What do you think?
Rate this book
Messenger #1
Don't Kill The Messenger
View our feature on Eileen Rendahl’s Don't Kill the Messenger . The first in a fantastic new paranormal series about a messenger from the supernatural underworld.
Melina Markowitz is a Messenger, a go-between for paranormal forces and supernatural creatures. Problem is, when a girl's a go-between, it's hard not to get caught in the middle...
When ninjas steal an envelope from Melina, her search leads her to a Taoist temple in Old Sacramento, where the priests seem to practice Zen and the art of mayhem. Melina learns from the handsome ER doctor (and vampire) who gave her the envelope that it contained talismans created by the priests to control Chinese vampires, who are attacking gang members to spark a street war.
Although he may look more like a surfer than a cop, Ted Goodnight is dead serious about investigating the surge in gang violence. At every turn he runs into Melina, a very attractive-and very mysterious-young woman. Can Melina enlist his help to battle something he doesn't even believe in without blowing her cover?
Melina Markowitz is a Messenger, a go-between for paranormal forces and supernatural creatures. Problem is, when a girl's a go-between, it's hard not to get caught in the middle...
When ninjas steal an envelope from Melina, her search leads her to a Taoist temple in Old Sacramento, where the priests seem to practice Zen and the art of mayhem. Melina learns from the handsome ER doctor (and vampire) who gave her the envelope that it contained talismans created by the priests to control Chinese vampires, who are attacking gang members to spark a street war.
Although he may look more like a surfer than a cop, Ted Goodnight is dead serious about investigating the surge in gang violence. At every turn he runs into Melina, a very attractive-and very mysterious-young woman. Can Melina enlist his help to battle something he doesn't even believe in without blowing her cover?
323 pages, Paperback
First published March 2, 2010
24 people are currently reading
2249 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
May 26, 2021
This is a 3.5 rating automatically rounded up. The main character, Melina Markowitz, has been very much a loner throughout her 26 years, but by the end of the book she's managed to draw together a delightful, mutually supportive group of friends, each of whom is likable, unique, and well portrayed. That's a big plus for this novel. Also, Melina is pretty immature through much of her adventure and she actually does some growing up by the end--that's rare enough in this genre to be worth noting, and it's a second plus.
A third positive for me is the setting in Sacramento, California--at one point Melina makes a left turn three blocks from where I used to live, and she lives three blocks from where I used to work--and I can tell you that the detailed local descriptions are spot on. I think that if you've never been in Sacramento, you may still enjoy the sharp focus on localities in Melina's first-person narration.
So for much of the time I was riding along and really enjoying it, until Melina's immaturity bore some bitter fruit--some very poor choices in life-and-death situations, and then of course she and her readers have to make the best of unnecessary trouble. That spoiled a lot of my fun, and for some reviewers I see it spoiled the whole story while others were happy with it--so I don't really know what to tell you.
Both the back-cover blurb on my edition and the summary at the top of this Goodreads page give the main outline of the plot. Melina is a Messenger, a go-between for supernaturals who don't get along well with each other; as a neutral party, she's under certain protections, but bad karma happens to her if she doesn't cooperate and deliver items as instructed. She has to work two jobs to make ends meet, so she's caught between the mundane and the arcane (or, for short and cute, the 'Dane and the 'Cane).
That's another plus for the book--the originality of the idea of Messengers. The problems for Melina and for us come with the further development of the idea; Melina tells us
Generally, the supernaturals she deals with are the usual lot, vampires, werewolves, imps, and so on, but this adventure centers on a Taoist temple in Sacramento's Old Town where six kiang shi have been unearthed. They're a blend of vampire and zombie, they're blind, and they move by hopping; if you can hold your breath they won't know you're there, but once you breathe they zero in on you and tear you apart. To control one, a priest must attach a paper talisman to its forehead, after which they obey at the ringing of a bell. A person who dies by unjust violence may rise as one of these hopping critters. This was my first exposure to them, and it was riotous (if gory) reading!
So as the blurb tells us, they're being controlled to spark a street war between Chinese and Hispanic gangs, and Melina gets involved when the evil mastermind sends ninjas to steal an envelope she's trying to deliver--if she can't get it back she's in trouble. A secondary errand with an imp also goes awry, and Kokopelli makes a guest appearance; we get comic relief from the imp and Kokopelli both.
And oh yes, a romance with that nice cop develops, gradually thank goodness. And there's remarkable good will from a centuries-old vampire physician; that's right, he's a vampire dedicated to healing people one way or another. A werewolf bartender, a long-time best friend, and a young couple round out a cast that develops into an effective little social network.
One of the little things you have to make allowances for, though, is that this story was written in 2010 (I think) when the illegal drug trade in California got major profits from marijuana--now legal in the state. Yes, profits from pot are what those street gangs and hopping vampires were all about!
A third positive for me is the setting in Sacramento, California--at one point Melina makes a left turn three blocks from where I used to live, and she lives three blocks from where I used to work--and I can tell you that the detailed local descriptions are spot on. I think that if you've never been in Sacramento, you may still enjoy the sharp focus on localities in Melina's first-person narration.
