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rburrows299 's review for:
The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar
by Seana Kelly
Rated 3.0-3.5 stars.
The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar follows the wild adventures of owner Sam Quinn, werewolf extraordinaire. When women start showing up murdered and marked with scars identical to the ones Sam carries, her life takes a tailspin into crazy. Now Sam has to watch out for werewolves, psychic visions that entrap her to kill, and angry customers. Partnering up with her sarcastic demon cook, wichee employee, and protective vampire lord, Sam sets out to remind everyone that she is a survivor. A survivor that won't be put down again.
I will warn readers that this story does have trigger warnings of sexual assault and torture that are mentioned throughout the story, but not on-screen.
The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar was an enjoyable quick read. The entire premise of an underground supernatural community and the bookstore/bar that services them fits nicely into my favorite genre of urban fantasy. Defying the stereotypical ferocious female bartender norm, Sam Quinn is a gentle and kind soul that has endeared herself to the supernatural community of San Francisco. The glimpses of Sam's backstory that Kelly gives us helps explain the strength and depth of Sam's character. However, I felt like the story lost a lot of this strength and depth amidst the constant and repetitive psychic attacks. While I loved the interplay between Sam and Clive, the hot vampire master intent on saving Sam, their interactions sometimes painted Sam as the "helpless" girl instead of the survivor she truly was. I will add that the ending of the book does redeem Sam the survivor, but the middle portions of the book do not necessarily paint this picture.
Besides the romantic interactions and character presentation, The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar created a new concept of urban fantasy to offer readers seeking something close to home but still imaginative. Although certain aspects of supernatural living in San Francisco is hinted at in Kelly's story, the wealth of details about community regulations, species explanations, or even patron interactions in Sam's bar/bookstore was sorely missing. Adding more information into the story about how the community actually functions would have seriously contributed to this story, setting it apart from other urban fantasy stories. As it is, Kelly wrote a fun introduction to the world of Sam Quinn, but with almost 300 pages in the book it seems like there was a lot of unused space.
Overall, this was a fun read that introduced the supernatural scene of San Francisco without overwhelming readers with details. The stage is set for the adventures of the residential bookstore/bar owner. Despite the length of the book, the story was missing a depth of details that would vault it from ordinary yet interesting to compelling and engaging. Sam Quinn's adventures will make you laugh and perhaps keep you engaged long enough to continuing reading what happens next.
The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar follows the wild adventures of owner Sam Quinn, werewolf extraordinaire. When women start showing up murdered and marked with scars identical to the ones Sam carries, her life takes a tailspin into crazy. Now Sam has to watch out for werewolves, psychic visions that entrap her to kill, and angry customers. Partnering up with her sarcastic demon cook, wichee employee, and protective vampire lord, Sam sets out to remind everyone that she is a survivor. A survivor that won't be put down again.
I will warn readers that this story does have trigger warnings of sexual assault and torture that are mentioned throughout the story, but not on-screen.
The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar was an enjoyable quick read. The entire premise of an underground supernatural community and the bookstore/bar that services them fits nicely into my favorite genre of urban fantasy. Defying the stereotypical ferocious female bartender norm, Sam Quinn is a gentle and kind soul that has endeared herself to the supernatural community of San Francisco. The glimpses of Sam's backstory that Kelly gives us helps explain the strength and depth of Sam's character. However, I felt like the story lost a lot of this strength and depth amidst the constant and repetitive psychic attacks. While I loved the interplay between Sam and Clive, the hot vampire master intent on saving Sam, their interactions sometimes painted Sam as the "helpless" girl instead of the survivor she truly was. I will add that the ending of the book does redeem Sam the survivor, but the middle portions of the book do not necessarily paint this picture.
Besides the romantic interactions and character presentation, The Slaughtered Lamb Bookstore and Bar created a new concept of urban fantasy to offer readers seeking something close to home but still imaginative. Although certain aspects of supernatural living in San Francisco is hinted at in Kelly's story, the wealth of details about community regulations, species explanations, or even patron interactions in Sam's bar/bookstore was sorely missing. Adding more information into the story about how the community actually functions would have seriously contributed to this story, setting it apart from other urban fantasy stories. As it is, Kelly wrote a fun introduction to the world of Sam Quinn, but with almost 300 pages in the book it seems like there was a lot of unused space.
Overall, this was a fun read that introduced the supernatural scene of San Francisco without overwhelming readers with details. The stage is set for the adventures of the residential bookstore/bar owner. Despite the length of the book, the story was missing a depth of details that would vault it from ordinary yet interesting to compelling and engaging. Sam Quinn's adventures will make you laugh and perhaps keep you engaged long enough to continuing reading what happens next.