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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
Third in the Kara Gillian urban fantasy-police procedural series.
My Take
As much fun as it's been watching Kara squirm around not telling anyone about her abilities, it's a relief when she does bring more people in on the secret. It's rather endearing how the demons she works with are so interested in the human joys.
Rowland is a treat to read as she reveals secrets---most in a slow tease and some with a flash bang---and entices us with yet more to be unveiled. Her cast of characters run the gamut---even within themselves! From sweet to evil. Others are unexpectedly welcoming. While still others are true to our initial impression. I would never have expected Crawford to react as he does. That trick with the mayor was a treat!
Okay, I can understand that Kara would think that Ryan is no longer interested in her, but when he's practically hitting her over the head with his interest...I don't see how she can miss it. For a detective, she's pretty dim and uncurious.
An interesting look inside the recording industry, but a confusing one on the banking in and outs.
It's another great read from Rowland and I can't wait to dive into Sins of the Demon.
The Story
There is some question as to whether the threat of a demon eating a local singer's soul is true or simply a publicity stunt. But then people related to the singer's business are dying mysteriously. Even more bizarre, something demon-like is tracking Kara, chasing her, trying to summon her. Events have escalated enough that Crawford is pressing her for information.
Powerful people are insisting she back off. And all sorts of secrets are leaking out. Zack. Marco Knight. Jill. Even Ryan has secrets he didn't know.
The Characters
Detective Kara Gillian works for the Beaulac PD by day and is a demon summoner by night. An ability she utilizes to solve her cases. She has yet to tell her aunt of her discovery of how to store power. Aunt Tessa is also a summoner, Kara's teacher. Carl is a morgue tech, a null, and Tessa's boyfriend.
Special Agent Ryan Kristoff knows of her abilities and has requested her presence on his task force on an as-and-when basis. For some reason, the demons hate him, calling him kiraknikahl, oathbreaker. Special Agent Zachary Garner is his partner and he also knows what she can do. Detective Marco Knight is with the NOPD and makes up the fourth member of their undercover operation. Seems he has his own secrets and divines others.
Jill Faciane is CSI and still willing to be Kara's friend even when she found out about Kara's more covert abilities in Blood of the Demon. Turns out she almost went to the Olympics as a gymnast. Detectives Boudreaux and Pellini are still jerks, always giving Kara a bad time, which she hands right back at them. Chief Robert Turnham is getting pressure from Ben Moran to let the incident with his niece go; Mayor Fussell also tries to put the arm on her. Sergeant Cory Crawford is very supportive of Kara. Doctor Jonathan Lanza is the forensic pathologist. Brad is the computer forensics expert. Scott Glassman is a great street cop; and, Tracy Gordon is his officer trainee.
Lida Moran is an up-and-coming singer for a Goth band. Michael is her brother and the keyboardist in the band. An accident when they were young caused brain damage in Michael and Lida is very protective of him. Trey Westin is the bass player, Lida's boyfriend, and he recently graduated with a degree in finance. Roger Peeler is the drummer, their tech guy, and a personal trainer. Adam Taylor is their manager with some outstanding warrants. Ben Moran is Lida and Michael's uncle and a local businessman. Victor Kerry is a financial planner with a keen interest in working out. Seems Adam Taylor owes him quite a bit. Nikki is a friend of Lida's.
Lord Rhyzkahl is a Demon Lord with whom Kara has had to make a bargain to save Ryan's life. Seems there's envy in DemonLands... Skalz is a zhurn, a tenth-level demon Kara has summoned as a contingency backup. He wishes to make a particular bargain with Kara, as her guardian. Eilahn is a syraza that Rhyzkahl wants Kara to summon. She will join the task force as a foreign agent.
The Cover
The cover is Kara looking very elvish as she moves in, her gun clasped in both hands, hunting the beast which is directly behind her and way bigger than life.
I think the title is more about the demon culture than any specific demon, and there certainly are lots of Secrets of the Demon world being revealed here.
My Take
As much fun as it's been watching Kara squirm around not telling anyone about her abilities, it's a relief when she does bring more people in on the secret. It's rather endearing how the demons she works with are so interested in the human joys.
Rowland is a treat to read as she reveals secrets---most in a slow tease and some with a flash bang---and entices us with yet more to be unveiled. Her cast of characters run the gamut---even within themselves! From sweet to evil. Others are unexpectedly welcoming. While still others are true to our initial impression. I would never have expected Crawford to react as he does. That trick with the mayor was a treat!
