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111th out of 559 books
—
1,268 voters
Dark Currents (Agent of Hel #1)
by
Jacqueline Carey (Goodreads Author)
Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Kushiel’s Legacy novels, presents an all-new world featuring a woman caught between the normal and paranormal worlds, while enforcing order in both. Introducing Daisy Johanssen, reluctant hell-spawn…
The Midwestern resort town of Pemkowet boasts a diverse population: eccentric locals, wealthy summer peop...more
The Midwestern resort town of Pemkowet boasts a diverse population: eccentric locals, wealthy summer peop...more
Hardcover, 356 pages
Published
October 2nd 2012
by Roc Hardcover
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If Charlaine Harris and Kim Harrison had a baby and if that baby were slightly less concerned with who the main character was currently bedding and if the entire attitude of the baby was slightly less morose and dark and instead highly readable, entertaining, funny and yet steeped in really cool, old mythology, solid writing and a female lead who actually enjoys the power she has? The baby would look a lot like "Dark Currents" the first in what I hope will be a long series in the "Agent of Hel"...more
18 likes · like · see review
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Jacqueline Carey doing urban fantasy. I'm intrigued. Wish it was out sooner ....
This series introduces a new open urban fantasy universe, where members of the eldritch community tend to cluster above cities and towns with functioning underworlds. Pemkowet is a Midwestern resort town that is ruled by Hel, the Norse goddess of the dead.
Daisy Johanssen, the lead female point of view character is Hel's enforcer. Her mother is fully human. Her father an incubus. As such, Daisy has a hell-spawn herit...more
This series introduces a new open urban fantasy universe, where members of the eldritch community tend to cluster above cities and towns with functioning underworlds. Pemkowet is a Midwestern resort town that is ruled by Hel, the Norse goddess of the dead.
Daisy Johanssen, the lead female point of view character is Hel's enforcer. Her mother is fully human. Her father an incubus. As such, Daisy has a hell-spawn herit...more
5 likes · like · see review
What with all that "single female pose an-I-will-kick-your-ass" cover theme?
Pretty much happen now, and less beefy hotties in the cover.
But this one is good and its out in HC version.
Pretty much happen now, and less beefy hotties in the cover.
But this one is good and its out in HC version.
3 likes · like · see review
3 1\2
I'm totally new to this author. From what I've read she seems to be a really hot item, even if judging from this you might wonder why.
Do not mistake me, this is good UF , if not at its best, but also at its most normal. There's a great world, but nothing unheard of. (Its building seemed to lack something in foundation, though.) Its theme is not light (murder and rape, hate, religious intolerance), but the feel of the book is. Moreover, the heroine has a YA feel that's not really engaging a...more
I'm totally new to this author. From what I've read she seems to be a really hot item, even if judging from this you might wonder why.
Do not mistake me, this is good UF , if not at its best, but also at its most normal. There's a great world, but nothing unheard of. (Its building seemed to lack something in foundation, though.) Its theme is not light (murder and rape, hate, religious intolerance), but the feel of the book is. Moreover, the heroine has a YA feel that's not really engaging a...more
4.5
Throw your idea of the normal supernatural regulars out with this book. There are more varieties and they are unique; Werewolves, Brownies, Vampires, Ghouls, Mermaids and more. The head Ghoul, is sexy with a beating heart and blood in his veins. Hel is a Norse goddess who rules supreme over the edritch (supernatural others) that live there.
Daisy is a half demon and agent of Hel. She was raised by her mother, and taught to be 'good.' She has to avoid temptation, called the seven deadlies. If n...more
Throw your idea of the normal supernatural regulars out with this book. There are more varieties and they are unique; Werewolves, Brownies, Vampires, Ghouls, Mermaids and more. The head Ghoul, is sexy with a beating heart and blood in his veins. Hel is a Norse goddess who rules supreme over the edritch (supernatural others) that live there.
Daisy is a half demon and agent of Hel. She was raised by her mother, and taught to be 'good.' She has to avoid temptation, called the seven deadlies. If n...more
(NOTE: this review is from a pre-pub galley.)
Official Review Title: Fifty Shades of Gah!
Gah ... this book was, OMG .... gah ... GAH! Annoyed yet? Yeah, so I was while reading this otherwise awesome book. Carey has an EXTREME verbal tic here with the word "gah". It's uttered out loud or in the heroine head every other page. Gah! It really is that prevalent and that distracting. Which is a crying shame, because otherwise this is damn near perfect book.
In brief: Daisy Johansson, half-breed human/he...more
Official Review Title: Fifty Shades of Gah!
