urban fantasy Archives - Page 7 of 8

Yzabel / April 16, 2014

Review: Night Terrors

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

It’s Men In Black meets The Sandman.

Meet the fine men and women of the NightWatch: a supernatural agency dedicated to hunting down rogue nightmares that escape from other realms when people dream about them, while ensuring that other dream-folk are allowed to live among the regular, human population… as long as they play by the rules.

Review:

[I got a free copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.]

Well, what can I say… I really liked this one? I tend to naturally gravitate towards themes such as dreams and nightmares, and when I saw that Night Terrors dealt with exactly that—more specifically, nightmares made “flesh”—I just couldn’t pass on it. Although I’m also a glutton for punishment, since clowns have always creeped me out, and guess what Jinx is? Yep. The cover kind of gave it away, after all.

Audra and Jinx are agents of the Shadow Watch, an organisation bent on regulating interactions between the human world and Nod, a place where dreams have attained a state of self-awareness. Audra is an Ideator, a human whose psyche created and fleshed out a nightmare (Jinx), until the latter became his own self. Since then, both have been working for that special agency.

Some aspects of this novel rest on well-known tropes, such as the two “cops” with a record of regularly causing havoc while on a mission, or the dashing potential love interest with mysterious goals and a mysterious employer. Or the shady bar with shady customers and a shady bartender who deals information. However, those being traditional fixtures of the detective novel/UF genre, I wasn’t too surprised to see them here. What I appreciated was how they were, but didn’t become too heavy.

I seriously dug the world-building here. The narrative, told in Audra’s voice, is peppered with small doses of information here and there, which allowed me to qickly grasp what Nod and the Shadow Watch stood for, how things worked there, what an Ideator was, and so on. Audra has a tendency to address the reader, which can be annoying to a degree if you don’t like that; personally, I thought it created some kind of complicity, as if I was allowed to get a glimpse of what dreams are really made of.

The characters weren’t the most developed ever, but I found them fun and sympathetic nonetheless. The nightmares/dreamt creatures came in many flavours, ranging from relatively human-looking dreams to strange animals, fear-inducing shadows and even Deathmobiles beaming green aging lasers into their enemies. The concept of their having Night and Day Aspects added interesting possibilities in my opinion. Night Jinx was pretty funny (in his own frightening ways), while Day Jinx turned out to be quite the decent fellow. There’s also a hint of a potential love interest, as said above. It never becomes overwhelming, which I was grateful for: the story’s stakes are high enough, and I seldom root for making-out sessions in such cases. The novel paved the way for more in that regard… or not… and it doesn’t really matter.

I admit I wasn’t too keen on the Evil Gloating speech of the villain towards the end, but at least it wasn’t the Bond Villain Stupidity kind.

As a whole, this book simply… clicked with me. I can’t really explain in objective terms.

Yzabel / March 6, 2014

Review: The Necromancer’s Gambit

The Necromancer’s Gambit by Nicolas Wilson

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

Knight, the sheriff of a local magical government known as “the Gambit,” is called to recover a mutilated body, tainted with magic and dumped at a popular haunt. When the corpse is identified as a close associate of the Gambit, it threatens the safety of the community he protects, and those he cares about most. As the fragile peace amongst the city’s magic-wielding factions disintegrates, Knight must track down a cadre of murderers before his friends are picked off, one by one- with each death used to strengthen the spells cast against the Gambit.

Review:

(I got a free copy of this book through ARR #1665 in the Making Connections group, in exchange for an honest review.)

The Necromancer’s Gambit is one of those conundrum books I don’t exactly know how to rate, because it had strong good sides, but also strong points that disagreed with me. Part of me liked it, while another part didn’t really want to go through with it.

Mostly I was really interested in the background it developed, with mages organised in groups (“gambits”) aiming at settling disputes, protecting their cities, and so on. Each gambit has a defined set of members, named after chess pieces, with defined roles: Kings and Queens on the political scene, Rooks as guardians, Knights acting as sheriffs, and so on. These members are also well-versed in different kinds of magic, from tracking spells to necromancy to devising bombs and traps. There are definitely lots of possibilities and combinations here, especially considering the presence of other supernaturals such as vampires in town, and I don’t doubt the series—since this is book #1—aims at exploiting them more later.

There’s also mystery, a noir flavour, murder attempts, murders performed through the use of gruesome magic, necromancy (I’m such a weakling for necromancy)… It’s certainly not a kind world. And the novel plays on enough different aspects, between action and investigation, that a reader will likely find something to his/her taste in it.

