Helpful Score: 5
This is the second book of the Dante Valentine series. If you haven't read the first one, I wouldn't read the reviews here, because the first thing that happens reveals the ending to the last book. So ****SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ BOOK 1 !!!! LOOK QUICKLY AWAY!!!*****: At the end of the last book, Dante has been changed to a part demon by her lover Japhramel - who was killed by Lucifer. Dante has been mourning over his loss for almost a year, throwing herself into her work and taking on one bounty after another. Through all of this, her ex, who still loves her and feels like he must atone for his previous actions, is by her side. This is some comfort to Dante, but she can never go back to a relationship with Jace, which causes an underlying tension between them. Her relationship with her best friend Gabe is similarly strained, as Dante isn't open about her feelings - both of her transformation and of her loss. Into this comes another trial for Dante - a string of murdered psions from her elementary school forces Danny to revisit her past in a horrifying institution where she lived in extreme fear, something she's been trying to forget. In the first book I felt that Dante often reacted extremely over certain things and this backstory of her past seems to explain some of it - she is a very tortured individual with a tough life. Actually I was beginning to feel wrung out over reading about her past and how many loved ones she's had die. In this book Danny seems to have grown a little bit, although her very headstrong attitude remains. Interesting read.. we get a chance to learn something about some paranormal races - Saintcrows versions of vampires and werewolves, which was very intesting (I wouldn't mind learning some more of their backstory).
Helpful Score: 3
I loved this book. This is the second installation of the Dante Valentine series...and I have to say it was even stronger than the first! Saintcrow really developed the characters in this novel, and her writing style drags you in to the emotional battles that are being waged. I laughed, I cried, and then I pouted when the book was done. I can't wait to read more in this series!
Helpful Score: 2
A relative newcomer to the Dark Fantasy genre, Lilith Saintcrow pens a tale that will seem superficially familiar to the aficionado. Protagonist Dante (Danny) Valentine is a necromance, a half-demon and a bounty hunter. Beginning where Working for the Devil the previous (and first) novel in the series left off, we find Danny immersing herself in her work collecting bounties nonstop as a means to forget about the death of her lover. Japhrimel a full demon, is the reason that Danny now finds herself to be semi-immortal, inhumanly beautiful and nearly invulnerable.
Danny receives a call from close friend and fellow necromance, Gabe, who asks for her help in investigating a series of killings. The victims are seemingly unrelated, with two being psions and one a normal, until Danny using her talents calls back one of the murdered spirits, and is told Remember Rigger Hall. Remember. REMEMBER! Aided by former lover, Jace, the shaman who taught her almost everything she knows about bounty hunting, Danny begins an investigation that will tear her apart by forcing her to confront her tortured childhood at Rigger Hall.
When she starts receiving letters and phone calls from The Devil asking where Japhrimel is, since he can't seem to locate him in hell, Danny begins to wonder if she is losing it. She knows Japhrimel is dead she witnessed Lucifer kill him with her very own eyes. Now the voices in her head tell her she could have brought him back if only she knew how.
It's a story that melds a little bit of cyberpunk, with a dash of paranormal romance, and then brings that together with just enough thriller/horror elements to satisfy the reader. This reviewer would suggest reading Working for the Devil first for the full effect. Fortunately a glossary is provided, as the author not only uses Egyptian phrases, but also makes up many of her own names for common things such as werecain instead of werewolf or lycanthrope and nichtvren for vampire.
This series should be immediately and immensely popular with fans of Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris. A powerful urban fantasy, with a strong female lead wielding immense power, but who has the sensitivity to question her own humanity.
Danny receives a call from close friend and fellow necromance, Gabe, who asks for her help in investigating a series of killings. The victims are seemingly unrelated, with two being psions and one a normal, until Danny using her talents calls back one of the murdered spirits, and is told Remember Rigger Hall. Remember. REMEMBER! Aided by former lover, Jace, the shaman who taught her almost everything she knows about bounty hunting, Danny begins an investigation that will tear her apart by forcing her to confront her tortured childhood at Rigger Hall.
When she starts receiving letters and phone calls from The Devil asking where Japhrimel is, since he can't seem to locate him in hell, Danny begins to wonder if she is losing it. She knows Japhrimel is dead she witnessed Lucifer kill him with her very own eyes. Now the voices in her head tell her she could have brought him back if only she knew how.
It's a story that melds a little bit of cyberpunk, with a dash of paranormal romance, and then brings that together with just enough thriller/horror elements to satisfy the reader. This reviewer would suggest reading Working for the Devil first for the full effect. Fortunately a glossary is provided, as the author not only uses Egyptian phrases, but also makes up many of her own names for common things such as werecain instead of werewolf or lycanthrope and nichtvren for vampire.
This series should be immediately and immensely popular with fans of Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris. A powerful urban fantasy, with a strong female lead wielding immense power, but who has the sensitivity to question her own humanity.
Helpful Score: 1
This book was sort of disappointing for me. I actually skim read most of the book. It was events that occurred in the last few chapters that lead me to buy and read the third book of the series which was much better. >.< I don't want to give away anything but it is worth reading for the ending. Ending was the best part of the book and I couldn't wait to read book 3 in the series.
