Scan barcode
kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
Second in the Gunnie Rose urban fantasy series set in an alternative history and revolving around Lizbeth Rose and set in a very different, gunslinger-oriented not-US.
This eARC was sent to me by NetGalley and Saga Press for an honest review.
My Take
I do like Lizbeth. She doesn't tolerate spousal abuse, and she has the chutzpah to stand up to abusers. Ahem. This girl just ain't gonna fit in with what a "proper woman" is in Sally. Nope. Harris plays this up with Liz's matter-of-fact approach to being herself and to sharing a room...and a bed...with Eli, contrasting this with the townspeople's "moral" attitudes. It's all helped along by first person protagonist point-of-view from Lizbeth's perspective. Lol, I can't help it, I do adore Liz's attitude and her commentary as she attempts to fit in.
Conflict...mmm. Seems that Harriet, Liz, and Eli are all after the same thing, although Eli has a greater incentive to succeed — after events in An Easy Death, 1, he's not in favor at court anymore. There's such potential for drama with each of them having a different goal, but it all slides together too easily.
It's odd how Harris uses lowercase for proper names of people's name tags and businesses.
Oh lord, I HAD to crack up at Liz's deft handling of Miss Mercer's invasion of Liz and Eli's hotel room, lol. It's an incident that leads to that dinner invitation where Millie Fielder receives unexpected support.
I like A Longer Fall, but there are issues in this that bug me. Harris is an accomplished writer. Between her Sookie Stackhouse series, Harper Connelly series, and Midnight, Texas series, I'd pick up anything of hers to read. But A Longer Fall slips back and forth between callow and experienced writing.
It wasn't helped by the naive thinking of the do-gooders in Sally about that drastic change coming up. This is a thought process that needed to evolve and not simply jump out at us. I also have a bone to pick with the lack of background. Admittedly, I haven't read the first book in the Gunnie Rose series, but it's still a good idea to figure a reader will happen on a book and read it, without having read the preceding tales in a series. Or that it may have been awhile since they read the previous book. I know it would have lessened my confusion as to whether Texoma is a country, a county, or a town. As for Segundo Mexia... Is it a town? A country?
Although, how the hoped-for change actually does come about was quite unexpected. It's so perfect with how everyone wants to see it go down. Too perfect, really. Too easy.
There is plenty of action in this, and it's driven by A Longer Fall's characters. And with all the references (I'm guessing) back to An Easy Death, I reckon I'll have to read it to get the answers to my questions...
The Story
The crew's destination is a small town in a country not far from Dallas. A town very few travel on to. Sally. In Dixie.
The cargo is a crate filled with a chest with unimaginable power, intended to free the downtrodden Blacks of Sally. A promise made by a husband to his dying wife.
But there are those opposed to these rebellious intentions.
The Characters
Lizbeth Rose, a.k.a., Gunnie Rose, is a famous shooter based in Segundo Mexia. Candle is her mother, a school teacher married to Jackson Skidder, Liz's stepfather. Felicia is Liz's half-sister, a granddaughter of Grigori Rasputin. Rasputin's bastard son Oleg Karkarov had been Liz and Felicia's father.
Eli Savarov, a.k.a., Prince Ilya Savarov, is a friend, a grigori, a wizard of the Holy Russian Empire with whom Liz has worked before. Eli's father, Prince Vladimir Savaorv, had been a traitor. Peter is a younger brother as well as a grigori with an affinity for air. There are also two sisters, all of whose futures depend on Eli's success. Paulina had been Eli's partner in An Easy Death with the ability to kill people in exotic ways. Klementina was an old woman. Eli's two older brothers claim they'll help the sisters.
The Lucky Crew is...
