snarkymotherreader's review
5.0
ATTENTION! ATTENTION! SPOILERS TO THE SERIES (but not The Neon Graveyard) AHEAD!
The Neon Graveyard is the last installment in Vicki Pettersson’s Signs of the Zodiac series. We’ve seen Joanna Archer lose her life, become her sister, fall in love, lose her love, get the shit kicked out of her, fall in love, get the shit kicked out of her some more, get betrayed, find her love, get the living hell kicked out of her, and finally, for the love of all that is chocolately, FINALLY, find herself.
Several deadly loose ends needed to be tied up in The Neon Graveyard, lest Jo trip and hang herself on a dangling plot thread. Would Jo ever confront her former troop? Would the Grays survive the battles that awaited them? How in the hell were they going to kill the tulpa? Who would finally shove Warren’s head into a wood chipper? AND WHEN (and, a tiny voice reminded me, IF) WAS HUNTER GETTING OUT OF MIDHEAVEN?? Believe it or not, every single one of the above questions was answered, and ::gasp:: in a satisfactory manner! No half-assing it for Vicki and Jo. When they end a series, they END a series!
There are a few notable characters I’d like to acknowledge: Carlos, for being the first person in Jo’s life to put HER first, no matter what; Felix, for caring enough to go back; and Warren, for being such a giant asshole that he made the tulpa look like an angel in comparison.
It’s hard to review a book like The Neon Graveyard. Not only is it dark and gritty and oh-so heart-breaking, but it gives the reader hope. If Jo can live through hell and come out whole, there’s a chance for the rest of us. There may not be a white knight on a gleaming stallion ready to ride in and rescue us, but that’s okay — we have the strength and power to rescue ourselves if we just believe that we can.
There are going to be people who say Vicki wrapped everything up with a too-nice little bow. There are going to be people who say there’s no way Jo could have pulled that all off AND gotten what amounts to a happily-ever-after in her world. Do you want to know what I say? Well, I can’t type it here because there are youngsters who troll the blog, but I will say this – Jo may not be an active agent, but she has ears everywhere. Are you sure you want to risk being strung up like a tacky Mardi Gras decoration by attacking her final actions? I think not.
What, you may ask, is my favorite quote from this epically amazing novel?
“I said be your own fucking Kairos for once.” Hunter – the man with the plan, the psychotic ex-wife, and a killer love for our girl Jo.
The Neon Graveyard is the last installment in Vicki Pettersson’s Signs of the Zodiac series. We’ve seen Joanna Archer lose her life, become her sister, fall in love, lose her love, get the shit kicked out of her, fall in love, get the shit kicked out of her some more, get betrayed, find her love, get the living hell kicked out of her, and finally, for the love of all that is chocolately, FINALLY, find herself.
Several deadly loose ends needed to be tied up in The Neon Graveyard, lest Jo trip and hang herself on a dangling plot thread. Would Jo ever confront her former troop? Would the Grays survive the battles that awaited them? How in the hell were they going to kill the tulpa? Who would finally shove Warren’s head into a wood chipper? AND WHEN (and, a tiny voice reminded me, IF) WAS HUNTER GETTING OUT OF MIDHEAVEN?? Believe it or not, every single one of the above questions was answered, and ::gasp:: in a satisfactory manner! No half-assing it for Vicki and Jo. When they end a series, they END a series!
There are a few notable characters I’d like to acknowledge: Carlos, for being the first person in Jo’s life to put HER first, no matter what; Felix, for caring enough to go back; and Warren, for being such a giant asshole that he made the tulpa look like an angel in comparison.
It’s hard to review a book like The Neon Graveyard. Not only is it dark and gritty and oh-so heart-breaking, but it gives the reader hope. If Jo can live through hell and come out whole, there’s a chance for the rest of us. There may not be a white knight on a gleaming stallion ready to ride in and rescue us, but that’s okay — we have the strength and power to rescue ourselves if we just believe that we can.
