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kberry513's review against another edition
4.0
**Thoughts while reading***
There's a lot that I don't love about Karen, but mostly I think she's super fishy and she's taking anger out on Jayne to deflect suspicion from herself...
Also, I really don't like Aubrey - and Jayne is being really dumb about Ex.
I think that her mom's affair must have resulted in her - maybe she's had a rider all along?
**
I was mostly right about Karen - I'm kind of glad it turned out she had a rider because her condescension was so irritating. Ex hooking up with Karen (and his subsequent fight with Jayne to make her push him away) was also an unwelcome surprise, although I'm glad that Chogyi Jake confessed to Jayne that Ex is in love with her. It was so obvious and she was so unaware that it was annoying. I also kind of loved Chogyi's answer when she asked if he was in love with her too lol.
There are a lot of suggestions in this one that Jayne either has a rider or was somehow the spawn of one from her mom's affair- there is definitely something weird about her tattoo and her "lost weekend". I'm eager to discover more about that and what happened to her in college that caused her to drop out.
It was also cool to see the different way that the riders in New Orleans behave.
There's a lot that I don't love about Karen, but mostly I think she's super fishy and she's taking anger out on Jayne to deflect suspicion from herself...
Also, I really don't like Aubrey - and Jayne is being really dumb about Ex.
I think that her mom's affair must have resulted in her - maybe she's had a rider all along?
**
I was mostly right about Karen - I'm kind of glad it turned out she had a rider because her condescension was so irritating. Ex hooking up with Karen (and his subsequent fight with Jayne to make her push him away) was also an unwelcome surprise, although I'm glad that Chogyi Jake confessed to Jayne that Ex is in love with her. It was so obvious and she was so unaware that it was annoying. I also kind of loved Chogyi's answer when she asked if he was in love with her too lol.
There are a lot of suggestions in this one that Jayne either has a rider or was somehow the spawn of one from her mom's affair- there is definitely something weird about her tattoo and her "lost weekend". I'm eager to discover more about that and what happened to her in college that caused her to drop out.
It was also cool to see the different way that the riders in New Orleans behave.
mellhay's review against another edition
3.0
Karen Black is at a school where most of the children will probably not graduate, or will end up in loads of trouble, to meet with Daria ~ the bright young girl in fourth grade who's now telling outlandish lies, such as her sister got ate by a snake. Karen seems to think Daria is in trouble... big trouble.
Jayne and the guys have been traveling at rushed speed for months to inventory her deceased Uncle's many, many homes and stocks. While in Athens, Jayne receives a call from Karen asking for Eric, Jayne's deceased Uncle, for help. Jayne and the guys decide even though they are exhausted from the pace they have been keeping to go help Karen. So, they head off to New Orleans, to help Karen with her case of ten years in the works... To help save the next expected victim of a voodoo demon...
This was a quick easy read for me. I just let myself enjoy the book and go with the flow of the characters. The crew members; Jayne, Aubrey, Ex, and Chogyi Jack. Jayne brought these characters together in the first book Unclean Spirits. They still are new to working closely together with each other and it sounds like they are still trying to find their places in the group. The characters are all so different from each other, yet they compliment each other nicely.
Jayne is the main character, and in a way the leader of the group - yet Jayne is new to the whole world of the demon Riders and magic. She still feels out of her league with taking charge of cases or situations and lets her self be lead to thoughts a little bit. But this is believable in the world that is built here. But I like how Jayne is not as weak as she may think she is in this area. And I still have questions on Jayne, such as why she is able to do a few things she does (like being able to cross into the Crossroad of the demon path). There is much more to Jayne than even Jayne knows. I am wondering how her Uncle set her up so well with magic and protections, without her knowing.
The first third to half of the book was a little relaxed for me. There was a lot of setting up here; for the plot, characters, and religious beliefs. Then about half way through the book it started to accelerate. I could see what was coming and the clues where set for me to find them, but I still enjoyed letting the story unfold in itself. There where a few moments where I wasn't sure of what was being said in the way of Voodoo, but I enjoyed the voodoo spin on this book. The demon riders that mixed with the believes of the New Orleans Voodoo. This book didn't hit me like a book to drop everything you have and dart out to get it, I still liked the read. It was a quick, relaxing read for me as I got through it in record timing.
I had seen that the third book of this series will be released in November. I will eventually pick it up, as I have enjoyed Jayne and the crew. And curious to see where Jayne goes next along with the growth of the characters.
