Scan barcode
katieinca's review against another edition
3.0
This is terrific when it's at its most noir. And its most wry. And modern, day-to-day Brooklyn is a living breathing (sweating, swearing, drinking) character here the way you kind of wish Chicago was in the Dresden files. But it's not a compulsive read yet. I still advise you to read it, because then you'll be ready when the second one - [b:Midnight Taxi Tango|25529439|Midnight Taxi Tango (Bone Street Rumba, #2)|Daniel José Older|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435201971s/25529439.jpg|45105440] - comes out, and I think that's when they'll get addictive.
Because I've read some of Older's other stuff and he does frigging amazing things with a short story - with character, with mood, with looming danger and gallows humor. The next book says it'll have 3 POV characters, which should keep things... lively. In a way that a whole book with a single half-dead protagonist has some trouble with.
Because I've read some of Older's other stuff and he does frigging amazing things with a short story - with character, with mood, with looming danger and gallows humor. The next book says it'll have 3 POV characters, which should keep things... lively. In a way that a whole book with a single half-dead protagonist has some trouble with.
songwind's review against another edition
4.0
The first novel-length story of Carlos Delacruz, "inbetweener" and New York Council of the Dead enforcer is an excellent read.
Plot Teaser
Carlos is halfway between alive and dead. Not truly alive, he still inhabits his body. Whatever trauma caused his death and half resurrection, it has blotted out the memories of his life. Now he works for the New York COD, eliminating ghosts and other nasties that endanger the separation of the dead from the living.
Things start to get complicated quickly when Carlos is sent to deal with someone trying to bring living people bodily into the land of the dead. His target is also an inbetweener - and Carlos had believed he was the only one.
Review
Older's New York is alive in a way that many urban settings are not. Carlos is immersed in the rhythms, sights and sounds of his environment, which gives the setting a depth that many urban fantasies lack. In addition, Older pays respectful attention to the varied cultures of New York, and the way the environment changes from one neighborhood to the next - and the way the neighborhoods change with time.
Older's prose has an easy rhythm. The first person, present tense style makes for a sense of immediacy and immersion, and his command of dialog is top notch. Carlos, Riley and the rest have their own voices, but don't descend into caricature or cheap gimmicks for individuality.
The story itself is interesting and engaging. It stays mostly on-task, while still taking the time to rough in the shape of the wider supernatural world.
Plot Teaser
Carlos is halfway between alive and dead. Not truly alive, he still inhabits his body. Whatever trauma caused his death and half resurrection, it has blotted out the memories of his life. Now he works for the New York COD, eliminating ghosts and other nasties that endanger the separation of the dead from the living.
Things start to get complicated quickly when Carlos is sent to deal with someone trying to bring living people bodily into the land of the dead. His target is also an inbetweener - and Carlos had believed he was the only one.
Review
Older's New York is alive in a way that many urban settings are not. Carlos is immersed in the rhythms, sights and sounds of his environment, which gives the setting a depth that many urban fantasies lack. In addition, Older pays respectful attention to the varied cultures of New York, and the way the environment changes from one neighborhood to the next - and the way the neighborhoods change with time.
Older's prose has an easy rhythm. The first person, present tense style makes for a sense of immediacy and immersion, and his command of dialog is top notch. Carlos, Riley and the rest have their own voices, but don't descend into caricature or cheap gimmicks for individuality.
The story itself is interesting and engaging. It stays mostly on-task, while still taking the time to rough in the shape of the wider supernatural world.
pages_n_puzzles's review against another edition
5.0
A great Book Riot recommendation! I loved the audiobook. A fun, interesting world.
singsthewren's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun read, though it threw me off in a few places. Overall I enjoyed it, but go in with caution: the women-folk be horrible caricatures of humanity.
The main character has a phenomenal voice, and I really enjoyed the setting and the quick and easy pace of the writing. The plot was fun, and the twists were... well, not really surprising to be honest, but still enjoyable.
My problem was the main female character. There were a couple side characters who were women, and they were okay. But the main one... ugh. The awful romance-novel levels of interaction every time he saw her, the falling in love with a photograph trope, the damsel who needs to be saved except she's secretly a ninja but that's not really plot relevant and she still has to be saved in the end... blegh. That definitely dropped this down from a 4 star to a 3 star.
