ARC Review: Angel Town {Jill Kismet #6} by Lilith Saintcrow

 

 

 

 

She wakes up in her own grave. She doesn't know who put her there, she doesn't know where she is, and she has no friends or family.
She only knows two things: She has a job to do: cleansing the night of evil. And she knows her name.
Jill Kismet.

From Goodreads.

 

 

• Publisher: Orbit 
• Release Date: November 1st, 2011   
• My Copy: eCopy received from NetGalley.
• Pages: 288 
• Series: Jill Kismet Series 
• Genre: Urban Fantasy 
• Author's Website
• Buy the Book:

Angel Town (Jill Kismet)

*NO Spoilers. 

It’s so sad to see a series that you have been following for a while come to an end, but seeing it end so well is definitely a plus.

I have loved the Jill Kismet series since 2009 and a fan of Lilith Saintcrow from then on too. Lilith knows how to write the nitty gritty to a point that you will be pulling out your hair and saying “why, G-d, why?”.

Jill has literally been through hell and it was a balm to my heart seeing her get some comeuppance. I have to be honest though and say that Angel Town dragged a bit, but it definitely had by it’s grips enough that I read it in one sitting and was definitely smiling when I was done.

I really don’t want to ruin his final installment to anyone, let me just say that Angel Town is the cherry on the cake that every Jill Kismet fan needed. Go out and get it!

 

  

Previously on The Jill Kismet Series:

My Review of Books #1-3

My Review of Flesh Circus

Review of Heaven’s Spite to come!

 

 

 

Don’t Forget to Vote for the Theme for

My TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

 

 

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

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Top 5 Sundays #62 – Favorite Sword Wielding Heroines!

 

 

Hey guys!

I gotta say that when I saw the theme that won, I was like “cool, this is gonna be fun” and then I started researching and discovered that it is much harder than I thought.

I read about a LOT of heroines, but a lot of them use knives, guns and not a whole lot go all the way to swords LOL

But I was able to find 5 I love in the end hehe.

Hope you’ll join me today! =D

 

   This week’s results:

Sword Wielding Heroines! = 5 (71%)

Best Fictional Sex Scenes! = 2 (28%)

 

The theme for today is:

Favorite Sword Wielding Heroines!

*Thanks Lieder Madchen for the Theme idea! =D 

But first, a little bit about this feature and the rules to join in…

Every Sunday I will post a TOP 5 list on the blog. It can be about anything and every week I'll have a new theme {You can vote on next week’s theme on my left sidebar!} and I will ad the Mr.Linky bellow the post so you can do a list with the theme and add you link to it.

Rules:

1. Write a post listing your TOP 5 choices within the theme I chose (or was chosen on a poll) for the week.

2. Mention this Blog on the post and link back to it.

3. Fell free to use the Feature's image (there is a smaller size version of it bellow)

4. After you've finished your post, add you link (of the post, not your blog's main page) to the Mr.Linky at the end of that week's post.

5. If you don’t have a blog to post, just leave your list in the comments =)

This week’s theme is Sword Wielding Heroines!

*in no particular order

 

Kate Daniels 

(Kate Daniels Series by Ilona Andrews)

 

Not only does she know her way around a sword, she gets to go home to Curran! Nuf said =P

 

Merit 

(Chicagoland Vampires Series by Chloe Neill) 

 

From college student to kick-ass vampire sword wielding warrior… YES! 

 

Allie Beckstrom

(Allie Beckstrom Series by Devon Monk) 

Sword wielding AND awesome magic! Love it! 

 

Vicki 

(Deadtown Series by Nancy Holzner)

ZOMBIES!!! LOl It’s an awesome series and the heroine rocks!

 

Jill Kismet 

(Jill Kismet Series by Lilith Saintcrow)

 

Kismet is badass! And the end of her series is upon us! Cannot wait to read it! =D 

    

Attention!

Please HELP!

If you have any theme ideas for the next Top 5 Sundays Posts, please leave them in the comments!

Your input would be much appreciated!

 

Now I can’t wait to see who is in YOUR List of Favorite Sword Wielding Heroines!

 Write you post and leave your link so i can check it out!

Hope you guys have fun with it!

Don’t Forget to Vote for the Theme for

My TOP 5 Sundays Post on the Poll at the left sidebar!

 

 

Thanks so much for tuning in and I’ll see you soon!

xoxo,

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Lala's Book Corner: Flesh Circus by Lilith Saintcrow

"The Cirque de Charnu has come. They will clean out the demons and the suicides, and move on. As long as they stay within the rules, Jill Kismet can't deny them entry. But she can watch--and if they step out of line, she'll send them packing. When Cirque performers start dying grotesquely, Kismet has to find out why, or the fragile truce won't hold and her entire city will become a carnival of horror. She also has to play the resident hellbreed power against the Cirque to keep them in line, and find out why ordinary people are needing exorcisms. And then there's the murdered voodoo practitioners, and the zombies. An ancient vengeance is about to be enacted. The Cirque is about to explode. And Jill Kismet is about to find out some games are played for keeps..."

