hgranger's review
3.0
Joanne makes progress as a shaman, finally stops apologizing for herself every other paragraph, has a pretty nifty show-down with the bad guy, gets new and interesting powers, and finally (!) kisses the right guy again. I was all geared up to give this book four stars for a fun, fast-paced, decently well-written urban fiction, until the very last line ruined it all and made it too much of a cliched drama cliff hanger. Ugh! Three stars for everything else that happened, much grumpiness for the last sentence.
lynseyisreading's review
5.0
Whew!
This was a great book, and easily my favourite so far. As you can see from the back-cover blurb Joanne actually goes on a date with Morrison! Did you hear what I said? A Date! With Morrison! I know!
Of course partially shifting into a Coyote during a "special" dance performance will put a dampener on most romantic evenings, still, progress is progress and I'm taking it where I can get it!
I don't want to spoil the rest of the plot from here but lets just say that, whereas other books have involved a mystery for Joanne to chase down and solve, this time the stakes are higher and a lot more personal.
Joanne is really living up to her abilities in this one too. She has fully accepted what she is and what she has to do. Even though her "warriors path" is perhaps a cause for concern between her and her mentor, it's a role that Joanne, with her police training and new sword fighting abilities, seems made for.
I wish you could have seen my face after finishing this book. Do the words "About damned time!" mean anything to you C. E. Murphy? I loved the ending and I hated it because after reading these books back-to-back over the last week or so, I have now run out! And have to wait until NEXT YEAR for the next one! Grr. I think I might be suffering actual, physical withdrawals...Okay, it's okay, I'm okay, I'll be fine, this is just the adjustment period, I'll get over it.
Five goddamned stars!
This was a great book, and easily my favourite so far. As you can see from the back-cover blurb Joanne actually goes on a date with Morrison! Did you hear what I said? A Date! With Morrison! I know!
Of course partially shifting into a Coyote during a "special" dance performance will put a dampener on most romantic evenings, still, progress is progress and I'm taking it where I can get it!
I don't want to spoil the rest of the plot from here but lets just say that, whereas other books have involved a mystery for Joanne to chase down and solve, this time the stakes are higher and a lot more personal.
Joanne is really living up to her abilities in this one too. She has fully accepted what she is and what she has to do. Even though her "warriors path" is perhaps a cause for concern between her and her mentor, it's a role that Joanne, with her police training and new sword fighting abilities, seems made for.
I wish you could have seen my face after finishing this book. Do the words "About damned time!" mean anything to you C. E. Murphy? I loved the ending and I hated it because after reading these books back-to-back over the last week or so, I have now run out! And have to wait until NEXT YEAR for the next one! Grr. I think I might be suffering actual, physical withdrawals...Okay, it's okay, I'm okay, I'll be fine, this is just the adjustment period, I'll get over it.
Five goddamned stars!
bookwife's review
2.0
I think I’m going to take a little break from this series.. I am primarily a romance reader. I mean urban fantasy, oPNR, historical.. anything but It all has romance. This series doesn’t have enough romance for me. And honestly with all the mystical crap that happens.. I have no idea what’s really happening. Seriously I have no clue. But it really comes down to the lack of romance. So eh.. I’ll eventually pick the next one up. Mainly because it’s part of the romance package with audible and it’s free :)
helenkat's review
5.0
Loved this instalment of The Walker Papers. We see a little more confident Joanne doing her Shaman thing with the help of her friends, Billy and Melinda, and of course her boss and love interest, Morrison - who she turns accidentally into a huge wolf. Whoops.
Love the banter between Joanne and Morrison (Michael) and love where things are headed. About time. Still it's an ongoing series, so more twists and turns to come no doubt.
Love the banter between Joanne and Morrison (Michael) and love where things are headed. About time. Still it's an ongoing series, so more twists and turns to come no doubt.
lalabristow's review
5.0
Published on my blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life
*Contains SPOILERS for the previous books in the series.
Joanne is back and I am so happy about it! This is the first series ever that I started a few books in and did NOT read the previous books and even though doing that is a pet peeve of mine, I really enjoyed Demon Hunts last year and Spirit Dances is even better!
