Jill is one tough cookie. I love this series. The drama, depth, intensity and the main character's conviction and dedication to her job is bittersweet and beautiful. This contemporary fantasy novel is well worth a read. Anything by Lilith Saintcrow is, really.
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I can see now why so many reviewers said they disliked the ending. If I didn't have the next book ready, published, and nearby, I would have went mini-ballistic Erin. Cliffhangers just suck.

Again Saintcrow pumps up the action almost non-stop - this time the gloves are off and Perry has finally revealed his full deck. Twists around all sorts of corners, a plot that leads Jill around on a frantic leash as she tries to stop an incoming hellbreed and find her beloved before it's too late. The villains are even bigger and badder than before in this one.

Jill...well, I just don't like her. I'm convinced now that Saintcrow can't write likeable heroines. That's it. I hated Dante much more, but Jill I don't care for much either. At least she's a lot more passable. Her emotions are dragged through the ringer in this one as she finds out a startling revelation about her former teacher, and has to face the possibility of being without Saul for good, to now having to face the inevitable about herself. Honestly, as weird as this sounds, I don't see why she would deserve much redemption. I think she's been corrupting herself a long time, so much so that I find it hard to believe how she can care for random strangers like she claims to. I see her wanting to protect the city more like a territorial, pride dispute by this point.

I still find some of the major story confusing, but I guess that's just me. Overall I dig the world the author has built, it's multi-layered, realistic to fit this kind of Urban fantasy, dark, gritty, twisted. She writes action scenes well, although I shudder at some of the dialogue. I think she writes supporting characters well and makes them more fascinating and likeable than her mains. I also think she has really overdone the description and updates on the rubys, hair sparkles, and scar effects now. Every action scene - well, almost every other page - has them doing something.

The new apprentice is promising, although I don't care much about that side storyline at this point, as I keep looking forward to seeing the wrapups for the main players who have been here since book one. I'm guess his introduction may possibly give her the ability to take a well-deserved break after everything is resolved.

There is the return of most major players, although Saul has a very short scene only as he complains about them again. Perry is twisted and fascinating on page, definitely a true villain. I would have been curious about darker elements if not for the ending, which ruined that possibility. But then again, there's a final book to read, and I'm not sure where it will go from there. Having an instinctual feeling I'm not going to be crazy about it. Don't know why, but as Jill always thinks, instinct is important. ( )

Synopsis:Kismet must once again stop Perry from loosing another hellbreed on the earth. She must also decide what's to be done with the Sorrow that killed her teacher. Wrapped up in all of this is the kidnapping of Saul and Gil's demand to become her apprentice.
Review: More violence and mayhem, with the added touch of balancing what is 'right' against what is expedient. Not a great fan of cliff-hangers, but this is a good one. ( )

Disturbing creatures/situations and emotionally tortured characters are Lilith Saintcrow's staple and I love her for it. You want dark, gritty, gore and violence? Saintcrow is your gal. She's not afraid to go the extra mile with details and make Kismet go full out no holes barred on the enemy. The same can be said in reverse as well. I also enjoy that she uses a wide vocabulary and I actually have to look up definitions to some of her words.
Something I don't enjoy though is how powerful Kismet is. She needs to have a limit to her power. I mean the girl is torn apart in every book and bounces right back due to the mark. Sure this book starts talking about the effects the mark has on her, but I need more of a handicap than what is provided. If we had seen more effects earlier I think it would have made me enjoy the series more.
I do have to say though, the ending of this one...Saintcrow really leaves me craving to read the last book. ( )

I just wasn't feeling to good with this scheme. Ugguuhhh was it ever gory, and to top it off Jill completely loses her mind after holding it together so well for the first books. This is a factor that Saintcrow is fairly well versed in with her writing. She's really great at showing that her characters can be infallible.
Though she likes to mix in a little cocktail of confusion to go along with the leading lady's breakdown.
Enjoy Pretties! ( )