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d3vilxl3gacy's review
3.0
The start of this was a bit jarring since it caught up a few years after the finish of the first book. At that point I realized this was considered to flow with the author's other urban fantasy series and stopped trying to understand every little detail and just went with the plot that turned out to be just as engrossing as the previous book with tons of fantasy elements that blend so well together.
dianabrito's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cressthebookdragon's review against another edition
5.0
I am enjoying the Avalon Chronicles, but the entire second book I was expecting Nate Garret to burst in and be awesome. I enjoy these characters, but you can tell the team is missing a huge piece of it. Can not wait until November to get the next book! I bienge read all the Hellequin books & both Avalon books this month, and now I don't know what to do with myself.
johnbreeden's review against another edition
5.0
I am very pleased that this novel did not try to resolve all of the conflicts presented in the first of the series. In this, Layla is tasked on a mission to stop Nergal and bring her father, the serial killer, back to Hades' base so he can be used to help their team. While new antagonists, one especially disturbing, emerge and some old enemies are removed from the field, there are enough threads, all linking and twisting together, that you never feel like you've lost any momentum. The energy coming in is just as strong as you finish the book, and the stakes have gotten even higher.
kitvaria_sarene's review against another edition
4.0
I still liked the Hellequin books just that tiny bit better, but even so A Flicker Of Steel was a hell of a lot of fun!
The main characters grew quite a bit from where they where and who they were in book one, which made me enjoy it even more. There were some unexpected but fitting character arcs that had me do a double take at times, which made the book more varied and interesting to follow. Loved those!
I loved meeting old friends (especially one loudmouthed fox! I think my personal favourite of the series) and new villains and enemies.
The banter and humour and geeky references that I love most about McHughs stories were there as usual and kept me perfectly entertained all the way through.
Plot wise we're not much farther than we were at the start of book two, but it never got boring anyway. Quite anxious to see where things will go from there.
If you like fast paced witty urban fantasy, this author is a definite must read!
The main characters grew quite a bit from where they where and who they were in book one, which made me enjoy it even more. There were some unexpected but fitting character arcs that had me do a double take at times, which made the book more varied and interesting to follow. Loved those!
I loved meeting old friends (especially one loudmouthed fox! I think my personal favourite of the series) and new villains and enemies.
The banter and humour and geeky references that I love most about McHughs stories were there as usual and kept me perfectly entertained all the way through.
Plot wise we're not much farther than we were at the start of book two, but it never got boring anyway. Quite anxious to see where things will go from there.
If you like fast paced witty urban fantasy, this author is a definite must read!
klistoff's review against another edition
4.0
A flicker of trouble?
I noticed a lot of people more familiar with Steve McHugh’s work have given reviews with a more negative bias, saying it embodies most of his major failings. Personally, I am not entrenched in the Hellequin books (yet) so I see it from a different perspective.
Yes, I do find it grates on me that millennia old beings with immense power seem to dote on Layla’s every word and wait for her to forge the plans and the huge number of new characters can get a little bewildering at times, but that doesn’t stop it being a fast-paced rollercoaster ride from beginning to end.
There were a couple of oddities in the plot lines occasionally that read as if perhaps something was cut and not fully re-edited to smooth it over but they didn’t detract for me overall. No doubt I will be reading again as a refresher before the final instalment, so I’ll have to see if a kindle update resolves these.
Overall, where I rounded my 4.5 up for the first book, it gets rounded down for this one. Still can’t wait for the grand finale though...
I noticed a lot of people more familiar with Steve McHugh’s work have given reviews with a more negative bias, saying it embodies most of his major failings. Personally, I am not entrenched in the Hellequin books (yet) so I see it from a different perspective.
Yes, I do find it grates on me that millennia old beings with immense power seem to dote on Layla’s every word and wait for her to forge the plans and the huge number of new characters can get a little bewildering at times, but that doesn’t stop it being a fast-paced rollercoaster ride from beginning to end.
There were a couple of oddities in the plot lines occasionally that read as if perhaps something was cut and not fully re-edited to smooth it over but they didn’t detract for me overall. No doubt I will be reading again as a refresher before the final instalment, so I’ll have to see if a kindle update resolves these.
Overall, where I rounded my 4.5 up for the first book, it gets rounded down for this one. Still can’t wait for the grand finale though...
jessbruso's review against another edition
3.0
I won a copy of this book through a Kindle giveaway program. I was so happy to get it because I'd been waiting to read this book because I really liked the first one of the series. I found it to be a fun and fast-paced read, although as others said there are a lot of characters and not much time spent going into their characters and explaining all the relationships.
alittlebitmaria's review against another edition
3.0
I loved A Glimmer of Hope, but this one just lost me. The fact that it jumps over a year ahead from the ending of the previous one really threw me off. I felt like I missed something. Granted this series is a companion to another one written by McHugh, but I was under the impression that I could read this one without needing to read the other. There are also so many characters that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who and what was going on at times.
janolen's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable but not the best
I think I do prefer the Nate books. It's just the new character seems to have inflated power while established powerful characters lusten,
Still well worth a read and moves things along nicely.
I think I do prefer the Nate books. It's just the new character seems to have inflated power while established powerful characters lusten,
Still well worth a read and moves things along nicely.
cjxx26's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: War
Minor: Torture