redmud's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
wildflowerz76's review
1.0
DNF. I read the first one of these forever ago. I didn't remember particularly liking it, but I saw it recommended somewhere, so I picked up the second one. Luckily at the used book store I work at, so I only paid a $1 for it.
Was the "heroine" this awful in the first one? Because if she was, I must have been way more tolerant then. She's just awful. I DNF this one at around 70 pages. There's too much out there to read to spend my time on something I hate. Now on to some super fluff to cleanse the palette.
Was the "heroine" this awful in the first one? Because if she was, I must have been way more tolerant then. She's just awful. I DNF this one at around 70 pages. There's too much out there to read to spend my time on something I hate. Now on to some super fluff to cleanse the palette.
mermahoney's review
2.0
This was a fun book to read. I liked the premise a lot: Death's daughter would like to live a normal life but keeps getting pulled back into the family business. The lead character is sassy and smart. I enjoyed her adventures and encounters with a mixture of gods and deities from mythology and various world religions. A few points on the negative side. I got a little tired of the main character's obsession with sex. This is the second book in a series and it spends a lot of time reviewing events from the first book ("Death's Daughter"). So even though I hadn't read the first book, I pretty much knew the whole story by the end of this book. Without all the review, the book would have been much shorter. Finally, the book could have used some better editing; I was distracted by poor writing and word choice several times. Ultimately though, a good time was had and I would recommend this as a light, diverting tale.
rustybentley's review
4.0
Full disclosure: Amber Benson and I are best friends*. Despite our closeness, trust that this is an objective review of Cat's Claw, the second in the Calliope Reaper-Jones saga. For context, I read the first one and liked it. My biggest issue with the first one was the protagonist, Calliope. I just didn't relate to her at all, and I thought the way she constantly got distracted by boys and fashion were silly at best. With this book, that aspect was either toned down quite a bit, or I didn't notice it as much. In either case, it made Calliope much more endearing, and I enjoyed this book very much.
Amber's writing in this series is really outstanding in two aspects for me:
1) Calliope's voice. The first two books are written in first person from Calliope's point of view, and her narration always entertains. I really like her voice -- the variance from opinionated to expert to self-doubting to self-loathing to compassionate to nurturing... great stuff!
2) The mythology. I won't spoil anything, but the way that mythologies from different cultures are incorporated and played with is VERY well done. You don't have to be a mythology buff to like it, but if you're into mythology, it's a must-read for that reason alone. I found myself more than once juxtaposing a character in the story with how that character was normally described and smiling at the tweaks.
I alternated between reading the kindle version while sitting and listening to the audible version while driving. The audible version is read by the author. The audiobook was top notch from production value (simple, seamless, well-balance audio for the win!) to the performance. Amber is, of course, a household name**, but her voicing of the characters here was well worth the extra happy buck. The synchronization between the kindle and audible was perfect as well, which is a first for me.
I highly recommend this book. It certainly impressed me enough to gladly get the next in the series. If this style of urban fantasy isn't for you, that's OK -- Amber has written several other series and stand-alone books. I encourage you to check out [b:The Seven Whistlers|35151639|The Seven Whistlers|Benson Amber|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494900017s/35151639.jpg|56477463] instead. Happy reading!
* A slight exaggeration -- I met her once, and she was really nice.
** For Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans.
Amber's writing in this series is really outstanding in two aspects for me:
1) Calliope's voice. The first two books are written in first person from Calliope's point of view, and her narration always entertains. I really like her voice -- the variance from opinionated to expert to self-doubting to self-loathing to compassionate to nurturing... great stuff!
2) The mythology. I won't spoil anything, but the way that mythologies from different cultures are incorporated and played with is VERY well done. You don't have to be a mythology buff to like it, but if you're into mythology, it's a must-read for that reason alone. I found myself more than once juxtaposing a character in the story with how that character was normally described and smiling at the tweaks.
I alternated between reading the kindle version while sitting and listening to the audible version while driving. The audible version is read by the author. The audiobook was top notch from production value (simple, seamless, well-balance audio for the win!) to the performance. Amber is, of course, a household name**, but her voicing of the characters here was well worth the extra happy buck. The synchronization between the kindle and audible was perfect as well, which is a first for me.
