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lavendermarch's review
3.0
This book felt kind of emotionless to me. I had a really hard time connecting to the main character. She wasn't super relatable or empathetic. I found the focus on her powers, and her amount of power, overdone as well. And while the situation and world seemed interesting, I found myself skimming towards the end because I was bored of the repetitive storyline and the irritating main character. I thought the book had potential, but it was repetitive and hard to connect with. 2.5 stars.
kahkins's review
4.0
This book is not for everyone. You will either hate it or shrug at the absurdness and keep reading. That said, I found it a quick engaging read. I enjoyed this book. The main character is kick butt in a fight and socially awkward when left to her own devices not on a mission. I hope the side characters get developed more in the next book.
winemakerssister's review
3.0
3.5 stars
9/2/22 - I started reading the 2nd book in the series and realized that it had been over two years since I read this one and couldn't remember the details. So I re-read it. And the good news is that hoopla has the series so I can read it for free.
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This is the first in a series, and the lowest rated of that series. I assume it's because of the world-building and other 1st-volume issues. It was completely enjoyable but nothing spectacular. It's somewhat short and if it were less expensive I would plow through the rest of the series. But I have to decide whether it's worth an Audible credit (the Whispersync deal adds up to more $ than the price of a credit). So far I haven't decided.
9/2/22 - I started reading the 2nd book in the series and realized that it had been over two years since I read this one and couldn't remember the details. So I re-read it. And the good news is that hoopla has the series so I can read it for free.
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This is the first in a series, and the lowest rated of that series. I assume it's because of the world-building and other 1st-volume issues. It was completely enjoyable but nothing spectacular. It's somewhat short and if it were less expensive I would plow through the rest of the series. But I have to decide whether it's worth an Audible credit (the Whispersync deal adds up to more $ than the price of a credit). So far I haven't decided.
everybody's review against another edition
If you try to sell us an uber assassin trained from childhood that went around the world eliminating high profile targets for some sinister organization please don't make her a girly hysterical bundle of nerves in stressful situations.
You can't eat the cake and have it too. Either you have a damsel in distress or you have a badass. Pick one.
Being a trained and brainwashed agent that has no idea of how to live a normal life and deal with concepts like compassion or friendship is a common trope that nonetheless can be enjoyable if executed well but you have to keep your characters consistent.
This is something I see all the time and I just can't comprehend how no one seems to be bothered by it.
The writing is decent but the plot is weak and full of holes.
Another common flaw that annoys the hell out of me is this weird split in maturity. One second they act like teenagers and the next they have a serious heart to heart that sound like straight out of what I imagine a bad "how to be an adult" self-help book would sound like. Extremely stilted and unnatural. Usually, I associate this flaw with YA but this book might as well be tagged as YA considering how it is overflowing with ya tropes.
Ultimately it all goes the typical cringy and clichée "with the power of friendship" yadda yadda route which is where I gave up.
You can't eat the cake and have it too. Either you have a damsel in distress or you have a badass. Pick one.
Being a trained and brainwashed agent that has no idea of how to live a normal life and deal with concepts like compassion or friendship is a common trope that nonetheless can be enjoyable if executed well but you have to keep your characters consistent.
This is something I see all the time and I just can't comprehend how no one seems to be bothered by it.
The writing is decent but the plot is weak and full of holes.
Another common flaw that annoys the hell out of me is this weird split in maturity. One second they act like teenagers and the next they have a serious heart to heart that sound like straight out of what I imagine a bad "how to be an adult" self-help book would sound like. Extremely stilted and unnatural. Usually, I associate this flaw with YA but this book might as well be tagged as YA considering how it is overflowing with ya tropes.
Ultimately it all goes the typical cringy and clichée "with the power of friendship" yadda yadda route which is where I gave up.
vespaform's review against another edition
2.0
There were fun ideas in this but I could not get past the low quality of the prose
kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
First in the Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar & Grill urban fantasy series and revolving around a former Hunter, "Erin McLane". The story is set in Westport.