...Liz's new crew after events in An Easy Death. It's led by Jake Tutwiler, Lavender Brown's former second-in-command. His boyfriend is Burke Printer, who prints a newspaper in Sweetwater, Texoma. Maddy Smith, another gunnie, comes from a farm in the middle of nowhere; she had introduced Jake to his boyfriend. Charlie Chop made a name for himself throwing his hand ax in the border skirmishes. Rogelio Socorro seems to handsome people to death.
Harriet Ritter is partnered up with Travis Seeley, and they work for Iron Hand Security, a security company based in Britannia, North Carolina, with a very tough rep.
The town of Sally is in Dixie and is...
...where women are second-class citizens and all magic is godless. The "moralistic" Mr Mercer owns the Pleasant Rest Hotel. Nellie Mercer is his snooty, nosy daughter, whose rudeness is noted by another hotel guest. James Edward Johnson is a Black waiter who is part of the conspiracy. Is he also John Edward?? Harvey is Nellie's "Intended" whose bullying is aided by his "Friend".
Clyde Lathrop is the sheriff of the county and investigating the train explosion. Clete is a bloodhound. Dr Jerry Fielder is a decent guy, as is his wife, Millie, who has two years of teacher college. Nurses Finch, Underwood, Allen and Dr Gimball work at Ballard Memorial Hospital. Miss Mayhew is the nurse at reception. Hutchinson and Debeham's are both busy funeral homes; the obnoxious Donald Barton works at Hutchinson. Caleb Wellburn lost his wife.
Kempton's Shoe Repair is owned by Brent Kempton who employs Phineas. Beverly's Restaurant. Ballard's Pharmacy does sodas and shakes as well. Edith works at a drug store. Aunt Lillybeth's is a restaurant that serves pecan pie.
Galilee Clelland had been Liz's best friend who had worked as a guard. Freedom is the son she'd had by an employer's son; Freedom has a daughter. Reva and Hosea Clelland are Galilee's Black parents.
The Ballards are the power family in Sally. Amanda Ballard was offered up to Tsar Nicholas by her father, Samuel. Mrs Ballard is the matriarch. Holden is Amanda's violent brother. Juanita Poe is a servant.
Mrs Evvie Moultry neé Ballard sounds like she's a nasty piece of work. Willa May is a Black girl hired as her caregiver. Her son, Norman Moultry, is a lawyer married to Carolyn Ann.
Sarah Byrne is an unemployed shooter. Elijah is a Black who is more loyal to money.
The Holy Russian Empire (HRE) consists of...
...California and Oregon these days. Eli serves Tsar Alexei, who has a bleeding disease and is kept alive by, rather, he had been kept alive, by Grigori Rasputin. Now that Rasputin has died, they're hunting for Rasputin's by-blows. Amanda Ballard had been Alexei's first wife. Felix is a fairly new grigori, a death wizard, without much empathy. Gilbert is Eli's immediate superior in the wind guild. His former superior, Dmitri, was executed. Tsar Nicholas had been Alexei's father. More grigori include two women; a Black man, Kasper; a Russian, Simon; and, an Englishman, Godfrey.
The church of Holy Russia is Christian Orthodox which believes in Saint Moses the Black. A.k.a., Abba Moses the Robber and Moses the Ethiopian, this saint actually existed and was one of the first Blacks to achieve sainthood.
Stewart and Burton Cole are brothers from Shreveport and shooters.
The Society of the Lamb is...
...this tale's version of the Ku Klux Klan who don't tolerate Blacks or witches.
Segundo Mexia is...
...where Liz has a home. Chrissie is her best friend with a new baby girl, Emily Jane. Dan Brick is a neighbor who thinks Liz is his. John Seahorse runs a combination stable and garage.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a cloudy brown background with pale gray gender symbols set in a half-moon, bottom-based outline of fire, lined up in a row above the orange-and-yellow gradation of the title at the very bottom. At the top is an info blurb in pale gray. The author's name is immediately below it in the same gradated orange. In the center is a sulky looking Lizbeth in profile, her arms crossed, but her face turned to glare at us and wearing a tan short-sleeved, round-necked blouse and deeper brown trousers. Her left hand is holding a smoking gun. Her dark hair is done up in a braid and twisted together at the back of her head.
