I finished this book barely,holding out to the end that it would get better...It didnt. To sum up the premise for the

Abby is a touchstone for this OtherFolk (Moira) who has disappeared without a trace. She gets a mysterious costumer who is searching for his missing sister.Could there be a connection?

This book was so bad in soo many ways,where to start? Oh yes the dialogue maybe?

The dialogue was at best silly let me give you an example.

"Whats up pussycat,I purred"

Who even talks like that?! It could have been forgiven if the main character was some sort of feline (she is not) But every other character talks equally stupidly and at times even offensive, like commenting on a guys..er assets.

I mean im all for feminism and womens liberation...

But does that mean women have to act like men? I cant count the times Abby and/or her friend are ogling a male body and making remarks,that were they said by a man would have counted as sexual harrasment.

And oh yes speaking of fantasies.Abby is supposed to be this former crazy artistic talent,wich is now spilling over into her having a very rich dreamlife.Because you can totally tell by the way she talks and acts that she is an ARTIST soul(not!)

You can tell who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. The bad ones are ugly/old and the good ones are beautiful/young-looking as things are in reality *rolls eyes*

The villain was pretty easy to figure out,even the characters suspect it,but they seemed strangely dis-inclined to follow through on the lead. But of course they had more important things to do, go to clubs,angst over their past and fall instantly into love/lust.

And while the idea of TouchStones (reminds me of a film company name)
was interesting,it never got properly explained.The author just throws us into the book expecting the reader to figure out things yourself.

I dont recommend unless youre out of urban fantasy and need a quick fix. ( )

I liked it a lot. There were some parts that I had to re-read because I thought, "what, what just happened?" But I thought it was pretty good for a writer's first book! ( )

A decent urban fantasy book, a little dry, but with some clever and refreshing elements.

This is a fae book, really. It talks about three groups, the angelic, the daemonic and the fae - but it reads more like a fae book in style, where fae is a catch-all for anything supernatural. The world building is a bit weak, though some concepts were interesting. The central thing is that Abby is a touchstone, a link between a supernatural being and the human world. I think this idea has real potential. And there were some explorations to the dreamscape that were intriguing. The story is set around somewhere called "the Marketplace" which came off a bit vague and confusing. The characters were semi-interesting, but a little on the 2D side, nothing really distinctive.

On the plus side, there were some clever one-liners throughout the book, and I'm a sucker for wit and banter. And the romance, at least at the beginning, was refreshing. The romantic interest is Brystion, an incubus with powers of lust that feeds off dreams. Abby deals with the romance in a subtly different eay from your typical heroine, with a dash of practicality and a sprinkle of fun. It does sort of fizzle towards the end though, and some problematic issues arise.

Anyway, this manages to avoid the failings and irritations many books of this genre are guilty of. It's mildly enjoyable, but nothing spectacular. I'll probably pick up the sequel next time I'm at a loss fot something to read. ( )

I'm pretty sure A Brush of Darkness has now cemented my love of this genre! Abby Sinclair takes her rightful place among my favorite female protagonists of all time! Sassy, sarcastic, and downright awesome, Abby is the type of woman who won't let anyone else push her around. What I loved most about her character was the fact that Pang wrote her with such depth. From the beginning you know there is more to Abby than meets the eye. As the book progresses, little bits come to light. It makes for a fantastic and engrossing read.

However it isn't just Abby that steals the show. Brystion of course is the dark, brooding and smoldering love interest. From the first moment he was introduced I knew I was going to fall for him. Yes, he plays the classic bad boy image, but (and pardon my French) damn does he do it well! This incubus has no qualms with admitting what he is. He is sex personified, and he is delicious. Behind him the other characters kind of pale in comparison, but they do their part and they do it right. Pang populates her world with all types of otherwordly creatures. Including, and of course my favorite, Phineas the unicorn. If you thought unicorns were sweet and lovely, well, you thought wrong. We'll leave it at that.

True to the genre, there is a fabulous amount of outright action present in A Brush of Darkness! This is a wild ride through not only the mortal world, but the world of the other and everywhere in between. I loved the way that Abby and Brystion played off one another. I was also quite appreciative of their more sensual scenes. Pang treats these two with class and, although they definitely sizzle on the page, the scenes aren't overly descriptive. Just enough to make your skin tingle, if you know what I mean.

Wickedly funny, this is a book that will have you reading like mad! I could go on and on about the characters, the vivid world building and everything else, but really you'll just have to read this to appreciate it fully! If you like sexual tension, snarky humor and a roller coaster ride of a plot, this is one for you! I cannot wait for more of Abby and Brystion. Bring it on! I'll be here. ( )

Although I half-heatedly picked up this book, I immediately got immersed in Allison Pang's world of touchstone mortals, fae, daemons, angels, and even a miniature unicorn. Overall, I thought the story was interesting and had enough intrigue that I didn't want to put it down. What I really liked was the way Abby's story evolved, without it being just dumped out. At first, you get hints about what happened to her in the past, and slowly, as the story progresses and Abby has some growth, her story comes out. My one main complaint is that there wasn't a lot of explanation about the overarching world of Portsmyth. We really don't even know anything about Portsmyth except the tiny bit we see that includes the Pit, Abby's apartment, and the Hollows. Or why the contract with Moria prevents Abby from leaving the boundaries of Portsmyth. Also, lots of terms were thrown around with no clear understanding of exactly how this world works or how exactly touchstones & keystones work and the contracts between mortals and the others. But if you can overlook the lack of explanations, you will gather an understanding of the world. I still have some questions, which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 4, but I'm hoping it will get fleshed out in the second book. Overall, a solid debut novel by Allison Pang. ( )