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jamiz's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
noemi1010's review
4.0
Gin has finally decide to take action against Mab Monroe. However, when Gin's sister comes to town as the new detective instead of Caine, Gin needs to protect her as Man has her sights on her. However, Gin cannot let her know that she's her sister nor that she's the famous assassin the spider. Gin will need to start take Mab's organisation apart, piece by piece, starting by dealing with Mab's enforcer.
I can't wait to see how Gin will deal with Mab and her crew.
I can't wait to see how Gin will deal with Mab and her crew.
breezy610's review
5.0
This book was awesome! better than the first and Second, because Gin finally got someone who really understands her and what she needs to do. And she finally takes that steps in what she needs to do to take revenge for her family. I can't wait to read the next in the series.
veraann's review
3.0
I would've liked to give this a higher rating. Characters are great and the world build is great. Storyline was good, some nice action scenes, a little bit of romance thrown in. The recap of what has previously happened in the first two books was thrown in the first few chapters nicely. Yet there was a glaring issue for me. Repetition. Recapping of what previously happened in the series is fine, but I don't need a recap of what I read only a few chapters ago. Repitition here and there or when it fits the scenes conversation would be fine, but repetition just to tell the reader the same thing in the same way every few chapters, gets tedious.
That being said, I still am enjoying Gins story and this series, this repetition hasn't been aggravating enough for me not to read on in the series, just enough I had to drop what I wanted to rate it.
I absolutely love Owen. Rich, handsome, powerful, a bit dangerous, but with a soft side. Gin still kicking butt. Her "family" just awesome. And finally we see what has become of little sister!
That being said, I still am enjoying Gins story and this series, this repetition hasn't been aggravating enough for me not to read on in the series, just enough I had to drop what I wanted to rate it.
I absolutely love Owen. Rich, handsome, powerful, a bit dangerous, but with a soft side. Gin still kicking butt. Her "family" just awesome. And finally we see what has become of little sister!
arnettia's review
3.0
While I really like the concept of the Elemental Assassin books and love how Gin has grown since book one, I'm having a very difficult time with the constant repetition that goes on throughout the books. How many times do we need to be reminded of Gin's powers or that she is dating Owen, or that Jo-Jo is a hairdresser that has air elemental powers and is a healer. It is driving me crazy. I understand that some degree of mentions should be done of previous information (when it's pertinent to the direction of the storyline) but come on by book 3 we shouldn't still need to be reminded of the basics in the story. Geez!!!!
kathydavie's review
5.0
Third in the urban fantasy series, Elemental Assassin, the title is quite apt what with the hatred Gin has for the elemental who murdered her family, the spite Mab has for anyone not her, and the extreme malice vented by Elliot.
My Take
I love Gin, she don't take no shit. One benefit of this world of hurt is Bria. Gin finds her…very unexpectedly.
Now I have to wait til May (2011) for Tangled Threads to find out what happens next!
The Story
The story begins with Gin's beating by Slater, inspired by McAllister who hates Gin for not caving as everyone else does.
None of this is enough to inspire Gin to actively track Slater down until she finds out what's happening to Roslyn, and that settles it. The bad guys are in for their own world of hurt if only Gin can get past the many roadblocks that keep jumping up!
The Characters
Gin Blanco, a.k.a., the Spider, is a feared assassin with a daytime job serving up barbecue and blackberry lemonade (I want to try this!); Finn, Gin's foster brother, who adores all aspects of money — the making of it, the hiding of it, the increasing of it, the wallowing in it, let alone the toys one can buy with it; Roslyn Phillips, a super-gorgeous vampire and former hooker who made good; the Deveraux sisters: Sophia and Jo-Jo whose air elemental powers take care of the clean-up and fix-up of Gin's adventures; and, Xavier, a cop by day and bouncer by night.
Minor characters from previous stories include…
…Eva Grayson and Violet Fox, schoolmates and friends with previous contact with Gin, and Owen Grayson, Eva's brother, who has some intriguing secrets up his sleeve.
A new, and very important character, is Bria Coolidge. Yup, that Bria…
Mab is a fire elemental who murdered Gin's family and anyone else who gets in her way as she seeks to keep her top-dog position in town; Jonah McAllister is her top attorney who keeps the opposition so tied up in red tape and legal motions that no one even tries anymore; and, Elliot Slater is Mab's enforcer with a hard on for hurting people…the prettier the better.
