Elicia Hyder, author of the amazing ‘Soul Summoner’ series, is back with a brand new opener to a new series, and I had the chance to grab an ARC for review.

DETACHED
Book 1 of The Saphera Nyx Series
by Elicia Hyder
Release Date: 1.26.2021
ISBN-13: 978-1945775260
ASIN: B08M6M49CL

WEBSITE: www.sapheranyx.com

TAGLINE: She robbed her brother of his destiny. Now she’s stuck with a dangerous power she can’t ignore, can’t control, and frighteningly—can’t resist.

BLURB:

I was born on the wrong side of the law—literally delivered on the floor of the state women’s prison.

My mother sees spirits. My father could become one at will. Together, they were among the most dangerous crime couples in history.

I’ve spent the last three decades trying not to live up to my DNA’s potential. Now my father is dead, and his “gift” has wrongly passed to me.

All I want is freedom from my dark family legacy, but my father’s death opened a gateway, unleashing a bloodthirsty enemy. And as much as I hate this new power within me, it might be the only way to save the city I’ve sworn to protect.

Excerpt:

DETACHED
Saphera Nyx Book 1

“What have I missed?”

Essex pulled away from my building. “Last night was pretty quiet other than the news from the hospital. No signs of heroin or hypnox. Just a couple of MVCs; no fatalities. I also wrangled two loose cows back into John Larson’s fence.”

“You wrangled them?” I made a lasso gesture overhead.

“OK, I shooed them.” He stared straight ahead, trying to keep a serious cop-like face. “Begged and pleaded and pushed a little.”

I laughed. “You pushed?”

“Yeah. And I’m calling bullshit on cow tipping. Those suckers don’t move. I did get to take a picture with a llama though.”

“A llama?”

“Yep.” He handed me his phone. “I made our selfie my new lockscreen.”

I laughed. On his phone’s screen was a picture of an alpaca licking his eyeball. “That’s an alpaca.”

“Same thing.”

I returned his phone. “Did you sleep today?”

“Not much.”

I started to ask why, but my mouth snapped closed. After our morning exchange, he’d probably had too much on his mind for sleep. My cheeks warmed at the thought.

God, I needed to tell him the truth. We had a twelve-hour shift ahead of us, and we still had some time before calling 10-8…

My heart pounded in my chest. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and blew it out slowly.

Was I really going to tell him?

What would he say?

What would he think?

I wasn’t just jeopardizing our friendship and whatever more could be between us. If Essex thought I was a lunatic, I could lose my job.

But…what if he did believe me?

“Nyx?”

My face whipped toward him.

“You all right?” he asked with an amused grin.

I turned in my seat and tapped my chest, the universal signal across the force to disable your body camera.

“All my cameras are off.” He raised an eyebrow. “Why do they need to be?”

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “Call it damage control. What I’m about to say is going to sound completely nuts to whoever hears it.”

“OK,” he said slowly.

“Delta One.” A woman’s voice came over the radio, startling us both.

“Geez, we’re not even technically on duty.” Essex shook his head as he grabbed the radio off its cradle. “Delta One.”

“We’re getting calls about a car heading the wrong direction on Highway Fifty close to your location.”

“I’m heading eastbound, just past Overlook Road.” He lowered the radio. “Nyx, cameras back on.”

“Roger that.” Our conversation would have to wait.

Dispatch started again. “It should be right on top of you. Gray four-door sedan—”

“Essex, look out!” I grabbed the handle above my window.

The truck ahead of us swerved, side-swiping the concrete wall dividing the highway. Essex hit his blue lights, but the oncoming car didn’t slow.

It was heading straight for us.

And here’s my review – 4.5*

Detached by Elicia Hyder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Saphera Nyx, former soldier, now police officer, has a startling background. Daughter to a renowned crime couple, she’s a scion of Nyx, Goddess of Night. As if that wasn’t enough, when her father dies, his gift for ‘detaching’ – when his spirit leaves his body at will – passes to Saphera, and not to her older brother as expected.
When her parents’ last crime, involving a deadly drug, returns to haunt the town of Sapphire Lake, Nyx must decide whether to rid herself of this unwanted ability, or embrace it to prevent more people from suffering a terrible fate.
This new series from the author of the excellent ‘Soul Summoner’ series, hits the ground running and never lets up. I did find it hard, at first, to identify with Nyx (as she likes to be known). There’s a lot of information and a lot of characters, and I didn’t find anything in common with Nyx to help me latch onto her. This is a personal thing, and I can’t fault the writing or the story, I just didn’t connect with her until I chapter 8, when she helps a new friend regain her job in a fantastic show of brashness and empathy. After that, I couldn’t read it fast enough and I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens in the next book.
This is a fascinating premise, with great world building, and the fully rounded characters I’ve come to expect from this author. There’s action, humour, pathos, and a smouldering romance, all beautifully integrated into a thrilling paranormal plot with a satisfying wrap up, and lots of material left for future stories. If this is your sort of read, I highly recommend you check out this opening novel of what promises to be a great new series.

View all my reviews