The Cold Kiss of Death (Spellcrackers.com, #2) by Suzanne McLeod

Feb 17, 2013 Rhona Scott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Cold Kiss of Death is the second book in the Spellcrackers series. I enjoyed reading the first book and the follow up doesn't disappoint. The vampires still covert Genny's blood, determined to make her a blood slave now that the witches have removed their protection. The local fae have also taken an unhealthy interest in her, thinking she can break the fertility curse inflicted by the Sidhe Queen. On top of all that Genny is wanted for murder when a friend ends up dead in a suspicious Sidhe...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Kathy Davie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Second in the Spellcrackers.com urban fantasy series revolving around a sidhe fae with an unusual disability.

My Take
It's a fascinating premise with lots of action. I do, however, understand why McLeod's series isn't more available or popular as she leaves the reader (me!) hanging and clueless on so many points.

Then there's Genny's stupidity. She keeps dropping herself into dumb situations although the reason she has survived so far does become clear. At least this time, McLeod wasn't going on ab...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Ellie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

The Cold Kiss of Death is the second book in the fabulous Spellcrackers urban fantasy series by Suzanne McLeod. This review will contain spoilers for the first book, The Sweet Scent of Blood, and really they do need to be read in order!

Sidhe Genny would love to be left to live her life in peace. But now both the vampires and the lesser fae of London know who she is, they just won’t leave her alone and her witch neighbours would like to see her evicted. To make things worse, her local baker is mu...more The Cold Kiss of Death is the second book in the fabulous Spellcrackers urban fantasy series by Suzanne McLeod. This review will contain spoilers for the first book, The Sweet Scent of Blood, and really they do need to be read in order!

Sidhe Genny would love to be left to live her life in peace. But now both the vampires and the lesser fae of London know who she is, they just won’t leave her alone and her witch neighbours would like to see her evicted. To make things worse, her local baker is murdered; killed by sidhe magic. And the only sidhe in town is her…

This world just keeps getting better, expanding on existing characters and introducing some great new ones. I just love that there’s a kelpie living in the River Thames! The river and its banks become entwined with the story, the setting becoming a crucial part. I always enjoy settings that I know well too (yes, I seem to spend a lot of time lurking round the river when I’m in London). Genny even pops down to the Clink Museum at one point, filled with ghosts of course.

We get to learn a lot more about the curse that binds the lesser fae in London and out of the Fair Lands, as well as Genny’s family secrets. There are naiads and dryads to be added to the mix, and Grainne who appears to Genny as a large, silver hound. We are introduced to the moths, venom junkies who risk everything in the seediest parts of Sucker Town (a.k.a. Greenwich) for a hit to the carotid.

Then there’s Genny vampire alter ego, Rosa, who plays an important part to the plot. Malik is absent at the start and Genny is convinced it’s because of her connection to Rosa. But never fear, Malik does return further on and we learn more about his love hate relationship with Rosa and what’s really going on when Genny takes over her body (something she is trying not to do, but you know, fate always gets in the way). If you’re on team Finn, he gets his fair share of airtime too, with Genny trying to patch up their friendship and maybe more…(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 ALPHAreader rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the second book in Suzanne McLeod’s ‘spellcrackers.com’ series.

There is a lot going on in this book. One of Genny’s friends is murdered, and she is set-up to take the fall. Malik Al-Khan steps back into Genny’s life, and with him, problems regarding ‘Rosa’ (a vampire ‘disguise’ Genny borrows for her feedings) resurface. Finn is complicating her love life (or lack of). We are introduced to an ex-flame of Genny’s, a kelpie called Tavish. A ghost girl is following Gennry around. The London...more This is the second book in Suzanne McLeod’s ‘spellcrackers.com’ series.

There is a lot going on in this book. One of Genny’s friends is murdered, and she is set-up to take the fall. Malik Al-Khan steps back into Genny’s life, and with him, problems regarding ‘Rosa’ (a vampire ‘disguise’ Genny borrows for her feedings) resurface. Finn is complicating her love life (or lack of). We are introduced to an ex-flame of Genny’s, a kelpie called Tavish. A ghost girl is following Gennry around. The London fae have the crazy idea that Genny has been single for so long because she is ready to start procreating. Her future child is thought to be the key to an ancient fae curse. Certain parties are interested in a mysterious Faberge egg gifted to her by the Earl. And the witch’s in her building want her evicted. Phew. It feels like there’s plots for at least 3 different books all crammed into one novel, and it is a little bit hard to follow and remain invested in all the different happenings.

Furthermore, because there are so many and varied plots, quite a few fall by the wayside to be hastily and unsatisfactorily wrapped up in the final few chapters. And some of the more interesting plots are unfortunately the ones not given enough exploration by McLeod. Finn’s character is off to a good start in this second book, especially after he came across as a vapid love interest for Genny in the first book. In ‘Cold Kiss of Death’ Finn and Genny’s relationship is more complicated, because he knows her familial secrets. But after appearing in the beginning, Finn disappears for the better half of the book, only to reappear toward the end. BUT the set-up for the third book looks to centre quite a bit on Finn and his place in Genny’s life.

