Writer: Vicki Pettersson
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 455
The premise: By all rights, Joanna Archer should be dead. She should've died at sixteen after a brutal assault in the Nevada desert, but she's alive, and she's spent every moment since then making herself hard as stone. A fighter. She's also a photographer who combs the Las Vegas streets at night, looking for the man to attack her, looking for the chance at revenge.
But she's not the only hunter in town. Just shy of her 25th birthday, there are other, darker things in the shadows that want Joanna Archer dead. And some of those things want her for something much, much worse . . .
My Rating
Give It Away: I'll make one thing really clear: if you want urban fantasy that DOESN'T involve the usual fangs, fur, or fey, this is a must-have. Superhero urban fantasy is a pretty original thing, and the world-building is interesting, though I don't have it all straight in my head yet. I realize I have a bias against superheroes, hence my rating. While I wasn't completely enamored of the voice or the protagonist (who does at least change and grow through the book, so that's a perk) which made the book not as addictive as it could've been, there's are things this book does chillingling well, like Joanna's identity. I may read forward in the series, but there's certain things that I want to be spoiled on before I read forward to see if it's going to be emotionally satisfying for me to go on. Like I said, there's a lot of interesting stuff going on, and it's definitely original for an urban fantasy, but I'm not pulled in, not yet.
The full review, which does include spoilers, may be found at my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.
OH: and if any of you would LIKE to give me the spoilers I'm seeking, would you please list them in my journal instead of the community? That way, people in the comm are completely safe from spoilers if they want to be. Thanks!
REVIEW: Vicki Pettersson's THE SCENT OF SHADOWS
Happy Reading! :)
