Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews

Narrated by Renee Raudman

Sweep in Peace is a Star Wars-like urban fantasy (UF) that includes a number of creative species from other worlds. In this book in particular, there are 3 different species that are all fighting over one planet, plus a magically gifted innkeeper, an arbitrator, and a whole host of other colorful characters who join in to promote one perspective or another in this cosmic battle between those who want to continue warring and those who seek peace. Highly unique and complex in its setting, with great writing and a masterful narration to boot, Sweep in Peace has a lot to offer the UF enthusiast.

Dina DeMille lives on Earth but she’s not your typical human. Instead, she runs a magical inn which is a family business her parents were involved in, although she has lost her parents and desperately hopes to find them. This inn serves as a safe haven for visitors of other species and planets while visiting Earth. It is Dina’s job as the innkeeper, a job which she uses plenty of magic to achieve, to make sure that no one gets hurt during their stay.

Unfortunately, however, with the exception of one permanent guest (who has warrants out for her arrest from a number of galaxies and therefore can’t afford to leave), business has been quite dead. Dina is desperate to drum up business, so when she’s approached by an arbitrator who asks her to host a peace summit among three warring other-worldly species that no other innkeepers will host due to the dangerous risks and unlikelihood of success, she takes the booking and hopes for the best.

But everything is not what it seems, and tensions are running high with priceless concerns on the line. Moreover, when a blast from the past reemerges and indentures himself to save her, she is even more motivated to find a resolution for peace at all costs. Will Dina be successful in brokering peace? And at what costs?

Renee Raudman is a truly gifted narrator. Her range in voices is simply mesmerizing. Her capacity to create so many different, spot-on, character appropriate voices–even “non-human” voices–makes this a title that simply must be listened to. Ms. Raudman also excels at communicating a whole multitude of emotions and feelings with her narration. Her ability to switch between anger, empathy, and even humor at the right time, enhanced the effect of the story.

Given that I loved the message and creativity of this story, I think it is important that I explain why this story wasn’t an A for me. Specifically, I had some difficulty following it. It was already a complicated story, and I understand from other reviews it was also related to Ms. Andrews’ The Edge Series. Without being familiar with any world-building other than what I learned in book 1, Clean Sweep, and with such a creative and unique UF world, including the plentiful unique names, I found myself getting confused about which species and interrelationships were being discussed. Of course, in the end, I remedied this by going back and re-listening to a few of the passages, but it broke up the flow for me. Perhaps if I had listened to the prior series, or had I read this story in print, I could have paced it better or used notes to help understand the interconnections better.

One additional factor is worth noting, particularly for the romance enthusiasts reading this review. While there is a thread of romance in this story – in fact, Sweep in Peace continues two potential love interests that were first introduced in Clean Sweep –  the romantic connection is really more of a gloss rather than a primary element of the story. It may explain why certain individuals act the way they do, but there is no active pursuit of a romantic relationship within the pages of this story per se. I think that the first two books are just laying the groundwork for a potential future romantic arc, as is sometimes the case in UF series that feature the same heroine thoughout.

All in all, the Innkeeper Chronicles is a great example of how deep and well-developed UF series can be. And while it may have taken me a little longer to listen to this book than I originally expected, in the end I loved the author’s message and greatly enjoyed Ms. Raudman’s creative voicing of these colorful characters, making it definitely worth the listen.

Note: This title is the second book in the Innkeeper Chronicles, and like many UF series, these books are meant to be read in chronological order. Therefore, if you have not yet started this series, you should start with Clean Sweep.

BJ