From GoodReads

"I screamed and leapt, the whip coming free and flicking forward, silver flechettes jingling as it wrapped around one of the zombie’s legs and almost tore itself out of my hand."

Ever since the my first encounter with Jill Kismet in her first book, I have felt a huge connection with her. No, I was not abused as a child, I did not turn to prostitution and I am not a hunter of nightmarish monsters. Jill is not ONLY those those things either. Besides all that she has gone through and a lot of times because of it, Jill is a broken woman. She has the deep seated belief that she is not worthy of love. In comes Saul and lights up a flicker of hope that she can be and deserves to be loved.

"Five little words. “That you’re worth a damn.” Mikhail was the only man who ever thought I was worth a damn, I’d told him once. Not the only one, he’d told me later"

Those 5 words were said by Jill, the first time, in the first or second book, I can't remember which. They struck me so hard, I never saw it coming and the powerfulness of that feeling was amazingly well written by the author.

As I pointed out in my review of the first 3 books in the series (you can read that here), I have felt that Saul was the ultimate balance to the darkness that is Kismet's life. However, in this instalment of the series, Saintcrow decided to put some hurdles in Saul and Kismet's way.

I am all for obstacles that need to be conquered so that the characters can go forward, but this felt so forced for me in this book. I get Jill's inability to believe that happiness has a place in her life and that it will last. But, Saul's motives for the "problems" he is having are never really

disclosured. I mean, all the books are in Jill's voice,so when Saul is brooding or upset, we can't guess what the hell is wrong unless the author gives us a vowel. That was really my only problem with the book. So, I digress.

"It never got old. Or less scary. Being looked at like that will give you a whole new definition of naked. It’s just one of the things about dating a Were that’ll do it."

In my opinion, Kismet's biggest battle is in her heart. It is between the woman and the hunter in her. She wants to have a nice little life with Saul, but she cannot leave her duties as a hunter behind and her loyalty to her city is then strongest force that drives her on.

"I stamped past him, every string in my body aching to stop and touch him, throw my arms around him, and maybe engage in some undignified begging. Screw the entire city, screw everything. I didn’t care as long as he stayed with me. As long as there was a chance. But. One teensy-tiny little but. I’m a hunter. It’s that simple."

I have to say that Jill's pain got me to tears once again and I believe that is a huge testament to Lilith Saintcrow's talent in writing this series. I can feel Kismet's desperation and heartache through the pages and reaches right through my heart. However, I think that if I look at it in a more objective manner, she can be a bit whiny at times. She might have reasons to be a disbeliever in happiness, but she needs to learn to listen more. Saul's and Her biggest problem is communication and Jill's inability to just stop for a couple minutes and listen can get a bit tiring.

The bad guy in this creeped me out. Voodoo is something that I cringe from instinctively, since I have had encountered with its Brazilian cousin before. As usual, the mystery throughout the book was really interesting and well thought out, however, I did figured out the main mystery before the heroine hehe =)

All in all, I really liked this book and it left me wanting more and I really liked where some aspects of the story are leading to. So, I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

I think this might have been my longest review to date lol. Sorry for the length, but this book spoke to me hehe

I give it 4 Loveys and I'm sorry to say to my Smut Sisters, but there is no Smut is this series hehe

Books in the series:

#1 - Nightshift

#2 - Hunter's Prayer

#3 - Redemption Alley

#4 - Flesh Circus

#5 - Heaven's Spite (coming out in 2010)

Thanks for tuning in and I'll see you soon!

xoxo

***Don't forget to check out the Giveaways. Contests and Challenges going on! They are all on the left sidebar right at the top or just go to the Menu Bar or click HERE =)))

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Lala's Book Corner: The Jill Kismet Series by Lilith Saintcrow

Back to our Regular programming...

I started reading this series a little while ago. But, after I finished the second book, I decided to take a break and only read the third one when it was closer to the release of the fourth. That way I would not have to wait so long to get my fix of Jill Kismet’s world. So, here is my review of The first 3 Books of the series. I will be reviewing Book 4 soon =)

“Even if the body is patched up after something like that, the psyche shivers and jolts like a junkie doing cold turkey. The human animal isn’t built to take this type of damage and live, and it can shake certain floor-deep bits of your mental furniture around and around until you’re no longer sure who you are.”

In regular Lilith Saintcrow fashion, this series is pretty dark. Jill had an extremely difficult and traumatizing past on the streets, but her mentor Mikhail helped her turn into the hunter she is today.

“I duly swear myself to the service of the citizens of Santa Luz, to protect and to succor. I swear to act without fear or favor, to protect the innocent and to safeguard the living. I swear to be honest and true, to be a servant of the law, and to do my best each and every day, so that the citizens who place their trust in me are well and truly served by the power of Justice.”

As a Hunter, Jill hunts the things that go bump in the night. Hell breeds, Traders, Scurfs (slimy and creepy sort of vamps) and much more, she also serves as the connection between the human law enforcement and the nightside.