I highly recommend this book. It certainly impressed me enough to gladly get the next in the series. If this style of urban fantasy isn't for you, that's OK -- Amber has written several other series and stand-alone books. I encourage you to check out [b:The Seven Whistlers|35151639|The Seven Whistlers|Benson Amber|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494900017s/35151639.jpg|56477463] instead. Happy reading!
* A slight exaggeration -- I met her once, and she was really nice.
** For Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans.
lilyghost's review
4.0
This book was much better than the first one. I liked everything about it. The main character didn't go on as much or as annoyingly about designer clothes and shoes. I guess I just don't like that because I'm not a girly-girl. I mean I like Sex and the City when they do it but I like my supernatural stuff a little more supernaturall-ie. I can't wait to find out more about Callie and Daniel. I hope she puts in the next book when Callie introduces Jarvis to her boss. I think that'd be hilarious. I also want to know the development of Callie's powers and how that will turn out because everyone is saying how powerful she is but she can't even call a wormhole.
ladyozma's review
4.0
Three headed dog, Bast, Jackal brothers, Egypt, and a tour of Targets in Las Vegas. Need I say more?
laughinglibra84's review
4.0
In Death's Daughter, Callie has to complete tasks and find missing persons who she has been blamed for kidnapping. During this journey she received help in return for her doing a favor for those who helped her when the need arises.
In Cat's Claw we see her returning one of these favors with a time limit of twenty-four hours. Other events come up along the way. The past unexpectedly shows up during one of the steps to complete the favor. Along with the usual family distractions and visits to Hell, this continuation of the Callie's story brings great and original descriptions of the environment. It's also cool to see her learn some magic after being told not to practice throughout her childhood.
http://leisurereadingblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/calliope-reaper-jones/
In Cat's Claw we see her returning one of these favors with a time limit of twenty-four hours. Other events come up along the way. The past unexpectedly shows up during one of the steps to complete the favor. Along with the usual family distractions and visits to Hell, this continuation of the Callie's story brings great and original descriptions of the environment. It's also cool to see her learn some magic after being told not to practice throughout her childhood.
http://leisurereadingblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/29/calliope-reaper-jones/
alexctelander's review
3.0
Calliope Reaper-Jones is back . . . sort of. Actually, she just wants her life to get back to normal, to do her stressful, fast-paced job, and live in the normal world, but of course that’s not going to happen. In Death’s Daughter, Calliope ended up owing the three-headed guardian of Hell, Cerberus, a favor, and now he wants to collect on that. After being forcefully summoned to stand before Cerberus, she is offered a deal: to find a an ancient Egyptian architect who has gone missing. She only has so much time to complete this task: if she succeeds, her debt will be filled and she’ll get to keep Runt, the cute offspring of Cerberus who Callie adopted; if she fails, she will have to take over Cerberus’s job as the guardian of the gate of hell.
Cat’s Claw continues Calliope’s adventures from our world into the underworld and beyond – even traveling through time at one point – as Amber Benson continues to have fun with the world she’s created. While this sequel lacks a little of the depth and complexity of Death’s Daughter, it’s nevertheless a fun romp into an interesting fantasy that plays around with mythology and history.
For more book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to BookBanter.
Cat’s Claw continues Calliope’s adventures from our world into the underworld and beyond – even traveling through time at one point – as Amber Benson continues to have fun with the world she’s created. While this sequel lacks a little of the depth and complexity of Death’s Daughter, it’s nevertheless a fun romp into an interesting fantasy that plays around with mythology and history.
For more book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to BookBanter.
ashfault76's review
3.0
This is book 2 in Amber Benson's first series. It's a light, mostly-enjoyable read following the (mis)adventures of Calliope Reaper-Jones, a.k.a. Death's Daughter (i.e. the literal daughter of the grim reaper). The Underworld-as-a-business-conglomerate world that Benson has set up is novel and fun. But the story itself is...not great. While the plot is better than in some other recent things I've read, it's still thin and disjointed. Plus the writing style was getting on my nerves. Calliope, as the narrator, is highly sarcastic (which i appreciate)...but Benson overplays the sarcasm to the point where it just gets annoying. There's also a tendency to over-explain things that don't need it, and under-explain things that need more. Still an interesting series and I'll likely continue with Book 3...eventually.
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