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shannonleighd's review against another edition
1.0
I wanted to add that I do still read Black's books; I haven't given up on her. In fact, here newest series (my review of the first book, Dark Descendant) is actually really, really good. I also liked her YA series as well (I have a review for the second book only though) and these are both really good examples of why I don't give up on an author completely because of one or two bad books. I think over time she's only gotten better, so if you disliked this one as much as I did, maybe give another one of her series a chance, especially if you may have liked parts of this series but not the whole. I think she's worth giving a second chance, definitely.
Now, on to the review of this book!
Sigh ... where to start? Let's just say I was very disappointed with this book. I was hoping things would improve from the previous one but it seems I was wrong to even think that. I'm frustrated with this series now like I'm frustrated with Laurell K. Hamilton's two series and there isn't even a lot of sex in Black's books to distract me from the poorly developed plot. Let me see if I can explain myself.
Morgan Kingsley is a demon executioner, and we find out in the beginning of this book that her life has returned to some semblance of normalcy. She's still hosting the Demon King Lugh but she's come to terms with a lot of what's happened in the previous books. She's building a better relationship with Brian and her friends, and trying hard not to be a stubborn bitch all the time. But then the owner of the Seven Deadlies demon club, Shae, comes to Morgan with some information. She tells her that increasing amounts of demons have been showing up at the club in less than perfect bodies and she thinks it might have something to do with Dougal and his plan to kill Lugh. So Morgan decides to investigate and once again gets caught up in demon politics.
Now, where did this book go wrong? This series has such an interesting premise and it's the main reason I keep coming back to read more even though the quality seems to go downhill with each additional book. This book should have been called The Devil's Meeting in Morgan's Apartment. I should have tried to keep track of the amount of times Lugh's counsel was called to convene and drink copious amounts of coffee in Morgan's living room. It honestly got ridiculous and if I had to guess I'd say they met at least six times to discuss what action to take. About 75% of this book was them sitting around talking about what they should do! And good lord, WE GET IT, YOU LIKE COFFEE! I'm surprised the other 25% of this book didn't take place in Morgan's bathroom.
Another thing I had a problem with was the repetitive feel of almost all of Morgan's thoughts and conversations. She has a hard time letting people in, she's stubborn, Lugh taking control makes her sick, she's gets cranky when she gets a headache, people can't change, blah blah blah. It's the same thing over and over and over again. Thankfully, she's FINALLY starting to trust people, but now we have Brian to take up the whiny bitch throne. He doesn't like the fact that Lugh is there when he and Morgan have sex and he throws a hissy fit because Lugh happens to have feelings for him. Lugh is inside her head and has no body! There's no chance for any wiener-wackin' so get over your homophobic self! (I might be being a little unfair but his whining is super annoying. He spent four books pissed that Morgan was stubborn and wouldn't let him in and now he pulls this crap when Lugh has been there the whole time!)
And now this kind of gets me back to the whole LKH comparison. Hamilton's Anita Blake raises the dead as a job in the beginning of her series. As the plot gets more convoluted with vampire and werewolf stuff the zombie raising is left behind. Now though it seems like LKH is trying to get back to Anita's roots and I saw a glimmer of hope in [b:Flirt|6726595|Flirt (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #18)|Laurell K. Hamilton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1310494369s/6726595.jpg|6922779] that the series might take a turn for the better. I think this is what the Morgan Kingsley series needs to do too. Morgan hardly does exorcisms anymore. She's been so caught up in the demon politics that she's lost her identity, and also her charm. At this point she's just an annoying human that happens to host the Demon King. And sometimes I question her intelligence too; on two separate occasions, her only weapon-her taser-was at the bottom of her gigantic purse. How is that the smart thing to do? It's her only weapon! I just thought that was beyond stupid. At least Anita doesn't root around in her purse looking for her gun.
Apparently, this is the end of the series for the time being. See Jenna's goodbye to the series here. I can understand an author not wanting to drag something out if she's run out of ideas, and I can very well see that being the case here, but if this turns out to be the end of Morgan Kingsley then I'll be left forever feeling frustrated and disappointed. It will also make me question if I want to read [a:Jenna Black's|51118|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1243367862p2/51118.jpg] books in the future, or at the very least it'll keep me from blind-buying them.
