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pjonsson's review
3.0
After having read the first book in this series I was rather undecided whether this was a read worthy series or not. I’m afraid I am still not entirely convinced.
The book has its moments, that has to be said. There are some funny dialogue, there are some charismatic characters and the story is not too shabby. The two fallen angels claiming to have sponsored two “champions”, said champions being Pol Pot and Hussain, to see which one would create the highest body count was rather funny actually.
The menagerie of magical creatures that Jimmy encounters are gradually expanding and, as the book blurb states, trolls and fairies are thrown into the mix as well as the odd dragon. Jimmy’s coop friend are back which I am quite happy about. She is a good and charismatic character. Of course there are a fair amount of magical action and mayhem as well. Overall, the story has quite some promise I would say.
Unfortunately for every good part there is a not so good part. One thing I am not to found of is the fact that, sometimes, Jimmy is so bloody stupid that it is not funny. I mean come on, even a Vampire should perhaps consider not trying to punch a stone gargoyle with bare knuckles? This plan of theirs to take on the previously mentioned dragon and which Jimmy calls a “solid plan” was just painfully nonsensical.
Unfortunately this kind of silly stupidness is fairly frequently sprinkled over the pages and is not exactly making me warm up to the series.
Then we have the fact that Jimmy is beaten up more often than not and are constantly told that he has not been taught properly, that he doesn’t known his powers etc… All of this implying that he can be so much more cool and powerful. Building up a person slowly is okay if you see some actual advancement at least but there is very little progress which I find somewhat frustrating.
Also, this author has the annoying habit of sprinkling woke bullshit in his books from time to time which doesn’t exactly elevates my appreciation of the book. I so wish authors could keep political agendas out their books.
Anyway, overall I’m not sorry that I spent time on this book but I’m still not entirely convinced either so I guess I keep at it for another book in the series and hope that Jimmy, gets a bit more clever and gets a grip on his powers.
The book has its moments, that has to be said. There are some funny dialogue, there are some charismatic characters and the story is not too shabby. The two fallen angels claiming to have sponsored two “champions”, said champions being Pol Pot and Hussain, to see which one would create the highest body count was rather funny actually.
The menagerie of magical creatures that Jimmy encounters are gradually expanding and, as the book blurb states, trolls and fairies are thrown into the mix as well as the odd dragon. Jimmy’s coop friend are back which I am quite happy about. She is a good and charismatic character. Of course there are a fair amount of magical action and mayhem as well. Overall, the story has quite some promise I would say.
Unfortunately for every good part there is a not so good part. One thing I am not to found of is the fact that, sometimes, Jimmy is so bloody stupid that it is not funny. I mean come on, even a Vampire should perhaps consider not trying to punch a stone gargoyle with bare knuckles? This plan of theirs to take on the previously mentioned dragon and which Jimmy calls a “solid plan” was just painfully nonsensical.
Unfortunately this kind of silly stupidness is fairly frequently sprinkled over the pages and is not exactly making me warm up to the series.
Then we have the fact that Jimmy is beaten up more often than not and are constantly told that he has not been taught properly, that he doesn’t known his powers etc… All of this implying that he can be so much more cool and powerful. Building up a person slowly is okay if you see some actual advancement at least but there is very little progress which I find somewhat frustrating.
Also, this author has the annoying habit of sprinkling woke bullshit in his books from time to time which doesn’t exactly elevates my appreciation of the book. I so wish authors could keep political agendas out their books.
Anyway, overall I’m not sorry that I spent time on this book but I’m still not entirely convinced either so I guess I keep at it for another book in the series and hope that Jimmy, gets a bit more clever and gets a grip on his powers.
carol26388's review
3.0
From the blog at https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2015/06/29/back-in-black-the-black-knight-chronicles/
There are times when a making a healthy, fresh meal seems like too much work, times when munching on white cheddar popcorn and enjoying a drink seems like an acceptable substitute for a meal. It isn’t in the long run, of course, but as an occasional treat it works. The Black Knight Chronicles are the popcorn in the UF world. To me, Hartness managed the tricky feat of creating the tension a mystery requires without negating the seriousness of the situation for the victims.
Best friends James Black and Greg Knightwood IV are vampires making their living (so to speak) as private investigators. There’s been a series of seeming hate crimes in North Carolina where six gay men have been found badly beaten. Details surrounding the scenes lead Detective Sabrina to suspect a supernatural angle, so she enlists the duo to help. We meet them on the way to Lilith’s (yes, that one) supernatural strip club, but this is about as far away from True Blood’s Fangtasia as one can get. I read the first two chapters with raised eyebrow, but I was committed when the chapter ended with this giggle-worthy toss-off:
“I slid into the backseat and lay down as best I could. Greg had a towel behind his seat, because he’s a hoopy frood that way, so I tried to put the bloodiest parts of me on the towel to save the upholstery.”
