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labunnywtf's review
3.0
Started reading this on the plane on the way to (and from) The Florida Film Festival, where I saw Amber's new movie Drones and met her. She is AWESOME.
4-25 -- For those of you who were disappointed with Death's Daughter and didn't want to continue the series, I have to say, give it a chance (no pun intended).
The issues I had with Callie in the first book aren't completely gone, but she's grown so much during the seemingly short period between the first book and the second, she's not near as annoying as I found her in the first.
The story is also much more well planned out than the first. I had such difficulty on the first one following exactly what was happening, and with this one, I didn't get confused until the very end, and that was because I had too much excitement happen between reading the first chapters and the last. The lovely author herself screwed up my concentration.
I knew Who Dunnit pretty much from the beginning, but let's face it, Fantasy is not Mystery. Fantasy doesn't set out to fool you. So I don't expect as much from works of Fantasy as I do mysteries. And there were still a couple of "No way!" moments, which made it all the more worth it.
I think the series will only get better from here. Amber is obviously having fun with writing, and the more she writes, the better she knows her own characters, and the more they'll grow. So I'm not giving up on her yet.
4-25 -- For those of you who were disappointed with Death's Daughter and didn't want to continue the series, I have to say, give it a chance (no pun intended).
The issues I had with Callie in the first book aren't completely gone, but she's grown so much during the seemingly short period between the first book and the second, she's not near as annoying as I found her in the first.
The story is also much more well planned out than the first. I had such difficulty on the first one following exactly what was happening, and with this one, I didn't get confused until the very end, and that was because I had too much excitement happen between reading the first chapters and the last. The lovely author herself screwed up my concentration.
I knew Who Dunnit pretty much from the beginning, but let's face it, Fantasy is not Mystery. Fantasy doesn't set out to fool you. So I don't expect as much from works of Fantasy as I do mysteries. And there were still a couple of "No way!" moments, which made it all the more worth it.
I think the series will only get better from here. Amber is obviously having fun with writing, and the more she writes, the better she knows her own characters, and the more they'll grow. So I'm not giving up on her yet.
3dmelg's review
3.0
I love everything about this - the story, the background, the world. Even the writing is amazing - it truly brings these characters and situations to life for me. Unfortunately, it brings to life a protagonist who is willfully ignorant, obstinate, flighty and entitled (although she goes to the other extreme to prove she isn't.) There are hints of repressed tragedy that clearly are leading somewhere, and I'd like to see where it all goes, but it simply comes down to my disliking her personality. I may try the next book, but this took me a while to get through, and I'm not looking forward to repeating the experience.
redmud's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
wildflowerz76's review
1.0
DNF. I read the first one of these forever ago. I didn't remember particularly liking it, but I saw it recommended somewhere, so I picked up the second one. Luckily at the used book store I work at, so I only paid a $1 for it.
Was the "heroine" this awful in the first one? Because if she was, I must have been way more tolerant then. She's just awful. I DNF this one at around 70 pages. There's too much out there to read to spend my time on something I hate. Now on to some super fluff to cleanse the palette.
Was the "heroine" this awful in the first one? Because if she was, I must have been way more tolerant then. She's just awful. I DNF this one at around 70 pages. There's too much out there to read to spend my time on something I hate. Now on to some super fluff to cleanse the palette.
mermahoney's review
2.0
This was a fun book to read. I liked the premise a lot: Death's daughter would like to live a normal life but keeps getting pulled back into the family business. The lead character is sassy and smart. I enjoyed her adventures and encounters with a mixture of gods and deities from mythology and various world religions. A few points on the negative side. I got a little tired of the main character's obsession with sex. This is the second book in a series and it spends a lot of time reviewing events from the first book ("Death's Daughter"). So even though I hadn't read the first book, I pretty much knew the whole story by the end of this book. Without all the review, the book would have been much shorter. Finally, the book could have used some better editing; I was distracted by poor writing and word choice several times. Ultimately though, a good time was had and I would recommend this as a light, diverting tale.
rustybentley's review
4.0
Full disclosure: Amber Benson and I are best friends*. Despite our closeness, trust that this is an objective review of Cat's Claw, the second in the Calliope Reaper-Jones saga. For context, I read the first one and liked it. My biggest issue with the first one was the protagonist, Calliope. I just didn't relate to her at all, and I thought the way she constantly got distracted by boys and fashion were silly at best. With this book, that aspect was either toned down quite a bit, or I didn't notice it as much. In either case, it made Calliope much more endearing, and I enjoyed this book very much.