The main character has a phenomenal voice, and I really enjoyed the setting and the quick and easy pace of the writing. The plot was fun, and the twists were... well, not really surprising to be honest, but still enjoyable.
My problem was the main female character. There were a couple side characters who were women, and they were okay. But the main one... ugh. The awful romance-novel levels of interaction every time he saw her, the falling in love with a photograph trope, the damsel who needs to be saved except she's secretly a ninja but that's not really plot relevant and she still has to be saved in the end... blegh. That definitely dropped this down from a 4 star to a 3 star.
katreniah's review against another edition
4.0
A customer recommended this book, and I absolutely loved it! It takes place in parts of New York City rarely represented, and like the melting pot that is the city, contains characters of various ethnicities and sexual orientations. It contains action, adventure, romance, ghosts, and a half-dead hero who fascinated me. This was definitely an original idea handled deftly by someone who really knows the world he's created - and the 'real' world where it takes place. It does contain quite a bit of profanity, which completely feels realistic in this world, but be warned if that's something that turns you off.
francinesisterreads's review against another edition
3.0
3 & 1/2 stars. Quite enjoyed the world building, and the humour woven throughout this book. Loved Carlos' voice recounting the story. Appreciated the santeria folklore, and the nod to my West Indian heritage! Will definitely be continuing the series.
ashkitty93's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I adored Carlos' narrative voice; he really sounded like he was telling the story and I was right there next to him. Somewhere in the middle things got a little muddled and I remember wondering if anything was even happening or if it was all just words, but the action kicked in again in the end. I never grew attached to Sasha; their romance felt way too rushed to me. I loved Riley and Dro and Mama Esther and Baba Eddie and Dr Tijou. The ngks were bizarrely scary, especially once you saw them take someone out. I really appreciated the portrait of Brooklyn and the diversity in just that borough, because it reminds you that NYC is utterly huge. I was a bit disappointed because a book like this should've only taken me four or five days at most to read, and thanks to the middle it seemed to drag. However, I'm definitely still sufficiently interested in this world, and I love DJO's writing, so I'll check out the next one.
I adored Carlos' narrative voice; he really sounded like he was telling the story and I was right there next to him. Somewhere in the middle things got a little muddled and I remember wondering if anything was even happening or if it was all just words, but the action kicked in again in the end. I never grew attached to Sasha; their romance felt way too rushed to me. I loved Riley and Dro and Mama Esther and Baba Eddie and Dr Tijou. The ngks were bizarrely scary, especially once you saw them take someone out. I really appreciated the portrait of Brooklyn and the diversity in just that borough, because it reminds you that NYC is utterly huge. I was a bit disappointed because a book like this should've only taken me four or five days at most to read, and thanks to the middle it seemed to drag. However, I'm definitely still sufficiently interested in this world, and I love DJO's writing, so I'll check out the next one.
qalminator's review against another edition
4.0
Surprisingly good, given that my usual preference for undead leans more toward vampires. The POV character is a "halfie", halfway between the living and the dead, and thus he can interact with both worlds. Turns out thischaracteristic is necessary for the big-bad's plot to work. Fun characters, creepy villain, enjoyable action.
Recommended.
Aside: Daniel José Older narrated the audiobook himself. I'm always a bit wary when author turns narrator, but he does a very, very good job. So good that I'm disappointed to find he's only narrated for his own books (mostly this series, but he's on a few others as well).
Recommended.
Aside: Daniel José Older narrated the audiobook himself. I'm always a bit wary when author turns narrator, but he does a very, very good job. So good that I'm disappointed to find he's only narrated for his own books (mostly this series, but he's on a few others as well).
litagentsaritza's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, buy the audiobook to fully immerse yourself in Older's world. Hearing his words in his voice really makes this story pop for the reader.
Second, the world-building in this book is so rich and immersive that you find yourself looking for house ghosts and inbetweeners like De La Cruz. Carlos, the main character, is both likable and engaging despite being a bit abrasive at times. Comes with being half dead, I suppose.
