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Trick of the Light (Trickster #1)

by Rob Thurman (Goodreads Author)

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 1,621 ratings · 154 reviews

Now you see it… Now you don’t… Now you’re history.

There are demons in the world, Monsters. Creatures that would steal your soul. You might hide under your covers at night and pretend all’s right with the world, but you know. Even if you don’t want to admit it…

Las Vegas bar owner Trixa Iktomi deals in information. And in a city where unholy creatures roam the neon night, in...more

Mass Market Paperback, 339 pages

Published September 1st 2009 by Roc (first published August 29th 2009)

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Feb 14, 2013 Callista rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, magic-slingers, kick-six-heroines

Can't say too much without spoiling it, and the twists are pretty much the point of the story. The narrator is clearly unreliable, and it kept me guessing. I had some of it partly figured out, but some of it caught me off guard.
I liked the setting (Nevada) and the variations on legend/myth/religion. I liked Griffin, Zeke, and Leo. Eli cracked me up (shades of Robin Goodfellow there, but oh-so-evil-and-loving-it). Solomon was intriguing. There's a lot of interesting stuff going on with Trixa, but...more

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Dec 10, 2010 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, sff-urban-fantasy

I listened to this on audio which is why it took awhile to get through. I admit, I loved the narrator's voice. I think she caught the tough chick tone just right. She has one of those voices that in a romance novel would be described as "honey over gravel." She can do rough, tough but also a dark, silky smooth. She worked exceptionally well for that snarky tone that seems to be Thurman's signature style. But truthfully, i can hear her being the "voice" of any of the UF touch chicks.

I only made i...more I listened to this on audio which is why it took awhile to get through. I admit, I loved the narrator's voice. I think she caught the tough chick tone just right. She has one of those voices that in a romance novel would be described as "honey over gravel." She can do rough, tough but also a dark, silky smooth. She worked exceptionally well for that snarky tone that seems to be Thurman's signature style. But truthfully, i can hear her being the "voice" of any of the UF touch chicks.

I only made it through three books of Thurman's Cal Leandros series. Not because I disliked the series, on the contrary, I love the series. But it isn't a series you can glom one book to the next. They are dark and funny but also a little relentless. I think I took a break from them to just cleanse my palate a little. But this book reminded me of what I really liked about those books and makes me want to get back into them.

Trixa is the main character and is the story's first person POV narrator. One thing that I think Thurman does that I think is a little atypical of first person POVs is that she allows her narrator to lie to the reader. Well, that may be a little harsh... she allows her narrator to conceal a LOT from the reader. I've always understood that there is a little pact between the reader and the first person POV character. They give you their impressions of other characters and their thoughts about them and you trust them because these are their thoughts. But Thurman bends that a little bit to great effect. Trixa plays her cards very very close to her chest, even in her inner dialogue. At the end you find out quite a bit that Trixa has been concealing, even in her own thoughts. And it makes for a very exciting climax.

The basic plot is that Trixa lives in Vegas and is a bar owner. She is searching for something call the Light of Life to leverage it to use it to find the Demon that killed her brother. In this world Demons and Angels exist. They are also looking for the Light because apparently the owner of it will turn the tide of the battle between good and evil. Trixa has a heart of gold and surrounds herself with a close knit group of people. There is Leo her bartender and old friend of the family. There is also the dynamic duo of Zeke and Griffin. Two young men who are dedicated demon killers who Trixia met and took in when they were younger teenaged runaways.

Zeke and Griffin's relationship is one of bone deep I-would-die-for-you-brotherhood. Very reminiscent of the Cal and Nik relationship in her other series, which I admit, made me love this book even more.

Trixa finds the light first and suddenly she has a host of Angels and Demons, including one sexy Demon named Solomon, hot on her trail and ready to make deals for the light.

That is just bare bones plot. The story has twists and turns and the aforementioned jaw dropping climax that makes you go 'ah-a!'

Good book. Great audio.(less)

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Jul 27, 2011 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

4.5 stars

As a heroine, Trixa Iktomi is firmly in the chaotic-neutral category and proud of it. She's mature, multi-layered and on a mission to avenge her brother's death. Among her band of shady heroes is the enigmatic Leo, who she's been deliberately-platonic friends with since they were kids; the emotionally troubled, psychotically cute demon hunters Zeke and Griffin, who Trixa took under her wing when they were homeless teens; and the smart-ass raven Lenore (Lenny).

