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The Scent of Shadows

(Signs of the Zodiac #1)

Vicki Pettersson (Goodreads Author)

3.51 · Rating details · 9,682 ratings · 543 reviews

When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert. By rights, she should be dead.

Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset—a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow—seeking answers to whom or what she really is . . . and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

But the nightmare i ...more

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Paperback, 455 pages

Published February 27th 2007 by Harper Voyager

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The Best Urban Fantasy

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3.51 ·

Rating details

· 9,682 ratings · 543 reviews

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Apr 18, 2007 Seth rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: Desperate readers and people willing to handle major problems in the faint hope of a better tomorrow

Shelves: modernfantasy, sf-f-h, crap

It looks good. New author, first novel, recommendations on the cover by Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, and Diana Gabaldon(2). Woman becomes a Super-Powered Heroine fighting forces of darkness and it's supposed to have non-stop action, some hot sex scenes, and it's set in Las Vegas, always a great setting for supernatural action.

But look more closely. The back cover has a big, glossy picture of the author: an atractive brunette with a decidedly Linda Carter look. Large pictures of the attractiv ...more

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Dec 13, 2007 Lorena rated it it was ok

Shelves: paranormal

This was an odd book for me...on the one hand, there are more plot holes than you can shake a stick at, and they're all big enough to drive a fleet of trucks through. It was one of those that kept me up at night after I finished it, thinking "WTF was [plot point X] all about? That makes no freakin' sense! And then there was [Y]! What was THAT?" On the other hand, the main character was very compelling, and the writing generally very good, so I'm giving the second book a try.

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Oct 26, 2007 Jamie Collins rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy-urban

I've started this, but so far I don't like it very much. There's something about the writing that bugs me - too much exposition, maybe.

Followup:
I gave it up 100 pages in. The story didn't capture my interest and the writing was too melodramatic for my taste. I mean, the heroine seriously says things like: "The knowledge of violence is my playmate."

I also don't like the details of a character's psyche to be spelled out so explicitly. I prefer to get to know a character in a more subtle way as the ...more

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Oct 18, 2012 Nicole Peterson rated it it was amazing

Holy crap, where to begin without just mindlessly babbling about all the good parts and giving up all the goodies? Hmmm...Let me think... Have you ever read a book about super heroes that wasn't a comic? This is pretty much it. It has it's own little twists and turns. There are comics involved... But not how you would think. It is so sweet how it all ties in together, but I can't really tell you without letting the "cat" out of the bag. I'm just having a hard time trying to put into words what I Holy crap, where to begin without just mindlessly babbling about all the good parts and giving up all the goodies? Hmmm...Let me think... Have you ever read a book about super heroes that wasn't a comic? This is pretty much it. It has it's own little twists and turns. There are comics involved... But not how you would think. It is so sweet how it all ties in together, but I can't really tell you without letting the "cat" out of the bag. I'm just having a hard time trying to put into words what I felt after reading this. It was like.... Exhilarated. I get so excited whenever I think of getting someone to read this series. I want them to go through the awesome-sauce of it all like I did and still do when I think of it.

So I will start at the beginning.

Joanna is the daughter of one of the big gambling bosses. Her sister Olivia, is the exact opposite of her. Where Joanna is dark haired she is light. Where Joanna has a sharp wit and biting tongue, Olivia has a bubbly personality. The story starts 24 hours before her next birthday. The birthday that will change her forever. Whether she likes it or not. She can either live up to her destiny or die.

The night before her birthday she runs into the one and only man she has loved, Ben Traina. They had parted on very bad terms. However, seeing him again makes her realize how much she has missed him and loved him. The make a date to go the next night. On her way home she hits a "bum", or whom she assumes to be. The guy heals amazingly fast and starts talking how he is a super hero. Not only is he a super hero, but he is the command leader of Zodiac troop 175. The good guys. His "cover" allows him to meander around overlooked. Just another homeless nutter out on the streets of Las Vegas. He tell Joanna her next birthday will bring with it her super powers. If she manages to stays alive he will meet with her again.