So for much of the time I was riding along and really enjoying it, until Melina's immaturity bore some bitter fruit--some very poor choices in life-and-death situations, and then of course she and her readers have to make the best of unnecessary trouble. That spoiled a lot of my fun, and for some reviewers I see it spoiled the whole story while others were happy with it--so I don't really know what to tell you.
Both the back-cover blurb on my edition and the summary at the top of this Goodreads page give the main outline of the plot. Melina is a Messenger, a go-between for supernaturals who don't get along well with each other; as a neutral party, she's under certain protections, but bad karma happens to her if she doesn't cooperate and deliver items as instructed. She has to work two jobs to make ends meet, so she's caught between the mundane and the arcane (or, for short and cute, the 'Dane and the 'Cane).
That's another plus for the book--the originality of the idea of Messengers. The problems for Melina and for us come with the further development of the idea; Melina tells us
Yes, there were perks that came with being a Messenger. The being superfast and extrastrong thing was nice. The healing quickly thing had its moments as well, as did the part where I didn't need much sleep. The part where any chance of leading a normal life rode off into the sunset...required more compensation than all of those other things. ...Melina has a trainer, an older retired Messenger, but that person is very uninformative, answering Melina's questions cryptically--a kind of Mr. Miyagi of the supernatural.
...It's bad enough that I have to do this job. They could at least make it straightforward for me. There was the problem of knowing who the they were. It had never been fully explained to me, but I knew something was out there.
Generally, the supernaturals she deals with are the usual lot, vampires, werewolves, imps, and so on, but this adventure centers on a Taoist temple in Sacramento's Old Town where six kiang shi have been unearthed. They're a blend of vampire and zombie, they're blind, and they move by hopping; if you can hold your breath they won't know you're there, but once you breathe they zero in on you and tear you apart. To control one, a priest must attach a paper talisman to its forehead, after which they obey at the ringing of a bell. A person who dies by unjust violence may rise as one of these hopping critters. This was my first exposure to them, and it was riotous (if gory) reading!
So as the blurb tells us, they're being controlled to spark a street war between Chinese and Hispanic gangs, and Melina gets involved when the evil mastermind sends ninjas to steal an envelope she's trying to deliver--if she can't get it back she's in trouble. A secondary errand with an imp also goes awry, and Kokopelli makes a guest appearance; we get comic relief from the imp and Kokopelli both.
And oh yes, a romance with that nice cop develops, gradually thank goodness. And there's remarkable good will from a centuries-old vampire physician; that's right, he's a vampire dedicated to healing people one way or another. A werewolf bartender, a long-time best friend, and a young couple round out a cast that develops into an effective little social network.
One of the little things you have to make allowances for, though, is that this story was written in 2010 (I think) when the illegal drug trade in California got major profits from marijuana--now legal in the state. Yes, profits from pot are what those street gangs and hopping vampires were all about!
February 21, 2011
*4.5 Stars*
I am so thrilled that I finally got this book. I've had my eye on it for a while, but I finally grabbed it when I saw Amazon had it listed for $6. (Yeah for great prices!) After reading--and enjoying--this book I know I won't quibble about paying the (ridiculous) Trade prices for the future releases. I enjoyed it that much!
I really liked the unique take on Melina's role in the supernatural world. As she said, she's a small cog in a big wheel. Due to a twist of fate she's stuck as a Messenger. Not all of the supernatural creatures like each other so sometimes they need a neutral go between to deliver things for them. That's where Melina comes in. She has a few perks like increased strength, but she's really getting the short end of the stick. She's unpaid and has a hard time having a life due to unexplainable beings popping up needing her to deliver things. She has to make her task a priority or suffer the consequences from not doing her duty. Her one experience with these consequences as a teenager have made her take this responsibility seriously.
Because of the lack of pay that goes along with being a Messenger, Melina works two other jobs. One of them is at a hospital and the other is at a dojo. Mae, a prior Messenger, owns the dojo and is Melina's friend cum mentor. Working at the hospital is also Alex, a vampire. Taking a job from him is what gets Melina into the mess in the first place.
I really liked Melina. She was surprisingly normal for a UF heroine. Her life is mundane and normal which is one of my favorite things about the Sookie Stackhouse series. She doesn't have all the answers and she makes mistakes along the way, but she owns when she has been dumb. No one is perfect, I just need some self awareness about the stupid moves to keep from being irritated. Most UF heroines don't have that, but Melina does.
She also finds herself attracted to quite a few men in the book. But--shocker--she doesn't ho down. Being attracted to someone doesn't mean she can't control herself. She knows that acting on that attraction is not a good idea with some of the supernatural creatures. She has no illusions about the goodness of them and she wants to steer clear.
I think some might find the slower, mundane aspects of the plot irritating, but I loved it. It actually felt like this was a mostly normal person trying to navigate a supernatural world. Also, she doesn't solve the mystery through sheer badassery. She does what I would do when stuck. Calls around and pumps people she knows and likes. And Googles it! What smart modern heroine doesn't Google stuff nowadays?
There's a part toward the end that some might think is a TSTL moment, but I didn't. Surprising really, because I am quick to be frustrated by idiots. But Melina was going through some issues that made her actions understandable. Yeah, it was dumb, but I could see why it seemed like the best thing to do at that moment with her emotions in that state. People dealing with stuff like that do some crazy things. I guess I'm just trying to explain that it seemed logical for a completely illogical action.
