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katyanaish's review
4.0
Well, I liked this one a lot more than Deadtown. I am trying to work out exactly why.
Part of it, I think, is that Vicky got out of her usual environment. This worked well for her as a character - getting to see more of where she came from, her childhood - and it was also nice to put some distance between Vicky/the story and secondary characters who bugged the crap out of me. We got very little Gwen (hooray!), not much Tina (though I would have been happier with even less Tina, who is still REALLY annoying). Not many dumb officials - in the first book, we had a lot of doctors/cops/politicians/authority figures that were so horrible it made me think the world was just not worth saving. All of that was much less prevalent in this book, which is a big plus.
I also liked the story. I liked the background and depth that it provided to the mythology of the series, and really liked Aunt Mab. The plot and the way it unfolded was really a lot of fun to me. I also appreciated that the primary arc of the first 2 books wrapped at the end of this book (I love feeling like a story is making progress / going somewhere), and foundation was laid (unobtrusively!! yay!) for where we are going next.
Vicky was still occasionally dumb (leaping to inexplicable conclusions on at least one occasion that comes to mind), but it felt like she was much less dumb than in the first book. And more than that, she was now a participant in her world, the lack of which really irritated me in the first one. She takes a stand for what is right, and that earned her some respect from me.
Last, but certainly not least: Kane is yum. Mmmm.
Will definitely read book 3.
Part of it, I think, is that Vicky got out of her usual environment. This worked well for her as a character - getting to see more of where she came from, her childhood - and it was also nice to put some distance between Vicky/the story and secondary characters who bugged the crap out of me. We got very little Gwen (hooray!), not much Tina (though I would have been happier with even less Tina, who is still REALLY annoying). Not many dumb officials - in the first book, we had a lot of doctors/cops/politicians/authority figures that were so horrible it made me think the world was just not worth saving. All of that was much less prevalent in this book, which is a big plus.
I also liked the story. I liked the background and depth that it provided to the mythology of the series, and really liked Aunt Mab. The plot and the way it unfolded was really a lot of fun to me. I also appreciated that the primary arc of the first 2 books wrapped at the end of this book (I love feeling like a story is making progress / going somewhere), and foundation was laid (unobtrusively!! yay!) for where we are going next.
Vicky was still occasionally dumb (leaping to inexplicable conclusions on at least one occasion that comes to mind), but it felt like she was much less dumb than in the first book. And more than that, she was now a participant in her world, the lack of which really irritated me in the first one. She takes a stand for what is right, and that earned her some respect from me.
Last, but certainly not least: Kane is yum. Mmmm.
Will definitely read book 3.
amybraunauthor's review
5.0
Excellent sequel! Like this series before, but this made me love it! Endless creativity, a strong lead, interesting back story and plot, and tons of epic battles! Count me in for the next books!
courtwoof's review
4.0
I'm liking this series more and more. Vicky is such a great heroine. And the romance isn't overbearing like in the later Anita Blake novels.
blodeuedd's review
3.0
Review to be posted at alternative-read.com
This is Nancy Holzner's second book about Vicky, a shapeshifter and demon slayer. If you have a problem with demons then she will come in and fix it, even while you dream if that's where they are haunting you. She is the girl to call. No job is too small.
I was not in love with book 1, it was good, but for some reason I had issues with it. But I still wanted to know what happened and here something showed up that gave me that drive to really want to know. Now I can't tell you because that is a spoiler. But it gets interesting when something bad happens..is happening...The stakes are high, the fight is on, there is drama and most of all, questions. Questions that made me sit up in my chair wanting to scream. I needed to know, and then I know. And then, well then I needed to see it finished. What can I say, something good happens (ok bad, but you get the picture). It's interesting and it will keep you turning the page faster and faster.
It's hard to say anything about this book without spoiling it all. Vicky will fight for her life again. Things are not easy in Boston. Her werewolf boyfriend is in DC trying to give everyone rights. The zombies in Deadtown are preparing for a concert and demons are popping up as usual.
