mojoshivers's review
4.0
The writing is a little clunky in places and the dialogue is sometimes a tad uninspired and on the nose. But, man, is the plot of the story ever a corker. It’s a bit like a broken-down roller coaster; you’re not sure it’s going to get to the end in one piece and there are parts where you think it’s not worth it. But once it’s over you realize you’ve just been on a twisted, fantastic, bat-shit crazy ride. And you can’t wait to do this over again.
silence_underrated's review
4.0
This should have been a 3.5 stars. The beginning was great, I was intrigued by the character, the mystery, upset by his situation. When the situation changed it led you into something pretty unexpected and very exciting. Towards the end though it felt a little cliche. I still liked how it went but I guess it was a little bit of a let down after the unexpected twists and turns of the rest of the book. After the end I struggled liking many of the characters because they no longer had the unpredictable edge they had before. I still plan to read the second book, and I will defiantly recommend this to people as a great urban fantasy. I hope the next book brings out more of the elements of the beginning of the book that I liked.
jackalope_hope's review
5.0
This was a reread for me, and it was just as excellent the second time around. The characters are an absolute delight, and I enjoyed diving back into this world with them. An all-time favorite.
mferrante83's review
4.0
I first encountered Nicholas Kaufmann’s fiction reading Chasing the Dragon a wonderful novella put out by the fine folks over at Chizine; it’s a wonderful little fantasy allegory about addiction that I highly highly recommend. When I spotted Kaufmann’s latest series of novels about a man who refuses to stay dead I pounced on them and devoured them wholesale back-to-back. Starting with Dying is My Business Kaufmann introduces readers to Trent. Trent works for Brooklyn crime boss doing odd jobs, particularly retrieving odd valuable objects. He has no memory of who he was beyond waking up in an alley several months ago. It turns out that Trent doesn’t stay dead. Every time Trent does die he wakes up minutes later healed of every wound and the person nearest to him sucked of all life. Dying is My Business lays out these details nicely opening with Trent waking up from one of these deaths. It’s a nice little in-media-res opening and Kaufmann does a great job of hooking you in the beginning then quickly outlining the, admittedly scant, details of Trent’s life.
While the mystery of Trent’s origins and his strange power is a huge part of the novel it is obviously a long-term plan and Kaufmann doesn’t offer many details in Dying is My Business. Kaufmann sketches a simple plot that leans heavily on the fact that Trent know’s so little about his life. It’s obvious from the get go that his boss Underwood is stringing him along and Kaufmann’s every description of Trent’s living conditions and the way his boss treats him reveal that he is seen as something more like a pet than an employee. It isn’t long until one of Trent’s jobs sees him encountering people whose experiences in a similar retrieval-based line-of-work illuminate the stark differences in what it means to be part of team and part of a family. Kaufmann easily plays Trent’s encounter with Bethany and Thornton against his desperate, perhaps subconscious, need to connect with people. The same encounter also reveals a deeper world of the supernatural which in an amusing turn the seemingly unkillable Trent has difficulty swallowing.
Trent’s connection with Isaac, Gabrielle, Phillip, Bethany and Thornton marks an interesting shift in character for Trent. Maybe that isn’t entirely accurate. It is perhaps more that Trent’s connection with this group reveals the falsehood of Trent’s life with Underwood and his cronies. Dying is My Business is full of action from your standard fisticuffs to a huge chase scene as Bethany, Thornton, and Trent flee the mystical Black Knight through the crowded streets if Manhattan. Dying Is My Business is an excellent introductory novel, laying out the mysteries of Trent’s existence while simultaneously establishing the rules of a supernatural world where the Guardian of Magic has gone missing, turning magic into a volatile corrupting influence, and where the other Guardians remain aloof and enigmatic.
While the mystery of Trent’s origins and his strange power is a huge part of the novel it is obviously a long-term plan and Kaufmann doesn’t offer many details in Dying is My Business. Kaufmann sketches a simple plot that leans heavily on the fact that Trent know’s so little about his life. It’s obvious from the get go that his boss Underwood is stringing him along and Kaufmann’s every description of Trent’s living conditions and the way his boss treats him reveal that he is seen as something more like a pet than an employee. It isn’t long until one of Trent’s jobs sees him encountering people whose experiences in a similar retrieval-based line-of-work illuminate the stark differences in what it means to be part of team and part of a family. Kaufmann easily plays Trent’s encounter with Bethany and Thornton against his desperate, perhaps subconscious, need to connect with people. The same encounter also reveals a deeper world of the supernatural which in an amusing turn the seemingly unkillable Trent has difficulty swallowing.