I had some irritants, but they weren't enough to really impact my overall enjoyment of the book. A big issue for me was Melina's love interest Ted. I, personally, found him boring. That much perfection is not interesting for me to read about. I saw many other guys throughout the story that I would have preferred we have more focus on. Even Ben, the teenager who reminds Melina of herself, has more depth and shades of gray than Ted does. Ted is like the white knight who is always there to support you and help you and not push you too hard and trust you even when you aren't trustworthy. It's sounds nice in theory I suppose, but can I get a personality beyond that goodness? No one is that perfect all the time.
I am also not that thrilled that Ted is a cop. I've been down this road many a time with shady characters pairing with upright, moral love interests and I'm over it. It doesn't last long before they're fighting over ethics and the shady character has to break laws to protect the public in a world that doesn't know about supernatural folks while the moral person is tortured over the choice of staying true to their ethics or supporting their boyfriend/girlfriend and sacrificing their beliefs and becoming a slightly dirty cop. Next thing you know the h/h start resenting each other for the choices they've had to make... Maybe the author will surprise me and not go down this road, but I'm not counting on it.
I also found a certain conversation between Mae and Melina to be too abrupt and jarring to feel natural to their characters. That really should have been handled better because I just found it out of place and clumsy. I also found it odd that the consequences of not fulfilling the Messenger duty weren't delved into after we heard about her issues with it as a teen. Shouldn't something have happened here?
But these were slight issues in an otherwise great book. Another thing that I forgot to mention was how much I enjoyed the way reactions were dealt with as certain people learned about the supernatural world. Some were shocked, and some thought it was great until they realized it wasn't as cool as the movies made it out to be. I'm looking forward to future details about that.
I am so thrilled that I finally got this book. I've had my eye on it for a while, but I finally grabbed it when I saw Amazon had it listed for $6. (Yeah for great prices!) After reading--and enjoying--this book I know I won't quibble about paying the (ridiculous) Trade prices for the future releases. I enjoyed it that much!
I really liked the unique take on Melina's role in the supernatural world. As she said, she's a small cog in a big wheel. Due to a twist of fate she's stuck as a Messenger. Not all of the supernatural creatures like each other so sometimes they need a neutral go between to deliver things for them. That's where Melina comes in. She has a few perks like increased strength, but she's really getting the short end of the stick. She's unpaid and has a hard time having a life due to unexplainable beings popping up needing her to deliver things. She has to make her task a priority or suffer the consequences from not doing her duty. Her one experience with these consequences as a teenager have made her take this responsibility seriously.
Because of the lack of pay that goes along with being a Messenger, Melina works two other jobs. One of them is at a hospital and the other is at a dojo. Mae, a prior Messenger, owns the dojo and is Melina's friend cum mentor. Working at the hospital is also Alex, a vampire. Taking a job from him is what gets Melina into the mess in the first place.
I really liked Melina. She was surprisingly normal for a UF heroine. Her life is mundane and normal which is one of my favorite things about the Sookie Stackhouse series. She doesn't have all the answers and she makes mistakes along the way, but she owns when she has been dumb. No one is perfect, I just need some self awareness about the stupid moves to keep from being irritated. Most UF heroines don't have that, but Melina does.
She also finds herself attracted to quite a few men in the book. But--shocker--she doesn't ho down. Being attracted to someone doesn't mean she can't control herself. She knows that acting on that attraction is not a good idea with some of the supernatural creatures. She has no illusions about the goodness of them and she wants to steer clear.
I think some might find the slower, mundane aspects of the plot irritating, but I loved it. It actually felt like this was a mostly normal person trying to navigate a supernatural world. Also, she doesn't solve the mystery through sheer badassery. She does what I would do when stuck. Calls around and pumps people she knows and likes. And Googles it! What smart modern heroine doesn't Google stuff nowadays?
There's a part toward the end that some might think is a TSTL moment, but I didn't. Surprising really, because I am quick to be frustrated by idiots. But Melina was going through some issues that made her actions understandable. Yeah, it was dumb, but I could see why it seemed like the best thing to do at that moment with her emotions in that state. People dealing with stuff like that do some crazy things. I guess I'm just trying to explain that it seemed logical for a completely illogical action.
I had some irritants, but they weren't enough to really impact my overall enjoyment of the book. A big issue for me was Melina's love interest Ted. I, personally, found him boring. That much perfection is not interesting for me to read about. I saw many other guys throughout the story that I would have preferred we have more focus on. Even Ben, the teenager who reminds Melina of herself, has more depth and shades of gray than Ted does. Ted is like the white knight who is always there to support you and help you and not push you too hard and trust you even when you aren't trustworthy. It's sounds nice in theory I suppose, but can I get a personality beyond that goodness? No one is that perfect all the time.
I am also not that thrilled that Ted is a cop. I've been down this road many a time with shady characters pairing with upright, moral love interests and I'm over it. It doesn't last long before they're fighting over ethics and the shady character has to break laws to protect the public in a world that doesn't know about supernatural folks while the moral person is tortured over the choice of staying true to their ethics or supporting their boyfriend/girlfriend and sacrificing their beliefs and becoming a slightly dirty cop. Next thing you know the h/h start resenting each other for the choices they've had to make... Maybe the author will surprise me and not go down this road, but I'm not counting on it.