In keeping with a chaotic h...more 4.5 stars

As a heroine, Trixa Iktomi is firmly in the chaotic-neutral category and proud of it. She's mature, multi-layered and on a mission to avenge her brother's death. Among her band of shady heroes is the enigmatic Leo, who she's been deliberately-platonic friends with since they were kids; the emotionally troubled, psychotically cute demon hunters Zeke and Griffin, who Trixa took under her wing when they were homeless teens; and the smart-ass raven Lenore (Lenny).

In keeping with a chaotic heroine, the story (which is narrated by Trixa) and the dialog slip and slide in irregular bursts, a little forward, a little back, left, right, back to the center-point. While I enjoyed it, even the times I had to re-read to figure out what just happened, I could see that not being to everyone's taste stylistically.

The secondary characters and the plotting were smart and interesting. I'm not a huge fan of the Abrahamic angels vs demons thing, but the way it was handled was broad enough to include other traditions -- which made it more enjoyable for me, but I know this isn't going to be a selling point for all readers.

I figured out some of the twists in the story before the final reveal but not all of them -- I enjoyed that aspect of the story, all the hints that were dropped throughout. I also enjoyed the humor, which ranged from wry to goofy, like in this scene:

"The demon was right. You are bossy." Zeke transferred the disgruntled look from his weapon to me.

"I've babysat your scrawny asses for ten years. I've a right to be bossy," I retorted, shooing them toward the back office and the couch. "Now, go cuddle."

"Four years," Griffin muttered as he moved into the back and out of sight, but I heard the last words. "You're only four years older, Trixa. It hardly merits a salute."

"Cuddle?" Zeke looked after him, then back at me, a mildly panicked expression replacing the aggravation. "We have to cuddle? I'm pretty sure I don't want to cuddle."

I patted his cheek as I passed him on the stairs. "You never know until you try." I made sure I locked my bedroom door behind me in case a pissed-off and forcibly cuddled Griffin stormed up.

All in all, I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more by Ms. Thurman.(less)

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Apr 21, 2011 Ratkin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Rob Thurman's books always seem to leave me slightly dissatisfied, and it's for some obscure reason that I can't really quantify. I enjoy reading them, for the most part, but I never find myself with that urge to go out and find another to read right away. This one is a case in point.

The character of Trixa Iktomi is an interesting one, the supporting characters are interesting and well-drawn, and the plot moves along at a good pace. It had all of the elements of a book I would love. I didn't lov...more

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Nov 16, 2009 Siuane Sadi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: angels, author, rob, thurman, contemporary, fantasy, demons, twist-ending, urban

A new book from Rob Turman [author of the Leandros Series:]. Although I am a fan of Cal, I am finding that I might not be too much into Trick of Light. I was strangely disoriented with the setting of this one, although yes, it does have Robin Goodfellow mentioned once or twice, it is a completely different place from Cal's.

There are a group of characters whom I like. Trixia whom I can't decide if she's plain psychic or just a collector of lost souls, Leo the ever present friend, Zeke and Griffin...more

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Sep 26, 2009 Melindeeloo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Just a little arson between demon hunting friends kicks Thurman's new Trickster series off to a flashy yet humorous start - and I was hooked.

Leading lady Trixa is on a mission of vengeance, seeking the unknown demon who killed her beloved brother. The key to Trixa's success is `the Light of Life' a powerful artifact also sought by the forces of both Heaven and Hell. But that's okay, Trixa's more than happy to play all sides against the middle to acquire the Light and make the killer pay.

Trick...more Just a little arson between demon hunting friends kicks Thurman's new Trickster series off to a flashy yet humorous start - and I was hooked.

Leading lady Trixa is on a mission of vengeance, seeking the unknown demon who killed her beloved brother. The key to Trixa's success is `the Light of Life' a powerful artifact also sought by the forces of both Heaven and Hell. But that's okay, Trixa's more than happy to play all sides against the middle to acquire the Light and make the killer pay.

Trick of the Light slows down a bit after an awesome and 'explosive' first chapter for introductions to Trixa and the other three members of her little `family': Trixa's longtime platonic friend, he snarky attractive Leo; and Trixa's fellow arsonists, telepath Deke and empath Griffin. I liked Trixa and Leo, who share a mutual attraction they have no plan on acting on and I also liked the dark sense of humor which they share as well - the bit with Leo's chasing away off-the-strip Vegas tourists dumb enough to ask his 'Native American' name was rude and oh so politically incorrect but too funny. But it was Deke and Griffin and the relationship between the former teenage strays Trixa took under her wing - who are now demon hunters working for Heaven - that I found to be really fascinating. Deke's worldview is so `black and white' that isn't able to anticipate the fallout from his fight against evil and he occasionally takes out the innocent without even noticing. And Griffin acts as both Deke's moral compass and as Deke's guide to what is socially acceptable behavior. Deke and Griffin have a symbiotic partnership but the irony of their roles is even more fascinating after we finally discover their `real' stories.

