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barb4ry1's review against another edition
3.0
Actual rating: 3.5
What would you do if your child disappeared one day? What would you be willing to sacrifice to find her? Would you give up, say, your eyesight for a chance of a reunion?
Are you sure?
Jeremiah was. Now he's blind but he sees the dead. And the dead see him. He has little to lose - his wife left him years ago. He lost his job. He isolated himself from other people and it's safe to say his relationship with his companion ghosts Scream and Whisper is the only meaningful relationship he maintains.
He's paid to solve other people's problems with ghosts. Additionally, one of the police officers believes he's a psychic and uses his help in his investigations. With the help of his mysterious ghost companion named Whisper, Jeremiah is able to see what happened to the victims through their eyes, in the last seconds of their lives.
A series of murders seem to be connected to his daughter's disappearance. With the help of two outcasts, Denise and Dmitri, Jeremiah is focused on discovering the truth.
It seems the author enjoys beating the hell out of his characters. Don't count on a happy ending. You won't get one.
Characterization is done well. In the beginning, Jeremiah is unlikeable but interesting. He isolated himself from others and doesn't really care about them. While the story progresses we learn about experiences that made him abrasive and boorish. With time the interest in his story turns into sympathy and later on into genuine respect. I can confirm that Joseph Nassise managed to make me root for a character I had originally disliked. Noe an easy feat. To be fair, though, I'm keen on redemption arcs so it wasn't that difficult to make me root for Jeremiah.
I think Jeremiah will be relatable to many readers. Most of us understand what it means to blame ourselves for our past failures and how difficult it can be to actually change our ways. Accompanying Jeremiah on the journey allows the reader to see the echo of their own story within the pages of his. More or less. Contrary to him, I haven't met many ghosts.
Female characters are as interesting, maybe even more so than their male counterparts. Both Whisper(his ghost companion) and Denise Clearwater(a hedge witch) have secrets and interesting backstories. Above all, though, they have distinct personalities.
The writing was quite dense and emotional. I liked it most of the times but I have to say that some of the longer descriptions and blocks of texts were tiring. Probably, it's my main issue with the story. In short, despite high stakes and cruel twists, there were times
when the prose and exposition took me out of the story.
Overall, I'm glad I gave this one a try. If you like dark and emotional fantasy books and would like to meet Harry Dresden's grumpy cousin, give this one a try.
What would you do if your child disappeared one day? What would you be willing to sacrifice to find her? Would you give up, say, your eyesight for a chance of a reunion?
Are you sure?
Jeremiah was. Now he's blind but he sees the dead. And the dead see him. He has little to lose - his wife left him years ago. He lost his job. He isolated himself from other people and it's safe to say his relationship with his companion ghosts Scream and Whisper is the only meaningful relationship he maintains.
He's paid to solve other people's problems with ghosts. Additionally, one of the police officers believes he's a psychic and uses his help in his investigations. With the help of his mysterious ghost companion named Whisper, Jeremiah is able to see what happened to the victims through their eyes, in the last seconds of their lives.
A series of murders seem to be connected to his daughter's disappearance. With the help of two outcasts, Denise and Dmitri, Jeremiah is focused on discovering the truth.
It seems the author enjoys beating the hell out of his characters. Don't count on a happy ending. You won't get one.
Characterization is done well. In the beginning, Jeremiah is unlikeable but interesting. He isolated himself from others and doesn't really care about them. While the story progresses we learn about experiences that made him abrasive and boorish. With time the interest in his story turns into sympathy and later on into genuine respect. I can confirm that Joseph Nassise managed to make me root for a character I had originally disliked. Noe an easy feat. To be fair, though, I'm keen on redemption arcs so it wasn't that difficult to make me root for Jeremiah.
I think Jeremiah will be relatable to many readers. Most of us understand what it means to blame ourselves for our past failures and how difficult it can be to actually change our ways. Accompanying Jeremiah on the journey allows the reader to see the echo of their own story within the pages of his. More or less. Contrary to him, I haven't met many ghosts.
Female characters are as interesting, maybe even more so than their male counterparts. Both Whisper(his ghost companion) and Denise Clearwater(a hedge witch) have secrets and interesting backstories. Above all, though, they have distinct personalities.
The writing was quite dense and emotional. I liked it most of the times but I have to say that some of the longer descriptions and blocks of texts were tiring. Probably, it's my main issue with the story. In short, despite high stakes and cruel twists, there were times
when the prose and exposition took me out of the story.
Overall, I'm glad I gave this one a try. If you like dark and emotional fantasy books and would like to meet Harry Dresden's grumpy cousin, give this one a try.
evavroslin's review against another edition
5.0
This book is absolutely my favourite urban fantasy of 2012, even though it came out in 2011. I'm a big fan of strong male leads who aren't just re-hashing what we've seen a million times before, whether it's the detective/PI who hunts supernatural things, the typical hunter of monsters, or the wise-cracking and snippy reluctant hero. Those are all well and good and I enjoy many of them, but Jeremiah Hunt is a unique lead, and an intensely vulnerable character but he doesn't come off as a whiny wuss, which is a difficult and delicate balance to maintain.
