Progenie by Mack Little is a compelling first entry in the Scions of Darkness series, an urban fantasy with strong plot points and an elaborately developed protagonist. Zenobia Grant has always known that her life is in danger, and she’s known this from childhood. She has a special gift, one that sets her apart from humans, and while this gift allows her to heal others and to keep her fears at bay, it doesn’t help her know who or what she really is. She would have loved to know about her mother. As she grows up, her world is continually threatened by powerful enemies, including vampires and other forms of supernatural enemies. An ancient book inspires visions that help her identify who her enemies are, but she has no clue how to beat them and the danger they pose to her loved ones grows with each passing day. Follow her on a mission to unveil her potential and face enemies that are as strong as they are ruthless.

A work of great imagination, Mack Little’s Progenie features powerful characters — vampires and demons — and thrusts readers into a supernatural world that takes them to great and exciting places. There are elements of horror, fantasy, and the supernatural, all melded together to create an exciting reading experience. The internal conflict the protagonist experiences is strong and it is at the center of the well-developed streams of consciousness that punctuate the narrative. Apart from the internal conflict, the physical conflict is phenomenal and it pits the protagonist against the powers of darkness. The story is filled with action, riddled with insightful and thoughtful passages. Progenie is written in beautiful prose and I loved the focused scenes and how the author explores the psychological and emotional depth of the protagonist. A pulsating narrative with nonstop action; you never know what comes next and this sustains the driving suspense.

Progenie is a work of urban fantasy fiction penned by author Mack Little, and forms book one of the Scions of Darkness series. Written for adults due to its graphic content, this adventure follows Zenobia Grant, a woman of human appearance who holds many more secrets under the surface. Creatures from the most terrifying dark corners of the globe seek Zen out as she goes about her life, trying to help humanity and find out the truth about what happened to her family. Though she’s well versed in how to defend herself against them, defeating them all is a much bigger puzzle to figure out.

Author Mack Little writes with flair in this stylized action/adventure tale featuring a wealth of dark fantasy creatures. I enjoyed the action scenes particularly as they came to life right from the page, with Zen’s moves and her sharp thoughts narrated so as to never spoil the flow of the scene. I think Zenobia represents something different as a heroine with her combination of healing traits and quietly burning strength that she often dares not unleash around humans. The emotional connections to the tale were well crafted and told us a lot about Zen, helping us relate to her unusual problem and sense of displacement. Overall, Progenie sets up an exciting premise for a great future series with all the elements that fans of slick urban fantasy will crave: danger, darkness, epic fights, mean streets and a series of well drawn monsters that will haunt you long after the story ends.