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lottpoet's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nike13's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting world and characters, I'll be picking up book 2 to continue the series.
space_and_sorcery's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Violence
suzjustsuz's review against another edition
5.0
Geez, this was GOOD! It's the first from Belcher I've ever read and I loved it! I think Dresden fans will probably enjoy it, too, although it's significantly darker. I adored the author's way of touching on so many different occult doctrines and melding them together. I loved the darkly flawed main character that wants to do good but it willing to do anything to achieve his goals and that's not always good. I enjoyed the secondary characters and can't wait to get to know them better. The mystery was engaging and full of action.
And Bronson Pinchot as narrator? I have to admit I was a bit skeptical going in but let me tell you, my friends, Pinchot has a voice to melt to. Better still he does believable characters that sucked me in and made me forget it was just one person doing the voices.
I'm sold. Sign me up for the next, and now to dig into Belcher's catalog because I'm hooked like a fish on a line - and I like it!
And Bronson Pinchot as narrator? I have to admit I was a bit skeptical going in but let me tell you, my friends, Pinchot has a voice to melt to. Better still he does believable characters that sucked me in and made me forget it was just one person doing the voices.
I'm sold. Sign me up for the next, and now to dig into Belcher's catalog because I'm hooked like a fish on a line - and I like it!
sannevisser's review against another edition
3.0
Great characters. Just a few too many monologues reflecting on being an evil ***hole.
peterseanesq's review against another edition
5.0
My Amazon review -
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2PI75W9213FR9/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2PI75W9213FR9/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
paulweymouth's review against another edition
2.0
I wrote a review and then because of a technical issue, I lost it. Now I'm upset and will write a short review instead.
This book is super cliched with all the urban fantasy tropes used in the 1990s thrown in it. The main character is a nihilist with some serious magic ability. He smokes, hates everyone, is only out for himself, but wants to take revenge on someone that hurt his friend. The plot is wrapped up in conspiracy theories that made me want to put a tin foil hat on(the Illuminati is actually in this book). The book seemed really dated, from the 90s, but was actually written in 2015. There was S&M, occult stuff, and rave scenes from Blade. The author thought that having Latin spells would be cool but it was actually annoying.
Regardless of all these things the plot had moments of surprises and the pacing was excellent. The main character, Ballard grew on me, but I especially liked his backstory. The backstories of all the characters were fantastic and Ballard's friends were fun to read about. If you like your urban fantasy with a Constantine-like character, occult mumbojumbo, and a conspiracy theorist's wet dream of a plot line, then you'll like this. I just thought it was OK. At times, I disliked it and at other times I liked it. Bronson Pinchot was a super amazing narrator though and his accents were so good.
2/5
Plot - 2(OK)
Character - 2(OK)
World Building - 2(OK)
Writing -2(OK)
Heart & Mind Aspect - 1(Weak)
This book is super cliched with all the urban fantasy tropes used in the 1990s thrown in it. The main character is a nihilist with some serious magic ability. He smokes, hates everyone, is only out for himself, but wants to take revenge on someone that hurt his friend. The plot is wrapped up in conspiracy theories that made me want to put a tin foil hat on(the Illuminati is actually in this book). The book seemed really dated, from the 90s, but was actually written in 2015. There was S&M, occult stuff, and rave scenes from Blade. The author thought that having Latin spells would be cool but it was actually annoying.
Regardless of all these things the plot had moments of surprises and the pacing was excellent. The main character, Ballard grew on me, but I especially liked his backstory. The backstories of all the characters were fantastic and Ballard's friends were fun to read about. If you like your urban fantasy with a Constantine-like character, occult mumbojumbo, and a conspiracy theorist's wet dream of a plot line, then you'll like this. I just thought it was OK. At times, I disliked it and at other times I liked it. Bronson Pinchot was a super amazing narrator though and his accents were so good.
2/5
Plot - 2(OK)
Character - 2(OK)
World Building - 2(OK)
Writing -2(OK)
Heart & Mind Aspect - 1(Weak)
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