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gerhard's review
2.0
Mildly amusing continuation of the Sin du Jour saga ties in directly with Envy of Angels, or trots out the same tired tropes for a stale repeat, depending how generous you want to be. This series about a goumet kitchen catering for supernatural clientele desperately needs new ingredients in order to become fresh again.
carol26388's review
4.0
Wallace is doing an interesting thing with his urban fantasy series wrapped around the adventures of a catering firm the works with the supernatural. As he states on his website:
"Each book has a standalone plot, in this case centered around a single event the company is catering, but it carries over a lot of the stories and character arcs from the last book. It’s like an old-fashioned serial. There are cliffhangers, there are monsters of the week, and there’s a fast-paced world you check in with every few months to get the next part of the Big Story." (source page)
The books are a blend of culinary escapades, physical action and general silliness, wrapped around a curious emotional core and sprinkled with pop culture references.
In this installment, Bronko, the famed former tv chef is experiencing hellish torments. Meanwhile, his crew is obligated to catering engagements on opposite sides of the country--the half-and-half con in New York (although as Jett reminds us, that's ablest and is disrespectful to centaurs and minotaurs) and a movie premiere in Los Angeles. Newer employees, best friends and roommates Lena and Darren are in a tiff over her sleeping with the sous chef. It's complicated to work together when you aren't speaking to each other. Since the cooking and serving staff will be on the job, Bronko gives the Stocking & Receiving Department the week off. As we all know, the minute you are told to take a week vacation, things are going to go to hell. Or Hell will come to you.
While it is fun, the narrative is a bit choppy. Initial scenes alternate between Bronko's torment, the dastardly deal-making of Hollywood producers, Lena's perspective and events with members of the Stocking team. I'm not sure the sections with the movie producers was strictly needed, although it added to tension-building. It did give Wallace a chance to farcically describe the Hollywood system. It ran the risk of the ridiculous, but it was mostly entertaining: "Apparently less than ten percent of all writers and directors are women." "We can't get it any lower than that," Producer Two complains. "A few are bound to slip through now and then. It's not a foolproof system."
I enjoyed the dryly sarcastic tone, offering such insights as "Behind him, Cindy performs a physiological miracle by rolling her eyes without her eyes ever moving in their sockets" and "In fact, in Hell it will become known as the single most horrific death ever to occur on Earth. That's like winning the Oscar for best picture down there." Unlike some pulpy urban fantasy books (looking at you, Geekomancy), I thought Wallace was able to keep congruence between events and tone, not losing sight that death and dismemberment are horrible. That said, there's also a bizarro element to the series, particularly when Hell sends 'false idols' after the team.
I've read the first in the series but missed the second, Lustlocked (now rectified), and my word of advice for would-be readers is that this is truly a serial in the old-fashioned sense. Unlike my recent reading experience of the frequently repetitive Mercy Thompson series, Wallace doesn't waste space on back story; often there will be no more than a sentence or two of explanation. I don't doubt that starting at this book will provide confusing on both the character and world-building fronts, much like picking up on the third or fourth episode of a sci-fi tv series.
While I don't think the Sin du Jour series is meant to be taken entirely seriously, there's a core emotional weight to them that is intriguing, particularly in this one based on pride. I've discovered is that Wallace has achieved his goal--these are perfect pieces for when I want to sit down and devour something fun.
My review for Envy of Angels here
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an advance reader copy
"Each book has a standalone plot, in this case centered around a single event the company is catering, but it carries over a lot of the stories and character arcs from the last book. It’s like an old-fashioned serial. There are cliffhangers, there are monsters of the week, and there’s a fast-paced world you check in with every few months to get the next part of the Big Story." (source page)
The books are a blend of culinary escapades, physical action and general silliness, wrapped around a curious emotional core and sprinkled with pop culture references.
In this installment, Bronko, the famed former tv chef is experiencing hellish torments. Meanwhile, his crew is obligated to catering engagements on opposite sides of the country--the half-and-half con in New York (although as Jett reminds us, that's ablest and is disrespectful to centaurs and minotaurs) and a movie premiere in Los Angeles. Newer employees, best friends and roommates Lena and Darren are in a tiff over her sleeping with the sous chef. It's complicated to work together when you aren't speaking to each other. Since the cooking and serving staff will be on the job, Bronko gives the Stocking & Receiving Department the week off. As we all know, the minute you are told to take a week vacation, things are going to go to hell. Or Hell will come to you.
While it is fun, the narrative is a bit choppy. Initial scenes alternate between Bronko's torment, the dastardly deal-making of Hollywood producers, Lena's perspective and events with members of the Stocking team. I'm not sure the sections with the movie producers was strictly needed, although it added to tension-building. It did give Wallace a chance to farcically describe the Hollywood system. It ran the risk of the ridiculous, but it was mostly entertaining: "Apparently less than ten percent of all writers and directors are women." "We can't get it any lower than that," Producer Two complains. "A few are bound to slip through now and then. It's not a foolproof system."
