threatening to hunt her down ….

Lawlor is the author of one my favorite urban fantasy short stories (“Her Majesty’s Unicorn”), so I was thrilled when I discovered she had also penned several series. I decided to start with the Gatekeeper books, and I was not disappointed.

Kay is terrific. She’s highly creative and adaptable, but also deeply rational and skeptical. When she suddenly discovers that magic and myth are real, she accepts the evidence of her senses; she’s not going to fight against the obvious truth right in front of her. But knowing the truth also means asking questions and getting answers, no matter how uncomfortable or frightening. Ultimately, that determination to know and understand — herself, her allies, her enemies — gives her the edge she needs to save those she loves.

Lawlor definitely did her homework for this series. She expertly makes use of Greek, Irish, and native Cayuga spiritual lore, drawing on primary sources while also giving it her own unique spin. (E.g., at one point, Kay starts asking questions about how accurate the myths can be about the heroes and the monsters, when the heroes got to tell the stories.)

Rogue Myths is a terrific first volume in a three book urban fantasy series that mixes classic mythology with modern questions about identity, friendship, and the nature of truth and history. Highly recommended to fans of Lawlor’s other books, as well as fans of Helen Harper’s Cat Lady Chronicles, the August Derlyth, Occult Detective series by Blaze Ward, the Malykant Mysteries by Charlotte E. English, and The Girl With the Ghost Eyes by MH Boroson.

[Reviewed by Rebecca Buchanan.]