Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “Wow! I love this book and this series itself. Starts with Ahaseurus and Aristotle Stoker. These two are people who are really interesting. Human kind, almost one of the last, yet powerful. They may be extremely bad people, not that i'd approve of what these two asses did. More or rather, can we...” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“3.1-This edition to the series just made me left me so confused. Major characters just did not show enough and when they did there was no explanations. The new character that was there too much in my opinion,was there for ?? I didn't get her part nor like her at all.
Yodamom wrote this review Wednesday, December 19, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Jace the answer to this worlds woes finds herself jumping to another alternate universe, while it's invading on another ?* it's confusing, i don't think i ever really got it. So, there is this nasty man, the same one Jace needs to get home, he is trying to build his version of reality. In his reality, a lot of being die, which makes these beings unhappy. Then a new ruling class takes over.
Cassius, the big head honcho vampire, sends her to hunt this evil doer. Then he basically disappears from the story. He reappears at different weird points only to disappear again
Charlie, Charlie, Charlie, this books really jumps him. Charlie joins the wrong team, or is it the right team ? It's hard to tell, Golems are not treated well at all in this world, at all. He says he's trying to save the humans to make it better. His loyalty is questionable to Jace. Their bonds are tested, and I was disappointed with the results. I really wanted more for this character, the author tip toes slowly to Charlie being more then what he is thought to be, only to stop and go no further. Yes, I am frustrated. This is book 3, maybe I have false hope ?
I don't know if I am going to continue, this book was so off for me. It's too bad because book 1-2 felt like they were leading to something.”“Wow! I love this book and this series itself. Starts with Ahaseurus and Aristotle Stoker. These two are people who are really interesting. Human kind, almost one of the last, yet powerful. They may be extremely bad people, not that i'd approve of what these two asses did. More or rather, can we consider in a different aspect that they were doing this to survive in a world where they can break their necks without even realising who did it? Still, what they did was clearly for their own selfish purposes.
kee a wrote this review Friday, April 13, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Oh, I seriously like Cassius. I like his weaknesses. He's finally showing signs of weakness. At the top of the tower, his close and almost lost of control just gives him more charm addition. Geez... He's a vampire, and he got beaten to pulp, yet he still wants to protect Jace. Besides, he's even willing to take up the time debt of Gretchen's. I like that. Charlie, the Devouring Ghost, he's great because he's fighting the true him that's a Tyrannosaurus Rex to protect Jace. Azura's pretty good too - willing to do anything that'll get her what she has to get. Powerful. I miss Dr. Pete though I'd confirm I like Cassius better. Tair, the new Pete, is dangerous and still likeable. I still like the old Pete, sadly. I'd prefer the softer version of Jace's welcomed admirer and the vampiric Cassius to play along the game. Chasindra, poor thing. I'm really glad Jace killed her. Those psychos in the series is really portrayed to disgust. I shan't go on the gory details.
Ah...Still like Cassius. Really have no idea why, and it feels weird to like a fictitious character. Maybe that's a good idea though... An escapade from reality.
I don't like something from this book though, compared to the previous books. The ending is satisfying still, but it's a little abrupt. Maybe I'm the only one who thinks so. Never mind. Great book anyway! Highly recommended to continue. I'm moving on to the next book. Had a really hard time waiting and finding it from the libraries. I went to three branches just to find if these books are there. I hope there's more good supernatural series to read. Better than shows. I hope this sequel turns out to be a television series or movie!”
“This series is Urban Fantasy at its really best! I love the unique and fresh ideas and the great characters (I'm also a huge fan of the 'lems). I really hope that it won't be too easy for Jace to get back to her world... I just have too much fun with these books. =)
catathome wrote this review Saturday, August 27, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
(If you're looking for a paranormal romance - this is NOT your book. This is really Urban Fantasy... so guys... you can read them, too ;)
DD Barant interview:
http://books-cats-coffee.blogspot.com/20...
(There will be more books in the series - yeah!! =)”
“a bit confused. love jace valchek, the bloodhound, and like dd barant's writing. this particular story at times did not feel like barant's writing to me. and jace did not seem like the KA, in ciontrol, woman of my dreams of the first couple of books. but, the story was good with lots of unexpected twists and turns and jace was the jace i admire most of the time. i did not like the ending but authors have to leave room for a follow up story. i do recommend it to anyone. but if u r looking for some conjugal activity be warned u will not find it here. barant spins good preternatural tales without doing a lot of horizonton escapades. good characters, good and twisting plots, a little long of wind at times. if u haven't tried one of these bloodhound tales, give it a try.”
trekowner wrote this review Monday, July 25, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Borderline liked it. Gave it a C+. I am not too keen on the direction.”
Liza S wrote this review Tuesday, April 5, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“An ancient and powerful shaman sorcerer named Ahaseurus yanked FBI criminal profiler Jace Valchek out of her dimension at the behest of the NSA in his own. They needed her to track and catch a human psychopath and terrorist named Aristotle Stoker. Her efforts, while...enthusiastic...haven't been all that productive, so she's still stranded in a world in which human beings make up a measly 1% of the population and are horribly outnumbered by vampires (pires), lycanthropes (thropes), and golems (lems). To make matters worse, even if she catches Stoker, she's still got to get Ahaseurus to send her back or risk ending up back in her universe, but years, even decades beyond when she left. And Ahaseurus, known as Asher by the NSA, has gone rogue and disappeared.