Amber's writing in this series is really outstanding in two aspects for me:
1) Calliope's voice. The first two books are written in first person from Calliope's point of view, and her narration always entertains. I really like her voice -- the variance from opinionated to expert to self-doubting to self-loathing to compassionate to nurturing... great stuff!
2) The mythology. I won't spoil anything, but the way that mythologies from different cultures are incorporated and played with is VERY well done. You don't have to be a mythology buff to like it, but if you're into mythology, it's a must-read for that reason alone. I found myself more than once juxtaposing a character in the story with how that character was normally described and smiling at the tweaks.
I alternated between reading the kindle version while sitting and listening to the audible version while driving. The audible version is read by the author. The audiobook was top notch from production value (simple, seamless, well-balance audio for the win!) to the performance. Amber is, of course, a household name**, but her voicing of the characters here was well worth the extra happy buck. The synchronization between the kindle and audible was perfect as well, which is a first for me.
I highly recommend this book. It certainly impressed me enough to gladly get the next in the series. If this style of urban fantasy isn't for you, that's OK -- Amber has written several other series and stand-alone books. I encourage you to check out [b:The Seven Whistlers|35151639|The Seven Whistlers|Benson Amber|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494900017s/35151639.jpg|56477463] instead. Happy reading!
* A slight exaggeration -- I met her once, and she was really nice.
** For Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans.
Amber's writing in this series is really outstanding in two aspects for me:
1) Calliope's voice. The first two books are written in first person from Calliope's point of view, and her narration always entertains. I really like her voice -- the variance from opinionated to expert to self-doubting to self-loathing to compassionate to nurturing... great stuff!
2) The mythology. I won't spoil anything, but the way that mythologies from different cultures are incorporated and played with is VERY well done. You don't have to be a mythology buff to like it, but if you're into mythology, it's a must-read for that reason alone. I found myself more than once juxtaposing a character in the story with how that character was normally described and smiling at the tweaks.
I alternated between reading the kindle version while sitting and listening to the audible version while driving. The audible version is read by the author. The audiobook was top notch from production value (simple, seamless, well-balance audio for the win!) to the performance. Amber is, of course, a household name**, but her voicing of the characters here was well worth the extra happy buck. The synchronization between the kindle and audible was perfect as well, which is a first for me.
I highly recommend this book. It certainly impressed me enough to gladly get the next in the series. If this style of urban fantasy isn't for you, that's OK -- Amber has written several other series and stand-alone books. I encourage you to check out [b:The Seven Whistlers|35151639|The Seven Whistlers|Benson Amber|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494900017s/35151639.jpg|56477463] instead. Happy reading!
* A slight exaggeration -- I met her once, and she was really nice.
** For Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans.
lilyghost's review
4.0
This book was much better than the first one. I liked everything about it. The main character didn't go on as much or as annoyingly about designer clothes and shoes. I guess I just don't like that because I'm not a girly-girl. I mean I like Sex and the City when they do it but I like my supernatural stuff a little more supernaturall-ie. I can't wait to find out more about Callie and Daniel. I hope she puts in the next book when Callie introduces Jarvis to her boss. I think that'd be hilarious. I also want to know the development of Callie's powers and how that will turn out because everyone is saying how powerful she is but she can't even call a wormhole.
ladyozma's review
4.0
Three headed dog, Bast, Jackal brothers, Egypt, and a tour of Targets in Las Vegas. Need I say more?