Jayne and the guys have been traveling at rushed speed for months to inventory her deceased Uncle's many, many homes and stocks. While in Athens, Jayne receives a call from Karen asking for Eric, Jayne's deceased Uncle, for help. Jayne and the guys decide even though they are exhausted from the pace they have been keeping to go help Karen. So, they head off to New Orleans, to help Karen with her case of ten years in the works... To help save the next expected victim of a voodoo demon...
This was a quick easy read for me. I just let myself enjoy the book and go with the flow of the characters. The crew members; Jayne, Aubrey, Ex, and Chogyi Jack. Jayne brought these characters together in the first book Unclean Spirits. They still are new to working closely together with each other and it sounds like they are still trying to find their places in the group. The characters are all so different from each other, yet they compliment each other nicely.
Jayne is the main character, and in a way the leader of the group - yet Jayne is new to the whole world of the demon Riders and magic. She still feels out of her league with taking charge of cases or situations and lets her self be lead to thoughts a little bit. But this is believable in the world that is built here. But I like how Jayne is not as weak as she may think she is in this area. And I still have questions on Jayne, such as why she is able to do a few things she does (like being able to cross into the Crossroad of the demon path). There is much more to Jayne than even Jayne knows. I am wondering how her Uncle set her up so well with magic and protections, without her knowing.
The first third to half of the book was a little relaxed for me. There was a lot of setting up here; for the plot, characters, and religious beliefs. Then about half way through the book it started to accelerate. I could see what was coming and the clues where set for me to find them, but I still enjoyed letting the story unfold in itself. There where a few moments where I wasn't sure of what was being said in the way of Voodoo, but I enjoyed the voodoo spin on this book. The demon riders that mixed with the believes of the New Orleans Voodoo. This book didn't hit me like a book to drop everything you have and dart out to get it, I still liked the read. It was a quick, relaxing read for me as I got through it in record timing.
I had seen that the third book of this series will be released in November. I will eventually pick it up, as I have enjoyed Jayne and the crew. And curious to see where Jayne goes next along with the growth of the characters.
deranged_pegasus's review against another edition
4.0
An interesting follow to the first book and opened in a beautifully deceitful manner. The way that the Loa was integrated into the culture of New Orleans was magnificent and the manner in which it was done fit Hanover's universe beautifully.
archergal's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a big fan of Daniel Abraham. (M.L.N. Hanover is one of his pseudonyms.) He writes well, his books are interesting. He writes good female characters.
This series is sort of his entry into urban fantasy. I read the first book in this series a while back, and found this on Scribd, so I had to read it now.
That said, I think I liked this one less well than the first. There's a little more romance, though not a lot, and nothing graphic. (Most romance just annoys me. It's me, not romance in general.) The main story revolves around New Orleans and voodoo and humans being "ridden" by spirits from another world. The heroine and her cohort of 3 handsome, clever men have to thwart an evil spirit's rise.
It was ok. But I found my attention wandering a little.
This series is sort of his entry into urban fantasy. I read the first book in this series a while back, and found this on Scribd, so I had to read it now.
That said, I think I liked this one less well than the first. There's a little more romance, though not a lot, and nothing graphic. (Most romance just annoys me. It's me, not romance in general.) The main story revolves around New Orleans and voodoo and humans being "ridden" by spirits from another world. The heroine and her cohort of 3 handsome, clever men have to thwart an evil spirit's rise.
It was ok. But I found my attention wandering a little.
vikcs's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
Jayne Heller, who inherited her uncle's fortune and his demon-hunting business, along with a "posse" of three guys with vastly different backgrounds and characters, continues along on her path of self-discovery in this second book in the The Black Sun's Daughter series.
Jayne and the boys are jetting from city to city digging through her uncle's houses and business in an effort to get some kind of handle on her uncle's knowledge of the posessing "riders" who inhabit human bodies and sometimes force them into evil acts.
Then a call from Karen Black, former FBI and ally of Jayne's uncle, brings the team to post-Katrina New Orleans.
The flavor; both physical and emotional, of a devastated city trying to come back is pervasive through the story, really adding an important layer of characterization to the wonderful continuing story of Jayne with her boys.
Relationships change; and what I love about this series is not the imaginative and so-real-I-can-taste it demon posession/voudoun bits, but how Jayne has to deal with her own lack of people skills while developing major relationships with her boys.
This is a story of dealing with destruction and coming back with building up important things like trust and caring between people.
