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sarahrheawerner's review against another edition
3.0
Jacqueline Carey is a WONDERFUL writer with a great mind for what makes for great characters and great dialogue... but unfortunately, her considerable skill wasn't enough to elevate this novel from what it was: a perfectly by-the-book (no pun intended) PNR standard. Love triangles, mythical beasts, sociopaths, and a murder mystery should make for an immensely compelling story. But unfortunately, we've seen it all before, and all too often.
magikspells's review against another edition
3.0
Fun quick read. Good setting, interesting characters, I would definitely read more of this series.
holly3769's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
songwind's review against another edition
4.0
Granular rating, 3.5 stars.
This is an enjoyable story with an unusual setting and protagonist.
Daisy Johansen exists in a variety of half-states. She's personally half-demonic, her mother having been the victim of a demonic assault. She stands between the mundane and supernatural worlds as Hel's liaison. She's a part time clerk for the police force, but also their go-to resource on crimes with a supernatural element.
The plot is a functional, if somewhat sloppy, police procedural as Daisy and actual cop Cody attempt to find out what was really behind the drowning of a college kid from a nearby town.
Where the book functions best is in its exploration of Daisy and her attempts to navigate her position. Being hellspawn, Daisy's emotional state is prone to extremes, and naturally drawn toward the seven deadly sins. This means we spend a lot of time deep in Daisy's head as she deals with them. As is probably to be expected in a book by Carey, lust is one that takes up a lot of her attention. The other is wrath. A former bullied kid with a strong sense of justice and a hair trigger spends a lot of time pretty hot under the collar. Her inner conflicts between loyalties to humans and the eldritch, police and Hel, etc are a running theme.
The other intriguing portion is the world building. In some ways its a fairly standard "hidden world" sort of set up, with a variety of non-human sapients living on the fringes and below the radar of human society. But the exact form is pretty unusual, and Carey gives us enough information to make it relateable but keep the reader guessing. The choice by the community of Pemkowet to lean into the presence of the otherworldly in their midst, encouraging supernatural tourism, is an interesting take.
The flaws in the novel were enough to momentarily break my immersion without making it impossible to read. Fantasy fans who are also major police/crime buffs would probably be frustrated by the haphazard approach to the police work. (Why didn't the wealthy suspect lawyer up?) World building enthusiasts might find the inconsistent relationship between the eldritch and secular worlds jarring. And while the book seems very strongly to be setting itself as a paranormal romance, no actual romance occurs for the main character.
On the balance, this was an enjoyable book with some very intriguing characters and world building, held back by some awkward execution.
This is an enjoyable story with an unusual setting and protagonist.
Daisy Johansen exists in a variety of half-states. She's personally half-demonic, her mother having been the victim of a demonic assault. She stands between the mundane and supernatural worlds as Hel's liaison. She's a part time clerk for the police force, but also their go-to resource on crimes with a supernatural element.
The plot is a functional, if somewhat sloppy, police procedural as Daisy and actual cop Cody attempt to find out what was really behind the drowning of a college kid from a nearby town.
Where the book functions best is in its exploration of Daisy and her attempts to navigate her position. Being hellspawn, Daisy's emotional state is prone to extremes, and naturally drawn toward the seven deadly sins. This means we spend a lot of time deep in Daisy's head as she deals with them. As is probably to be expected in a book by Carey, lust is one that takes up a lot of her attention. The other is wrath. A former bullied kid with a strong sense of justice and a hair trigger spends a lot of time pretty hot under the collar. Her inner conflicts between loyalties to humans and the eldritch, police and Hel, etc are a running theme.
The other intriguing portion is the world building. In some ways its a fairly standard "hidden world" sort of set up, with a variety of non-human sapients living on the fringes and below the radar of human society. But the exact form is pretty unusual, and Carey gives us enough information to make it relateable but keep the reader guessing. The choice by the community of Pemkowet to lean into the presence of the otherworldly in their midst, encouraging supernatural tourism, is an interesting take.
The flaws in the novel were enough to momentarily break my immersion without making it impossible to read. Fantasy fans who are also major police/crime buffs would probably be frustrated by the haphazard approach to the police work. (Why didn't the wealthy suspect lawyer up?) World building enthusiasts might find the inconsistent relationship between the eldritch and secular worlds jarring. And while the book seems very strongly to be setting itself as a paranormal romance, no actual romance occurs for the main character.
On the balance, this was an enjoyable book with some very intriguing characters and world building, held back by some awkward execution.
berls's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
skycrane's review against another edition
4.0
I've liked almost every book by Jacqueline Carey, and this is no exception. It's a quite fun urban fantasy series (does that genre still fit if it takes place in a small town?) about essentially a supernatural cop solving problems revolving around the interaction between humans and the "eldritch". You've got your fairies, vampires, werewolves, and witches, as well as some more unusual creatures like the ghouls that feed off human emotions. One thing I quite liked about the series is how very local it feels. Despite Daisy's backstory creating this kind of looming threat, the actual plots of the books revolve around problems facing the town of Pemkowet (a fictional version of Saugatuck, Michigan). There's also some fun supernatural romance, just generally a very enjoyable series.
mlcutter's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Daisy Johansen is Hel's representative, Hel of Norse Mythology, not the underworld. She is also a file clerk for the local police department so she is available to handle any weirdness that comes up. Daisy is also half-demon, which makes her life harder and gives her a tail... no really. Daisy ends up partnering up with Cody, a werewolf, who she has crushed on since high school, to investigate the seemingly accidental death of a local teen. The small town is famous for supernatural sightings so it is important for the tourist trade that the case is closed quickly, but something is not right and Daisy and Cody have to dig deep.
