Although this is only the second book by Larissa Ione that I’ve read (and reviewed), both entries in the Demonica series struck me as remarkably equilibrated. I didn’t love Sin Undone, but I liked it enough that I can certainly recommend the author as a welcome antidote to the usual run of paranormals.

Sinead Donnelly is not your average Seminus demon succubus. She is the leader of an assassin’s den and plagued by a “gift” that enables her to detect, create, transmit, and cure any disease. A few months ago this went out of control, and now a fever is killing off the warg (aka werewolf) population. Sin’s brothers working at Underground General Hospital (UG) are doing all they can to find a cure for Sin Fever, and to that end they call in Con.

Conall Dearghul is not your average half-warg half-vampire paramedic. He is the hereditary leader of the dhampires (the half-half race mentioned above), keeps another foot in the Warg Council, works at UG, and goes heli-skiing off the Alps. A while ago he and Sin shared a one-bonk stand, but they don’t really know each other except as That Annoying Person. But they have to work together to figure out the disease, as well as cope with warg politics, assassins, and burgeoning love.

It’s not a confusing world, but it is complicated, so you should know what you’re getting into. There are demons and wargs and vamps (oh my!), as well as humans, half-breeds, subspecies, and whatnot, all with their own paranormal qualities and fighting or allying with each other. Ms. Ione’s world is interesting, and the author has clearly put some work into making it unique as well as logical but, to be brutally honest, it’s not the main draw. After all, there’s only so much interest I can muster in the fact that there’s yet another warg subspecies that proves different from all the others.

However, when the plot details threaten to overwhelm, the characters kick in. Even though several story arcs unfold and multiple recurring characters play important roles, Sin and Con are not deprived of a full-bodied, full-fledged romance. The key to it all is moderation. Sin could have been another tortured, angsty, kick-ass assassin who discovers a soft side, and Con could have been another mega-alpha werewolf with conflicting interests. But although all of these elements are present, they’re non-intrusive and handled with delicacy. Same with the sex, swearing, and fighting – it’s all there in spades, but balanced enough that no one factor overwhelms the rest.

My other complaint, besides the wealth of world-building, consists of pet peeves, like the author’s predilection for exclamation marks. However, that’s a small price to pay for a good-quality paranormal, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.