Title: The Veil (Devil's Isle #1)
Author: Chloe Neill
Release Date: August 4, 2015
Publisher: NAL
Pages: 352
Source: Bought
Add to Goodreads / Amazon.ca / Indigo

Overall: 4.5 STARS

Summary:

A brand new series from New York Times bestselling author Chloe Neill.
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 that humans call the District. Those who live there call it Devil's Isle.

Claire Connolly is a good girl with a dangerous secret: she’s a Sensitive, a human endowed with magic that seeped through the Veil. Claire knows that revealing her skills would mean being confined to Devil’s Isle. Unfortunately, hiding her power has left her untrained and unfocused.

Liam Quinn knows from experience that magic makes monsters of the weak, and he has no time for a Sensitive with no control of her own strength. But when he sees Claire using her powers to save a human under attack—in full view of the French Quarter—Liam decides to bring her to Devil’s Isle and the teacher she needs, even though getting her out of his way isn’t the same as keeping her out of his head.

As more and more Sensitives fall prey to their magic, and unleash their hunger on the city, Claire and Liam must work together to save New Orleans, or else the city will burn… 

My Thoughts:  
Seven years ago, the Veil was torn apart and New Orleans became a war zone. Humans battled the invading Paranormals entering from the Beyond, and a year later, humanity won the war... barely. The Veil has been restored again, but life has never been the same in the South ever since. Magic still slowly seeps through the Veil, electricity flickers on and off, fresh food is a luxury, and entire neighbourhoods still lay abandoned or destroyed.

Claire Connolly would never imagine leaving New Orleans, not even when her father died in one of the final battles of the war. Now she runs Royal Mercantile, an antiques store that has been passed down in her family for generations, and hopes no one learns her greatest secret. Eight months ago, Claire suddenly discovered she was a Sensitive, a human who can absorb magic, and being one ensures a one-way ticket to Devil's Isle.

You see, when the Veil was closed, inevitably ending the war, the Paranormals couldn't return to the Beyond. Containment, the military unit running New Orleans, decided to imprison the surviving Paras inside the District, unofficially called Devil's Isle by the locals. Yet when Claire is forced to use her magic to save a girl from a wraith attack one night, she unexpectedly receives help from a mysterious bounty hunter named Liam Quinn.

Liam is investigating the increasing attacks on humans by wraiths, and as he and Claire work together, they soon begin to realize there is more at stake than they could've ever imagined. Lines blur and the difference between friend or foe becomes unclear when Liam shows Claire that her understanding of the Paras isn't what Containment has convinced everyone to believe. And the romance! The sexual tension is a slow burn that builds and teases until you're chanting KISS KISS KISS, hoping for more to happen between Claire and Liam. I think their relationship will definitely heat up in the sequel!

If you've also read Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampires series, then you'll know what I mean when I say Claire is essentially a New Orleans version of Merit with her appreciation of food, close friendships, sarcastic sense of humour, and a deep love for her city. That's totally not a complaint. I absolutely loved it! Chloe Neill's The Veil is a thrilling, intense introduction to the Devil's Isle series! With fantastic world-building, memorable characters, and a suspenseful plot that leaves you on the edge of your seat, The Veil is a definite must-read for urban fantasy and paranormal romance fans alike.