The only reason for the title I can think of is that it is A Longer Fall yet, for Liz, when Eli makes his decision.
This eARC was sent to me by NetGalley and Saga Press for an honest review.
My Take
I do like Lizbeth. She doesn't tolerate spousal abuse, and she has the chutzpah to stand up to abusers. Ahem. This girl just ain't gonna fit in with what a "proper woman" is in Sally. Nope. Harris plays this up with Liz's matter-of-fact approach to being herself and to sharing a room...and a bed...with Eli, contrasting this with the townspeople's "moral" attitudes. It's all helped along by first person protagonist point-of-view from Lizbeth's perspective. Lol, I can't help it, I do adore Liz's attitude and her commentary as she attempts to fit in.
Conflict...mmm. Seems that Harriet, Liz, and Eli are all after the same thing, although Eli has a greater incentive to succeed — after events in An Easy Death, 1, he's not in favor at court anymore. There's such potential for drama with each of them having a different goal, but it all slides together too easily.
It's odd how Harris uses lowercase for proper names of people's name tags and businesses.
Oh lord, I HAD to crack up at Liz's deft handling of Miss Mercer's invasion of Liz and Eli's hotel room, lol. It's an incident that leads to that dinner invitation where Millie Fielder receives unexpected support.
I like A Longer Fall, but there are issues in this that bug me. Harris is an accomplished writer. Between her Sookie Stackhouse series, Harper Connelly series, and Midnight, Texas series, I'd pick up anything of hers to read. But A Longer Fall slips back and forth between callow and experienced writing.
It wasn't helped by the naive thinking of the do-gooders in Sally about that drastic change coming up. This is a thought process that needed to evolve and not simply jump out at us. I also have a bone to pick with the lack of background. Admittedly, I haven't read the first book in the Gunnie Rose series, but it's still a good idea to figure a reader will happen on a book and read it, without having read the preceding tales in a series. Or that it may have been awhile since they read the previous book. I know it would have lessened my confusion as to whether Texoma is a country, a county, or a town. As for Segundo Mexia... Is it a town? A country?
Although, how the hoped-for change actually does come about was quite unexpected. It's so perfect with how everyone wants to see it go down. Too perfect, really. Too easy.
There is plenty of action in this, and it's driven by A Longer Fall's characters. And with all the references (I'm guessing) back to An Easy Death, I reckon I'll have to read it to get the answers to my questions...
The Story
The crew's destination is a small town in a country not far from Dallas. A town very few travel on to. Sally. In Dixie.
The cargo is a crate filled with a chest with unimaginable power, intended to free the downtrodden Blacks of Sally. A promise made by a husband to his dying wife.
But there are those opposed to these rebellious intentions.
The Characters
Lizbeth Rose, a.k.a., Gunnie Rose, is a famous shooter based in Segundo Mexia. Candle is her mother, a school teacher married to Jackson Skidder, Liz's stepfather. Felicia is Liz's half-sister, a granddaughter of Grigori Rasputin. Rasputin's bastard son Oleg Karkarov had been Liz and Felicia's father.
Eli Savarov, a.k.a., Prince Ilya Savarov, is a friend, a grigori, a wizard of the Holy Russian Empire with whom Liz has worked before. Eli's father, Prince Vladimir Savaorv, had been a traitor. Peter is a younger brother as well as a grigori with an affinity for air. There are also two sisters, all of whose futures depend on Eli's success. Paulina had been Eli's partner in An Easy Death with the ability to kill people in exotic ways. Klementina was an old woman. Eli's two older brothers claim they'll help the sisters.
The Lucky Crew is...
