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geekwayne's review against another edition
3.0
'Seven Kinds of Hell' by Dana Cameron is not the kind of urban fantasy I'd normally read, but I found the premise and the main character interesting enough to keep me interested.
Zoe Miller's mother is dying, and her last wish is to keep Zoe safe from her father. They've been on the run from him her whole life and she's never known them. Adding to that, her cousin Danny has been kidnapped and the kidnapper is demanding that Zoe bring him antique Greek statues as ransom. She has one, and she'll have to steal the second one. It turns out Zoe is also a werewolf and finds herself among a community known as the Fangborn. They try to teach Zoe how to use her powers. The story zips around exotic locations and archeological digs.
The payoff seemed a bit flat and there was kind of a long prologue bit that basically leaves the story open for the next book in the series. I like Zoe, and I liked that she was an archeologist and smart. I liked some of her friends. By the end of the book there seemed to be an overabundance of characters, but that's also probably setting things up for the next book too. Not bad, and I'll continue on.
I was given a review copy of this ebook by Amazon Publishing, 47North and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
Zoe Miller's mother is dying, and her last wish is to keep Zoe safe from her father. They've been on the run from him her whole life and she's never known them. Adding to that, her cousin Danny has been kidnapped and the kidnapper is demanding that Zoe bring him antique Greek statues as ransom. She has one, and she'll have to steal the second one. It turns out Zoe is also a werewolf and finds herself among a community known as the Fangborn. They try to teach Zoe how to use her powers. The story zips around exotic locations and archeological digs.
The payoff seemed a bit flat and there was kind of a long prologue bit that basically leaves the story open for the next book in the series. I like Zoe, and I liked that she was an archeologist and smart. I liked some of her friends. By the end of the book there seemed to be an overabundance of characters, but that's also probably setting things up for the next book too. Not bad, and I'll continue on.
I was given a review copy of this ebook by Amazon Publishing, 47North and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.
malus23's review
3.0
I know I read the first two before, but couldn't say when. Fun books, nothing too earthshaking, just decently done light fun.
paradoxically's review against another edition
1.0
This book started off promising and then just degenerated. It was like watching a train wreck, only this was slower and made me angry. Especially the end, oh man, that end. There was no satisfaction to it, it was more senseless than anything else, a confused jumbled mess that irritated me.
And that's pretty much the refrain for the second half of the book. A confused jumbled mess. You get characters jumping at you, you have the main character running off from everyone and everything, and you have events that happen at breakneck speed that don't make much sense. Seven Kinds of Hell just left me feeling cold and unhappy, like I wasted my time reading the book when there were other things I would much rather do.
You have a dozen characters that all seem to blend into one another. Zoe is distinguishable, if only because she's the main character, and it's actually fine for the first half or so, where you kind of nod along and get used to what you're reading. Then Zoe's cousin, Danny, get kidnapped and it's a clusterfuck from there. Things happen, you get no information and then you get info dumps, and there's no sense of proper pacing in what you're reading. I had been starting to be tentatively attached to both Zoe and Sean, but then it's blown away in the wind.
And, massive, massive spoilers for the end of the book:
And then, after all that to-do, there's the last few pages of the book. It was like the ending of a horror movie, where the heroine is safe and happy, but then there's the credits. And right after the credits, something happens that completely screws things up again. Like a zombie hand sticking up from the ground. Just. Ugh. It could have been handled so much better, and what was crunched into a few pages should have been given more time to develop--or at least summarized better, because that's what the last few pages were, essentially. A summary.
So all in all, the first half of the book was okay, not the best, but not the worst. Then it just plummets downhill from there, and the ending made me want to tear my hair out. 1-2 stars, rounding down to 1 because I can't believe that ending. There is just something so disappointing about a book ending that poorly.
And that's pretty much the refrain for the second half of the book. A confused jumbled mess. You get characters jumping at you, you have the main character running off from everyone and everything, and you have events that happen at breakneck speed that don't make much sense. Seven Kinds of Hell just left me feeling cold and unhappy, like I wasted my time reading the book when there were other things I would much rather do.