The world-building aspects with ghosts and all the types of spirits that exist are fantastic, and this series is the perfect "go-to" read after you've finished with Simon R. Green, the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher, the Felix Castor series from Mike Carey, the Remy Chandler series from Tom Sniegoski, etc, and you're wondering what your next read should be.
The world-building aspects with ghosts and all the types of spirits that exist are fantastic, and this series is the perfect "go-to" read after you've finished with Simon R. Green, the Dresden Files books by Jim Butcher, the Felix Castor series from Mike Carey, the Remy Chandler series from Tom Sniegoski, etc, and you're wondering what your next read should be.
abookishtype's review against another edition
3.0
I dipped my feet back into the contemporary fantasy waters by reading Joseph Nassise’s Eyes to See, the first book in the Jeremiah Hunt series. After reading so many classics and so much literary fiction, Eyes to See was pure fun to read...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type.
marirey's review against another edition
3.0
I was really enjoying this book for at least the first half of the book. The way Joseph descibed how he sees the world or not see. :p And then the end came around, I found a few holed in the plot that didn't come together even after the end. So Yeah this book is good, but I'm going to have to think about reading the next one.
vailynst's review against another edition
3.0
Mini-Review:
Cool! Not a bad start to a series and mostly balanced pacing between the past & present narratives. This is a fairly hodge-podge mix of information. The only drawback is that there does not seem to be a personal touch to it other than the main character. It's an odd mix of tales, religions & nightmares mixed into a somewhat suspenseful urban fantasy thriller.
It was fun, quick read. I will promptly take the rest in.
Cool! Not a bad start to a series and mostly balanced pacing between the past & present narratives. This is a fairly hodge-podge mix of information. The only drawback is that there does not seem to be a personal touch to it other than the main character. It's an odd mix of tales, religions & nightmares mixed into a somewhat suspenseful urban fantasy thriller.
It was fun, quick read. I will promptly take the rest in.
danielled75's review
4.0
I was able to get this book from the author at the NYCC a couple of weeks ago. I am very glad I took the time to read this, and I have to say that Jeremiah Hunt is now an added favorite of my "favorite male leads in urban fantasy."
I enjoyed this book very much and already look foward to the second book. I found it very easy to follow what was going on, espicaly with the seperate chapters as the flashbacks and to explain how Jeremiah ended up the way he is, when you first meet him in the book.
I enjoyed this book very much and already look foward to the second book. I found it very easy to follow what was going on, espicaly with the seperate chapters as the flashbacks and to explain how Jeremiah ended up the way he is, when you first meet him in the book.
babsji's review
4.0
Good world building, good suspense up until the end. The ending felt a little forced and rushed. It did tie up loose ends and set the stage for further adventures though. It is an odd triangle he built, and it makes me wonder where he's going with it.
lilyn_g's review
4.0
Review Excerpt: "Definitely a paranormal story that occasionally teeters on the line of being a horror, Eyes to See managed to keep me interested from beginning to end."
Click here to see the full review.
Click here to see the full review.
friendlymilk's review
3.0
Cool idea, but the execution was lacking. I could tell the author was trying for something hardboiled and noir, but it mostly came out as clichéd.
Despite that, the plot rumbled along at a good pace and (despite myself) I enjoyed it. It would easily have cleared four stars if not for the somewhat jarring writing style and my personal peeve:
Given that Hunt used to be an academic specializing in obscure ancient languages, I would have liked to see this manifest in some other way than infodumps. He should have accumulated all sorts of esoteric facts related to his specialty. It should have affected the words he uses and how he views the world. Take [b:Bellwether|7077584|Bellwether|Connie Willis|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348479872s/7077584.jpg|1194887] by Connie Willis. The main character is researching trends--how they start, how long they last, etc. Each chapter starts with a description of a trend (like hoola hoops!), and she is constantly noting trends around her, whether they are book topics, exercise routines, a particular ghastly color, or an aversion fad. This is an extreme example because, after all, the book is about trends, but I still wish Hunt exhibited some evidence of his former occupation.
Ditto for Denise. A few mentions of Gaia does not a hedge witch make. Her beliefs and upbringing should have colored her worldview.
Also, I just realized this, butwhat the hell happened to the fetch? Didn't Dmitri fall on it? While he was a polar bear? And the fetch wasn't mentioned again? And how did Hunt get his house back after he lost it? Waaah.
Despite that, the plot rumbled along at a good pace and (despite myself) I enjoyed it. It would easily have cleared four stars if not for the somewhat jarring writing style and my personal peeve:
Given that Hunt used to be an academic specializing in obscure ancient languages, I would have liked to see this manifest in some other way than infodumps. He should have accumulated all sorts of esoteric facts related to his specialty. It should have affected the words he uses and how he views the world. Take [b:Bellwether|7077584|Bellwether|Connie Willis|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348479872s/7077584.jpg|1194887] by Connie Willis. The main character is researching trends--how they start, how long they last, etc. Each chapter starts with a description of a trend (like hoola hoops!), and she is constantly noting trends around her, whether they are book topics, exercise routines, a particular ghastly color, or an aversion fad. This is an extreme example because, after all, the book is about trends, but I still wish Hunt exhibited some evidence of his former occupation.
Ditto for Denise. A few mentions of Gaia does not a hedge witch make. Her beliefs and upbringing should have colored her worldview.
Also, I just realized this, but
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