incrediblemelk's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This was holiday read 4, bought for $2 at the Apollo Bay op-shop, which I finished at home on the couch. Now it lives on my A-format shelf among the mass-market fiction I actually love to read.
I’d never heard of this series before and as this is the second in the series it took me a while to figure out the world and characters. It’s urban fantasy set in London, in which vampires not only suck blood but also inject an addictive ‘venom’. They have four fangs, total. Our heroine is a bean sidhe with a vampire dad, and she works at a kind of paranormal detective agency called Spellcrackers.com.
If you’ve read the works of Laurell K Hamilton and Charlaine Harris you know you are in for some bluntly written crime, paranormal political infighting between fae, witches and vampires, and sexy intrigue with a brooding vampire, kelpie and satyr. Lacks the wit and the strong sense of London history in Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant series but it was soothing, undemanding holiday reading
I’d never heard of this series before and as this is the second in the series it took me a while to figure out the world and characters. It’s urban fantasy set in London, in which vampires not only suck blood but also inject an addictive ‘venom’. They have four fangs, total. Our heroine is a bean sidhe with a vampire dad, and she works at a kind of paranormal detective agency called Spellcrackers.com.
If you’ve read the works of Laurell K Hamilton and Charlaine Harris you know you are in for some bluntly written crime, paranormal political infighting between fae, witches and vampires, and sexy intrigue with a brooding vampire, kelpie and satyr. Lacks the wit and the strong sense of London history in Ben Aaronovitch’s Peter Grant series but it was soothing, undemanding holiday reading
_sometimesiread's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
jknock's review against another edition
4.0
First time I've sat down and read a book cover to cover without a break in a very long time.
Easy entertaining read.
Easy entertaining read.
thenia's review against another edition
4.0
A very complicated story, full of action and twists.
Genny is in a lot of trouble and running for her life from many different sides, as almost everybody seems to want a piece of her. Human police, fae curses, vampire politics, magical repercussions, ambitious witches and ghosts are some of the items in Genny's list of problems to be solved, and she doesn't know who to trust, as everyone has their own agenda.
Interesting story that continues in the next book in the series, [b:The Bitter Seed of Magic|6750765|The Bitter Seed of Magic (Spellcrackers.com, # 3)|Suzanne McLeod|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1287810114s/6750765.jpg|6947213].
Genny is in a lot of trouble and running for her life from many different sides, as almost everybody seems to want a piece of her. Human police, fae curses, vampire politics, magical repercussions, ambitious witches and ghosts are some of the items in Genny's list of problems to be solved, and she doesn't know who to trust, as everyone has their own agenda.
Interesting story that continues in the next book in the series, [b:The Bitter Seed of Magic|6750765|The Bitter Seed of Magic (Spellcrackers.com, # 3)|Suzanne McLeod|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1287810114s/6750765.jpg|6947213].
onceuponabookcase's review against another edition
5.0
How awesome are book signings? Back in May 2009, not only did I get to meet Rachel Caine at her London book signing hosted by Murder One, but I also got to buy several books, one of which was the amazing The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod! Suzanne was also at the event, but I didn’t know – I hadn’t heard of her or her book at the time. But I feel in love with her series within the first few pages, and since reading it, I’ve been itching to read its sequel, The Cold Kiss of Death. I got lucky at Christmas, though, and I can’t tell you just how good these books are!
I don’t even know where to start, there was so much going on! It always amazes me how authors are able to write such complicated books, and have everything fit together. Genny has a series of problems in her life, some pretty inconsequential, some a little on the larger side, but when you get to the end and you realise all of the plot threads are part of a large jigsaw puzzle, it’s just wow! Suzanne is a very skilled writer!
We meet most of the characters we came across in the first book. Genny is our spunky heroine, a bean sidhe who has more problems than answers; Malik al-Kahn, the mysterious vampire connected to Genny’s past; Finn, Genny’s satyr boss and will-they-won’t-they love interest, and a range of other characters, none who seem to be being completely honest with Genny, and making things a whole lot harder for her. There’s still the hint of a possible love triangle, but even that gets more complicated – so frustrating, but in a good way!
We have action a-plenty in this novel! I can’t go into too much detail, it’s pretty spoilery, but it’s awesome to read! Some scenes are kind of disturbing, but it all has you sitting on the edge of your seat, the adrenalin pumping, jaw hanging at how unbelievable it is and how some of the characters act. I just love it all!
The ending is just so good, I can’t tell you! I closed the book feeling pretty sad, but in complete awe of how the whole story worked out. If you haven’t started this series, you really need to! It’s just so brilliant, and I can’t for the third in the series, The Bitter Seed of Magic, due in September 2010.
I don’t even know where to start, there was so much going on! It always amazes me how authors are able to write such complicated books, and have everything fit together. Genny has a series of problems in her life, some pretty inconsequential, some a little on the larger side, but when you get to the end and you realise all of the plot threads are part of a large jigsaw puzzle, it’s just wow! Suzanne is a very skilled writer!
We meet most of the characters we came across in the first book. Genny is our spunky heroine, a bean sidhe who has more problems than answers; Malik al-Kahn, the mysterious vampire connected to Genny’s past; Finn, Genny’s satyr boss and will-they-won’t-they love interest, and a range of other characters, none who seem to be being completely honest with Genny, and making things a whole lot harder for her. There’s still the hint of a possible love triangle, but even that gets more complicated – so frustrating, but in a good way!
We have action a-plenty in this novel! I can’t go into too much detail, it’s pretty spoilery, but it’s awesome to read! Some scenes are kind of disturbing, but it all has you sitting on the edge of your seat, the adrenalin pumping, jaw hanging at how unbelievable it is and how some of the characters act. I just love it all!