The thickened plot also lead to an increase in characters, which was also a little confusing. Even more so when the characters you actually want to read about (Finn, D.I. Helen Crane) don’t get as much screen-time as new secondary characters.

One complaint I had was the many editing errors. I am no grammar genius, so the fact that I noticed the many mistakes is saying quite a lot. They ranged from missing quotation marks, to no spaces between words and glaringly obvious spelling errors. It’s such a shame because so much effort has been put into the cover artwork. Both ‘The Sweet Scent of Blood’ and ‘Cold Kiss of Death’ have stunning covers, and you’d expect the same sort of care to be taken with the text itself. I wonder if the somewhat sloppy editing job is also to blame for the abundance of plot – perhaps the original manuscript was in need of culling?

One thing I love about the ‘spellcrackers’ books is the setting. McLeod has made London a character in itself – from the ghosts haunting the London Bridge to the kelpie’s fae gate at Whitehall. McLeod has really immersed her novels in London and made the city as intricate to the story as Genny herself. Furthermore, McLeod writes beautifully about the London landscape – even Genny’s morning runs around St. Pauls evoke precise city imagery, making it pretty clear that McLeod knows London like the back of her hand.

I really like Genny. She has a lot going against her; she’s been accused of murder, she gets bruised up in an explosion and is constantly fighting her junkie blood craving. But, she never gets knocked down. She has a few ‘woe is me’ moments, but she soldiers on. She is a very cool female protagonist and it’s interesting to read about her rolling with the punches.

This probably isn’t the best follow-up to McLeod’s debut. The plot is a tangled web and because of the messiness it’s hard to sink your teeth into the book as a whole. But McLeod is a beautiful writer, Genny is a fabulous female protagonist and it’s refreshing to read an Urban Fantasy that’s set in London and takes advantage of the city’s history and icons. I am a big advocate of spellcrackers – McLeod definitely has fresh take on the Urban Fantasy genre and the series has a lot of potential to be long-running.

I may not have been overly thrilled with this second spellcrackers installment, but McLeod definitely whet my appetite for the third book (to be released next year) by beautifully setting up the potential plot (or one of them at least).(less)

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Jan 10, 2012 Lady Entropy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ora bem, isto é claramente uma série de fantasia urbana à americana: tem a formula esperada, os elementos típicos... mas é escrito por uma inglesa, o que acaba por fazer disto nem carne, nem peixe.

Temos a protagonista que é linda de morrer (check), mas graças a deus tem montes de problemas e defeitos. Toda a gente quer saltar-lhe à espinha (check), porque a) ela pode ajudar as fae a quebrar uma maldição se tiver um filho e b) porque como é Sidhe, todos os vampiros adoram o sangue dela. Tem um va...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Joanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-urban-fantasy

How awesome are book signings? Back in May 2009, not only did I get to meet Rachel Caine at her London book signing hosted by Murder One, but I also got to buy several books, one of which was the amazing The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod! Suzanne was also at the event, but I didn’t know – I hadn’t heard of her or her book at the time. But I feel in love with her series within the first few pages, and since reading it, I’ve been itching to read its sequel, The Cold Kiss of Death. I got l...more How awesome are book signings? Back in May 2009, not only did I get to meet Rachel Caine at her London book signing hosted by Murder One, but I also got to buy several books, one of which was the amazing The Sweet Scent of Blood by Suzanne McLeod! Suzanne was also at the event, but I didn’t know – I hadn’t heard of her or her book at the time. But I feel in love with her series within the first few pages, and since reading it, I’ve been itching to read its sequel, The Cold Kiss of Death. I got lucky at Christmas, though, and I can’t tell you just how good these books are!

I don’t even know where to start, there was so much going on! It always amazes me how authors are able to write such complicated books, and have everything fit together. Genny has a series of problems in her life, some pretty inconsequential, some a little on the larger side, but when you get to the end and you realise all of the plot threads are part of a large jigsaw puzzle, it’s just wow! Suzanne is a very skilled writer!

We meet most of the characters we came across in the first book. Genny is our spunky heroine, a bean sidhe who has more problems than answers; Malik al-Kahn, the mysterious vampire connected to Genny’s past; Finn, Genny’s satyr boss and will-they-won’t-they love interest, and a range of other characters, none who seem to be being completely honest with Genny, and making things a whole lot harder for her. There’s still the hint of a possible love triangle, but even that gets more complicated – so frustrating, but in a good way!

We have action a-plenty in this novel! I can’t go into too much detail, it’s pretty spoilery, but it’s awesome to read! Some scenes are kind of disturbing, but it all has you sitting on the edge of your seat, the adrenalin pumping, jaw hanging at how unbelievable it is and how some of the characters act. I just love it all!