However, I found it hard to focus on the story, and it came down to two problems for me. The first was editing. Some sentences had a weird structure, making them hard to follow (punctuation included). Sometimes, it was also difficult to follow who was talking, and who was the POV character for a given chapter (mostly Knight, with forays into Rook’s and Pawn’s sides of the adventure). Also, I think some bits of dialogue should’ve been omitted, as they made scenes a little too long. This ties into the second problem: a serious overload of sexual jokes and innuendos? Now, this is coming from someone whose degree of well-being is measured by her friends by the amount of dirty jokes she makes (I’m worse in that regard than most men I know). Such jokes normally don’t bother me… but there were just too many of them, in situations where they fell flat and disrupted the narrative flow. Almost every character would sooner or later talk about his junk—or someone else’s; more than once I found myself thinking “why aren’t they getting to the point instead of mentioning X’s dick or Y’s boobs or whatever? It’s been going on for ten chapters.” As a consequence of those two issues, I tended to lose track too often, and I bet it prevented me from seeing some of the more subtle sides of the story. (A shame, since betrayal’s involved.)

I’m definitely liking the world those characters evolve in, and I wouldn’t mind discovering more about it. As it was, though, I’d have appreciated it much more without all the asides.

Yzabel / February 27, 2014

Review: Soul Meaning

Soul Meaning by A.D. Starrling

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

‘My name is Lucas Soul.
Today, I died again.
This is my fifteenth death in the last four hundred and fifty years.’

The Crovirs and the Bastians. Two races of immortals who have lived side by side with humans for millennia and been engaged in a bloody war since the very dawn of their existence. With the capacity to survive up to sixteen deaths, it was not until the late fourteenth century that they reached an uneasy truce, following a deadly plague that wiped out more than half of their numbers and made the majority of survivors infertile.

Soul is an outcast of both immortal societies. Born of a Bastian mother and a Crovir father, a half breed whose very existence is abhorred by the two races, he spends the first three hundred and fifty years of his life being chased and killed by the Hunters.

One fall night in Boston, the Hunt starts again, resulting in Soul’s fifteenth death and triggering a chain of events that sends him on the run with Reid Hasley, a former US Marine and his human business partner of ten years. When a lead takes them to Washington DC and a biotechnology company with affiliations to the Crovirs, they cross the Atlantic to Europe, on the trail of a French scientist whose research seems intrinsically linked to the reason why the Hunters are after Soul again.

From Paris to Prague, their search for answers will lead them deep into the immortal societies and bring them face to face with someone from Soul’s past. Shocking secrets are uncovered and fresh allies come to the fore as they attempt to put a stop to a new and terrifying threat to both immortals and humans.

Time is running out for Soul. Can he get to the truth before his seventeenth death, protect the ones he loves and prevent another immortal war?

Review:

(I got an ARC of this book through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. Since this was an ARC, please note that it might still undergo a few changes before publication.)

One thing I should say from the start is that Soul Meaning would probably make a terrific movie: packed with action, flying bullets, underground treads in secret passageways, a conspiracy that could have a horrible impact on the whole world… A real page-turner.

I especially liked the setting. From what I could see, and as far as I know, real-world locations were well-documented, and I could feel the author researched those, and didn’t only made up stuff on the spot. Bonus points for proper use of French language, which isn’t such a given considering how many novels come up with mangled sentences in that regard. I also liked the way the immortals’ society worked, with two factions technically at peace, yet always seeming like they were on the brink of reigniting the conflict. Last but not least, the stakes were exactly of the kind I like to read about, and here, too, it was obvious things were researched beforehand.

Make it a (solid) 3.5 stars and not a 5, though, because of two things that didn’t really work out for me (unfortunately):

1) The action itself: I liked a fast-paced read, but this one was so fast-paced it made me feel tired. As in, physically tired, just like the characters could only be after so many days living on the edge. On the one hand, it is a positive point: any author can be proud when his/her books elicit responses from the readers. On the other hand, well… there were moments when I wanted to keep on reading, yet had to take a break nonetheless. In the end, it detracted from my enjoyment, even though it wasn’t a breaker either.
(Minor sidenote about suppressors, too: if I’m not mistaken, you’d still hear the gun shot, and it might still attract attention in enclosed spaces, if only the way a strange muffled sound where there isn’t supposed to be any would. Granted, this is nitpicking on my part.)