The ending is just so good, I can’t tell you! I closed the book feeling pretty sad, but in complete awe of how the whole story worked out. If you haven’t started this series, you really need to! It’s just so brilliant, and I can’t for the third in the series, The Bitter Seed of Magic, due in September 2010.
veronica87's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second book in the series and I'm still feeling confused. The author has a very hodge podge way of delivering information at times and I find myself having to re-read parts and still coming away confused. For example, a certain aspect of Malik's lineage is presented as a known fact in this book even though I don't recall anyone figuring it out in the first book. I even had to double check that I didn't miss a book in between the first one and this one. And don't even get me started on the explanation for fae genetics.
That said, it is an interesting world and the author doesn't shy away from making her fae as Other as possible. There are fae with hooves, gills, seaweed hair, skin the shade of primary colors, lipless mouths, and males with...er...double the manhood. It's a colorful world to be sure but the secondary characters can use some work because so far they still feel mostly one dimensional. The only two characters that seem to be receiving the back story treatment are Genevieve, our heroine, and Malik, the vampire with his own mysterious agenda. I suppose this tactic is working because so far Genevieve and Malik are the only two characters that I really care about and I find myself mainly reading just to get to the parts where they are sharing the page.
The actual plot involved missing ghosts and Genevieve being accused for a murder she didn't commit. For me the plot seemed to meander and I don't think that Genevieve actually solved the case as much as it was a matter of the answers getting shoved into her face. But despite the continuing uneveness of this series I still plan to read more.
That said, it is an interesting world and the author doesn't shy away from making her fae as Other as possible. There are fae with hooves, gills, seaweed hair, skin the shade of primary colors, lipless mouths, and males with...er...double the manhood. It's a colorful world to be sure but the secondary characters can use some work because so far they still feel mostly one dimensional. The only two characters that seem to be receiving the back story treatment are Genevieve, our heroine, and Malik, the vampire with his own mysterious agenda. I suppose this tactic is working because so far Genevieve and Malik are the only two characters that I really care about and I find myself mainly reading just to get to the parts where they are sharing the page.
The actual plot involved missing ghosts and Genevieve being accused for a murder she didn't commit. For me the plot seemed to meander and I don't think that Genevieve actually solved the case as much as it was a matter of the answers getting shoved into her face. But despite the continuing uneveness of this series I still plan to read more.
patchworkbunny's review
5.0
The Cold Kiss of Death is the second book in the fabulous Spellcrackers urban fantasy series by Suzanne McLeod. This review will contain spoilers for the first book, The Sweet Scent of Blood, and really they do need to be read in order!
Sidhe Genny would love to be left to live her life in peace. But now both the vampires and the lesser fae of London know who she is, they just won’t leave her alone and her witch neighbours would like to see her evicted. To make things worse, her local baker is murdered; killed by sidhe magic. And the only sidhe in town is her…
This world just keeps getting better, expanding on existing characters and introducing some great new ones. I just love that there’s a kelpie living in the River Thames! The river and its banks become entwined with the story, the setting becoming a crucial part. I always enjoy settings that I know well too (yes, I seem to spend a lot of time lurking round the river when I’m in London). Genny even pops down to the Clink Museum at one point, filled with ghosts of course.
We get to learn a lot more about the curse that binds the lesser fae in London and out of the Fair Lands, as well as Genny’s family secrets. There are naiads and dryads to be added to the mix, and Grainne who appears to Genny as a large, silver hound. We are introduced to the moths, venom junkies who risk everything in the seediest parts of Sucker Town (a.k.a. Greenwich) for a hit to the carotid.
Then there’s Genny vampire alter ego, Rosa, who plays an important part to the plot. Malik is absent at the start and Genny is convinced it’s because of her connection to Rosa. But never fear, Malik does return further on and we learn more about his love hate relationship with Rosa and what’s really going on when Genny takes over her body (something she is trying not to do, but you know, fate always gets in the way). If you’re on team Finn, he gets his fair share of airtime too, with Genny trying to patch up their friendship and maybe more…
Sidhe Genny would love to be left to live her life in peace. But now both the vampires and the lesser fae of London know who she is, they just won’t leave her alone and her witch neighbours would like to see her evicted. To make things worse, her local baker is murdered; killed by sidhe magic. And the only sidhe in town is her…
This world just keeps getting better, expanding on existing characters and introducing some great new ones. I just love that there’s a kelpie living in the River Thames! The river and its banks become entwined with the story, the setting becoming a crucial part. I always enjoy settings that I know well too (yes, I seem to spend a lot of time lurking round the river when I’m in London). Genny even pops down to the Clink Museum at one point, filled with ghosts of course.
We get to learn a lot more about the curse that binds the lesser fae in London and out of the Fair Lands, as well as Genny’s family secrets. There are naiads and dryads to be added to the mix, and Grainne who appears to Genny as a large, silver hound. We are introduced to the moths, venom junkies who risk everything in the seediest parts of Sucker Town (a.k.a. Greenwich) for a hit to the carotid.
Then there’s Genny vampire alter ego, Rosa, who plays an important part to the plot. Malik is absent at the start and Genny is convinced it’s because of her connection to Rosa. But never fear, Malik does return further on and we learn more about his love hate relationship with Rosa and what’s really going on when Genny takes over her body (something she is trying not to do, but you know, fate always gets in the way). If you’re on team Finn, he gets his fair share of airtime too, with Genny trying to patch up their friendship and maybe more…
tashachowdory's review
4.0
I think this is one of those series where the story is only going to get better and better. As this is a vast improvement on the first one - more characters (loving Tavish) and the world becomes complicated for Genny. Really really good - and just what I need for my bus journeys to and from work! :D
(I've already bought the third in the series).
(I've already bought the third in the series).