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songwind's review against another edition
2.0
Like the rating says, it was okay.
The basic story is pretty cliche. The book makes use of pop culture references rather than actual description far too frequently. The relationships between characters were pretty hard to swallow as well.
Despite that, it does manage to be entertaining here and there, and funny in places as well.
The basic story is pretty cliche. The book makes use of pop culture references rather than actual description far too frequently. The relationships between characters were pretty hard to swallow as well.
Despite that, it does manage to be entertaining here and there, and funny in places as well.
sassyporcupine's review against another edition
2.0
I hoped vampire detective novel would be as good as wizard detective novels. Not so. Main character is seriously not likeable.
sassyporcupine's review
2.0
I hoped vampire detective novel would be as good as wizard detective novels. Not so. Main character is seriously not likeable.
marklpotter's review
3.0
I wanted something funny and schlocky and that's exactly what this book is. You won't find any real deep life lessons here but you will have fun reading it and it will go by nice and smooth.
pjonsson's review against another edition
3.0
This is another one of those books where I cannot make up my mind if I really thought it was a worthwhile read or not. I have read several books from this author and I have liked some of them very much. Then some of them I didn’t really like that much.
This book is somewhat different from the above mentioned book. I get the feeling that it might be targeted for a slightly younger audience but I still would not classify it as a young adult book.
However, the book blurb is rather overselling the book. “Batman meets the odd couple meets Dracula”. Well I certainly didn’t found any Batman nor Any Dracula in her. Batman and Dracula are both competent characters each kicking ass in their own way. The characters in this book, especially the main protagonist, are mostly stumbling their way through the book. The phrase “amateur hour” comes to mind.
I think this is the main reason that I am on the fence for this book. This fumbling around is somewhat annoying. I mean come on, a vampire that cannot get out some simple handcuffs? It is a shame since he is otherwise a likable character and so is his witch friend.
I also like this cop that is introduced into the story. Quite frankly she seems to be a lot more competent overall than the main protagonist(s) even though she is just a mundane. The are quite a bunch of other characters in the book and overall they are mostly quite okay each adding some flavor and color to the story.
The dialogue is okay, nothing more nothing less. I’m not sure why Amazon promotes the book series as a “award winning horror comedy series” though. Smells like marketing bullshit to me. At least this first book is neither horror nor comedy. It is urban fantasy that comes with the usual amount of snarky comments, nothing else. Also, this first book is not exactly award winning material, certainly not any meaningful awards.
The story is not bad. It moves along in a adequate pace. As being the first book in the series there are of course a bunch of world building and “setting up” and the story is perhaps more a way to achieve this.
Overall, I think the book shows some promise, it is well written and the characters are not bad but the book as whole is not exactly wow material either. I especially dislike that the main protagonist is mostly fumbling around and doesn’t seem to be very competent.
I will have a go at the second book in the series though and hopefully that one will show some improvements.
This book is somewhat different from the above mentioned book. I get the feeling that it might be targeted for a slightly younger audience but I still would not classify it as a young adult book.
However, the book blurb is rather overselling the book. “Batman meets the odd couple meets Dracula”. Well I certainly didn’t found any Batman nor Any Dracula in her. Batman and Dracula are both competent characters each kicking ass in their own way. The characters in this book, especially the main protagonist, are mostly stumbling their way through the book. The phrase “amateur hour” comes to mind.
I think this is the main reason that I am on the fence for this book. This fumbling around is somewhat annoying. I mean come on, a vampire that cannot get out some simple handcuffs? It is a shame since he is otherwise a likable character and so is his witch friend.
I also like this cop that is introduced into the story. Quite frankly she seems to be a lot more competent overall than the main protagonist(s) even though she is just a mundane. The are quite a bunch of other characters in the book and overall they are mostly quite okay each adding some flavor and color to the story.
The dialogue is okay, nothing more nothing less. I’m not sure why Amazon promotes the book series as a “award winning horror comedy series” though. Smells like marketing bullshit to me. At least this first book is neither horror nor comedy. It is urban fantasy that comes with the usual amount of snarky comments, nothing else. Also, this first book is not exactly award winning material, certainly not any meaningful awards.
The story is not bad. It moves along in a adequate pace. As being the first book in the series there are of course a bunch of world building and “setting up” and the story is perhaps more a way to achieve this.
Overall, I think the book shows some promise, it is well written and the characters are not bad but the book as whole is not exactly wow material either. I especially dislike that the main protagonist is mostly fumbling around and doesn’t seem to be very competent.
I will have a go at the second book in the series though and hopefully that one will show some improvements.
hpstrangelove's review
4.0
Audio book review. Narrator: Nick J. Russo. Somehow I missed reviewing this book when I listened to it back in February, so my 'first impression' is now a bit hazy. I do know I enjoyed the plot and the action. I like just about anything vampire related. This had some interesting twists as I recall. I have the next few books in the series but stopped with this one to read Parasol Protectorate. I still have the 5th book in that series to finish before getting to the rest of these (guess that's what happens when I have too many audio books to listen to!)
perfectlymisaligned's review
You know you didn't enjoy a book when you regret spending $1.99 on it.
I was hoping this would have a Dresdan Files vibe (like so many other reviewers have claimed), but for me this book simply fell flat. The humor came off as silly and juvenile.
And the reading slump continues....
I was hoping this would have a Dresdan Files vibe (like so many other reviewers have claimed), but for me this book simply fell flat. The humor came off as silly and juvenile.
And the reading slump continues....
kitvaria_sarene's review
4.0
This was a fun Urban Fantasy romp. It isn't a perfect read, but if you're looking for something easy to read and entertaining, then it is worth a look.
The biggest problem for me was the female characters, and some remarks about them that just felt juvenile and had me roll my eyes a bit, but it was in moderation, so I won't take a star for that. If that is hoewever something that botheres you, I would skip this one. If you, like me, sigh in exasperation for a moment and then just ignore it, you shall be fine.
What I liked about it is the main characters being rather out of the typical mold you're expecting of UF! They aren't bad ass good guys who just mow down enemies like it is nothing. Instead it's two rather mediocre guys who have been turned vampire, and now are hard to kill, but not always the wisest or best prepared... The tone was a bit too juvenile at times as I said, but it fit the characters and made for entertaining listening - even when it didn't make me laugh out loud I did smirk quite a bit along the way.
So definitely not a deep and thoughtprovoking or literary work, but amazing to relax to after a long day and just let yourself be swept away without needing full focus.
The biggest problem for me was the female characters, and some remarks about them that just felt juvenile and had me roll my eyes a bit, but it was in moderation, so I won't take a star for that. If that is hoewever something that botheres you, I would skip this one. If you, like me, sigh in exasperation for a moment and then just ignore it, you shall be fine.
What I liked about it is the main characters being rather out of the typical mold you're expecting of UF! They aren't bad ass good guys who just mow down enemies like it is nothing. Instead it's two rather mediocre guys who have been turned vampire, and now are hard to kill, but not always the wisest or best prepared... The tone was a bit too juvenile at times as I said, but it fit the characters and made for entertaining listening - even when it didn't make me laugh out loud I did smirk quite a bit along the way.
So definitely not a deep and thoughtprovoking or literary work, but amazing to relax to after a long day and just let yourself be swept away without needing full focus.