You have a dozen characters that all seem to blend into one another. Zoe is distinguishable, if only because she's the main character, and it's actually fine for the first half or so, where you kind of nod along and get used to what you're reading. Then Zoe's cousin, Danny, get kidnapped and it's a clusterfuck from there. Things happen, you get no information and then you get info dumps, and there's no sense of proper pacing in what you're reading. I had been starting to be tentatively attached to both Zoe and Sean, but then it's blown away in the wind.
And, massive, massive spoilers for the end of the book:
Spoiler
Sean dies and what's the reaction? Some vaguely token words of unhappiness, but of course Zoe and Will get back together and that takes up more page space than Sean's death. Not that the two seem unhappy about that. You'd think they'd be more upset that their friend, Will's best friend, had been mind controlled (or what amounts to it, anyway) against his will and then died during the course of their little adventure. But no.And then, after all that to-do, there's the last few pages of the book. It was like the ending of a horror movie, where the heroine is safe and happy, but then there's the credits. And right after the credits, something happens that completely screws things up again. Like a zombie hand sticking up from the ground. Just. Ugh. It could have been handled so much better, and what was crunched into a few pages should have been given more time to develop--or at least summarized better, because that's what the last few pages were, essentially. A summary.
So all in all, the first half of the book was okay, not the best, but not the worst. Then it just plummets downhill from there, and the ending made me want to tear my hair out. 1-2 stars, rounding down to 1 because I can't believe that ending. There is just something so disappointing about a book ending that poorly.
mad_about_books's review
5.0
I am drawn to books with an archaeological bent. I once took a no-credit class at The New School, in New York, that covered different aspects of the subject. It was an evening class, and I made a point of including myself in the group that went out to dinner after the two and half hour lectures, the dinner that usually went on for several more hours. I never got home from that class before midnight. Pyramids, Egyptian or otherwise, clay pots in ruins, or "Ancient Aliens" and those far-fetched theorists? I'm there!
Along with archaeology and questionable related theories, my books of choice generally fall into the realm or science fiction and fantasy and all its sub-genre (horror, urban fantasy, hard sci-fi, and any other you can name that aren't romance novels disguised to confuse). As I started reading SEVEN KINDS OF HELL, I knew it was my kind of book. I enjoy genre fiction that breaks the rules… vampires turn to ash in sunlight, the bite of a werewolf will make you go all hairy under a full moon.
Archaeology aside, Dana Cameron knows how to build a story. It may seem to start a little slow, but it builds and builds, with every chapter, to a page turning crescendo. I found myself liking Zoe Miller more and more with each new obstacle placed in her way. She fights her way from 'I must be a crazy person' to acceptance of what she actually is while maintaining her compassion for those in her orbit. I have to admit that I am nearly always put off by self-deprecation in a female protagonist, especially when she come off as whiney. I found Zoe Miller to be less self-deprecating and more just plain old confused about her situation.
As Zoe comes to grips with herself, she allows herself to be a tad more trusting of those who offer their help. Like the construction of the story, Zoe's circle expands as her understanding grows. Like any good mystery tale, this one contains no extraneous information. There is a reason for everything and it all falls into place.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, PACK OF STRAYS. I find that I really want to know more about Zoe Miller and the Fangborn.
I especially want to thank Ms. Cameron for "and I wonder how many ‘ritual objects’ in the world are nothing more than toys a potter made for his kids" because I have asked myself this very question on several trips to several museums. In particular, in The Museum of Natural History, in New York City, there is a carved, alabaster deer, with an eyelet under the chin, and wheels under the feet that is marked "object of unknown use." (Anyway, that's what it said when I was there a number of years ago.)
Along with archaeology and questionable related theories, my books of choice generally fall into the realm or science fiction and fantasy and all its sub-genre (horror, urban fantasy, hard sci-fi, and any other you can name that aren't romance novels disguised to confuse). As I started reading SEVEN KINDS OF HELL, I knew it was my kind of book. I enjoy genre fiction that breaks the rules… vampires turn to ash in sunlight, the bite of a werewolf will make you go all hairy under a full moon.