Gah ... this book was, OMG .... gah ... GAH! Annoyed yet? Yeah, so I was while reading this otherwise awesome book. Carey has an EXTREME verbal tic here with the word "gah". It's uttered out loud or in the heroine head every other page. Gah! It really is that prevalent and that distracting. Which is a crying shame, because otherwise this is damn near perfect book.
In brief: Daisy Johansson, half-breed human/he...more
2 likes · like · see review
I don't know why I liked this. LOL. A murder mystery, a supernatural-ridden city, and even a love triangle- Dark Currents resembles every urban fantasy we've read. Though Jacqueline Carey does differentiate hers in some ways: supes attract tourists, and protagonist Daisy confesses to her crush instead of waiting five books.
But hellspawn Daisy's also a goody two-shoes. If she gives into her baser urges -the "Seven Deadlies" provide her moral compass; talk about a bandaid- she'll trigger Armagedd...more
But hellspawn Daisy's also a goody two-shoes. If she gives into her baser urges -the "Seven Deadlies" provide her moral compass; talk about a bandaid- she'll trigger Armagedd...more
11 likes · like · see review
The Nitty Gritty: Tail lashing agent of Hel, the Norse god of the dead, is a part time file clerk for the local police in the small Midwestern resort town of Pemkowet. Being Hel's agent means keeping the local eldritch community in line and the mundane humans safe. Daisy acts as the liason between the magical and the mundane. Mostly that involves taking her best friend Jen to Twilight Manor to plead with her sister to forsake her vampire boyfriend and come home or scaring off a milkweed fairy fr...more
I'm a sucker for Norse mythology, so I thought I would give this book a chance as I love Carey's writing and wanted to see if she could write an engaging urban fantasy. I wasn't too disappointed, thought I'm glad I borrowed this from the library and didn't take a chance and buy my own copy.
Daisy is a half-demon living in a small Michigan town famous for its supernatural community (so famous there is even a burgeoning tourist industry). Everyone knows Daisy's story: she was conceived one Summer...more
Daisy is a half-demon living in a small Michigan town famous for its supernatural community (so famous there is even a burgeoning tourist industry). Everyone knows Daisy's story: she was conceived one Summer...more
Yes, this is a popcorn book but it is light and fun. The main character Daisy Johanassen is an engaging likable character with an interest job, supernatural enforcer for Hel, the Norse goddess who has taken up residence outside Daisy's midwestern small town home. And she has an unusual problem, her father is a devil and should she give into temptation and request her full powers, that could cause a breach in the Inviolate Wall and unleash a literal hell on Earth.
This story is a mystery, a young...more
This story is a mystery, a young...more
I expected so much more from Jacqueline Carey. She's already proven that she can create compelling characters with her other series, which is why I'm baffled as to how she found it completely impossible here. Her main character, Daisy, is a 14 year old goth chick's Mary Sue wet dream--all she needs is violet eyes that change color and we're set. In an attempt to make the character 'modern', the page is peppered with really offputting turns-of-phrase; she constantly refers to the 'Seven Deadlies'...more
On the whole, I liked Dark Currents. The characters are engaging, and the pacing is good. It falls in that typical supernatural mystery category that urban fantasy books so often sit. The way the mystery comes together is a little clumsy, but on the whole it is still very enjoyable.
One of the things I like most about urban fantasy is seeing how authors take beings from these ancient stories and put them into a modern context. Carey's interpretation of Norse mythology particularly, but also seve...more
One of the things I like most about urban fantasy is seeing how authors take beings from these ancient stories and put them into a modern context. Carey's interpretation of Norse mythology particularly, but also seve...more
I was so excited for this book. Jacqueline Carey writing an urban fantasy involving Norse mythology, how could that not be amazing? Well, it's really not. If Robin McKinley were to write a reboot of the Anita Blake books, this is what you would get. A female cop who specializes in the fantastic elements (because of her demon ancestry), solving a murder mystery, even with the setup of a love triangle with a were and a ghoul (which are just a variation on the standard urban vampire). Again, why do...more
2 likes · like · see review
... You know it's a good read when you stay up till 3AM to finish the book (6 hours past your bedtime).
The bad things first:
Way too much tail. As mentioned by many other reviewers, we're just told about the tail way too many times. If it was a person's eye twitching instead of a tail, any editor would have had it all chopped out.
The good things:
There was a damn lot of interaction. Many people have compared this novel to the Kushiel series - usually in the line of "it just wasn't the same". I...more
The bad things first:
Way too much tail. As mentioned by many other reviewers, we're just told about the tail way too many times. If it was a person's eye twitching instead of a tail, any editor would have had it all chopped out.
