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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
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.
I just love this story! This was my second time listening so I gave into temptation and bumped it to five stars. It's just a really good book and it's well written. Jayné's character being so insecure really wore on me the first time, but this time I knew where it was going, so it kind of made more sense to me. I think this allowed me to get that extra half star of enjoyment out of it :)
Voodoo cults! Magic! Demonic possession! This was so absolutely fabulous! It's a great series and I'm thrilled I found it. Plus, this one involved voodoo, so of course it was even cooler than the first book. I hung on to every word of this book and spent time listening to it when I normally would have been doing something else (like passing that stopped bus). I love most of the characters, I have a total crush on Chogyi-Jake, and the characters involved in the voodoo cult were incredibly fascinating. I'm rushing headlong through this series, which I never do, and then I'm going to read some of the books under his real name.
Merged review:
Voodoo cults! Magic! Demonic possession! This was so absolutely fabulous! It's a great series and I'm thrilled I found it. Plus, this one involved voodoo, so of course it was even cooler than the first book. I hung on to every word of this book and spent time listening to it when I normally would have been doing something else (like passing that stopped bus). I love most of the characters, I have a total crush on Chogyi-Jake, and the characters involved in the voodoo cult were incredibly fascinating. I'm rushing headlong through this series, which I never do, and then I'm going to read some of the books under his real name.
Merged review:
Voodoo and demons. Enough said
Merged review:
Voodoo cults! Magic! Demonic possession! This was so absolutely fabulous! It's a great series and I'm thrilled I found it. Plus, this one involved voodoo, so of course it was even cooler than the first book. I hung on to every word of this book and spent time listening to it when I normally would have been doing something else (like passing that stopped bus). I love most of the characters, I have a total crush on Chogyi-Jake, and the characters involved in the voodoo cult were incredibly fascinating. I'm rushing headlong through this series, which I never do, and then I'm going to read some of the books under his real name.
Merged review:
Voodoo and demons. Enough said
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.
Just figured out why I like the writing in this series so much: Hanover is the pseudonym of Daniel Abraham, who is 1/2 of the pseudonym James S. A. Corey, who wrote the Leviathan Wakes series (which I looove). Small world.
Receiving a middle of the night phone call from a desperate ex-FBI agent shouldn’t have been run of the mill. For Jayné though, it’s becoming average. Fresh off taking down a rider infestation Jayné gets pulled back into the fray with one phone call. Karen Black needs her help finding a serial killer rider in New Orleans with very little time to spare. Karen is everything Jayné wishes she could be and with the clock winding down they need to work together to save the life of a upcoming voodoo priestess.
Along with her band of merry men, Jayné will learn more about her uncles past, and more about riders intentions. With second chances being slim and deceptions running high, Jayné will need all the help she can get. Including those that come from an unlikely source. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Ok…wow. There is something magical about this series that makes me tune out everything around me and simply get lost in a different world. Once I pick one up I can’t put it down till it’s done, and even then it’s on my mind for hours afterward. Hanover has created a world in which nothing is what it seems and everyone may be out to get you.
Darker Angels picks up a few months after Unclean Spirits ends. We find Jayné and the guys in Athens, Greece going through Eric’s vast empire of properties looking for information to add to their growing catalog of information. Right off the bat you can tell they are exhausted, and yet Jayné takes a case that involves quite a bit of energy and know how. I understood her willing to help but thought it was a bad idea to jump head first into something while you’re still in the middle of researching Erics things. I think she may have a bit of adult ADD in that respect. Throughout the course of the book she has to take a good long look at herself. First by wanting to be like Karen. Then be realizing that she is who she is and she has to make things work or risk her team falling apart of ending up dead. She needs to step up and be in charge.
Aubrey and Jayné’s conflicting emotions play a big part in her journey of self discovery. She takes a long look into why she had issues with his separation from his wife, and why after so many months she still hadn’t given him the divorce papers his estranged wife had left in her care. Growing up in such a strict household played a part as well as secrets from her past that finally come to light.
Ex, I felt horribly bad for. It’s been obvious from the start that he has a thing for Jayné though she is completely naive and clueless to his feelings. Him and her have a lot in common, mainly their inability to not blame themselves for the actions and reactions of everyone around them. They both shoulder the blame for everything and at times it can get a bit trying because it seems like they spend a good chunk of the book having to be told they are not to blame for every little thing that happens to the group. He is terribly human and that makes him flawed though he tends to believe he isn’t. This one proves that he can’t see anything blinded be emotion.