She meets the next day with her "father", Xavier. She learns that she is in fact not his biological daughter, much to her relief. There is no love lost between the two. She will be allowed to keep her house, car and will be given a small allowance. But, she will loose in place she may have had in the family business. Fortunately for Joanna, this distresses Olivia more then it does her. After the meeting, she is on her way to her date with Ben. Things go very well and if she didn't have to meet up with her sister Olivia they would probably have spent the night making hot, mad, monkey lovings. She meets up with Olivia at 11:30 so that when it turns midnight Olivia can give her her birthday gift. Olivia's ex-boyfriend drops by to pick up some of his things and that is when the shit hits the fan.

The boyfriend recognizes who she is about to become in the matter of seconds. Joanna feels the building first tremor and sway and then feels like she is hit with a bolt of lightning. As it starts to recede she quickly reaches for a knife she had put in her boot after her conversation with the crazy bum. She flips it open and throws it in the boyfriends chest. Why you may ask? Because he's one of the bad guys and was coming at her with a scimitar. She falls to her knees exhausted with what she had just went through and when she looks up again it is to see the body of a dead man in front of her and her sister trembling in a corner asking her if she is OK.

As the girls are recovering from what just happened, they don't see the boyfriend until it's too late and he has a hold of Olivia as a hostage. Joanna is willing to do anything to protect her sister. She tries to get him to let go of Olivia and take her instead. He begins cutting Olivia and Joanna yells for him to stop. He does...but then throws her body out of her high-rise apartment building.

And that my friends is just the beginning. ...more

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Apr 24, 2011 Pat Patterson rated it it was ok

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I loved this book at the start. A third of the way through I almost went out and bought the rest of the series. Now I'm glad I waited. An interesting premise, decent writing and good battles are ruined by the "bibmo transition" and waaay too much chat about heels and fashion. Maybe it's just my bad luck, but this is the THIRD book I've read in the past 6 months where a normal woman wakes up to find herself transformed into Barbie. Massive boobs, tiny waist, long flowing hair. If you want to writ I loved this book at the start. A third of the way through I almost went out and bought the rest of the series. Now I'm glad I waited. An interesting premise, decent writing and good battles are ruined by the "bibmo transition" and waaay too much chat about heels and fashion. Maybe it's just my bad luck, but this is the THIRD book I've read in the past 6 months where a normal woman wakes up to find herself transformed into Barbie. Massive boobs, tiny waist, long flowing hair. If you want to write about Barbie then why not have one of these women just go for surgery? The involuntary "beautification" process is bad enough, but then these books invariably force the subject to dress like a hooker. Fighting and running in heels and miniskirts. I promised that I'd never again read one of these and here I was, fooled again.

And to make it worse she's transformed into her SISTER. The dead sister that she watched being terrorized, tortured with a knife, then flung out a penthouse window. I almost couldn't keep reading.

But the story kept me plugging along. I blew through more than half the book in a weekend and then it's taken me a week to drag through the rest of it. Every time she mentioned a designer or heel size I put it down. And it got worse as the book continued. When the heroes are in their sanctuary, after waht was supposed to be a training session, two of the women's "heels clicked as they went down the hall". OK, we've been told why our heroine is wearing heels. Why is the other fighter in heels? What kind of mortal danger are they in where they don't mind sounding like a machine gun as they walk?

And WHAT is the author's hangup with Chandra? I never did get a decent physical description, just that she "looks like a man", a "hermaphrodite", and the star of the book calls Chandra "She-Man" during an argument. WTH is that about? Am I reading a PR or the screenplay for "Mean Girls"? First we get the bimbo makeover, then she derides an unattractive female at every opportunity. Seems like someone has issues.

My favorite mess was the catsuit stuff towards the end. "Cotton / lycra" blend. Oh, thanks for filling me in! Just the info I needed to know as they're preparing for a suicide mission. Then when she drops Hunter and sticks one of his guns in the waistband. Lycra Catsuits have waistbands?? And the whole pile of stuff she lugs: her mini crossbow, his 2 guns, baton, and a 12 foot whip with barbs. And the WHIP went into her POCKET?? LOL. Who knew they made lowcut lycra catsuits with cargo pockets?