The ending is just so good, I can’t tell you! I closed the book feeling pretty sad, but in complete awe of how the whole story worked out. If you haven’t started this series, you really need to! It’s just so brilliant, and I can’t for the third in the series, The Bitter Seed of Magic, due in September 2010.(less)

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Dec 14, 2009 Larissa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

Genevieve Taylor is a fae, a sidhe fae. And while there are plenty of fae to be found in the city, Genny is the only sidhe fae in London. Which is why when a dead body turns up with sidhe magic all over it, Genny is the polices' number one suspect. Never mind she didn't do it.

Genny is on the run, and it's not only the police after her. Every vampire is dying to sink their teeth into her, ghosts are haunting her, and many others are after her body in more ways then one. Unfortunately the witches...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, awesomebooks

My thoughts:

The series continues being good, and in this I finally have answers. Anyway Genny still has a lot of problems, witches, a cop who doesn't like her, all the vampires in London that wants to suck her yummy fairy blood, Finn, her boss who wants to be more than friends and then something is going on with the Fae cos they want her now too. As you can see, problems! Not to mention being hunted for murder. What a juicy tale it is.

I like Genny, she is a bit messed up cos of her past where sh...more

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Apr 16, 2012 Noodle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, witches

Another great addition to this lovely little UF series which is turning out to be more than your average fantasy love story.

The characters here are definitely intriguing. A hint of the scary monster under the bed, mixed up with the sexy, desirable fantasy we all know and love. Vampires who can't be trusted and who have a tendency to either kill or infect their prey. Machiavellian masters with manipulative desires and then there's just the good old "can you trust the sexy fairy/vampire/whatever?"...more

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Jul 15, 2011 Darcy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, uf

This is a tough book for me. With the first one I liked the premise but it didn't follow through for me. The large cast of characters made it hard to keep them all straight. So this book was going to be a make or break book for me in the series as I was hoping my issues with the first book was just first book syndrome. I am sad to say that didn't happen, while I did finish the book it was tough to do so because I ran into the same issues. I started out reading the book in 50 page chunks, but tha...more

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Oct 30, 2011 Cathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, magic-users, elves-fae, paranormal, urban, mythology, vampire, read-in-2011

Another 3.5 star book. I still thought it was more complicated than it needed to be and occasionally confusing, but less so than the first book. I also would have preferred to read more about the fae and witches and less about the vampires, but that's probably personal preference to some degree. But it's also little a bit about originality, it's not that it's just like every other urban fantasy or anything, but at some point the sexy dangerous vampire thing gets a bit old for me. But I like thes...more

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Sep 05, 2012 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spec-fic

C2009. FWFTB: ghost, witch, hunted, vampire, supernaturals
I was really impressed with the first book in the series and had to find out what would happen to Genny next. This was just as good as the first one although a little darker than the first. Characters and “rules” are expanded although I was getting a little tired of the plot being moved on by Genny continually blacking out or falling unconscious. At the end of the book, I felt that there were quite a few loose ends that were left dangling...more

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Apr 15, 2012 Anita rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, fairy-tale, paranormal-mystery

This is book 2 of the new urban fantasy Spellcrackers series, and it's very good. I definitely recommend trying this series. Genny, the lead character, is the only Sidhe on this side of the veil in London, and she works for the witches removing bad magic for a fee. The vampires want her for her extra tasty blood, but the witches protect her. Now that is in jeopardy. She killed a big wig vamp at the end of book one, causing all sorts of political issues for her, and all of the sudden, every vamp...more

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Apr 18, 2011 All Things Urban Fantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-by-abigail

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

THE COLD KISS OF DEATH by Suzanne McLeod is the second book in the Spellcrackers series featuring Genny Taylor, the only leanan sidhe in London, who works for Spellcrackers, a company that fixes magical problems. The first half of this book was an urban fantasy lovers dream. A version of London overrun with supernatural creatures, a world that has fully integrated both the mundane and magical with deep prejudices on all sides, and a smart protagonist wh...more Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

THE COLD KISS OF DEATH by Suzanne McLeod is the second book in the Spellcrackers series featuring Genny Taylor, the only leanan sidhe in London, who works for Spellcrackers, a company that fixes magical problems. The first half of this book was an urban fantasy lovers dream. A version of London overrun with supernatural creatures, a world that has fully integrated both the mundane and magical with deep prejudices on all sides, and a smart protagonist who navigates the line between both. Unfortunately, the second half wasn’t nearly as good.

Given the title of this series, I expected there to be a decent amount a spellcracking work going on. Not so much. In fact apart from one small scene early on, Genny doesn’t work at all in this book. Maybe there was more of that in the first book—I haven’t read it yet—but it felt like an oversight here and I was left feeling kind of disappointing. My biggest problem, however, was the plot. Halfway through it started to get overly convoluted and complicated, with most of the conflicts being increasingly unnecessary. There were usually obvious solutions that would not only have solved Genny’s problems, but avoided them in the first place. Genny was such a smart character that it felt really inconsistent for her to always chose the most ridiculously difficult options.

On the upside, I was pleasantly surprised by how much romance was actually in this book. Genny has three different suitors after her: a satyr, a kelpie, and a vampire. All three of these guys had serious leading man potential and brought out very different sides of Genny. It will be interesting to see who she ends up with because she is frustratingly wishy-washy when it comes to choosing in this book. In my opinion, she only really had feelings for one of the guys since her response to the other two was primarily sexual.