Archaeology aside, Dana Cameron knows how to build a story. It may seem to start a little slow, but it builds and builds, with every chapter, to a page turning crescendo. I found myself liking Zoe Miller more and more with each new obstacle placed in her way. She fights her way from 'I must be a crazy person' to acceptance of what she actually is while maintaining her compassion for those in her orbit. I have to admit that I am nearly always put off by self-deprecation in a female protagonist, especially when she come off as whiney. I found Zoe Miller to be less self-deprecating and more just plain old confused about her situation.
As Zoe comes to grips with herself, she allows herself to be a tad more trusting of those who offer their help. Like the construction of the story, Zoe's circle expands as her understanding grows. Like any good mystery tale, this one contains no extraneous information. There is a reason for everything and it all falls into place.
I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series, PACK OF STRAYS. I find that I really want to know more about Zoe Miller and the Fangborn.
I especially want to thank Ms. Cameron for "and I wonder how many ‘ritual objects’ in the world are nothing more than toys a potter made for his kids" because I have asked myself this very question on several trips to several museums. In particular, in The Museum of Natural History, in New York City, there is a carved, alabaster deer, with an eyelet under the chin, and wheels under the feet that is marked "object of unknown use." (Anyway, that's what it said when I was there a number of years ago.)
kblincoln's review
4.0
I bought this UF on a whim as it was on sale. I'd never really heard of it, but I'm game for different permutations of contemporary settings and vampires/werewolves.
This one, while excitingly action-packed, set in various European cities, and solidly grounded in archeological Greek vases, buckles, sherds, etc, wasn't to my own personal taste. It's solid writing, but I'm a character-focused reader. If you don't make me fall in love with your main character and give them a cast of sidekicks for me also to love, then chances are I won't stick with your story past the first book.
That's the case here. Zoe runs around from city to city, attack to attack, and at first, I thought her unrequited love friend Sean would be her main sidekick, but then his mind gets more or less vamp-lobotomized and he becomes an uninteresting blank. She acquires two fangborn followers, the STeubens, loses them, acquires two more fangborn followers, encounters an enemy-turned-possible helper Adrian, encounters lost love who helps her...loses him...and then (you can see where this is going). No one stuck around enough to actually have a relationship with Zoe that made me want to keep skin in the game. There's so much happening (not to mention multiple bad guy groups hard to keep track of) I never settled into Zoe's heart long enough to care.
Still, if action is your thing, and interesting contemporary vampire/werewolves, this would be fun. The archeological bits were definitely the best part of this and very interesting. There's a bit of steam here, but not too explicit, and definitely didn't satisfy my romance novel hunger. It's mostly after-the-fact stuff.
I think this first book was just a tad too ambitious and needed to linger longer on the main character and some relationships in order for me to move forward.
This one, while excitingly action-packed, set in various European cities, and solidly grounded in archeological Greek vases, buckles, sherds, etc, wasn't to my own personal taste. It's solid writing, but I'm a character-focused reader. If you don't make me fall in love with your main character and give them a cast of sidekicks for me also to love, then chances are I won't stick with your story past the first book.
That's the case here. Zoe runs around from city to city, attack to attack, and at first, I thought her unrequited love friend Sean would be her main sidekick, but then his mind gets more or less vamp-lobotomized and he becomes an uninteresting blank. She acquires two fangborn followers, the STeubens, loses them, acquires two more fangborn followers, encounters an enemy-turned-possible helper Adrian, encounters lost love who helps her...loses him...and then (you can see where this is going). No one stuck around enough to actually have a relationship with Zoe that made me want to keep skin in the game. There's so much happening (not to mention multiple bad guy groups hard to keep track of) I never settled into Zoe's heart long enough to care.
Still, if action is your thing, and interesting contemporary vampire/werewolves, this would be fun. The archeological bits were definitely the best part of this and very interesting. There's a bit of steam here, but not too explicit, and definitely didn't satisfy my romance novel hunger. It's mostly after-the-fact stuff.