And, man, are they pissed that Jonah's son died…
The Cover and Title
I love the cover. Dark and brooding with the river boat in the background as Gin sits back with a wicked glance over the shoulder.
I suspect it's Jonah's Venom Estep is addressing.
My Take
I love Gin, she don't take no shit. One benefit of this world of hurt is Bria. Gin finds her…very unexpectedly.
Now I have to wait til May (2011) for Tangled Threads to find out what happens next!
The Story
The story begins with Gin's beating by Slater, inspired by McAllister who hates Gin for not caving as everyone else does.
None of this is enough to inspire Gin to actively track Slater down until she finds out what's happening to Roslyn, and that settles it. The bad guys are in for their own world of hurt if only Gin can get past the many roadblocks that keep jumping up!
The Characters
Gin Blanco, a.k.a., the Spider, is a feared assassin with a daytime job serving up barbecue and blackberry lemonade (I want to try this!); Finn, Gin's foster brother, who adores all aspects of money — the making of it, the hiding of it, the increasing of it, the wallowing in it, let alone the toys one can buy with it; Roslyn Phillips, a super-gorgeous vampire and former hooker who made good; the Deveraux sisters: Sophia and Jo-Jo whose air elemental powers take care of the clean-up and fix-up of Gin's adventures; and, Xavier, a cop by day and bouncer by night.
Minor characters from previous stories include…
…Eva Grayson and Violet Fox, schoolmates and friends with previous contact with Gin, and Owen Grayson, Eva's brother, who has some intriguing secrets up his sleeve.
A new, and very important character, is Bria Coolidge. Yup, that Bria…
Mab is a fire elemental who murdered Gin's family and anyone else who gets in her way as she seeks to keep her top-dog position in town; Jonah McAllister is her top attorney who keeps the opposition so tied up in red tape and legal motions that no one even tries anymore; and, Elliot Slater is Mab's enforcer with a hard on for hurting people…the prettier the better.
And, man, are they pissed that Jonah's son died…
The Cover and Title
I love the cover. Dark and brooding with the river boat in the background as Gin sits back with a wicked glance over the shoulder.
I suspect it's Jonah's Venom Estep is addressing.
yodamom's review
5.0
My life is hard for Gin and Finn. Giants, not just regular ones, nasty super fast killer giants want to kill them. Gin gets beaten and beaten some more. Mab watches and lingers putting everything Gin holds dear in even more danger. A person from Gin's past resurfaces and she is on Mab's hit list. An old truth is exposed and many horrible secrets emerge.
Wonderful action, dark brutality and a start of a love story. I am anxious to get to the next book.
Wonderful action, dark brutality and a start of a love story. I am anxious to get to the next book.
annabell_hrs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
vikingwolf's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Gin is still reeling from being abandoned by Donovan in such a brutal manner when she takes a savage beating at the hands of Elliot Slater, Mab Monroe's enforcer, who was persuaded to beat her by the angry Jonah McAllister, trying to get information from Gin about the murder of his son. So when Gin discovers that Finn's friend Roslyn is being stalked by Elliot, and will probably end up raped and murdered like the giant's other victims, it's time for her to do the world a favour and get rid of the pervert and thug. But finding a way to beat the super strong giant without alerting Mab Monroe that she is next might prove tricky.
Gin is still struggling with the knowledge that Donovan can't bear to be in the same town as her, and is so disgusted by his relationship with her that he gets a transfer to an unknown city to keep his morals intact. The new Detective replacing her is her long lost sister Bria who has no idea that Gin is anything other than a local businesswoman. Meeting for the first time at the scene of her beating by Elliot, Gin feels vulnerable but can't bear to have Bria feel the same disappointment in her. Finn, of course, is attracted to Bria which only complicates matters. Gin has her own admirer in local man Owen, but is still too bruised by her heartache to look at another man.
Finn is worried about local club owner Roslyn, who is being stalked by Elliot and forced into dates with him. Seeing the vampire so vulnerable and scared makes Gin feel guilty as it was Roslyn that helped her into Mab's party where Jake died, and being questioned about it by Elliot is what started his obsession with Roslyn. Gin decides that it's time to take out the giant especially when she realises that Mab has told Elliot to get rid of Bria. Gin is not going to lose her sister again, especially when she hasn't had a chance to get to know her as an adult. Getting close to Elliot is going to be a problem and fate has a habit of making life difficult for Gin.