Overall, the first half of this book would have easily earned a 4bat rating, but the second half would have only gotten a 2bat. That averages out to a 3bat rating since this very cool character, in her even cooler magical London, was larger squandered by a plot that grew overly ambitious and messy. THE BITTER SEED OF MAGIC, the third book in the Spellcrackers series, is available now in the UK, and will be released in the US on December 27, 2011

Sexual Content:
Scenes of graphic sensuality. References to rape. Attempted rape. References to homosexuality.(less)

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Dec 03, 2011 Melliane rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mon avis en français

My english review

It was a real pleasure to read an other Spellcraker.com novel with our heroine : Genny after all these things which happened to her in the first volume. We could be afraid that the story's rhythm was slower, but it wasn't the case. Indeed, the rhythm is the same all along the book. From the start I get into the story very quickly to follow the constant adventures of our heroine. This book is a great extension of the first one, we can find all the consequences...more Mon avis en français

My english review

It was a real pleasure to read an other Spellcraker.com novel with our heroine : Genny after all these things which happened to her in the first volume. We could be afraid that the story's rhythm was slower, but it wasn't the case. Indeed, the rhythm is the same all along the book. From the start I get into the story very quickly to follow the constant adventures of our heroine. This book is a great extension of the first one, we can find all the consequences about the last events. Indeed, Genevieve has to deal with some other vampires, some faes and a lot of problems of course. What can I say about Malik al-Khan? I was wondering so much to learn more about him and my wish has been granted! And even more, seeing him all along this second book is a real pleasure and I'm still very intrigued by this man. I would love to know what he really wants with our sidhe. Because finally, we can only make some new hypothesizes about him! Of course, there is always Finn whom I don't understand the attitude in the beginning... And even if eventually we can have some clarifications little by little, we still don't really know everything.

We learn a lot of things about Rosa, but there are of course many new questions (I know otherwise it wouldn't be funny!). The whole plot is very well done, staging many characters from the first volume but also some new ones in the same time. It was really nice to discover them, like for example Tavish. These characters are really interesting and we like them very quickly. I hope we'll find them all in the third book, a book I think I will read soon.

We can also learn some informations about Genny which allow us to better understand her, to know how she became this kind on person. This book unlike the first one, honors faes more than the vampire despite they are very present too.

The writing style is enjoyable, and organized in a way the reader is intrigued all along the story. I'm always wondering who will won Genny's heart, so many possibilities and in the same time so few. Would it be Finn? Tavish? Malik al-Khan?(less)

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Aug 06, 2009 Mardel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Every once in a while you read a debut novel, get all excited about it, want to read the sequel, but the sequel doesn't compare with the original. I'm happy to say that this sequel to The Sweet Scent of Blood was just as fun to read as the first book in the Spellcrackers.com series. Suzanne McLeod's characters are an interesting mix of good and evil. Not one of her characters are completely good, though a few of her characters are simply evil. It makes for a great read. You are not sticking your...more Every once in a while you read a debut novel, get all excited about it, want to read the sequel, but the sequel doesn't compare with the original. I'm happy to say that this sequel to The Sweet Scent of Blood was just as fun to read as the first book in the Spellcrackers.com series. Suzanne McLeod's characters are an interesting mix of good and evil. Not one of her characters are completely good, though a few of her characters are simply evil. It makes for a great read. You are not sticking your finger down your throat thinking, "Ugh!, how corny". The mix of vampire lore and fae is good one.

The main character, Genny (Genevieve Taylor) is suspected of murder, only the murder is not as simple as you would think. No, there are many twists and turns in this book, and once again I was surprised at the actions of a few of the characters. Malik, her vampire ....not yet boyfriend, interest... remains mysterious, though we learn { no, not the royal we, we as in readers } a little bit more about the relationship between Malik and Genny, even something that Genny wasn't aware of herself. I am usually able to read vampire books without feeling all gooey about the vampires {come on...they're dead! and usually cold, and the diet-kind of icky!} but I kind of like Malik, and Darius, as well as the fae- Finn, and Tavish....and few others. Besides being in hiding while trying to find out the true killer, Genny has the added complications of the vampires all trying to own her, and the fae of the city deciding that they must all claim her also. Ghosts make appearances, and are interesting minor characters that play an important part in this story.

Wonderfully done. I'm hoping Ms McLeod feels like writing more about Genny and her crew. I'm hoping Ms Mcleod feels like writing anything in the urban fantasy genre. She writes well, and most important of all- THE DIALOGUE IS NEVER LAME, NEVER DUMB. There is no stupid dialogue between characters, and the main character only asks herself a few questions. She doesn't go on and on and on with the questions ad nauseum. This book just flows, from beginning to end. I look forward to more books by Suzanne McLeod, who has now joined my mental list of auto-buy writers.