I also found a certain conversation between Mae and Melina to be too abrupt and jarring to feel natural to their characters. That really should have been handled better because I just found it out of place and clumsy. I also found it odd that the consequences of not fulfilling the Messenger duty weren't delved into after we heard about her issues with it as a teen. Shouldn't something have happened here?
But these were slight issues in an otherwise great book. Another thing that I forgot to mention was how much I enjoyed the way reactions were dealt with as certain people learned about the supernatural world. Some were shocked, and some thought it was great until they realized it wasn't as cool as the movies made it out to be. I'm looking forward to future details about that.
March 23, 2010
Nice to have a Jewish leading lady. Too bad it's her only distinguishing feature. She's no different than 100 other UF, or even chick lit, gals. And she's in way over her head. Her sources are her Grandma and Aunt, who coincidentally had important info for her, and the Internet. Seriously, her source for defeating the very scary (and gross) Chinese vampires/zombies is a website. Because stuff on the Internet is always correct. And not only is she fighting scary vampires, but also the much more scary to me human monsters with no conscience, this time represented by a Triad. She's in so far over her head it's just obsurd. It reminds me of a cozy mystery where the caterer or book store owner or other regular person goes up against a murderer. Except this isn't one murderer or a simple plot, it's a Triad. Her pretty minor extra powers, lifetime of karate & other fighting skills, total and complete lack of experience, and almost total lack of support up against a ruthless and organized Mob organization is just ridiculous.
My other big problem is that her job doesn't make sense. She's a supernaturally compelled unpaid Messenger who delivers packages between various "Arcanes" whether she wants to or not. No one has any idea why some people get the job or why she has to do it (or bad things happen to her). It's such a minor job, usually danger free. It's just not a good premise. I get that the author was going for a concept where a small fry gets caught up in a big deal, but the Messenger thing didn't work for me.
The supporting characters were better. Alex the vampire doctor and Ted the cop are suitably compelling and hot. Although Melina's relationship with Ted is simplistic and rushed. Paul the werewolf is intriguing. Melina's roommate Norah is sweet but too stupid to live; after 15 years if pretending she didn't know what was going on she waited until disgusting vampires have killed a friend to insist on tagging along and seeing what's going on? At least she got a reality check. The teens are cute too, but again TSTL for insisting on joining the big fight. I enjoyed the guest appearances by Kokopelli.
Overall it was OK. If you're intrigued, get it from the library or book swap, but don't pay full price.
My other big problem is that her job doesn't make sense. She's a supernaturally compelled unpaid Messenger who delivers packages between various "Arcanes" whether she wants to or not. No one has any idea why some people get the job or why she has to do it (or bad things happen to her). It's such a minor job, usually danger free. It's just not a good premise. I get that the author was going for a concept where a small fry gets caught up in a big deal, but the Messenger thing didn't work for me.
The supporting characters were better. Alex the vampire doctor and Ted the cop are suitably compelling and hot. Although Melina's relationship with Ted is simplistic and rushed. Paul the werewolf is intriguing. Melina's roommate Norah is sweet but too stupid to live; after 15 years if pretending she didn't know what was going on she waited until disgusting vampires have killed a friend to insist on tagging along and seeing what's going on? At least she got a reality check. The teens are cute too, but again TSTL for insisting on joining the big fight. I enjoyed the guest appearances by Kokopelli.
Overall it was OK. If you're intrigued, get it from the library or book swap, but don't pay full price.
April 11, 2012
Kızımız bir elçi. Paranormal yaratıklar arası sürünüp duruyor. Bir paket teslim ederken çalınması ve bir kaç zombimsi vampirin çete üyelerini öldürmesi sonucu derin ve çıkamadığı bir işin içine giriyor. Adsız bir ihbar yaptıktan sonra Ted adlı bir polisle tanışıyor ve işler biraz "aşığım aşık" durumuna geliyor. Alex bir vampir ve sanırım Melinadan bayağı hoşlanıyor. Sonuçta bunlar, bu çete üyelerini(uyuşturu)çinli zombimsi vampirlere öldürtüp sonrasında zombileri yakıyorlar. Tabi hiç bir şey kayıplar varmeden tatlıya bağlanmaz.
Bu arada kitabın sonu nasıl oldu geldi anlamadım, aniden bir baktım patlama olayı yaşanmış sonu gelmiş.
Kitap güzeldi ama yazarın aynı cümleleri tekrar etmesi beni çok sıktı.Ayrıca kızın iç konuşmalarında sürekli kaçması, açıkçası takdir edilmemesi ve kendine acıma duygu ile birleşince bekledigim gibi bir kitap değildi demek bir zorunluluk oluyor.
Bu arada kitabın sonu nasıl oldu geldi anlamadım, aniden bir baktım patlama olayı yaşanmış sonu gelmiş.
Kitap güzeldi ama yazarın aynı cümleleri tekrar etmesi beni çok sıktı.Ayrıca kızın iç konuşmalarında sürekli kaçması, açıkçası takdir edilmemesi ve kendine acıma duygu ile birleşince bekledigim gibi bir kitap değildi demek bir zorunluluk oluyor.
