Helpful Score: 4
Building on the world she created in the Leandros Brothers/Nightlife series, Rob Thurman extends our view into that layered and entertaining world in the spin-off book, Trick of Light.
The characters in Trick of Light are as rich and textured as any she introduced us to in her earlier series and Trixa Iktomi is a heroine I've been waiting to see in Urban Fantasy/Paranormal for a while â she's over 30, she comfortable in her own skin, she doesn't have intimacy issues and truly loves the people in her life without qualifiers or conditions. While she's learned from mistakes in the past, she still sometimes makes an error in judgment but she owns it (no rationalizing or self-indulgent tantrums) and moves on. Trixa is a refreshing, modern heroine who is not perfect and she's a welcome change from the conventional Mary-Sue's and the veritable cornucopia of virgins and vixens that dominate the genre.
As mentioned in other reviews, Trick of Light includes Thurman's trademark plot twists and turns. Just when you think you've figured it out, she'll add a new twist to keep you on your toes. However, Thurman's true talent as a writer is in her ability to push the conventions of the genre to evolve â there are the timeless themes of good vs. evil; free will vs. destiny; the family you're born to vs. the family you choose and through it all, there is a palpable exploration of love, longing and acceptance. Thurman excels at planting a seed of feeling in the mind of the reader and letting it grow from there; she doesn't tell the reader what to think, instead she makes the reader think and engages our imaginations long after we've put her book down.
Trick of Light is an engaging and enticing starting point for a new series and I can't wait to see what happens next!
The characters in Trick of Light are as rich and textured as any she introduced us to in her earlier series and Trixa Iktomi is a heroine I've been waiting to see in Urban Fantasy/Paranormal for a while â she's over 30, she comfortable in her own skin, she doesn't have intimacy issues and truly loves the people in her life without qualifiers or conditions. While she's learned from mistakes in the past, she still sometimes makes an error in judgment but she owns it (no rationalizing or self-indulgent tantrums) and moves on. Trixa is a refreshing, modern heroine who is not perfect and she's a welcome change from the conventional Mary-Sue's and the veritable cornucopia of virgins and vixens that dominate the genre.
As mentioned in other reviews, Trick of Light includes Thurman's trademark plot twists and turns. Just when you think you've figured it out, she'll add a new twist to keep you on your toes. However, Thurman's true talent as a writer is in her ability to push the conventions of the genre to evolve â there are the timeless themes of good vs. evil; free will vs. destiny; the family you're born to vs. the family you choose and through it all, there is a palpable exploration of love, longing and acceptance. Thurman excels at planting a seed of feeling in the mind of the reader and letting it grow from there; she doesn't tell the reader what to think, instead she makes the reader think and engages our imaginations long after we've put her book down.
Trick of Light is an engaging and enticing starting point for a new series and I can't wait to see what happens next!
Helpful Score: 1
I don't know how much I can add to that great review by Rachel. I could say I agree with her.
I have read the Cal/Niko series by Rob Thurman. I enjoyed the first book but I've lost interest as the series has moved along. So I picked up this book and read it. I didn't expect a great deal from it though.
I was very surprised and happy to discover that the ending gripped me so strong I couldn't put it down. I carried this book all over the house with me. Rob Thurman does a great job of world building and enticing you into the characters. I found that I was interested in the characters and the big twist I'd heard about. I find that books with a big twist ending sometimes feel like all the rest of the book is just teasing you about this huge surprise ending. Thurman neatly avoids that trap but giving out just enough detail to foreshadow the end but not enough that you feel like its all a big trick.
All in all a really great book. Four and a half stars out of five.
I have read the Cal/Niko series by Rob Thurman. I enjoyed the first book but I've lost interest as the series has moved along. So I picked up this book and read it. I didn't expect a great deal from it though.
I was very surprised and happy to discover that the ending gripped me so strong I couldn't put it down. I carried this book all over the house with me. Rob Thurman does a great job of world building and enticing you into the characters. I found that I was interested in the characters and the big twist I'd heard about. I find that books with a big twist ending sometimes feel like all the rest of the book is just teasing you about this huge surprise ending. Thurman neatly avoids that trap but giving out just enough detail to foreshadow the end but not enough that you feel like its all a big trick.
All in all a really great book. Four and a half stars out of five.
Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros series is flat out amazing. Its for this reason that wanted to read Trick of Light. It wasn't a BAD book, but it definitely didn't come close to the near involuntary emotional investment that Cal's series drags from me. As I plodded my way through this book (my reading of it had several false starts before I actually finished it), I chalked my lack of attachment to the characters up to it being a new series. I considered that part of the problem might have to do with Thurman being used to writing from a male perspective and not quite feeling it as she wrote from a female perspective for this book. I definitely enjoyed the secondary characters (Especially Griffin and Zeke) to the main character, and its likely because they remind me so much of Cal and Nick Leandros.
