Death's Hand (Descent, #1)

Oct 18, 2012 Janice (the_red1) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: demons, witches-wizards-magic, urban-fantasy, favorites

Holy hell. What a ride!

The story begins several years after the events in the novella, Death's Avatar. After saving the world, the demon-slaying duo, Elise and James, are now retired and doing their best to lead normal, quiet lives. Elise is, of all things, an accountant, and her witchy companion, James, has a dance studio. The biggest concern Elise has is keeping her business afloat....until James asks her to meet with the Martinez family, whose young daughter, Lucinde, may be possesed by a dem...more Holy hell. What a ride!

The story begins several years after the events in the novella, Death's Avatar. After saving the world, the demon-slaying duo, Elise and James, are now retired and doing their best to lead normal, quiet lives. Elise is, of all things, an accountant, and her witchy companion, James, has a dance studio. The biggest concern Elise has is keeping her business afloat....until James asks her to meet with the Martinez family, whose young daughter, Lucinde, may be possesed by a demon. Elise is understandably reluctant to get involved. She doesn't hunt demons anymore, doesn't perform exorcisms. Those days are behind her. But James is determined to help the Martinez family, and so Elise grudgingly agrees. Little do they know, there is a lot more at stake than the life & soul of a young girl. The fate of the world itself hangs in the balance.

Death's Hand is a perfect blend of urban fantasy & horror genres. Told from alternating third person POV's, it features a genuinely kickass heroine, some seriously brutal action sequences, and more than a few creepy moments. When it comes to world-building, the author seems to follow the "less is more" policy. It's a risky move on Reine's part, and one that may alienate some readers. In my case, it didn't. I didn't need to know every little detail of Elise's world and backstory, and frankly, I enjoyed the hints, teasers & flashbacks much more than if everything had been laid out for me in all its gory detail.

There's a tiny bit of romance in the book, but not between Elise and James. I'll admit, I was a bit disappointed by that. Here they are, bound as kopis & apsis (demon hunter and witch), with over 10 years of shared history, and yet, as far as I could tell, they've both stayed firmly on their respective sides of the relationship line. I thought a few times that one of them (I won't say who) might be open to something more, but the hints were very subtle and there's a good chance I was reading into it. Or not. I honestly don't know. Their relationship is very...murky. There's a wierd intimacy between them that even now, I can't quite capture in words. Sometimes they act like father and daughter (James is 12 years older), other times like comrades-in-arms, and then there were those brief and tantalizing moments when everything else just sort of fell away, leaving just the two of them in their own private world. I suspect my hopes of an Elise/James romance are doomed to be dashed, but for once, I don't mind. They are so utterly fascinating, I simply must keep reading about them.

5 stars.

**Note: If you plan on reading this series, I strongly recommend you read the novella, Death's Avatar, first.(less)

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Feb 12, 2012 Kim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

I am very excited to tell you about this book as it is the best book I have read in the paranormal realm. It starts by introducing you to a retired exorcist and sword Elise Kavanaugh and to her sheild & witch James Faulkner. The book begins by letting you know these two went into retirement and hiding after they saved the world. Living in hiding, Rylie as an accountant to the demon world and James as a dance studio owner and head of his local coven, is not making them rich. But they're alive...more

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May 16, 2013 Wealhtheow rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

From an early age Elise was trained to fight demons, but after narrowly averting the apocalypse she retired. Now she and her partner, James, try to keep their heads down: he as a dance instructor and sometime coven leader, she as an accountant. But when a little girl is possessed, Elise begins to suspect that an old enemy is seeking a way to escape Hell.

This was a great read. The creatures from Hell are described very well, from the disgusting fiends who rot away to the alluring bartender Elise...more

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May 16, 2013 Hazel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book. It was fast paced and filled to the brim with action. There is barely room for Elise to breathe between ass-kickings: whether her own or otherwise. The characters are well developed and the storyline intriguing. Reine deliberately slips backwards and forwards chronologically, in order to teasingly reveal events to us. The result is that the reader is kept on their toes right up until the end and even then we find a few mysteries are still awaiting resolution in the next instal...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Elise is a kopis. A fighter of demons, and exorcist, a warrior for the light and innocent against the dark. Or she was anyway. She's retried, she's an accountant now. Of course she may have to poke some of her clients with sharp things now and then to make them pay – demons can be pretty stingy – but she's put all of that demon killing behind her now after a particularly horrifying experience where she nearly lost everything.