...Liz's new crew after events in An Easy Death. It's led by Jake Tutwiler, Lavender Brown's former second-in-command. His boyfriend is Burke Printer, who prints a newspaper in Sweetwater, Texoma. Maddy Smith, another gunnie, comes from a farm in the middle of nowhere; she had introduced Jake to his boyfriend. Charlie Chop made a name for himself throwing his hand ax in the border skirmishes. Rogelio Socorro seems to handsome people to death.
Harriet Ritter is partnered up with Travis Seeley, and they work for Iron Hand Security, a security company based in Britannia, North Carolina, with a very tough rep.
The town of Sally is in Dixie and is...
...where women are second-class citizens and all magic is godless. The "moralistic" Mr Mercer owns the Pleasant Rest Hotel. Nellie Mercer is his snooty, nosy daughter, whose rudeness is noted by another hotel guest. James Edward Johnson is a Black waiter who is part of the conspiracy. Is he also John Edward?? Harvey is Nellie's "Intended" whose bullying is aided by his "Friend".
Clyde Lathrop is the sheriff of the county and investigating the train explosion. Clete is a bloodhound. Dr Jerry Fielder is a decent guy, as is his wife, Millie, who has two years of teacher college. Nurses Finch, Underwood, Allen and Dr Gimball work at Ballard Memorial Hospital. Miss Mayhew is the nurse at reception. Hutchinson and Debeham's are both busy funeral homes; the obnoxious Donald Barton works at Hutchinson. Caleb Wellburn lost his wife.
Kempton's Shoe Repair is owned by Brent Kempton who employs Phineas. Beverly's Restaurant. Ballard's Pharmacy does sodas and shakes as well. Edith works at a drug store. Aunt Lillybeth's is a restaurant that serves pecan pie.
Galilee Clelland had been Liz's best friend who had worked as a guard. Freedom is the son she'd had by an employer's son; Freedom has a daughter. Reva and Hosea Clelland are Galilee's Black parents.
The Ballards are the power family in Sally. Amanda Ballard was offered up to Tsar Nicholas by her father, Samuel. Mrs Ballard is the matriarch. Holden is Amanda's violent brother. Juanita Poe is a servant.
Mrs Evvie Moultry neé Ballard sounds like she's a nasty piece of work. Willa May is a Black girl hired as her caregiver. Her son, Norman Moultry, is a lawyer married to Carolyn Ann.
Sarah Byrne is an unemployed shooter. Elijah is a Black who is more loyal to money.
The Holy Russian Empire (HRE) consists of...
...California and Oregon these days. Eli serves Tsar Alexei, who has a bleeding disease and is kept alive by, rather, he had been kept alive, by Grigori Rasputin. Now that Rasputin has died, they're hunting for Rasputin's by-blows. Amanda Ballard had been Alexei's first wife. Felix is a fairly new grigori, a death wizard, without much empathy. Gilbert is Eli's immediate superior in the wind guild. His former superior, Dmitri, was executed. Tsar Nicholas had been Alexei's father. More grigori include two women; a Black man, Kasper; a Russian, Simon; and, an Englishman, Godfrey.
The church of Holy Russia is Christian Orthodox which believes in Saint Moses the Black. A.k.a., Abba Moses the Robber and Moses the Ethiopian, this saint actually existed and was one of the first Blacks to achieve sainthood.
Stewart and Burton Cole are brothers from Shreveport and shooters.
The Society of the Lamb is...
...this tale's version of the Ku Klux Klan who don't tolerate Blacks or witches.
Segundo Mexia is...
...where Liz has a home. Chrissie is her best friend with a new baby girl, Emily Jane. Dan Brick is a neighbor who thinks Liz is his. John Seahorse runs a combination stable and garage.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a cloudy brown background with pale gray gender symbols set in a half-moon, bottom-based outline of fire, lined up in a row above the orange-and-yellow gradation of the title at the very bottom. At the top is an info blurb in pale gray. The author's name is immediately below it in the same gradated orange. In the center is a sulky looking Lizbeth in profile, her arms crossed, but her face turned to glare at us and wearing a tan short-sleeved, round-necked blouse and deeper brown trousers. Her left hand is holding a smoking gun. Her dark hair is done up in a braid and twisted together at the back of her head.