I think this first book was just a tad too ambitious and needed to linger longer on the main character and some relationships in order for me to move forward.
kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Seven Kinds of Hell by Dana Cameron sits right on the border between Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance for me.
It's definitely not enough romance to satisfy the actual romance crowd, but it's decidedly more romance than I'd like in my Urban Fantasy. This mix might hit the sweet spot for some people, but it doesn't make it easy to sort into a target audience.
I really enjoyed the start, a 20 something female main character, an archaeologist as well, who doesn't really know her place in the world yet. The book starts with her losing her mum, her only real family, as they spent all her life fleeing from her father's family. I liked how she wasn't a badass fighter right from the get go, but a young woman trying to find a way through all the obstacles life throws at her. She makes a lot of dumb decisions, but they didn't feel like ones made for plot purposes, but realistic, considering she has just lost her only anker in society.
I really loved how there were strong friendships between her and two male best friends, even though they were a bit too stereotypical, with the muscled nice guy and the super intelligent coder. She meets new people who she immediately trusts with important stuff, and who are willing to help her no matter what. It is explained in the story, but it did feel a bit convenient really. About half way through, the romance does start to kick in though, and instead of adding to the book, I found it rather sigh worthy in its predictability. I especially bought this book because it did *not* sound like a romance, and I'm always looking for UF written by women, so I was quite annoyed at the book taking this slant.
The world building was ok, but didn't really blow me away. We race around half of Europe, and as a German myself I found it a bit funny when some "European habits" were mentioned. However it seemed quite well researched in the places I did know! The supernatural take on Pandora's box was interesting, but just too small a part to really catch my interest as much as I'd have liked.
The end is really frustrating instead of satisfying, and definitely a main reason why I'm going for 3 and not 4 stars, despite it being a quick and entertaining read.
It's definitely not enough romance to satisfy the actual romance crowd, but it's decidedly more romance than I'd like in my Urban Fantasy. This mix might hit the sweet spot for some people, but it doesn't make it easy to sort into a target audience.
I really enjoyed the start, a 20 something female main character, an archaeologist as well, who doesn't really know her place in the world yet. The book starts with her losing her mum, her only real family, as they spent all her life fleeing from her father's family. I liked how she wasn't a badass fighter right from the get go, but a young woman trying to find a way through all the obstacles life throws at her. She makes a lot of dumb decisions, but they didn't feel like ones made for plot purposes, but realistic, considering she has just lost her only anker in society.
I really loved how there were strong friendships between her and two male best friends, even though they were a bit too stereotypical, with the muscled nice guy and the super intelligent coder. She meets new people who she immediately trusts with important stuff, and who are willing to help her no matter what. It is explained in the story, but it did feel a bit convenient really. About half way through, the romance does start to kick in though, and instead of adding to the book, I found it rather sigh worthy in its predictability. I especially bought this book because it did *not* sound like a romance, and I'm always looking for UF written by women, so I was quite annoyed at the book taking this slant.
The world building was ok, but didn't really blow me away. We race around half of Europe, and as a German myself I found it a bit funny when some "European habits" were mentioned. However it seemed quite well researched in the places I did know! The supernatural take on Pandora's box was interesting, but just too small a part to really catch my interest as much as I'd have liked.
The end is really frustrating instead of satisfying, and definitely a main reason why I'm going for 3 and not 4 stars, despite it being a quick and entertaining read.
frostbitsky's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I got this almost 10 years ago at New York Comic Con 2013. There was a free signing that a friend and I got in line for. I don't know what prompted us to do so except that at the time I would get anything that was free at a con. Now I'm more thoughtful and selective.
I liked the world building and the mythology. It's a good start to a series because it does leave a lot of questions.
Zoe being an archeologist reminded me of Diana Bishop from A Discovery of Witches becoming an alchemy historian. Both were ignorant of their supernatural abilities and yet were instinctively drawn to choose professions that are linked to those abilities.
There are lots of characters and details to remember. I did sometimes forget some of them. There are several different groups of villains after Zoe. Zoe also makes several (questionable?) allies.