Except James, her apis, her shield and childhood mentor, isn't so willi...more Elise is a kopis. A fighter of demons, and exorcist, a warrior for the light and innocent against the dark. Or she was anyway. She's retried, she's an accountant now. Of course she may have to poke some of her clients with sharp things now and then to make them pay – demons can be pretty stingy – but she's put all of that demon killing behind her now after a particularly horrifying experience where she nearly lost everything.

Except James, her apis, her shield and childhood mentor, isn't so willing to let go. Especially since he is the high priest of the local coven – and one of his members has a possessed child. He cannot abandon her – but nor can he free her without the help of his kick arse accounting friend.

Of course, what starts as a possession gets much much worse. With demons from the past arising, old fears coming back, the walking dead and a legion of lesser demons - with the entire city at risk and people they're close to betraying them – as well as dragging their normal, unskilled, ignorant friends in the dark to do battle alongside them.

Dark powers, kicking arse, magic and demons – what's not to like? I do like this story a lot – it's intriguing I never really knew where I was going and while the premise sounds fairly tried and true, the details were sufficiently unique for me never to be sure exactly what was going to happen – it wasn't predictable, which is rather rare and nice to find. The action scenes were nicely done – I have seen better but not many – they didn't fall into the common traps of being bogged down, unrealistic or hard to follow – they were clear, concise and exciting

The world is, again, relatively unique. The focus is on the myriad kinds of demons and their offshoots and it's less about slicing and dicing them (though there is a nice amount of slicing and dicing) so much as exorcising and banishing them. We didn't see a lot of the world – and I would like to see it expanded a lot more (in fact, I think this book could have used a little world building, especially as some demon types are named but nor explained) - but we have solid hints of angels and demons, witches and other magic users all together with a lot of variety and variations within each category. I want to see more, yes yes I do. There's a lot to intrigue here, even if the taste sample was a trifle stingy

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Oct 22, 2011 Erin Zarro rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I’m going for non-spoilery, so bear with me here. Okay, it starts with a bang — a scene in the past with the two main characters, Elise and James, who were powerful hunters of evil. Something horrific happened and they retired. We are thrust into the present time, where Elise and James are living out their very normal lives. That is until they end up trying to exorcise a little girl.

It gets worse.

As an aside, I have to say: I’m not familiar with actual exorcism or demonology. I believe there are...more I’m going for non-spoilery, so bear with me here. Okay, it starts with a bang — a scene in the past with the two main characters, Elise and James, who were powerful hunters of evil. Something horrific happened and they retired. We are thrust into the present time, where Elise and James are living out their very normal lives. That is until they end up trying to exorcise a little girl.

It gets worse.

As an aside, I have to say: I’m not familiar with actual exorcism or demonology. I believe there are some elements in Elise’s exorcisms that are taken from true exorcism. I was impressed with it. It was simple, clean, and rang true for me whether or not it’s actually real. But most importantly, it made perfect sense within the context of the world Reine created in Death’s Hand. Also something else I liked was the bond between Elise and James. It’s actually a magical bond. I don’t believe they are in love or anything like that, but are close friends that would die for each other. I thought it was refreshing to see something other than a soulmate/mating-type bond between a man and a woman.

Okay, back to the story. There’s this goddess of death that Elise encountered before who swore she’d come back for Elise. And she’s in an object that is wielded by a powerful witch/necromancer. You’ll never guess who it is (I knew from reading a previous draft, but the way it’s laid out will surprise you). *winks* So between the possessed girl, the workings of the death goddess, the newly-risen dead (zombies?), Elise and James have their hands full. They’re forced out of retirement.

What happens is twisty and dark and awful, but it ends happily, I assure you. But you’ll have issues putting it down. The last 100 pages flew for me, and I was technically proofreading, except I kinda forgot to keep an eye out at that point. I admit that. It completely riveted me to the point where I was sitting at work counting down the hours until I could go home and read more. It’s nuts.