March 26, 2011
Ever wonder how all those kick-ass heroines in popular Urban Fantasy got their start? How they actually became kick-ass? You don't usually see the mighty heroine's more humble beginnings - by the time they're heroines, they're usually already there. Well, Melina Markowitz may just be the answer to those idle wonderings. An unexpected drowning and resuscitation at the age of three marked Melina as a member of the arcane and called her into service as a Messenger...sort of like the supernatural's answer to FedEx. She scurries to and fro with messages and items that need to get from Point A to Point B when the exchangees are better off not meeting face to face. With her calling come the nifty perks of better-than-human speed, strength, senses, and endurance...but no paycheck, so she's stuck working not just one side job but two. She's an admissions clerk at the local ER by night and a part time martial arts instructor by day. She knows several different disciplines of the arts, but that didn't come with the calling - that came with hard work, a lot of practice, and the guidance of best friend/mentor/former Messenger herself Mae, who owns the dojo that Melina works/trains at.
Melina's leading her slightly-more-than-average life with as little effort as possible, when one day a routine drop turns ugly, and she's beset by ninjas, gets her butt firmly kicked, and stumbles onto an insidious evil that's taking over the streets of her town. Try as she might, she just can't seem to push the responsibility of dealing with this evil off onto anyone else - and she tries really hard to do just that - so she's stuck dealing with it herself. But what the heck is she going to do about it? She's just a Messenger, after all!
With a potential love interest (who'd be perfect if he wasn't a cop), a McDreamy-esque ER doctor who makes her drool (who'd be perfect if he wasn't a vampire), and a surly but protective bartender (who's yummy even though he's a werewolf), Melina is going to find out just how kick-ass heroines get their start as she struggles to find out what's going on while keeping everyone she cares about safe... But there is very little 'safe' in the world of 'Danes (mundanes/humans) or 'Canes (arcanes/supernaturals) - and straddling that fence between the two like Melina does is the most dangerous place of all.
Great premise in Don't Kill The Messenger, and definitely a quick, sometimes humorous, but definitely deadly new urban fantasy premiere. I liked it quite a lot, and when she wasn't annoying me, I enjoyed spending time in Melina's head. There's much to appreciate here, with Rendahl adding a fresh voice and new eyes to this original UF novel. Points to her for offering a well-worn genre some new blood with some bite of it's own. The plot kept my interest, was paced quickly and smoothly, and was dangerous enough to be truly threatening. There were, however, some problems for me that kept it from being a truly great read.
Don't Kill The Messenger is told in first person from Melina's perspective, and I had some problems with the narrative. Melina doesn't explain much about the world she's living in - the narrative is more about her thoughts on every little thing...even the most mundane, like how much she loves her car...and that causes two problems: the world never really becomes totally clear or real for me and the rambling internal monologue gets old (I was very tired of hearing about her car far before the end) and seems silly in the face of true crisis at times. I can deal with the rambling because that's where the humor really shines, and there were many moments that made me chuckle, but I definitely felt the hit on the lack of world building. I also felt there was a disconnect between how Melina describes herself (as "able to kill with her pinkie" at one point) and the fact that she gets her butt kicked or gets manhandled over and over...even by a single human ('Dane). More than once she praises her enhanced senses and strength, and every time, they fail her in one form or another. That's a problem for me, story-wise.
A couple of plot problems niggled me, too. I started wondering why, if not delivering a message or package caused cosmic and increasing bad luck for Melina, there were no ill effects of having one stolen from her by those butt-kicking ninjas, and no reason given for why there weren't any (a simple nod to the difference between being stolen and being ignored would've sufficed, but it should've at least been addressed). Or how someone could make exact duplicates of something they've never seen before (details withheld to prevent spoilers). There were also a plethora of cultural and pop culture references and I didn't always get them.
Mae calling Melina to task for being irresponsible and telling Melina she needs to take a stand was very abrupt, but the issue was compounded by Melina's downright petulant and childish reaction to it. Nothing about that really worked for me, and while I can understand the necessity of the wake up call, I wish it had felt more organic to the story and that Melina's reaction to it didn't make her seem like a five year old. I was very glad, though, that Melina's ambivalence and blinders-on lack of concern with the world around her as a whole was addressed. At one point she blithely mentions that she figures something she delivered at one time or another contributed to someone's death...and I was a little horrified that she could be so...detached about that. Some coping mechanism or thought should've been interjected here, because we've surely read every other thought that passed through Melina's head. To not do so in this case made her seem extremely self involved to the detriment of her character.
Those were all annoyances that lessened my enjoyment of Melina as a character and the book as a whole, but there's one big thing that just ticked me off and frustrated me to no end, because it's one of my top three major pet peeves in books. Stupidity. Rampant, idiotic stupidity. Melina suffered a severe case of the stupids as the conflict of the book reached it's climax. Everything she did, most of what she thought, and just about in every way possible, she was stupid. There were a few smatterings of a ditzy lack of intelligence through the first part of the book (the surveillance camera incident, for example), but towards the end, when relatively mild Messenger girl tries to turn into the Messengernator, the climax (in my opinion) fell apart. Several B-grade horror movie cliched no-no's were tossed in, and both Melina's internal monologue and the character's dialogue went really, really wrong. It was an unfortunate turn that didn't quite recover by the end, but the impact was lessened by some good stuff, too - the way Melina's circle of friends started to come together, the interplay between Alex, Ted, and even Paul, and some other things that were positive enough to not forgive...but at least smooth out my overall impression of the book in total. I would've happily offered up four stars prior to the Melina intelligence meltdown, though, so it did have an impact.