Jake is strangely quiet the majority of the time. It can be hard to read him because his face is a master of not changing expression. He is integral to the plot though and without him I think Jayné would crack under the pressure. He grounds her and allows her free reign of her emotions when they talk. He offers advice when needed and a shoulder to cry on. I often hope he gets some booty at some point because, honestly, he deserves some happiness. We do find a bit more about his background in Darker Angels and he becomes a sounding board for Aubrey in his time of conflict as well. After this one, they will have a few more things in common.
Unlike other urban fantasy’s I’ve read, Jayné isn’t all puppies, kittens and rainbows. She sees the world as it truly is. Maybe she doesn’t understand a lot of it yet…but she acknowledges it and respects it. She’s quickly learning that even though her uncle Eric went it alone, that he could have been so much more if he’d had the help of true friends. That maybe, even though he was the expert, Jayné has a better chance at succeeding because of what resources she has available to her.
I want to know more! I have a feeling based on this and the past book that Jayné hasn’t even scratched the surface of who or even what she is. There is something inside of her and I highly doubt her uncle put it there with his magical wards. She seems oblivious to the clues everyone is giving her to look within herself for the power the riders seem to fear in her. Her mysterious tattoo may even be the key.
I give Darker Angels by M.L.N. Hanover 5 stars!
Along with her band of merry men, Jayné will learn more about her uncles past, and more about riders intentions. With second chances being slim and deceptions running high, Jayné will need all the help she can get. Including those that come from an unlikely source. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Ok…wow. There is something magical about this series that makes me tune out everything around me and simply get lost in a different world. Once I pick one up I can’t put it down till it’s done, and even then it’s on my mind for hours afterward. Hanover has created a world in which nothing is what it seems and everyone may be out to get you.
Darker Angels picks up a few months after Unclean Spirits ends. We find Jayné and the guys in Athens, Greece going through Eric’s vast empire of properties looking for information to add to their growing catalog of information. Right off the bat you can tell they are exhausted, and yet Jayné takes a case that involves quite a bit of energy and know how. I understood her willing to help but thought it was a bad idea to jump head first into something while you’re still in the middle of researching Erics things. I think she may have a bit of adult ADD in that respect. Throughout the course of the book she has to take a good long look at herself. First by wanting to be like Karen. Then be realizing that she is who she is and she has to make things work or risk her team falling apart of ending up dead. She needs to step up and be in charge.
Aubrey and Jayné’s conflicting emotions play a big part in her journey of self discovery. She takes a long look into why she had issues with his separation from his wife, and why after so many months she still hadn’t given him the divorce papers his estranged wife had left in her care. Growing up in such a strict household played a part as well as secrets from her past that finally come to light.
Ex, I felt horribly bad for. It’s been obvious from the start that he has a thing for Jayné though she is completely naive and clueless to his feelings. Him and her have a lot in common, mainly their inability to not blame themselves for the actions and reactions of everyone around them. They both shoulder the blame for everything and at times it can get a bit trying because it seems like they spend a good chunk of the book having to be told they are not to blame for every little thing that happens to the group. He is terribly human and that makes him flawed though he tends to believe he isn’t. This one proves that he can’t see anything blinded be emotion.
Jake is strangely quiet the majority of the time. It can be hard to read him because his face is a master of not changing expression. He is integral to the plot though and without him I think Jayné would crack under the pressure. He grounds her and allows her free reign of her emotions when they talk. He offers advice when needed and a shoulder to cry on. I often hope he gets some booty at some point because, honestly, he deserves some happiness. We do find a bit more about his background in Darker Angels and he becomes a sounding board for Aubrey in his time of conflict as well. After this one, they will have a few more things in common.
Unlike other urban fantasy’s I’ve read, Jayné isn’t all puppies, kittens and rainbows. She sees the world as it truly is. Maybe she doesn’t understand a lot of it yet…but she acknowledges it and respects it. She’s quickly learning that even though her uncle Eric went it alone, that he could have been so much more if he’d had the help of true friends. That maybe, even though he was the expert, Jayné has a better chance at succeeding because of what resources she has available to her.
I want to know more! I have a feeling based on this and the past book that Jayné hasn’t even scratched the surface of who or even what she is. There is something inside of her and I highly doubt her uncle put it there with his magical wards. She seems oblivious to the clues everyone is giving her to look within herself for the power the riders seem to fear in her. Her mysterious tattoo may even be the key.
I give Darker Angels by M.L.N. Hanover 5 stars!