Lastly I didn't get the feeling that she's even been a comic book fan. The comic store folks were too superficial and were all stereotypes. As a lifelong SciFi/Fantasy fan and a veteran of dozens of conventions, I didn't appreciate the attitude. Or any of the attitudes: towards the comic folks, towards ugly women, and frankly towards sisters. I'd slaughter anyone that made me over into my dead sister. How could someone function under those circumstances?

Anyway. Interesting story. Good battles and writing. But too many off notes to make this an enjoyable read. I'm going to re-read a Showalter or Kresley Cole to clear my head. ...more

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May 15, 2010 AH rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-in-series, chubby-chunkster, ebook, free-downloads, zzxread-jan-2011

Scent of Shadows has some intriguing ideas. The book pits comic book hero type characters in a battle between Light and Shadow using the symbols of the Zodiac. Each Zodiac sign has a corresponding fighter in both Light and Shadow. There is a prophecy that the Kairos will come, and the Shadow forces are hunting him or her down.

The Light and Shadow heroes track each other by scents. They each have their own specialty weapon exclusive to themselves. If they are killed by their own weapon, the kille ...more

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Mar 07, 2010 Jim son of Jim (formerly PhotoJim) rated it liked it

Shelves: 2010-reads, fantasy-sci-fi, paranormal, jim-swap-shelf

Finished this today. Well, first of all, for a 450+ page book, it went really fast. There are some definite cool parts. There are some definite not so cool parts. The scent thing? cool. The comic book shop kids? Not cool. The characters are pretty good. The plot is decent. The world makes no sense whatsoever. I just don't understand parts of this world/mythology.

A decent character face-off with decent dialog is followed up with a scene where a characters bones are melted and eyes bleed when they ...more

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Jun 18, 2008 Haralambi Markov rated it it was amazing

Shelves: uf-pnr

“The Scent of Shadows” by Vicki Pettersson for me is probably one of the best books I have had the pleasure to read in a while. It can be described as gritty, dark, violent and one of the more captivating Urban Fantasy titles on the market. A lot can be said about the book, the ideas it conveys and the quality of the writing. By my rating standards this novel exceeds the maximum ten points and skyrockets far in the distance.

“The Scent of Shadows”, which actually is only the first installment of “The Scent of Shadows” by Vicki Pettersson for me is probably one of the best books I have had the pleasure to read in a while. It can be described as gritty, dark, violent and one of the more captivating Urban Fantasy titles on the market. A lot can be said about the book, the ideas it conveys and the quality of the writing. By my rating standards this novel exceeds the maximum ten points and skyrockets far in the distance.

“The Scent of Shadows”, which actually is only the first installment of the “Signs of The Zodiac” series, follows the photographer and multibillionaire heiress Joanna Archer from the moment her life changes for the worse. She is a strong character, which is typical for the genre and has a colorful biography to boot. From being messed up by a trauma in her childhood that led her train herself to be a modern age amazon Joanna finds herself thrown into the great battle between Light and Shadows agents, where her fighting skills, short temper and her aptitude to violence come in handy.

The other face of Las Vegas hidden behind the neon lavish is a battlefield between the Shadow Zodiac and the Zodiac of Light, where twelve agents from both sides are meant to fill a star sign on each Zodiac. Each agent has his conduit, which is their special lethal weapon. Armed, dangerous and trained they have one purpose: fight. Seems like a standard good vs. evil plot, but here comes the world building and the reader is strapped tight and slammed into a rollercoaster of action. Vicki creates a sub-society of superheroes, who can heal fast and possess their own special mythology. Something that simply can’t be passed on so lightly.

Another amazing factor is the sense of smell, which is taken and elevated to new and incredible heights. It’s not only there to make a small entrance as a deus ex machina to track the foe, even though one of its major purposes is. A whole new world is opened up with this acute and powerful sense of smell, which can detect all smells and their remnants and it even connects people to each other.

But it doesn’t stop there. Vicki builds on top of that a whole science relying on genetics that is concentrated on how to mask and change smells and characteristic scents. Also killing a star sign with his own conduit your own scent is erased and you become invisible to the senses of the people around unless you make contact.