I thought Trick of Light did drag a just a little bit while for Trixa is 'following the breadcrumbs' in order to put all the pieces of her plan into play, but then story comes to a pretty amazing climax with a `big reveal' and it was so worth the wait. Oh my gosh, I picked up one of the surprises and suspected another but the most major ones floored me - I never saw them coming and I loved being so blindsided. I was a bit surprised that the book didn't end then and there because it felt really finished at that point. Finished enough that I was able to actually put the book down and go to bed at a decent time but I happily read the last couple 'epilog' chapters which did end up being interesting and set up nicely for the rest of the series.

So action, humor, plots, schemes and characters I'd like to read more about - don't know where Thurman is taking this next, but I can't wait to see.
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Jan 16, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Trick of the Light is the first book in the Trickster series by Rob Thurman and a ROC Fantasy.

Book Blurb:

Now you see it....Now you don’t....Now you’re history.

There are demons in the world. Monsters. Creatures that would steal your soul. You might hide under your covers at night and pretend all’s right with the world, but you know. Even if you don’t want to admit it...

Las Vegas bar owner Trixa Iktomi deals in information. And in a city where unholy creatures roam the neon night, information can...more

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Oct 18, 2009 Beanbag Love rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hmm. What to say?

Trixa is a bar owner in Vegas. When first we meet her she's just burned down a nightclub with her two companions, Griffin and Zeke, who she took in years earlier when they were just a couple of starving teens on the street. The arson's okay, though, because the club is owned by a demon and burning down his rebuilt clubs is sort of a favorite pastime of the trio.

There's also Trixa's bff, Leo, a sexy Native-American who runs the bar with her and has known her and her family for ag...more

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Sep 06, 2009 Andreea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 11th-grade, reviewed

I've been waiting for this book for months. When I heard that the unbelievably awesome, sarcastic, and quirky Rob Thurman (Robyn, not Robert) was taking a break from the Cal Landros series, I died. Then she announced she had a book coming out in the meantime, and I lived again.

I love everything about Rob Thurman's books - characters, style, original plot, eye-popping "whaaaat?" moments. It's a hard call to make, but I have to say I liked the Cal Leandros series more than this one just a tiny bi...more I've been waiting for this book for months. When I heard that the unbelievably awesome, sarcastic, and quirky Rob Thurman (Robyn, not Robert) was taking a break from the Cal Landros series, I died. Then she announced she had a book coming out in the meantime, and I lived again.

I love everything about Rob Thurman's books - characters, style, original plot, eye-popping "whaaaat?" moments. It's a hard call to make, but I have to say I liked the Cal Leandros series more than this one just a tiny bit more. Trick of the Light is set in a similar setting: dark part of the world away from the eyes of your precious normal people. What's really cool is that it takes place at the exact same time as the Cal Leandros series, just in Las Vegas instead of New York. We even get several mentions of the infamous Robin Goodfellow from the Leandros series.

The main character, Trixa Iktomi (yes, I blinked too at her name) thrives on killing demons. Except for the sexy and powerful ones that can be useful in a tight spot. You've also got angels, but the line dividing good and evil isn't so clear cut in this book. Shattering conventions - mmm, I like that. Trixa is helped along the way by Leo of the long hair, Zeke of the psychological defect, Griffin of the literal empathy, and occasionally Solomon of the dubious motives. Eli proved to be useful too. On the front cover of the book, a comment mentions a "surprise twist that will make you blink". I was watching very closely for that twist, determined to see it before it came. I was especially perceptive in this book, smugly catching three tiny twists long before they came: first the raven named Lenore, never seen in the same room as Leo, then Solomon's real motives, and an unlikely couple. And not unlikely for the obvious reason (I'm being vague because I don't want to put a spoiler alert). And I say they were tiny twists because they were nothing compared to the HUGE, UNFORSEEABLE twist near the end. I actually had to read that part three times, then make sure I didn't forget how to read English for a second. Just - gah.