Yes...Honestly, the best part of the book was the characters who were mostly edited characters taken from her other series.
There's a great big stupid 'in your face, suckas!' twist at the end of the book (and yes, the 'In Your Face, Suckas!' is directed at us, the readers). It felt contrived and not clever...and downright insulting.
Honestly, I love Thurman. I know she's incredibly talented because the Leandros series is one of my favorites. I'll even be reading the next book in this series, because maybe having bullied this world into being, she can now relax and continue it with more grace.
Yes...Honestly, the best part of the book was the characters who were mostly edited characters taken from her other series.
There's a great big stupid 'in your face, suckas!' twist at the end of the book (and yes, the 'In Your Face, Suckas!' is directed at us, the readers). It felt contrived and not clever...and downright insulting.
Honestly, I love Thurman. I know she's incredibly talented because the Leandros series is one of my favorites. I'll even be reading the next book in this series, because maybe having bullied this world into being, she can now relax and continue it with more grace.
This book is a lot like the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. You as the reader are literally dropped into the middle of Trixa's universe with no idea what the hell is going on. Now for Kate this worked great, but for Trixa I am just finding everything insanely confusing had no idea what the overall point of the plot was supposed to be.
One thing really annoyed me was the sheer amount of time spent on describing everyone's looks down to their bra cup and the price of their designer jeans. Instead of spending so much time describing the characters wardrobes and measurements I would rather be reading about the universe in which they are living.
And as other people have mentioned the ending totally blew away this book. I won't say anything that happened but just say how it made me feel. And that was blindsided. I felt as if I had been lied to for the entire book. And sadly all of this could have been avoided if the book had not been written in first person. First person POV allows the reader to know the main characters most inner most thoughts and feelings, yet Trixa doesn't follow this MO at all. Don't get me wrong, everything is answered, concluded, and tied up with a big pretty bow, but it was just so completely UNEXPECTED considering the first person POV that it almost felt wrong.
It was this ending that made me waffle between 2 and 3 stars. I didn't care about this book most of the time I was reading it. And I actually almost stopped reading it several times, but decided to tough it out. While the ending was crazy and unexpected the few characters that I did enjoy, namely Leo, Zeke, and Griffin ended up in great places, and its for them that I rated the book 3 stars.
Between the ending, the absolute change in all characters, and the complete lack of interest I had in the characters in the first half of the book I am not so sure I will be reading the next book in the series. Although I heard from another reviewer that the every book in the series will be told from by different narrators. Maybe a change in perspective will allow me enjoy the books more. And oh would I love that perspective to be Leo or Zeke! That would be so weird yet awesome!
*****
Great Excerpt! (Although severely paraphrased and a perfect example of Thurman's excellent sarcastic and humorous attitude through her books.)
Griffin: It's time for a tutoring session.
Zeke: We could die today and you want to tutor me?
Griffin: A grandmother with a stroller carrying twin babiesand a cocker spaniel puppy are crossing the road. They're about to be hit by a bus. About 2 blocks down the street, a low-level demon is eating breakfast at an outdoor cafe and reading the paper. Do you save Granny kiddies, and pup, or go kill the demon?
Zeke: There's a puppy in the stroller?
Griffin: Yes.
Zeke: Is it cute?
Griffin: It's a spaniel puppy. On a scale of 1 to 10, it's a 10 in cute, and yes, ten is the highest level of cute.
Zeke: Damn. The Demon is 2 blocks away. Do I have a clear shot?
Griffin: No.
....After about an hour of debate on Zeke's part the Granny, tots, and world's cutest puppy are dead, but a demon had his breakfast interrupted with a shotgun slug to the head...
Trixa: (to Zeke) I think you got that one wrong.
Zeke: It's the puppy. I should always go with the puppy
...After some continued thought...
Zeke: What if I shot the bus driver, then...
Trixa and Griffin: NO
One thing really annoyed me was the sheer amount of time spent on describing everyone's looks down to their bra cup and the price of their designer jeans. Instead of spending so much time describing the characters wardrobes and measurements I would rather be reading about the universe in which they are living.
And as other people have mentioned the ending totally blew away this book. I won't say anything that happened but just say how it made me feel. And that was blindsided. I felt as if I had been lied to for the entire book. And sadly all of this could have been avoided if the book had not been written in first person. First person POV allows the reader to know the main characters most inner most thoughts and feelings, yet Trixa doesn't follow this MO at all. Don't get me wrong, everything is answered, concluded, and tied up with a big pretty bow, but it was just so completely UNEXPECTED considering the first person POV that it almost felt wrong.