For me all these little details that get revealed part by part without info-dumping and by sensible dialog is enough to hook me alone, but what made me purely addicted to her work is her style of writing. Judging by my own experience with writing, first person POV could never quite mix with wondrous paragraphs of deliciously long sentences of descriptions. It just shows how much I have to learn to extract the maximum of both techniques together and for that I simply bow down before her skills.

But now let’s view Joanna Archer, who is not only flung without her consent or idea of the whole Zodiac troops and star signs, but finds out that she is the daughter of the leader of the Shadow Zodiac, while her mother is the prize star sign of the Light Zodiac. She is destined to do a lot and she can choose to be on either of both sides. As a bonus she possesses special skills from both sides as well.

But of course being an awesome one of a kind hybrid isn’t all about the perks. Joanna, although playing for the good guys, is vulnerable to all the energies and defenses against the dark, although we are not sure as of yet if vice versa applies as well. Her role in the superhero society is met with mistrust as Light is equal to Shadow inside of her and the equilibrium between the both can and has been tipped easily.

Her character is the most exact brought-to-life metaphor of the struggle between good and evil inside the human being and that is what makes her as real as any other human being can get. Coupled with the challenges to live the life of her sister Olivia, who was murdered the day, she went through the metamorphosis that unlocks her powers, Joanna has to adapt to being this new person. Exactly with this purpose in mind Vicki has her going through a drastic plastic surgery to become her sister. It’s not only a quest to find a place on the battlefield, but to find the person that you are. “Who are you?” is the question Joanna posses to the woman staring back from the mirror and we witness how she is getting closer to finding that answer in between receiving punches and multiple stab wounds.

By the length of the review, you can conclude how much I liked it and I can still comment on everything ranging from the author’s choice of words to the secondary characters and the amazing climax surrounding the traitor among the Light Zodiac. All I can say is that Vicki Pettersson has arrived, plans to stay and there is nothing stopping her. ...more

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Feb 25, 2008 Felicia rated it liked it

Shelves: urban-paranormal, vaginal-urban-fantasy

Err....potential here in setup. Not the best execution, but I want to read the second.

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Nov 21, 2018 Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!} rated it liked it

Shelves: cover-outfit-is-a-want, 2018-discarded, books-i-read-in-2018, dark, demons, creepy, fiction, fantasy, horror, mt-tbr-2018

Rating: 2.5 to 3

The biggest annoyance were the characters, but the plot had so much Potential™.

It was distracting me from some things going on in my life, so that's a + in its favor.

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Jul 09, 2010 Steph rated it liked it

Recommended to Steph by: Sharon

Shelves: recommended-2-me, year-read-2011, author-웃, series-book1, sos-games-bsb-r1, series-ended, series-completed

Overall: 3.5★

The Scent of Shadows introduces us to multi-billionaire heiress Joanna Archer. We meet her sister Olivia, who is the epitome of the Paris Hilton-type wealthy heiress to the outside world, but she has a big heart and is Joanna's best, and only, friend. While Olivia is loved and pampered by their father, Joanna and he are like oil and water. They tolerate each other, but only just.

When Joanna was sixteen, she was assaulted (OF NOTE: the assault and rape are not described in detail), r Overall: 3.5★

The Scent of Shadows introduces us to multi-billionaire heiress Joanna Archer. We meet her sister Olivia, who is the epitome of the Paris Hilton-type wealthy heiress to the outside world, but she has a big heart and is Joanna's best, and only, friend. While Olivia is loved and pampered by their father, Joanna and he are like oil and water. They tolerate each other, but only just.

When Joanna was sixteen, she was assaulted (OF NOTE: the assault and rape are not described in detail), raped and left for dead. She's spent every day since then making herself stronger, so that she can never be taken advantage of ever again. She spends much of her time alone, wandering the streets of the city, taking pictures of the homeless and seedy parts of town.

Since her childhood trauma, trying to do the opposite of what she feels happens to most survivors, she never says no when asked out on a date. That's why she ends up on a date with a not-so attractive dude. The date starts out as most do, but then things get weird.