The only reason for the title I can think of is that it is A Longer Fall yet, for Liz, when Eli makes his decision.
yodamom's review against another edition
4.0
Western gunslinger woman, Russian Mob type wizard, dead bones, train robberies, slavery, bloodhounds, backstabbing, dead bodies and alligators. The West is indeed a wild place in this series. A good continuation of the series with many open ends when it’s done.
Liz is back and she’s working to guard a box traveling on a train with a new crew. Things happen as they do often on trains in the Westerns, bullets fly, people die and Liz is left bewildered. Till Eli shows up out of the blue looking worse than the last time she saw him in Mexico. There are questions, but they’ll have to wait because somebody just got murdered and Liz wants to stay alive. This town they are stuck in is not welcoming. Together again, the pieces slowly come together in many ways.
I like Liz and Eli. I like them working together, each of them is different enough to make the usual unusual. The sex scenes are not up to Ms Harris’s ability, she choose to make them there but not interesting. I would have liked to see a little R rated sex, it was so PG. I will read the next book because of them.
It’s hard to place this in a time. My brain needs to nail it down, old west/modern/future. the mix of old West and modern throws me off sometimes. It felt forced in bits, trying too hard to be a Western and yet not. I’m not loving the world, but I love the characters.
Liz is back and she’s working to guard a box traveling on a train with a new crew. Things happen as they do often on trains in the Westerns, bullets fly, people die and Liz is left bewildered. Till Eli shows up out of the blue looking worse than the last time she saw him in Mexico. There are questions, but they’ll have to wait because somebody just got murdered and Liz wants to stay alive. This town they are stuck in is not welcoming. Together again, the pieces slowly come together in many ways.
I like Liz and Eli. I like them working together, each of them is different enough to make the usual unusual. The sex scenes are not up to Ms Harris’s ability, she choose to make them there but not interesting. I would have liked to see a little R rated sex, it was so PG. I will read the next book because of them.
It’s hard to place this in a time. My brain needs to nail it down, old west/modern/future. the mix of old West and modern throws me off sometimes. It felt forced in bits, trying too hard to be a Western and yet not. I’m not loving the world, but I love the characters.
willrefuge's review against another edition
2.0
2 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/a-longer-fall-by-charlaine-harris-review/
A Longer Fall is the second Gunnie Rose book by Charlaine Harris; set in a olden but fractured United States, where people behave much the same way they do today. Differently.
Lizbeth Rose, fresh off the trouble with wizards and blood and death from An Easy Death, has joined up with a new crew, this one just as inherently disposable as the last. And we’re not through the first chapter before bodies start dropping. Hired to deliver a crate of mysterious origin and product to Dixie, Lizbeth and the crew hop a train and set off east. But when the train is hijacked (or blown up) and half her new crew murdered, Lizbeth must once more pick up the pieces, carrying through with the job in place of her friends.
But life is a lot different in Dixie, where a person is judged more on their skin color and gender than on how well they can shoot. To navigate the politics and bias, Lizbeth must fit in. And to fit in, she has to take on a disguise. Luckily, there’s someone familiar around to help her deal. Enter the Grigori Wizard, Eli Savarov.
He is more than happy to see Lizbeth around, having been dispatched to Dixie on his very own secret mission. But will his intervention save her life, or just muddle it up more? And even if they locate the crate, what will Lizbeth do about it? And—maybe more importantly—Eli?
Okay, so where do I start?
I like Eli Savarov as a character. His interactions with Lizbeth provide an excellent dynamic. More so, even, in this book than the last. I would never have put him in this book, though. I mean, I didn’t really care for the story itself, but we’ll get to that later. This is about establishing a likable, new character for a potentially lengthy, episodic series. And it is. The ending proves it. Introducing the same surprise character in back to back books makes it less of a surprise. Even more so if they’re a love interest, which Eli definitely is. Shouldn’t have used him in the second book, pretty much.