One more thing I wanted to add: I hate the cover! It doesn't match the previous books and the model is weird looking. I don't know if it's the angle at which the photograph was taken or if the designer made it that way but I just don't like it. See below. This was just one more thing that left me dissatisfied. : (
[bc:The Devil Inside|729876|The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley, #1)|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320491285s/729876.jpg|716075] [bc:The Devil You Know|2398197|The Devil You Know (Morgan Kingsley, #2)|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320400198s/2398197.jpg|2589565] [bc:The Devil's Due|3123162|The Devil's Due (Morgan Kingsley, #3)|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320477213s/3123162.jpg|3154505] [bc:Speak of the Devil|5928023|Speak of the Devil (Morgan Kingsley, #4)|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320477215s/5928023.jpg|6100455] [bc:The Devil's Playground|6521325|The Devil's Playground (Morgan Kingsley, #5)|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320474498s/6521325.jpg|6713228]
My Speak of the Devil review.
Now, on to the review of this book!
Sigh ... where to start? Let's just say I was very disappointed with this book. I was hoping things would improve from the previous one but it seems I was wrong to even think that. I'm frustrated with this series now like I'm frustrated with Laurell K. Hamilton's two series and there isn't even a lot of sex in Black's books to distract me from the poorly developed plot. Let me see if I can explain myself.
Morgan Kingsley is a demon executioner, and we find out in the beginning of this book that her life has returned to some semblance of normalcy. She's still hosting the Demon King Lugh but she's come to terms with a lot of what's happened in the previous books. She's building a better relationship with Brian and her friends, and trying hard not to be a stubborn bitch all the time. But then the owner of the Seven Deadlies demon club, Shae, comes to Morgan with some information. She tells her that increasing amounts of demons have been showing up at the club in less than perfect bodies and she thinks it might have something to do with Dougal and his plan to kill Lugh. So Morgan decides to investigate and once again gets caught up in demon politics.
Now, where did this book go wrong? This series has such an interesting premise and it's the main reason I keep coming back to read more even though the quality seems to go downhill with each additional book. This book should have been called The Devil's Meeting in Morgan's Apartment. I should have tried to keep track of the amount of times Lugh's counsel was called to convene and drink copious amounts of coffee in Morgan's living room. It honestly got ridiculous and if I had to guess I'd say they met at least six times to discuss what action to take. About 75% of this book was them sitting around talking about what they should do! And good lord, WE GET IT, YOU LIKE COFFEE! I'm surprised the other 25% of this book didn't take place in Morgan's bathroom.
Another thing I had a problem with was the repetitive feel of almost all of Morgan's thoughts and conversations. She has a hard time letting people in, she's stubborn, Lugh taking control makes her sick, she's gets cranky when she gets a headache, people can't change, blah blah blah. It's the same thing over and over and over again. Thankfully, she's FINALLY starting to trust people, but now we have Brian to take up the whiny bitch throne. He doesn't like the fact that Lugh is there when he and Morgan have sex and he throws a hissy fit because Lugh happens to have feelings for him. Lugh is inside her head and has no body! There's no chance for any wiener-wackin' so get over your homophobic self! (I might be being a little unfair but his whining is super annoying. He spent four books pissed that Morgan was stubborn and wouldn't let him in and now he pulls this crap when Lugh has been there the whole time!)
And now this kind of gets me back to the whole LKH comparison. Hamilton's Anita Blake raises the dead as a job in the beginning of her series. As the plot gets more convoluted with vampire and werewolf stuff the zombie raising is left behind. Now though it seems like LKH is trying to get back to Anita's roots and I saw a glimmer of hope in [b:Flirt|6726595|Flirt (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #18)|Laurell K. Hamilton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1310494369s/6726595.jpg|6922779] that the series might take a turn for the better. I think this is what the Morgan Kingsley series needs to do too. Morgan hardly does exorcisms anymore. She's been so caught up in the demon politics that she's lost her identity, and also her charm. At this point she's just an annoying human that happens to host the Demon King. And sometimes I question her intelligence too; on two separate occasions, her only weapon-her taser-was at the bottom of her gigantic purse. How is that the smart thing to do? It's her only weapon! I just thought that was beyond stupid. At least Anita doesn't root around in her purse looking for her gun.
Apparently, this is the end of the series for the time being. See Jenna's goodbye to the series here. I can understand an author not wanting to drag something out if she's run out of ideas, and I can very well see that being the case here, but if this turns out to be the end of Morgan Kingsley then I'll be left forever feeling frustrated and disappointed. It will also make me question if I want to read [a:Jenna Black's|51118|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1243367862p2/51118.jpg] books in the future, or at the very least it'll keep me from blind-buying them.