Romance then, Kane is away in DC and she misses him. All while seeing the human cop Daniel, whom she also likes. But there is never a triangle going on. It's more that she is dating, Kane is always busy. But I did start to like Kane more in this one.
The book is better than the first in my opinion, and hopefully it will get better and better.
This is Nancy Holzner's second book about Vicky, a shapeshifter and demon slayer. If you have a problem with demons then she will come in and fix it, even while you dream if that's where they are haunting you. She is the girl to call. No job is too small.
I was not in love with book 1, it was good, but for some reason I had issues with it. But I still wanted to know what happened and here something showed up that gave me that drive to really want to know. Now I can't tell you because that is a spoiler. But it gets interesting when something bad happens..is happening...The stakes are high, the fight is on, there is drama and most of all, questions. Questions that made me sit up in my chair wanting to scream. I needed to know, and then I know. And then, well then I needed to see it finished. What can I say, something good happens (ok bad, but you get the picture). It's interesting and it will keep you turning the page faster and faster.
It's hard to say anything about this book without spoiling it all. Vicky will fight for her life again. Things are not easy in Boston. Her werewolf boyfriend is in DC trying to give everyone rights. The zombies in Deadtown are preparing for a concert and demons are popping up as usual.
Romance then, Kane is away in DC and she misses him. All while seeing the human cop Daniel, whom she also likes. But there is never a triangle going on. It's more that she is dating, Kane is always busy. But I did start to like Kane more in this one.
The book is better than the first in my opinion, and hopefully it will get better and better.
katleap's review
4.0
4.5 stars (almost)
I picked up this book the day after I finished the first one. I liked it much much better.
First I loved the glitch. That is one awesome demon.
Mab is the other awesome thing. That woman kicks butt. I totally connected to her character. I could see her, understand her and I adore her. She is probably my favorite character in the whole series so far.
Vicky makes some better choices, although I still want to shake her occasionally. the trip to whales didn't bug me at all (which is probably not a good sign), although I was happy when Kane showed up. Daniel finally gets regulated to his true spot (Vicky's police force contact) and there is very little of Tina, so no swords get stole or dreamscapes destroyed. The mystery with Juliet works for me and she was one character I could have used a little more off.
Altogether I thought this was a better book than the first one. The plot was more coherent, the characters more relate-able,( though still not much on witty banter.) My favorite scene is the one on the plane, (if you've read the book you know which one I mean).
I picked up this book the day after I finished the first one. I liked it much much better.
First I loved the glitch. That is one awesome demon.
Mab is the other awesome thing. That woman kicks butt. I totally connected to her character. I could see her, understand her and I adore her. She is probably my favorite character in the whole series so far.
Vicky makes some better choices, although I still want to shake her occasionally. the trip to whales didn't bug me at all (which is probably not a good sign), although I was happy when Kane showed up. Daniel finally gets regulated to his true spot (Vicky's police force contact) and there is very little of Tina, so no swords get stole or dreamscapes destroyed. The mystery with Juliet works for me and she was one character I could have used a little more off.
Altogether I thought this was a better book than the first one. The plot was more coherent, the characters more relate-able,( though still not much on witty banter.) My favorite scene is the one on the plane, (if you've read the book you know which one I mean).
chllybrd's review
4.0
Reviewed by http://urbanfantasyinvestigations.blogspot.com/
I find the world Nancy Holzner has built to be highly interesting, I love the people and places she describes and the new facts she throws in along the way. Victory has to go to Wales learn new things and expand on her training with her Aunt Mab and I loved learning more about her and the way she trains Vicky. I defiantly want to see more of Aunt Mab thrown in the next book. There isn't much romance in HELLFORGED (meaning like almost none) but there are many great fight scenes to entertain you. I missed all the people and places of Deadtown and hope that the next book has her do more in Deadtown and maybe with more of her sister and her family as well. Interested to see where Nancy takes this series next.
I gave it 3.5/5
I find the world Nancy Holzner has built to be highly interesting, I love the people and places she describes and the new facts she throws in along the way. Victory has to go to Wales learn new things and expand on her training with her Aunt Mab and I loved learning more about her and the way she trains Vicky. I defiantly want to see more of Aunt Mab thrown in the next book. There isn't much romance in HELLFORGED (meaning like almost none) but there are many great fight scenes to entertain you. I missed all the people and places of Deadtown and hope that the next book has her do more in Deadtown and maybe with more of her sister and her family as well. Interested to see where Nancy takes this series next.