By the way, if you go to her website, she has chapters up of BOTH her published books. I appreciate when writers put up excerpts. I wish more writers would do that. That's why I became interested in this series. Stumbled onto her website, saw the book covers, clicked on the excerpt, and WOW! Instant fan. Good excerpt -first chapter. You can't go by the first page anymore for some books; the first page can be great, but then it might go downhill from then. Ms McLeod's books are interesting from the first page to the last.(less)

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Mar 20, 2012 Bethany C rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought this was another solid installment in the series. I really like Genny and there is a LOT of plot here. Perhaps too much. I didn't quite get every connect the dot leap of logic, but maybe the author is just a lot smarter than I am. And I really do like the original world that McLeod has created- but I am partial to the fae. Although there's something for everyone. Like trolls? Got 'em. Into vampires? Them too. The only criticism I can offer, other than the 'didn't quite get it' moments,...more

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Mar 21, 2011 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, 2010-release

The Cold Kiss of Death by Suzanne McLeod is the 2nd book in the Spellcrackers series after the Sweet Scent of Blood. If you are in the US, you will have a hard time finding this book until April, when the official US launch date is set. If you are in London, you are peachy!

Luckily, a library in the state of Washington had this available, and I borrowed it. Thank you so very much Whatcom County Library System! **You can also win this, if you’re lucky, through the Goodreads.com first read giveaway...more

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May 12, 2011 Kelly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(3.5 stars) Sidhe fae Genevieve Taylor is in trouble again. Hannah Ashby, whom Genny met in the last book, has shown up again — this time wielding powerful magic and demanding the priceless Fabergé egg Genny received from the Earl. Genny’s also being haunted by the ghost of a young girl. Worst of all, she finds a friend murdered and is framed for the crime. Now she needs the help of the manipulative vampire Malik al-Khan, which never comes for free.

Much like the first Spellcrackers book, The Swe...more (3.5 stars) Sidhe fae Genevieve Taylor is in trouble again. Hannah Ashby, whom Genny met in the last book, has shown up again — this time wielding powerful magic and demanding the priceless Fabergé egg Genny received from the Earl. Genny’s also being haunted by the ghost of a young girl. Worst of all, she finds a friend murdered and is framed for the crime. Now she needs the help of the manipulative vampire Malik al-Khan, which never comes for free.

Much like the first Spellcrackers book, The Sweet Scent of Blood, the plot of The Cold Kiss of Death is intensely convoluted. Plot points that seem at first to be central turn out to be peripheral and vice versa, as Genny discovers a complex web of schemes underlying what she thought was going on. Events that seem unconnected — aren’t. People turn out to be double-crossing each other. People turn out to be secretly related.

Suzanne McLeod does a better job this time of pulling it all together, though. While The Cold Kiss of Death is sometimes confusing while you’re in the middle of it, it’s all pulled together really well in the end and makes sense when it does come together. There’s one thread that looms huge at first and then is given a disappointingly simple resolution, but I wonder if that’s a situation whose real import will become clear in a later book.

In addition, we get answers to many of the questions raised in the first book. We learn more about Genny’s past, about Malik, about Rosa, about the other fae in London. Genny learns a new, powerful use for her spellcracking ability.

The writing itself is particularly good for this subgenre, and then the epilogue packs a terrible punch. We’re led to believe McLeod has forgotten a particular loose end — and there are plenty of writers who really have forgotten something like this — but then we learn in poignant fashion that no, she didn’t forget it at all.

The Sweet Scent of Blood was somewhat frustrating to me, but The Cold Kiss of Death has sold me on Spellcrackers; I’ll eagerly read the next book and see what new revelations McLeod has in store for Genny.

I originally wrote this review for FantasyLiterature.com.(less)

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Apr 26, 2011 Qwill / The Qwillery rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Urban Fantasy Fans

My Thoughts:

The Cold Kiss of Death is the second book in the Spellcrackers series by Suzanne McLeod. It's a wild ride filled with intrigue, mystery, and surprises. By the time I got to the ending few chapters, I was on edge waiting to find out what would happen. I had to read the last few chapters more than once, not because I didn't get it, but because I rushed the first time. I absolutely had to know what happened. I found the ending of the story quite emotional.

Genny is a terrific main chara...more My Thoughts:

The Cold Kiss of Death is the second book in the Spellcrackers series by Suzanne McLeod. It's a wild ride filled with intrigue, mystery, and surprises. By the time I got to the ending few chapters, I was on edge waiting to find out what would happen. I had to read the last few chapters more than once, not because I didn't get it, but because I rushed the first time. I absolutely had to know what happened. I found the ending of the story quite emotional.

Genny is a terrific main character. She's smart and determined, but not perfect, which makes her all the more believable. She works for Spellcrackers.com, a company that takes care of magical problems often by cracking unwanted spells. Genny is also the only Sidhe fae in London. This book deals much less with her job than the fallout from the murder of her friend among other things.

The book is filled with wonderful, well drawn secondary characters including the men in Genny's life: Malik al-Kahn, a mysterious vampire with ties to Genny that become more clear in his book; Finn, a satyr and her boss and potential love interest who we met in Book 1; and Tavish, a kelpie and technology whiz who first appears in this book. These three try to help Genny figure out who murdered her human friend, but even they may have agendas that Genny does not fully understand. Other characters from Book 1 also appear and have integral rolls to play in Book 2. There are some truly evil characters in the book that do not have Genny's best interests in mind at all, but they are not caricatures of evil. It becomes very clear what motivates them.