And of course, this was all packed in with Rob Thurman's trademark snark. Love her snark. Now it's back to waiting for the next Cal Leandros novel. And perhaps the next Trister novel too? (hope)(less)

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Sep 23, 2009 Jen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 15, 2009 Lori Whitwam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

4.5-4.75, if Goodreads would give us more options. The only reason I didn't give it 5 is the same reason others probably did. Thurman is awesome. Her Cal Leandros series is incredible. The relationship between the brothers there is so insightful and complex, it wasn't until after about the third one that I even figured out it was written by a woman. This is the first in a new series, and Trixa is a great character, as are her friends. The plot is intriguing and compelling, and drew me clear to t...more

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Apr 06, 2013 Rich Tate rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

While this book was certainly imaginative and involved contrasting lore (rather neatly) I simply couldn't build any sort of attachment to the characters. As a story it was certainly a fun read with many twists and turns that will surely keep you engaged I felt that it sort of ended up flat on its face.

The ending was nothing short of fantastic but because I didn't really feel invested in a single character there was no desire to continue to the next novel in the series.
If you’re looking for a b...more

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Jan 15, 2010 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, read-2009

Others have provided synopses, so I won't rehash the story line here. I really liked Rob Thurman's Cal/Niko Leandros series, so I wanted to like this book as well. However, several things just didn't work for me:

The book is told in the first person (not necessarily bad), but the narrator, Trixa, is unrelentingly, annoyingly sarcastic. There were times when I wished I could reach into the book, shake her, and say "be serious for just *one* moment, please." I appreciate sarcasm, but all the time?...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Cheryl rated it 3 of 5 stars

Trixa Iktomi is a bar owner living in Las Vegas and employs her best friend, a guy named Leo, who is on the outs with his family. She also helps two former foster brothers, Zeke and Griffin who have issues of their own, kill demons. And she’s got a demon named Solomon trying to convince her he’s one of the fallen angels who really doesn’t like being a demon. Oh, and he’s trying to get in her pants. Most importantly, she’s also on a mission to find something call the Light of Life, a shield that...more Trixa Iktomi is a bar owner living in Las Vegas and employs her best friend, a guy named Leo, who is on the outs with his family. She also helps two former foster brothers, Zeke and Griffin who have issues of their own, kill demons. And she’s got a demon named Solomon trying to convince her he’s one of the fallen angels who really doesn’t like being a demon. Oh, and he’s trying to get in her pants. Most importantly, she’s also on a mission to find something call the Light of Life, a shield that can protect the owner from anything that Heaven or Hell could throw at him or her.

When I saw Thurman’s first book in the Cal Leandros series when it came out, I didn’t pick it up because I hadn’t read too much urban fantasy and, even though it looked really interesting, I figured a guy writing about a couple of guys (no clues anywhere that Thurman was a woman back then), I was worried it’d be a little too chicks-in-too-little-clothing-and-even-littler-purpose. After I started the Leandros and Chimera series, loved them and knew that Rob was Robyn, I then flip-flopped when I saw this series; I wasn’t sure I’d like her writing a female character as a lead. Partially, because I didn’t like most of the females she’s written in the Leandros series. But, I saw the first two books in the Trickster series for about 80% off at Borders and figured, why not?

After reading this book, I actually did like Trixa, for the most part, and there were other things I liked, as well. As with her other books, I think Thurman wrote the bonds between the characters very well: Trixa and Leo looking out for each other, Trixa taking care of Griffin and Zeke and Griffin keeping Zeke in check. I thought the secondary characters, the demons, angels and Eden House members, though most of them were total dicks, were all well written, too. There was a good amount of action, humor, sarcasm and spot on descriptions of how generally crappy humans are that I now fully expect in Thurman’s books. There were a lot of twists and turns, a couple of which I figured out, and a couple of which came completely out of left field and cracked me in the head. Some I liked, some I hated.

The next paragraph doesn’t give any specific spoilers away, but if you don’t want to even have a hint of anything, skip it…As I’ve seen other reviewers say, since this book was written in first person, when the big reveals happened, I did feel that the reader was being lied to and misled for the whole book, which annoyed me. I didn’t mind what the reveal was with the characters themselves, I actually thought they were kind of interesting, though it did take me a page or two to get used to it. I didn’t, however, like (view spoiler). I also thought there was a bit too much repetition in the book. I got that Zeke saw things in black and white with no gray the first three times it was mentioned. I didn’t need to be constantly reminded of it; there were a few things Trixa’s kept repeating during her internal dialogue, well, except the truth about almost everything in the book.