Another thing, too. This is a very unique take on demons, exorcism, witches, necromancers. There is a lot of that out there, but you’ll find Death’s Hand refreshingly different. I like the elements of the paranormal and the grittiness of dark fantasy. It really, really works.

So, whatcha waitin’ for? Check it out.

Also, this is the first book in SM Reine’s Descent series. It is a complete story, but there is one teeny tiny little thing at the end that will flow into the next book, which I believe is called The Darkest Gate. I can’t wait to read that. I’m kind of addicted — uh, actually I am addicted to these stories. ….Yeah.

Red Iris Publishing is new to the game and I believe they will become one of the finest publishers out there. With writers like SM Reine, it’s a certainty. So check them out.
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Jul 04, 2012 Richard Hayes rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Elise Kavanagh is a hunter, she hunts demons, angels or other supernaturals. But she and James Faulkner, who is her Aspis, as witch bound to a hunter, are retired or at least trying to be retired.

She is now an accountant trying to make a living with her clients being demons and other supernaturals who run businesses. James is making a living owning a dance studio and working with a coven of witches. As she tries to collect what is owed to her for her services, she ends up fighting demons and als...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Bizzy Day rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural, loves-it

I really really liked this. I got this book free on Kindle and didn't have particularly high expectations as it really can be hit or miss with free stuff and so far I'd only had misses... So I was really pleasantly surprised when I found I just could not put it down.

Elise is a great heroine. She's ballsy and tough but not without feeling. And she's super cool. There's loads of mystery surrounding her and the questions tinkered away in the back of my mind throughout the story. It didn't interfer...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Nereid rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: uf, descent-series

Some jobs are hard to retire from and being the best demon hunters ever is a hard reputation to live down. Needless to say there are a few pissed off people still looking for them so Elise and James lay low and she becomes an accountant to the local demons and James teach dance at his studio. Sounds normal enough right but there is no such thing as a normal day in the life of Elise Kavanagh. Bodies are disappearing from the cemetery, a young girl is possessed and something evil is coming for Eli...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Kelly Truelove rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Urban Fantasy Lovers

This was a solid effort and an intriguing urban fantasy world with unique aspects that furthered my interest and held my attention. This is definitely an author I would like to follow. She displays real talent with her creation of the character duo of Elise and James and the world that she transports us to. I believe there's more to James than meets the eye and much more in store for Elise and James as a team and potential couple. Some bonds cannot be broken, and that's the impression I got of t...more This was a solid effort and an intriguing urban fantasy world with unique aspects that furthered my interest and held my attention. This is definitely an author I would like to follow. She displays real talent with her creation of the character duo of Elise and James and the world that she transports us to. I believe there's more to James than meets the eye and much more in store for Elise and James as a team and potential couple. Some bonds cannot be broken, and that's the impression I got of these two.

The action was fierce and exciting, but I must say that the scenes describing torture and pain were at times a bit overwhelming. I see the term "dark fantasy" used in many places online to describe this work, so I'd say that's about right.

There were a few things that bothered me as a reader, though. It was obvious to me who our mystery antagonist was the first scene this character was introduced, and I felt at times insulted and underestimated when "hints" meant to allude to later revelations were repetitious and only served to ruin these surprise elements for me. Early on, there are comments that would have given me pause normally and, if not repeated, would have later served as "aha's" once the revelation was concluded. However, what I experienced instead was knowing the surprises way too soon and simply having to just watch what I expected to unfold. I began thinking that perhaps this book was meant for a YA audience, as opposed to a well-read 35 year old, but I honestly feel that the author made it too easy even for that age group. Once is a hint, twice is a dead giveaway, and three times just ruins the story. So, my advice to the author is to not underestimate her audience. If it wasn't caught by the reader the first time, so be it; it will still be a surprise for them when all is said and done, but don't hammer it into the rest of us and ruin the punchline before the joke has even been told.

I saw some wording and simple copy editing errors that I think would be easily resolved with an outside editor or advanced reader group. For example, in the beginning of the book, the term "kopes"(used as the plural for kopis)are the term used for the people who are "the sword" part of the sword and shield pairing, and later we are introduced to a falchion which is a weapon that is a sword. Using these two terms interchangeably at the very end of the book by referring to the falchion as the kopis, when before it referred to as simply her sword, was confusing and distracting.

