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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Olivia, stripped of her powers, has to re-learn how to survive not only being hunted by the Tulpa, but now she has a crazy ex-agent hunting her as well.
And her old troop has hung her to dry.
She finds shelter with someone she never expected - and along the way, also finds her mother. Finally.
And her old troop has hung her to dry.
She finds shelter with someone she never expected - and along the way, also finds her mother. Finally.
I have a confession, I am a VPeep, yes that’s right. I am a Vicki Pettersson fangirl. It’s partly because she is a Vegas girl and I love that connection in her stories, but also because she writes dark urban fantasy and I love it. She isn’t afraid to torture her characters or break the rules for the sake of the story. The last book in the series was shocking and turned the series upside down on its head. The main character, Joanna, was forever changed to the point that many thought the series was over with.. Yet, the series isn’t over and Pettersson returns to torture us, and Joanna, in the fifth installment of the Signs of the Zodiac series, Cheat the Grave.
The Signs of the Zodiac series feature not vampires, or werewolves, or any other typical supernatural character…. but instead modern super heroes. The world is made up of Agents of Light and Shadow, battling to keep the world balanced with the events being recorded in comic books, known to the agents as manuals. Our main protagonist is Joanna, an Agent of Light, mostly. Her mother was Zoe Archer, the Sagitarrius Agent of Light while her father was the Tulpa, the evil genius in control of the Shadow Agents in Las Vegas.
Joanna Archer is tough, hard, bitter, angry, battle worn, and alone. Abandoned by her mother and practically disowned by her assumed father, she started off this series all of these things and more. When I read the first book I wondered where she could possibly go from there? Over the last 4 books she has found companionship and family through her troop and some unexpectedly inherited friends and family. She has been trained to be a deadly weapon, but she has also softened in her judgment and acceptance of those around her. She lets people into her life and get to know her and becomes a better character because of it. Yet letting people in often means getting hurt, and Joanna is no exception. Her troop has abandoned her, her lover betrayed her….she is once again alone and wondering what she has left to live for.
Cheat the Grave gives us a rare look at our super heroine weak and vulnerable. Joanna is wallowing in self pity and unsure of where she belongs. This part of the book was the hardest part for me to read, I didn’t enjoy it but I know it was necessary and real. I wanted to smack Jo upside the head and tell her to snap out of it – she was a tough kick ass chick, not some mopey do nothing! As a side effect, this section was the slowest for me to read and I found myself wishing things were moving a bit faster.
Things picked up and the story shined for me as new characters were introduced to Joanna’s world. Cast out of the Light and not willing to be Shadow, Jo is looking for some place to belong. Rogue agents, independents no longer light or shadow, make themselves known to her and she is forced to question her beliefs about light and dark. Can there be Gray and is she willing to be part of it? The Gray Agents are all interesting characters that will make you smile, Carlos especially. Even Zoe Archer makes an appearance, and man she kicks some serious ass.
Cheat the Grave teases us mercilessly through Jo and Hunter’s relationship, bringing to light new facts and background information. The connection between the two is as strong as ever and a I can’t wait to see what is in store in book 6. The end of this one left me with hope for them, but Vicki Pettersson is known for taking that hope and stomping on it while laughing maniacally.
In the end, Cheat the Grave is another great installment in the series, featuring a few “oh my god no way” moments you don’t want to miss. It may have been a bit slow moving at times but the story telling and world building more than make up for it. Joanna Archer is at her limits and this book just pushes her harder, asking what will she do? What is she really made of? In this gritty dirty urban fantasy there are no happy endings, but if you are looking for great story telling and riveting character growth, this one is for you.
The Signs of the Zodiac series feature not vampires, or werewolves, or any other typical supernatural character…. but instead modern super heroes. The world is made up of Agents of Light and Shadow, battling to keep the world balanced with the events being recorded in comic books, known to the agents as manuals. Our main protagonist is Joanna, an Agent of Light, mostly. Her mother was Zoe Archer, the Sagitarrius Agent of Light while her father was the Tulpa, the evil genius in control of the Shadow Agents in Las Vegas.
Joanna Archer is tough, hard, bitter, angry, battle worn, and alone. Abandoned by her mother and practically disowned by her assumed father, she started off this series all of these things and more. When I read the first book I wondered where she could possibly go from there? Over the last 4 books she has found companionship and family through her troop and some unexpectedly inherited friends and family. She has been trained to be a deadly weapon, but she has also softened in her judgment and acceptance of those around her. She lets people into her life and get to know her and becomes a better character because of it. Yet letting people in often means getting hurt, and Joanna is no exception. Her troop has abandoned her, her lover betrayed her….she is once again alone and wondering what she has left to live for.
