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A review by barb4ry1
Unclean Spirits by M.L.N. Hanover
2.0
M. L. N. Hanover is Daniel Abraham's pen name, under which he writes urban fantasy.
Novel's protagonist, Jayné (pronounced zha-nay) Heller lacks a clear direction in life – she’s dropped out of college and doesn’t get on with her family. Her uncle Eric dies and, rather unexpectedly, leaves all his possessions to Jane. Suddenly, she finds herself with a lot of money and properties around the world. Sounds like a great place for a fresh start.
Unfortunately, the wealth comes with a price. It turns out that her uncle was fighting a secret battle against ‘riders’ – evil spirits that take over human bodies and control them. Jayne is supposed to continue his mission.
While I enjoy the idea of riders taking over human bodies, I find the book disappointing. It feels like a thin YA novel that doesn't deliver any meaningful characters development or interesting plot. Almost everything (feelings, superpowers) is told, not much is shown in a convincing way. Basically, it's a simplistic story focused on a team of good guys stopping the bad guys before it's too late.
Characters feel terribly flat. There's unbelievable and rushed insta-lust between Jayne and one of her team members. Frankly, it was the worst romance I've read in ages.
Jayne is, basically, a directionless and vulnerable drop-out. Some would call her a loser. But when Riders come she suddenly demolishes them with amazing fighting skills. Later on, when the adrenaline drops, she shakes and cries and does whatever a regular human being would do. I have nothing against super-powers; heck, I absolutely love them. Here, though, the author didn't even try to explain what happened. It seems the series is supposed to be ten books long. I assume many things will be revealed in sequels. That's cool. Or rather would be, if this book made me want to read more about zha-nay. It didn't.
I've heard great things about Daniel Abraham. From readers and reviewers I trust. Sadly, after finishing Unclean Spirits chances that I'll read any of his books in the near future are close to none.
Novel's protagonist, Jayné (pronounced zha-nay) Heller lacks a clear direction in life – she’s dropped out of college and doesn’t get on with her family. Her uncle Eric dies and, rather unexpectedly, leaves all his possessions to Jane. Suddenly, she finds herself with a lot of money and properties around the world. Sounds like a great place for a fresh start.
Unfortunately, the wealth comes with a price. It turns out that her uncle was fighting a secret battle against ‘riders’ – evil spirits that take over human bodies and control them. Jayne is supposed to continue his mission.
While I enjoy the idea of riders taking over human bodies, I find the book disappointing. It feels like a thin YA novel that doesn't deliver any meaningful characters development or interesting plot. Almost everything (feelings, superpowers) is told, not much is shown in a convincing way. Basically, it's a simplistic story focused on a team of good guys stopping the bad guys before it's too late.
Characters feel terribly flat. There's unbelievable and rushed insta-lust between Jayne and one of her team members. Frankly, it was the worst romance I've read in ages.
Jayne is, basically, a directionless and vulnerable drop-out. Some would call her a loser. But when Riders come she suddenly demolishes them with amazing fighting skills. Later on, when the adrenaline drops, she shakes and cries and does whatever a regular human being would do. I have nothing against super-powers; heck, I absolutely love them. Here, though, the author didn't even try to explain what happened. It seems the series is supposed to be ten books long. I assume many things will be revealed in sequels. That's cool. Or rather would be, if this book made me want to read more about zha-nay. It didn't.
I've heard great things about Daniel Abraham. From readers and reviewers I trust. Sadly, after finishing Unclean Spirits chances that I'll read any of his books in the near future are close to none.