I was interested enough in this story and in the author that I did a bit of research and read the author's blog. I see much room for growth, and apparently, the author agrees. She makes it clear that she is a much better author now and that this book was written several years ago, so I encourage her to continue revisiting the other books she has written to revise before publishing.

Surprisingly enough, the prequel, Death's Avatar, gives some of the back story other reviewers are craving (though personally I like the flashbacks and steady revelations that the author provides thus far) and is better written. That said, I will definitely be picking up the other two books of the series she has planned for publication, and hopefully she will write many more novels pertaining to this world and of course, Elise & James. (less)

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Apr 15, 2012 Mari Stroud rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, let's get this out of the way right quick: this book is great fun, and you should buy it. I mean it. I'll wait.

If you want to be all needy and get details or whatever, Reine has created a pretty standard urban fantasy world, complete with badass, emotionally damaged heroine and the mentor with which she may or may not have UST, depending upon how you squint at it. It's the way that Reine dances about through this world that makes it special, however. Let's face it, a character who has as m...more

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Nov 16, 2011 ABookVacation rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is an original tale concerning demons and exorcism, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Told in a sequence of past and present events, the reader is immediately drawn into the story as James, out looking for his friends’ daughter, Elise, comes across a horror scene so gruesome even he, an experienced demon hunter, can’t stomach it. I really love Reine’s attention to detail and her ability to not only draw the reader in, but also make the reader a part of the story. Following James into the woods a...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Katja rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, as-ebook, urban-fantasy, favorites, from-my-fav-author, indie

I was excited when I first learned Reine has a new series coming out, since she’s one of my favourite indie authors. Where ‘Seasons of the Moon’-series is more about a teenage girl trying to find her way, Death’s Hand gives us an adult main character with a new set of problems.

The book opens with a scene from days gone, where James meets Elise the first time — or ‘meets’ might be a wrong word since he finds her in the middle of Russian woods with a stack of dead bodies. The opening is intriguing...more I was excited when I first learned Reine has a new series coming out, since she’s one of my favourite indie authors. Where ‘Seasons of the Moon’-series is more about a teenage girl trying to find her way, Death’s Hand gives us an adult main character with a new set of problems.

The book opens with a scene from days gone, where James meets Elise the first time — or ‘meets’ might be a wrong word since he finds her in the middle of Russian woods with a stack of dead bodies. The opening is intriguing, giving us insight, that there might be something wrong with Elise and it builds up from there.

Death’s hand is an action packed page turner. The book starts to entwine plots that rise from Elise’s everyday life with burdens from her past, which she’s trying to obliterate. On several occasions I found myself thinking: “No you didn’t! How the heck is this going to get resolved?” — but every time Reine did a good job finding a solution that was believable. She also has a way of describing action; she can bring the scenes alive to the reader in a way where you can almost smell the blood and feel the bruises.

I love kick-ass female characters and I love them more when they’re real with actual flaws instead of virtues masked as vices. She makes mistakes and pays for them. She gets hurt without magically being healed for the next fight. Her relationship with her mentor James is messy.

I should note that Elise and James DO NOT have a romantic relationship. It’s more about their lives being tied together and the mentor-apprentice relationship which has evolved into mutual fondness and friendship. To be clear there’s hardly no romantic aspect at all in this book, just a little bit for the spice, but I didn’t even miss any. A deep romantic relationship would have shifted the book into something else.

Even though the main character is an adult woman, this book’s style in general is more for the YA audience. So if you’re looking for an adult book, you might want to read the sample first. And if you swear to only read YA, you should still check this one out.(less)

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Dec 07, 2011 Liz at Fictional Candy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This was a fantastic story, first in a series. I had expected it to be good, and I am so happy that it was even better than I had hoped.

It starts with Elise and James. The opening scene of the book is a very creepy scene, and it instantly draws you in – you have to find out more. I’m not going to ruin the surprise of it, but let’s just say that the book definitely starts off on the right foot.

Then the story jumps back in time for just a short moment, giving you some more history on Elise.
See,...more This was a fantastic story, first in a series. I had expected it to be good, and I am so happy that it was even better than I had hoped.

