A review by laurenjodi
Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
4.0
Halfway to the Grave
4 Stars
Tavia Gilbert's does an exemplarily job with the various voices, however, her heavy low class British accent for Bones takes some getting used to.
Bones is an obvious carbon-copy of Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (bleached blond hair, dark eyes and a British accent - really, how unoriginal can you get?). He starts out as an obnoxious, supercilious git but his swagger conceals a well-developed sense of justice and he is ultimately revealed to be a real sweetheart. Cat is a likable heroine with some great kick-ass moves but she is also naive, prejudiced and judgmental - at least she seems to realize this and makes an effort to get past it.
The real problem is that Cat and Bones's chemistry is a little meh. Yes, they have the witty banter thing going on in spades but the rapid progression of their physical relationship is somewhat disappointing - more in line with paranormal romance than urban fantasy. Yes, they have an intense spark of attraction in the beginning, but the sizzle dies out quite quickly and by the middle of the book they sound like an old married couple.
The plot gives new meaning to the term "human trafficking". It is well-developed with some truly excellent action scenes. The ending is very satisfying and I'm intrigued by the direction the story is taking with the government agency involved in investigating the paranormal - it really appeals to my inner X-File.
Overall, not the brilliant masterpiece I was expecting given the hype but it is a fun read and I look forward to seeing what happens next with Cat and Bones.
4 Stars
Tavia Gilbert's does an exemplarily job with the various voices, however, her heavy low class British accent for Bones takes some getting used to.
Bones is an obvious carbon-copy of Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (bleached blond hair, dark eyes and a British accent - really, how unoriginal can you get?). He starts out as an obnoxious, supercilious git but his swagger conceals a well-developed sense of justice and he is ultimately revealed to be a real sweetheart. Cat is a likable heroine with some great kick-ass moves but she is also naive, prejudiced and judgmental - at least she seems to realize this and makes an effort to get past it.
The real problem is that Cat and Bones's chemistry is a little meh. Yes, they have the witty banter thing going on in spades but the rapid progression of their physical relationship is somewhat disappointing - more in line with paranormal romance than urban fantasy. Yes, they have an intense spark of attraction in the beginning, but the sizzle dies out quite quickly and by the middle of the book they sound like an old married couple.
The plot gives new meaning to the term "human trafficking". It is well-developed with some truly excellent action scenes. The ending is very satisfying and I'm intrigued by the direction the story is taking with the government agency involved in investigating the paranormal - it really appeals to my inner X-File.
Overall, not the brilliant masterpiece I was expecting given the hype but it is a fun read and I look forward to seeing what happens next with Cat and Bones.