This book was courtesy of Amazon Prime Reading.
My Take
This was a fun, easy read with plenty of action, and I'm looking forward to reading Night Stalker.
And, okay, yeah, I got a few niggles, primarily about Erin's guilt for destroying The City. I don't know how she figures this since she's not the one who destroyed Strickland's weapon.
Erin is an interesting character, torn as she is between her lessons in sophistication and her naiveté about normal life. Poor Erin is having such a hard time coping with reality and those day-to-day decisions one has to make, all made easier by Kingsolver using first person protagonist point-of-view, so we have insight into Erin's thoughts. I love the truths Kingsolver tosses out when Erin lets Donny and Steve know how NOT nice it is to be groped. Ouch.
Kingsolver definitely pursues a sub-theme of how boys bully girls! And "Erin" makes an excellent point that discipline can save lives. If schools would discipline those bullying kids, I suspect we would save a lot of lives.
O-ho, another excellent point made by Erin and Sam to the cop about just who the police are trying to protect...Kingsolver isn't pulling many punches, lol.
However, Kingsolver isn't taking advantage of her conflicts to increase the tension. She has such great events in her story that could have ramped up my heart rate, and...nada.
None of the characters have any real depth. I suspect that's part of why I think of Shadow Hunter as being more cozy than scary. Don't get me wrong, though, the bar's characters are terrific...and the jury is still out about the law *grin*.
Then again, Blair's character surprises me with his off-the-job interests. Not what I would have expected of a cynical cop.
It's all plots within plots and pizza on the side!
The Story
It's The History of the Illuminati that reveals all to Erin. And chokes her with guilt.
Escaping all she's known, Erin soon finds herself the nexus of a major conspiracy that could plunge the world into destructive chaos.
The Characters
Erin "Scorpion" McLane is a ley line mage and Hunter on the run from the Illuminati. Her parents were a mage and a witch.
Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar & Grill is...
...a 24/7 home away from home for many paranormals and supernaturals in the city. It's owned by Sam O'Grady, an aeromancer mage who is part elf. (Rosie is Sam's mom.) The waitresses include Jenny Rafferty and Emily Watson. The bartenders include the autistic Liam, Sam, and Jill. Steven Dworkin is the amazing cook (and a shift manager)...who's in a group marriage — their wife is a witch and an apothecary. Donny is the dishwasher and kitchen help. Customers include "Dizzy" Lizzy, a pink-haired elf who sees the future and more and is pursuing a doctorate in astrophysics — yeah, don't judge a book by its cover, people, lol; and, Trevor (an electrokinetic computer hacker), Josh (a major jerk and pyromancer), and Jolene (a finder-tracker and Josh's older sister) are the three mage mousketeers who run Lost and Found (and sometimes consult with the police).
Eleanor Radzinski, a witch, is the manager of the Springfield Apartments.
Westport PD
Detective Lieutenant Jordan Blair senses magic and is the head of the Paranormal Crimes Unit. Blair reports to the district attorney, Daniel Nava, a widower. His unit includes Detective Mackle and Detective Sergeant Bailey, a mage. I think Captain Munroe is with SWAT.
Frankie Jones is the assistant district attorney and an aeromancer mage. (Frankie's father is the DA's former partner.) Debbie McCauley is Frankie's chief investigator. Charles Mietzner is the mayor's chief of staff.
The vampires in Westport
Jimmy was thrown out of Rosie's. Lord Carleton had been the Master of the City with Rodrick Barclay one of his. George Flynn is another contender for Master of the City.
The Illuminati is/was...
...a secret and too powerful arcane organization dominating the world while protecting the world from evil. They say. Based in the City somewhere in Canada, the Hunters' Guild is an organization within the Illuminati. Master Benedict is The Illuminator and head of the ruling Council. I also think he's a perve. Instructors include Master Robyn and Mistress Chantelle. Roger had been a jerk of a Hunter trainee.
