jocyvondoom's review against another edition
3.0
I read this book previously two summers ago and about a year later I bout the sequels and this summer I plan to finish the series so I re read it. The problem with letting yourself not buy books for a while sucks so I re read it and really enjoyed it again, without a doubt continuing the trilogy and will probably enjoy it now a lot more.
greyhart's review against another edition
2.0
Urban fantasy mystery detective thing. Overall entertaining affair with not unlikeable characters. But the mystery was easy to see. And the whole police arrest part was a bit like a cringy Benny Hill segment and could've benefited from being dropped altogether. I'll continue reading the series.
thinde's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't find Jeremiah to be a particularly sympathetic protagonist. Nor could I understand the financial magic that sustained his obsession and lifestyle.
For urban fantasy, this story ticks most of the boxes. I wasn't persuaded by the lack of realism in both police procedures and Jeremiah's inconsistent level of expertise in supernatural mythology. This is one of those, "all myths have some basis in truth" settings. Thus we can expect a variety of monsters to appear in future books. No clue yet if there is a common thread that holds it all together.
The ending was decent. By promising a team-based sequel it has captured my interest. I won't be rushing to continue, but maybe...
For urban fantasy, this story ticks most of the boxes. I wasn't persuaded by the lack of realism in both police procedures and Jeremiah's inconsistent level of expertise in supernatural mythology. This is one of those, "all myths have some basis in truth" settings. Thus we can expect a variety of monsters to appear in future books. No clue yet if there is a common thread that holds it all together.
The ending was decent. By promising a team-based sequel it has captured my interest. I won't be rushing to continue, but maybe...
stewie's review
4.0
Joseph Nassise's site promises this the first in a series. I certainly hope so.
You can read my full review at HorrorTalk.com.
You can read my full review at HorrorTalk.com.
patrick6367's review
2.0
I actually read 66% of this book before I just put it down and wandered off forever. I just never liked or empathized with the protagonist. Frankly he was a jerk and I wasn't feeling the love. The romantic interest felt flat too. Just wasn't anything here that compelled me to finish the book and so I decided to move on to something more enjoyable.
drey72's review
4.0
drey’s thoughts:
Fans of Harry Dresden will like Jeremiah Hunt. Unlike Harry, Jeremiah is blind, has no magical powers, and can barely function in normal society. What he can do is see ghosts – and make them go away. And like Harry, he helps the police – in Boston – whenever he can. This new series of murders are perplexing though, and the perpetrator leaves plenty of clues to intrigue and confuse Jeremiah.
I like Joseph Nassise’s storytelling in Eyes to See. Jeremiah’s history is told in flashbacks – chapters titled “Then” vs. “Now” – and show us the heartache and loss he faced when his daughter went missing. The plot was suitably intriguing and engrossing. The ending was not quite what I was looking for, but I can’t have everything, can I? Even so, I am looking forward to see where Jeremiah’s journey takes him next.
This is a very well-written dark and gritty urban fantasy. Fans will love this and clamor for more.
drey’s rating: Excellent!
Fans of Harry Dresden will like Jeremiah Hunt. Unlike Harry, Jeremiah is blind, has no magical powers, and can barely function in normal society. What he can do is see ghosts – and make them go away. And like Harry, he helps the police – in Boston – whenever he can. This new series of murders are perplexing though, and the perpetrator leaves plenty of clues to intrigue and confuse Jeremiah.
I like Joseph Nassise’s storytelling in Eyes to See. Jeremiah’s history is told in flashbacks – chapters titled “Then” vs. “Now” – and show us the heartache and loss he faced when his daughter went missing. The plot was suitably intriguing and engrossing. The ending was not quite what I was looking for, but I can’t have everything, can I? Even so, I am looking forward to see where Jeremiah’s journey takes him next.
This is a very well-written dark and gritty urban fantasy. Fans will love this and clamor for more.
drey’s rating: Excellent!
ril_amber's review
1.0
No. Just no. This was not particularly well-written, painfully boring, inconsistent in terms of use of magic, and the characters did nothing to compensate author's disgustingly condescending approach to the cultures he used in the world-building, as well as blatant victim-blaming and misogyny, AND use of all the worst tropes you could think of in this kind of book. It feels like it was written by a teenage boy and in not in any impressive way, because I heard Eragon at least was good.
barb4ry1's review
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5
What would you do if your child disappeared one day? What would you be willing to sacrifice to find her? Would you give up, say, your eyesight for a chance of a reunion?
Are you sure?
Jeremiah was. Now he's blind but he sees the dead. And the dead see him. He has little to lose - his wife left him years ago. He lost his job. He isolated himself from other people and it's safe to say his relationship with his companion ghosts Scream and Whisper is the only meaningful relationship he maintains.
He's paid to solve other people's problems with ghosts. Additionally, one of the police officers believes he's a psychic and uses his help in his investigations. With the help of his mysterious ghost companion named Whisper, Jeremiah is able to see what happened to the victims through their eyes, in the last seconds of their lives.