Characterization is decent, especially given humorous overtones. Greg and James have been buddies for most of their lives, along with Mike the priest, and their banter has the fond familiarity of classic bro-mance. I also appreciated that James is aware he’s the muscle of the group and doesn’t resent the others for their direction or help. James admires Greg even as he mocks him, and the respect–for the most part– for Greg’s ethical code helps elevate the story’s tone at the same time it goes for laughs:
“Sometimes my partner is really perceptive, something that’s easy to overlook when he wraps himself in black spandex, which happens more often that it should.”
The storyline takes an unusual turn with the crime. Per the genre norm, Detective Sabrina becomes personally involved when one of the victims is her cousin. A backstory is revealed that makes the connection even more personal. However, a major plot twist develops that takes the story in initially pun-ishing directions when another supernatural group becomes involved. At first, I rolled my eyes. I had scanned a review or two before reading, but had forgotten that detail, noting only that I may not appreciate the direction it took. It turned out, once the pun-ish idiocy (pardon me) was left behind, it became a reasonably interesting story. There’s a bit of fantasy world-building that seems a little bit oddly juxtaposed but works, as well as a modern action sequence to ramp up the tension. It’s possible that there’s a little too much of kitchen sink in the story, but what do you expect from popcorn?
I frequently have anticipatory nervousness when I run into a book that tries to combine humor with sensitive issues. Gay-bashing and shaming is a very real issue, and I was on the alert for signs the author was going to be dismissive. I ended up enjoying this one. There’s a few preachy points but not overly intrusive, and it seemed Harkness was generally able to be respectful while maintaining a fun tone. I’d certainly welcome other insights and experiences if anyone want to share thoughts.
Three and a half giggles.
There are times when a making a healthy, fresh meal seems like too much work, times when munching on white cheddar popcorn and enjoying a drink seems like an acceptable substitute for a meal. It isn’t in the long run, of course, but as an occasional treat it works. The Black Knight Chronicles are the popcorn in the UF world. To me, Hartness managed the tricky feat of creating the tension a mystery requires without negating the seriousness of the situation for the victims.
Best friends James Black and Greg Knightwood IV are vampires making their living (so to speak) as private investigators. There’s been a series of seeming hate crimes in North Carolina where six gay men have been found badly beaten. Details surrounding the scenes lead Detective Sabrina to suspect a supernatural angle, so she enlists the duo to help. We meet them on the way to Lilith’s (yes, that one) supernatural strip club, but this is about as far away from True Blood’s Fangtasia as one can get. I read the first two chapters with raised eyebrow, but I was committed when the chapter ended with this giggle-worthy toss-off:
“I slid into the backseat and lay down as best I could. Greg had a towel behind his seat, because he’s a hoopy frood that way, so I tried to put the bloodiest parts of me on the towel to save the upholstery.”
Characterization is decent, especially given humorous overtones. Greg and James have been buddies for most of their lives, along with Mike the priest, and their banter has the fond familiarity of classic bro-mance. I also appreciated that James is aware he’s the muscle of the group and doesn’t resent the others for their direction or help. James admires Greg even as he mocks him, and the respect–for the most part– for Greg’s ethical code helps elevate the story’s tone at the same time it goes for laughs:
“Sometimes my partner is really perceptive, something that’s easy to overlook when he wraps himself in black spandex, which happens more often that it should.”
The storyline takes an unusual turn with the crime. Per the genre norm, Detective Sabrina becomes personally involved when one of the victims is her cousin. A backstory is revealed that makes the connection even more personal. However, a major plot twist develops that takes the story in initially pun-ishing directions when another supernatural group becomes involved. At first, I rolled my eyes. I had scanned a review or two before reading, but had forgotten that detail, noting only that I may not appreciate the direction it took. It turned out, once the pun-ish idiocy (pardon me) was left behind, it became a reasonably interesting story. There’s a bit of fantasy world-building that seems a little bit oddly juxtaposed but works, as well as a modern action sequence to ramp up the tension. It’s possible that there’s a little too much of kitchen sink in the story, but what do you expect from popcorn?
I frequently have anticipatory nervousness when I run into a book that tries to combine humor with sensitive issues. Gay-bashing and shaming is a very real issue, and I was on the alert for signs the author was going to be dismissive. I ended up enjoying this one. There’s a few preachy points but not overly intrusive, and it seemed Harkness was generally able to be respectful while maintaining a fun tone. I’d certainly welcome other insights and experiences if anyone want to share thoughts.
Three and a half giggles.
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