There are going to be people who say Vicki wrapped everything up with a too-nice little bow. There are going to be people who say there’s no way Jo could have pulled that all off AND gotten what amounts to a happily-ever-after in her world. Do you want to know what I say? Well, I can’t type it here because there are youngsters who troll the blog, but I will say this – Jo may not be an active agent, but she has ears everywhere. Are you sure you want to risk being strung up like a tacky Mardi Gras decoration by attacking her final actions? I think not.
What, you may ask, is my favorite quote from this epically amazing novel?
“I said be your own fucking Kairos for once.” Hunter – the man with the plan, the psychotic ex-wife, and a killer love for our girl Jo.
chllybrd's review
Reviewed by http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blogspot.com/
Another great series has come to an end. Vicki did a great job of wrapping up things. I didn't feel that she left anything unresolved and everything flowed into everything else at a great place. All the characters seem to make an appearance at some point which was neat. We get answers to some things that might not have made sense when they first happened. There is plenty of action and drama. I wasn't crazy about some of the midheaven scenes and some of the things we learn are shocking to say the least but I can see how they needed to be done the way they were to close certain plot holes. I'm sad to see the series end, and I wish we could follow Joanna a little longer to see what her future holds.
Another great series has come to an end. Vicki did a great job of wrapping up things. I didn't feel that she left anything unresolved and everything flowed into everything else at a great place. All the characters seem to make an appearance at some point which was neat. We get answers to some things that might not have made sense when they first happened. There is plenty of action and drama. I wasn't crazy about some of the midheaven scenes and some of the things we learn are shocking to say the least but I can see how they needed to be done the way they were to close certain plot holes. I'm sad to see the series end, and I wish we could follow Joanna a little longer to see what her future holds.
lalabristow's review against another edition
4.0
Previously Published on my blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life
Rating: 4.5 stars!
*Minor Spoilers for the other books in the series
After such an incredible adventure full of villains, super powers, super heroes, comic books, mysteries, secrets, revelations, disappointments, heart-break and all-out war in the Las Vegas desert, Joanna’s journey comes to an end in this spectacular ending to this amazing series.
In Neon Graveyard, a powerless Joanna finds herself siding with the most unexpected allies, causing a shift in the power structure of the heroes and villains that inhabit Vegas.
She is on a mission to save the man she loves from the clutches of a self-proclaimed goddess, while still having to deal with shadow agents as well as light ones that used to be her friends.
Vicki brings all out to a halting crash with this final installment of this incredible series, not sparing no one in this heart wrenching war that seems endless.
All the characters we’ve come to love and hate are back in Neon Graveyard, some are more welcome to see than others, but all of them are necessary to help Joanna and the ones she loves to reach closure and perhaps even a happy ending?
If you have been dilligentely following this series as I have, you will NOT want to miss out on this amazing book! I totally recommend it! And if you have yet to read this series, you should be ashamed of yourself, this is an all-you-can-eat buffet to any Urban Fantasy lover out there!
Rating: 4.5 stars!
*Minor Spoilers for the other books in the series
After such an incredible adventure full of villains, super powers, super heroes, comic books, mysteries, secrets, revelations, disappointments, heart-break and all-out war in the Las Vegas desert, Joanna’s journey comes to an end in this spectacular ending to this amazing series.
In Neon Graveyard, a powerless Joanna finds herself siding with the most unexpected allies, causing a shift in the power structure of the heroes and villains that inhabit Vegas.
She is on a mission to save the man she loves from the clutches of a self-proclaimed goddess, while still having to deal with shadow agents as well as light ones that used to be her friends.
Vicki brings all out to a halting crash with this final installment of this incredible series, not sparing no one in this heart wrenching war that seems endless.
All the characters we’ve come to love and hate are back in Neon Graveyard, some are more welcome to see than others, but all of them are necessary to help Joanna and the ones she loves to reach closure and perhaps even a happy ending?
If you have been dilligentely following this series as I have, you will NOT want to miss out on this amazing book! I totally recommend it! And if you have yet to read this series, you should be ashamed of yourself, this is an all-you-can-eat buffet to any Urban Fantasy lover out there!
lalabristow's review
4.0
Previously Published on my blog: Welcome to Larissa's Bookish Life
Rating: 4.5 Stars!