A series of murders seem to be connected to his daughter's disappearance. With the help of two outcasts, Denise and Dmitri, Jeremiah is focused on discovering the truth.
It seems the author enjoys beating the hell out of his characters. Don't count on a happy ending. You won't get one.
Characterization is done well. In the beginning, Jeremiah is unlikeable but interesting. He isolated himself from others and doesn't really care about them. While the story progresses we learn about experiences that made him abrasive and boorish. With time the interest in his story turns into sympathy and later on into genuine respect. I can confirm that Joseph Nassise managed to make me root for a character I had originally disliked. Noe an easy feat. To be fair, though, I'm keen on redemption arcs so it wasn't that difficult to make me root for Jeremiah.
I think Jeremiah will be relatable to many readers. Most of us understand what it means to blame ourselves for our past failures and how difficult it can be to actually change our ways. Accompanying Jeremiah on the journey allows the reader to see the echo of their own story within the pages of his. More or less. Contrary to him, I haven't met many ghosts.
Female characters are as interesting, maybe even more so than their male counterparts. Both Whisper(his ghost companion) and Denise Clearwater(a hedge witch) have secrets and interesting backstories. Above all, though, they have distinct personalities.
The writing was quite dense and emotional. I liked it most of the times but I have to say that some of the longer descriptions and blocks of texts were tiring. Probably, it's my main issue with the story. In short, despite high stakes and cruel twists, there were times
when the prose and exposition took me out of the story.
Overall, I'm glad I gave this one a try. If you like dark and emotional fantasy books and would like to meet Harry Dresden's grumpy cousin, give this one a try.
What would you do if your child disappeared one day? What would you be willing to sacrifice to find her? Would you give up, say, your eyesight for a chance of a reunion?
Are you sure?
Jeremiah was. Now he's blind but he sees the dead. And the dead see him. He has little to lose - his wife left him years ago. He lost his job. He isolated himself from other people and it's safe to say his relationship with his companion ghosts Scream and Whisper is the only meaningful relationship he maintains.
He's paid to solve other people's problems with ghosts. Additionally, one of the police officers believes he's a psychic and uses his help in his investigations. With the help of his mysterious ghost companion named Whisper, Jeremiah is able to see what happened to the victims through their eyes, in the last seconds of their lives.
A series of murders seem to be connected to his daughter's disappearance. With the help of two outcasts, Denise and Dmitri, Jeremiah is focused on discovering the truth.
It seems the author enjoys beating the hell out of his characters. Don't count on a happy ending. You won't get one.
Characterization is done well. In the beginning, Jeremiah is unlikeable but interesting. He isolated himself from others and doesn't really care about them. While the story progresses we learn about experiences that made him abrasive and boorish. With time the interest in his story turns into sympathy and later on into genuine respect. I can confirm that Joseph Nassise managed to make me root for a character I had originally disliked. Noe an easy feat. To be fair, though, I'm keen on redemption arcs so it wasn't that difficult to make me root for Jeremiah.
I think Jeremiah will be relatable to many readers. Most of us understand what it means to blame ourselves for our past failures and how difficult it can be to actually change our ways. Accompanying Jeremiah on the journey allows the reader to see the echo of their own story within the pages of his. More or less. Contrary to him, I haven't met many ghosts.
Female characters are as interesting, maybe even more so than their male counterparts. Both Whisper(his ghost companion) and Denise Clearwater(a hedge witch) have secrets and interesting backstories. Above all, though, they have distinct personalities.
The writing was quite dense and emotional. I liked it most of the times but I have to say that some of the longer descriptions and blocks of texts were tiring. Probably, it's my main issue with the story. In short, despite high stakes and cruel twists, there were times
when the prose and exposition took me out of the story.
Overall, I'm glad I gave this one a try. If you like dark and emotional fantasy books and would like to meet Harry Dresden's grumpy cousin, give this one a try.
evavroslin's review
5.0
This book is absolutely my favourite urban fantasy of 2012, even though it came out in 2011. I'm a big fan of strong male leads who aren't just re-hashing what we've seen a million times before, whether it's the detective/PI who hunts supernatural things, the typical hunter of monsters, or the wise-cracking and snippy reluctant hero. Those are all well and good and I enjoy many of them, but Jeremiah Hunt is a unique lead, and an intensely vulnerable character but he doesn't come off as a whiny wuss, which is a difficult and delicate balance to maintain.
The world-building aspects with ghosts and all the types of spirits that exist are fantastic, and this series is the perfect "go-to" read after you've finished with Simon R. Green, the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher, the Felix Castor series from Mike Carey, the Remy Chandler series from Tom Sniegoski, etc, and you're wondering what your next read should be.
The world-building aspects with ghosts and all the types of spirits that exist are fantastic, and this series is the perfect "go-to" read after you've finished with Simon R. Green, the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher, the Felix Castor series from Mike Carey, the Remy Chandler series from Tom Sniegoski, etc, and you're wondering what your next read should be.