(view spoiler)

The night of her birthday, Joanna's world turns upside down and inside out. She's drawn into the world of the light and shadow Zodiac. (view spoiler) She has "friends" who help her through the massive learning curve and she does a great job (almost too good considering) adjusting to her "new life".

The first 1/3 of the book, I really enjoyed. The second 1/3 was eh. The final 1/3 had me deciding to continue the series, at least through book #2, The Taste of Night. I can definitely understand why some readers' reviews RAVE and some RANT about this one. For now, I'm firmly planted in the middle, neither ranting or raving. ...more

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Jan 13, 2014 Elspeth rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: twenty-forteen, kindle, urban-fantasy

Meh.
The writing wasn't bad, the story was kind of interesting, but most of the characters pissed me off.

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Feb 16, 2010 Kay rated it really liked it

Pettersson throws us straight into the action - leaving us to work out the universe as Joanna does. It is a complicated one too, as we have zero frame of reference to go on. Put simply, this series is about a war between two superhero factions: the forces of Light and Shadow. Their battles are depicted in comic form after the fact, then sold to humans as fiction.

Had I understood this before starting, I likely wouldn't have continued. While I appreciate the whole superhero thing, it just wouldn't ...more

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Aug 30, 2013 Blodeuedd Finland rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

What's up with rape and UF. I know UF is PNRs darker sister but all the rape, must we?

So yes Jo was raped at 16 and is all messed up cos of that. Also suddenly after almost 10 years she sees her former BF and wants to do something about it. Why wait that long? Ok so that was not my point. What is my point?

One messed up heroine who knows krav maga. She has a bimbo smart sister. She has a dad who hates her. She has painful memories she can let go of.

But she is also special, but the road there was ...more

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Nov 05, 2010 Carolyn Crane rated it it was amazing

Smart, multi-layered, and thrilling with good meaty psychological drama. The Zodiac books have everything I love in an urban fantasy! The main character, Joanna Archer, is into photography and has a thing with darks and lights, and this theme echoes through the series in a hugely cool way. These days, Zodiac is one of my favorite UF series along with Armstrong's Otherworld.

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May 10, 2013 Kelly ~Bibliophile~ rated it really liked it

Shelves: adult, books-in-a-series, urban-fantasy, supernatural

3.5 stars - but since I cant give it that Ill go with 4 since it was a pretty cool idea.

So, This book was a really interesting idea!
"Light Zodiac Troops" keep watch over the big cities all over the world. 12 people, one chosen for each star sign, that attempt to counteract and stop the evil-doings of their Shadow counterparts.

The book was a very fun read, though I had a few eye roll moments.
I love the idea of "superheros" keeping an eye on the world but I wish that in the book they called th 3.5 stars - but since I cant give it that Ill go with 4 since it was a pretty cool idea.

So, This book was a really interesting idea!
"Light Zodiac Troops" keep watch over the big cities all over the world. 12 people, one chosen for each star sign, that attempt to counteract and stop the evil-doings of their Shadow counterparts.

The book was a very fun read, though I had a few eye roll moments.
I love the idea of "superheros" keeping an eye on the world but I wish that in the book they called themselves something different. How far up your own ass do you have to be to call yourself a Superhero? It was a bit cliché and irritating, but that's more of a personal preference than anything bad about the book itself. I just couldn't get the image of adults in poorly made masks running around.
description

The main character, Joanna/Olivia Archer, is so-so for me. She has great potential but we will see where she goes. I DID feel pretty bad for her, though. Her sister is murdered in front of her and she is forced to go through serious plastic surgery to BECOME her in every way. That's gotta mess with your head. Then the whole thing with Ben was a love-hate. By 8% into the book she is in bed with him and totally in love. I dislike romances that have already known each other and have a past because I don't feel that burning connection but after everything that happened I felt terrible for them both.

I thought the characters were a little boring and I'm hoping the next books really show some growth and flesh them out a LOT more.

There were too many plot holes and things I wanted expanded though.
Metamorphasis?

You burned from the inside out when you went into the Lights fortress because of the Shadow in you? BUT if you wear these nifty shades all of a sudden you'll be all better?