All in all, this was a four pushing four and a half star book for me until the last few pages. Since I have the second book, I’ll definitely read it, but if there are more what I felt were “Gotcha, sucker!” moments at the very end of the next one and everything has a twist like in Trick of the Light, I won’t be reading any more books in the Trickster series. A few days after finishing it, I’m even more irked about it. If this is your first Thurman book and you liked the writing style, but not the storyline so much, I’d recommend giving one of her other books a try.
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May 30, 2011 Kelli rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Hillary Huber so this review is really going to be a short commentary on a couple elements that worked really well for me in audio format.

I have a sneaking suspicion that this book may have been a 3-star for me if I had read it but the narration really moved it into solid 4-star territory. A good urban fantasy plot with engaging characters was enlivened by what I see as a bit of sleight of hand where a not-so-well-hidden plot twist actually hides t...more

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Sep 13, 2009 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Melissa by: n/a

Shelves: first, series, urban-fantasy, fantasy, own

I adored Trick of the Light. I have this surety that I could (and will) read Trixa’s story over and over, and it will make me laugh every time. At first glance, the story is merely a fast-paced carnival ride into the battle between angels and demons in Las Vegas. Trixa Iktomi, our previously mentioned kick-ass female, cares for neither side. She cares only for these things: her run-down bar, her wise-ass crow companion, the two foster-home-runaway boys she practically raised to adulthood, the co...more I adored Trick of the Light. I have this surety that I could (and will) read Trixa’s story over and over, and it will make me laugh every time. At first glance, the story is merely a fast-paced carnival ride into the battle between angels and demons in Las Vegas. Trixa Iktomi, our previously mentioned kick-ass female, cares for neither side. She cares only for these things: her run-down bar, her wise-ass crow companion, the two foster-home-runaway boys she practically raised to adulthood, the color red. And her brother’s killer.

With this in mind, she searches for an artifact older than time itself. The Light of Life is a protective item that could sway and possibly end the battle between Heaven and Hell. No one knows what it looks like, but whomever possesses it is unassailable. With the Light, Heaven (or Hell, or anywhere else) would become a haven that could not be entered or attacked.

This makes the Light priceless. Needless to say, everyone wants it. When Trixa finds the item’s supernatural trail first, she ends up with demons, angels, and a group of holier-than-thou humans (called Eden House) on her tail. She very expertly plays each group against the other, leading them by the nose to the final battle royale – where all the expectations the reader has built up through the course of the story are shattered into a million glittering glass pieces across the barren desert sand.

Until this final free-for-all, Trick of the Light is a great book. Once the final revelations start to be revealed, however, Trick surpasses ‘great’ for interstellar travel. There are very few gems of storytelling that, when revealed, will light up my eyes with a murderous gleam and make my heart pound with excitement. I won’t reveal any of these here, because most of the fun is finding out for yourself.

What I will tell you is that Trick of the Light, has made its way into my top five books of the year with the force of a gunshot from Zeke’s Colt Anaconda. Read it. I’d bet Las Vegas itself that you won’t regret it.

[Originally posted at http://waitingforfairies.com/2009/rev...](less)

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Jan 25, 2013 Lara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-alphabet, 2013, 2013-tower-team

So I have some mixed feelings about this book. The heroine is fabulous. She is strong and sarcastic, she loves trouble, is fairly fearless, and she has secrets. She knows things, but we don't know how she knows them. See, secrets. She has guilt and anger and a need for revenge, and plays a deep game. The potential romantic interest(s) doesn't play out as expected, and I would classify this as an urban fantasy, but without the romance or sex. My mixed feelings really are due to the ending and the...more

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Jan 09, 2010 Tara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, read-in-2010

Ok, where to start? I have read the entire Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman, and I enjoyed it. And if I'm not mistaken they were her first novels. So when I heard she was starting a new series I thought I'd give it a try. What I got was interesting. It's difficult to rate a book, when you liked where it ended up but hated the journey there.

I was pretty clear early on that this book was about Trixa, the narrator, getting vengeance for her younger brother. Along the way there are clues that impl...more Ok, where to start? I have read the entire Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman, and I enjoyed it. And if I'm not mistaken they were her first novels. So when I heard she was starting a new series I thought I'd give it a try. What I got was interesting. It's difficult to rate a book, when you liked where it ended up but hated the journey there.