This series is keeping up a good standard so far. I wasn't sure what to think about Donovan suddenly leaving town as I expected him and Gin to be together as a couple. I do like seeing the vulnerable side to her that the end of their relationship brings but I don't think we've seen the last of the detective. It looks like Owen might be the new love interest for Gin. I don't know what I think about him yet to be honest, as we haven't seen too much of him. I'll reserve judgement. The same goes for the Bria introduction, which was a bit surprising but she looks like an honest cop so we'll see what happens when she figures out who Gin is.
I was disappointed that Fletcher was killed in book one as his character was so interesting but I'm pleased to see that he is still featuring through flashback thoughts and dreams that Gin is having. I love the somewhat smarmy and vain Finn who is the opposite to his assassin father. The supporting characters of Jo-Jo, Sophia, Xavier and Roslyn are so well written that you look forward to seeing them in each book in some capacity. The bad guys in the series fascinate me too-slimy Jonah, psychos in the form of Mab and Elliot. I'm also curious about the character of Phillip Kincaid, gambling underworld master, whose floating casino appears in this book.
The characters are well developed, making you care about what happens to them. There is the right about of description about the scenes and characters to tell you what is happening without drowning you in pointless details. There is a good mix of humour, action and tension, good interaction between the characters and a rapid pace to the story. This is urban fantasy at its best.
Gin is still struggling with the knowledge that Donovan can't bear to be in the same town as her, and is so disgusted by his relationship with her that he gets a transfer to an unknown city to keep his morals intact. The new Detective replacing her is her long lost sister Bria who has no idea that Gin is anything other than a local businesswoman. Meeting for the first time at the scene of her beating by Elliot, Gin feels vulnerable but can't bear to have Bria feel the same disappointment in her. Finn, of course, is attracted to Bria which only complicates matters. Gin has her own admirer in local man Owen, but is still too bruised by her heartache to look at another man.
Finn is worried about local club owner Roslyn, who is being stalked by Elliot and forced into dates with him. Seeing the vampire so vulnerable and scared makes Gin feel guilty as it was Roslyn that helped her into Mab's party where Jake died, and being questioned about it by Elliot is what started his obsession with Roslyn. Gin decides that it's time to take out the giant especially when she realises that Mab has told Elliot to get rid of Bria. Gin is not going to lose her sister again, especially when she hasn't had a chance to get to know her as an adult. Getting close to Elliot is going to be a problem and fate has a habit of making life difficult for Gin.
This series is keeping up a good standard so far. I wasn't sure what to think about Donovan suddenly leaving town as I expected him and Gin to be together as a couple. I do like seeing the vulnerable side to her that the end of their relationship brings but I don't think we've seen the last of the detective. It looks like Owen might be the new love interest for Gin. I don't know what I think about him yet to be honest, as we haven't seen too much of him. I'll reserve judgement. The same goes for the Bria introduction, which was a bit surprising but she looks like an honest cop so we'll see what happens when she figures out who Gin is.
I was disappointed that Fletcher was killed in book one as his character was so interesting but I'm pleased to see that he is still featuring through flashback thoughts and dreams that Gin is having. I love the somewhat smarmy and vain Finn who is the opposite to his assassin father. The supporting characters of Jo-Jo, Sophia, Xavier and Roslyn are so well written that you look forward to seeing them in each book in some capacity. The bad guys in the series fascinate me too-slimy Jonah, psychos in the form of Mab and Elliot. I'm also curious about the character of Phillip Kincaid, gambling underworld master, whose floating casino appears in this book.
The characters are well developed, making you care about what happens to them. There is the right about of description about the scenes and characters to tell you what is happening without drowning you in pointless details. There is a good mix of humour, action and tension, good interaction between the characters and a rapid pace to the story. This is urban fantasy at its best.
hectaizani's review
3.0
Venom is the third in the Elemental Assassin series. I felt like it gave us some new details about Gin's background, introduced a few new characters, updated a few previously seen characters, and moved the story forward.
The repetition is getting a little awkward. I think that we all know by now that Gin carries five silverstone knives and exactly where she stashes them by now. The flashback backstory is also getting to the skippable point. Not enough new details, same old trauma.
I liked this book well enough but not enough to give it more than three stars.
The repetition is getting a little awkward. I think that we all know by now that Gin carries five silverstone knives and exactly where she stashes them by now. The flashback backstory is also getting to the skippable point. Not enough new details, same old trauma.
I liked this book well enough but not enough to give it more than three stars.