There's lots of action in different locations. Sometimes I did find the actions scenes to be too vague and I couldn't picture what was happening.
The story is not all dark and heavy. The humor did make me chuckle.
The end did have a dark turn though and it ends on a cliffhanger. Makes sense since it's a trilogy. I want answers, but I also didn't love it. So I'm not motivated to continue. I wonder if I read it 10 years ago if I would've loved it and read the sequels. I'll never know.
3 out of 5 Artifacts.
Quote I liked:
Page 334 - All archeology is destruction, I thought as I worked, trying to ignore the blood welling from the cuts on my clawed fingers. As we dig, we destroy context. But we do it so that we can get the information, more important the artifacts themselves, no matter how fascinating they might be.
I liked the world building and the mythology. It's a good start to a series because it does leave a lot of questions.
Zoe being an archeologist reminded me of Diana Bishop from A Discovery of Witches becoming an alchemy historian. Both were ignorant of their supernatural abilities and yet were instinctively drawn to choose professions that are linked to those abilities.
There are lots of characters and details to remember. I did sometimes forget some of them. There are several different groups of villains after Zoe. Zoe also makes several (questionable?) allies.
There's lots of action in different locations. Sometimes I did find the actions scenes to be too vague and I couldn't picture what was happening.
The story is not all dark and heavy. The humor did make me chuckle.
The end did have a dark turn though and it ends on a cliffhanger. Makes sense since it's a trilogy. I want answers, but I also didn't love it. So I'm not motivated to continue. I wonder if I read it 10 years ago if I would've loved it and read the sequels. I'll never know.
3 out of 5 Artifacts.
Quote I liked:
Page 334 - All archeology is destruction, I thought as I worked, trying to ignore the blood welling from the cuts on my clawed fingers. As we dig, we destroy context. But we do it so that we can get the information, more important the artifacts themselves, no matter how fascinating they might be.
nuitpieta's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5 Stars)
I almost always like reading supernatural books. What I enjoyed most about the story was the cool plot. The idea of a story about Pandora's Box sounded awesome. I also really like reading about archaeology. The author definitely did their research, because the story covered a number of different locations in Europe. Still I struggled to finish reading the story. It felt like the book had a lot of irrelevant content. The last 100 pages also felt added on. It's sad because the writing was good minus some of the pacing. Overall I didn't enjoy the book nearly as much as I wanted to. Happy reading!
I almost always like reading supernatural books. What I enjoyed most about the story was the cool plot. The idea of a story about Pandora's Box sounded awesome. I also really like reading about archaeology. The author definitely did their research, because the story covered a number of different locations in Europe. Still I struggled to finish reading the story. It felt like the book had a lot of irrelevant content. The last 100 pages also felt added on. It's sad because the writing was good minus some of the pacing. Overall I didn't enjoy the book nearly as much as I wanted to. Happy reading!
blood_rose_books's review against another edition
2.0
In her first full length book (I understand that there are some short stories within the same world that she has also done, but I have not personally read) in a paranormal series, Dana Camerson takes the readers on an archeological hunt for figures that could unlock one of the most deadly forces that has ever threated mankind:
Zoe and her mother have been on the run as long as she can remember. Her mother swears that Zoe's father is part of a bad family and they need to avoid them at all cost. When Zoe's mother dies, she plans to take their exit plan and leave the city but Zoe's "cousin" is kidnapped by a Russian mobster who is obsessed with a Greek figurine that Zoe has in her possession as well as wants her to find the others to complete the set believing that they hold the key to Pandora's Box. Zoe will do anything to save his life, but her father's "people" have found her she is on the run from them as well. However, they hold to secret of who/what Zoe really is, she is Fangborn and only they can help her control the powers that she has kept hidden for so long. It is going to take every part of Zoe to track down the missing pieces of the box and to save herself and friends in the process, that mean allying herself with the people that she has been running from her entire life.