Trent’s connection with Isaac, Gabrielle, Phillip, Bethany and Thornton marks an interesting shift in character for Trent. Maybe that isn’t entirely accurate. It is perhaps more that Trent’s connection with this group reveals the falsehood of Trent’s life with Underwood and his cronies. Dying is My Business is full of action from your standard fisticuffs to a huge chase scene as Bethany, Thornton, and Trent flee the mystical Black Knight through the crowded streets if Manhattan. Dying Is My Business is an excellent introductory novel, laying out the mysteries of Trent’s existence while simultaneously establishing the rules of a supernatural world where the Guardian of Magic has gone missing, turning magic into a volatile corrupting influence, and where the other Guardians remain aloof and enigmatic.
kitvaria_sarene's review
4.0
While Dying is my Business isn't flawless, but it is a very entertaining and action packed urban fantasy!
I'm always happy to find UF that isn't actually paranormal romance, so I'm glad this one somehow showed up on my radar, even though it sadly is a series that's been dropped by the publisher, so there's only two books, and no actual end to the series as far as I found.
I have a big love for gargoyles (as you might guess from my collectors figure...) so I was delighted to have them feature in here! And they aren't the only creatures to be found... Vampires, magicians, necromancers, charms, lie detecting little critters, homunculi - this book has a lot of teh fantastical and magical. And I'm here for it! As much as I enjoy a low fantasy, at times I want the wild ride with all the ideas, and I definitely got that here.
I really enjoyed Trent as a main character, though I just say some of the other characters stayed a bit two dimensional, and felt more like props than real people. The tone and voice of the story itself, revolving around the mystery behind Trent's special ability to just not stay dead, more than made up for it though, so it didn't bother me too much. It's not a comedy, but it has its funny moments, it's not super dark, but definitely has some dark parts, and I quite liked how it balanced itself out between the exteemes.
At times Trent was a bit too slow on the uptake, or the foreshadowing too heavy handed, so I had to sigh and wait for him to catch up.
Overall I was still hooked as I so wanted to find out about his past, and I'll definitely buy the second book as well - and who knows, if enough people buy them, maybe there'll be a third book after all!
I'm always happy to find UF that isn't actually paranormal romance, so I'm glad this one somehow showed up on my radar, even though it sadly is a series that's been dropped by the publisher, so there's only two books, and no actual end to the series as far as I found.
I have a big love for gargoyles (as you might guess from my collectors figure...) so I was delighted to have them feature in here! And they aren't the only creatures to be found... Vampires, magicians, necromancers, charms, lie detecting little critters, homunculi - this book has a lot of teh fantastical and magical. And I'm here for it! As much as I enjoy a low fantasy, at times I want the wild ride with all the ideas, and I definitely got that here.
I really enjoyed Trent as a main character, though I just say some of the other characters stayed a bit two dimensional, and felt more like props than real people. The tone and voice of the story itself, revolving around the mystery behind Trent's special ability to just not stay dead, more than made up for it though, so it didn't bother me too much. It's not a comedy, but it has its funny moments, it's not super dark, but definitely has some dark parts, and I quite liked how it balanced itself out between the exteemes.
At times Trent was a bit too slow on the uptake, or the foreshadowing too heavy handed, so I had to sigh and wait for him to catch up.
Overall I was still hooked as I so wanted to find out about his past, and I'll definitely buy the second book as well - and who knows, if enough people buy them, maybe there'll be a third book after all!
andimontgomery's review
4.0
I was excited to finally get my hands on this new UF series with a male lead. Trent can't remember anything beyond the last year; he doesn't even know his real name. What he does know is that he cannot die. Because that has already happened--repeatedly--and he keeps coming back.
A local crime boss sees his value and sends him on dangerous jobs to retrieve people and/or objects. When his latest job to retrieve a box isn't as simple as expected, Trent is suddenly pulled into a world of hidden magic where werewolves, gargoyles, vampires and dragons coexist with humans in NYC.
