Reviews

Fire Season by Stephen Blackmoore

navik's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

sensitivemuse's review

adventurous dark funny lighthearted tense 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? It's complicated

4.0

decafjess's review against another edition

4.0

In this fourth installment of Stephen Blackmoore's series about LA necromancer Eric Carter, Carter is again on the run after antagonizing a vengeful deity. (He still hasn't learned from his mistakes.) To complicate things, he's also being framed for a series of grisly murders, there's a crazy sicaria running around lighting everything on fire, and the families of the murder victims have put a bounty on his head. Luckily, he knows some powerful people -- namely, a dangerous witch called "La Bruja," a police detective named Letitia, and his complicated wife, Santa Muerte herself.

If it sounds like there's a lot going on, it's because there is. You might need to take some notes.

Eric Carter is a jerk -- he's irreverent, rude, and indifferent towards the innocent deaths he leaves in his wake, hellbent on winning every Pyrrhic victory he can. And I'm eagerly reading these books, rooting for him. What is wrong with me? I liked it, and I will keep reading the books in the series, but I can't help but wonder when La Bruja, Letitia, or some other character will wise up to the fact that LA would be a lot safer if Carter joined his wife down in the Aztec underworld.

arc received from the publisher

nicoleeast's review against another edition

DNFed at 50 pages.

marissae0630's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

larisa2021's review

5.0

This series get better with each installment. Also darker, bloodiest, and wilder. If you like John Wick, add some necromancy, Aztec Gods, and whole lotta booze and drugs... Then enjoy the chaos.

needzmoarpaula's review against another edition

5.0

Why are the best books always the shortest (or the quickest reads)? I tore through this in two days, and I want more! I absolutely love the worldbuilding, the charaters and the story itself, and I hope there are more books to come in the series.

megankass's review

3.0

So much of this series is a rip off of other series: Eric Carter looks like Constantine, is a badass mofo ahole like Sandman Slim (also in LA), is the human chosen of a very powerful, cold god-figure (like Harry Dresden), and a character is even named Kevin Hearne. Which is so annoying it makes me want to stop reading. But all the parts that have to do with Aztec gods are so original and creative, I just want more of that! I love the Santa Muerte plots, and I like how it's evolving in this book. I really feel like the series had plenty of closure after book 3 and I really didn't feel the need for a book 4. Still didn't, until maybe 2/3 of the way through this book, when it finally started cementing a new direction for the arc outside the original Mictlan adventure.

First 2/3: 2 stars
Last 1/3: 4 stars

jaz's review

adventurous dark funny fast-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

As the third book in the series, I think Blackmoore has a better grasp of the characters he's created and set up some good re-occurring characters and interesting supporting cast. As a pulpy urban fantasy novel, this was a enjoyable quick read with interesting twists and turns. There was some unfortunately sketchy Spanish that took me out of the story a few times.

The 405 continues to suck.

katalynbc13's review

dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75