cryptidsandcoffee's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
laurenjodi's review
3.0
Devil May Ride
3 Stars
When crime scene cleaner and psychic-medium, Sadie Novak, is called in to sanitize an abandoned meth lab, she is shocked to discover evidence of a Satanic ritual. To make matters worse, she becomes the target of a biker gang convinced that she has absconded with their cash. Are the two connected, and if so what can Sadie do about it?
***Warning: Minor spoilers ahead***
The storylines in this series have wonderful potential. Unfortunately, the plotting and characterization are problematic.
The manner in which Roberts sets up the twists and turns of the narrative results in awkward and unnecessarily misleading situations. For example, the fact that Sadie can see and talk to the dead, but cannot always recognize when the person she is speaking to is a ghost leads to confusion regarding the sequence of events.
Moreover, Roberts has an annoying tendency toward undermining her characters and making them less appealing only to rehabilitate them latter in the story. Often times, this is too little, too late. For instance, Zack entanglement with Jackie is irritating as it presents him in an unnecessarily negative light and undercuts his developing romance with Sadie.
Other characters do not fare any better, and most are downright unlikable. The journalist, Scott, is the worst example of his profession. Ambition has turned him into a bottom feeding scumbag with stalker tendencies, and the fact that Sadie caves into both his blackmail and his more personal advances compromises her professional integrity and her likability.
While the basic premise of the series is intriguing and the mystery plots have some exciting moments, the issues with the characters and the romance are a turn off. Will read one more to see if things improve.
3 Stars
When crime scene cleaner and psychic-medium, Sadie Novak, is called in to sanitize an abandoned meth lab, she is shocked to discover evidence of a Satanic ritual. To make matters worse, she becomes the target of a biker gang convinced that she has absconded with their cash. Are the two connected, and if so what can Sadie do about it?
***Warning: Minor spoilers ahead***
The storylines in this series have wonderful potential. Unfortunately, the plotting and characterization are problematic.
The manner in which Roberts sets up the twists and turns of the narrative results in awkward and unnecessarily misleading situations. For example, the fact that Sadie can see and talk to the dead, but cannot always recognize when the person she is speaking to is a ghost leads to confusion regarding the sequence of events.
Moreover, Roberts has an annoying tendency toward undermining her characters and making them less appealing only to rehabilitate them latter in the story. Often times, this is too little, too late. For instance, Zack entanglement with Jackie is irritating as it presents him in an unnecessarily negative light and undercuts his developing romance with Sadie.
Other characters do not fare any better, and most are downright unlikable. The journalist, Scott, is the worst example of his profession. Ambition has turned him into a bottom feeding scumbag with stalker tendencies, and the fact that Sadie caves into both his blackmail and his more personal advances compromises her professional integrity and her likability.
While the basic premise of the series is intriguing and the mystery plots have some exciting moments, the issues with the characters and the romance are a turn off. Will read one more to see if things improve.
bwilhoite8's review
4.0
Wow, book two was awesome! I'm so glad I decided to start this series. The last quarter of the book blew me away. 4.5
jadeshea's review
4.0
Sadie and her partner Zack are having some issues. It's been a year since they had an intimate relationship and things are getting a little crazy. But when the stumble upon a baby who looks to have been through a satanic ritual things are not looking good for Sadie. Some bikers are after her, she doesn't trust her newest employee, and Zack and her are having some issues.
This book was pretty good. I thought it was better than the first one, and I really enjoyed it a whole lot. It was funny, had drama, some intense times, and the characters were awesome.
There was only two issues I had were with Zack and Sadie's relationship towards the end. I felt it happened too fast for the reader to really grasp that they had a relationship at all.
And I hated the "cheating" scare. That was beyond annoying, and it frustrated me.
Other than that I look forward to more in this series.
This book was pretty good. I thought it was better than the first one, and I really enjoyed it a whole lot. It was funny, had drama, some intense times, and the characters were awesome.
There was only two issues I had were with Zack and Sadie's relationship towards the end. I felt it happened too fast for the reader to really grasp that they had a relationship at all.
And I hated the "cheating" scare. That was beyond annoying, and it frustrated me.
Other than that I look forward to more in this series.
katherineep's review
4.0
I read the first one and the third one of this series but had skipped this one because the plot didn't interest me. I decided I liked the third one enough to go back and read this and I'm glad I did. I think this was the best of the series even if the plot is a bit dark. I like how some important things get cleared up. There were some unexpected aspects that also made the book entertaining. Now I'm just waiting for number 4!
ker95's review
3.0
Second installment of the Ghost Duster series. An abandoned meth lab & evil spirits. Didn't like it as much as the first, but look forward to the next installment in the series - Dead and Kicking (12/01/09)
vikikitty's review
3.0
I liked how everything during the book tied in to make the end. During my read I was a little afraid there wouldn't be a tie in since there was so much happening and I wasn't getting how it tied into the plot. But it turned out well in the end.
jayarlett's review
3.0
While these are all far from the best books I have ever read, they are all fast 1 or two evening reads... And worth the simple entertainment value.