The Columbia Club is...
...a very private club whose members include Ronald Jenkins, Everitt Johnson, and Brian Douglas.
Targets of the Illuminati included William Strickland, an industrialist and sorcerer who had created a powerful weapon. Whatever happened to Strickland's daughter?
Supernatural bars include the Wolf's Den; Full Moon; the Shaggy Gentleman, a shifter strip bar; and, Necropolis, a vampire-goth nightclub.
The Fae congregate in Killarney Village.
Paranormals are humans with talents or magic — mages and witches. Supernaturals are non-human: vampires, shifters, Fae. The Dark Web is the excessively private criminal side of the Internet.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a U of darkness, framing Erin in black leather pants and a red leather motorcycle jacket, her long dark hair floating behind her as she strides down the narrow alley, intent on her prey, her hands streaming with electric green magics. The author's name is at the top in white with the title in a gradated white to green below Erin's knees. The series info is below that in white.
The title is both the Shadow Hunter who hunts Erin and Erin, the former Hunter who hides in the shadows.
This book was courtesy of Amazon Prime Reading.
My Take
This was a fun, easy read with plenty of action, and I'm looking forward to reading Night Stalker.
And, okay, yeah, I got a few niggles, primarily about Erin's guilt for destroying The City. I don't know how she figures this since she's not the one who destroyed Strickland's weapon.
Erin is an interesting character, torn as she is between her lessons in sophistication and her naiveté about normal life. Poor Erin is having such a hard time coping with reality and those day-to-day decisions one has to make, all made easier by Kingsolver using first person protagonist point-of-view, so we have insight into Erin's thoughts. I love the truths Kingsolver tosses out when Erin lets Donny and Steve know how NOT nice it is to be groped. Ouch.
Kingsolver definitely pursues a sub-theme of how boys bully girls! And "Erin" makes an excellent point that discipline can save lives. If schools would discipline those bullying kids, I suspect we would save a lot of lives.
O-ho, another excellent point made by Erin and Sam to the cop about just who the police are trying to protect...Kingsolver isn't pulling many punches, lol.
However, Kingsolver isn't taking advantage of her conflicts to increase the tension. She has such great events in her story that could have ramped up my heart rate, and...nada.
None of the characters have any real depth. I suspect that's part of why I think of Shadow Hunter as being more cozy than scary. Don't get me wrong, though, the bar's characters are terrific...and the jury is still out about the law *grin*.
Then again, Blair's character surprises me with his off-the-job interests. Not what I would have expected of a cynical cop.
It's all plots within plots and pizza on the side!
The Story
It's The History of the Illuminati that reveals all to Erin. And chokes her with guilt.
Escaping all she's known, Erin soon finds herself the nexus of a major conspiracy that could plunge the world into destructive chaos.
The Characters
Erin "Scorpion" McLane is a ley line mage and Hunter on the run from the Illuminati. Her parents were a mage and a witch.
Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar & Grill is...
...a 24/7 home away from home for many paranormals and supernaturals in the city. It's owned by Sam O'Grady, an aeromancer mage who is part elf. (Rosie is Sam's mom.) The waitresses include Jenny Rafferty and Emily Watson. The bartenders include the autistic Liam, Sam, and Jill. Steven Dworkin is the amazing cook (and a shift manager)...who's in a group marriage — their wife is a witch and an apothecary. Donny is the dishwasher and kitchen help. Customers include "Dizzy" Lizzy, a pink-haired elf who sees the future and more and is pursuing a doctorate in astrophysics — yeah, don't judge a book by its cover, people, lol; and, Trevor (an electrokinetic computer hacker), Josh (a major jerk and pyromancer), and Jolene (a finder-tracker and Josh's older sister) are the three mage mousketeers who run Lost and Found (and sometimes consult with the police).
Eleanor Radzinski, a witch, is the manager of the Springfield Apartments.