The story. At first, the story of A Longer Fall is pretty catchy. Stolen crate full of unknown goods by a mysterious assailant. Shady dealings in Dixie. A familiar face, a good team dynamic, enough action. It actually took me a while to figure out why exactly the story put me off. The answer is complicated. This really would’ve worked better as a suspense or horror novel, but it’s not written like one. There’s not enough expense. Or horror. The pace is too quick for that. The thriller-fantasy aspect that worked so well in the last novel doesn’t work here. And once the pace really starts to pick up, the thrill just isn’t there. The mystery is good, but it’s never really explained. Even in the end.
The plot itself is… what is it? In the beginning it was lacking. Details were few and far between. A detailed, well-written setting is absent once again. Description is once more at a minimum, with more time given to dialogue. If one were to build suspense from the mystery within—that would be one thing. But it’s mostly not. There’s dialogue up to the action-y parts, and that’s it. Little substance is ever given to the mystery, or the suspense.
The story begins to fall apart around the three-quarters mark. Before that, some interesting and curious choices were made. There were plot-holes, questions left unanswered. I had a pretty good handle on what was going on, but then some things happened. Off-the-wall things. Without spoilers, it’s hard to describe. But the ending was weird. Not what happened, just how we got there. It felt unrealistic. To say the least. Definitely felt forced. And then, like the author just wanted to continue writing an episodic, shoot-em-up series.
This choice (or choices) ruined a lot for me. Up to this point, the book wasn’t that bad. The characters were certainly a plus. Lizbeth had quite an arc, though I won’t get into it. And definite character development. Then we get to 75% and it all goes out the window. Later, she even pulls a full 180. On a dime.
Dixie provides an interesting setting. I did NOT like it. It wasn’t badly written or anything. It’s just, that time, it… it’s, well… An old southern feel. Women and men have different places. Different roles. And never shall the two meet. “Coloreds” are often treated like dirt, following the abolition of slavery. But in a place like Dixie, which had seen the fall of the Union government—why did it stay abolished? Reading through, there certainly doesn’t seem like there’s a reason. But it’s never addressed, never explained. I hated Dixie. HATED it. Not just because of the inequality, the feel, the description—but because there are so many things about it left unexplained. So many holes in the world-building. It was just a classic southern place, with inequality and plantations and drawl. BECAUSE. I didn’t think An Easy Death did a great job of world-building Texoma, so right when we had the option of fixing it up in Book #2—we turn around and half-ass some other place.
TL;DR
A Longer Fall probably seemed like a better idea than it ever turned out to be. A thriller that just didn’t thrill. A mystery that left too many questions unanswered. A bit of character development and growth thrown out at the end for no discernible reason. A frankly lazy bit of world-building. The ending definitely soured me. More, I guess. It’s not like I’d expected a happy ending, but the end here was forced. It’ll continue the series, though it will certainly continue without me. I can’t recommend this, but it appears I’m one of the few. Oh well, to each their own.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2020/01/13/a-longer-fall-by-charlaine-harris-review/
A Longer Fall is the second Gunnie Rose book by Charlaine Harris; set in a olden but fractured United States, where people behave much the same way they do today. Differently.
Lizbeth Rose, fresh off the trouble with wizards and blood and death from An Easy Death, has joined up with a new crew, this one just as inherently disposable as the last. And we’re not through the first chapter before bodies start dropping. Hired to deliver a crate of mysterious origin and product to Dixie, Lizbeth and the crew hop a train and set off east. But when the train is hijacked (or blown up) and half her new crew murdered, Lizbeth must once more pick up the pieces, carrying through with the job in place of her friends.