I enjoyed the dryly sarcastic tone, offering such insights as "Behind him, Cindy performs a physiological miracle by rolling her eyes without her eyes ever moving in their sockets" and "In fact, in Hell it will become known as the single most horrific death ever to occur on Earth. That's like winning the Oscar for best picture down there." Unlike some pulpy urban fantasy books (looking at you, Geekomancy), I thought Wallace was able to keep congruence between events and tone, not losing sight that death and dismemberment are horrible. That said, there's also a bizarro element to the series, particularly when Hell sends 'false idols' after the team.
I've read the first in the series but missed the second, Lustlocked (now rectified), and my word of advice for would-be readers is that this is truly a serial in the old-fashioned sense. Unlike my recent reading experience of the frequently repetitive Mercy Thompson series, Wallace doesn't waste space on back story; often there will be no more than a sentence or two of explanation. I don't doubt that starting at this book will provide confusing on both the character and world-building fronts, much like picking up on the third or fourth episode of a sci-fi tv series.
While I don't think the Sin du Jour series is meant to be taken entirely seriously, there's a core emotional weight to them that is intriguing, particularly in this one based on pride. I've discovered is that Wallace has achieved his goal--these are perfect pieces for when I want to sit down and devour something fun.
My review for Envy of Angels here
Many thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an advance reader copy
ptrhansen's review
4.0
Another great installment of the Sin Du Jour series. I am looking forward to the next delectable bite of fun in the next novella.
nichola's review
4.0
Okaaaaay so why is there no next one available as an audiobook? Like whyyyyy?
This is like crazy spicy sweet popcorn that you need more of but you aren't sure is healthy for you brain. I want more and the damn wizard alchemist dude needs his own book.
This is like crazy spicy sweet popcorn that you need more of but you aren't sure is healthy for you brain. I want more and the damn wizard alchemist dude needs his own book.
jen1110's review
4.0
I picked up the first three books of this series in the Kindle bundle edition. These books keep getting better and better! Think "Iron Chef" meets "Buffy" and you'll get something sort of like Sin du Jour.
And now I need any and all other books in this series. I just wish they were longer.
And now I need any and all other books in this series. I just wish they were longer.
bookertsfarm's review
5.0
It's really hard to do this review justice without giving away too much because it's the 3rd in Wallace's Sin du Jour series, but I will start off by saying if you aren't reading this series, what are you waiting for? This is a perfect read for people who like fantasy, horror, hilarious plots and wonderful, badass, snarky characters.
"Pride's Spell" takes up where "Lustlocked" left off. And while I was afraid Wallace had broken my heart with the cliffhanger of the last book, I should have known he would know how to ease the pain with his next installment. In "Pride's Spell," half of the crew travels to L.A to do a catering job for a movie release, which the other half stays behind so clearly someone's plan is to divide and conquer. There is lots of action fighting demons as well as a killer Easter Bunny and a killer Santa, complete with demonic elves and reindeer. If that isn't enough to pique your interest, I don't know what is.
I would love to know how Wallace's mind works, but then again, it might be a scary place to visit. He mixes in numerous genres and candy-coats them with enough pop-culture references that most people can easily understand. I never thought he would top the Goblin King in the last book, but he came pretty close with some of the people/things in this one. I wish these books were longer, and I totally regret that it will now seem like forever until the next installment is released. "Pride's Spell" was a wonderful ride I couldn't wait to get on but like most roller coasters, it ended much too quickly.
I received an advanced copy from TOR in exchange for an honest review.
"Pride's Spell" takes up where "Lustlocked" left off. And while I was afraid Wallace had broken my heart with the cliffhanger of the last book, I should have known he would know how to ease the pain with his next installment. In "Pride's Spell," half of the crew travels to L.A to do a catering job for a movie release, which the other half stays behind so clearly someone's plan is to divide and conquer. There is lots of action fighting demons as well as a killer Easter Bunny and a killer Santa, complete with demonic elves and reindeer. If that isn't enough to pique your interest, I don't know what is.
I would love to know how Wallace's mind works, but then again, it might be a scary place to visit. He mixes in numerous genres and candy-coats them with enough pop-culture references that most people can easily understand. I never thought he would top the Goblin King in the last book, but he came pretty close with some of the people/things in this one. I wish these books were longer, and I totally regret that it will now seem like forever until the next installment is released. "Pride's Spell" was a wonderful ride I couldn't wait to get on but like most roller coasters, it ended much too quickly.
I received an advanced copy from TOR in exchange for an honest review.
vinayvasan's review
5.0
After a middling book 2, book 3 is in full form. Action packed, snarky and humorous, Pride's Spell does tie things back to action of book 1 and the ending of book 2 rather neatly. Again, clever pop culture references aside (Kameron Hurley essay reference was total WIN moment), where the book really shines is how much background and storyline it manages to infuse for characters in the span of a very small and quick chapter without being an infodump. Really interesting to see where this goes next especially given the bridge burning at the end of this and an interesting hook up