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serru's review against another edition
4.0
I've come to the conclusion that this series isn't really about the actual monster-of-the-week plot of each book. The plots so far have been consistently very straightforward, and mostly involves the characters hunting down whoever or whatever the new villain is that appears in the current book. They're also really simple plots for the most part, they generally follow a formula of look for villain, find villain and fight, retreat after a defeat, and rinse and repeat until the final battle where they finally get him/her. The plots are secondary, and to be honest, kind of forgettable. Yeah, there are some twists and turns and shocking moments, but they really take a backseat to the real center of the story: the characters.
I loooove the characters in this series. Cal and Niko are still feeling the aftermath of the last book with Cal wrestling with his Auphe side which seems to be growing, and was it just me or did Niko seem to be extra vigilant about Cal's safety? We get some glimpses of Robin and his new monogamous relationship (and his undead cat!), and I remain disappointed that Robin doesn't have a greater role in the story and that his new beau doesn't actually show up in this book except in one short scene in the beginning. A werewolf character named Catcher, who we met very briefly before, makes a return and even gets his own POV chapters and while I was really skeptical at the beginning, he totally grew on me. Delilah was great as always, the best female character in this series, and I love that she does whatever she wants, isn't afraid of Cal and doesn't seem to care about his monster genes, and always puts her own interests first.
There was some interesting world-building; Rob Thurman always puts unique twists onto the traditional supernatural creatures. What we learn about werewolves and Catcher's situation is really original and interesting, and I also liked her take on healers as people who have intimate knowledge of the body and essentially use telekinetic and psychic skills to basically will people's cells into healing. The villain in this book, Suyolak, is one such healer who uses his powers for evil, an anti-healer basically, and it makes him so much scarier and more powerful than the previous villains. There were a few moments where I was genuinely afraid for Cal and the others, and I had no clue how they were even going to try to fight him.
Still, the whole plot to hunt him down and kill him felt a bit like a rehash of the last two books, due to the constant chase, fight/encounter, then, after the villain gets away, they just repeat the cycle again. That said, I think this was the strongest plot so far. Ultimately, while the resolution of the final battle was predictable, the ending of the book is satisfying but bittersweet in terms of the fate of a certain character and what lies in the future for Cal.
I loooove the characters in this series. Cal and Niko are still feeling the aftermath of the last book with Cal wrestling with his Auphe side which seems to be growing, and was it just me or did Niko seem to be extra vigilant about Cal's safety? We get some glimpses of Robin and his new monogamous relationship (and his undead cat!), and I remain disappointed that Robin doesn't have a greater role in the story and that his new beau doesn't actually show up in this book except in one short scene in the beginning. A werewolf character named Catcher, who we met very briefly before, makes a return and even gets his own POV chapters and while I was really skeptical at the beginning, he totally grew on me. Delilah was great as always, the best female character in this series, and I love that she does whatever she wants, isn't afraid of Cal and doesn't seem to care about his monster genes, and always puts her own interests first.
There was some interesting world-building; Rob Thurman always puts unique twists onto the traditional supernatural creatures. What we learn about werewolves and Catcher's situation is really original and interesting, and I also liked her take on healers as people who have intimate knowledge of the body and essentially use telekinetic and psychic skills to basically will people's cells into healing. The villain in this book, Suyolak, is one such healer who uses his powers for evil, an anti-healer basically, and it makes him so much scarier and more powerful than the previous villains. There were a few moments where I was genuinely afraid for Cal and the others, and I had no clue how they were even going to try to fight him.
Still, the whole plot to hunt him down and kill him felt a bit like a rehash of the last two books, due to the constant chase, fight/encounter, then, after the villain gets away, they just repeat the cycle again. That said, I think this was the strongest plot so far. Ultimately, while the resolution of the final battle was predictable, the ending of the book is satisfying but bittersweet in terms of the fate of a certain character and what lies in the future for Cal.
mary_soon_lee's review against another edition
3.0
This is the fifth book in the Cal Leandros horror/urban-fantasy series. I've read the first five books in three weeks, and the reason for that is that I very, very much like the friendship between the two brothers, Cal and Niko. My favorite installment in the series thus far is book four, "Deathwish," which alternated between Cal's perspective and Niko's perspective. This fifth installment is mostly from Cal's point-of-view, but includes a thread from the point-of-view of Catcher, who is roughly the equivalent of a werewolf. I liked Catcher quite a bit, but I wasn't as invested in him as I am in Niko, and that was one of two reasons why I enjoyed this book a little less than "Deathwish." The second reason -- significant spoiler warning -- Nonetheless, I did enjoy this, and look forward to gobbling up the rest of the series soon.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
Spoiler
is that Cal tips toward his non-human, evil Auphe side during the course of the book, and I am a wishy-washy, likes-her-protagonists-to-be-good reader. Even knowing that Cal's deviation would almost certainly be temporary, I didn't care for him turning to the dark side.About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
ogreart's review against another edition
4.0
I like how the author is developing the characters. I am interested in seeing where the series go.
ckjaer88's review against another edition
4.0
Still repetitive in a lot of ways, family first - we get it! But damn entertaining nonetheless.
faehistory's review
adventurous
dark
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
4.0
perfectlymisaligned's review against another edition
5.0
Rating: 6 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Depth of the Characters: 6 stars. Rob Thurman is a master at this.