*Minor Spoilers for the other books in the series
After such an incredible adventure full of villains, super powers, super heroes, comic books, mysteries, secrets, revelations, disappointments, heart-break and all-out war in the Las Vegas desert, Joanna’s journey comes to an end in this spectacular ending to this amazing series.
In Neon Graveyard, a powerless Joanna finds herself siding with the most unexpected allies, causing a shift in the power structure of the heroes and villains that inhabit Vegas.
She is on a mission to save the man she loves from the clutches of a self-proclaimed goddess, while still having to deal with shadow agents as well as light ones that used to be her friends.
Vicki brings all out to a halting crash with this final installment of this incredible series, not sparing no one in this heart wrenching war that seems endless.
All the characters we’ve come to love and hate are back in Neon Graveyard, some are more welcome to see than others, but all of them are necessary to help Joanna and the ones she loves to reach closure and perhaps even a happy ending?
If you have been dilligentely following this series as I have, you will NOT want to miss out on this amazing book! I totally recommend it! And if you have yet to read this series, you should be ashamed of yourself, this is an all-you-can-eat buffet to any Urban Fantasy lover out there!
Rating: 4.5 Stars!
*Minor Spoilers for the other books in the series
After such an incredible adventure full of villains, super powers, super heroes, comic books, mysteries, secrets, revelations, disappointments, heart-break and all-out war in the Las Vegas desert, Joanna’s journey comes to an end in this spectacular ending to this amazing series.
In Neon Graveyard, a powerless Joanna finds herself siding with the most unexpected allies, causing a shift in the power structure of the heroes and villains that inhabit Vegas.
She is on a mission to save the man she loves from the clutches of a self-proclaimed goddess, while still having to deal with shadow agents as well as light ones that used to be her friends.
Vicki brings all out to a halting crash with this final installment of this incredible series, not sparing no one in this heart wrenching war that seems endless.
All the characters we’ve come to love and hate are back in Neon Graveyard, some are more welcome to see than others, but all of them are necessary to help Joanna and the ones she loves to reach closure and perhaps even a happy ending?
If you have been dilligentely following this series as I have, you will NOT want to miss out on this amazing book! I totally recommend it! And if you have yet to read this series, you should be ashamed of yourself, this is an all-you-can-eat buffet to any Urban Fantasy lover out there!
kriff08's review
4.0
This was a great book! Joanna Archer is just as awesome as always! My only complaint is that this did seem a tiny bit rushed. Sure Joanna had a handful of enemies to dispatch before the series could be wrapped up and she did a pretty good job of doing it, but it took about three chapters to do so. I'm just thinking maybe some of these enemies could have been taken care of at the end of book five or at least the beginning of book 6. As it was the last half of this book was totally stuffed with handle this bad guy and move on to the next, and that gave it a sense of being rushed. With a series that has invested six books to its storyline I don't feel like it should have been rushed. I feel like Solange should have been a book on its own so that the Tulpa/the Shadows should have got the attention they deserved. I know we have been looking at fighting the Tulpa from book one, but there was nearly no build up to that in this book at all. However, in the end this book didn't ruin the series for me; the characters are phenomenal and the world of the Zodiac just as amazing as before, so overall a fantastic series and a great heroine!
nematome's review against another edition
2.0
Well, you really lost me on this one, Vicki Pettersson. And glancing at all of the negative reviews for books four and five (which I loved), it seems that I may have been one of the last fans hanging on here. I feel like everything that I loved about this series was effectively destroyed within these three hundred pages. Everything about this book feels hasty and sloppy: a forced conclusion, shoved together with crazy loopholes and illogical “get out of jail free” cards.