More is revealed about about London's magical community of witches, fae, vampires and its politics. The magical world in this series is very deeply developed. Why Genny is the only Sidhe fae in London is explained in this book. I'm not going to reveal any details because I do not want to give anything away. There are twists and turns and more than one surprise. These interlocking threads of story are woven together deftly by Suzanne McLeod to create an immensely satisfying and exciting read.

This is one of the most original Urban Fantasy series that I have read in a long time. The Cold Kiss of Death will keep you on the edge of your seat from the opening line to the very end.

I give The Cold Kiss of Death 4 1/2 Qwills
(Please note that my rating is much closer to 5 stars than 4 and I have rated The Cold Kiss of Death accordingly here.)(less)

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Nov 01, 2012 Sara Walker rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Kaleidoscope Reviews

Ah, Genny. In trouble with the vampires again!

THE COLD KISS OF DEATH took everything introduced in book 1, THE SWEET SCENT OF BLOOD, and went deeper and darker, making for more trouble for our poor protagonist, Genny Taylor.

Genny is a half-vampire, half-sidhe. She works for Spellcrackers.com, a business that fixes magical problems. Genny is being haunted by a ghost that she can't communicate with. Finn, the satyr Genny thought was getting romantic with her, has become her bos...more Kaleidoscope Reviews

Ah, Genny. In trouble with the vampires again!

THE COLD KISS OF DEATH took everything introduced in book 1, THE SWEET SCENT OF BLOOD, and went deeper and darker, making for more trouble for our poor protagonist, Genny Taylor.

Genny is a half-vampire, half-sidhe. She works for Spellcrackers.com, a business that fixes magical problems. Genny is being haunted by a ghost that she can't communicate with. Finn, the satyr Genny thought was getting romantic with her, has become her boss and gone cold in the romance department. Things get crazy when a vampire's human attendant shows up at Genny's place to demand the Faberge egg in Genny's possession, and then Genny is framed for the murder of a human friend. Suddenly she's on the run from a growing number of humans and supernaturals.

The overarching mystery is wonderfully woven around supernatural incidents. Genny finds herself in an awkward situation-- asking for help from an ex-boyfriend while Finn is there and the boys literally bash their fae heads together. She's chased by dryads when the fae community get upset because they think she killed that human. Then Genny's vampire disguise-- the spell that enables her to change into the vampire Rosa so she can manage the disease she'd contracted-- stops working. In fact, the spell may have Genny connected more tightly to Rosa than she'd like. This is a particular problem because the other vampires don't like Rosa and want her dead.

I would have liked seeing more of Genny at work doing the spellcracking thing. I always think that's neat. But, you know, being on the run when she's wanted for murder, I guess she's not going to stop to help a few clients. It was great that the murder was tied directly to her spellcracking, though. It was the magical equivalent of being caught with the smoking gun or the blood-covered knife.

In all, THE COLD KISS OF DEATH makes for some high-octane reading. I loved getting more time with the fae in this book. The vampires are still a large part of the plot and they're great, but they're less of a novelty item this time around and more of the political-positioning vampires. The mystery kept me reading right to the end-- twisty and unpredictable. Just the way I like it.(less)

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Sep 16, 2011 WillowBe rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: tries-hard-but-bores-me

OK, superhot male characters (MAK and she doesn't do it with either? What a waste. I also felt that she was just plain rude. There are enough irreverant smartallecky UPF heroines out there. Why not try for something new?I was surprised it was set in London. And I think the authors who gave recommendations were a cheat. Simon Green, Charlaine Harris these are authors I read. But this book was close to their level, but can't make the jump. It lacked the spark of insight into the characters, and of...more

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Aug 13, 2010 Kay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

After reading the first Spellcrakers book and falling in love with it, I made it a point to get my hands on this book and I definitely wasn't disappointed.

It always amazes me how writers are able to create such complex, intricate worlds and McLeod is really talented at it. I love the way she uses elements of fairy and vampire lore and puts a refreshing spin on it. The book reads great and the interactions and reactions of the characters are believable. I can't wait to read the next book to find...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Claire rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the second time that I have read this book. I am re-reading the three books in the series in preparation for the fourth one The Shifting Price Of Prey being released soon. This is not a book that can be read on its own you really do need to read the first book The Sweet Scent Of Blood before reading this one. I adore this series it is set in London and features 24 year old Genny who was born to a sidhe fae mother and vampire father. Genny works for spellcrackers.com where she cracks spel...more This is the second time that I have read this book. I am re-reading the three books in the series in preparation for the fourth one The Shifting Price Of Prey being released soon. This is not a book that can be read on its own you really do need to read the first book The Sweet Scent Of Blood before reading this one. I adore this series it is set in London and features 24 year old Genny who was born to a sidhe fae mother and vampire father. Genny works for spellcrackers.com where she cracks spells; she also has the virus 3V which means she is basically a vampire junkie. She craves being bitten by a vamp and if she doesn’t get bitten she can die as her body produces too much blood. So in order to overcome this she takes G-zav which is sort of like methadone and it stops her cravings. Being sidhe Genny’s blood is coveted by vampires. Not only is it tasty to them but many believe it is powerful and will give the vamp drinking it extra powers. So for these reasons Genny keeps herself to herself and tries to keep away from the vamps and stays under the protection of the witches. However in book 1 Genny killed the uber master vampire known as the Earl and now all the vampires in London are courting her in the hopes that she will become their blood pet. But Genny also met Malik Al Khan the handsome master vampire who has wanted Genny since he first tasted her blood when she was four and now Genny is starting to think she may turn to him for safety.