Trent isn't necessarily a bad guy, and I really liked how he evolved as the story progressed. It made for a highly engaging and entertaining read that I honestly didn't want to put it down. I wasn't fond of the cliffhanger ending, but since this is the first book in a new series, I'll just have to wait for the next book to find out what happens next.
A local crime boss sees his value and sends him on dangerous jobs to retrieve people and/or objects. When his latest job to retrieve a box isn't as simple as expected, Trent is suddenly pulled into a world of hidden magic where werewolves, gargoyles, vampires and dragons coexist with humans in NYC.
Trent isn't necessarily a bad guy, and I really liked how he evolved as the story progressed. It made for a highly engaging and entertaining read that I honestly didn't want to put it down. I wasn't fond of the cliffhanger ending, but since this is the first book in a new series, I'll just have to wait for the next book to find out what happens next.
aphelia88's review
3.0
I picked this one up solely because of the Chris McGrath cover art - and the gargoyles on the cover! Although it was a very slow starter, it picked up a bit at the end. Unfortunately - aside from the gargoyles, which were evil villains characterized in an interesting and unusual way - and the mystery of Trent's nature (which isn't solved) - the story is pretty predictable.
Trent is a hired goon for a low-life crime boss who gets him to steal rare objects for collectors. Trent has retrograde amnesia, which means he is highly functioning but can't remember anything that happen more than a year ago. Every time he dies - which is a hazard in his line of work - he reawakens perfectly whole, having stolen the life force of whoever is nearest to him.
Because Trent is a cipher, even to himself, that makes him a hard character to like. His thoughts are full of questions that do not have immediate answers. Other characters compliment him on his quick thinking but he seems very slow witted. Over a year has passed and he's been content to be a junkyard flunky, living in an underground bunker and using his downtime only to watch old movies? This is particularly difficult to believe because Trent never sleeps, so that leaves a LOT of downtime. You think he might have gone to the public library or something. Instead, he pins his entire hope of finding himself on his manipulative, obviously untrustworthy boss. Why?
Set in New York, Trent's world is upended when a retrieval job goes awry and catches him up in real magic. After the normal freak out of "magic is real?" nonsense, he joins up with Bethany, a charm-wielding elf, and Thorton, a werewolf. They are part of a merry band of misfits lead by a mage named Isaac, and the group includes a sunglass-wearing vampire (Phillip) and a warrior woman named Gabrielle. They all live in a Batcave called the Citadel and Fight Evil.
So Trent joins the Scooby Gang. It's way too much superhero/X-Men for me, especially since Trent immediately feels like he's found a family, even though he's among - mostly hostile - complete strangers. Anyway, there are Ancient magical beings, with unknowably powerful magic. You know the drill; if you're an UF fan, you've read all this before.
A powerful necromance, Reve Azrael, is trying to reanimate the mad former King of the Gargoyles, who could - with his freaky magic - unmake the world. And that would be Very Bad. But the current King, the creepy Black Knight, is far more than he seems.
It's up to Trent (of course) and the Scoobies to uncover the Truth and Save the World. You know, a usual Tuesday. The ending is an obvious "twist" that is way too long in coming - but does set up the next novel nicely. There is a second book, [b:Die and Stay Dead|20613730|Die and Stay Dead (Trent, #2)|Nicholas Kaufmann|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392856830s/20613730.jpg|39895066], but the third in the trilogy seems to be in limbo. A nice enough UF if you like the Scooby Gang approach and love that type of setup, but there isn't anything new or outstanding here.
Trent is a hired goon for a low-life crime boss who gets him to steal rare objects for collectors. Trent has retrograde amnesia, which means he is highly functioning but can't remember anything that happen more than a year ago. Every time he dies - which is a hazard in his line of work - he reawakens perfectly whole, having stolen the life force of whoever is nearest to him.
Because Trent is a cipher, even to himself, that makes him a hard character to like. His thoughts are full of questions that do not have immediate answers. Other characters compliment him on his quick thinking but he seems very slow witted. Over a year has passed and he's been content to be a junkyard flunky, living in an underground bunker and using his downtime only to watch old movies? This is particularly difficult to believe because Trent never sleeps, so that leaves a LOT of downtime. You think he might have gone to the public library or something. Instead, he pins his entire hope of finding himself on his manipulative, obviously untrustworthy boss. Why?