It was this ending that made me waffle between 2 and 3 stars. I didn't care about this book most of the time I was reading it. And I actually almost stopped reading it several times, but decided to tough it out. While the ending was crazy and unexpected the few characters that I did enjoy, namely Leo, Zeke, and Griffin ended up in great places, and its for them that I rated the book 3 stars.
Between the ending, the absolute change in all characters, and the complete lack of interest I had in the characters in the first half of the book I am not so sure I will be reading the next book in the series. Although I heard from another reviewer that the every book in the series will be told from by different narrators. Maybe a change in perspective will allow me enjoy the books more. And oh would I love that perspective to be Leo or Zeke! That would be so weird yet awesome!
*****
Great Excerpt! (Although severely paraphrased and a perfect example of Thurman's excellent sarcastic and humorous attitude through her books.)
Griffin: It's time for a tutoring session.
Zeke: We could die today and you want to tutor me?
Griffin: A grandmother with a stroller carrying twin babiesand a cocker spaniel puppy are crossing the road. They're about to be hit by a bus. About 2 blocks down the street, a low-level demon is eating breakfast at an outdoor cafe and reading the paper. Do you save Granny kiddies, and pup, or go kill the demon?
Zeke: There's a puppy in the stroller?
Griffin: Yes.
Zeke: Is it cute?
Griffin: It's a spaniel puppy. On a scale of 1 to 10, it's a 10 in cute, and yes, ten is the highest level of cute.
Zeke: Damn. The Demon is 2 blocks away. Do I have a clear shot?
Griffin: No.
....After about an hour of debate on Zeke's part the Granny, tots, and world's cutest puppy are dead, but a demon had his breakfast interrupted with a shotgun slug to the head...
Trixa: (to Zeke) I think you got that one wrong.
Zeke: It's the puppy. I should always go with the puppy
...After some continued thought...
Zeke: What if I shot the bus driver, then...
Trixa and Griffin: NO
I'm a fan of Rob Thurman's other two series Cal Leandros and Chimera, but I was disappointed with this book. One of the draws of this author for me was paranormal fiction without all of the way overused sexy (insert paranormal creature)characters and all silly character emotions that go with it. I'd much rather be reading about a character's world than read repeated lines about hauntingly beautiful eyes ect... This book felt too much like those trashy romance novels, which made me sad because I have yet to find a paranormal fiction book with a female character that is not like that.
I also was not a fan of the ending, as many others have mentioned it seems to come out of nowhere with little hinting.
Otherwise the writing was great. Rob continues to write great characters with great wit. This book was just not for me.
I also was not a fan of the ending, as many others have mentioned it seems to come out of nowhere with little hinting.
Otherwise the writing was great. Rob continues to write great characters with great wit. This book was just not for me.
Frances P. (franniekin) - , reviewed Trick of the Light (Trickster, Bk 1) on + 276 more book reviews
Not as good as her Leandros Brother's series, but not terrible. Was quite slow the first three fourths of the book. I felt the characters of Zeke, Griffen and Leo were much more fleshed out than Trixa the main character. The reason for that comes near the end of the book. The ending was quite a surprise. Assumptions I had made were way off. This book makes one actually think.
I enjoyed that Thurman threw in a mention of the puck Robin Goodfellow from the Cal Leandros series as an acquaintance of Trixa.
I enjoyed that Thurman threw in a mention of the puck Robin Goodfellow from the Cal Leandros series as an acquaintance of Trixa.
Stephanie C W. (stephanie13w) reviewed Trick of the Light (Trickster, Bk 1) on + 300 more book reviews
I liked the premise of the book, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I couldn't get past the first 2 chapters, maybe someone else can get into it.
Excellent book with a few surprises at the end. If you like urban fantasy and have not tried this author, I would highly recommend her.
Trixa is a owner of a bar, in which she deals with the supernatural after hours. She has two faithful friends that are her helpers.
Griffin and Zeke, whom she took in when they were teens help her with demon hunting.
She is looking for the killer who killed her brother years ago. She has been on the hunt for over 10 years and has finally got some leads.
What the leads, lead to is a artifact called the Light, and it has incredible power for the bearer... heaven or Hell.. who will get the light and will Trixa get ot it and find who killed her brother as a bargining tool.
Griffin and Zeke, whom she took in when they were teens help her with demon hunting.
She is looking for the killer who killed her brother years ago. She has been on the hunt for over 10 years and has finally got some leads.
What the leads, lead to is a artifact called the Light, and it has incredible power for the bearer... heaven or Hell.. who will get the light and will Trixa get ot it and find who killed her brother as a bargining tool.