One more thing I wanted to add: I hate the cover! It doesn't match the previous books and the model is weird looking. I don't know if it's the angle at which the photograph was taken or if the designer made it that way but I just don't like it. See below. This was just one more thing that left me dissatisfied. : (
[bc:The Devil Inside|729876|The Devil Inside (Morgan Kingsley, #1)|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320491285s/729876.jpg|716075] [bc:The Devil You Know|2398197|The Devil You Know (Morgan Kingsley, #2)|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320400198s/2398197.jpg|2589565] [bc:The Devil's Due|3123162|The Devil's Due (Morgan Kingsley, #3)|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320477213s/3123162.jpg|3154505] [bc:Speak of the Devil|5928023|Speak of the Devil (Morgan Kingsley, #4)|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320477215s/5928023.jpg|6100455] [bc:The Devil's Playground|6521325|The Devil's Playground (Morgan Kingsley, #5)|Jenna Black|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1320474498s/6521325.jpg|6713228]
My Speak of the Devil review.
schmartina's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
paperbackstash's review against another edition
4.0
It’s difficult to be completely fair and non-biased when reviewing a series sequel when you love the world created and the characters so much. You may miss tiny nuances or weakened plot points because you’re so thrilled to finally see everyone again.
This is the fifth book, the last book, the wrap-up of all ties novel. It was a good one too, even though I felt more needed to be said about certain situations and I wish more had been explored with Lugh.
The whole Lugh reveal to Morgan about Brian, and Brian’s reaction to that, is suitably hilarious. Lugh is yummy as always but again, so much unexplored potential. Adam was the major problem for me as he’s been one of my favorites from the start, but he feels off this edition. Just not the same. Almost like a former shadow of himself, he was in the background a lot, it’s difficult to put my finger on.
Morgan has grown as much as she’s going to and it’s come to an acceptable enough conclusion. I do think the repetitiveness with trusting Raphael grew old and obnoxious. Some of the bigger changes erupt from some of the badder characters, such as Raphael.
It took a bit of time for the action to really kick in but once it did, pacing remained pretty consistent. At times there seemed to be too much talking and not enough action, but the ending was a grand finale battle and left me wanting more books and further adventures with the group, although sadly that won’t be coming since the series is complete.
I think Black focused on tying everything up as well as she possibly could to say goodbye to the series and its characters, but in doing so some of the sparks and spunk was lost.
Even if I enjoy this less than the others, it’s still an enjoyable book and I wish there could be more of them.
This is the fifth book, the last book, the wrap-up of all ties novel. It was a good one too, even though I felt more needed to be said about certain situations and I wish more had been explored with Lugh.
The whole Lugh reveal to Morgan about Brian, and Brian’s reaction to that, is suitably hilarious. Lugh is yummy as always but again, so much unexplored potential. Adam was the major problem for me as he’s been one of my favorites from the start, but he feels off this edition. Just not the same. Almost like a former shadow of himself, he was in the background a lot, it’s difficult to put my finger on.
Morgan has grown as much as she’s going to and it’s come to an acceptable enough conclusion. I do think the repetitiveness with trusting Raphael grew old and obnoxious. Some of the bigger changes erupt from some of the badder characters, such as Raphael.
It took a bit of time for the action to really kick in but once it did, pacing remained pretty consistent. At times there seemed to be too much talking and not enough action, but the ending was a grand finale battle and left me wanting more books and further adventures with the group, although sadly that won’t be coming since the series is complete.
I think Black focused on tying everything up as well as she possibly could to say goodbye to the series and its characters, but in doing so some of the sparks and spunk was lost.
Even if I enjoy this less than the others, it’s still an enjoyable book and I wish there could be more of them.
snowtigra's review against another edition
3.0
Summary:
Welcome to the world of Morgan Kingsley, exorcist extraordinaire. It's not much different from our modern world, really, except for one specific thing: in Morgan's world, you can be possessed by demons.
In fact, demon possession is a way of life. It's fought over by people and the government much like gay rights (with religious groups on either side to boot) and the whole of society is learning to live with their new 'reality'. On this stage, Morgan is an exorcist, brought in to exorcise demons when they've overstayed their welcome in their human hosts. You can imagine she has very specific feelings about whose side she's on.