I would still recommend Don't Kill The Messenger for those who truly enjoy urban fantasy and really jones on fresh story telling, but I would caution those who are sticklers for world building and like their kick-ass heroines smart at all times. Melina's not there - yet - but I definitely think she's moving in that direction. I plan to follow this series and look forward to book two, hoping for more character growth and a bit more world definition. Still, the fresh story, decent secondary characters, and a pleasant amount of action were very nice.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
Melina's leading her slightly-more-than-average life with as little effort as possible, when one day a routine drop turns ugly, and she's beset by ninjas, gets her butt firmly kicked, and stumbles onto an insidious evil that's taking over the streets of her town. Try as she might, she just can't seem to push the responsibility of dealing with this evil off onto anyone else - and she tries really hard to do just that - so she's stuck dealing with it herself. But what the heck is she going to do about it? She's just a Messenger, after all!
With a potential love interest (who'd be perfect if he wasn't a cop), a McDreamy-esque ER doctor who makes her drool (who'd be perfect if he wasn't a vampire), and a surly but protective bartender (who's yummy even though he's a werewolf), Melina is going to find out just how kick-ass heroines get their start as she struggles to find out what's going on while keeping everyone she cares about safe... But there is very little 'safe' in the world of 'Danes (mundanes/humans) or 'Canes (arcanes/supernaturals) - and straddling that fence between the two like Melina does is the most dangerous place of all.
Great premise in Don't Kill The Messenger, and definitely a quick, sometimes humorous, but definitely deadly new urban fantasy premiere. I liked it quite a lot, and when she wasn't annoying me, I enjoyed spending time in Melina's head. There's much to appreciate here, with Rendahl adding a fresh voice and new eyes to this original UF novel. Points to her for offering a well-worn genre some new blood with some bite of it's own. The plot kept my interest, was paced quickly and smoothly, and was dangerous enough to be truly threatening. There were, however, some problems for me that kept it from being a truly great read.
Don't Kill The Messenger is told in first person from Melina's perspective, and I had some problems with the narrative. Melina doesn't explain much about the world she's living in - the narrative is more about her thoughts on every little thing...even the most mundane, like how much she loves her car...and that causes two problems: the world never really becomes totally clear or real for me and the rambling internal monologue gets old (I was very tired of hearing about her car far before the end) and seems silly in the face of true crisis at times. I can deal with the rambling because that's where the humor really shines, and there were many moments that made me chuckle, but I definitely felt the hit on the lack of world building. I also felt there was a disconnect between how Melina describes herself (as "able to kill with her pinkie" at one point) and the fact that she gets her butt kicked or gets manhandled over and over...even by a single human ('Dane). More than once she praises her enhanced senses and strength, and every time, they fail her in one form or another. That's a problem for me, story-wise.
A couple of plot problems niggled me, too. I started wondering why, if not delivering a message or package caused cosmic and increasing bad luck for Melina, there were no ill effects of having one stolen from her by those butt-kicking ninjas, and no reason given for why there weren't any (a simple nod to the difference between being stolen and being ignored would've sufficed, but it should've at least been addressed). Or how someone could make exact duplicates of something they've never seen before (details withheld to prevent spoilers). There were also a plethora of cultural and pop culture references and I didn't always get them.
Mae calling Melina to task for being irresponsible and telling Melina she needs to take a stand was very abrupt, but the issue was compounded by Melina's downright petulant and childish reaction to it. Nothing about that really worked for me, and while I can understand the necessity of the wake up call, I wish it had felt more organic to the story and that Melina's reaction to it didn't make her seem like a five year old. I was very glad, though, that Melina's ambivalence and blinders-on lack of concern with the world around her as a whole was addressed. At one point she blithely mentions that she figures something she delivered at one time or another contributed to someone's death...and I was a little horrified that she could be so...detached about that. Some coping mechanism or thought should've been interjected here, because we've surely read every other thought that passed through Melina's head. To not do so in this case made her seem extremely self involved to the detriment of her character.
Those were all annoyances that lessened my enjoyment of Melina as a character and the book as a whole, but there's one big thing that just ticked me off and frustrated me to no end, because it's one of my top three major pet peeves in books. Stupidity. Rampant, idiotic stupidity. Melina suffered a severe case of the stupids as the conflict of the book reached it's climax. Everything she did, most of what she thought, and just about in every way possible, she was stupid. There were a few smatterings of a ditzy lack of intelligence through the first part of the book (the surveillance camera incident, for example), but towards the end, when relatively mild Messenger girl tries to turn into the Messengernator, the climax (in my opinion) fell apart. Several B-grade horror movie cliched no-no's were tossed in, and both Melina's internal monologue and the character's dialogue went really, really wrong. It was an unfortunate turn that didn't quite recover by the end, but the impact was lessened by some good stuff, too - the way Melina's circle of friends started to come together, the interplay between Alex, Ted, and even Paul, and some other things that were positive enough to not forgive...but at least smooth out my overall impression of the book in total. I would've happily offered up four stars prior to the Melina intelligence meltdown, though, so it did have an impact.