The good things:
There was a damn lot of interaction. Many people have compared this novel to the Kushiel series - usually in the line of "it just wasn't the same". I...more
On the one hand, I'm not sure I'm a fan of Jacqueline Carey branching out into the more "young adult" category that seems to have cyclical popularity. I remember there being a slew of horror, romance and fantasy novels for teens when I was one, then for a while it seemed to go away, and now after the success of The Hunger Games and similar novels for teens that attract an adult audience, there are more and more novels featuring teenage or young adult protagonists.
On the other hand, this was a fa...more
On the other hand, this was a fa...more
I was leery picking up this book. I have tried this author's other series and didn't care for them, the only reason why I picked up this one was because one of my groups picked it for the BOM. I actually thought this one would go in the dnf pile. So color me surprised when as I read I really liked this one.
I liked the world that the book is set in, loved the small town feel with it's other worldliness. It shouldn't be a surprise, that due to the 2 different cultures that there would be racism a...more
I liked the world that the book is set in, loved the small town feel with it's other worldliness. It shouldn't be a surprise, that due to the 2 different cultures that there would be racism a...more
I am thinking more a 3.5 but am not allowed to give halves...
I adored the Kushiel series. Not as big a fan but still liked the Naamah series. Loved the Santa Olivia series. I was tremendously impressed by the elegance and originality of the works.
This one feels like it could have been written by any of a half dozen good urban fantasy authors. I enjoyed it, and will read the second, but nothing differentiated it from Kate Daniels or Ilona Andrews or Jim Butcher (whom I love but not in an obsessiv...more
I adored the Kushiel series. Not as big a fan but still liked the Naamah series. Loved the Santa Olivia series. I was tremendously impressed by the elegance and originality of the works.
This one feels like it could have been written by any of a half dozen good urban fantasy authors. I enjoyed it, and will read the second, but nothing differentiated it from Kate Daniels or Ilona Andrews or Jim Butcher (whom I love but not in an obsessiv...more
You know you can open a book expecting all the usual conventions of Urban Fantasy genre-- love triangle, heroine discovering her power, mystery to be solved-- and you end up being a bit bored because you've read it all before?
This is NOT that book. This book has all those elements and I didn't care. I didn't care that despite my own preference for romantic angsty relationships multiple male characters with no commitment to the tough heroine Daisy made her (literal)tail wag with excitement. I did...more
This is NOT that book. This book has all those elements and I didn't care. I didn't care that despite my own preference for romantic angsty relationships multiple male characters with no commitment to the tough heroine Daisy made her (literal)tail wag with excitement. I did...more
just finished this book today 11/19/2012. started reading it last wednesday. loved this book! the main character, Daisy, is a little shiny. but it's the first book and Daisy is just starting to come into her own and it's interesting to see the beginning growing pains for a new character in a new world. was a little trepidatious about this book. i've read most of Ms. Carey's books especially the Kushiel/D'Angeline saga and have the opinion that she's an excellent writer. but this is a transition...more
Dark Currents is an excellent new entry in the world of urban fantasy, though to be fair, its perhaps more rustic fantasy.
Jacqueline Carey does an exemplary job of creating an intriguing world of fantastical creatures, interesting "normals" and subtle complexities behind the scenes.
The writing itself is solid with maybe occasional lapses of too much introspection at times. One unusual note is that in most works of this genre the action is fast-paced, intense and violent. Not so in Dark Currents...more
Jacqueline Carey does an exemplary job of creating an intriguing world of fantastical creatures, interesting "normals" and subtle complexities behind the scenes.
The writing itself is solid with maybe occasional lapses of too much introspection at times. One unusual note is that in most works of this genre the action is fast-paced, intense and violent. Not so in Dark Currents...more
I thought the main character, Daisy, was just a bit too far into Mary Sue territory for my taste. YMMV.
It seemed like all the main male characters were ridiculously hot and possible love interests. (view spoiler)...more
It seemed like all the main male characters were ridiculously hot and possible love interests. (view spoiler)...more
What a surprising book! When I first began to read it, I thought it would be that comically-written sci-fi stuff I don't care for (a la Terry Prachett) but wow, was I wrong! DC was fun and snarky and full of elves and all kinds of fantasy creatures but tied together with the light-hearted but compassionate Daisy, this was a completely different kind of novel than I expected.
Daisy is the daughter of a wonderful woman, and even tho she was not the center of this story I found myself shedding a tea...more
Daisy is the daughter of a wonderful woman, and even tho she was not the center of this story I found myself shedding a tea...more
I will read anything that Jacqueline Carey writes, no questions asked. But that's about whether I'll pick it up. From there she has to earn a good rating. Once again, she did.
The two downfalls of this book to me are (1) that it plays into the whole current vampires and werewolves variation of fantasy, which is simply not my interest, and (2) that her 24 year old heroine feel juvenile enough to be more like 18. It's also much lighter than some of her other work.