It starts with Elise and James. The opening scene of the book is a very creepy scene, and it instantly draws you in – you have to find out more. I’m not going to ruin the surprise of it, but let’s just say that the book definitely starts off on the right foot.

Then the story jumps back in time for just a short moment, giving you some more history on Elise.
See, Elise is a kopis. Translated it basically means “sword”, a warrior. And James, he is her aspis, which translates to “shield”. They are bound together for life, warriors against the forces of Hell. And they’ve been together nearly Elise’s entire life. But now she’s trying to retire, trying to lead a normal life – as normal as she can. Her last job nearly killed her, and she wants to be done. But when you are a warrior against the forces of Hell, can you ever really retire?
Elise seems to be a pretty dark person. She’s a bit pessimistic about normal things, and seemingly just going through some motions. It’s very understandable given the past. She is a tough girl though, you definitely get the feeling that she can handle any situation that comes her way. She’s not just strong, she is tough and smart, cunning. And a bit of a hot head at times. Otherwise, the perfect heroine for a book! James seems to be more of the optimist in this pair – which isn’t a romantic pairing at all.

Which conveniently brings me to a point. If you are looking for romance, look elsewhere. This book is very light on the romance. And it doesn’t need it. The story works perfectly without it.
This book has zombies, demons, a succubus, witches, necromancers, exorcism… it’s got it all, and it all flows together in a perfect rhythm.

Jump to the present. Elise needs to come out of retirement, and she doesn’t want to. She fights it, but like I said – when you are a warrior against the forces of hell, can you ever really retire? She takes on the exorcism of a child, a demon who can invade your dreams and make them nightmares, who knows how many fiends, zombie like dead people intent on hurting her, pissed off witches and a demon who *really* has it in for her. Oh, and she also has to protect her friends and the people she loves while she’s at it.

Can she do it? Will she do it?

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May 05, 2013 Monica Campos rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I must say that I was reluctant to read this book as I saw the that SM Reine's other books (Season's of the Moon series) is a YA, which I personally do not enjoy, however I am glad that I bought this books and gave Death's Hand a four star rating as the story is well written, good editing, there is a plot and there is most surely action. The story moves around in time a bit and at times I was slightly confused, however, the characters are well developed and the author took the time to complete t...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Candy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The author sent me this book about a year ago and while scrolling through trying to find something, the cover caught my eye. GREAT cover art, which in my opinion is half the battle. This was my first read by this author.

ANYWAY... the storyline is actually very interesting. Enough so that I kind of want to know where the author takes the Elise/James storyline and what we don't yet know about them. I also like that she had a definite ending to the book. I felt like I read a complete book. There wa...more The author sent me this book about a year ago and while scrolling through trying to find something, the cover caught my eye. GREAT cover art, which in my opinion is half the battle. This was my first read by this author.

ANYWAY... the storyline is actually very interesting. Enough so that I kind of want to know where the author takes the Elise/James storyline and what we don't yet know about them. I also like that she had a definite ending to the book. I felt like I read a complete book. There was no huge cliffhanger that left me rolling my eyes. I absolutely hate when authors do that because it means I just "wasted" all that time and got no resolution. Reine does a great job of not leaving us hanging.

The writing is excellent, but feels like it needed a little more of an edit. I think she tries to hard to keep the action going and the story suffers - we lose a little bit of the story in all the blood and fighting. It could have used just a tiny bit more of the "why" and "what the heck is going on" because sometimes the characters will do something and you're left scratching your head a bit.

Of course, the other side of that is that we're never really bored because there's always something going on and the story just barrels forward with and insane speed that you don't even realize you've read 3/4 of it and it's 2am. Not that I did that or anything. ;)

I really feel like the author does a great job fleshing out Elise's character, we learn a little about her past, but more about her present. We don't really learn enough for me feel like I KNOW her yet, but there was enough there I actually cared about her and want to see where she goes. James was another story, I am hoping that in future volumes of this series, we're able to see more about him because I was left kind of not really caring about him.

