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Shade City: A Dante Butcher Novel
"They call it the City of Angels. Well... angels, demons... I don't really know the difference."
For Dante Butcher, Los Angeles ghost hunting isn't a business, it's a pastime. Going to clubs, knocking back a few drinks, even taking the occasional punch are all in a night's work. But cool confidence doesn't prepare Dante for what begins in a piss-soaked bathroom. The Dead Side opens up a whole new world to him, and for the first time, it's the ghosts that are hunting Dante.
For Dante Butcher, Los Angeles ghost hunting isn't a business, it's a pastime. Going to clubs, knocking back a few drinks, even taking the occasional punch are all in a night's work. But cool confidence doesn't prepare Dante for what begins in a piss-soaked bathroom. The Dead Side opens up a whole new world to him, and for the first time, it's the ghosts that are hunting Dante.
- GenresUrban Fantasy
326 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 25, 2014
21 people are currently reading
340 people want to read
About the author
Domino Finn
32 books212 followersDomino Finn is an entertainment industry veteran, a contributor to award-winning video games, and the grizzled Urban Fantasy author of the best-selling Black Magic Outlaw series. His stories are equal parts spit, beer, and blood, and are notable for treating weighty issues with a supernatural veneer. If Domino has one rallying cry for the world, it's that fantasy is serious business.
Take up arms at DominoFinn.com
Take up arms at DominoFinn.com
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 15, 2015
This is another sent into Ginger Nuts of Horror in exchange for an honest review of the book. The main character name had provoked a discussion before I even picked it up.
Dante Butcher lives in LA. He owns a pocket watch he bought in an antique shop. The watch is the conduit that Violet uses to communicate with Dante from the “dead side”. She died when she was 12 years old. Dante has always had a knack for detecting shadows – or shades – spirits that are possessing the living that have come from the dead side. Getting help from Violet, he trawls the clubs at night seeking out shades to banish back home. Things start to take a turn for the worse when he comes across a more powerful shade in a friend. In trying to find out more about it, Dante uncovers a long and disturbing trail of corruption among the dead. Along with Violet he must get to the bottom of the story. He can trust no one. Least of all Violet.
I have been thinking about writing this review since about 40% into the book. It was right about this time that the indecision about whether I should give up or keep going started.
In terms of a story this book has something. It’s an interesting idea. It just wasn’t very well executed. Dante Butcher as a main character wasn’t that exciting. The lifestyle he leads, practically living in nightclubs and the fact he is chasing spirits from the dead side should be exciting, exhilarating and packed with adventure and fast paced narrative. It isn’t. His interactions with the spirit of a dead girl who talk to him in his mind using the watch as a conduit, were, boring. It didn’t seem realistic.
The book was confusing. A lot of the times spirits were jumping from body to body and you couldn’t keep up with who was who and who he was chasing and who he wanted to protect. A book of this size would normally take me a day and a half at most to get through. Quicker if I really enjoyed it. It took me 4 days to struggle through this. Unnaturally for me I would find other things to do rather than read it. I hate that.
I can’t even think of more to say to make my review long and rambling as I normally do.
In summary: interesting plot. Weak execution of it. Boring narrative. Uninteresting characters. Too confusing at times and not nearly enough action to keep the story going. Oh and a distinct lack of horror for a horror novel.
This picks up 1.5 stars from me. It only gets 1.5 because I normally keep 1 for books I don’t finish. I finished this one but it was a struggle.
Dante Butcher lives in LA. He owns a pocket watch he bought in an antique shop. The watch is the conduit that Violet uses to communicate with Dante from the “dead side”. She died when she was 12 years old. Dante has always had a knack for detecting shadows – or shades – spirits that are possessing the living that have come from the dead side. Getting help from Violet, he trawls the clubs at night seeking out shades to banish back home. Things start to take a turn for the worse when he comes across a more powerful shade in a friend. In trying to find out more about it, Dante uncovers a long and disturbing trail of corruption among the dead. Along with Violet he must get to the bottom of the story. He can trust no one. Least of all Violet.
