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brianne_k's review
5.0
*5/5*
Ummmm EXCUSE THE EFFFFFF OUTTA ME!!!!!!
the ending.. I'm dead.
I loved this installment. Way more than book 2.. but I need more. I need to know what happens next.
Ummmm EXCUSE THE EFFFFFF OUTTA ME!!!!!!
the ending.. I'm dead.
I loved this installment. Way more than book 2.. but I need more. I need to know what happens next.
betwixtbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mxsallybend's review
4.0
What? No! That ending . . . that last chapter . . . that closing scene . . . Voodoo Shanghai is “the third and final installment in the Kincaid Strange saga . . . and I am totally and absolutely wrecked.
Kristi Charish has elected to go out with a bang here, offering up the biggest, boldest, and darkest entry in the series, complete with ghosts, zombies, serial killers, witches, and celebrity ghost hunters. Shifting the action from Seattle to Portland breathes new life into the series, taking Strange out of her element and isolating her from her usual support structure. That also allows Charish to introduce new settings and new story elements, beginning with a strange barn, a creepy 1950s dinner scene, and a marsh that is so clouded with Otherside, it’s blinding.
This is such a hard book to talk about without spoilers. It’s a paranormal mystery from page one, with so many huge questions that you can’t stop turning pages, no matter how late it is. What I can say is Strange gets even more of an edge than usual here, growing beyond her role supporting the Seattle PD and seriously challenging for her federal license. She refuses to pick things back up with Aaron, gets deeper with Gideon in weaving ghost traps, and stands her ground against a police department and FBI that demand she betray her principles and bind the ghost of a dead serial killer.
The ghost aspect of this is amazing enough, and the absence of ghosts is even better, but I will say no more on that. Okay, so actually, I will. I freely admit to geeking out over the amount of paranormal detail here, what with mirrors and pentagrams, ghost traps and bindings, definitions of ghosts versus poltergeists, and the use of Otherside as a tool, a defense, an energy source, and a weapon. Anybody who says urban fantasy doesn’t need world-building has not encountered a Kristi Charish novel!
The pacing in Voodoo Shanghai is nearly relentless, barely giving readers a chance to breath, and never wasting a scene. There are moments of humor here, some of it surreal and some of it sarcastic, with the oddities of the well-hung My Little Pony centaur and crack-smoking Care Bear sculptures and the dark humor of the perverted airport ghost setting the tone early on.
As for characters, there are some big personalities in the story, both good and bad, and they hold their own against Strange. Highlights for me, at least without spoiling any latter-chapter secrets, were Stephan Wolf (FBI agent), Bergen Wolf (witch), Martin Dane (serial killer), Astrid Young (ghost), and Liam Sinclair (paranormal celebrity).
The entire Kincaid Strange saga has been a fun ride, and if Voodoo Shanghai is really it, then Charish has gone out on a bang.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2020/02/14/book-review-voodoo-shanghai-by-kristi-charish/
Kristi Charish has elected to go out with a bang here, offering up the biggest, boldest, and darkest entry in the series, complete with ghosts, zombies, serial killers, witches, and celebrity ghost hunters. Shifting the action from Seattle to Portland breathes new life into the series, taking Strange out of her element and isolating her from her usual support structure. That also allows Charish to introduce new settings and new story elements, beginning with a strange barn, a creepy 1950s dinner scene, and a marsh that is so clouded with Otherside, it’s blinding.
This is such a hard book to talk about without spoilers. It’s a paranormal mystery from page one, with so many huge questions that you can’t stop turning pages, no matter how late it is. What I can say is Strange gets even more of an edge than usual here, growing beyond her role supporting the Seattle PD and seriously challenging for her federal license. She refuses to pick things back up with Aaron, gets deeper with Gideon in weaving ghost traps, and stands her ground against a police department and FBI that demand she betray her principles and bind the ghost of a dead serial killer.