The problem is that Morgan now has a demon inside of her, and not just any demon: he's the king of them all. She doesn't want him, but she can't get rid of him, not when there's a war going on over leadership in the Demon Realm and her world will be affected by the outcome. Her life just got a lot more complicated.
Review:
I have been a lover of urban fantasy for a long time and I'll admit that when I'm not sure what to read next, this is the genre I immediately look to. It's not the sex with other worldly creatures, really, it's the world and the creativity that's scattered about. It takes a lot to make these stories believable in our world and I love it when authors can manage this.
With Morgan Kingsley's world, Jenna Black has done just that. She's created a believable world and very interesting characters that I loved coming back to. Specifically her side characters caught me in the first book and I found myself wishing they were the main focus. Not that Morgan herself is bad, but the side characters are also more interesting then usual.
The concept of the demons in the world is also super interesting. With demons, you would expect quite a few religious undertones to fill the book, however the author took another route, and treated it more like the social issues we see in our world, with religious groups taking part, but there's also laws and realistic reactions. For example, there are people who actually want to be demon hosts, because it gives them the ability to heal and strength, so they can be better at fighting fires, being police and other such service jobs. And Morgan's religious beliefs are not tied to her ability to exorcise. It's a route that I wouldn't have immediately thought of and it presented an interesting challenge in that you couldn't assume that all 'demons' were evil, because some genuinely weren't.
I was also a fan of the very distinct culture created for her demons. As an anthropology major in college, I appreciate the time authors take to build cultures and here is no exception. There's the standard 'we don't understand humans' but there's also the mention of how our sexuality and gender thoughts don't quite apply when you're not used to having a physical body. So demons have no issues with homosexuality and monogamy is another sticky issue, especially if someone loves a demon and not the host, or vice versa. That along with the BDSM threads because demons aren't used to feeling the sensation of pain and therefore some delight in it a bit too much, creates a culture and a world that I would seriously pick up textbooks about in my free time, if that were an option.
While I do love all the things above, I did run into an issue, especially toward the end of the series, that the character of Morgan started to grate on me. She is very steadfast in her 'I hate demons' attitude and this doesn't change throughout the books, even when she's possessed by one and gets to know him very personally. As the books moved on she struck me as very childish in how she refused to grow as a character. It wasn't that I wanted her to completely step forward and accept demons all the way, but I did expect her to grow at least a little. Instead she greets each opportunity at growth with clenched teeth and only in the end of the series does she start to admit that maybe she could change her views. I like characters who are consistent, but this seemed a bit much and it made it hard to empathize with her at the end because I just wanted to smack her upside the head. Though, I will admit, it's a great portrayal of those in our world who really will never change their view, no matter what realities they are confronted with.
My only other issue with the series is specific to the last book: The Devil's Playground. Unfortunately the series set up a giant demon war and a fight for the throne, and when it came time to play those cards it sputtered and failed. There was no war, there was no epic battle, instead it all ended with a whimper that, I swear, only lasted five pages. And the wrap up afterwards didn't end a series, it was a rushed summary that left too many open ends for me to be satisfied. In the last book specifically Morgan feels more like a looking glass to view the situation and doesn't really act, in fact, she's not even allowed to be Lugh's host for the main parts and it almost left me feeling cheated out of what should have been a much better thought out ending to an otherwise impressive series.
Overall Rating:
Even with my gripes about the ending and how carelessly it was brought to a halt, I would still recommend this series. Overall it's worth the read, specifically for the world building and the amazing characters and all the concepts that the author put forward. And I even added Jenna Black's other series to my wishlist, eager to pick up the next. I wish more care had been taken with the end, but I can't fault the entire series for it when the trip to that ending was well worth it. Oh well, that's what fanfiction and my own writer mind are for, and the pile of books sitting near my bed, waiting to be read. I'm slightly disappointed, but still very much a fan.
Welcome to the world of Morgan Kingsley, exorcist extraordinaire. It's not much different from our modern world, really, except for one specific thing: in Morgan's world, you can be possessed by demons.
In fact, demon possession is a way of life. It's fought over by people and the government much like gay rights (with religious groups on either side to boot) and the whole of society is learning to live with their new 'reality'. On this stage, Morgan is an exorcist, brought in to exorcise demons when they've overstayed their welcome in their human hosts. You can imagine she has very specific feelings about whose side she's on.