I have been thinking about writing this review since about 40% into the book. It was right about this time that the indecision about whether I should give up or keep going started.
In terms of a story this book has something. It’s an interesting idea. It just wasn’t very well executed. Dante Butcher as a main character wasn’t that exciting. The lifestyle he leads, practically living in nightclubs and the fact he is chasing spirits from the dead side should be exciting, exhilarating and packed with adventure and fast paced narrative. It isn’t. His interactions with the spirit of a dead girl who talk to him in his mind using the watch as a conduit, were, boring. It didn’t seem realistic.
The book was confusing. A lot of the times spirits were jumping from body to body and you couldn’t keep up with who was who and who he was chasing and who he wanted to protect. A book of this size would normally take me a day and a half at most to get through. Quicker if I really enjoyed it. It took me 4 days to struggle through this. Unnaturally for me I would find other things to do rather than read it. I hate that.
I can’t even think of more to say to make my review long and rambling as I normally do.
In summary: interesting plot. Weak execution of it. Boring narrative. Uninteresting characters. Too confusing at times and not nearly enough action to keep the story going. Oh and a distinct lack of horror for a horror novel.
This picks up 1.5 stars from me. It only gets 1.5 because I normally keep 1 for books I don’t finish. I finished this one but it was a struggle.
November 26, 2014
The rating is more of a 4.5, but I refuse to round down on this this good.
My brother told me that I HAD to read this and was gracious enough to let me borrow his copy.
Domino Finn has "IT", whatever "IT" may be and I am not talking scary Stephen King Clown. The man simply does not slap words onto a page, calling it a story but rather is an throwback to the days when authors were writers. Finn took an original thought, fleshed it out as an idea then turned it into a extremely well-paced novel. He can write, quite beautifully, truth be told.
Dante is a dick. We know it and he knows it but you can't help but like the guy and want things to go his way. He is unashamed of his drinking and lifestyle which makes him a breath of fresh air in the metro-sexual heavy literary world nowadays. He is painfully honest about his actions as a young bachelor (That one night stand was so perfectly told, it was unreal) and makes no apologies for who he is.
Violet is a sweet little girl who just may not be so sweet after all, with plenty of issues all her own. The pairing of the two works well, much better than one would expect, without the creep factor but perhaps that has to do with the watch.....
The interactions between characters were very life-like, the dialogue well suited to the story. In time, this story will be dated as most novels do, but Finn captured the essence of the way we interact in this day in time. I felt like I knew Dante (in fact, I think he date-slept with a friend of mine) as well as other characters due to the way they talked, carried themselves and behaved. (This may or may not be a good thing.)
I read this in a day because of Finn's perfect pacing and eye for detail. He doesn't bog the story down with mind-overloading, meaningless detail nor does he leave you wondering if you missed something along the way. He found the right amount to make his story whole but not over-stuffed. Finn reveals plot points perfectly, making this novel read as smooth as a well-mixed Cap'& Coke.
I was impressed by Mr. Finn's ability to not repeat himself as he never overuses a word/phrase, finding a new way to his point across, a different way to describe his world. He paints you a mental picture with his word-renderings of buildings, club scenes and such, all without relying on abused key words. This alone makes the book worth your time.
Speaking of pictures, the cover alone made me want to read this. It is totally B.A and I would love to have a poster print of the cover. Amazing. I love it.
I will have to admit that Domino Finn just got added to my "Must read EVERTHING he has written" list and he is at the top. I think I am headed to his page to click "Want to read" on everything the man has listed.
My brother told me that I HAD to read this and was gracious enough to let me borrow his copy.
Domino Finn has "IT", whatever "IT" may be and I am not talking scary Stephen King Clown. The man simply does not slap words onto a page, calling it a story but rather is an throwback to the days when authors were writers. Finn took an original thought, fleshed it out as an idea then turned it into a extremely well-paced novel. He can write, quite beautifully, truth be told.