I gave it 3.5/5
wildflowerz76's review
3.0
It's been a while since I read the first of this series. Luckily, it quickly all came back to me. I enjoyed this one okay, but there was something that just felt off for me personally. I felt like it was a little one note...usually there's a main storyline, and a few side storylines, but this one felt like it was just the main story, with nothing else going on. I ended up getting a little bored in the end. Overall it was okay though.
diannamorganti's review
3.0
Victoria Vaughan is a demon-killing shape-shifter in a world where a virus accidentally killed, then re-animated much of downtown Boston.
Because I'd written a pretty good review of Book 1, [b:Deadtown|6591459|Deadtown (Deadtown, #1)|Nancy Holzner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312521483s/6591459.jpg|6785037], I decided to pick this one up on the way out of the office on my last day before a long road trip.
Remember how in "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" Joss Whedon would have 2-3 episodes that contributed to the big overall storyline, then he'd throw in 1 that was just a one-off. It was a tension-breaker. You never needed to know anything before it, and you didn't need to remember anything from it.
Book 2 is a bit early in a series to do that. That's definitely what this is, though. In Book 1 I enjoyed the serious political ramifications that were installed into the fun urban fantasy genre here. There was none of that in Book 2. In Book 1 we were introduced to lots of characters that weren't really present very much at all in Book 2 (Vicky was out of town for much of this installment). The whole thing read like the fun book that an author writes in the middle of a long series when they want to escape the corners they've written their characters into. Again - book 2 is a bit early in a series to do that.
It wasn't bad... it just didn't do much. Just sayin.
It was still a fun read. Let's see what book 3 is like.
Because I'd written a pretty good review of Book 1, [b:Deadtown|6591459|Deadtown (Deadtown, #1)|Nancy Holzner|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1312521483s/6591459.jpg|6785037], I decided to pick this one up on the way out of the office on my last day before a long road trip.
Remember how in "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" Joss Whedon would have 2-3 episodes that contributed to the big overall storyline, then he'd throw in 1 that was just a one-off. It was a tension-breaker. You never needed to know anything before it, and you didn't need to remember anything from it.
Book 2 is a bit early in a series to do that. That's definitely what this is, though. In Book 1 I enjoyed the serious political ramifications that were installed into the fun urban fantasy genre here. There was none of that in Book 2. In Book 1 we were introduced to lots of characters that weren't really present very much at all in Book 2 (Vicky was out of town for much of this installment). The whole thing read like the fun book that an author writes in the middle of a long series when they want to escape the corners they've written their characters into. Again - book 2 is a bit early in a series to do that.
It wasn't bad... it just didn't do much. Just sayin.
It was still a fun read. Let's see what book 3 is like.
paperbackstash's review
3.0
3.5
"And believe me, I know creepy."
The world building and characters in the first book, [b:Deadtown|6591459|Deadtown (Deadtown, #1)|Nancy Holzner|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388879514s/6591459.jpg|6785037], already drew me in. The second isn't quite as good, but it's still a fun continuation of the story-line.
Victoria Vaughn works mainly in dreams, hired to rid people of literal demons that haunt them at night, sucking out their energy or tormenting them. There are different forms - banshees, guilt demons, and worse. Vicky has seen the worst in her past with a demon that killed her father, but the fun times with that aren't over since he has returned and she had new battles to fight.
Besides Vicky being appealing by having such a unique job, there's also the fact that she's a unique form of shapeshifter - she can change into any form she wants but doesn't retain the instincts of that animal, but she can only do it three times per month then her power is used up.
Deadtown is the reservation where all the out and about supernatural creatures live - zombies were came back when infected with the virus but retained their human sense of self and brain; werewolves and other weres; Vicky as the only shapeshifter; vampires who are out and about and have to follow laws like everyone else. Blended with them are humans with a human law enforcement agency, but of course there is a paranormal task force in hand as well.