This is my favorite series of Lilith’s. Though I do enjoy some darkness, too much can be too much. In my opinion she has a found a great balance between darkness and lightness in this series and that lightness has a name. His name is Saul, a “domestic” werecougar. Don’t get me wrong, he is as tough as nails, but he is quite domestic and a great cook.

Jill and Saul’s romance is not the center of the series and it is not even mentioned in each book’s blurbs. However, I find that without it, I wouldn’t have read book 2.

Saul is the Ying to Jill’s Yang. I love their relationship and how their partnership has grown throughout the books. For that reason, “Redemption Alley”, Book 3, was not my favorite book in the series, since Saul only shows up through phone calls. In my eyes, he is just as much a lead character as Jill is and he needs to be there to keep her in check most of the time.

“Someone’s trying to kill her,” Theron was saying. “Maybe more than one someone.” This is news? I wanted to say, but darkness closed over me, my brain finally having enough and shutting off. The party was over."

I like Jill’s voice through this series, her dark sense of humor and the fact that she doesn’t take herself too serious, aid her in being a more likable character. Her loyalty to her city and her people, balance out her ruthlessness and sometimes even bitchness pretty well. Her imperfections make her more human and definitely more easily relatable.

I definitely recommend this series to Urban Fantasy fans out there. I am sorry my dear Smut Sister, not Smut for you in this series. Though I guarantee there is a lot of bloody action to satisfy anybody’s bloodthirstiness.

I will give this series 4 Loveys so far =)

**I have lost my ratings image on this last stay of my *Chandler (my laptop) on intensive care.

Thanks for Tuning in and I'll see you soon! =)

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Lala's Book Corner: The Dante Valentine Series by Lilith Saintcrow

Lilith Saintcrow came into my life with her "Jill Kismet" series (which I'll be reviewing soon). Then I went and read her YA series, "Strange Angels", which she writes as Lili St. Crow. I really enjoyed her writing and decided to give this series a chance. Since the series was already over, I felt it would be nice to go through beginning, middle and ending in one reading, without having to wait months for each book. You guys probably know what I mean, right?

From GoodReads:

"Necromance-for-hire Dante Valentine is choosy about her jobs. Hot-tempered and with nerves of steel, she can raise the dead like nobody’s business. But one rainy Monday morning, everything goes straight to Hell.

The Devil hires Dante to eliminate a renegade demon: Vardimal Santino. In return, he will let her live. It’s an offer she can’t refuse.

There’s just one catch. How do you kill something that can’t die?"

Well, Dante's world is a very different from our own and the same at the same time. Her story takes place around 600 years in the future, where the "awakening" has happened. The "awakening" was when the world was finally clued in to the existence of Psions, who are humans with psychic talents, such as: Necromances, Shamans, Skinlin and so on..

After the "awakening", people were also aware of the existence of Vamps, Shifters and Demons. As well as the Devil, who is the main villain throughout the whole series.

Dante is a necromance, one of the best in the world, and she is also a bounty hunter that goes after psions that use their talents for crimes. She has had a harsh past, abandoned by her parents for being an "abomination", raised in a psions school and abused by the headmaster and lost people she loved at an early age. Dante is a broken woman in many ways, people that love her might be able to glue her together, but she is still broken and pieces just keep falling off.

Her world is a world of a very dark past and present. Psions are viewed as abomination by some normals and as a constant danger by others. They were treated as such right after the "awakening" and confined to Death Camps. This cruel period of time is reminiscent of the "Holocaust" and it is as usual, a very disturbing image to be had.

Besides the dark, there is also the technological aspect of the world. There are hovers, slicboards, Holograms and much more. Lilith has created a very interesting world and plenty lovable for any "Back to the Future" fan out there :P

Each book was a struggle on itself. Dante goes through unimaginable obstacles and difficulties and watching her was heartbreaking at times.

There is a love story in the series and it is a very unsual one. That story brought many questions in my head. The first one was: Is this Love or Obsession? - Because it is pretty hard to see the line between those two, it got extremely blurred a lot of the time.

I went through the first 3 books pretty quickly, however the 4th and 5th were a huge struggle for me. Despite liking Dante, she pissed me off many of times, by making a huge deal out of a situation and then getting over it easier than I would. Meaning that whenever she was over it, I wasn't and that made it hard for me to relate to the rest of it. The secondary characters are very interesting and many times much more likable than Dante. I cried for her, whenever she got even more broken and that made me connected to her.

Dante's story is full of betrayals, doubts, darkness, faith, lack of faith, pain, love, hurt and fighting. She a tough and dark character that I felt was interesting to follow, though she did get tiring at times.

I recommend this series if you are a Lilith Saintcrow fan and if you are ready for a read that not at all light.

My Rating:

The Dante Valentine Series:

(in the order they should be read)

Working for the Devil

Dead Man Rising

The Devil's Right Hand

Saint City Sinner's

To Hell and Back

Next I will review Strange Angels by Lilith's alter ego Lili St. Crow

Thanks for tuning in and see you soon!

Listening to: Michael Buble - Haven't met you yet

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