I was pretty clear early on that this book was about Trixa, the narrator, getting vengeance for her younger brother. Along the way there are clues that imply that all things are not what they seem. I picked up on most of them, but couldn't quite figure out what to do with them until later. There are foster brothers that reminded me a lot of the way she wrote Cal & Nik Leandros, which is a really inappropriate thing as it turns out. All the action comes to a head around page 300. The next 40 pages are spent trying to explain all the half truths and long philosophical speeches that had taken place in the previous 300 pages.

I think the reason this book didn't rate higher for me, was the fact that it needed those 40 pages to unwind all the tangled webs and dropped hints from the book. I believe that knowing who and what I was reading about, whose eyes I was seeing through, would have helped me and the story a great deal. I'm not saying give away everything on the first page but the kind of reveal she was going for only really works in movies like Fight Club, Unbreakable or the Usual Suspects. When you are reading a first person narrative you expect to know what the narrator knows, and that was not the case here, hence the 40 pages of explanation.

I still mostly liked the characters, except for Trixa, but that's not uncommon for me to not really care much for the narrator and I didn't hate her, I just didn't really love her. I liked where the characters ended up and the potential awesomeness that will be their journey. I love the questioning of what makes someone good or evil, this is something Rob Thurman had done well in this book and the Cal Leandros series. And I LOVED the little cameo of Robin, because really you can never have enough Robin!

Will I read the next book when it's released? Yes. Will I obsess about it until it comes out. Not even a little bit. I do however look forward to reading the next story now that me and the narrator have truly met and I know what shades her perspective. I also look forward to seeing the growth in some of the characters and how they deal with things the way they are now. (less)

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Jan 08, 2010 Natasha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Trick of Light is the first book in the Trickster series by Rob Thurman. On the cover it says something about a crazy twist at the end and I personally liked that twist. I really liked that book, but I found it lacking something, nothing too important.. just that extra something. Once it got to the important twist at the end, I found that missing something. I found the middle to the end was very fun to read and kept me on my toes.

The characters are very nicely written and had good humour. I pa...more

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Dec 27, 2010 Bethany C rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was especially intrigued by this book because there was a blurb by another author on the cover that said it had a twist ending. That is the understatement of the century. It was more like a twist that spiraled into 'what the hell?', capped off with a trip to crazytown. It was almost like reading a different book after the big reveals. That being said, I did really enjoy this book. As events towards the end started unfolding, it was a little too much, but then I reminded myself if I can't handl...more

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May 08, 2012 Kelly Maybedog Hawkins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: what-modern-fantasy

I am not as happy about this book as I hoped to be. There are so many similarities between this and her other two series (Cal Leandros and The Chimera) that I have to wonder how much is based on real life experiences. All her books involve siblings (in this case foster siblings), one of whom either has to or feels he has to protect the other. Always men, one is blond, the other dark, one has olive skin, the other light. They are always amazingly strong and adept at self-defense but also emotiona...more I am not as happy about this book as I hoped to be. There are so many similarities between this and her other two series (Cal Leandros and The Chimera) that I have to wonder how much is based on real life experiences. All her books involve siblings (in this case foster siblings), one of whom either has to or feels he has to protect the other. Always men, one is blond, the other dark, one has olive skin, the other light. They are always amazingly strong and adept at self-defense but also emotionally fragile deep down. One shows this occasionally and is self-deprecating, the other never shows emotion unless the brother is at risk and even then it’s very controlled. Parents are rarely in the picture and in the past were usually evil. (Of course the foster parents were all evil, aren’t they always? I mean, none of us take care of kids because we love them and treat them as our own. But that’s a different discussion…)

I had high hopes because this book features a female narrator. Although she waxes on about high heeled boots on occasion, in reality she dresses and acts appropriately for the high-stress environments she finds herself in. I was relieved we weren’t looking at another Rachel Caine or Kim Harrison who only talk about heels and leather and skimpy outfits. (Since when are leather pants sophisticated? I mean talk about tacky…)
But I don’t really like her nearly as much as the guys and I didn’t like them as much as Cal and his brother. She’s mouthy of course, and obsessed with her long lost brother (couldn’t have a protagonist without that) and always worried about her “boys” as she calls them. But she’s so single-mindedly bent on revenge that I wouldn’t have been able to stomach it if it weren’t a demon she was after. At least in The Chimera, the main character is obsessed with finding his brother, not getting revenge.