This is about taking a second look at what might be deemed a scar or wound, and seeing how those changes might not necessarily make us stronger, but help us to survive.
We get tantalizing hints about Jayne's own past, and the stakes are raised without any super powers suddenly being discovered, a problem with other urban fantasy I've encountered. Jayne is still Jayne, and she is bruised and beaten, but not down for the count.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Leftover shrimp ettoufe, spicier and more complex in flavor-relationship than the night before, heavy and satisfying in your stomach after you've eaten.
Jayne and the boys are jetting from city to city digging through her uncle's houses and business in an effort to get some kind of handle on her uncle's knowledge of the posessing "riders" who inhabit human bodies and sometimes force them into evil acts.
Then a call from Karen Black, former FBI and ally of Jayne's uncle, brings the team to post-Katrina New Orleans.
The flavor; both physical and emotional, of a devastated city trying to come back is pervasive through the story, really adding an important layer of characterization to the wonderful continuing story of Jayne with her boys.
Relationships change; and what I love about this series is not the imaginative and so-real-I-can-taste it demon posession/voudoun bits, but how Jayne has to deal with her own lack of people skills while developing major relationships with her boys.
This is a story of dealing with destruction and coming back with building up important things like trust and caring between people.
This is about taking a second look at what might be deemed a scar or wound, and seeing how those changes might not necessarily make us stronger, but help us to survive.
We get tantalizing hints about Jayne's own past, and the stakes are raised without any super powers suddenly being discovered, a problem with other urban fantasy I've encountered. Jayne is still Jayne, and she is bruised and beaten, but not down for the count.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Leftover shrimp ettoufe, spicier and more complex in flavor-relationship than the night before, heavy and satisfying in your stomach after you've eaten.
ria_mhrj's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoy the world and I will read the third book in the series... but I would like to see a bit more time dedicated to character development. Ex and Aubrey are interesting in their own rights, but their interactions with Jayne are always lacking spark for me as a reader. Fingers crossed for some eye opening revelations in book 3!
tiffasaurusrex's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't really enjoy the first one, but I find myself wondering what happens to the characters. Here's hoping this one is better.
perednia's review against another edition
5.0
In Unclean Spirits, the first novel featuring Jayne Heller, she discovered her late uncle's demon-fighting legacy, a fortune and potential powers of her own.
As she continues on a quest of self-discovery, she encounters friends and foes, learning how to work with both and keep both at arm's length in Darker Angels.
Because Jayne has kept her uncle's phone, she gets a call from a someone who knew him -- and who needs help. Jayne and her band of hunters, who gathered around her in the opening novel, head to post-Katrina New Orleans to help former FBI agent Karen Black.
Once there, this "don't want to be the Scoooby gang" faces individual and group moments of truth, partly from the voodoo-inspired threat and partly from their own reluctance to face facts about how these former lovers now depend on each other.
Karen is everything Jayne thinks she is not -- self-confident, knowledgeable and kick-ass in battle. But why does she think she needs help from, if not Uncle Eric, then from his niece? And why does the youngest member of the Voodoo Heart Temple know more about Jayne than Jayne herself?
Hanover's story is a layered portrait of a young woman coming into her own. Jayne is coping with the new-found knowledge of her favorite uncle's wealth and what he really was. She is dealing with continuing a relationship with a man she is attracted to, but feels she needs to keep her distance because of a former relationship of his that hasn't quite been finished. Her other new friends, also employees, have baggage of their own and are accustomed to doing their own thing even though they consider themselves a team now.
New Orleans and the emotional price in prolonged recovery plays a subtle role in this story. The voodoo aspect is handled not with tackiness, but with trepidation and respect. The city receives a love letter from Hanover.
Although it's not known if other Jayne Heller novels are in the works, they would be welcome. The characters have compelling storylines that have not yet come to fruition, and Hanover (fantasy author Daniel Abraham) is very talented at having their exploits serve their inner journeys. Both Unclean Spirits and Darker Angels make The Black Sun Daughter's story well worth reading.
As she continues on a quest of self-discovery, she encounters friends and foes, learning how to work with both and keep both at arm's length in Darker Angels.
Because Jayne has kept her uncle's phone, she gets a call from a someone who knew him -- and who needs help. Jayne and her band of hunters, who gathered around her in the opening novel, head to post-Katrina New Orleans to help former FBI agent Karen Black.