I would still recommend Don't Kill The Messenger for those who truly enjoy urban fantasy and really jones on fresh story telling, but I would caution those who are sticklers for world building and like their kick-ass heroines smart at all times. Melina's not there - yet - but I definitely think she's moving in that direction. I plan to follow this series and look forward to book two, hoping for more character growth and a bit more world definition. Still, the fresh story, decent secondary characters, and a pleasant amount of action were very nice.
~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.
March 21, 2010
Melina Markowitz is a very busy woman. Not only is she working two jobs to make ends meets, but has another secret one where she doesn't get paid at all. Melina is known in the supernatural world as a messenger. Those creatures of myth and legend, such as vampires, werewolves and even imps do exist because they expect Melina to deliver packages and other messages to one another. Melina has no choice because if she ignores this call horrible things will happen to her and she'll get very sick. If only her mother had paid closer attention to her when she was three-years-old. Melina fell in their pool and almost died, but because of this near-death experience, she has developed this strange sixth sense and is one of the few in Sacramento, California available for the job.
As Melina finishes the night shift at her second job at the Sacramento City Hospital, vampire ER doctor, Alexander Bledsoe gives her a package to deliver to the head of the local vampire governing board. Melina tries to keep to herself when it comes to the sexy undead doctor, because he could gnaw on one of her arteries if he so chooses. She finds it odd that he wants her to deliver something to one of his own, but never the less she does what she's told. Before she can drop off the package, ninjas attack her in broad daylight. Melina should be able to hold her own against them because she's very skilled in martial arts and has been since she's been seven years old and works at the River City Karate and Judo with another messenger who was able to retire. Melina is given quite the beating by these ninjas and they steal the package.
She finds out the ninjas are responsible for terrorizing the city, especially the gangs by controlling Chinese vampires called kiang shi that tear gang members, limb to limb and eat their flesh. Melina witnesses this and places an anonymous call to the police. But because her undercover skills are very lacking, she is confronted by Office Ten Goodnight, who Melina nicknames Surfer Cop because of his good looks. Goodnight is onto Melina and she feels he's watching her every move, although he also seems interested in her in other ways. Dr. Bledsoe doesn't like Melina having a possible romance with Goodnight because she could let it slip about his people, among the other creatures she interacts with. There also maybe a bit of jealousy on his end. Melina is stubborn and refuses to listen to anyone, even when she's given a bloody calling card at the hospital as a warning. She continues to investigate in such places as a Taoist temple in Old Sacramento where the vampires are kept in an old crypt, controlled by a man, with a ring of bell, who can cause more bloodshed and destructions the likes of Sacramento has never seen. And when a close friend of Melina ends up dead because of her meddling, she turns to Goodnight and Bledsoe to help her stop these criminals before more innocent people die.
Don't Kill the Messenger should have been an original, thrilling urban fantasy, but what I read instead was a re-hash of every single urban fantasy I've read over the past few years. Eileen Rendahl does try something different, especially with the heroine Melina, but it didn't work because of her overall lack of a role as a messenger, which is conveniently pushed to the side because of the way Melina stumbles onto this underworld of Chinese vampires. She really does some too stupid to live moves and I really couldn't get a handle on her motivation, and her thoughts were so scattered all over the place. She comes across as more of an airhead, where one minute she's focused on something important, and then the next something very silly and immature that doesn't have anything to do with the overall story.
Melina's romance with Ted Goodnight had promise, as well as the idea of a possible love triangle including the vampire doctor Bledsoe. But because Melina is so lacking as a character, I couldn’t see why these two men would even be interested in her. Also the sex scenes seem tacked on, and the constant reasons why Melina is such a loner and how she's difficult to get alone with grated on my nerves.
The gruesome scenes with the zombie like Chinese vampires were also boring and didn't shock in anyway. At times I felt that Ms. Rehndahl was trying too hard with her writing because she knew Don't Kill the Messenger had to be different to keep the reader interested.
Because Don't Kill the Messenger didn't hold my attention, I won't be reading the second book in this series. Melina was just too flighty with her thoughts and actions, along with her overall lack of intelligence. This one is a pass.
As Melina finishes the night shift at her second job at the Sacramento City Hospital, vampire ER doctor, Alexander Bledsoe gives her a package to deliver to the head of the local vampire governing board. Melina tries to keep to herself when it comes to the sexy undead doctor, because he could gnaw on one of her arteries if he so chooses. She finds it odd that he wants her to deliver something to one of his own, but never the less she does what she's told. Before she can drop off the package, ninjas attack her in broad daylight. Melina should be able to hold her own against them because she's very skilled in martial arts and has been since she's been seven years old and works at the River City Karate and Judo with another messenger who was able to retire. Melina is given quite the beating by these ninjas and they steal the package.