One of my biggest frustrations with this book that I haven’t seen in any of her others was that she spent most of the first few chapters telling rather than showing. That drives me crazy and is boring to boot. At one point I even began to question whether Thurman had even written it but then I remembered the almost identical themes and realized I was wrong. I had a lot more concerns with the book until the end when they were wrapped up with a huge twist. I felt a little betrayed though because I felt it came out of left field. When I thought about it, there were definitely clues, and I was probably an idiot for not noticing them (the most obvious is even on the cover) but I still think they were pretty much a little too subtle. That helps my ego best.  Until the last couple of pages, I also didn’t think there was room for a good sequel but that was taken care of neatly of course.

But all is not lost. I did enjoy it and the first book in a series is often rough. I’m willing to give the next one ago. I mean, when there are no more stories to be read about Cal, where else am I going to go?
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Nov 15, 2010 Kori Klinzing rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: specfic, urban-fantasy

I'll admit it, it took me some time to sucked into it, but once I was I literally couldn't stop reading. It's a bit slow going at the beginning; especially since the main character repeated herself a lot; She must have said Zeke saw things "in black and white" about four times and the editor in me kept wanting to take a black pen and cross out all the superfluous lines to make it less repetitive and help the flow along. But that was really my only problem with it, and once the plot really got un...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Wren rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

This is the second book by Rob Thurman that isn't part of her Cal Leandros series. I do love that series, but I can't seem to get into the other books as much. In this case, I had a hard time liking the main character, Trixa. I think it was because the story is told in her point of view, so she's keeping secrets from the reader all along the way and I'm not overly fond of that style of storytelling. At the Big Reveal, I understood why I didn't care for her, so I'm not planning on reading any oth...more

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Oct 05, 2009 Judy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009

I had a hard time with this one. There was something about the writing style that made it very difficult to read and follow. The story itself didn't seem to make much sense until towards the end. I kept seeing reviews that mentioned the surprising twists at the end, but I was not surprised by what happened so I wonder if because I knew about the twists, I looked for, and found, hints throughout the book.

There were some parts that I really liked, like the characters of Zeke and Griffin. They bot...more

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Oct 11, 2010 Michael rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I found out Rob Thurman had a new series coming out, I grabbed it the minute I saw it. I love her Cal Leandros series and I was curious to see what else she would come up with. The book was published last year, but with any series, I always hold off until the second book is in hand before starting to read. Thus the reason for a delayed review. I also have to admit that, after seeing some of the reviews that were coming out, I was a bit hesitant to give Trick of the Light a chance.

Trick of t...more When I found out Rob Thurman had a new series coming out, I grabbed it the minute I saw it. I love her Cal Leandros series and I was curious to see what else she would come up with. The book was published last year, but with any series, I always hold off until the second book is in hand before starting to read. Thus the reason for a delayed review. I also have to admit that, after seeing some of the reviews that were coming out, I was a bit hesitant to give Trick of the Light a chance.

Trick of the Light is set in the same universe as the Cal Leandros series, and a couple of the characters from the Leandros series, while not actually appearing, are mentioned. I had heard through the grapevine that this was the case, and that added another reason to hold off reading until I was totally caught up with the adventures of the Leandros brothers. I didn't want there to be any spoilers. There weren't, so if you are in the process of playing catch up with the Leandros books, you can sneak this in. It won't spoil anything.

The central character of Trick of the Light is Trixa Iktomi, a bar owner, a seller of information, and an occasional demon hunter. Sharing the responsibilities in the running of the bar is Leo, and joining her in her demon hunting are Zeke Hawkins and Griffin Reese, "brothers" in arms. As members of Eden House, a nationwide network of telepaths and empaths working for Heaven and supervised by Angels, Griffin and Zeke make it their mission to exterminate demons, so it's more like Trixa joins them in the demon hunts. For the boys, it's a job; for Trixa, it's personal. She has made it her life's mission to hunt down and destroy the demon who killed her brother.

It is during one of these hunts that Trixa learns of The Light, an ancient artifact that is being sough by both Heaven and Hell, as whoever possesses it will be invulnerable to attacks. While the minions of Above and Below are both looking for it, Trixa plans on being the one to find it, and once it is in her possession, she plans on using it as a bargaining chip to have her brother's murderer turned over to her. Whoever can deliver the demon can have The Light. With the race for The Light now on, both sides put it all on the line in order to be the one to whom Trixa turns over the artifact. The demons attempt to seduce her (there's no such thing as an ugly demon -- not in human form anyway), and the angels show their true colors, proving that they are just as vicious as the demons and are not above killing to get their holier-than-thou mitts on The Light. Playing both sides, will Trixa be able to achieve her goal before being found out?