Where it ranks in the series thus far: #1 - hands down the best and most emotionally engaging book of an already fantastic series.
This book made me cry. Not one or two random tears...this book made me sob like a baby that just had her favorite blanket stolen from her. Not because this was the end of the series (which it thankfully isn't) and not because...no, I cried because this book was just...so...damn...good.
Okay, so crying myself into a massive headache sounds like a strange reaction to a good book. Lord knows it has only happened to me once or twice before. I guess the real reason i cried was due to the characters.I felt the pain and frustration of these characters...for the impossible choices they had to make. The characters of Niko, Cal and Robin have always been some of my favorites in any type of fiction, but with Roadkill we had the added bonus of Rafferty and Catcher. and they were the ones I was most drawn to here. I'm not really going to say anything about them (to avoid another weeping fit) other than to just let anyone reading this know that their relationship was so spot on perfect. And it mirrored the relationship between Cal & Niko...which was part of the reason their story destroyed me on such a deep level.
Rob Thurman has long been one of my favorite authors, but with Roadkill she had vaulted to the top of the pack.
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Depth of the Characters: 6 stars. Rob Thurman is a master at this.
Where it ranks in the series thus far: #1 - hands down the best and most emotionally engaging book of an already fantastic series.
This book made me cry. Not one or two random tears...this book made me sob like a baby that just had her favorite blanket stolen from her. Not because this was the end of the series (which it thankfully isn't) and not because
Spoiler
we ended up losing one of the main characters (which i spent a good deal of the book believing we would, but thankfully once again didn't happen).Okay, so crying myself into a massive headache sounds like a strange reaction to a good book. Lord knows it has only happened to me once or twice before. I guess the real reason i cried was due to the characters.I felt the pain and frustration of these characters...for the impossible choices they had to make. The characters of Niko, Cal and Robin have always been some of my favorites in any type of fiction, but with Roadkill we had the added bonus of Rafferty and Catcher. and they were the ones I was most drawn to here. I'm not really going to say anything about them (to avoid another weeping fit) other than to just let anyone reading this know that their relationship was so spot on perfect. And it mirrored the relationship between Cal & Niko...which was part of the reason their story destroyed me on such a deep level.
Rob Thurman has long been one of my favorite authors, but with Roadkill she had vaulted to the top of the pack.
ptaradactyl's review against another edition
2.0
It was...ok. It read like a transition; even when I was in the middle of the action, I was waiting for things to really pick up and kick in.
Not my favorite in the series, but it did have its one-liners.
Not my favorite in the series, but it did have its one-liners.
reginaexmachina's review against another edition
5.0
Road trip! Road trip! Road trip!
Hahah... couldn't resist. So if you enjoyed the previous 4 books in the series, you'll certainly enjoy this one. Cal and Niko finally get their justly deserved road trip. The Plague of the World has been stolen from a gypsy clan. And of course, Niko and Cal get called up for help. Robin joins the group and is having issues with potentially becoming *GASP* MONOGAMOUS with Ishiah. Talk about your shocking information.
The healer Rafferty and his cousin Catcher join the group also to possibly help stop the Plague from getting loose. Delilah the werewolf, and Cal's nonexclusive girlfriend, also comes along the trip as the Kin have found out about her and Cal's relationship.
I have loved all of the books in this series, and this one was no different. The characters are fantastic and the plot always keeps you at the edge of your seat. Now I'm all bummed that I have to wait another year for the next book.
Hahah... couldn't resist. So if you enjoyed the previous 4 books in the series, you'll certainly enjoy this one. Cal and Niko finally get their justly deserved road trip. The Plague of the World has been stolen from a gypsy clan. And of course, Niko and Cal get called up for help. Robin joins the group and is having issues with potentially becoming *GASP* MONOGAMOUS with Ishiah. Talk about your shocking information.
The healer Rafferty and his cousin Catcher join the group also to possibly help stop the Plague from getting loose. Delilah the werewolf, and Cal's nonexclusive girlfriend, also comes along the trip as the Kin have found out about her and Cal's relationship.
I have loved all of the books in this series, and this one was no different. The characters are fantastic and the plot always keeps you at the edge of your seat. Now I'm all bummed that I have to wait another year for the next book.