But life is a lot different in Dixie, where a person is judged more on their skin color and gender than on how well they can shoot. To navigate the politics and bias, Lizbeth must fit in. And to fit in, she has to take on a disguise. Luckily, there’s someone familiar around to help her deal. Enter the Grigori Wizard, Eli Savarov.
He is more than happy to see Lizbeth around, having been dispatched to Dixie on his very own secret mission. But will his intervention save her life, or just muddle it up more? And even if they locate the crate, what will Lizbeth do about it? And—maybe more importantly—Eli?
Okay, so where do I start?
I like Eli Savarov as a character. His interactions with Lizbeth provide an excellent dynamic. More so, even, in this book than the last. I would never have put him in this book, though. I mean, I didn’t really care for the story itself, but we’ll get to that later. This is about establishing a likable, new character for a potentially lengthy, episodic series. And it is. The ending proves it. Introducing the same surprise character in back to back books makes it less of a surprise. Even more so if they’re a love interest, which Eli definitely is. Shouldn’t have used him in the second book, pretty much.
The story. At first, the story of A Longer Fall is pretty catchy. Stolen crate full of unknown goods by a mysterious assailant. Shady dealings in Dixie. A familiar face, a good team dynamic, enough action. It actually took me a while to figure out why exactly the story put me off. The answer is complicated. This really would’ve worked better as a suspense or horror novel, but it’s not written like one. There’s not enough expense. Or horror. The pace is too quick for that. The thriller-fantasy aspect that worked so well in the last novel doesn’t work here. And once the pace really starts to pick up, the thrill just isn’t there. The mystery is good, but it’s never really explained. Even in the end.
The plot itself is… what is it? In the beginning it was lacking. Details were few and far between. A detailed, well-written setting is absent once again. Description is once more at a minimum, with more time given to dialogue. If one were to build suspense from the mystery within—that would be one thing. But it’s mostly not. There’s dialogue up to the action-y parts, and that’s it. Little substance is ever given to the mystery, or the suspense.
The story begins to fall apart around the three-quarters mark. Before that, some interesting and curious choices were made. There were plot-holes, questions left unanswered. I had a pretty good handle on what was going on, but then some things happened. Off-the-wall things. Without spoilers, it’s hard to describe. But the ending was weird. Not what happened, just how we got there. It felt unrealistic. To say the least. Definitely felt forced. And then, like the author just wanted to continue writing an episodic, shoot-em-up series.
This choice (or choices) ruined a lot for me. Up to this point, the book wasn’t that bad. The characters were certainly a plus. Lizbeth had quite an arc, though I won’t get into it. And definite character development. Then we get to 75% and it all goes out the window. Later, she even pulls a full 180. On a dime.
Dixie provides an interesting setting. I did NOT like it. It wasn’t badly written or anything. It’s just, that time, it… it’s, well… An old southern feel. Women and men have different places. Different roles. And never shall the two meet. “Coloreds” are often treated like dirt, following the abolition of slavery. But in a place like Dixie, which had seen the fall of the Union government—why did it stay abolished? Reading through, there certainly doesn’t seem like there’s a reason. But it’s never addressed, never explained. I hated Dixie. HATED it. Not just because of the inequality, the feel, the description—but because there are so many things about it left unexplained. So many holes in the world-building. It was just a classic southern place, with inequality and plantations and drawl. BECAUSE. I didn’t think An Easy Death did a great job of world-building Texoma, so right when we had the option of fixing it up in Book #2—we turn around and half-ass some other place.
TL;DR
A Longer Fall probably seemed like a better idea than it ever turned out to be. A thriller that just didn’t thrill. A mystery that left too many questions unanswered. A bit of character development and growth thrown out at the end for no discernible reason. A frankly lazy bit of world-building. The ending definitely soured me. More, I guess. It’s not like I’d expected a happy ending, but the end here was forced. It’ll continue the series, though it will certainly continue without me. I can’t recommend this, but it appears I’m one of the few. Oh well, to each their own.
melanied01's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
telerit's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
vonderbash's review against another edition
5.0
I almost did cartwheels when I received this ARC. I love Charlaine and this series is so fun.