Spirit Dances starts not so long after the events of Demon Hunts. Coyote has gone back to Arizona and Joanne is trying to just go on with her life, which is much easier and complicated at the same time, because of her crush on her boss and Police Capitan Morrison. Not to mention the fact that someone Joanne has saved shows up in need of her help, a series of weird crimes leaves Joanne and her partner confused and her Shamanic Powers seem to keep evolving.
Joanne has so much on her plate this time around and C.E. Murphy has done an incredible job in making her journey from reluctant Shaman to a force to be reckoned with and I loved every minute of it! In the love life department, she finds herself in the middle of Coyote and her boss, Morrison and she FINALLY makes a choice! I LOVED her choice and to avoid spoilers, i will NOT say what it was LOL Mwuahahaah!
I LOVED Spirit Dances! I read it in just a few hours, all in one sitting, simply because I could NOT put it down. Spirit Dances was for me a perfect combination of action, supernatural and emotional angst and the ending just left me panting for SO much more! I cannot wait for the next book in the series, 2012 can’t come soon enough!
*Contains SPOILERS for the previous books in the series.
Joanne is back and I am so happy about it! This is the first series ever that I started a few books in and did NOT read the previous books and even though doing that is a pet peeve of mine, I really enjoyed Demon Hunts last year and Spirit Dances is even better!
Spirit Dances starts not so long after the events of Demon Hunts. Coyote has gone back to Arizona and Joanne is trying to just go on with her life, which is much easier and complicated at the same time, because of her crush on her boss and Police Capitan Morrison. Not to mention the fact that someone Joanne has saved shows up in need of her help, a series of weird crimes leaves Joanne and her partner confused and her Shamanic Powers seem to keep evolving.
Joanne has so much on her plate this time around and C.E. Murphy has done an incredible job in making her journey from reluctant Shaman to a force to be reckoned with and I loved every minute of it! In the love life department, she finds herself in the middle of Coyote and her boss, Morrison and she FINALLY makes a choice! I LOVED her choice and to avoid spoilers, i will NOT say what it was LOL Mwuahahaah!
I LOVED Spirit Dances! I read it in just a few hours, all in one sitting, simply because I could NOT put it down. Spirit Dances was for me a perfect combination of action, supernatural and emotional angst and the ending just left me panting for SO much more! I cannot wait for the next book in the series, 2012 can’t come soon enough!
colls's review
4.0
Nothing ever goes easy for Walker, and this book is no exception. I like how her relationships with her friends and boss are fleshing out. Despite a few tangents and a couple odd meanderings that didn't seem to add a lot to the plot, I'm still enjoying this series quite a bit. The writing is easy to follow, but the 'villain' in this one didn't really grab my attention all that much. Although I will admit that I didn't see it coming.
I'm rather interested in seeing what she finds on her upcoming trip and am looking forward to seeing Gary again.
I'm rather interested in seeing what she finds on her upcoming trip and am looking forward to seeing Gary again.
drey72's review
5.0
Oh my goodness!! The ending to Spirit Dances totally knocked me over. Don't get me wrong, it was a good knock-me-over, but I'm still digesting it... On the one hand, I'm soooooooo happy for Joanne. On the other I'm like, "wait, what???" Way for C.E. Murphy to leave me hanging! When is Raven Calls coming out? Aargh!!!
Ok, ok, let's start at the beginning. After Demon Hunts, which I cannot believe I didn't review (I will have to rectify that oversight!!), Joanne's made some discoveries about her magic and her path, and Morrison seems to be a bit more open-minded where it relates to things magical. Not that he likes it, but still--'tis an improvement.
Spirit Dances starts Joanne off with an automatic suspension and, of all things, a date. With Morrison. So what if it was accidental? A date is a date. And this one is to a Native American ghost dance performance, which has Joanne intrigued. Unfortunately, quite a few things go awry, and now Joanne's not only trying to find out who's stealing souls but she also has to find Morrison. Can she do it all?
Character: I heart Joanne. She is so kick-ass when she has to be, but when she's not, she is so normal. Flustered at talking to the guy she likes, trying to hide that fact, failing miserably at it, blushing up a storm when her friends tease her about said guy... And she's funny. Have I mentioned that yet? Yeah, Joanne's funny, especially when trying to not insert foot into mouth (which usually happens when around that guy). Like "... hair's not like a leg. It grows back."
