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Showing posts with label Anna Strong Chronicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anna Strong Chronicles. Show all posts
Friday, September 14, 2012
Review: Haunted by Jeanne C. Stein
Haunted
Author: Jeanne C. Stein
Release Date: Aug. 28, 2012
Publisher: Ace
Anna Strong Chronicles #8
ISBN: #978-1937007768
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (289 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
Anna Strong—kick-ass bounty hunter and vampire—has made some enemies in her time. But it’s not just her old foes she should be worried about…
Anna’s shape-shifting friend Culebra finally opens up to her about his life before he owned Beso de la Muerte, a bar catering to supernatural clientele. As if summoned by the conversation, Culebra’s past stumbles into his bar in the form of an old buddy cashing in a favor.
Soon Anna, Culebra and her ex, DEA agent Max, find themselves deep in Mexico, dealing with drug cartel infighting, old vendettas and missing girls. Mexico just may prove to be Anna’s best match yet…
What G & U are talking about:
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Haunted is the eighth novel in the Anna Strong Chronicles and the second book in the series Gikany and Una have read. We jumped in with Crossroads, the previous release in this series. Starting the series with the previous novel was not a problem; however, in Haunted, not knowing the back-story does detract from the novel. Overall Gikany and Una enjoyed this installment, but if we had started the series from the beginning, our emotional connections to the characters would have been more powerful and the novel would have had more depth for us.
Anna is home again, trying to balance her two lives – a human bounty hunter and the vampire chosen. However, nothing is ever simple. Between some shocking news from two different close friends and from her family, the holidays are tough for Anna. She finds herself at another crossroads in her life. As the story takes its turns, she is able to figure out what she wants and what she needs. Again, if Gikany and Una had been part of this series from the beginning, the gut wrenching moments and self-realizations in Haunted would have had a greater emotional impact on us. As it was, it was fascinating and heartbreaking to watch Anna go through this maturation process.
One aspect about Haunted is the conflict in Mexico – most notably the drug cartels and their influence. The politics and posturing that take place are fascinating. It is disheartening to see the ripples of evil that form because of the power of the cartels. What the people who try to live under this overwhelming miasma of evil experience is horrifying and yet poignant. The realization that one character made sums up much:
“… I do have family here,” she says slowly. “Family that did not raise a hand to protect me when Ramon came for me. No one held them at gunpoint or threatened them. They must have known there were no jobs waiting for us. Other girls have been taken. None returned. Yet they let me go.” She stops abruptly, takes a breath.” “You and Anna and Max have done more for me in three days than they had done all the years of my life. I would be proud to go with you.”
It is almost too awful to contemplate – the crippling and paralyzing fear is tangible in this novel. The resolution, although not a solution to the war, is a great victory in the battle. It was a gripping page-turner.
Although the more personal aspects of the novel were not as poignant or emotionally wrecking as they could have been to us, Haunted is a nail-biting read. However, if you want to be more personally involved and have a better emotional connection to the resolutions that take place, please start the Anna Strong Chronicles from the beginning. Otherwise, you could jump in on Crossroads. Either way, Gikany and Una do look forward to reading what happens next to Anna.
Their Rating:
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Liked it - recommend (B+)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Labels:
3.5 stars,
ACE,
Anna Strong Chronicles,
G-U Review,
Jeanne C. Stein,
urban fantasy
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1 comments
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday Snippet #81
Crossroads
by: Jeanne C. Stein ACE
August 30, 2011
She senses my approach.
She.
Max’s coyote.
We’re still a mile away from each other, but she picks up the rage. I close the distance in seconds.
Then we’re face-to-face.
The vampire and the man and woman at her side. They are stunned by my sudden appearance, by my vampire face. They are young, maybe twenty, dressed in dark jeans and hoodies that are tattered and stained. They each carry a small satchel. They cringe away, look to their guide.
I look at her, too. She has the smooth, unlined face of a very young woman. Dark skinned, dark hair and eyes that tilt up at the corners. Exotic. Latino or Middle Eastern?
I point to the humans. Let them go.
The vampire tilts her head to one side, studying me. Physically, we are evenly matched. She is weighing her options.
You have no options.
She is cloaking her thoughts. Then, abruptly, she says, Perhaps you are right. These two are of no consequence.
Do they speak English?
A nod.