I love how unique the world of this series is – it’s a mish mash of Tibetan and Greek mythologies and comic book hero traditions. It’s a matrilineal society. Even the central nemesis (let’s face it – Solange completely eclipsed the Tulpa by the end) is a woman. Unfortunately, all of the massive detail and “rules” supporting this world got completely out of hand in this final installment. I sure can’t keep track of it all, and I strongly doubt that even the author has a handle on all of the loose ends. It’s incredibly confusing, but I am willing to let that slide. This book, above all, is a bit of mindless fun. If I cross my eyes and look at it sideways while standing in a pitch black room, it sort of makes sense.
I also loved the “game changing event” that took place at the end of book four. I know that a lot of fans were disappointed by that, but I thought that it was a brave choice. I’ve read enough UF series to know that the main thing that turns me off is stagnation. I need the characters to grow and change to keep me reading. This book revealed that brave choice for what it really was – bluster. Not only does Joanna regain the majority of what she lost, it’s handed to her on a silver platter by her greatest enemy, with no strings attached. Huh?
In fact, all three (yes, THREE) of Joanna’s nemeses go down incredibly easily. I’ve been through five books of battling the Tulpa’s near limitless power and Warren’s ruthless tactics, and this is what it comes down to – the two of them getting shoved under the rug so that Joanna can deal with the real challenge – cat fighting wack-job Solange so that she can get her man back. So...here we go. The ultimate reason that this series lost me: the romance.
I couldn’t care less about poor, misguided Hunter. I don’t care about former flame Ben either. I thought we were together on this, Vicki! This series, through five books, has always been more about Joanna discovering her own power and battling The Forces of Evil, and much less about the romance. Joanna and Hunter have one night of supernaturally aided soul sharing and one night of “healing” (the kind popularized by Marvin Gaye in the 1980s) under their belts. Before this book, I would have never thought that Joanna would risk everything (including her friends, allies, city, and unborn child) to get him back. But that’s exactly what she spends this entire book doing. Never mind that she's the prophesied kairos or that she's the only one who can beat the all powerful Tulpa. She has to stupidly throw herself into a world where Solange is all powerful three times. Conveniently, Solange decides to hand over Joanna's most crucial power on her first trip, and her other nemeses are all apparently busy with other things for the majority of the book. In fact, the Tulpa actually calls her on the phone to arrange the final showdown. Then she calmly walks to the bathroom and splashes some water on her face before heading off. I guess once you've reclaimed your man, that's all that matters.
Perfect Musical Pairing
Jill Scott – Getting’ in the Way
I love this song. Seriously, I’ve been hoping for a book that I could pair this song with. So, although it kills me that Joanna Archer’s sole aim was reduced to battling another woman for Hunter as if he were some sort of possession, at least I have this musical pairing for solace.
I love how unique the world of this series is – it’s a mish mash of Tibetan and Greek mythologies and comic book hero traditions. It’s a matrilineal society. Even the central nemesis (let’s face it – Solange completely eclipsed the Tulpa by the end) is a woman. Unfortunately, all of the massive detail and “rules” supporting this world got completely out of hand in this final installment. I sure can’t keep track of it all, and I strongly doubt that even the author has a handle on all of the loose ends. It’s incredibly confusing, but I am willing to let that slide. This book, above all, is a bit of mindless fun. If I cross my eyes and look at it sideways while standing in a pitch black room, it sort of makes sense.
I also loved the “game changing event” that took place at the end of book four. I know that a lot of fans were disappointed by that, but I thought that it was a brave choice. I’ve read enough UF series to know that the main thing that turns me off is stagnation. I need the characters to grow and change to keep me reading. This book revealed that brave choice for what it really was – bluster. Not only does Joanna regain the majority of what she lost, it’s handed to her on a silver platter by her greatest enemy, with no strings attached. Huh?
In fact, all three (yes, THREE) of Joanna’s nemeses go down incredibly easily. I’ve been through five books of battling the Tulpa’s near limitless power and Warren’s ruthless tactics, and this is what it comes down to – the two of them getting shoved under the rug so that Joanna can deal with the real challenge – cat fighting wack-job Solange so that she can get her man back. So...here we go. The ultimate reason that this series lost me: the romance.