I always struggle to find a werewolf based book, especially in the past years, that are not over sexualized and the book is more paranormal romance than paranormal mystery. In this aspects Cameron really succeeds and made me very happy, lol. This book had everything that I wanted it to: Werewolves: Check. Different concept involving Werewolves and Vampires: Check. Cool use of archeology and anthropology: Check. But for some unknown reason I could not get into this book. I have no idea why, but something in this novel never grabbed a hold of me and I found that I was willing to put the book down.
I honestly don't know what happened, the only think that I can find that I did not like about the book is I found that Cameron (and it is not really a dislike but more of a criticism) is that I found that Cameron tries to pour too much information into this book. Cameron finds the need to explain the world because Zoe does not know what she or where she came from. This means that the reader is learning about this world along with Zoe, so that is a lot of information to take in. On top of this information the reader is given in relation to the search for the artifacts, proper archeological terms and techniques as well as the history about the artifacts and the time that they came from. The book just gets a little too convoluted to all the information that Cameron is trying to bring forward.
Zoe is a very likeable character. Although she does not what she is or if she is going insane, she is willing to put herself on the line in order to save those that she loves. She always seems to come second in every situation, even though she is not a fighter, she is willing to use her wits in order to survive, as her and her mom had being doing so for a long time. I am interested to know more about the Fangborn and how Zoe's father and family rank within their hierarchy as well as their history. Although Cameron tries to put in as much as possible about the Fangborn, there are still many gaps that need to be filled and I want to know more.
I would read the next book in this series, as it seemed to have so many things going for it that I am unable to actually pinpoint why I was not able to get into this book. I think that Cameron could have something here, and I want to know more about Zoe, I just hope the next book can really deliver.
Enjoy!!!
Zoe and her mother have been on the run as long as she can remember. Her mother swears that Zoe's father is part of a bad family and they need to avoid them at all cost. When Zoe's mother dies, she plans to take their exit plan and leave the city but Zoe's "cousin" is kidnapped by a Russian mobster who is obsessed with a Greek figurine that Zoe has in her possession as well as wants her to find the others to complete the set believing that they hold the key to Pandora's Box. Zoe will do anything to save his life, but her father's "people" have found her she is on the run from them as well. However, they hold to secret of who/what Zoe really is, she is Fangborn and only they can help her control the powers that she has kept hidden for so long. It is going to take every part of Zoe to track down the missing pieces of the box and to save herself and friends in the process, that mean allying herself with the people that she has been running from her entire life.
I always struggle to find a werewolf based book, especially in the past years, that are not over sexualized and the book is more paranormal romance than paranormal mystery. In this aspects Cameron really succeeds and made me very happy, lol. This book had everything that I wanted it to: Werewolves: Check. Different concept involving Werewolves and Vampires: Check. Cool use of archeology and anthropology: Check. But for some unknown reason I could not get into this book. I have no idea why, but something in this novel never grabbed a hold of me and I found that I was willing to put the book down.
I honestly don't know what happened, the only think that I can find that I did not like about the book is I found that Cameron (and it is not really a dislike but more of a criticism) is that I found that Cameron tries to pour too much information into this book. Cameron finds the need to explain the world because Zoe does not know what she or where she came from. This means that the reader is learning about this world along with Zoe, so that is a lot of information to take in. On top of this information the reader is given in relation to the search for the artifacts, proper archeological terms and techniques as well as the history about the artifacts and the time that they came from. The book just gets a little too convoluted to all the information that Cameron is trying to bring forward.
Zoe is a very likeable character. Although she does not what she is or if she is going insane, she is willing to put herself on the line in order to save those that she loves. She always seems to come second in every situation, even though she is not a fighter, she is willing to use her wits in order to survive, as her and her mom had being doing so for a long time. I am interested to know more about the Fangborn and how Zoe's father and family rank within their hierarchy as well as their history. Although Cameron tries to put in as much as possible about the Fangborn, there are still many gaps that need to be filled and I want to know more.
I would read the next book in this series, as it seemed to have so many things going for it that I am unable to actually pinpoint why I was not able to get into this book. I think that Cameron could have something here, and I want to know more about Zoe, I just hope the next book can really deliver.
Enjoy!!!
swt's review against another edition
Lot of potential but way too many coincidences occurred.