Not quite the shine of the first but I'd give it 3.8. Intrigued by the ending. I'm sorry for the parting of the ways at the end. ( )

Amber Benson narrates the second adventure of Quinn the vampire / werewolf of Providence with more confidence, a tight grip on her character's voice, a pleasing rhythm, and a slight monotony if one listens too long at a time. I would describe her Quinn voice as a combination of a cat's purr and a tiger's growl; perfect. She also does arrogant old demons and Gaelic trolls and obnoxious seagulls and snotty Goth girls well. ( )

Red Delicious was, let me just tell you, sinfully delicious! I may have seriously enjoyed the first book, Blood Oranges, but oh boy, this character Quinn has solidified just how freaking radtastic she is in this second book.

I kid you not when I say I held an amused smirk for almost the entirety of the book, which I devoured in, oh I don't know less than 4 hours? Quinn isn't a heroine, or even an anti-heri, she is a no shame, all out for herself, unrepentant killer. And I freaking love her!!

In case you're just coming on the scene, this book has one of the best recaps in the opening pages I have ever read. Quinn is the narrator and she addresses the reader directly throughout the book. So she's laying it out on the line for you if in case you didn't already read the first book. And while you definitely WANT to read the first book, I don't think you have to. (But do it anyway ok? - OK)

She used to be a heroin junkie, but now she's a blood and guts junkie because not only is she a vampire, but she also turns furry during the full moon. That's right folks, she's a vampwolf, Wolfire - whatever the heck you want to call it, she's a vampire but also a werewolf cause she was unfortunate enough (or maybe fortunate hey hey?) to have been bitten by both of these nasties in the same night in the first book.

In Red Delicious, her boss has a job for her, find the missing sister of some debutante rich witch. But there is more going down than that obviously. She ends up running around all over the place, kicking major arse and getting hers kicked of course. There is loads of swearing (when I say loads I am not mincing words here, prepare for a curse storm that would make your sailor grandfather blush), tons of quirky characters and funny names and just a whole lot of fun.

If you like your urban fantasy down and dirty then you can't freaking pass Blood Oranges and Red Delicious up! If you do, well someone needs to give you a swift kick in the pants. *steps forward to volunteer*

Before I forget, there was some hilarious hanky panky references here that well, you better be ware of cause you might have a giggle fit. Did I also mention you'll laugh your ass off?

Shit like that makes me wonder if what we call reality is nothing more than a movie someone's filming in an alternate universe Hollywood. Because...damn. - pg 7

On my way out the front door, I jammed a knit cap with a Slytherin House psych on my head. Maybe that was overplaying my hand, yeah, but fuck it. B wants me to pass for a fucking muggle, might as well hit it full tilt boogie. - pg 29

( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
allthingsuf.com

Sam Spade with blood on her teeth, Quinn is the sort of fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants, ask-questions-later, non-detective detective that busts the genre wide open. Sex, violence, and mythology are all part of the story, but bent through Quinn’s own one of a kind prism. This Siobhan Quinn book isn’t horror or urban fantasy or mystery, but rather a horrifying, fantastical heroine who finds herself embroiled in a mystery.

As a fan of both urban fantasy and mysteries, it can be uncomfortable watching Quinn slice open tropes and play with their entrails. An unreliable narrator who vacillates between the ugly and the uglier truth, I still found myself on her side. Through some mysterious, profane alchemy, even though I never trusted Quinn, never felt like she was making good decisions, heck, never even felt like the moment to moment train-wreck that was this “investigation” was building to any cohesive whole, I cared about Quinn herself. There is something compelling about how she pokes at her own wounds, some undefinable slight of the hand that gives the sense that for every brutal, honest time Quinn lays out her flaws, and they are many, the very act of doing so makes her worth caring about.

I spent so much of RED DELICIOUS puzzling over why I like Quinn, I was blindsided by her actions at the very end. Not the violence and risks, no, but by the personal growth I never saw coming. Just when I thought I had figured out my fascination with this dry, profane woman, Tierney gave her a trajectory I can’t resist. I will definitely be back for book three.

Sexual content: References to sex. ( )

This is the sequel to Blood Oranges. If you liked that one you will enjoy this one as well. Pushing the boundaries of what Urban Fantasy is you can't help rooting for Siobhan, just don't call her by her first name! ( )