Westport PD
Detective Lieutenant Jordan Blair senses magic and is the head of the Paranormal Crimes Unit. Blair reports to the district attorney, Daniel Nava, a widower. His unit includes Detective Mackle and Detective Sergeant Bailey, a mage. I think Captain Munroe is with SWAT.
Frankie Jones is the assistant district attorney and an aeromancer mage. (Frankie's father is the DA's former partner.) Debbie McCauley is Frankie's chief investigator. Charles Mietzner is the mayor's chief of staff.
The vampires in Westport
Jimmy was thrown out of Rosie's. Lord Carleton had been the Master of the City with Rodrick Barclay one of his. George Flynn is another contender for Master of the City.
The Illuminati is/was...
...a secret and too powerful arcane organization dominating the world while protecting the world from evil. They say. Based in the City somewhere in Canada, the Hunters' Guild is an organization within the Illuminati. Master Benedict is The Illuminator and head of the ruling Council. I also think he's a perve. Instructors include Master Robyn and Mistress Chantelle. Roger had been a jerk of a Hunter trainee.
The Columbia Club is...
...a very private club whose members include Ronald Jenkins, Everitt Johnson, and Brian Douglas.
Targets of the Illuminati included William Strickland, an industrialist and sorcerer who had created a powerful weapon. Whatever happened to Strickland's daughter?
Supernatural bars include the Wolf's Den; Full Moon; the Shaggy Gentleman, a shifter strip bar; and, Necropolis, a vampire-goth nightclub.
The Fae congregate in Killarney Village.
Paranormals are humans with talents or magic — mages and witches. Supernaturals are non-human: vampires, shifters, Fae. The Dark Web is the excessively private criminal side of the Internet.
The Cover and Title
The cover is a U of darkness, framing Erin in black leather pants and a red leather motorcycle jacket, her long dark hair floating behind her as she strides down the narrow alley, intent on her prey, her hands streaming with electric green magics. The author's name is at the top in white with the title in a gradated white to green below Erin's knees. The series info is below that in white.
The title is both the Shadow Hunter who hunts Erin and Erin, the former Hunter who hides in the shadows.
katyanaish's review against another edition
3.0
This was a decent series starter. It's an interesting background, and I like the lead female.
I think my primary problem was typical first book stuff - a lot happened really fast, and it didn't seem like it had a ton of weight to it. And there were a zillion characters to meet, and they blend into a blur for me. A different problem, though, is that I don't particularly like any of the guys that seem in the running for love interest, and I really hope if there is one, it's someone we haven't met yet.
Reading onwards...
I think my primary problem was typical first book stuff - a lot happened really fast, and it didn't seem like it had a ton of weight to it. And there were a zillion characters to meet, and they blend into a blur for me. A different problem, though, is that I don't particularly like any of the guys that seem in the running for love interest, and I really hope if there is one, it's someone we haven't met yet.
Reading onwards...
abeautytoyourbeast's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
crochetchrisie's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 rounded to 4. I didn't really get into it as much as I would have liked, but it was a good start to a series.
alikatson's review against another edition
3.0
Buddy Read with Buddies Books & Baubles!
3.5 or so stars. This book had a lot of potential but it skipped from one action scene to the next and I wanted to know more. What I did learn about the characters and world was interesting and I wish there was more character development and worldbuilding. Without more development the book felt like a filled in outline of events.
Despite this I did enjoy it and want to continue with the series in the hope more will come of it.
The narration was pretty standard - not exceptional but not bad. The narrator did not vary the voices much so I did get lost a couple times with the characters.
3.5 or so stars. This book had a lot of potential but it skipped from one action scene to the next and I wanted to know more. What I did learn about the characters and world was interesting and I wish there was more character development and worldbuilding. Without more development the book felt like a filled in outline of events.
Despite this I did enjoy it and want to continue with the series in the hope more will come of it.
The narration was pretty standard - not exceptional but not bad. The narrator did not vary the voices much so I did get lost a couple times with the characters.