Okay, I can understand that Kara would think that Ryan is no longer interested in her, but when he's practically hitting her over the head with his interest...I don't see how she can miss it. For a detective, she's pretty dim and uncurious.
An interesting look inside the recording industry, but a confusing one on the banking in and outs.
It's another great read from Rowland and I can't wait to dive into Sins of the Demon.
The Story
There is some question as to whether the threat of a demon eating a local singer's soul is true or simply a publicity stunt. But then people related to the singer's business are dying mysteriously. Even more bizarre, something demon-like is tracking Kara, chasing her, trying to summon her. Events have escalated enough that Crawford is pressing her for information.
Powerful people are insisting she back off. And all sorts of secrets are leaking out. Zack. Marco Knight. Jill. Even Ryan has secrets he didn't know.
The Characters
Detective Kara Gillian works for the Beaulac PD by day and is a demon summoner by night. An ability she utilizes to solve her cases. She has yet to tell her aunt of her discovery of how to store power. Aunt Tessa is also a summoner, Kara's teacher. Carl is a morgue tech, a null, and Tessa's boyfriend.
Special Agent Ryan Kristoff knows of her abilities and has requested her presence on his task force on an as-and-when basis. For some reason, the demons hate him, calling him kiraknikahl, oathbreaker. Special Agent Zachary Garner is his partner and he also knows what she can do. Detective Marco Knight is with the NOPD and makes up the fourth member of their undercover operation. Seems he has his own secrets and divines others.
Jill Faciane is CSI and still willing to be Kara's friend even when she found out about Kara's more covert abilities in Blood of the Demon. Turns out she almost went to the Olympics as a gymnast. Detectives Boudreaux and Pellini are still jerks, always giving Kara a bad time, which she hands right back at them. Chief Robert Turnham is getting pressure from Ben Moran to let the incident with his niece go; Mayor Fussell also tries to put the arm on her. Sergeant Cory Crawford is very supportive of Kara. Doctor Jonathan Lanza is the forensic pathologist. Brad is the computer forensics expert. Scott Glassman is a great street cop; and, Tracy Gordon is his officer trainee.
Lida Moran is an up-and-coming singer for a Goth band. Michael is her brother and the keyboardist in the band. An accident when they were young caused brain damage in Michael and Lida is very protective of him. Trey Westin is the bass player, Lida's boyfriend, and he recently graduated with a degree in finance. Roger Peeler is the drummer, their tech guy, and a personal trainer. Adam Taylor is their manager with some outstanding warrants. Ben Moran is Lida and Michael's uncle and a local businessman. Victor Kerry is a financial planner with a keen interest in working out. Seems Adam Taylor owes him quite a bit. Nikki is a friend of Lida's.
Lord Rhyzkahl is a Demon Lord with whom Kara has had to make a bargain to save Ryan's life. Seems there's envy in DemonLands... Skalz is a zhurn, a tenth-level demon Kara has summoned as a contingency backup. He wishes to make a particular bargain with Kara, as her guardian. Eilahn is a syraza that Rhyzkahl wants Kara to summon. She will join the task force as a foreign agent.
The Cover
The cover is Kara looking very elvish as she moves in, her gun clasped in both hands, hunting the beast which is directly behind her and way bigger than life.
I think the title is more about the demon culture than any specific demon, and there certainly are lots of Secrets of the Demon world being revealed here.
dajoyofit's review against another edition
3.0
I gave this one 3 stars because I do love this series so far, but the investigation dragged for me. About the only thing interesting for me was Ryan's actions in saving Kara. And as always, Kara and her relationship with her friends held more interest for me than the police procedural.
witchylevy's review against another edition
5.0
I love how the relationships are developing! Seeing Ryan and Ryzkahl (however you spell it) compete is hilarious. With Ryan's secret, or one of them, revealed at the end I wonder how things will progress. Seeing more of this world's supernatural community is fun. I look forward to reading how the series progresses. Rowland is fast becoming a favorite of mine!
blodeuedd's review against another edition
4.0
Yay, I am so glad this series continues to be good. It was good all way through and then at the end, it was not a cliffie. BUT, she made me go all NEED book 4! I do have book 4, so that is a relief, I am just afraid book 4 will make me feel the same way and then I do not have book 5, lol.
Kara is cool. She is good at her job, she is witty, she has mindblowing sex with a demon lord. Awww yes he is, yum. But I do wonder what he has planned. Then there is Jill (cool too), Zach (we get to know stuff about him, yay), and of course Ryan. Ryan Ryan, what is he hiding? I get closer to those secrets and then the book ends and I need to know. I am way too curious. Ryan has also truly grown on me.