I couldn’t care less about poor, misguided Hunter. I don’t care about former flame Ben either. I thought we were together on this, Vicki! This series, through five books, has always been more about Joanna discovering her own power and battling The Forces of Evil, and much less about the romance. Joanna and Hunter have one night of supernaturally aided soul sharing and one night of “healing” (the kind popularized by Marvin Gaye in the 1980s) under their belts. Before this book, I would have never thought that Joanna would risk everything (including her friends, allies, city, and unborn child) to get him back. But that’s exactly what she spends this entire book doing. Never mind that she's the prophesied kairos or that she's the only one who can beat the all powerful Tulpa. She has to stupidly throw herself into a world where Solange is all powerful three times. Conveniently, Solange decides to hand over Joanna's most crucial power on her first trip, and her other nemeses are all apparently busy with other things for the majority of the book. In fact, the Tulpa actually calls her on the phone to arrange the final showdown. Then she calmly walks to the bathroom and splashes some water on her face before heading off. I guess once you've reclaimed your man, that's all that matters.
Perfect Musical Pairing
Jill Scott – Getting’ in the Way
I love this song. Seriously, I’ve been hoping for a book that I could pair this song with. So, although it kills me that Joanna Archer’s sole aim was reduced to battling another woman for Hunter as if he were some sort of possession, at least I have this musical pairing for solace.
beckylej's review
4.0
Whew! An action-packed bombshell of an end to the Zodiac series.
Joanna Archer has lost everything. And in doing so, she's come out of it alive and stronger than ever. Now it's time for her to start taking things back.
Joanna Archer has lost everything. And in doing so, she's come out of it alive and stronger than ever. Now it's time for her to start taking things back.
pages_and_procrastination's review against another edition
4.0
Joanna Archer, who used to be a mere mortal stalking the images of her past and then discovered she was a real superhero, is only a mortal again. Now only able to go through life as a mortal with only the human strength and the supernatural ability to use any conduit –Shadow or Lights, her own or someone else’s, Joanna must continuously face her shadow enemies as well as her once- troop-now-turned-enemies agents of light. She does this while delicately avoiding leading the Gray troop and traversing back to Midheaven in an attempt to save more rogue agents as well as the man she loves. With the growing secret inside of her, Archer knows that time is not on her side and if she doesn’t free the agents soon it may be too late. It seems that everywhere Joanna turns she has to fight, and each fight is to the death.
This is the sixth and final installment of the Pettersson’s Zodiac Series, and I have to say that I am not really ready to say good-bye to this cast of characters. In what I have come to think of as “the Pettersson Way”, she tells a complete story in the first chapter that reminds you of what has already happened as well as daring you to try to figure out what is about to happen. It’s a style the pulls you in-almost unwillingly as you try to decide for yourself if you like the things that Joanna has discovered about herself. There is nothing better than a good fight with an obvious villain and hero(ine). What make Joanna so astutely likable is the fact that she is at moments all of us and none of us. She has run from who she is as well as embraces her identity. She has made hard decisions in such a cold calculating way that we don’t instantly like her for it. But we don’t hate her either. If anything I found that I was mostly undecided about Joanna. I was compelled to examine the question what would I do if I was in Joanna’s shoes? We all have issues with our parents, sometimes they’re minor and other times they’re minor. But this series takes family issues to a whole new level.
Knowing that this is the last in the series, I find myself torn. A part of me wants to make sure that everything is resolved and all of the strings are tied before the end of the book. The other part wants a door to be left open so there is a chance that we will hear more of Joanna Archer sometime down the road. I have been with Joanna since the beginning and I know the stuff that she has gone through, I have seen her grow and develop as a person (okay fine, I will admit it- she is not real and she is only a character. But I was there and she seems a little real to me. I can forgive Joanna’s flaws easily, because more than being a mixture of both shadow and light, Joanna is human in the best way possible. (This is funny because Joanna is doing her best to learn to be simply human in this story.) In The Neon Graveyard, Joanna has been stripped of all of the identities that she has had to take on and is given space and time to become the person that she wants to be. She is free to design her own fate.