Fighting skills? Weapons? Powers? These could all have been drastically built upon. (and maybe will be in other books! I don't know yet!)

All in all, super cool idea and the execution was ALMOST up to par.
But, Im still interesting enough to buy the next book.

...more

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Jul 05, 2009 Paula rated it did not like it

Shelves: series, urban-fantasy, unfinished

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is another of those occasions where bookswapping has saved me from wasting my money on a book Amazon recommended to me but which is nothing like the kind of thing I want to be reading...

The basic premise of The Scent of Shadows is that it's about Joanna, daughter of a Las Vegas billionaire, who somehow survived a vicious attack when she was a teenager and now discovers a much darker side to reality than she had ever thought existed. She's dedicated the last few years to becoming a fighter r ...more

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Jun 20, 2008 Reed rated it liked it

What's in a name?

I read Pettersson's first Zodiac novel, expecting a somewhat standard urban fantasy--especially since it was being hyped by Kim Harrison, a heavyweight in the field.

The novel has many of the now standard bits found in the urban fantasy genre:

--gritty, wisecracking female protagonist

--a heady mix of humor, fast-paced action, and a sprinkling of romance (perhaps due to the high percentage of female readers of this genre?)

--secret societies at war in an unsuspecting world

--a protag ...more

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Aug 02, 2010 Shelley rated it really liked it

Storyline: When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert. By rights, she should be dead. Now, a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset, a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow; seeking answers to whom or what she really is and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

On the eve of her 25th birthday, she finds it in the form of a peculiar date who looks like a gaunt banker one moment and like hell sp ...more

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Sep 14, 2009 Keysha rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2009, in-my-bookshelf

Para mi esta novela fue como un coctel ya que tomo un poco de las historias de los súper héroes, más un poco de la historia detrás de los signos del zodiaco, más una pinta de la eterna lucha entre la luz en la sombra y por ultimo una joven capaz de patear traseros sin remordimiento alguno pero con un gran corazón y ¿cuál es el resultado? E l comienzo de la historia de Joanna Archer.

Al empezar a leer esta novela al principio no estaba muy segura de que me iba a gustar pero mientras leía me di cue ...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Cindy rated it really liked it

I had the whole set of Vicki Pettersson's Zodiac series sitting on my to be read shelf. For some reason I kept passing over them. I don't know why...I just did. Now I'm mentally kicking myself for doing that...these books, at least book one, are wonderful!

Joanna Archer has had a troubled time all her life, when she was a young teen she left her boyfriends house, and as she cut through the desert, returning home, she was raped, beaten and left for dead. As she lay in the hospital the boy she love ...more

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May 06, 2013 Jennifer rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favs, supes-the-otherworldies

One of the best series I have read in a while. Imagine finding out that you are a superhero and your entire life changes in one night? Yeah most of us would not handle that well and frankly neither does Joanna. She does a lot of crying and raging about what this "new life" has cost her and frankly I feel her pain. And whoa is she pissed with good reason!! All she wants is revenge and instead she has to sign on to save the world. I think the action and the pace catch you so fast and draw you in s ...more

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Nov 07, 2010 Mrs. Badass rated it liked it

This book was intriguing enough that I want to read the next, but there were plot holes and some dragging pages.
Joanna Archer has been through hell, and is about to be dragged into the burning pit. I felt really bad for Jo during this whole book. The parts with her and Ben were Sad and hopeful and then...I want to learn more about Ben and what is happening to him.
I thought parts were confusing, but I'm glad I stuck with it. This is more Urban Fantasy and less romance, which as fine with me.
I'm ...more

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Sep 04, 2007 Schnaucl rated it it was ok

Shelves: urban_fantasy, read_2007, owned, fiction, march, series

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

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May 31, 2010 Laura the Highland Hussy marked it as to-read

I am officially done with this book. BUT I am not rating it or adding it to my d-n-f shelf because I couldn't make it past page 30. I tried, I really tried.

Maybe when I'm in the mood for a dark and gritty UF I'll come back to it-that's the advantage of books-they're always there waiting for me.