In this book she has to solve why a few musicians are being targeted. And it's never simple when it comes to her cases. And then something else starts happening too, intriguing.
Like I said, I need book 4 now!
Recommended series.
Kara is cool. She is good at her job, she is witty, she has mindblowing sex with a demon lord. Awww yes he is, yum. But I do wonder what he has planned. Then there is Jill (cool too), Zach (we get to know stuff about him, yay), and of course Ryan. Ryan Ryan, what is he hiding? I get closer to those secrets and then the book ends and I need to know. I am way too curious. Ryan has also truly grown on me.
In this book she has to solve why a few musicians are being targeted. And it's never simple when it comes to her cases. And then something else starts happening too, intriguing.
Like I said, I need book 4 now!
Recommended series.
xvicesx's review against another edition
3.0
Decent enough and still keeps me on the hook though there's a lot of deus ex machina going on in this series, especially in what Ryan is concerned. Maybe even Zack. Oh, well, here's to hoping it gets better. Still has loads of potential.
mayetra's review against another edition
4.0
The story in this one was okay. The over-arching story and world building actually bumped this up to 4 stars. I'm still not crazy about Ryan though.
sleightoffeet's review against another edition
3.0
Fun book, just like the others. Kara summons demons and fights for justice. Great pallet cleanser for some of the heavier stuff I read. Yes, I'll be reading book 4.
paradoxically's review against another edition
3.0
I have always been fond of the Kara Gillian series; mainly because I like its take on demon summoning, and how demons are not evil, but are still beings you need to be very, very careful around. They're honorable, in fact honor means just about everything to them, but this doesn't mean that they're good either--they're just different. Plus with supernatural powers.
The writing is--hm. It flows well and it the author paces the book well--it's a comfortable read that balances nicely between action and resting. It's just not outstanding, but it is a joy to read (is that even understandable? Eh heh). Admittedly, the main plot in the book holds less interest to me than Kara and the relationships she has to the people around her, as well as her connection to the demon world and everything that entails. That's probably the main reason why it felt a little slow to me--interesting, but not enough that it has me racing through the pages.
I can't help but really like Rhyzkahl. It's more of a personal preference thing than anything else--and, all right, so Kara probably shouldn't be in a... (sorta) relationship with someone who scares the pants off her a good portion of the time, but it's a book and I like it so... heh. To her credit, she's scared but she still stands up to him, which helps. You do get an underlying sense that Rhyzkahl has some sort of motivation for the relationship he has with Kara (and she knows this as well), but I still can't help but like him very much, which contrasts with my neutral feelings about Ryan. Granted, I don't really see how a relationship between Kara and a demon lord would work (two different dimensions and so on), but a part of me can't help but hope anyway.
Go figure.
In any case, the main storyline of the book deals with a band and a series of murders that surround (and affect) it, caused by what Kara calls a golem, though apparently it isn't one, exactly, but that is a close enough word for it. As I said before, the plot seemed rather lackluster to me this time around (average all over, really) though it did pick up towards the end. I really am interested in the back story involving both Zack and Ryan and I hope that Kara finds out more about that in the next book; we find out one crucial piece of information (on the last page, of course), but it doesn't really tell us much of anything in the end.
It is a good book, but rather average overall. I preferred the previous books in comparison. This one just felt too... filler-y for me. We don't get a lot of answers, though we get a ton of new questions. One crumb of (admittedly important) information at the end doesn't make up for the rest of the book.
The writing is--hm. It flows well and it the author paces the book well--it's a comfortable read that balances nicely between action and resting. It's just not outstanding, but it is a joy to read (is that even understandable? Eh heh). Admittedly, the main plot in the book holds less interest to me than Kara and the relationships she has to the people around her, as well as her connection to the demon world and everything that entails. That's probably the main reason why it felt a little slow to me--interesting, but not enough that it has me racing through the pages.
I can't help but really like Rhyzkahl. It's more of a personal preference thing than anything else--and, all right, so Kara probably shouldn't be in a... (sorta) relationship with someone who scares the pants off her a good portion of the time, but it's a book and I like it so... heh. To her credit, she's scared but she still stands up to him, which helps. You do get an underlying sense that Rhyzkahl has some sort of motivation for the relationship he has with Kara (and she knows this as well), but I still can't help but like him very much, which contrasts with my neutral feelings about Ryan. Granted, I don't really see how a relationship between Kara and a demon lord would work (two different dimensions and so on), but a part of me can't help but hope anyway.