Once there, this "don't want to be the Scoooby gang" faces individual and group moments of truth, partly from the voodoo-inspired threat and partly from their own reluctance to face facts about how these former lovers now depend on each other.
Karen is everything Jayne thinks she is not -- self-confident, knowledgeable and kick-ass in battle. But why does she think she needs help from, if not Uncle Eric, then from his niece? And why does the youngest member of the Voodoo Heart Temple know more about Jayne than Jayne herself?
Hanover's story is a layered portrait of a young woman coming into her own. Jayne is coping with the new-found knowledge of her favorite uncle's wealth and what he really was. She is dealing with continuing a relationship with a man she is attracted to, but feels she needs to keep her distance because of a former relationship of his that hasn't quite been finished. Her other new friends, also employees, have baggage of their own and are accustomed to doing their own thing even though they consider themselves a team now.
New Orleans and the emotional price in prolonged recovery plays a subtle role in this story. The voodoo aspect is handled not with tackiness, but with trepidation and respect. The city receives a love letter from Hanover.
Although it's not known if other Jayne Heller novels are in the works, they would be welcome. The characters have compelling storylines that have not yet come to fruition, and Hanover (fantasy author Daniel Abraham) is very talented at having their exploits serve their inner journeys. Both Unclean Spirits and Darker Angels make The Black Sun Daughter's story well worth reading.
gems_31's review against another edition
4.0
Having enjoyed the first book in this new series, I settled down to read the second book, sure of what to expect.
It seemed that Jayne (I know there should be a little squiglle thingy above the 'e' but I don't know how to get one on my keyboard) is trying to get to grips with her new role as rider hunter and boss of her three companions, Audrey, a scientist who is particularly fond of micro organisims, Ex a former priest and Chigogy(sp?) Jake, a recovering heroin addict.
The book starts off prety mundane. Her deceased uncles voice pipes up from the cell phone that she has a call. Its from a former aquantance called Karen Black, an ex-FBI officer, turned supernatural hunter. Seems there is a particularly nasty rider is in hurricane torn New Oreleans, that is after a young woman.
Eveything is pretty linear in these type of books. Heroine goes on trail of bad evil supernatural being. Said supernatural being evades heroine, while showing her that its not to be messed with. And the usual two step seems pretty evident.
Pretty Mundan, you may think, but I loved the development of the dynamics and relationships between the 4 'good guys'. Jayne makes mistakes and she has to deal with the fall out. The consequence have a profound effect on the gorup to the point that it splits them appart, especialy after Jayne decides to retreat to Savannah to like her wounds after being attacked.
Its during this split that Jayne has an epiphany, (which I don't want to spoil) and its this plot twist which makes you have to rethink everything before it. It was a stroke of genius and one though hinted at, you didn't really see coming. This due to the dynamic between Jayne and this other charcter. Its so well crafted that you don't actually see this twist coming. (I can't say anymore for fear of spoiling this twist)
I loved this book and I can't wait for book 3!
It seemed that Jayne (I know there should be a little squiglle thingy above the 'e' but I don't know how to get one on my keyboard) is trying to get to grips with her new role as rider hunter and boss of her three companions, Audrey, a scientist who is particularly fond of micro organisims, Ex a former priest and Chigogy(sp?) Jake, a recovering heroin addict.
The book starts off prety mundane. Her deceased uncles voice pipes up from the cell phone that she has a call. Its from a former aquantance called Karen Black, an ex-FBI officer, turned supernatural hunter. Seems there is a particularly nasty rider is in hurricane torn New Oreleans, that is after a young woman.
Eveything is pretty linear in these type of books. Heroine goes on trail of bad evil supernatural being. Said supernatural being evades heroine, while showing her that its not to be messed with. And the usual two step seems pretty evident.
Pretty Mundan, you may think, but I loved the development of the dynamics and relationships between the 4 'good guys'. Jayne makes mistakes and she has to deal with the fall out. The consequence have a profound effect on the gorup to the point that it splits them appart, especialy after Jayne decides to retreat to Savannah to like her wounds after being attacked.
Its during this split that Jayne has an epiphany, (which I don't want to spoil) and its this plot twist which makes you have to rethink everything before it. It was a stroke of genius and one though hinted at, you didn't really see coming. This due to the dynamic between Jayne and this other charcter. Its so well crafted that you don't actually see this twist coming. (I can't say anymore for fear of spoiling this twist)
I loved this book and I can't wait for book 3!