2) Because the story unfolds so quickly, and the protagonists are so often on the run, I felt there wasn’t enough room for character development. We get to see them react, made plans, devise means of escape, fight, piece hints together… but I didn’t get a complete feeling for them as people. I think they are deeper than that; their depth just couldn’t shine through as much as it would have in different circumstances.

Still, I liked this book (as said, I would easily envision it as a movie or an episode in a TV series), and will keep an eye out for more from this authir. It’s mostly those two specific aspects that didn’t agree with me—and may not be such a problem for another reader.

Yzabel / November 7, 2013

Review: Redemption

Redemption by C.J. Barry

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Reya Sinclair is a Redeemer of Souls. Her mission is to give Earth’s most depraved sinners a shot at redemption just before they are slated to die. Her own redemption is on the line as she fulfills her duties, leaving a trail of dead bodies in her wake. It’s all going perfectly well until one detective takes notice, possibly bringing her salvation to a halt.

Thane Driscoll is a good cop who’s seen too many bad guys get away, including the man who murdered his father. He exacts his own style of justice, even if it costs him his humanity. A string of mysterious deaths leads him to a woman who’s not quite human and might hold the key to finding his father’s killer.

When death and shadows descend, New York City becomes a battleground for the forces of light and dark. As the body count rises and sparks fly between them, Reya and Thane race to uncover a terrible truth. Can one man hell-bent on revenge and one woman determined to save her eternal soul be enough to keep the planet from spiraling into darkness?

Review:

(I got this book from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

Redemption was an interesting read in more than one way, dealing with themes that left fewer room to complete black and white thinking than what appeared at first.

The notion of free will permeates it, and from beginning to end, the characters remain able to make their own choices–no matter how wrong those might be. I appreciated how Reya, for instance, didn’t try to force her views on Thane, knowing that whatever he chose, he had to do so himself, or it wouldn’t be worth much in the eye of the universe. Thane’s desire for revenge plays right into this, and leads to questioning oneself: would we seek revenge, too? Are we so sure that our motives are “pure”, and not fueled despite, our best intentions, by less than stellar deeper feelings? Personnally, I found such questions interesting to delve into.

I also liked the system behind the reincarnations: souls are the ones who choose which next life to give a try to, along with a goal to fulfil, but as they’re sent into these lives without memory of what they themselves decided, they find themselves 1) ignorant of whether what they’re doing is the right thing or not, and 2) feeling like they don’t have free will, when in fact they had all along. This is a bit of a conundrum to wrap one’s mind around, but one that is definitely thought-provoking.

The writing was okay. Not particularly brilliant, efficient in some places, yet somewhat dull in others, with a little too much telling. On the other hand, it remains efficient throughout the story when it comes to bringing in new information, and avoids the pitfall of numerous exposition paragraphs.

The main problems I had with the book were the lull in the middle (it took me some time to pick it up again at some point), and the large scope that eventually made things difficult to follow. I got the bigger picture, but in several parts, the narrative seemed to jump too quickly from one event to the other, in contrast with slower moments that could’ve been scrapped to leave more room to explanations. I think I’d also have wanted to see more of Reya’s job as a Redeemer (so many imperfections hidden behind her perfect physical facade, and so many moments when she could just stumble and fail in this life), of Thane doing his job as a kind of vigilante instead of a regular cop. The overall plot could’ve easily spanned over two books without dragging, considering what kind of scale it unfolded on, so it wouldn’t have been impossible.

I’m not 100% sure I’ll pick the next book in the series, but I can’t tell either I wouldn’t. I’m right in the middle with this one.

Yzabel / February 4, 2013

Review: Kindling the Moon

Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

Meet Arcadia Bell: bartender, renegade magician, fugitive from the law. . . .

Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

Review:

More like 2.5 stars, but I’m upping it to 3, because I feel there’s potential in the world developed here.

My main beef with this book is that the heroine, Arcadia, appears as strong and independent, but when taking a closer look, doesn’t exactly *do* that much by herself: sure, she takes the matter into her own hands and enlists help to solve it, but once this is done, in my opinion, said help does more than her. Also, for someone who’s supposed to be in hiding because of her serial killer parents, and does have quite recognizable features (=her halo—not a spoiler, we learn that in chapter 1), I didn’t find her particularly stealth-savvy, nor in a hurry either. She’s supposed to have only two weeks to solve her problem, yet there were several chapters in which I couldn’t feel any urgency, and wanted to tell the characters “uh, guys, the clock’s ticking.” Finally, I found the romance bit a little too present; it may have been better to develop it more slowly, over the course of two books, maybe.