Go figure.
In any case, the main storyline of the book deals with a band and a series of murders that surround (and affect) it, caused by what Kara calls a golem, though apparently it isn't one, exactly, but that is a close enough word for it. As I said before, the plot seemed rather lackluster to me this time around (average all over, really) though it did pick up towards the end. I really am interested in the back story involving both Zack and Ryan and I hope that Kara finds out more about that in the next book; we find out one crucial piece of information (on the last page, of course), but it doesn't really tell us much of anything in the end.
It is a good book, but rather average overall. I preferred the previous books in comparison. This one just felt too... filler-y for me. We don't get a lot of answers, though we get a ton of new questions. One crumb of (admittedly important) information at the end doesn't make up for the rest of the book.
laurenjodi's review against another edition
3.0
Secrets of the Demon
3.5 Stars
Now a member of an FBI task force investigating cases with a supernatural element, Detective Kara Gillian and her team members are called in when the lead singer of a popular Goth band receives death threats with demonic overtones. It soon becomes clear that someone is targeting members of the band and as the body count starts rising, Kara must uncover the truth before she turns into the next victim.
The mystery is slow to develop and the first half is bogged down with a great deal of recapping. The pacing picks up in the second half with numerous twists and turns, however, the mystery never quite reaches the levels of intrigue and action as the first two installments. While the identity of the actual villain comes as a surprise, other aspects of the crime are very predictable.
The character development is the highlight of the book and there are several significant revelations related to the different people in Kara’s life. Nevertheless, these details only raise more questions and it will be very interesting to see where the ongoing story arc is heading.
In terms of the romance, Kara is still conflicted about her relationships with Rhyzkahl and Ryan. Despite her physical attraction to the Demonic Lord, it is her friendship with the FBI agent that she would most like to move in a new and more intimate direction. Personally, I find Ryan to be far more appealing in the hero department for several reasons. To begin with, there is something smarmy about Rhyzkahl and his reasons for bonding with Kara are highly suspicious. In contrast, Ryan’s brooding stoicism resonates with my appreciation for the dark and tortured type, and his snarky banter with Kara is very engaging. Ryan’s developing connection with Kara also receives more page time and this may contribute to my preference.
I still feel that the vulgarity is excessive and one particularly grating issue is Kara and Jill’s tendency toward calling each other “b*tch”. There is nothing endearing about this and only serves to undermine their friendship in my eyes.
Liv Andersen’s narration has improved and there was no need for me to speed up the audio with this one.
All in all, the characters and the story has me hooked and I look forward to finding out what happens next.
3.5 Stars
Now a member of an FBI task force investigating cases with a supernatural element, Detective Kara Gillian and her team members are called in when the lead singer of a popular Goth band receives death threats with demonic overtones. It soon becomes clear that someone is targeting members of the band and as the body count starts rising, Kara must uncover the truth before she turns into the next victim.
The mystery is slow to develop and the first half is bogged down with a great deal of recapping. The pacing picks up in the second half with numerous twists and turns, however, the mystery never quite reaches the levels of intrigue and action as the first two installments. While the identity of the actual villain comes as a surprise, other aspects of the crime are very predictable.
The character development is the highlight of the book and there are several significant revelations related to the different people in Kara’s life. Nevertheless, these details only raise more questions and it will be very interesting to see where the ongoing story arc is heading.
In terms of the romance, Kara is still conflicted about her relationships with Rhyzkahl and Ryan. Despite her physical attraction to the Demonic Lord, it is her friendship with the FBI agent that she would most like to move in a new and more intimate direction. Personally, I find Ryan to be far more appealing in the hero department for several reasons. To begin with, there is something smarmy about Rhyzkahl and his reasons for bonding with Kara are highly suspicious. In contrast, Ryan’s brooding stoicism resonates with my appreciation for the dark and tortured type, and his snarky banter with Kara is very engaging. Ryan’s developing connection with Kara also receives more page time and this may contribute to my preference.
I still feel that the vulgarity is excessive and one particularly grating issue is Kara and Jill’s tendency toward calling each other “b*tch”. There is nothing endearing about this and only serves to undermine their friendship in my eyes.
Liv Andersen’s narration has improved and there was no need for me to speed up the audio with this one.
All in all, the characters and the story has me hooked and I look forward to finding out what happens next.
bookworm1912's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0