The problem is that Morgan now has a demon inside of her, and not just any demon: he's the king of them all. She doesn't want him, but she can't get rid of him, not when there's a war going on over leadership in the Demon Realm and her world will be affected by the outcome. Her life just got a lot more complicated.
Review:
I have been a lover of urban fantasy for a long time and I'll admit that when I'm not sure what to read next, this is the genre I immediately look to. It's not the sex with other worldly creatures, really, it's the world and the creativity that's scattered about. It takes a lot to make these stories believable in our world and I love it when authors can manage this.
With Morgan Kingsley's world, Jenna Black has done just that. She's created a believable world and very interesting characters that I loved coming back to. Specifically her side characters caught me in the first book and I found myself wishing they were the main focus. Not that Morgan herself is bad, but the side characters are also more interesting then usual.
The concept of the demons in the world is also super interesting. With demons, you would expect quite a few religious undertones to fill the book, however the author took another route, and treated it more like the social issues we see in our world, with religious groups taking part, but there's also laws and realistic reactions. For example, there are people who actually want to be demon hosts, because it gives them the ability to heal and strength, so they can be better at fighting fires, being police and other such service jobs. And Morgan's religious beliefs are not tied to her ability to exorcise. It's a route that I wouldn't have immediately thought of and it presented an interesting challenge in that you couldn't assume that all 'demons' were evil, because some genuinely weren't.
I was also a fan of the very distinct culture created for her demons. As an anthropology major in college, I appreciate the time authors take to build cultures and here is no exception. There's the standard 'we don't understand humans' but there's also the mention of how our sexuality and gender thoughts don't quite apply when you're not used to having a physical body. So demons have no issues with homosexuality and monogamy is another sticky issue, especially if someone loves a demon and not the host, or vice versa. That along with the BDSM threads because demons aren't used to feeling the sensation of pain and therefore some delight in it a bit too much, creates a culture and a world that I would seriously pick up textbooks about in my free time, if that were an option.
While I do love all the things above, I did run into an issue, especially toward the end of the series, that the character of Morgan started to grate on me. She is very steadfast in her 'I hate demons' attitude and this doesn't change throughout the books, even when she's possessed by one and gets to know him very personally. As the books moved on she struck me as very childish in how she refused to grow as a character. It wasn't that I wanted her to completely step forward and accept demons all the way, but I did expect her to grow at least a little. Instead she greets each opportunity at growth with clenched teeth and only in the end of the series does she start to admit that maybe she could change her views. I like characters who are consistent, but this seemed a bit much and it made it hard to empathize with her at the end because I just wanted to smack her upside the head. Though, I will admit, it's a great portrayal of those in our world who really will never change their view, no matter what realities they are confronted with.
My only other issue with the series is specific to the last book: The Devil's Playground. Unfortunately the series set up a giant demon war and a fight for the throne, and when it came time to play those cards it sputtered and failed. There was no war, there was no epic battle, instead it all ended with a whimper that, I swear, only lasted five pages. And the wrap up afterwards didn't end a series, it was a rushed summary that left too many open ends for me to be satisfied. In the last book specifically Morgan feels more like a looking glass to view the situation and doesn't really act, in fact, she's not even allowed to be Lugh's host for the main parts and it almost left me feeling cheated out of what should have been a much better thought out ending to an otherwise impressive series.
Overall Rating:
Even with my gripes about the ending and how carelessly it was brought to a halt, I would still recommend this series. Overall it's worth the read, specifically for the world building and the amazing characters and all the concepts that the author put forward. And I even added Jenna Black's other series to my wishlist, eager to pick up the next. I wish more care had been taken with the end, but I can't fault the entire series for it when the trip to that ending was well worth it. Oh well, that's what fanfiction and my own writer mind are for, and the pile of books sitting near my bed, waiting to be read. I'm slightly disappointed, but still very much a fan.
kessaowens's review against another edition
5.0
Great way to end the series (if it is really over). :)
jennasis's review against another edition
4.0
Great ending book! Morgan finally matured in this one and we finally got to see how much Lugh cares for her and how Raphael really is a good person. I know Raphael was going to try to put himself in harms way for Lugh about half way into the book, there really was no other way for black to prove Raphael really was a true good guy with out sounding cheesy. I really wish there were books but it had to end somewhere right?
ellyjean's review against another edition
1.0
a very awful series. Just saying. I'm mad at myself for reading all of them. It was a good concept, but a terrible execution of it. Not recommended to waste your time on them.