The Night Fogs was readable and engaging on the whole but the ending felt rushed, incomplete and frustratingly unsatisfying. It is set in Cardiff which is ironic as the plot has a distinctly Torchwood feel to it. The writing is solid but I found a few sentences to have a somewhat jarring construction. It is pure entertainment that requires a huge suspension of disbelief - and I don't mean for the past life regression or neuro-altering weather! The characters just seemed to be fleshing out when the whole thing came to an abrupt end that left me with many unanswered questions - while many relish that kind of mysterious ambiguity it's not my favourite way for a story to end.

I wanted to like this book. Its a promising mix of Welsh mythology/fantasy and a modern day terror plot.
But, somewhere along the way, it failed to grab me. I kept waiting for something more, something to happen that really kicks off the action, but it feels like the entire novel is about waiting, and watching, and observing. Which is fine, I guess, if you like that sort of thing. I just wanted to see more of Harry's parents, and the other side of reality, where they hypothesised the fogs came from.
It does show an accurate portrayal of a patriots descent into paranoid madness, but I didn't feel connected to any of the characters, and I didn't have the urge to read on and on just to find out what happens - though I did finish it.
For me, the writing itself was fine, well constructed but on the whole, it just missed the mark.

An interesting read for sci-fi horror fans. It straddles the supernatural, mystery and sci-fi genres well.

The entire story is written in the present tense which is unusual. It creates the feeling that everything is happening right now and keeps the pace of the story high. The action starts right from the first sentence and never really lets up. Whilst this was good in the beginning, without a pause here the tension eventually plateaus and once you put the book down you don't feel compelled to pick it back up again. Also, without natural breaks it always felt like you were putting the book down mid-scene. This makes it harder to pick back up again as you start reading mid-scene and have to back track a few paragraphs to get back into it.

Despite the pacing issue the story itself was intriguing. It centres around a mysterious fog that rolls into Wales one year and causes havoc. Both scientific and paranormal explanations are offered and the characters are drawn into trying to figure out both what it is and how to survive it. The characters are all very well written and very plausible. Each one has their own story thread which weave in and out of each others' stories without the overall plot becoming too complicated.

It was really refreshing to read a book set in a location other than London or New York City, especially when I was holidaying in South Wales as I read it. There are a lot of English and Welsh colloquialisms that you would expect to find equivalents of in an American novel which I found interesting and familiar to read and immediately drew me in.

Recommended for readers who like to read a story that hasn't been 'done' before and enjoy a good conspiracy or mystery.

Highlights

The Welsh 

The mythology

The surprising twist at the end

Overall

I highly enjoyed this book. It's a quick, easy, a bit shallow read centred around the newly independent Wales with a weather crisis. 

The Story

The story follows four individuals (El, Rihannon, Cadoc and Huw Davis) trying to work through the events of the night fogs which started to roll in at New Year's Eve. El and Cadoc work night shifts supporting the suddenly depressed members of the public in Cardiff. Riahnnon is a foster mother to a blue-skinned baby found by El on an especially foggy night, while Huw is a major in the New Welsh Army who believes the fogs are coming from across the channel and is actually a biological attack on the Welsh from the English. I liked the struggle between the two subjects of staying loyal to your country but also do the right thing in the right order.

There is a lot of potential in this book and it could have been miles longer and delved way further into the mythology and the background of St Cadoc. But it doesn't and only gives you snips and pieces. Only the necessary information. 

World Building

Minor worldbuilding is done outside the immediate world of these four people and the action that is going on. As a near-futuristic Wales its based a lot on todays Wales so not much building is needed. I would have liked more around the effects of the fog to get a deper perspective of the effects.

I would have liked more building around the mythical stuff and St Cadoc, but you cant have everything.

The Characters

There aren't that many characters involved in this story which makes it feel smaller somehow. The narrative is mainly from the characters of El, Rihannon, Cadoc, and Major Fuckwits sorry Davis.

I thought El was ok though a bit blind. I'm not sure if it was of her own choice or if she just didn't see stuff coming. I would have liked to explore more of her opinions, feeling and overall thoughts. She is fierce and strong but still a functioning human being without many personal issues, and I liked that. We often see strong fierce women portrayed a someone who is either cold on the inside or has hated and traumatic experiences building up inside her. So reading about EL was a more realistic approach I thought. It felt more natural to me anyway that she is the way she is. I really liked that.

Riahnnon is El's younger sister and is someone I personally cant relate to. She has just given away her first surrogate child which she grew very attached too, and is now nursing another child who she knows isn't hers. She feels she has lost her own daughter and a foreign child is now having her milk. This is an issue I have not read about or from before. It was a very interesting perspective but I would have liked more.

Cadoc, I feel, is the main event here. He is the American with the Welch grandmother, who comes to Cardiff to get research experience after his PhD. He lodges with the sisters and works with El on her night shifts. He struggles in the fog and the events really get to his head as if there is someone else in there with him. He starts speaking in tongues which turns out is ancient Welsh.

Major Huw Davis was someone I did not like at all whatsoever. What a prick of a guy! Nationalist to the bone and is completely blinded to logic by his extremism. 

Writing

The writing is smooth and I had no issues at all whatsoever with the writing. It was a joy to read. 

I would read by this author again.

If you are Welsh or have Welsh ancestors, this could be a fun read for you.

I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was highly original and quite different to anything else on the market at the moment.I also really liked the fact that having lived in Cardiff for over 20 years I knew most of the places mentioned and could picture them perfectly.having said that you can still enjoy this book even if you haven't a clue about the places mentioned.I could imagine a scenario like the one described in the book where Wales is independent and England are the enemy although I hope that never happens, but it was all too realistic in the book.I don't want to give anything away but essentially this is about a group of people working and living in extraordinary conditions with a bit of other worldly stuff thrown in and its pretty good, I would certainly look out for more books by this author in future and would like to thank the Publishers for an ARC.

Imagine a future not so distant where Wales and Scotland are independent nations and still trying to adapt to that situation. At the same time the distant past is trying to break through and the Celtic memory is alive and well in the body of an unsuspecting american scientist. Has the war come upon us, or is this a mere weather anomaly, or neither of the above?

It was an interesting book, a good story full of ingredients that are right up my alley. Fantasy meets sci-fi on a story that is consistent and well written, considering that this is the author's first book.
Recommended to all that like a good story, especially if it has a fantasy twist.