Overall, recommended for urban fantasy fans for sure. The series itself seems to get rave reviews, so I'm anxious to read the next one to find out where she takes us. Note: It does have a fair amount of violence, so if you're sensitive, well... why the heck are you reading urban fantasy anyway? *laughing*(less)

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May 06, 2013 Jaime Hendrickson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I really liked this book. I was looking for something to read but really didn't have any money. saw this book with two others on Amazon for sale for free for my kindle. To be honest, I wasn't expecting it to be that good. Honestly the first thought I had was it must be pretty bad if they were giving three books away for free. I have never been more wrong. This book is awesome. I'm not going to write specifics, so no spoilers here. It's fast moving,violent,exciting and keeps you glued to the page...more

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Nov 07, 2011 Claire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally posted at http://clairesbookcorner.blogspot.com...

For the past five years James Faulkner and Elise Kavanagh have been in hiding, masquerading as normal human beings living a normal human life. James owns a dance studio and Elise works as an accountant. Before this James and Elise used to be hunters they were bound together as Kopis and Aspis or in other words Sword and Shield. Elise was the one wielding the sword and James was her shield, until that is after one hunt too many that nea...more Originally posted at http://clairesbookcorner.blogspot.com...

For the past five years James Faulkner and Elise Kavanagh have been in hiding, masquerading as normal human beings living a normal human life. James owns a dance studio and Elise works as an accountant. Before this James and Elise used to be hunters they were bound together as Kopis and Aspis or in other words Sword and Shield. Elise was the one wielding the sword and James was her shield, until that is after one hunt too many that nearly killed Elise they decided to call it a day. But now a little girl appears to be possessed by a demon and James wants Elise to perform just one more exorcism. Elise wants no part of it even if a child has a demon inside her, she doesn’t care she likes the life she is now living. But then dead bodies start disappearing and coming back to life and Elise had no choice but to become involved.

Death’s Hand is the first book in The Descent series by S. M. Reine and it is fantastic it kept me hooked from the first page to the last. It is just the sort of book I love, dark and gritty. The book concentrates on Elise who is a real kick ass heroine, she isn’t very nice, and she doesn’t have friends apart from her roommate and of course James who she would die for. In fact she is quite scary and intimidating and I think she is awesome. We don’t learn an awful lot about James. We know he too would willingly die for Elise and that he is willing to use their friendship to coerce her back into her hunter lifestyle. As well as running the dance studio he is also a witch but that is about it and I am very intrigued to read more of his story. I think he will be a great character in future books, there is so much potential with him. Elise and James have a very special relationship, it isn’t romantic in any way it is more brother and sister than anything else. At the start of the book we learn a little about how they both met, there is also a flashback later on in the story but it wasn’t enough for me and I can’t wait to discover more about their binding and what exactly Elise is. There are great battles that showcase Elise’s fighting skills and we also have some exorcisms that sent a chill down my spine. There isn’t any romance in this book so if you are looking for that you will be disappointed. There is one scene between two characters that I found to be very intimate and intense by the way it was written even though nothing happens. I prefer to read a teasing scene like this than a graphic sex scene where they go at it like bunnies. The plot of the book is great I sort of figured it out before it was revealed but the ending had me biting my nails I wasn’t sure which way it was going to go. Then we have the final paragraph wtf? I can’t wait for the next book The Darkest Gate which is out in Spring 2012. So you might have gathered that I loved this book, it has teased me with all of its unanswered questions that I need to find out, like why does Elise wear gloves all of the time as well as the more important questions about Elise and James ‘ past. I would like to give this book 4 and a half stars and would recommend it to those of you who like the darker side of Urban Fantasy.

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May 01, 2013 Tanya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, all-time-favorites, female, adult, paranormal, romance

I purchased this as an ebook from Amazon.

Ok this is going to be a little weird. My review will actually be for Books 1-6 in The Descent Series,
Death's Hand
The Darkest Gate
Dark Union
Damnation Marked
Dire Blood
Defying Fate
The reason is I became so obsessed in reading the next book that I didn't bother to stop to write a review. Really who'd want to write a review when you could be with James and Elise traveling through inter-dimensional gates to hell, fighting angels and demons or coming back from...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Carrie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Loved it!

Read this first and was pulled in with the very first sentence.