This book deals with Genny’s vampire problems and more. We discover more about the fae and their relationship with Genny. Ms McLeod introduces us to lots more fae. Their descriptions are just fantastic. We have tree fae and fish fae and then there is a great new character called Travis who is a kelpie. Plus we can’t forget the possible love interest Finn who is a satyr and Genny’s boss. There is intrigue, double crossing and a murder mystery to solve. For me spellcrackers.com is Urban Fantasy as its best. The characters are superb and the tension between Genny and Malik is sizzling with world building that is imaginative and immense. I would recommend this series to people who like Urban Fantasy. If you have read and liked The Hollows by Kim Harrison you should give these books a try. I am so glad that re-read this book there are some things that I either didn’t grasp or that I forgot first time round and for the second time I am going to give The cold Kiss Of Death 5 stars.
(less)

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Jun 13, 2011 Kristin (MyBookishWays Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, arc, for-early-review, kindle

You may also read my review here:http://www.mybookishways.com/201...

The Cold Kiss of Death has lots going on. I mean, lots. Genny is the only sidhe fae in the London area, and that makes her a very attractive proposition for any supernatural being that has it in his mind that it might be time to, er, start a family. Her job with Spellcrackers.com has gotten tough with the tension between her and her satyr boss, Finn. Then there’s the sexy vampire, Malik al-Kahn, who holds the key to her past, po...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Jessica(Spinecracker) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Originally Posted at http://thespinecracker.blogspot.com/

Boy, can McLeod twist a story! Her books are a mystery lover's dream. There are so many twists and new developments constantly through the story, that just when you think you know what the mystery you're meant to be piecing together is, another one pops up for your enjoyment to riddle out. The loops and whorls she creates is something to behold.

Genevieve Taylor is back and I'd forgotten how much of a girl crush I have on her. She's so genu...more Originally Posted at http://thespinecracker.blogspot.com/

Boy, can McLeod twist a story! Her books are a mystery lover's dream. There are so many twists and new developments constantly through the story, that just when you think you know what the mystery you're meant to be piecing together is, another one pops up for your enjoyment to riddle out. The loops and whorls she creates is something to behold.

Genevieve Taylor is back and I'd forgotten how much of a girl crush I have on her. She's so genuinely clever, it makes her a perfect narrator. I just enjoy ever page with her on it. She's always level-headed, and she's not predictable, but seems to always do exactly what you want her to do. That's not to say that you're not surprised by where she goes throughout the story; because you'll find it nearly impossible to guess what she'll do next, but the reasons I liked her in the beginning of the series are the same reasons I still like her at the end of this book. Genny's character acts and reacts consistently with her emotions as well. Sounds like an easy accomplishment, but most certainly isn't. All of her stabilities give her character a realistic quality, in a world you couldn't think up in your wildest dreams.

This is no cookie cutter world that McLeod has created. Her characters are fresh and intriguing one minute and all together terrifying the next. It's a delicious balance, and the constant wondering of what magically being will pop up next keeps things changing and exciting throughout. The story has witches, vampires, fae, sidhe, trolls... you think of it and this story has it, along with many creatures you've yet to imagine. The world is vibrant with its characters but equally engrossing with its rich character histories and fae-lore, not to mention her unique take on vampires. Everything is original and will be interesting to every reader, whether you're a seasoned urban fantasy reader, or a newbie, just starting out.

Since the story is such a surprising, and sometimes shocking set of twists and turns. I will tease you and say that the storytelling is stunning, but to dive into the story any further wouldn't be fair on your reading experiences. I will say, you're going to feel a little like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole once the story gets going, but don't fear you have to press on and the answers will be revealed. {Not all of them because this is a series and not a stand alone book, but you get plenty...} Genevieve will help you not feel lost by saying things like "And something hovered at the edge of my mind-" and "my mind reaching for something I couldn't quite grasp-" often; letting you know that she hasn't pieced it together yet, so don't feel bad that you haven't either. You'll soon discover that you'll never guess the story's next turn, and you'll be such a happy little reader because of it. I literally said out loud "no freakin' way" a few times. You'll be floored by some of the developments. I know I was.