The ghost aspect of this is amazing enough, and the absence of ghosts is even better, but I will say no more on that. Okay, so actually, I will. I freely admit to geeking out over the amount of paranormal detail here, what with mirrors and pentagrams, ghost traps and bindings, definitions of ghosts versus poltergeists, and the use of Otherside as a tool, a defense, an energy source, and a weapon. Anybody who says urban fantasy doesn’t need world-building has not encountered a Kristi Charish novel!
The pacing in Voodoo Shanghai is nearly relentless, barely giving readers a chance to breath, and never wasting a scene. There are moments of humor here, some of it surreal and some of it sarcastic, with the oddities of the well-hung My Little Pony centaur and crack-smoking Care Bear sculptures and the dark humor of the perverted airport ghost setting the tone early on.
As for characters, there are some big personalities in the story, both good and bad, and they hold their own against Strange. Highlights for me, at least without spoiling any latter-chapter secrets, were Stephan Wolf (FBI agent), Bergen Wolf (witch), Martin Dane (serial killer), Astrid Young (ghost), and Liam Sinclair (paranormal celebrity).
The entire Kincaid Strange saga has been a fun ride, and if Voodoo Shanghai is really it, then Charish has gone out on a bang.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2020/02/14/book-review-voodoo-shanghai-by-kristi-charish/
laceystairs's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This can't really be the end of the series... Right?!
Another awesome ghost, zombie, Poltergeist, practitioner adventure. Lots of twist and turns and an ending I could not see coming.
Another awesome ghost, zombie, Poltergeist, practitioner adventure. Lots of twist and turns and an ending I could not see coming.
powerlibrarian's review
5.0
Plot
Voodoo Shanghai is one hell of a thrill ride from start to finish. As usual, Kincaid gets herself into trouble, and she seems to make enemies every place she goes. The novel opens with her dealing with an unruly ghost that's haunting her parents because they didn't make the right offering to her spirit. The designer purse was the wrong colour. This book is full of dark and twisty plot points, but there's also quite a bit of Charish's characteristic dry humour, which is part of what makes this series such an entertaining read.
One of the major appeals of this book is the dynamic world that Charish has created. The magic has very distinct rules, and much of the book is spent explaining how it works, either through Kincaid's interactions with clients or through her lessons with the sorcerer who coerced her into becoming his apprentice for a two year term. None of this information seems dry, as it all comes from Kincaid's point of view, which interjects quite a bit of gritty humour into every scene.
Voodoo Shanghai is the third and final instalment in the Kincaid Strange series, and it sure does go out with a bang. Unfortunately, while the major plotline for this book was resolved (no spoilers!) there was still a cliffhanger hinting at what's to come. I want to see what's to come! Gah, Vintage Books Canada better order more books in this series, stat.
Characters
Kincaid is a tough-as-nails practitioner, and she won't let herself be controlled by the men in her life. That said, even her love interest, the Seattle PD detective Aaron, tries to control her to a degree, and I'm glad to see that she still doesn't back down on what she believes in, even when Aaron pushes her. It was interesting to see her starting to try to be more professional in this book, even wearing a blazer to meetings with clients, and she tries so hard to not always say exactly what's on her mind. Is that character development, Kincaid? Even with the subtle softening of her character, she's still the Kincaid I've grown to love.
We also get a deeper look into Gideon Lawrence, the thousand-year-old ghost of a sorcerer who took Kincaid on as his apprentice in the previous book. Before, we thought he was simply "evil", but it becomes clear over the course of this novel that he has his own moral code, as grey as it may be, and we get a taste of the past that has made him who he is today.
Setting
This time, the novel isn't all set in Seattle, but a good chunk of the storyline is set in Portland, since Kincaid is summoned to work on a federal case. As mentioned in the Plot section, the America that Charish has created is incredibly unique, authentic feeling, and three-dimensional. The world of Kincaid Strange is similar to ours, but for paranormal elements which are all seamlessly interwoven into our reality, making for a believably dark and compelling alternate universe.
I recommend this book to those who want a gritty paranormal mystery with a strong female lead, dynamic worldbuilding, and lots of the undead.
* Thank you to OLA Super Conference, Vintage Books Canada, and the author for the arc to review! *
This review appeared first on https://powerlibrarian.wordpress.com/
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