Dante is a dick. We know it and he knows it but you can't help but like the guy and want things to go his way. He is unashamed of his drinking and lifestyle which makes him a breath of fresh air in the metro-sexual heavy literary world nowadays. He is painfully honest about his actions as a young bachelor (That one night stand was so perfectly told, it was unreal) and makes no apologies for who he is.
Violet is a sweet little girl who just may not be so sweet after all, with plenty of issues all her own. The pairing of the two works well, much better than one would expect, without the creep factor but perhaps that has to do with the watch.....
The interactions between characters were very life-like, the dialogue well suited to the story. In time, this story will be dated as most novels do, but Finn captured the essence of the way we interact in this day in time. I felt like I knew Dante (in fact, I think he date-slept with a friend of mine) as well as other characters due to the way they talked, carried themselves and behaved. (This may or may not be a good thing.)
I read this in a day because of Finn's perfect pacing and eye for detail. He doesn't bog the story down with mind-overloading, meaningless detail nor does he leave you wondering if you missed something along the way. He found the right amount to make his story whole but not over-stuffed. Finn reveals plot points perfectly, making this novel read as smooth as a well-mixed Cap'& Coke.
I was impressed by Mr. Finn's ability to not repeat himself as he never overuses a word/phrase, finding a new way to his point across, a different way to describe his world. He paints you a mental picture with his word-renderings of buildings, club scenes and such, all without relying on abused key words. This alone makes the book worth your time.
Speaking of pictures, the cover alone made me want to read this. It is totally B.A and I would love to have a poster print of the cover. Amazing. I love it.
I will have to admit that Domino Finn just got added to my "Must read EVERTHING he has written" list and he is at the top. I think I am headed to his page to click "Want to read" on everything the man has listed.
April 6, 2015
I did not win this book through Goodreads even though I kept my fingers crossed and did little rain dance. I did happen to have some correspodence with the author, Domino Finn, though and he was gracious enough to send a copy of the book my way. (Thank you for that by the way.) I, however, was not very punctual reading the book and posting a review for it. I gave myself a time table of 2 weeks to get the book read and get a review up pretty quick as a way to thank him, but I discovered the TV series Person of Interest and by the time I was half way through the first season I went ahead and picked up season 2. Then, season 3 was released and I grabbed it as well. Plus football season had started about this time as well. So, my Sundays were pretty much taken up. By the time I was finished with the third season of Person of Interest, I picked up season 2 of Arrow and watched both seasons of it in marathon sessions before picking up the book that lay forgotten.
Once my attention was finally turned to this novel, I could not put it down. I have a predilection for supernatural, sci-fi, and similar genre work, which is why I wanted to read this in the first place. That and the snazzy cover that caught my eye on the giveaway page. Stories that deal with the supernatural are anything but new. So, it is rare to find something new and inventive that is actually worth adding to the mythos that is supernatural fiction. Clove cigarettes laced with sage are used as weapons in this novel. In addition to the clove cigarettes, Mr. Finn also gives his character Dante a unique way to sense evil spirits and a very unique way to communicate with one of his main allies. (Not gonna find any spoilers in this review). It is sad that in today's literature that for every good idea like the ones mentioned above we all to often end up with crap like sparkly vampires and an inordinate amount of love triangles. Today's market is flooded with copy/paste stories about a lead female torn between two lovers that can be inserted into pretty much any kind of genre by the myriad of writers too damned lazy or not talented enough to make something up on their own. The fact that Domino Finn marches to the beat of a different drummer, one with a dub step beat I might add, makes his novel stand out from the rest of the crowd.
Lots of time great concepts or ideas are undone by poor execution when put in motion. A writer might have a great idea but the real magic happens when the words are put onto paper or in today's times an electronic screen. Domino Finn does not suffer in this regard. His story is well paced and I really enjoy the verbiage he uses. The way that Dante speaks in the novel reminds me of me and my friends. I really connected to Dante and could see myself hanging out with him. Therefore, I was emotionally invested in the character from the start. Not only did the writer's voice make me connect to the main character, it also is made me feel like I was actually there witnessing the events of the story as they unfolded. I could vividly see each person that Dante met along his journey and almost taste the smog in the air as we traveled around the City of Angels.