I drag my eyes away from her, motion to the couple. “The border is three miles straight ahead. There is a tear in the fence. You can make it on your own.”
I am trying very hard to sound human. Even to my own ears, my voice is rough. It comes from my gut, not my vocal cords. A growl.
The humans are mesmerized. They can’t look away from my eyes.
The vampire raises a hand, strokes the hair of the woman. They want to stay with me.
She has not shown her true nature. The woman steps behind her for protection. The vampire laughs.
The fury in me builds. I realize her intention. Her mouth opens, her teeth gnash. She reaches behind to pull the woman forward.
I have her neck before she can grab the woman. I pull her away and spin her around, showing the cowering couple the true face of their savior.
They jump back, mouths open in astonishment.
The vampire laughs again. I force her to her knees. Reach into the pocket of her jacket. Pull a wad of bills from inside. Toss it to the man.
“Take your money. Go. Now.”
This time, there is no hesitation. They circle around us in a wide arc, uncomprehending, fearful the creatures might change their minds. Then they are off, running across the desert floor.
I hold the vampire on the ground until the rustle of their clothes, the sound of their footsteps is a distant echo.
You could have let me keep the money.
She is not afraid.
Why?
Do you know who I am?
Everyone of our race knows who you are.
Then you know I can’t let you go.
Still no reaction. Her mind is closed. Mine is not. Do you think because you are not resisting I will spare you?
I think you will spare me because I have something to offer you.
I pull her to her feet. She faces me squarely. We are the same height. Her dark eyes have changed back, she still holds the vampire in check. She wears jeans and a blouse that skims her shoulders, a denim jacket. Her hair is tied back from her face with a scarf. She looks about twenty-five. Her thoughts are much older, much darker.
The creature before me radiates malevolence. She has killed for a hundred years. She has a taste for it. Lust for blood oozes from her pores like the foul smell of rotting meat. My instinct to kill her now and quickly battles with a desire to learn what a being like this thinks she can offer me.
See? You are curious.
I backhand her across the face. She flies fifty feet and lands on a barrel cactus.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Review: Crossroads
CrossroadsAuthor: Jeanne C. Stein
Release Date: August 30, 2011
Publisher: Ace
Anna Strong Chronicles #7
ISBN: #978-0441020775
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Paperback (296 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book: |
As a bounty hunter, Anna Strong knew how to find trouble. But now that she's a vampire, trouble seems to have a knack for finding her...
The death of Anna's old vampire mentor is causing ripples in the mortal world. His forensic report has brought up some anomalies and people are asking questions-questions that no vampire wants to answer. Anna needs to lie low, but the sudden discovery of a slew of drained bodies near the Mexican border brings an old flame back into her life and with him, a new challenge. Then, some stunning news from an unexpected source sends Anna and her friend Daniel Frey on a journey that may change both their lives-forever.
What G & U are talking about: |
Crossroads is the seventh novel in the Anna Strong Chronicles. Neither Gikany nor Una have read any previously released stories from this series, and after reading Crossroads, we recommend the series. If you don’t mind missing out on a few things (including investment in characters) then feel free to jump in with Crossroads.
Even though we did not have the emotional connection to the characters others may have when reading the series from the first book, we did enjoy the novel. Crossroads was a thrilling urban fantasy ride. Anna Strong, our heroine and narrator, is a complicated woman who is doing the best she can with the circumstances she has found herself in. As Gikany and Una assume from the previous book blurbs, the series begins with Anna becoming a vampire and then each story chronicles her “new” life. Although we’re sure the tension with the choices that Anna faces in this book would have deeper meaning for long-term fans, the experiences and decisions she makes in this novel were not lost on us.
The relationship between Anna and Frey was a little puzzling as we did not have the whole back-story, but we enjoyed their friendship and the connection they must have forged during her short time as a vampire. The unraveling of Frey’s past was thoroughly interesting and the “mystery” was gripping. Gikany and Una especially enjoyed the richness that the Native American element added to the story. We only wish we could speak the language so we would be able to hear the words in our head as we were reading.
Without giving anything away, Anna is faced with a life altering decision and combined with the murder mystery; we found the novel a gripping page-turner. There were several twists that surprised us and some questions that were left unanswered; yet Crossroads leaves you feeling satisfied and ready for the next installment.
Their Rating: |
Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
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