Written unlike the usual Paranormal I read, I found it exciting and a refreshing change.

We see how Elise and James cope with retirement in this first full length novel in the series, and much has changed.

All except Elise's broodiness, stubbornness and all around bitchiness. Going from running, to having a room mate and office job, Elise has hung up her blades and pulled up her panty hose. Retirement has been good to her a...more

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May 11, 2012 Naomi Clark rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I feel really conflicted about this book. There's a lot to like - Reine is a talented writer, the premise is fresh, and the plot is interesting. The worldbuilding is deep and well-fleshed out. The action scenes were kick-ass. I'm sucker for prickly heroines like Elise, and I liked the complexity of her relationship with James.

And yet...Something stopped me from really throwing myself into Death's Hand. I found it easy to put down and I actually read and re-read a book on nutrition and diet twice...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, indies

Although Elise Kavanagh attempts to lay her past as a demon hunter to rest, the demons refuse to let her go.

I have to admit that I nearly set this book aside after reading the prologue. Luckily, I kept reading. The poorly written prologue (which narrates the action in an annoying step-by-step way) did not prepare me for a well-plotted story full of tense action scenes and interesting characters. Although Elise is a tragic, hard-bitten heroine, her affection for her friends saves her from being a...more

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Nov 06, 2011 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, read-in-2011, urban-fantasy

Wow. What a fantastic world S.M. Reine has created here. It's chock full of demons, blood, magic and righteous fury and it gets all jumbled together in a mad, brilliant clash that leaves you gasping for breath and wondering if everyone is going to make it out of this in one piece. I practically needed a cigarette after and I don't smoke.

I loved the relationship Elise has with the world. She's brittle and standoffish, the world takes note and, well, stands off. As things begin to unravel and Elis...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Amazon80 rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars
This book was much darker and more gruesome then your average UF. It was also much lighter on the romance than I would have expected but it worked. Elise has a sad morbid past like most UF heroines but lacks the snark that the cookie cutter protagonist use to cope with life. The story ends and there is still a lot of mystery surrounding Elise. I want to read on just to solve the puzzle. The world building is not great. I wish there were a few more details and explanations but I never fe...more

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Jan 27, 2012 Avery DeBow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not going to summarize the plot, because others have already done that, and the plot synopsis provided by the author is more than adequate.

Death's Hand is an entertaining book. The author shows promise with strong character development and flowing prose. The plot is engaging and entertaining. The characters are likable (in their own unique ways) and are sympathetic. Where I tend to become tired of Urban Fantasy heroines' uber toughness, Elise managed to amuse me enough that her mega-toughne...more

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May 06, 2013 Christine Wolf rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found it a little confusing with the jumping back and forth between years and some background would have been nice in order to understand what was going on. The last few chapters, once I finally had the background and things made sense did I start to enjoy the action and plot. Overall I found for a first book not enough for me to continue with the series. Then I find out I should have read the novella/prequel first and that is difficult for me to understand. I know novellas are a way to get th...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Jessica (Taking It One Book at a Time) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

First Thoughts: I WANT TO SEE THIS AS A MOVIE!!

Elise is seriously some major type of BAD-ASS.
Yeah, OK, so she's an accountant. But she's also a retired demon-death-bringer, (yes I made that title up) who welds 2 swords of awesomeness!

After almost losing her life to a mega-evil spirit, Elise decides that retirement from demon hunting is the best way to regain normalcy in her life. Keeping a low profile and staying under the radar in a world full of shadows & creatures unknown is hard to do w...more First Thoughts: I WANT TO SEE THIS AS A MOVIE!!

Elise is seriously some major type of BAD-ASS.
Yeah, OK, so she's an accountant. But she's also a retired demon-death-bringer, (yes I made that title up) who welds 2 swords of awesomeness!

After almost losing her life to a mega-evil spirit, Elise decides that retirement from demon hunting is the best way to regain normalcy in her life. Keeping a low profile and staying under the radar in a world full of shadows & creatures unknown is hard to do when they all know you by name, and reputation. Now there's buzz that Death's Hand is looking for the ideal vessel to take over the world in. Elise knows that this could mean someone, or something, could start looking for her. With her "shield", James, by her side she feels as though she's got things under control & figured out. But Death's Hand doesn't want Elise, it wants something far more precious to her...