Tracy wrote this review Saturday, February 5, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
He doesn't stay that way, though, and NSA intelligence has uncovered a potential deal being brokered between Ahaseurus, Stoker, a radical golem rights group called the Mantle, and a nasty weapons dealer called Silver Blue. The NSA is putting together a task force to take them down, and Jace Valchek is spearheading the force in Las Vegas.
As Jace knows all too well, though, plans were made to blow up, crash down, and incinerate everything around them. Before she knows what's happening, Vegas has turned into a lem stronghold and golems are killing pires and thropes and rounding up humans in their bid to gain autonomy. War has come and Jace is stuck at ground zero with a megalomaniac sorcerer stirring the pot and working his own agenda. Her golem partner Charlie is no longer guarding her back, he's joined the Mantle army, and Jace's only support is the Tinker Bell look-alike Azura, an Astonisher (which is sort of like a cross between David Copperfield and James Bond...mostly) from yet another alternate dimension. Despite a less than auspicious introduction to her, Jace is left with little choice but to partner up with the talented Azura to take down her target, the evil, world-conquering sorcerer Ahaseurus.
What happens in Vegas is supposed to stay in Vegas, but when you add Jace to the mix, "supposed to" tends toward bloody, fiery balls of action, horror, and terror.
I love Jace Valchek. She's one of my favorite heroines. Not only is she smart, able to kick some serious ass, and doubly likely to get herself mired in trouble, she's stubborn, mouthy, sarcastic, and her sense of humor is sharply self-effacing and biting. She makes me laugh. She makes me care about her. And her partner Charlie is the perfect counterpoint. I've been a huge fan of this series since the beginning for the very reason that they're both so captivating.
They're certainly not the only positives, though. Barant has created a wildly original world, imaginative and wicked, and Jace is ever teetering on an interesting precipice of moral ambiguity. She's human, which makes her the definition of a minority, and she's working for...er...people who were responsible for her race's near extinction, but her code of honor and sense of responsibility drive her to do her duty against another human whose methods are reprehensible but whose motives are grimly understandable. And each time her ticket home is at the tip of her fingers, her sense of loyalty demands she push it further away. It's a loyalty to those who have become friends - in this dimension in which she was brought against her will. Such a meaty and complex conundrum.
I wasn't totally thrilled with the plot of Killing Rocks, though. Not only was there far less Charlie for my tastes, but the plot of the book seemed a bit muddy and convoluted. It did clarify for me the depth of evil in Ahaseurus, but I still have a lot of questions about Stoker - who's a bad guy, certainly, but his levels of madness seem to fluctuate and I'm not entirely sure how he fits into the big picture yet. I thought I knew, but there were some confusing teasers...or potential red herrings...in this book. The former Dr. Pete, now Tair, is another meta-villain who intrigues me. I'm interested in his continued development.
Barant had a smart, original method of exposition delivery in this book. I appreciated the concise catch-up as well as the manner in which it was relayed. While I wouldn't recommend a reader new to the series start with this third book, in theory they could, and feel reasonably comfortable with the events of the previous books while doing so - at least the broad strokes, anyway. Frankly, though, I'm so fond of the characters and the details add such flavor to the books, I'd strongly suggest new readers start at the beginning.
The myth scenes were also fascinating; storytelling within a story in which myths from Azura's world were told or acted out and observed in Jace's (well...her new one). It was a unique method of creation and explanation, but I'm not sure it added to the development of the plot, and it slowed down the action a bit. Not to mention I'm still getting used to Jace's new dimension, so adding the history of yet another seemed a little excessive. Points to Barant for the creativity and world building, but I wish the reason for those scenes had been more clear and that they had been better incorporated into the development of the main conflict. I'm still not sure of their purpose in the big picture, and can't imagine how they served Ahaseurus' nefarious plans.
In part because of that, and in part because of the time spent in Azura's world, it felt like Jace was very disconnected from the golem insurrection, and by default, Ahaseurus' actions, until the end. And even as certain key issues of conflict reached resolution, I was left feeling like the characters didn't progress much in this book, and while they may be better aware of the scope of the evil Ahaseurus is capable of, they're certainly no closer to catching either him or Stoker.
The strength of Jace & Co. as characters and the creativity of the world in which she finds herself goes a long way in entertaining me in this series. I have nothing but love for her and her friends. And honestly, though I had some issues with the plot of this book, I felt it was easier to understand and more palatable than the conflict in the previous one. The Bloodhound Files is right up there towards the top of my favorite ongoing series. BETTER OFF UNDEAD is up next - hopefully later this year, and I've read that Barant has contracted for three more, so my inner reading slut is doing her happiest of happy dances. Trust me when I tell you, that's not something you want to see...no matter how giddy it makes me.
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
http://one-good-book.blogspot.com”
Displaying 1-6 of 6
