Title: Tattered Huntress (Thrill of the Hunt Book One)
Publisher: HarperFire
Author: Helen Harper
Pages: 294pp
Price: $11.99 / $4.99

Daisy Carter is an elf. Orphaned and raised by humans, she knows almost nothing of her heritage — except that she’s a low elf and high elves want nothing to do with her. That’s fine by Daisy. She works her job as a delivery driver, up and down the mountains of Scotland and, when she has the money, buys enough illegal spider silk pills to keep he wild magic under control. Unfortunately, she knows the pills will eventually kill her. And when the obnoxious treasure hunter Hugo Pemberville gets her fired from her job, Daisy decides to show him up: she’ll beat him to the lost Jacobite gold. Thus begins Daisy’s new life as a treasure hunter, filled with giant snakes, claustrophobic caverns, carnivorous selkies, sword fights, and madcap races across the Scottish Highlands ….

This book was just so much fun. I loved Harper’s series, A Lazy Girl’s Guide to Magic, and Tattered Huntress is probably even better. Daisy is awesome. She’s whip smart and clever, but also compassionate. She despises the social divide between low elves and high elves, and would rather spend her time hanging out at the bar with her fellow drivers. She only takes spider silk because nothing else controls her magic; and, after she almost killed her human parents during a nightmare, she would rather be an addict than a murderer.

Hugo Pemberville took a while to grow on me. He has the natural arrogance of one born to wealth and privilege. But he also understands that he did nothing to earn that life. So he travels the world finding lost art and treasures, sharing them with the people rather than hoarding them away for himself. He loves the research, learning about these treasures and the people who created them; and he loves the thrill of the chase, of uncovering something that was thought lost forever. Ultimately, he proves to be a good match fo Daisy.

The world that Harper has created is also a lot of fun. Humans and supernatural beings live side by side. As Daisy notes, attitudes have evolved over the centuries. Elves, witches, shifters, and humans are now all treated as equals, and trade in non-sentient magical creatures is illegal; even the carnivorous selkies who live in the waters off Scotland are afforded basic rights and not prosecuted when a stupid human wanders into their clearly marked territory.

Tattered Huntress is exciting and funny. There are narrow escapes, deceitful villains, loyal sidekicks, magical artifacts, and so much more. I can’t wait for the next book!

Highly recommended to fans of Lindsay Buroker, Shari L. Tapscott, Willa Blackmore, Scott Walker, and Gemma Clatworthy.

[Reviewed by Rebecca Buchanan.]