On the other hand, I liked the supernatural world developed by the author, with different categories of ‘demons’ (not all necessarily ‘bad’, but more on the side of ‘spirits’, in fact), and how some of them mixed with humans, as beings trapped into human bodies. The bar was a cool place, too, and I hope that it’s not going to be dropped in the next books. Some of the characters I enjoyed a lot: Lon, for starters, had unexpected sides, his having a son and loving him fiercely not being the least. As for hyperactive Jupe, he was just so lovable from the start, and not the piece of heavy baggage such a ward may be seen as in a lot of novels.

I’m still not sure I’ll read the next book in the series, because although I enjoyed this one, I also expected more of it, and therefore was a bit disappointed. But then, who knows, I might.

Yzabel / January 19, 2013

Cover project: Was

This isn’t exactly a true “cover reveal”, as in I’m not doing it to announce an upcoming book (well, not so soon, at any rate). But I’ve had a lot of fun and excitement working on a cover project for the first part of my story “Was”, and of course I’m eager to share it.

Paris, February 1989. With the help of his deadly minion, the cunning Necromancer Louis Valdemar is well on his way to awake dark forces no human being should ever play with. Abiding by treaties held up for centuries, the Anima Mundi, an organisation of mages, sends a team of hunters to put an end to this madness, and prevent the French capital from being destroyed.

Bristol, May 2008. A-level student Louisa Keynes wakes up in a white hospital room, after a car crash that left her in a coma for ten months, only to find out that everything has changed, that her nights are now plagued by weird dreams, and that magic does exist. She has become a Technomancer, one of those mages who can bend Reality to their will using modern devices; and she’s decided to walk that path as far as she needs to in order to learn more about herself.

London, December 2009. Near the oily waters of the river Thames, sys-op Echoes and Blood Witch Ring investigate a series of gruesome murders whose victims had their souls devoured. At St Pancras railway station, Marek Van Cartier is about to wreak havoc, a sweet smile on his lips. Standing on the platform at Tottenham Court Road tube station, Lyle Karlowitz is staring at a heartless woman in a colourless world. From beyond a wall of thorns, the hand of death is about to curb the fates of thousands of people. And Louisa is riding the Northern Line, unknowingly rushing towards the encounter that will once again turn her life to shambles.

What was and what is shall now meet.

Yzabel / November 7, 2012

Review: Tales The Wind Told Me

Tales the Wind Told Me by Rachel Eliason

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

A collection of imaginative tales of myth and magic. Enter a world where a woman must seek her sleeping beauty, a girl must dance with death and trolls walk the streets of Des Moines, Iowa. This is the world of Rachel Eliason, where myth and magic are interwoven with everyday life. It is a place of far flung science fiction and imaginative prose. Aliens manipulate their DNA to create the ultimate caste system, corporations conspire to make you fat and just this once, the sissy gets to be the hero.

Review:

(Book provided by the author through ARR #52 in the We ♥ YA Books! group, in exchange for an honest review.)

This collection of short stories I found particularly enjoyable, focusing as it did around two sets of themes that were both explored in interesting ways: folklore and tales (trolls, the Boondangle spirit, Sleeping Beauty…), and LGBT-related issues (which would definitely deserve to be ‘advertised’ more, because they’re part of the book’s strong points). The author’s own evolution is reflected in those stories, and what’s at stake in them is carried in ways that seem just natural—in the open, but also with a certain subtlety that makes them flow.

As usual with short stories, every reader has his/her favourite ones. I definitely liked the “Troll stories” a lot, for the way they integrate myths and changeling creatures into urban everyday life. “Dancing with Death” was really poignant, and a beautiful lesson about how to accept death, leaving your beloved ones with dignified memories of yourself. “The Boondangle” had me reflect on quite a few things, especially how we may think we have accepted parts of ourselves that we actually dread, and how easy—yet also damageable—it would be if those were to be taken away from us. Finally, “Gemone” was a wonderful story that definitely holds potential for more, for being even turned into a novel, in terms of plot, world building, characters and thoughts; the society developed in it was, simply put, fascinating.

As for editing matters: I noticed a few typos and editing issues here and there; the only one that bothered me was in “Gemone”, with a tense shift whose role I didn’t understand (either it’s just me, or it was remnants of an original version written in the present tense?).