This book has terrific world building and wonderful side characters. I'm writing an angels and demons trilogy so I'll read pretty much any urban fantasy book with either species. This is one that would make me break my vow to not buy any new books! I desperately want to read more. It will be marked in my spreadsheet as a must read more! 5 stars!
This book has terrific world building and wonderful side characters. I'm writing an angels and demons trilogy so I'll read pretty much any urban fantasy book with either species. This is one that would make me break my vow to not buy any new books! I desperately want to read more. It will be marked in my spreadsheet as a must read more! 5 stars!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
csadin's review against another edition
3.0
I definitely enjoyed this book. I am a huge fan of her Kushiel books, which are masterfully written, and I definitely like this one too. This one is definitely a lot lighter than the Kushiel books, but they are still well written. I enjoy the informality of the writing!
It was a fast read, just two days, which is great for me right now. Also, I really loved the magic in the book, the way it wove together the real and the myth. I loved that certain cities had underworlds ruled by old gods and goddesses, and that the reason that mythical creatures still existed was because of these gods and goddesses.
Something that definitely ramped up the stakes of the book was the fact that if the domain of the god or goddess was destroyed (and it could be destroyed by humans) the god or goddess and all of the mythical creatures that lived there would slowly vanish. Scary though!
Anyway, I enjoyed it and I would recommend this book!
It was a fast read, just two days, which is great for me right now. Also, I really loved the magic in the book, the way it wove together the real and the myth. I loved that certain cities had underworlds ruled by old gods and goddesses, and that the reason that mythical creatures still existed was because of these gods and goddesses.
Something that definitely ramped up the stakes of the book was the fact that if the domain of the god or goddess was destroyed (and it could be destroyed by humans) the god or goddess and all of the mythical creatures that lived there would slowly vanish. Scary though!
Anyway, I enjoyed it and I would recommend this book!
jmitschke's review against another edition
4.0
A good blend of familiar urban fantasy tropes with new ideas (ghouls! Lamia! Niflheim/Hel!). Not as sexy as I expected from Carey but still very fun. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.
darkcrystal1839's review against another edition
4.0
I first fell for Jacqueline Carey when I read her Kushiel books - which are amazing. I was less than impressed by her foray into the young adult with her Santa Olivia series. So you can imagine that when I came across these I was a little leery. But I have to say these books were a very pleasant surprise. They were just the right blend of Young Adult fantasy-fluff and the harder adult edge that Carey is so very good at.
WARNING: These books might reference things that are a little mature for some younger readers. (I read both this and the second right in a row, so I may be blending them together - I don't remember if there is any actual sex in this first book, but there is most definitely in the second.) Either way, if you're not a fan of frequent references to arousal and sexy-times, you probably want to shy away from this book. Some might also fine the main characters comments on the hotness of various other characters a little tiresome as well - think Bella never shutting up about hot beautiful Edward is - but I didn't mind. They're quickly dashed off and the story moves right along. So the main character Daisy is just a little hot-blooded, okay. Just part of her charm.
That being said, this interesting fantasy world just sucked me in. Set in a modern town in Michigan, the story is filled with fantastic creatures from every mythology you can think of, all coexisting happily. Well, somewhat tenuously. But coexisting well enough. Add this this spicy society a dash of crime and a detective story line? I'm hooked. You've combined all of my favorite elements - fantasy, mystery, crime, and romance.
I highly recommend this book to fans of any of the above. This was a book that had me antsy to pick up the next as soon as I finished.
WARNING: These books might reference things that are a little mature for some younger readers. (I read both this and the second right in a row, so I may be blending them together - I don't remember if there is any actual sex in this first book, but there is most definitely in the second.) Either way, if you're not a fan of frequent references to arousal and sexy-times, you probably want to shy away from this book. Some might also fine the main characters comments on the hotness of various other characters a little tiresome as well - think Bella never shutting up about hot beautiful Edward is - but I didn't mind. They're quickly dashed off and the story moves right along. So the main character Daisy is just a little hot-blooded, okay. Just part of her charm.
That being said, this interesting fantasy world just sucked me in. Set in a modern town in Michigan, the story is filled with fantastic creatures from every mythology you can think of, all coexisting happily. Well, somewhat tenuously. But coexisting well enough. Add this this spicy society a dash of crime and a detective story line? I'm hooked. You've combined all of my favorite elements - fantasy, mystery, crime, and romance.
I highly recommend this book to fans of any of the above. This was a book that had me antsy to pick up the next as soon as I finished.