Books for me fall into two categories: those that will teach me something practical or at the very least be enlightening (I'm remembering Faulkner's West Point address when he said it is the duty of the writer to uplight the mind of the reader) or to be purely entertaining. The second book in the Dante Valentine series is defintely in the latter catergory. I'm a teacher, and a teacher of ancient Greek and Latin at a prep school at that. Occasionally I need a book that will not A) make me feel like I'm not in a fugue state or B) make me regret my existence for reading this drivel. Happily Saintcrow does an adequate job of providing a tale from the tired, cliche genre of paranormal fiction. It seems like everyone and you neighbor is rewriting what I consider one of the more challenging genres. I can honestly say I'm weary of pretty vampires (doesn't anyone remember that vampirism was an analogy for venereal disease in the Victorian period!) or werewolves with sentimental hearts and great abs. Saintcrow offers a world of people with a variety of paranormal gifts and demons. She shows demons for what they historical are: strikingly beautiful, emotionally unhuman, and opportunistic with a potential for extreme and remorseless violence. In an age when every teenager and soccer mom thinks "it would be cool to be supernatural", Saintcrow reminds the reader that immortality truly is not a gift and humans can be downright annoying. But at least they have the comfort of death. Sometimes the immortal coil can be depressing, thus jaded, angry demons.

But I digress. The story follows Dante's quest for the murderer of those in her community, more importantly those who attended, or more like were imprisoned in, Rigger Hall-a school for the psychically gifted. The Hall was run by a sadistic pedophile who died mysteriously over a decade ago. Dante, reeling from the death of her demon, now Fallen lover, Japhrimel, spends what time she is not actively seeking the identity of the murderer pining away for him. It is annoying at times but no book is perfect. The action is well-paced and Saintcrow FINALLY adds a glossary for all the terms she assumed her readers would understand in the first book.

I recommend this series for road trip-sitting on the beach reading or if you simply need something that does not make you think too much but you need a bit of entertainment.