The city is so appealing that perhaps that's why this one isn't quite as enjoyable - as Vicky leaves the town, she leaves behind the magic of those creatures and their intrigue. Visiting her aunt, she does learn more about the history and mythology of her race, properly called Cerddorion. In Wales Vicky meets a new enemy that will be long-running, an intriguing villain who ups the stakes of any evil she's seen in her life up till now.
I know the aunt is supposed to be a groovy character, and in a way she is, but she got on my nerves sometimes, especially since she overdoes saying "Child" in dialogue. Way too much to where it's unrealistic in the dialogue department.
Overall it was an entertaining read of a series that already proved itself to be unique, detailed, fun, and gritty at the same time. Worth a read.
"And believe me, I know creepy."
The world building and characters in the first book, [b:Deadtown|6591459|Deadtown (Deadtown, #1)|Nancy Holzner|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388879514s/6591459.jpg|6785037], already drew me in. The second isn't quite as good, but it's still a fun continuation of the story-line.
Victoria Vaughn works mainly in dreams, hired to rid people of literal demons that haunt them at night, sucking out their energy or tormenting them. There are different forms - banshees, guilt demons, and worse. Vicky has seen the worst in her past with a demon that killed her father, but the fun times with that aren't over since he has returned and she had new battles to fight.
Besides Vicky being appealing by having such a unique job, there's also the fact that she's a unique form of shapeshifter - she can change into any form she wants but doesn't retain the instincts of that animal, but she can only do it three times per month then her power is used up.
Deadtown is the reservation where all the out and about supernatural creatures live - zombies were came back when infected with the virus but retained their human sense of self and brain; werewolves and other weres; Vicky as the only shapeshifter; vampires who are out and about and have to follow laws like everyone else. Blended with them are humans with a human law enforcement agency, but of course there is a paranormal task force in hand as well.
The city is so appealing that perhaps that's why this one isn't quite as enjoyable - as Vicky leaves the town, she leaves behind the magic of those creatures and their intrigue. Visiting her aunt, she does learn more about the history and mythology of her race, properly called Cerddorion. In Wales Vicky meets a new enemy that will be long-running, an intriguing villain who ups the stakes of any evil she's seen in her life up till now.
I know the aunt is supposed to be a groovy character, and in a way she is, but she got on my nerves sometimes, especially since she overdoes saying "Child" in dialogue. Way too much to where it's unrealistic in the dialogue department.
Overall it was an entertaining read of a series that already proved itself to be unique, detailed, fun, and gritty at the same time. Worth a read.
wealhtheow's review
3.0
In [b:Deadtown|6591459|Deadtown (Deadtown, #1)|Nancy Holzner|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348796183s/6591459.jpg|6785037] Vicky encountered the demon who killed her father and marked her for possession. She thought she'd bound him--but it seems that instead, he's bound her. Meanwhile, a spirit of ravenous hunger has descended upon Boston, which is only worsening the tense relations between paranormal Americans and norms. (In this universe, paranormals are public knowledge but aren't considered human in most states; even in Massachusetts they are relegated to a ghetto, can only travel with permits, and their deaths aren't considered worthy of investigation by the police force. Vicky's on-and-off werewolf boyfriend is a lawyer constantly tries to get equal rights. It's a cool undercurrent to the series, because the characters accept the situation pretty calmly, while we readers are aghast.) Vicky returns to Wales to train with her wise aunt Mab, but all her martial skill may not save her--or the world.
The pacing is a little episodic, but overall Holzner does a good job of providing several little fights to remind us of Vicky's skills, one large problem to solve in this book, and hints of coming threats. Vicky herself is competent and sensible; I wish she had a little more interior life but I am thrilled that she isn't constantly pondering her romantic prospects.
The pacing is a little episodic, but overall Holzner does a good job of providing several little fights to remind us of Vicky's skills, one large problem to solve in this book, and hints of coming threats. Vicky herself is competent and sensible; I wish she had a little more interior life but I am thrilled that she isn't constantly pondering her romantic prospects.