Upon finishing the book, I have already passed it along to my sister. When she is done, I have a friend or two that I would like to get to read it. I'm all in for another trip back to the Dead Side or anywhere else Domino Finn's writing leads me. I'll be keeping an eye out for any new releases from Mr. Finn in the future. I'm always down for some good escapist fun, as long as football isn't on anyways.
Once my attention was finally turned to this novel, I could not put it down. I have a predilection for supernatural, sci-fi, and similar genre work, which is why I wanted to read this in the first place. That and the snazzy cover that caught my eye on the giveaway page. Stories that deal with the supernatural are anything but new. So, it is rare to find something new and inventive that is actually worth adding to the mythos that is supernatural fiction. Clove cigarettes laced with sage are used as weapons in this novel. In addition to the clove cigarettes, Mr. Finn also gives his character Dante a unique way to sense evil spirits and a very unique way to communicate with one of his main allies. (Not gonna find any spoilers in this review). It is sad that in today's literature that for every good idea like the ones mentioned above we all to often end up with crap like sparkly vampires and an inordinate amount of love triangles. Today's market is flooded with copy/paste stories about a lead female torn between two lovers that can be inserted into pretty much any kind of genre by the myriad of writers too damned lazy or not talented enough to make something up on their own. The fact that Domino Finn marches to the beat of a different drummer, one with a dub step beat I might add, makes his novel stand out from the rest of the crowd.
Lots of time great concepts or ideas are undone by poor execution when put in motion. A writer might have a great idea but the real magic happens when the words are put onto paper or in today's times an electronic screen. Domino Finn does not suffer in this regard. His story is well paced and I really enjoy the verbiage he uses. The way that Dante speaks in the novel reminds me of me and my friends. I really connected to Dante and could see myself hanging out with him. Therefore, I was emotionally invested in the character from the start. Not only did the writer's voice make me connect to the main character, it also is made me feel like I was actually there witnessing the events of the story as they unfolded. I could vividly see each person that Dante met along his journey and almost taste the smog in the air as we traveled around the City of Angels.
Upon finishing the book, I have already passed it along to my sister. When she is done, I have a friend or two that I would like to get to read it. I'm all in for another trip back to the Dead Side or anywhere else Domino Finn's writing leads me. I'll be keeping an eye out for any new releases from Mr. Finn in the future. I'm always down for some good escapist fun, as long as football isn't on anyways.
January 19, 2016
This book has a lot going for it. It's well-written. I got a good sense of place in the downtown L.A. locations. There are some neat twists in the plot. The secondary characters are well-developed and the villains suitably bad. I liked the concept of a haunted watch, even though I didn't get much sense of Violet as a character. But....I just didn't like the main character Dante and found it hard to care whether he succeeded.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.
July 15, 2014
A promising opening to a new series. Fans of the Dresden Files will probably enjoy it. Will be reading the next one.
September 1, 2014
It was a good book. I liked it a lot. It seemed realistic for the most part. I hope to read more books by this author in the future,for sure.
September 9, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I didn't think at first that I would. The MC did not consider himself a nice person, at least he was always putting himself down and behaving badly. But he really cared and this made it a bittersweet story. A bittersweet dark urban fantasy story.
If you look at just the surface then, yes it was dark. But the relationship of Dante and Violet a man who considers himself immature and a teenage girl, who is not the easiest age group to deal with had a bittersweet feel as both tried to trust someone else.
I hope there is more to his series as I am really interested in where Domino Finn takes this story.
If you look at just the surface then, yes it was dark. But the relationship of Dante and Violet a man who considers himself immature and a teenage girl, who is not the easiest age group to deal with had a bittersweet feel as both tried to trust someone else.
I hope there is more to his series as I am really interested in where Domino Finn takes this story.
September 27, 2017
An interesting concept.