After each new challenge/obstacle a layer is removed and the real Joanna Archer comes forward; the one that is free from a physical shell that isn’t truly her own and from the cage of expectations. I stopped liking Warren a book and half ago, maybe even before that, but now he proves that he really isn’t better than the Tulpa; no longer a good guy seeking balance but a man with his own agenda. Action and drama keeps you turning the page, as well as Joanna’s unwavering determination to free Hunter. Though I thought the buildup would mostly be between Joanna and the Tulpa, I am not disappointed with the way things ended. The first five books deal with her overcoming her past and her attempts to be the person that everyone expects her to be. The Neon Graveyard is more about Joanna becoming the person that she wants to be and doing what she thinks is right simply because it is not for anyone’s benefit. The series left off in a great –of not perfect-place, the opportunity and attempt to live a life of normalcy.
The Zodiac series has been something that I have enjoyed tremendously and would definitely recommend to others. This was a well-written series, with strong characters that calls you back again and again. If you want to know more about the series or the author, or if you want to learn about the new Celestial Blues series check out Pettersson’s website at www.vickiepettersson.com. You can also discover the anthologies that she is a part of.
This is the sixth and final installment of the Pettersson’s Zodiac Series, and I have to say that I am not really ready to say good-bye to this cast of characters. In what I have come to think of as “the Pettersson Way”, she tells a complete story in the first chapter that reminds you of what has already happened as well as daring you to try to figure out what is about to happen. It’s a style the pulls you in-almost unwillingly as you try to decide for yourself if you like the things that Joanna has discovered about herself. There is nothing better than a good fight with an obvious villain and hero(ine). What make Joanna so astutely likable is the fact that she is at moments all of us and none of us. She has run from who she is as well as embraces her identity. She has made hard decisions in such a cold calculating way that we don’t instantly like her for it. But we don’t hate her either. If anything I found that I was mostly undecided about Joanna. I was compelled to examine the question what would I do if I was in Joanna’s shoes? We all have issues with our parents, sometimes they’re minor and other times they’re minor. But this series takes family issues to a whole new level.
Knowing that this is the last in the series, I find myself torn. A part of me wants to make sure that everything is resolved and all of the strings are tied before the end of the book. The other part wants a door to be left open so there is a chance that we will hear more of Joanna Archer sometime down the road. I have been with Joanna since the beginning and I know the stuff that she has gone through, I have seen her grow and develop as a person (okay fine, I will admit it- she is not real and she is only a character. But I was there and she seems a little real to me. I can forgive Joanna’s flaws easily, because more than being a mixture of both shadow and light, Joanna is human in the best way possible. (This is funny because Joanna is doing her best to learn to be simply human in this story.) In The Neon Graveyard, Joanna has been stripped of all of the identities that she has had to take on and is given space and time to become the person that she wants to be. She is free to design her own fate.
After each new challenge/obstacle a layer is removed and the real Joanna Archer comes forward; the one that is free from a physical shell that isn’t truly her own and from the cage of expectations. I stopped liking Warren a book and half ago, maybe even before that, but now he proves that he really isn’t better than the Tulpa; no longer a good guy seeking balance but a man with his own agenda. Action and drama keeps you turning the page, as well as Joanna’s unwavering determination to free Hunter. Though I thought the buildup would mostly be between Joanna and the Tulpa, I am not disappointed with the way things ended. The first five books deal with her overcoming her past and her attempts to be the person that everyone expects her to be. The Neon Graveyard is more about Joanna becoming the person that she wants to be and doing what she thinks is right simply because it is not for anyone’s benefit. The series left off in a great –of not perfect-place, the opportunity and attempt to live a life of normalcy.
The Zodiac series has been something that I have enjoyed tremendously and would definitely recommend to others. This was a well-written series, with strong characters that calls you back again and again. If you want to know more about the series or the author, or if you want to learn about the new Celestial Blues series check out Pettersson’s website at www.vickiepettersson.com. You can also discover the anthologies that she is a part of.
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