Set in New York, Trent's world is upended when a retrieval job goes awry and catches him up in real magic. After the normal freak out of "magic is real?" nonsense, he joins up with Bethany, a charm-wielding elf, and Thorton, a werewolf. They are part of a merry band of misfits lead by a mage named Isaac, and the group includes a sunglass-wearing vampire (Phillip) and a warrior woman named Gabrielle. They all live in a Batcave called the Citadel and Fight Evil.
So Trent joins the Scooby Gang. It's way too much superhero/X-Men for me, especially since Trent immediately feels like he's found a family, even though he's among - mostly hostile - complete strangers. Anyway, there are Ancient magical beings, with unknowably powerful magic. You know the drill; if you're an UF fan, you've read all this before.
A powerful necromance, Reve Azrael, is trying to reanimate the mad former King of the Gargoyles, who could - with his freaky magic - unmake the world. And that would be Very Bad. But the current King, the creepy Black Knight, is far more than he seems.
It's up to Trent (of course) and the Scoobies to uncover the Truth and Save the World. You know, a usual Tuesday. The ending is an obvious "twist" that is way too long in coming - but does set up the next novel nicely. There is a second book, [b:Die and Stay Dead|20613730|Die and Stay Dead (Trent, #2)|Nicholas Kaufmann|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1392856830s/20613730.jpg|39895066], but the third in the trilogy seems to be in limbo. A nice enough UF if you like the Scooby Gang approach and love that type of setup, but there isn't anything new or outstanding here.
book_whispers's review
2.0
****Review copy received through Netgalley for an honest review.****
Wow, it feels so strange to say this about a male lead. But he's Too Stupid To Live! Kaufmann was clearly trying to make his main lead, Trent, a take action asks questions later kind of man. But fail. Every time Trent made a move it felt like I was continually yelling at him for making yet another stupid move. Magic and fantasy type things are real, let's keep shooting at things with a gun that doesn't phase them. Suddenly you have mad swordsmanship skills that you can actually hurt things and defend yourself with! Now forget taking a sword along, you’re useless gun is all you need. You're faced with a dragon, let's piss it off. That didn't kill it, let's keep trying with the same method. Finally you've got some people who can give you answers, let's get pissed off and yell at them pointlessly. Time up. No more questions. Every action Trent took . . . just ticked me off.
Trent is a man who woke up one year ago with no memories and as the cruel world would have it fell into the arms of some shady people. Who shot him. For no apparent reason. When he comes back to life—by draining one of their people mind you—the head boss gives him a place to live and money for the simple task of doing some really shady work. Trent accidentally kills a child and said boss just says better him then you. No matter what kind of memory loss you've got to know that something is WRONG. Also, just one week with these kinds of people should tell you all you need to know. The information that they've promised to find for Trent about who he really is, is never coming. Ever. Idiot.
His “redemption”, or at least what I think the author was trying to go for, didn't even feel real. The emotional connections were lacking too much. This book takes place in 3 days I think. Yet we're expected to believe that Trent magically goes through this transformation. Sure it's for a girl, love makes everything work faster. Going from cynic to silly-crush-man in the blink of an eye. The mentioned lack of emotions doesn't help solidified that story arc. None of the characters were very memorable, or ones I'd like to get to know. The love interest is very cool and I love her sensibleness and forgiveness. However, her love for Trent makes her a little sketchy in my mind. Their personalities would lead them to kill each other. Fast. Philip the Vampire was pretty cool and I'd love more background on him. One thing I will say is that my favorite character died, readers go in knowing this with the setup. Yet Kaufmann does a wonderful job at building the hope and belief that he'll live on. Which leads me to believe that Kaufmann can do more on that field.
The plot is pretty fun and this book brings a lot of action to the table. If you're bad at predicting plots this book will blow you away. If you can usually guess in advance, eh, no biggy. There is one little turn that I didn't see until about 80% through that I couldn't help but go, “Freaking awesome!” at. Kaufman can really make a great world. His version of fantasy filled New York is pretty cool, and I love how he played out that people don't want to see the unbelievable so they just feel in the blanks themselves. The mystery behind who and what Trent really is probably the most appealing aspect of this book. (Though I'm 99.9% positive I know what he is. Kudos to Kaufmann if he surprises me.)
