After a series of brutal murders, Occult Special Investigator Tess Corday is convinced the identity of the killer is locked in her own head. The on...
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Jun 23, 2009
Katie(babs)
rated it: 
Flash of Hex is the second book from Jes Battis in her OSI series. OSI is the group of Occult Special Investigators and takes place in Vancouver, Canada. I didn't read, Night Child, the first book in this new series, but A Flash of Hex brings the reader up to speed about everything going on in Tess Corday's life. Tess is an OSI along with her best friend and roommate, Derrick Siegel. They work for Vancouver's Mystical Crime Lab. I can't help but compare Tess and Derrick's relationship to that o
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Oct 29, 2009
Lianne
rated it: 
I chose to read the second book in this series because I thought that once Battis had gotten over the need to info dump in the first book, he would work more on strengthening his plots and fleshing out his characters.
Unfortunately the info dumps were ever present. There were even fewer surprise twists in this installment and even those were bogged down with too much exposition again.
There were a few saving graces. Miles was a welcome addition to the cast; a believable, we More...
Unfortunately the info dumps were ever present. There were even fewer surprise twists in this installment and even those were bogged down with too much exposition again.
There were a few saving graces. Miles was a welcome addition to the cast; a believable, we More...
Jun 22, 2009
Cameron
rated it:
I love a spunky redhead. I love a spunky redhead who ties into the earth magically. I love a spunky redhead with a gay best friend who reads minds. I love a spunky redhead who falls for a man who elicits drool in a black tight t-shirt and just so happens to channel necromantic energy.
Battis contributes all the fun and readability of the urban fantasy genre, but isn't afraid to let a verbose vocabulary add to the writing. This academic bent shines forth in the diversity rainbow of More...
Battis contributes all the fun and readability of the urban fantasy genre, but isn't afraid to let a verbose vocabulary add to the writing. This academic bent shines forth in the diversity rainbow of More...
Mar 20, 2011
Marie
rated it:
This book was...well, it was more than a little disturbing. I picked it up as an impulse buy at Borders because it was on sale. I knew nothing about the actual book, and I didn't even realise it was a sequel until I was already in the middle of it.
That being said, I did enjoy the book, although I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. The story deals with murder, rape, drugs, child abuse, and quite a few bloody crime scenes. Not to mention, it adds magic into the mix of all of More...
That being said, I did enjoy the book, although I wouldn't recommend it for the faint of heart. The story deals with murder, rape, drugs, child abuse, and quite a few bloody crime scenes. Not to mention, it adds magic into the mix of all of More...
Jul 30, 2009
Kathleen
rated it: 
Jes Battis is a major new fantasy talent who has knocked out of the ballpark with a A Flash of Hex, the second book in the Occult Special Investigations series. This one is a solid five stars. Urban fantasy, suspense thriller, police procedural, this book has it all. It is set several months after the conclusion of Night Child. Mia is living with Tess and Derrick, attending a local middle school. Tess is now an OSI-2 assigned to investigate a series of murders of the teenage children of powerful
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Jan 15, 2012
Ariel
rated it: 
The pacing/plot is still flawed, but at least the main character's choices make more sense. I continue to like the somewhat diverse cast (we can add jews, people with disability and transgendered folk to the list along with gay, black, and latino characters). The constant pop culture references start to grate (especially since some of them are clearly some attempt at fanservice). The whole "unusual family setup" thing is a little forced. Also a few worldbuilding things seemed slightl
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Jul 10, 2009
Lindig
rated it:
I think my comment on her first book was "she's going to be better." And sure enough, I really enjoyed this second book in the series, not least because it shows the underbelly of Vancouver BC, you know, the parts of town nobody talks about to tourists. She needs to be careful with the tropes of the genre so as not to become too formulaic. So far so good. Her take on the occult/paranormal/vampire/demon/etc world is interesting, her heroine is sardonic, there are lots of loyal sidekicks
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Feb 10, 2011
Martina the Book Fairy
rated it:
4.5 stars
This series is more UF than PNR, but does have the romantic element that we all love so much.
There are a few things that really set this series apart from others that I (and probably you) have been reading. First, it's written by a man - kinda a rare thing for this genre. Second, it has more of a CSI element than most of the other UFs out there. It feels very well-researched. It's very detailed which allows for a depth of story, without those details bogging dow More...
This series is more UF than PNR, but does have the romantic element that we all love so much.
There are a few things that really set this series apart from others that I (and probably you) have been reading. First, it's written by a man - kinda a rare thing for this genre. Second, it has more of a CSI element than most of the other UFs out there. It feels very well-researched. It's very detailed which allows for a depth of story, without those details bogging dow More...
Jun 09, 2011
Lacrima
rated it:
I liked this one better than the first one, even though the logical reasoning and drawing-conclusions-out-of-nowhere still makes me cringe. But once I got past that, I actually enjoyed the book a lot.
Apr 27, 2011
Tracey
rated it:
This was less confusing to read then the first book and I would almost say that you can skip the first book and you will not miss too much background.
Jun 03, 2009
nice follow-up to the first in the series; Battis is a self-aware writer who really brings the reader along for the ride
Jul 21, 2009
Loren
rated it: 
This book opens with the worst "As you know, Derrick..." dialogue I've seen in a long time. I couldn't get past it.
Jun 19, 2009
Sandy
rated it:
A good follow up to Night Child. I was hooked from the first page. The book may be too graphic for some though.
Jan 09, 2011
Julia
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jun 10, 2011
Allie
rated it:
As soon as i finished NIGHT CHILD, i picked up A FLASH OF HEX, and like his previous book i couldn't put the book down.
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