I read the first book in this series some time ago and didn't really remember too much about it or the characters. This one is pretty self contained so that wasn't too much of an issue. Darker Angels starts off strong with an entertaining intro featuring a child that sees the future, and it keeps that pace with a case for Jayne and team to investigate. I continued reading happily until around page 150. At that point I realized the entire book was going to be made up of the one case. I don't mind reading a self contained mystery that takes up an entire book if there is something else going on that I find interesting, or if the mystery is complex and well developed. Neither is the case here. The characters are so boring I find myself ignoring most of what they said. They each have one personality trait, and basically chime in when appropriate. They aren't even important enough to be considered sidekicks. The mystery is long and drawn out, but not complex or entertaining at all. I didn't care who was behind what, or what weirdly named demon creature was friends with what other weirdly named creature. I don't care enough about anything in this series to continue it. If there was some sort of goal the characters were working towards other than cleaning out properties and entering what they find into a computer, then maybe I'd continue. I really don't care who Jayne's family had an affair with or what is special about them. This series is lacking a purpose, and I just don't enjoy it. I see that the team is quirky and fun, and that may be enough for some people, but it is no where near enough for me. Oh, by the way, I don't care how you pronounce Jayne and I am put off every time it's mentioned.
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.
B-
B-
This is pulp and I know it. But I needed a readable book after being disappointed in a couple of books. I happily wallowed in this.
Jayné is back and, dare I say it, even better than ever? A little battle worn for sure, but that's not enough to keep her down! In this second installment of The Black Sun's Daughter series the action is ramped up, adrenaline is high, and there is a whole lot to love. I liked the last book, but I loved this one.
Karen Black is the newest addition to this motley crew of demon hunters, and she packs quite a punch. Strong, self-assured, and one gorgeous woman, Karen is everything that Jayné thinks that she's not. I really enjoyed seeing the slightly more jealous side of Jayné in this story. It's that little need to please, the wheedling voice that promote jealousy, that really makes her so much more human. Sure she's a kick ass heroine, but they have flaws too. What really drew me in to this story was how much Jayné grows during the course of it. Everything that has happened has toughened her up and, even if she can't seem to see it, the reader gets a glimpse at the power she has boiling within her.
Darker Angels takes us into the lion's den of the riders, or the loa as they are called. New Orleans provides a lush and vibrant backdrop for these beings and the voodoo lore that surrounds them. Painted on the pages is a history that runs deep, back into the days where the lore that Jayné and her team are now learning was common knowledge. There is a deep sense of community in this story, and the tragedies that occurred in New Orleans are handled with respect. Overall, it's clear that Hanover has a love for this city. As I followed Jayné through this mission, I gained a respect for the loa and their rich history. Let's just say that Hanover definitely changes the reader's view of them in this story.
I'm hooked on this series, and thank goodness I already have the next two books ready to read. As a first foray into Urban Fantasy, I'm glad I chose M.L.N. Hanover to take me on a wild ride. If you enjoy fast paced stories brimming with demons, twists, and turns, you'll love Darker Angels. I highly suggest you get started!
Karen Black is the newest addition to this motley crew of demon hunters, and she packs quite a punch. Strong, self-assured, and one gorgeous woman, Karen is everything that Jayné thinks that she's not. I really enjoyed seeing the slightly more jealous side of Jayné in this story. It's that little need to please, the wheedling voice that promote jealousy, that really makes her so much more human. Sure she's a kick ass heroine, but they have flaws too. What really drew me in to this story was how much Jayné grows during the course of it. Everything that has happened has toughened her up and, even if she can't seem to see it, the reader gets a glimpse at the power she has boiling within her.
Darker Angels takes us into the lion's den of the riders, or the loa as they are called. New Orleans provides a lush and vibrant backdrop for these beings and the voodoo lore that surrounds them. Painted on the pages is a history that runs deep, back into the days where the lore that Jayné and her team are now learning was common knowledge. There is a deep sense of community in this story, and the tragedies that occurred in New Orleans are handled with respect. Overall, it's clear that Hanover has a love for this city. As I followed Jayné through this mission, I gained a respect for the loa and their rich history. Let's just say that Hanover definitely changes the reader's view of them in this story.
I'm hooked on this series, and thank goodness I already have the next two books ready to read. As a first foray into Urban Fantasy, I'm glad I chose M.L.N. Hanover to take me on a wild ride. If you enjoy fast paced stories brimming with demons, twists, and turns, you'll love Darker Angels. I highly suggest you get started!