Freakin' loved, loved, loved this book from page #1!

Elise is TOTALLY my kind of bad ass heroine. She totally reminds me of Anita Blake, but with a bigger attitude & some killer swords. As you meet Elise you immediately can tell that she doesn't want to get her hands dirty anymore, so when she's suckered into exorcising a little girl, THAT'S when things start getting interesting. Zombies, necromancers, evil spirits, crazy witches, there are so many paranormal peaks in this book I was amazed at how the author balanced it all so well. Throughout the book the dialogue jumps from Elise to James, and even to a couple other side characters, but surprisingly it wasn't jumbled or hard to follow because the plot, side plots & heart-wrenching surprises kept extremely fast paced and hard to put down!
All in all this book would have received 6 stars from me if it was possible. By far one of my top 10 reads of the year! It was refreshing, unique and pulled at all of my emotions. I am hoping & begging for the sequel, but only time will tell if S.M will grace us with another epic tale from Elise's book.

5/5
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May 06, 2012 Bex 'n' Books rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was refreshing to read a novel with a strong female lead, one that wasn't bogged down by romance. Don't get me wrong, there's an element of romance in Death's Hand, but it didn't drive the story which I really liked.
There are several twists in the plot and some questions remain unanswered; I'm assuming that these will be finally answered in future books in the series!
It took me a while to warm up to Elise, but once I began to understand her character better, I was supporting her all the way....more

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Nov 26, 2011 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5*s

http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...

Death’s Hand is the first in a new series featuring Elise Kavanagh and James Faulkner who are bound together as Kopis & Aspis , that’s Greek for sword and shield, Elise being the warrior and James being her protector. Its been that way for many years, ever since James found Elise practically dead under suspicious circumstances when she was a teen. Together they took on demons and all manner of hell spawn, banishing them back to where they came fr...more 4.5*s

http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...

Death’s Hand is the first in a new series featuring Elise Kavanagh and James Faulkner who are bound together as Kopis & Aspis , that’s Greek for sword and shield, Elise being the warrior and James being her protector. Its been that way for many years, ever since James found Elise practically dead under suspicious circumstances when she was a teen. Together they took on demons and all manner of hell spawn, banishing them back to where they came from for Elise was also an exorcist. After one particularly bad incident that nearly claimed Elise’s life they both decided to retire from the business and set about living their separate lives . . . . . That is until James asks Elise to investigate the possible possession of an acquaintance’s child and in doing so they open a whole can of worms that everyone will be wishing has stayed shut.

I’ll start of by saying that if you’re looking for a nice, sweet, romantic urban fantasy then look elsewhere! This book is gritty, scary and gruesome and full of things that would give you nightmares if you experienced just a fraction of what the main characters had gone through. Elise reminded me of a female Constantine (as in the Keanu Reeves character from the movie of the same name) a capable warrior & exorcist who just wants to get on with her new life as an accountant and forgetting all about anything to do with hell but is thrust into a power play of magnificent proportions. She is equipped with ‘gifts’ that came with her warrior status and both of them have joint abilities through the bond they have. She isn’t your standard UF heroine, she isn’t everyone’s friend, she doesn’t have all the hot men after her and she doesn’t have an unlimited income. What she is, is a genuine kick ass heroine, what she has been through has defined her and she doesn’t let people in easily. Her ‘shield’ is the only person in the world she trusts and would do anything for. Their relationship can’t be defined easily either leaving lots of questions needing answers. James could also be a very deep character and I feel we have a lot to learn about him especially from his ‘witch’ and ‘leader of a coven’ status and hope that gets explored in the books to follow.

The world that’s been created is quite complex but not confusing and we’re only just getting a glimpse of the possibilities of this series. The exorcism quotes alone must have taken some research but it is really intriguing and imaginative, leaving me with lots of questions but definitely wanting more . . . this is my kind of book and I will definitely be looking out for future books in this series and author(less)

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Oct 28, 2012 Alex Owens rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A compelling novel, with tight writing, crisp action and cutting originality. I love the paranormal aspects of it and the cast of characters is lively. Will read more by this author!

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