My favorite Joanne trait? Her innate goodness. The best heroines have a compass that keeps them on their path, even when doing the right thing isn't easy (i.e. almost kills you), doesn't make you any friends (who needs friends anyway?), and sometimes doesn't feel like it's the right thing. And for Joanne, her magic is showing a definite opinion on what it prefers to be used for. Can you imagine if that was you, and your magic essentially passes judgement on your actions? Whoa. Of course, Joanne handles that the only way she knows how--she's confused, but keep moving forward. There'll be time to figure things out later, as long as she can save the world now.
The supporting cast of characters are plentiful, but our usuals don't really feature much in this Joanne-rich installment--not even Morrison. I will 'fess up to picturing Daniel Craig as Morrison. Yeah, I know, I know, he's not tall enough. But he does look yummy in a penguin suit. Anyway. I liked the Morrison that made an appearance in Spirit Dances. He's more open-minded, and seems to have loosened up quite a bit, and it shows in his interactions with Joanne. I'm hoping he's like a cognac that improves with time... *wink*
Pace & Plot: Unlike portions of Demon Hunt, where Joanne was almost paralyzed by lack of knowledge on what to do about the wendigo, there are no slow spots in Spirit Dances. Sure, there are things she doesn't know about this particular evil that she's hunting, but she doesn't have time to slow down. So it's full speed ahead, and keep-your-fingers-crossed-there-isn't-a-train-waiting-to-smash-you-to-bits.
I really enjoyed the multitude of Native American references, too. In the other books, other than Coyote and the occasional nod to her heritage, Joanne's Cherokee heritage isn't made much of (unless I just never noticed). But here, it's front and center, from the description of the ghost dance, to her spirit animals' assistance in her task.
Ok, ok, let's start at the beginning. After Demon Hunts, which I cannot believe I didn't review (I will have to rectify that oversight!!), Joanne's made some discoveries about her magic and her path, and Morrison seems to be a bit more open-minded where it relates to things magical. Not that he likes it, but still--'tis an improvement.
Spirit Dances starts Joanne off with an automatic suspension and, of all things, a date. With Morrison. So what if it was accidental? A date is a date. And this one is to a Native American ghost dance performance, which has Joanne intrigued. Unfortunately, quite a few things go awry, and now Joanne's not only trying to find out who's stealing souls but she also has to find Morrison. Can she do it all?
Character: I heart Joanne. She is so kick-ass when she has to be, but when she's not, she is so normal. Flustered at talking to the guy she likes, trying to hide that fact, failing miserably at it, blushing up a storm when her friends tease her about said guy... And she's funny. Have I mentioned that yet? Yeah, Joanne's funny, especially when trying to not insert foot into mouth (which usually happens when around that guy). Like "... hair's not like a leg. It grows back."
My favorite Joanne trait? Her innate goodness. The best heroines have a compass that keeps them on their path, even when doing the right thing isn't easy (i.e. almost kills you), doesn't make you any friends (who needs friends anyway?), and sometimes doesn't feel like it's the right thing. And for Joanne, her magic is showing a definite opinion on what it prefers to be used for. Can you imagine if that was you, and your magic essentially passes judgement on your actions? Whoa. Of course, Joanne handles that the only way she knows how--she's confused, but keep moving forward. There'll be time to figure things out later, as long as she can save the world now.
The supporting cast of characters are plentiful, but our usuals don't really feature much in this Joanne-rich installment--not even Morrison. I will 'fess up to picturing Daniel Craig as Morrison. Yeah, I know, I know, he's not tall enough. But he does look yummy in a penguin suit. Anyway. I liked the Morrison that made an appearance in Spirit Dances. He's more open-minded, and seems to have loosened up quite a bit, and it shows in his interactions with Joanne. I'm hoping he's like a cognac that improves with time... *wink*
Pace & Plot: Unlike portions of Demon Hunt, where Joanne was almost paralyzed by lack of knowledge on what to do about the wendigo, there are no slow spots in Spirit Dances. Sure, there are things she doesn't know about this particular evil that she's hunting, but she doesn't have time to slow down. So it's full speed ahead, and keep-your-fingers-crossed-there-isn't-a-train-waiting-to-smash-you-to-bits.
I really enjoyed the multitude of Native American references, too. In the other books, other than Coyote and the occasional nod to her heritage, Joanne's Cherokee heritage isn't made much of (unless I just never noticed). But here, it's front and center, from the description of the ghost dance, to her spirit animals' assistance in her task.