Review: Clean Sweep by Ilona Andrews (Innkeeper Chronicles #1)

Clean Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles #1)
Ilona Andrews
Published: December 2^, 2013 (Ilona Andrews)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: purchased 

Reviewed by: Jannelle

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Dina is an Inn Keeper in what looks to be a quiet Texas town. Dina’s magical powers are entwined with the Inn she owns and it’s her job is to provide her guests with a certain level of protection on neutral ground during their stay. While an Innkeeper’s job is to remain neutral in all conflicts, Dina loses her neutrality when an otherworldly being begins to feast on her neighbors’ dogs, and she begins to worry for the safety of the human lives around her.

Soon enough, Dina enlists the help of Sean, a local werewolf who is new and territorial about his new living space (the entire neighborhood). As they both begin to discover who—or what—is behind these acts of violence, we dive deeper into this fantastical world Dina has grown up in and meet the many creatures that live in it.

Creatures that we have all become familiar with and look forward to reading about—werewolves, vampires, etc.—are transformed in the Innkeeper Chronicles into beings from out of this world (quite literally): aliens.

I read paranormal romances and urban fantasy novels because I love the dark and somewhat familiar path these paranormal elements shape into in the course of its story. At the beginning of Clean Sweep, I had a faint idea as to what I could expect, but aliens weren’t on my list of expectations. Having these recognizable characters with their well-known histories being transformed into something more and other, made for such an intriguing read.

It’s no secret that I love romances and look forward to that ever-building connection between a heroine and her hero. In Clean Sweep, however, I didn’t find myself looking for that romantic element. I’m not saying that there’s wasn’t one–there is. But what pushed the story forward and kept it entertaining and all-consuming for me was this magical world that Andrews has created, intertwining the paranormal with the fantastical.

The romance was such a minor element in Clean Sweep that it didn’t affect the pace or change the major storyline at all. Of course, I was constantly hoping for more between Sean and Dina… until Arland showed up. Then I wasn’t sure whose side I was on, or if there was even a side to choose from because the most sexual aspect of the novel was a pretty intense kiss… and that happened once.

While I loved Clean Sweep, it was a bit slow to start, which is why I’m giving it 4 stars. I was a bit confused to start, but slowly everything began to click into place. It helped to have a character like Sean in play, who was as unfamiliar with the alien world as the reader is. Dina was forced to explain many of the world’s unique elements, enlightening Sean (and me) as to their purpose in regards to the story’s direction.

Overall, Clean Sweep has a steady-paced plot that really picked up at the end, leaving me curious as to which way the next installment, Sweep in Peace, will be headed. If you haven’t yet picked this up, do yourself a favor and download it now—you won’t regret it.

Sexual content: kissing