Yzabel / October 31, 2012

Review: Blood Warrior

Blood Warrior by H.D. Gordon

My rating: [rating=2]

Summary:

When her home is attacked by murderous vampires, 17-year-old Alexa is forced to leave her mother for dead in order to save her sister. She soon learns that she is the last known member of an elite race of supernatural Warriors, and is thrust into a world full of vampires and werewolves who all seem to regard her as some sort of savior. Meanwhile, Alexa battles a monster within herself that seeks to gain control; a monster that seeks blood.

The hidden city she finds herself in appears perfect, but Alexa’s instincts tell her that all is not right within its walls. When she is asked to attend a school of fighters, whose exams consist of gladiator-style competitions, she must decide who she can trust among the smiling faces. And, when she meets Kayden, a vampire she feels undeniably drawn to, she must decide if she can trust herself.

Review:

I picked this book because I had read another novel from the same author (“Joe”) and had absolutely loved it. This time, though, I unfortunately didn’t enjoy my read as much. (However, I’m also aware that this is the author’s debut novel, and you can really feel the difference between this one and her latest work, which is definitely a good point.)

The world developed in “Blood Warrior” is an interesting one, especially on the political level, where something’s definitely amiss and has a nice smell of utopian society on the outside, while being probably rotten to the core on the inside. But I’d have liked this world to be more developed–or rather, to know more about the supernatural creatures that people it, for while we’re told that there are werewolves and three species of vampires, I found it somewhat hard to distinguish some things from others. Sometimes I’d lose the ‘feeling’ of what exactly differenciate those species from each other.

The characters in general, while likeable enough, with their strong points and weaknesses, seemed a little bland to me. Alexa’s emotions were strong, too strong at times, yet I couldn’t feel close to her, and the way she went through them left me quite detached along the story. Also, I didn’t enjoy the love triangle between Alexa and the boys, because I felt as if it was kind of mandatory to have. I doubt the story would have been less interesting if those guys had been/remained friends, without all the banter and allusions about “she’s mine”, “no she’s my girlfriend”, and so on (maybe those lines were delivered as jokes, but it still was a little weird). As if a triangle wasn’t enough, we actually get a square with Tommy’s arrival, which made me wonder what was the point here. Or perhaps I’ve read too many YA novels in too little time, and am getting bored with love triangles, girls surrounded with handsome males, and special, unique heroines who gets everyone’s attention? I don’t know. It just seemed somewhat forced to me, and none of the love interests appeal to me nor make me care about who gets the girl in the end.

In terms of writing, I regularly found spelling and grammar mistakes in the text (their/they’re…), enough to annoy my eyes much too trained to spot typos and the likes. It wouldn’t prevent me from going on reading, but it was still annoying.

I think the biggest problem I had with this novel was that once I was done reading, I was under the impression that it was mostly a backdrop for the real plot to come, instead of a story in itself–the ‘cliffhanger’ at the end would have been good to close the first part of a book, but not a whole book, so to say. Now, as I mentioned before, the world developed here seems to be interesting, and probably will be much more once more is known about it. So maybe I’ll still check the next volume at some point to see where it leads me.

Yzabel / October 12, 2012

Review: Soul Screamers (volume 1)

Soul Screamers Vol. 1: My Soul to Lose • My Soul to Take • My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent

My rating: [rating=3]

Summary:

It starts with a scream…

My Soul to Lose
—The prequel: never before in print!—
Kaylee is just your average girl shopping at the mall with friends—until a terrified scream bursts from her that cannot be stopped. Taken to a hospital ward, will she be able to save her mind—and her life?

My Soul to Take
She’s always felt different, but now Kaylee discovers why. The screams that cannot be denied mean that someone near her will die—and she can never save them. Because saving one life means taking another.

My Soul to Save
Going on dates with her boyfriend is still new to Kaylee. But when the singer of the band they’re seeing dies onstage and Kaylee doesn’t scream, she knows something crazy is going on. Soon she discovers souls can indeed be sold.

Review:

3 stars, but actually it’s more like a 3.5. That’s pretty much because I liked book #2 a little less than book #1.

Overall, I enjoyed discovering and reading this series’ beginning, first because bean sidhes aren’t so represented in YA books (not that I know of, at least), so it was quite a nice change from the usual vampires/werewolves I’ve read about so far. Besides, I really liked the world developed by the author here; it seems to be grounded in solid bases, with consistent rules, and it’s definitely the kind of world I want to read more about (especially the Netherworld and the reapers). Finally, contrary to many paranormal YA novels these days, the romance part isn’t the main focus of those stories, and that their plot doesn’t revolve around a love triangle (even though I can sense one coming); they stand for themselves, and the problems to solve aren’t related to those relationships. (Since I picked this series for the bean sidhes aspect and not for the romance one, I expected to read about bean sidhes and a paranormal world first and foremost; in that, I was rewarded.)