To be honest I went in loving this book. Trent poisoned it for me. There was nothing that I remotely liked about him, except maybe his wit which kicked in a little too late for me. It's nice to see another male lead in the genre, truly. That is enough for me to continue with the next book. There's promise here. Kaufmann has talent, and I'm hoping the next book will really show it. If Trent's personality gets a tune up all the better. Oh, and if the romance and characters all get some TLC. (For some reasons male others rarely can write romances I care for. Sexist, I know.)
Sexual Content: Clean. There’s some kissing. Trent does indeed want to get a little something, something. Sexual humor.
2/5- Average/disappointing, library check-out.
Originally posted at Book Whispers.
Wow, it feels so strange to say this about a male lead. But he's Too Stupid To Live! Kaufmann was clearly trying to make his main lead, Trent, a take action asks questions later kind of man. But fail. Every time Trent made a move it felt like I was continually yelling at him for making yet another stupid move. Magic and fantasy type things are real, let's keep shooting at things with a gun that doesn't phase them. Suddenly you have mad swordsmanship skills that you can actually hurt things and defend yourself with! Now forget taking a sword along, you’re useless gun is all you need. You're faced with a dragon, let's piss it off. That didn't kill it, let's keep trying with the same method. Finally you've got some people who can give you answers, let's get pissed off and yell at them pointlessly. Time up. No more questions. Every action Trent took . . . just ticked me off.
Trent is a man who woke up one year ago with no memories and as the cruel world would have it fell into the arms of some shady people. Who shot him. For no apparent reason. When he comes back to life—by draining one of their people mind you—the head boss gives him a place to live and money for the simple task of doing some really shady work. Trent accidentally kills a child and said boss just says better him then you. No matter what kind of memory loss you've got to know that something is WRONG. Also, just one week with these kinds of people should tell you all you need to know. The information that they've promised to find for Trent about who he really is, is never coming. Ever. Idiot.
His “redemption”, or at least what I think the author was trying to go for, didn't even feel real. The emotional connections were lacking too much. This book takes place in 3 days I think. Yet we're expected to believe that Trent magically goes through this transformation. Sure it's for a girl, love makes everything work faster. Going from cynic to silly-crush-man in the blink of an eye. The mentioned lack of emotions doesn't help solidified that story arc. None of the characters were very memorable, or ones I'd like to get to know. The love interest is very cool and I love her sensibleness and forgiveness. However, her love for Trent makes her a little sketchy in my mind. Their personalities would lead them to kill each other. Fast. Philip the Vampire was pretty cool and I'd love more background on him. One thing I will say is that my favorite character died, readers go in knowing this with the setup. Yet Kaufmann does a wonderful job at building the hope and belief that he'll live on. Which leads me to believe that Kaufmann can do more on that field.
The plot is pretty fun and this book brings a lot of action to the table. If you're bad at predicting plots this book will blow you away. If you can usually guess in advance, eh, no biggy. There is one little turn that I didn't see until about 80% through that I couldn't help but go, “Freaking awesome!” at. Kaufman can really make a great world. His version of fantasy filled New York is pretty cool, and I love how he played out that people don't want to see the unbelievable so they just feel in the blanks themselves. The mystery behind who and what Trent really is probably the most appealing aspect of this book. (Though I'm 99.9% positive I know what he is. Kudos to Kaufmann if he surprises me.)
To be honest I went in loving this book. Trent poisoned it for me. There was nothing that I remotely liked about him, except maybe his wit which kicked in a little too late for me. It's nice to see another male lead in the genre, truly. That is enough for me to continue with the next book. There's promise here. Kaufmann has talent, and I'm hoping the next book will really show it. If Trent's personality gets a tune up all the better. Oh, and if the romance and characters all get some TLC. (For some reasons male others rarely can write romances I care for. Sexist, I know.)
Sexual Content: Clean. There’s some kissing. Trent does indeed want to get a little something, something. Sexual humor.
2/5- Average/disappointing, library check-out.
Originally posted at Book Whispers.
kathmkat's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25