I spent the majority of this book confused. I had no idea what was going on, there were cockroaches everywhere, Saul was being a weirdo, Jill was being a weirdo, the Cirque was creepy, and Jill's "sea-urchin aura" kept spiking everywhere. I'm rating this up mainly because I like Jill quite a bit, even if she ventured into whiny-baby territory as regards to Saul. I understand her doubts about her relationship since they are really doubts about herself, but that whole thing was not well resolved.

The Cirque sounds like a super-creepy place, like all the worst parts of carnivals and haunted houses smooshed together plus demons, and it definitely added to the horror-movie atmosphere of the book but its purpose wasn't really clear to me. Nothing in this book was really clear to me but at least it was a fun read (once I managed to skim over the cockroach bits).

Saintcrow is a really terrific writer and I'm really interested to see where this series ends. But when she finds a phrase she likes, she really sticks with it. See "sea-urchin aura". It's a really descriptive phrase, but I was definitely weary of it by the end. ( )

I have a personal loathing for carnivals, so that didn't help while I was reading this. Still a good book. ( )

I love the progression of the romantic love relationship between the main characters. It's solidly healthy and beautiful, while being dramatic enough for a fiction read. I love how Lilith Saintcrow integrates different types of occult myth and magic into this series. A great read for paranormal and urban fantasy fans. ( )

Two and a half stars again. ( )

“But when a girl's motivated, miracles are possible.”

Even if I don't love these books, for some reason they're pretty much impossible for me to put down. This one involves a demonic circus that has come to town to drain the suicidal and the hopeless. It must be allowed and is a rule of coordination between hunters, the lead hellbreed of the city, and the cirque. Strange - but interesting - stuff.

Saul is back this time, but there is trouble in the air with their relationship. That's kept up for the entire back until the end, where the resolution seems a little slight and silly. With that being the reason, it kind of seems invented to throw something in without enough backbone. Still, it makes interesting reading and I couldn't wait to see what was going on.

Jill seems more exhausted than before, but this is likely from the relationship struggles weighing in with her ridiculously busy, stressful job. She's still not totally likeable, but in a way can be - there are some small flashbacks to her thinking about her mother, which I found interesting. She certainly had a rough life. I do wish she could stop and listen to her man some, she's on a constant rollercoaster and I think that without Saul, she would likely have lost it or been dead by now.

Perry is in the book a lot more - thankfully. His scenes are riveting. I'm curious how Saintcrow will wrap that up, although I'm imagining it will probably be violent (sadly.) The villains in this one have a twist and Jill has to seek help, voodoo shops, and all sorts of things to solve this mystery. As far as stories go for the series, it's a pretty good one. The circus is dark and carries that depressing vibe I can easily picture. When Jill was experiencing the music, I could almost hear it myself.

Sometimes the action grows too monotonous to where it wouldn't hurt to let it up and breathe some, but at least with these shorter novels a lot of punch is delivered in events and twists.

( )