The premise sounds super interesting, and the fact that it takes place in my hometown is awesome! But I'm shelving it for a while, and I will come back to it, just for now, I'm moving on.

(can you tell I f ...more

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Aug 05, 2007 Janon rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: people who like supernatural, stong female protagonists without massive quantities of porn

I read this book on the recommendation of some invisible friends online. I liked that the heroine was fairly strong, but with flaws, and flaws that I could understand and empathize with. One challenge I have with the later Anita Blake novels is that I really, really don't like her.

The only thing I really didn't like about this novel is the physical transformation that happens midway, because again - what a surprise, the heroine is a mega-babe. Jeez, aren't there any just ordinarily pretty women ...more

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Oct 19, 2010 Ami marked it as dnf · review of another edition

I know that I should've given it a chance, at least until I get into 100 pages or so. But really ... a girl who is raped and beaten to death when she is 16 and now her motto is "to never say no"?!? I mean, WTF? And I took a peek at the ending ... I guess I would just be more confused and pissed off with it. I have encountered feeling confused with other UF books before but this one will just not do for me.

So yeah. ABANDONING SHIP! (and move on to different book, my life is to short to get frustr ...more

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Apr 05, 2013 Angela marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, kindle

28 January 2016: $3.99 on Kindle

3 July 2015: $2.99 on Kindle
10 February 2015: $3.99 on Kindle

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Aug 07, 2011 Dawntwilight000 rated it did not like it

I tried to like it ,really. The first 75 pages had me hooked until Ms. Petersson decided to "jump the sharktank". I got to page 246 out of 418 and couldn't take it any longer. Flounced.

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Jan 06, 2019 Sarah Leenart rated it really liked it

I feel very conflicted over this book. It has been on my radar for a very long time and finally I decided to read it as it was an upcoming online bookclub choice. I'm glad I did, and despite the fact that I found the story and some of the characters infuriating at times, I did also stay up late reading into he night so it was very compulsive. The idea that the supernatural world is written down ad played out in comic form was an unusual and interesting concept. although it left me with more ques I feel very conflicted over this book. It has been on my radar for a very long time and finally I decided to read it as it was an upcoming online bookclub choice. I'm glad I did, and despite the fact that I found the story and some of the characters infuriating at times, I did also stay up late reading into he night so it was very compulsive. The idea that the supernatural world is written down ad played out in comic form was an unusual and interesting concept. although it left me with more questions with no answer. How did it all work? I have to say Joanna's introduction to the light zodiac did not make me see them in a favourable light and if it were not for the fact that the shadow seemed to be all out bad guys (Ajax was a nasty piece of work I was itching to see killed form the first moment he entered the page) I would have said the light zodiac were not exactly good guys themselves, and their organisation, despite having an obvious problem for this book, seemed corrupt on a more deeper level.

As to Joanna, our heroine, I felt every injustice with her, for here we have our typical damaged urban fantasy heroine, albeit one very tough one, and the blows will just not stop coming. It seemed at times that Joanna had not a single ally to her name, whether in the normal world or the supernatural one, and the one person she could and would turn to has been branded off limits. Her relationship with Ben was the most real thing on the page and it was truly a thing of beauty and sadness.

The mythology around this book was very interesting and unique, part comic book superhero (I was not keen on the way they called themselves superheroes!) and part supernatural, based on the signs of the zodiac, displaying balance between light and shadow, with each side having counterparts. It seems that the shadow have been getting stronger of late and the light showing holes in their arsenal. When Joanna shows up, it is partly as a saviour and partly considered with great suspicion. As I said there are a few gaps but overall interesting and compelling reading. Will I read the next? Not sure yet. ...more

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About Vicki Pettersson

Vicki Pettersson

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Vicki Pettersson is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author of ten novels, most set in her hometown of Las Vegas. Though she'll ever consider that glittering dustbowl home, she now divides her time between Vegas and Dallas,Texas, where she's learning to like good Tex-Mex (easy) and the Dallas Cowboys (easier than you'd think).

Her most recent release is SWERVE, aptly titled as it's both a chase boo ...more