Bottom Line: Mcleod comes back with such force in this second book. Her characters still have intrigue, her world remains mysterious, and her plots are diabolical. The Cold Kiss of a Death is a literary trifecta.(less)

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Feb 05, 2011 Caroline The HEA Lover rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, book-i-own

(This was originally posted on Book Lovers Inc)

Warning: This is a spoiler free review but I make references to things from the first book which can be considered a bit spoilery.

The Cold Kiss of Death is the 2nd book in the Spellcrackers.com series. This series is so great it gave me back my UF reading mojo. Read too much of a genre and you start getting 'bored', it's what happened to me with the UF genre. I kept wanting to go back to read Historicals (my safe genre). Well, The Spellcrackers seri...more (This was originally posted on Book Lovers Inc)

Warning: This is a spoiler free review but I make references to things from the first book which can be considered a bit spoilery.

The Cold Kiss of Death is the 2nd book in the Spellcrackers.com series. This series is so great it gave me back my UF reading mojo. Read too much of a genre and you start getting 'bored', it's what happened to me with the UF genre. I kept wanting to go back to read Historicals (my safe genre). Well, The Spellcrackers series cured me (at least for now). When I finished The Cold Kiss of Death I was CRAVING to read more. It's such a good UF book, so original and complex...*happy sigh*

Genny is the only sidhe fae in London, something she can't hide since her eyes are slitted like those of a cat. She's been working at Spellcracker.com where she cracks magic. In this book, we get to see again all the characters we loved in the previous book. I would advise you read book #1 to understand all the back-story of this book.

Genny's father was a vampire and she was betrothed to a vampire when she was 14. She escaped and has been in London ever since. I love the world Suzanne McLeod created. In her London, Vampire, faes, Witches etc.. are part of the normal everyday life. Genny has been infected by 3V, a vampire virus which is incurable. She craves the venom vampires produce when biting a victim. In the first book, we learned that she found a way to deal with it by using a spell transforming her in a vampire for 1 night. Genny uses her vampire body to satisfy her needs from time to time. Sadly what she thought a 'glamour' spell turns out to be much more complicated. The vampire she turns into, Rosa, was a real vampire with very real enemies.

Genny has a lot of interesting men in her life, there is Finn, the Satyr, who's also her very hot boss (I LOVE Finn). Tavish the wylde fae who's a real mystery to me. And there is Malik, the sexy vampire. Malik is linked to Genny in some way. He also knew Rosa the vampire. You know it's weird because usually, there's 1 guy I like 2 at the most. But in this series I don't know who to root for, they all have their appeal. lol If she didn't have so many problems I would envy Genny for all the cute men she has in her life. *wink*

Vampire politics force Genny to use Rosa again but it turns out to be a very dangerous thing. I can't say much more about the story without walking on a spoiler. Let's just say that we got a lot of Malik time (not enough Finn *sob*). This is a very sensual book, Suzanne has been teasing us since book 1. (Yes Suzanne you are evil). The story is very complicated and original, lots of twists I wouldn't have imagined. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was a bit slow to start but once the story really started there wasn't a dull moment, I really loved the whole story.

I did feel a bit queasy a few times. Yes I feel faint in the presence of blood, and some scenes were so bloody I could nearly feel it on my skin lol. Gory and bloody but oh so gooood! Genny's past is still a mystery but we get to learn quite a few things about her.

I was close to tears when I finished the book. I just couldn't wait to start the 3rd book. This is one of my favorite UF series, one of the most original too. I just finished reading the next book, The Bitter Seed of Magic and it's a fantastic read! (my favorite in the series). I will post my review later today. I recommend the Spellcrackers to every UF lover. If like me you thought you couldn't be surprised anymore, here's your chance to see how wrong you were ;)

I give The Cold Kiss of Death 4 and 1/2 Bookies(less)

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Jan 01, 2011 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

The Cold Kiss of Death is a well-written, fast-paced and highly imaginative story set in an alternate and very dangerous version of London. Where it's not safe in the Tube, or wherever trees can speak to each other. Genny's voice takes you on her personal journey in a very intimate way, revealing what's happening at close range, as well as bits and pieces of her past. A past that makes a lot of sense and seems to lead to the vampire, Malik.

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Aug 09, 2011 Dawn rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-books, elves-fae, vampires, urban-fantasy, witches-mage-magic

I really wanted to love this book, I thought the first one had a lot of potential so I was looking forward to this one. The book started out good but then around halfway I got confused I just could not recall a lot of the references or they didn't make sense to me. Also around this point the plot started getting overly complicated, with a lot of unnecessary conflicts. Then the very end felt very rushed. In the end I guess spellcrackers is not a series for me.

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Dec 10, 2012 Jess Macallan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5/5 stars. It's bad enough being the only sidhe in town, but Genny also has to clear her name in the her friend's murder, deal with a sorceress, and stay one step ahead of the vamps in town. This book has me hooked on this series. If you enjoy urban fantasy, this series is a must-read. Suzanne McLeod effortlessly blends supernatural and magical/mythological creatures into a fascinating world any paranormal book lover is sure to enjoy.

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The Cold Kiss of Death (Spellcrackers.com #2)

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