Meh.

This book was a bit better than the first. The characters a bit more fleshed out. But still not enough for me to get invested.

I have listened to the audiobook version an I must say that I really liked the narrator. She gives character to the characters. ( )

The trilogy gets better with the second book. I get the impression that we just needed to have a little wear and tear involved with Madison before she found her stride. Still feels, justly so, like a YA novel, but this time it stays on track and I could enjoy it for what it is.

Nothing too exciting about the novel. Just the expected angst and moral quandaries associated with the need to kill or not to kill in conjunction with fate as an adjunct to a bunch of reapers. Yippie! :) Each of these are very quick reads. ( )

I didn’t enjoy reading this book. I’m pretty sure some of it was me and not the book, so that is why I gave it two stars instead of one.

So far I’m not very impressed with this trilogy. Which makes me incredibly sad since I love Kim Harrison. I know I said the same thing about the first book, but I’m not exactly sure what it is about this book that I didn’t like. I guess it just isn’t my thing. It has it’s funny moments, but other than that I can’t think of anything I actually liked.

Normally this would be a one star read for me, but like I said, part of it might have been the fact that I just wasn’t in the mood to read this book. I will be reading the third book, Something Deadly This Way Comes. Maybe it will be the best in the trilogy? Maybe it will blow me away? Maybe? ( )

Kim Harrison, is such a great world builder, why isn't she using her skills with this series ? The story is interesting (although too short) as are the characters but she just keep it so light, I want more depth more story. It is better than the first novel, but I still think she is trying to reach the YA audience, and expecting less out of them. ( )

A couple of pages in I realized that this was in fact the second book in a series and if I wasn't so focused on trying to read my own books right now I would have gone back and tried to interlibrary loan the first one, however a couple more pages in and I realized that they really did fill you in on everything you needed to know and it was going to be quite easy to figure out what was going on.

Madison is the new Dark Time Keeper. Typically Dark Time Keepers send someone to scythe someone before they do something so horrible that they will never be able to get forgiveness for their actions (or before Chronos gives them a guardian angel who will protect them for their entire lives), but Madison believes in choice. She wants to try and give people the opportunity to change their own lives. Madison has Nakita and Barnabas to help her and the seraphs are watching.

I know it sounds a little bit complicated but this book was definitely a quick, action packed read. There is always something going on. It's clearly looking to be a long term series b/c even though this definitely had a contained story, it also has a ton of issues that need to be addressed in future volumes. I think the author also manages to put a lot of character development in a short time. The reader can see Nakita and Barnabas change which is very impressive considering how old they are, but they also still revert to old behavior, just like everyone does.

All in all I really enjoyed the book and I will definitely go back and read the first one at some point and look forward to future volumes. ( )