I was a little less thrilled about the characters, though. While I liked Nash in the first book, I found he lacked impact in the second one. I liked Tod better, especially because of his disjointed morality: his reactions and decisions were good reminders that he’s an ally… but one of those allies you’d better not trust *too much*. As for Kaylee, she’s OK in general, but I couldn’t really relate to her; also, I found that she was extremely naive regarding some things (which was normal, considering she was quite new to that world and revelations), but oddly not so regarding others (stuff she accepted too fast, or how she always has to right ideas, when those would rather be expected from the more experienced characters). I understand she’s the heroine; still, that was weird. Also, Addison and Regan in book #2 seemed a little too ‘weak’ for readers to understand why such a concern for them: it’d have been better, in my opinion, if Kaylee and Nash had known them beforehand (if Addy had been a girl from school, for instance), as it’d have made the connection deeper, and not only a case of “we’re doing that because it’s the right thing to do”.

That said, I still plan on reading the next omnibus once it’s out.

Yzabel / August 22, 2012

Review: Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

My rating: [rating=4]

Summary:

Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he’s doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.

Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces… or else.

With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?

Review:

This book was exactly the kind of humorous light urban fantasy read I tend to enjoy. Probably because it’s funny, full of snark and retorts, and deals with the supernatural world in a way that feels both adequate and over-the-top, if only because there are, indeed, just as many supernaturals in Seattle than there are coffee places. (At this point, I have to mention that I like over-the-top stories. I know some people dislike those, so if it’s the case for you, well, you’ve been warned.)

So, this book. What’s in it?

* Necromancers. It’s a form of magic I’ve always been fascinated with, especially these past two or three years. The way it was put to use here was freaky in some ways, yet actually hilarious *and* logical in others: I know few stories where a big bad Necromancer gets paid to reanimate a dead panda in a zoo in order to avoid a diplomatic incident with China. However, it does make sense.

* Sam. Inconspicuous, gentle, nice-boy Sam, who tries to do his best considering the crap he’s in, lost with his friends amidst so many paranormal types. I found him very human, balancing between his negative feelings and the awareness that he can’t just pile up reproaches on other people, because it would hurt them and not solve anything anyway. He’s just so adorable.

* Nice and funny group dynamics, especially when it comes to the four fast-food workers. I liked their way of dealing with all the crap that befall them, often by being snarky and taking things in an (apparently) not so serious way. It’s part of the humour permeating the story, and it works for me, perhaps because I have a similar take in my own, real life (not that I happen to meet Necromancers or get thrown in a cage every other day, but you get my drift). I suppose it might come as off-key, in that maybe the characters shouldn’t react in such a ‘light-hearted’ way. On the other hand, I also suppose that their reactions are understandable, if you consider that past a certain hefty dose of problems, either you throw a pity-party and collapse, or you just shut the brain off and go on snark mode in order to preserve the little sanity you’ve got left. And having a talking head land in your living-room is definitely part of the hefty dose of problems.

* Also, creepy Douglas is creepy. I could feel his real intentions coming from the start, and the way he acted, smiling but cold, hitting people without warning, befitted his persona. It makes it all the more funny when he has serious dialogue and attitude going on, but the situation and co-speakers are somewhat wacky, sidekicks included.

* Twisted song titles in lieu of chapter titles. This is a really biased opinion, and I’m not even going to be ashamed of saying it: I love such puns. Period.

* A mostly fast-paced plot, except for a few flashbacks, but those didn’t disrupt my reading, so they were alright. It was easy enough for me to follow, while not being too simplistic; things fell together nicely in the end; the final fight was definitely impressive; and the story was complete (thanks goodness, no cliffhanger), yet still with openings for a next book. It could just as well be a stand-alone novel… or be given a follow-up. Both would be alright in my opinion.

For what it’s worth, though, I would’ve liked to see more of Sam’s powers a little earlier in the story—and more of Brid actually, well, acting, because she’s got potential (granted, the situation she was in really didn’t help). And I’m not too satisfied about the shift in points-of-view. I can easily follow 5 or 6, that’s not a problem, but (and I’ve noticed this in several books already), why have one first-person narrator, while the others are all in third-person? Third-person all the way would’ve worked better here.

Those minor gripes set aside, I really enjoyed this book.