But letting those go, Carey creates...more
The two downfalls of this book to me are (1) that it plays into the whole current vampires and werewolves variation of fantasy, which is simply not my interest, and (2) that her 24 year old heroine feel juvenile enough to be more like 18. It's also much lighter than some of her other work.
But letting those go, Carey creates...more
Jacqueline Carey show how to write compelling and intresting urban fantasy, where unnecessary detailing, one dimensional characters and over glued romance plot don't destroy writers good ideas.
Dark Currents is new area coup from Carey and she does it very well, her main character is intresting and as hell-spawn not something what one see every day. Most intresting feature of main character is that she works as liason officer for local deity, who is relocated norse goddes of death Hel (and better...more
Dark Currents is new area coup from Carey and she does it very well, her main character is intresting and as hell-spawn not something what one see every day. Most intresting feature of main character is that she works as liason officer for local deity, who is relocated norse goddes of death Hel (and better...more
Disclosure: I received a complimentary uncorrected proof of this book with the expectation that I would provide an honest review.
I have not read any other Jacqueline Carey books, but this worked well as a stand-alone story. It's the first in a planned trilogy. Young adult main character Daisy's backstory is sketched in with such telling detail and incident that I was surprised to learn there is not a Daisy-in-high-school trilogy! (And Jacqueline Carey, if you are reading this, I would be interes...more
I have not read any other Jacqueline Carey books, but this worked well as a stand-alone story. It's the first in a planned trilogy. Young adult main character Daisy's backstory is sketched in with such telling detail and incident that I was surprised to learn there is not a Daisy-in-high-school trilogy! (And Jacqueline Carey, if you are reading this, I would be interes...more
Jacqueline Carey, author of the “Kushiel” fantasy series, has moved to Urban Fantasy, with the very strong debut of her new “Agent of Hel” series, Dark Currents. The normal folks in Pemkowet Michigan, Daisy’s hometown have enjoyed the tourist business they've derived from people coming to their town in the hopes of seeing a Faery, or a magical creature of any kind. Pemkowet is one of the few places where magical creatures and humans co-exist and its all on the upfront.
All this magical activity i...more
All this magical activity i...more
Say what you will about Jacqueline Carey, but I will argue in her favour as a literary heavy-hitter until the cows come home and, if I’m feeling argumentative, I might argue with some cows, too. Yes, her Kushiel’s Legacy series is pretty sexy. And sure, the premise of her Phedre trilogy (the adventures of a courtesan-spy who is cursed to find sexual pleasure in pain) reaches Ed Wood levels of cheesiness. But Carey is such a master at what she does that she elevates what ought to be a guilty, smu...more
4 likes · like · see review
I am hoping that this is the beginning of a new series for the author. There's a lot to like about this story. The protagonist is the daughter of a human and a minor demon, living in a resort town on Lake Michigan which has a very active supernatural community. She's in the difficult position of working both for the local poilce department and serving as an agent of Hel, the Norse Goddess who reigns over the town's underworld of ghouls, vampires, ogres, undines, werewolves and other supernatural...more
This book had some good ideas and some decent characters, but it really didn't deliver. It just really didn't dig in far enough to get a really fantastic story.
Daisy and her life-long crush investigate the death of a boy in the town of Pemkowet. First of all the parents of the boy are angry that the police are spending time investigating their sons death which makes no sense. The town and characters were not sufficiently established for the seemingly slight negative consequences to have a signi...more
Daisy and her life-long crush investigate the death of a boy in the town of Pemkowet. First of all the parents of the boy are angry that the police are spending time investigating their sons death which makes no sense. The town and characters were not sufficiently established for the seemingly slight negative consequences to have a signi...more
2 likes · like · see review
I have mixed feelings about this book. At the very least it held my attention and I pretty much read it in all of one sitting. On the other hand, I don't feel all that emotionally invested in the characters or what's going on in their world. There's a great deal of distance felt between myself and the characters, which is sad because I want to be invested in them. I want to love them and root for them. Instead, I just sort of like them.
One of the issues is that Daisy, the main character, needs...more
One of the issues is that Daisy, the main character, needs...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thousand Oaks Rea...: "Dark Currents" by Jacqueline Carey | 1 | 5 | Dec 20, 2012 05:28am | |
| Magic Words - Fan...: November #2 - Dark Currents | 6 | 9 | Nov 13, 2012 10:45am |
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Jacqueline Carey (born 1964 in Highland Park, Illinois) is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.
She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore as part of a wo...more
More about Jacqueline Carey...
Jacqueline Carey (born 1964 in Highland Park, Illinois) is an author and novelist, primarily of fantasy fiction.
She attended Lake Forest College, receiving B.A.'s in psychology and English literature. During college, she spent 6 months working in a bookstore as part of a wo...more