While I enjoyed Trick of the Light, I was disappointed to find it was not of the same caliber as the Cal Leandros series. Trixa, the central character, for me was the weakest; Griffin and Zeke came across as the stronger characters, and they were the ones who carried the story along, which was interesting as the story is told in the first person from Trixa's point of view.

I also found the first half of the book was not as developed as the second half. There was quite a bit of repetition littered throughout the first half of the story. How many times do we have to be told that Trixa's favorite color is red, or that it was five years ago that Griffin and Zeke first showed up in her bar, running from social services because of something Zeke did. It felt like Thurman hadn't fleshed out Trixa completely in her mind before sitting down to write. The other possibility is that Thurman's weakness in her writing is female characters. Her male characters come across as stronger and more interesting, even the minor ones.

The story itself is interesting and contains a number of twists, some surprising, some not so. I had figured out some of them a quarter of the way through, and the finale kicks some major ass.

Despite what I consider to be obvious flaws, I enjoyed Trick of the Light and I will be reading the next installment, the just-released The Grimrose Path. I'm curious to see where the series is headed, and if there is going to be a Cal Leandros/Trickster crossover. I think it would be amazing to have Cal and Nik teamed up with Zeke and Griff. The mayhem that would ensue would be awesome!

Would I recommend Trick of the Light? Yes, but not if you are reading Rob Thurman for the first time. Consider picking up Nightlife, Book 1 of the Cal Leandros series, first to get a feel for what Thurman is capable of. (less)

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Sep 23, 2009 Jade rated it 5 of 5 stars

Trickster to the end

Trick of the Light was my first read of Rob Thurman's. I'm always on the lookout for new authors and books that interest me, and Lisa Shearin highly recommended Rob Thurman. I'm so glad she did.

With a strong female lead, fighting, supernatural elements, and some steamy scenes, this book has plenty draw for any fan of the urban fantasy/paranormal genre.

The only disappointment was finding this new series at the beginning: I really love finding a series for the first time after...more

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Apr 17, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'd heard a lot about Rob Thurman, but this was my first foray into her worlds. While not "desperate for the next book" excited, I wasn't disappointed, either.

This book starts off slow and ends slow. But there are some fun twists and turns in there, and I really like the relationship between the four main characters. They're family in the truest sense of the word.

I think the pacing could have used some work, and having two full chapters after the climax of the story made me wish it were over al...more

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May 05, 2013 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

3 1/2 stars. There is just something about Rob Thurman's writing that I really like. The secondary characters really carried this book too. Zeke, Griffin, and Leo are so intriguing and who/what they really were kind of blew my mind. Trixa had a grating personality and honestly if it wasn't for the greatness of the secondary characters I wouldn't have liked it at all. In fact I would have preferred it from one of their POV instead of hers. This could also be my preference for a male POV coming th...more

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Apr 11, 2010 Bry rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, urban-fantasy, mystery

This book is a lot like the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews. You as the reader are literally dropped into the middle of Trixa's universe with no idea what the hell is going on. Now for Kate this worked great, but for Trixa I am just finding everything insanely confusing had no idea what the overall point of the plot was supposed to be.

One thing really annoyed me was the sheer amount of time spent on describing everyone's looks down to their bra cup and the price of their designer jeans. Ins...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Sandi rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, paranormal, sci-fi-and-fantasy

It was okay. I adore the Leandros brothers and the world that Rob Thurman created for them. Trixa Iktomi is interesting. I like a badass chick fighting demons anyday, so that part works. I like her friends Zeke and Griffin. I'm interested in their stories, but not invested.

I like that they were searching for this Light, and that both Heaven and Hell wanted it and that the demons were typical liars and the angels were typically cold hearted. I like that the Light did not belong to either side, be...more

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About Rob Thurman

Rob Thurman is currently writing three series for Penguin Putnam's imprint ROC FANTASY, as well as a brand-new mainstream series for Simon & Schuster's POCKET BOOKS.
Rob has also written for a Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner Anthology, WOLFSBANE AND MISTLETOE. This year, Rob contributed a post-apocalyptic, "grim" faerie tale Western to the anthology, COURTS OF THE FEY.

Rob's work is dark...more

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“Look at the ex-demon with his big boy pants on now.” — 16 people liked it

“I raised another shot. "That sound you hear is the heads of moral conservatives spontaneously exploding in the distance.” — 15 people liked it

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Trick of the Light (Trickster #1)

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