September 10, 2014
Dante Butcher has a secret. If a person has a second shadow inside him, Dante alone can see it. Called a Shade, it is a spirit from the dead side attaching itself to a living host, controlling the living for its own personal gain. Dante, with the help of Violet, a 12 year-old spirit attached to an antique pocket watch in his possession, feels like it’s his duty to expel every dark spirit he encounters.
This story started a little slow but picked up and got interesting about half way through. I have never been to Los Angeles, and the way it is described deters me from ever wanting to go there. I know the dark side of the story is pure fiction, but even the description of true LA is not even enticing. As Dante learns the true story, of how the Shades jumped through the McAllister lineage, it became slightly confusing and difficult keeping up. I was disappointed that the reason for Dante’s ability was never revealed. I felt that there was more to learn along that line. Overall though, I really liked the story.
This story started a little slow but picked up and got interesting about half way through. I have never been to Los Angeles, and the way it is described deters me from ever wanting to go there. I know the dark side of the story is pure fiction, but even the description of true LA is not even enticing. As Dante learns the true story, of how the Shades jumped through the McAllister lineage, it became slightly confusing and difficult keeping up. I was disappointed that the reason for Dante’s ability was never revealed. I felt that there was more to learn along that line. Overall though, I really liked the story.
October 10, 2015
I was given this in exchange for an honest review.
Firstly, there was the character's name - Dante Butcher - how fantastic! Secondly, Dante can tell with just a touch if a 'shade' (a dead person who wants to feel 'life' again and overindulges in drugs, alcohol, sex) is possessing a body.
I really liked this concept and this adventure. His 'sidekick', 12-year-old Violet, has taken possession of an old pocket watch. She joins him on his crusade to expel shades from the bodies of the living. You'll have to read it for yourself to find out what happens...
An easy, enjoyable, otherworldly read but I felt it was a little long in the middle. Despite that, I look forward to joining Dante in future adventures.
Firstly, there was the character's name - Dante Butcher - how fantastic! Secondly, Dante can tell with just a touch if a 'shade' (a dead person who wants to feel 'life' again and overindulges in drugs, alcohol, sex) is possessing a body.
I really liked this concept and this adventure. His 'sidekick', 12-year-old Violet, has taken possession of an old pocket watch. She joins him on his crusade to expel shades from the bodies of the living. You'll have to read it for yourself to find out what happens...
An easy, enjoyable, otherworldly read but I felt it was a little long in the middle. Despite that, I look forward to joining Dante in future adventures.
April 26, 2016
I truly hated to rate it a 3 but it was tough going in parts, but it does have a lot going for it. Even though it's just below 3 stars I will be reading the next book in the series and I am looking forward to it. First books are usually tough going especially when the author has basically created a whole new class of book. Someone here compared it to Dresden, but Harry slings magic like no ones business. Dante has sage, his wits and violet helping him. Big difference. So it will be interesting to see where this leads.
February 9, 2016
I am ready for more
Loved this book! The only thing I hate is having to wait for the next book. I like reading supernatural books but I like them believable, and Finn does that with this book. I am totally invested in the characters and can't wait to see what happens next!! Hurry with book 2 please.
Loved this book! The only thing I hate is having to wait for the next book. I like reading supernatural books but I like them believable, and Finn does that with this book. I am totally invested in the characters and can't wait to see what happens next!! Hurry with book 2 please.
February 28, 2016
Pretty interesting first person narrative that I'll probably followup on when the second book drops. Finn does his best work in first person, and this was different/original enough to catch. Definitely recommend it. Worth the read.
February 25, 2016
Shade city
At first I was wondering and then as I caught on I couldn't put it down. Very exciting and not what I expected. Loved it and recommend it
At first I was wondering and then as I caught on I couldn't put it down. Very exciting and not what I expected. Loved it and recommend it
July 7, 2017
I really liked the way this book was written. It was from a very blokey perspective but that was in some ways quite refreshing and honest. The main character enjoyed plenty of drink, drugs and sex but was still very likeable. He was very honest about everything that he did and was. The relationship between him and Violet was sweet. I look forward to reading more about Dante and Violet and other stories from Domino Finn.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews