So... Plot wise, interesting. Overall background plot, odd.A lot of people have a lot of bad things to say about this series and book. I can honestly say... I have seen and read worse. Main character - Weird. Judges weird scale. Pulls possibly typical teen sitcom drama level stuff. Has been rich for maybe... 3 months at this point, maybe 5? I finished this book earlier today and have done soo much I can't remember. Managed to study these Riders for however long and is showing a lot more knowledge, however if you notice its not as much as I would like and she isn't using her powers as much as I would like. Having said that. She fights one in the hotel lobby and does pretty well considering, a one on one and during a surprise round. Two she fights another also surprise, manages to win/subdue, basically amazing. Three she manages to intervene and save someone from one, on her doing pretty well.At this point she is admitted into the hospital and everyone starts giving her shit... About her management of time while they were setting up a safe house... that she bought and paid for, with HER money. WTF?!? I would have told them to get the hellz out of mah house and never darken my door. Not cower. But once again the book weaves it in a particular way, where our main character doesn't really see anything until she has time alone and after she has stepped away. So why do I rate this book as ok and not a 3 or a 4... Not talking about a 5. 3 reasons1. Slow and light. This book builds, I get that is the authors style, but he builds things up and the plots are pretty straight forward. 2. The story is told from a past-present point of view. The story is currently happening, by being told as it happened. And only every now and then do you get commentary... But never really expounded upon well enough. 3. I sure as hell want her to step into her uncle's shoes, and do some work. This stuff is kind of below what I hope to see. I notice that most of the cool stuff, the exorcism, the magic(wards/chi/etc) is handled off screen and when not pretty much described with the phrase "a lotta mumbo jumbo that goes over my head and (insert some random word here)." My advice to the author is make up a magic system, make it real by describing it, make it understandable to the readers who are interested in it, and then own it in your books. You are an author with a magic with currently only some rules and have the capabilities to expound upon it... GO WILD! Break the rules you set in the future and claim that the characters just don't know because no one ever taught them. Do things that seem amazing.Perfect example. The crossroads. Possibly one of the coolest themes that was mentioned in this book, done well, and described perfectly. I doubt many people could see that for the other areas where everyone loves the main character and blah blah blah drama. lol Number 2 of my guilty pleasures this week and number 2 in the Black Sun's Daughter series. Set in New Orleans post-katrina, the book makes some social points as well as outlining a fun urban fantasy story with possession and demons thrown in. I could have done with a bit more about the main character's developing powers and her role in all this, but the story itself cracked along apace, despite being somewhat predictable in its twists.
What do You think about Darker Angels (2009)?
Addictive! Can't wait to read Vicious Grace!
—Cicely
