koops333's review
3.0
Interesting world building, unique powers, and a fairly complex mystery...but I was hoping for a little more sizzle in the romance department.
Maybe in the next book!
Maybe in the next book!
kennode's review
2.0
DNF 40%. I don’t know I was just not feeling this book. The world building was interesting but the plot was boring. I also usually like some kind of love interest in my books. I have a hard time with these kinds of books where all the books are is a mission they accomplish at the end with no relationship building.
srchief's review
4.0
The story takes place about 200 years in the future after a world war and extreme environmental changes. The society is controlled by mega-corporations with very little government influence. Some of the people have mutations from all of the changes that the world has undergone. In the case of Libby, she is a mutant that has the ability to change her appearance. She can look like anyone and can even blend in to the shadows. Her parents trained her to be an infiltration and assassination expert. Along with her mutation, this training makes Libby one of the best at her work.
Libby is hired to track down the source of a new dangerous drug. It quickly becomes apparent that it is going to be a very complicated. She might have to cross the local mob, endanger people that she cares about and work with a powerful corporate organization. The only thing that she can do is find the source and survive.
This is a good story with excellent world building. Libby is a complex and interesting character. It is a good urban fantasy and I hope the series continues.
Libby is hired to track down the source of a new dangerous drug. It quickly becomes apparent that it is going to be a very complicated. She might have to cross the local mob, endanger people that she cares about and work with a powerful corporate organization. The only thing that she can do is find the source and survive.
This is a good story with excellent world building. Libby is a complex and interesting character. It is a good urban fantasy and I hope the series continues.
kittyg's review
2.0
This book is one of the #SPFBO reads and it's a little different to my normal reads, hence why I possibly didn't love it as much as some others may. This is the first in a series that follows Libby, a mutant who is able to transform herself into different people and appearances, much like a Chameleon. The idea - brilliant - what a good way to set up a PI character, but sadly the execution just felt a bit lacking for me in the end.
What I did really enjoy about this book was the fast pace (I read it in a day) and the concepts. We're following a lady who is bad-ass, sexy, feisty and intelligent. This is all good stuff and I liked her as a character even though I don't feel like she was developed as much as she could have been.
I also liked the family dynamics in this book. Nearly always in SFF you follow a character who is 'going-it-alone' and doesn't have family or friends they can rely on. Particularly in fantasy it's very often the case that the main character is an orphan, but in this story not only are her parents alive, they are good role models and very much involved in Libby's life. I liked that change of pace and seeing them both help her and influence her throughout the book made this a much more genuine and relatable element of the book.
The concept of the book, a world filled with mutant characters and new technology, was definitely cool, but I felt like it was a bit under-utilised and I just wanted to see more of it all. There were quite a few moments where I just hoped that we would get a surprise in the form of a new mutant or a new piece of kit, and although there were opportunities, I never felt they were pushed as far as they could have been.
The plot of this book focuses on a drug that is sweeping over the world. This drug is called luvdaze and leaves teens in love/lust situations and passing out/overdosing in clubs, so it has become a problem. Libby is recruited to try and find where the drug is coming from and hopefully to stem the flow and cut off the supply.
There were some indications of LGBTQ+ characters, but this wasn't ever made explicit, it's more just hinted in the background. I would have liked to see this become more prominent, but I'm glad it was at least indicated. Sadly the 'romance' of most books doesn't gel with me, and the sleazy street scenes of prostitutes, low life and drugs etc is just not a big turn on for me so I never felt I could truly connect to that in this story.
Overall thoughts:
- solid ideas, but not always executed as well as they could have been.
- strong lead character, but I wish she was developed a bit more.
- good world set up, but not explored to the extent it could have been.
- standard plot that felt predictable at times.
- hints of more to come, I believe this is just the first in the series.
For me, I gave this a 2*s. It's an okay read and I didn't dislike it, I just wanted to get a lot more than I did. I feel like urban fantasy is something that doesn't always click with me though so possibly if you do enjoy that sub-genre you may like this more than I did, but for me it was just okay.
What I did really enjoy about this book was the fast pace (I read it in a day) and the concepts. We're following a lady who is bad-ass, sexy, feisty and intelligent. This is all good stuff and I liked her as a character even though I don't feel like she was developed as much as she could have been.
I also liked the family dynamics in this book. Nearly always in SFF you follow a character who is 'going-it-alone' and doesn't have family or friends they can rely on. Particularly in fantasy it's very often the case that the main character is an orphan, but in this story not only are her parents alive, they are good role models and very much involved in Libby's life. I liked that change of pace and seeing them both help her and influence her throughout the book made this a much more genuine and relatable element of the book.
The concept of the book, a world filled with mutant characters and new technology, was definitely cool, but I felt like it was a bit under-utilised and I just wanted to see more of it all. There were quite a few moments where I just hoped that we would get a surprise in the form of a new mutant or a new piece of kit, and although there were opportunities, I never felt they were pushed as far as they could have been.
The plot of this book focuses on a drug that is sweeping over the world. This drug is called luvdaze and leaves teens in love/lust situations and passing out/overdosing in clubs, so it has become a problem. Libby is recruited to try and find where the drug is coming from and hopefully to stem the flow and cut off the supply.
There were some indications of LGBTQ+ characters, but this wasn't ever made explicit, it's more just hinted in the background. I would have liked to see this become more prominent, but I'm glad it was at least indicated. Sadly the 'romance' of most books doesn't gel with me, and the sleazy street scenes of prostitutes, low life and drugs etc is just not a big turn on for me so I never felt I could truly connect to that in this story.
Overall thoughts:
- solid ideas, but not always executed as well as they could have been.
- strong lead character, but I wish she was developed a bit more.
- good world set up, but not explored to the extent it could have been.
- standard plot that felt predictable at times.
- hints of more to come, I believe this is just the first in the series.
For me, I gave this a 2*s. It's an okay read and I didn't dislike it, I just wanted to get a lot more than I did. I feel like urban fantasy is something that doesn't always click with me though so possibly if you do enjoy that sub-genre you may like this more than I did, but for me it was just okay.
norwegianfatcat's review
5.0
Libby is a fresh of breath air, she isn't your typical snarky UF heroine that get's away with everything.
Oh she got spunk alright, she got snark! But in her personal life. As a professional she is exactly that: a professional.
She doesn't skirt away page after page on pure luck. She is intelligent and she is hardworking. She is the creme of the creme when it comes to her trade.
She shows a causality toward murder that fits her profession while still showing that..
Yes, she can be disturbed.
Yes, she can be scared.
She comes across as a real person to me, with layers upon layers.
Oh she got spunk alright, she got snark! But in her personal life. As a professional she is exactly that: a professional.
She doesn't skirt away page after page on pure luck. She is intelligent and she is hardworking. She is the creme of the creme when it comes to her trade.
She shows a causality toward murder that fits her profession while still showing that..
Yes, she can be disturbed.
Yes, she can be scared.
She comes across as a real person to me, with layers upon layers.
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