I enjoyed “An Easy Death” but I loved “A Longer Fall.” I didn’t want to put it down. I found Lizbeth’s new adventure to be enthralling and I loved learning more about her world. I’ll be counting down the days until book 3 because I can’t wait to see what happens next!
I enjoyed “An Easy Death” but I loved “A Longer Fall.” I didn’t want to put it down. I found Lizbeth’s new adventure to be enthralling and I loved learning more about her world. I’ll be counting down the days until book 3 because I can’t wait to see what happens next!
lynguy1's review against another edition
5.0
A LONGER FALL by Charlaine Harris is the second book in the new Gunnie Rose series. This series spans several genres including urban fantasy, western, alternate history, and thriller with magic adding another level.
The story begins with our protagonist Lizbeth Rose (Gunnie Rose) on a train heading from Texoma to the country of Dixie with a new gunnie crew guarding a crate they need to deliver in Sally, a town in Dixie. By the end of the first chapter there has been an explosion and the train has been derailed near their destination. What started as an easy protection job has now evolved into something else. Lizbeth’s friend from book one, Eli Savarov shows up shown after the train derailment and they join forces to continue the mission. Both Lizbeth’s weapons expertise and Eli’s magic are needed to help them succeed. Who are their friends and who are enemies?
Dixie has some very old-fashioned beliefs that women should be wearing dresses, not pants. Additionally, this book takes on the underlying themes of racism and social stratification. There is not quite as much action in this book as in book one in the series, but there is still plenty of it as well as a couple of slightly steamy, but not graphic scenes.
Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite authors and she did not let me down with this unique addition to the new series. The worldbuilding is fantastic and the characters are compelling. Lizbeth's motivations are believable and well-drawn and the secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story. Lizbeth is a strong, and capable female protagonist. The plot twists were believable but several were unexpected. The story moved at an appropriate pace. The scenes were well described and gave me a clear sense of place.
I recommend that those that are interested in this series read the books in order. The first book in the series explains the alternative history aspect that is not fully explained in book two. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you like blended genre books, then this may be a book that you would enjoy.
Many thanks to Saga Press / Gallery and Charlaine Harris for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
The story begins with our protagonist Lizbeth Rose (Gunnie Rose) on a train heading from Texoma to the country of Dixie with a new gunnie crew guarding a crate they need to deliver in Sally, a town in Dixie. By the end of the first chapter there has been an explosion and the train has been derailed near their destination. What started as an easy protection job has now evolved into something else. Lizbeth’s friend from book one, Eli Savarov shows up shown after the train derailment and they join forces to continue the mission. Both Lizbeth’s weapons expertise and Eli’s magic are needed to help them succeed. Who are their friends and who are enemies?
Dixie has some very old-fashioned beliefs that women should be wearing dresses, not pants. Additionally, this book takes on the underlying themes of racism and social stratification. There is not quite as much action in this book as in book one in the series, but there is still plenty of it as well as a couple of slightly steamy, but not graphic scenes.
Charlaine Harris is one of my favorite authors and she did not let me down with this unique addition to the new series. The worldbuilding is fantastic and the characters are compelling. Lizbeth's motivations are believable and well-drawn and the secondary characters were well-rounded and enhanced the story. Lizbeth is a strong, and capable female protagonist. The plot twists were believable but several were unexpected. The story moved at an appropriate pace. The scenes were well described and gave me a clear sense of place.
I recommend that those that are interested in this series read the books in order. The first book in the series explains the alternative history aspect that is not fully explained in book two. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. If you like blended genre books, then this may be a book that you would enjoy.
Many thanks to Saga Press / Gallery and Charlaine Harris for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
looloolibby's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0