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A review by jessiquie
Corpselight by Angela Slatter
5.0
Verity Fassbinder is back in Corpselight and ready to protect the ones she loves no matter the cost.
I came away from Vigil (book one in the Verity Fassbinder series) feeling content but a little bit disappointed that the book didn't punch me emotional as I expected it to. Well I can say full heartedly that not only did Angela Slatter comes back with a kick arse book to match her hard as nails heroine Verity Fassbinder, but she completely delivered on the emotional smack down and the fast paced action thriller style writing that we all know and love her for.
Corpselight is a fast paced, fantasy based, action adventure crime thriller that is sure to leave you on the edge of your seats. Once again it's mythology based, dark and twisted and features all our favourites from the the first book (Vigil) and some soon to be new favourites!
This is a book I could not put down. I started it one lazy Sunday morning and did not stop reading until I'd finished the book that night. It was that captivating and mesmerising that I couldn't help but throw myself into the world of Briseyland (Slatter's re-imagined Brisbane) and all the craziness that goes on there.
I'm not going to rehash the plot in this review, as I truly believe this a book that is best experienced. What I will say however was that this book.... it was everything. The characters felt like family and oh-so real that I simply wanted to cover them up in cotton wool and protect them from everything that went on. I was internally screaming at some of the decisions made and their emotional journeys moved me. I was literally on the edge of my seat reading hoping like hell they would get their happy-ever-after that they oh-so-deserved.
For those who had read my review of Vigil, you'd know that while I really enjoyed that book I felt like the characters were inaccessible on an emotional level. While I laughed at their larger-than-life attitudes and humour, I didn't connect with them the way I wished I had. Well, I can tell you, I 100 % connected with the characters in this book. Verity is still a hard task master who knows when and how to get a job done no matter the consequence and yet this time around she was also vulnerable and more human. She opened up to the reader and I defy anyone not to sympathise with her with the shit storm that is thrown her way time and time again in Corpselight.
Unlike Vigil, Corpselight centres around Verity and those near and dear to her. The crimes deeply impact her band of merry misfits and as such the book is so much more powerful and punchy because of the direct connection. There is no where for Verity to hide on the page, no armour for her show pony behind. The world she inhibits is laid bare before her and the consequences are astronomical. Because of all of this I felt Verity was much more clear as a character. She is more vulnerable and has so much more depth, which in turn makes her both more human and not, all at once. I loved it.
David plays a more pivotal role in this narrative as well. While I wasn't impressed with the one-dimensional love interest in book one, David truly redeems himself in book two. I'm no longer as suspicious of his motives, and I'm impressed with how David turned into a truly unexpected sidekick who constantly surprises. With Bella and Verity's past romantic history and all the illusions of what they meant to each other in Vigil, I was desperate for those two to end up together again. But after seeing what Slatter had in stall for David and Verity in Corpselight and the shit storm they had to survive, I'm equally happy with the current outcome and terrified for the third book in the series.
We get lot's more of Zvezdomir 'Bela' Tepes and Ziggi, as well as the Norn Sisters, all of who play a pivotal role in Verity's life and the narrative so far.
Once again Corpselight is very Aussie in tone and character. That's not to deter international readers, as the story is still very universal and easily accessible; but until I read this series I didn't quite realise how much I missed, and lacked for that matter, a sense of Australia in my fantasy. This series is truly one of a kind.
All in all I can not fault this book at all. For the entire 400 pages I was totally and utterly glued to the pages and mesmerised for the story. Slatter's writing is not only flawless, but it packed one hell of an emotional punch this time that I physically broke out in Goosebumps as I raced my way to the books conclusion. I can not wait to see what happens next in the third instalment of the Verity Fassbinder series.
This review was originally posted at The Never Ending Bookshelf on the 25th July 2017 and can be found here: http://wp.me/p3yY1u-1hF
I came away from Vigil (book one in the Verity Fassbinder series) feeling content but a little bit disappointed that the book didn't punch me emotional as I expected it to. Well I can say full heartedly that not only did Angela Slatter comes back with a kick arse book to match her hard as nails heroine Verity Fassbinder, but she completely delivered on the emotional smack down and the fast paced action thriller style writing that we all know and love her for.
Corpselight is a fast paced, fantasy based, action adventure crime thriller that is sure to leave you on the edge of your seats. Once again it's mythology based, dark and twisted and features all our favourites from the the first book (Vigil) and some soon to be new favourites!
This is a book I could not put down. I started it one lazy Sunday morning and did not stop reading until I'd finished the book that night. It was that captivating and mesmerising that I couldn't help but throw myself into the world of Briseyland (Slatter's re-imagined Brisbane) and all the craziness that goes on there.
I'm not going to rehash the plot in this review, as I truly believe this a book that is best experienced. What I will say however was that this book.... it was everything. The characters felt like family and oh-so real that I simply wanted to cover them up in cotton wool and protect them from everything that went on. I was internally screaming at some of the decisions made and their emotional journeys moved me. I was literally on the edge of my seat reading hoping like hell they would get their happy-ever-after that they oh-so-deserved.
For those who had read my review of Vigil, you'd know that while I really enjoyed that book I felt like the characters were inaccessible on an emotional level. While I laughed at their larger-than-life attitudes and humour, I didn't connect with them the way I wished I had. Well, I can tell you, I 100 % connected with the characters in this book. Verity is still a hard task master who knows when and how to get a job done no matter the consequence and yet this time around she was also vulnerable and more human. She opened up to the reader and I defy anyone not to sympathise with her with the shit storm that is thrown her way time and time again in Corpselight.
Unlike Vigil, Corpselight centres around Verity and those near and dear to her. The crimes deeply impact her band of merry misfits and as such the book is so much more powerful and punchy because of the direct connection. There is no where for Verity to hide on the page, no armour for her show pony behind. The world she inhibits is laid bare before her and the consequences are astronomical. Because of all of this I felt Verity was much more clear as a character. She is more vulnerable and has so much more depth, which in turn makes her both more human and not, all at once. I loved it.
David plays a more pivotal role in this narrative as well. While I wasn't impressed with the one-dimensional love interest in book one, David truly redeems himself in book two. I'm no longer as suspicious of his motives, and I'm impressed with how David turned into a truly unexpected sidekick who constantly surprises. With Bella and Verity's past romantic history and all the illusions of what they meant to each other in Vigil, I was desperate for those two to end up together again. But after seeing what Slatter had in stall for David and Verity in Corpselight and the shit storm they had to survive, I'm equally happy with the current outcome and terrified for the third book in the series.
We get lot's more of Zvezdomir 'Bela' Tepes and Ziggi, as well as the Norn Sisters, all of who play a pivotal role in Verity's life and the narrative so far.
Once again Corpselight is very Aussie in tone and character. That's not to deter international readers, as the story is still very universal and easily accessible; but until I read this series I didn't quite realise how much I missed, and lacked for that matter, a sense of Australia in my fantasy. This series is truly one of a kind.
All in all I can not fault this book at all. For the entire 400 pages I was totally and utterly glued to the pages and mesmerised for the story. Slatter's writing is not only flawless, but it packed one hell of an emotional punch this time that I physically broke out in Goosebumps as I raced my way to the books conclusion. I can not wait to see what happens next in the third instalment of the Verity Fassbinder series.
This review was originally posted at The Never Ending Bookshelf on the 25th July 2017 and can be found here: http://wp.me/p3yY1u-1hF