Third, the diversity of NYC streets is at the forefront and creates a true tapestry of life (and death) behind an eclectic cast of characters you want to root for and fight against.
The romantic storyline in the book was my least favorite aspect of the book but only because I'm a huge romance fan and always want happily ever after endings for everyone despite how unrealistic that can be. I understand that it gives him something (and someone) to fight for but I found it difficult to believe that half-dead beings could procreate. Then again, the love Carlos has for Sasha is visceral and makes you believe that love can do anything.
Second, the world-building in this book is so rich and immersive that you find yourself looking for house ghosts and inbetweeners like De La Cruz. Carlos, the main character, is both likable and engaging despite being a bit abrasive at times. Comes with being half dead, I suppose.
Third, the diversity of NYC streets is at the forefront and creates a true tapestry of life (and death) behind an eclectic cast of characters you want to root for and fight against.
The romantic storyline in the book was my least favorite aspect of the book but only because I'm a huge romance fan and always want happily ever after endings for everyone despite how unrealistic that can be. I understand that it gives him something (and someone) to fight for but I found it difficult to believe that half-dead beings could procreate. Then again, the love Carlos has for Sasha is visceral and makes you believe that love can do anything.
mollymortensen's review against another edition
3.0
I love a wise cracking main character. This book is unique because Carlos has amnesia of his living life. (He died three years ago.) But instead of becoming a shade he's an in-betweener, which comes with some cool and unique powers.
This book is a bit too mature for me. Mostly, I was just annoyed by all the swearing but there are a few brief sex scenes and some gruesome violence towards the end.
There's not really any romance. It's basically love at first sight, then he sleeps with her a couple of times and is in love. The readers know their relationship is doomed, because he's lying to her the whole time and when she discovers the truth it's not going to be good. Spoiler alert, it wasn't. But it wasn't like I cared because we knew literally nothing about her.
That's the problem when so many characters have amnesia and my main issue with Carlos as a protagonist. He starts out not caring about absolutely anything and he remains rather apathetic throughout. Maybe that's what the author was going for, but his characterization was as dead as he was.
So many parts of this book had the potential to be great, but they were just okay. The world building was complex and interesting and the characters sound good on paper (haha) but they felt flat. We don't get to know any of them enough for me to care about anyone.
The mystery was okay. Watching Carlos track down the clues and piece it together wasn't bad. There were some twists at the end but they were entirely predictable.
The ending was disappointing, dark, and depressing. The big battle was too long and horrible, then defeating the bad guy was too easy. (He attempted a unique twist for how to defeat the big bad but it still felt anticlimactic.)
Will I read another book in this series? No, and I might not read another book by this author. His ideas have potential but I didn't like the execution.
Spoiler
I wish he hadn't made such a big deal about being the only in-betweener, because right away we learn there are others, which totally ruins his special-ness. (It's like all the modern superhero movies where there's an evil version of themselves.) It would just highlight his cool powers better if everyone didn't have the exact same abilities.This book is a bit too mature for me. Mostly, I was just annoyed by all the swearing but there are a few brief sex scenes and some gruesome violence towards the end.
There's not really any romance. It's basically love at first sight, then he sleeps with her a couple of times and is in love. The readers know their relationship is doomed, because he's lying to her the whole time and when she discovers the truth it's not going to be good. Spoiler alert, it wasn't. But it wasn't like I cared because we knew literally nothing about her.
That's the problem when so many characters have amnesia and my main issue with Carlos as a protagonist. He starts out not caring about absolutely anything and he remains rather apathetic throughout. Maybe that's what the author was going for, but his characterization was as dead as he was.
So many parts of this book had the potential to be great, but they were just okay. The world building was complex and interesting and the characters sound good on paper (haha) but they felt flat. We don't get to know any of them enough for me to care about anyone.
The mystery was okay. Watching Carlos track down the clues and piece it together wasn't bad. There were some twists at the end but they were entirely predictable.
The ending was disappointing, dark, and depressing. The big battle was too long and horrible, then defeating the bad guy was too easy. (He attempted a unique twist for how to defeat the big bad but it still felt anticlimactic.)
Will I read another book in this series? No, and I might not read another book by this author. His ideas have potential but I didn't like the execution.