Cheat the Grave gives us a rare look at our super heroine weak and vulnerable. Joanna is wallowing in self pity and unsure of where she belongs. This part of the book was the hardest part for me to read, I didn’t enjoy it but I know it was necessary and real. I wanted to smack Jo upside the head and tell her to snap out of it – she was a tough kick ass chick, not some mopey do nothing! As a side effect, this section was the slowest for me to read and I found myself wishing things were moving a bit faster.
Things picked up and the story shined for me as new characters were introduced to Joanna’s world. Cast out of the Light and not willing to be Shadow, Jo is looking for some place to belong. Rogue agents, independents no longer light or shadow, make themselves known to her and she is forced to question her beliefs about light and dark. Can there be Gray and is she willing to be part of it? The Gray Agents are all interesting characters that will make you smile, Carlos especially. Even Zoe Archer makes an appearance, and man she kicks some serious ass.
Cheat the Grave teases us mercilessly through Jo and Hunter’s relationship, bringing to light new facts and background information. The connection between the two is as strong as ever and a I can’t wait to see what is in store in book 6. The end of this one left me with hope for them, but Vicki Pettersson is known for taking that hope and stomping on it while laughing maniacally.
In the end, Cheat the Grave is another great installment in the series, featuring a few “oh my god no way” moments you don’t want to miss. It may have been a bit slow moving at times but the story telling and world building more than make up for it. Joanna Archer is at her limits and this book just pushes her harder, asking what will she do? What is she really made of? In this gritty dirty urban fantasy there are no happy endings, but if you are looking for great story telling and riveting character growth, this one is for you.
What I particularly like about this book is that Joanna is starting to let go of her self-loathing and beginning to accept both sides of herself- both shadow and light. It's showing us that she is making her decisions based on her own morals and has finally given Warren the finger, so to speak.
This book felt very much like a filler book. Nothing particularly happened, but a lot of loose endings were tied up, and (hopefully!) sets up the next and final book nicely. I hope it's going to be jam packed with action!
The beginning was slow and too much time was wasted explaining what happened in the previous books. The last quarter of the book was much better, but mainly it is just a transition book to get us to the last book in the series.
I've enjoyed this series from the start for it's uniqueness, and dynamic interesting characters. However, this is the first one that's gotten below four stars for me. Now that Jo is kicked out of the troop and a mortal she is a lot less interesting. I know that sounds terrible, but one thing I loved about this series was the superhero aspect and the interaction between the Shadow and Light agents. Now, we have to meet a whole new set of characters, and I had a hard time connecting to them. There were plenty of revelations in this novel, yet I wasn't on the edge of my seat for them, I wasn't blown away. I really felt disconnected from it all, and I don't like that. I am interested in the conclusion of the series, but I feel as though it may be predictable. Most everything was revealed in this novel, and now all that is left to do is kick some butt. I'm not as excited about that as I should be...
4.5 stars
This was probably my favorite entry in this series so far. It grabbed my attention right from the start and never let go. I'll avoid saying much about the plot because I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read the series yet. The story picks up shortly after the end of book 4, as Joanna deals with the fallout of her actions. There is a ton of action in this installment, and also some surprises, one in particular that made me want to re-read the first 4 books to see if there were any hints along the way. I love when a book surprises me like that! I'm sad, knowing that the next book is the last one, but at the same time, I'm eager to see how it all turns out!
This was probably my favorite entry in this series so far. It grabbed my attention right from the start and never let go. I'll avoid saying much about the plot because I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read the series yet. The story picks up shortly after the end of book 4, as Joanna deals with the fallout of her actions. There is a ton of action in this installment, and also some surprises, one in particular that made me want to re-read the first 4 books to see if there were any hints along the way. I love when a book surprises me like that! I'm sad, knowing that the next book is the last one, but at the same time, I'm eager to see how it all turns out!
I enjoyed the 5th book in the series. It answers a lot of questions and was exciting enough to make me not want to put it down. Now to find the sixth book, and see whether that is the end of the series!
WOW! This has to be the best one of the series yet! A big ol' game changer in many aspects.
Jo/Olivia is now mortal after giving up her abilities in both Midheaven and to the changeling she saved. Now Joanna has to learn how to be mortal again as well as stay alive. She has to learn to overcome learned behaviours and trust people she didn't think she could before, rogue agents of both Shadow and Light. Now that she is basically Rogue, or Grey as they like to call themselves, she has a new family. And they want her to lead them.
And then there's the wedding of the century to put together......
SO GOOD!
Jo/Olivia is now mortal after giving up her abilities in both Midheaven and to the changeling she saved. Now Joanna has to learn how to be mortal again as well as stay alive. She has to learn to overcome learned behaviours and trust people she didn't think she could before, rogue agents of both Shadow and Light. Now that she is basically Rogue, or Grey as they like to call themselves, she has a new family. And they want her to lead them.
And then there's the wedding of the century to put together......
SO GOOD!