She finds out the ninjas are responsible for terrorizing the city, especially the gangs by controlling Chinese vampires called kiang shi that tear gang members, limb to limb and eat their flesh. Melina witnesses this and places an anonymous call to the police. But because her undercover skills are very lacking, she is confronted by Office Ten Goodnight, who Melina nicknames Surfer Cop because of his good looks. Goodnight is onto Melina and she feels he's watching her every move, although he also seems interested in her in other ways. Dr. Bledsoe doesn't like Melina having a possible romance with Goodnight because she could let it slip about his people, among the other creatures she interacts with. There also maybe a bit of jealousy on his end. Melina is stubborn and refuses to listen to anyone, even when she's given a bloody calling card at the hospital as a warning. She continues to investigate in such places as a Taoist temple in Old Sacramento where the vampires are kept in an old crypt, controlled by a man, with a ring of bell, who can cause more bloodshed and destructions the likes of Sacramento has never seen. And when a close friend of Melina ends up dead because of her meddling, she turns to Goodnight and Bledsoe to help her stop these criminals before more innocent people die.
Don't Kill the Messenger should have been an original, thrilling urban fantasy, but what I read instead was a re-hash of every single urban fantasy I've read over the past few years. Eileen Rendahl does try something different, especially with the heroine Melina, but it didn't work because of her overall lack of a role as a messenger, which is conveniently pushed to the side because of the way Melina stumbles onto this underworld of Chinese vampires. She really does some too stupid to live moves and I really couldn't get a handle on her motivation, and her thoughts were so scattered all over the place. She comes across as more of an airhead, where one minute she's focused on something important, and then the next something very silly and immature that doesn't have anything to do with the overall story.
Melina's romance with Ted Goodnight had promise, as well as the idea of a possible love triangle including the vampire doctor Bledsoe. But because Melina is so lacking as a character, I couldn’t see why these two men would even be interested in her. Also the sex scenes seem tacked on, and the constant reasons why Melina is such a loner and how she's difficult to get alone with grated on my nerves.
The gruesome scenes with the zombie like Chinese vampires were also boring and didn't shock in anyway. At times I felt that Ms. Rehndahl was trying too hard with her writing because she knew Don't Kill the Messenger had to be different to keep the reader interested.
Because Don't Kill the Messenger didn't hold my attention, I won't be reading the second book in this series. Melina was just too flighty with her thoughts and actions, along with her overall lack of intelligence. This one is a pass.
August 3, 2018
The foundation of this book drove me nuts. Melina is a "Messenger" She lives in a world of Canes (Arcanes) Vampires, werewolves and assorted mystical creatures, who do not interact with eachother. And Danes (Mundanes) normal people who have no idea the Canes exist.
No one gave her the job, She doesn't have a boss or a handler or even a soulless bureaucracy to answer to. The whole messenger gig is kinda wacked. Some creature shows up with an envelope or a gizmo or dingus and says "take this to....." Sometimes she knows who the recipient is. Sometimes she sort of feels her way to who she (thinks/hopes) the recipient is. There is no training manual or website. And apparently bad things happen to her if she fails to deliver the "message"
Despite hating the foundation this story was cruising toward a 4 or maybe 4 1/2 because I loved the authors voice and the story was pretty durn entertaining. But the delivery fell apart down the homestretch. Each of the Arcane communities keep pretty much to themselves. If it doesn't effect the werewolves they don't care about it. Likewise the Vampires - if it doesn't effect them they don't care about it either. etc...
Melina's last "messenger" gig has gone awry. The Arcane gizmo she was supposed to transport was stolen and is being used to start a (human) gang war. And since it doesn't effect any of the Arcane communities - they don't care. Melina is on her own. Rendahl did a fine job painting the mc into a corner. None of her arcane acquaintances want to get involved. She has a sweet roommate who doesn't know anything about Melina's messenger responsibilities or Arcane connections. And a new flame(?) A cop whom she should be holding off with a 10 foot pole because it's a bad idea for Danes to discover the Arcanes.
I was looking forward to the resolution of all the disparate pieces of Melina's life coming together. Until I got down to about 60 pages left in the story and it was like the author said "screw it" It's too much work, I'll just skip over the coming together part. And BAM. Instant team. I flipped back two or three times to make sure I hadn't missed a chapter. Nope. One page Melina is an island all on her own. The next page everyone is on her team. Talk about whiplash.
Over all I loved Rendahl's voice. And she created great characters. Her vehicle drove me crazy, but all things considered was a pretty fun ride.
No one gave her the job, She doesn't have a boss or a handler or even a soulless bureaucracy to answer to. The whole messenger gig is kinda wacked. Some creature shows up with an envelope or a gizmo or dingus and says "take this to....." Sometimes she knows who the recipient is. Sometimes she sort of feels her way to who she (thinks/hopes) the recipient is. There is no training manual or website. And apparently bad things happen to her if she fails to deliver the "message"
Despite hating the foundation this story was cruising toward a 4 or maybe 4 1/2 because I loved the authors voice and the story was pretty durn entertaining. But the delivery fell apart down the homestretch. Each of the Arcane communities keep pretty much to themselves. If it doesn't effect the werewolves they don't care about it. Likewise the Vampires - if it doesn't effect them they don't care about it either. etc...
Melina's last "messenger" gig has gone awry. The Arcane gizmo she was supposed to transport was stolen and is being used to start a (human) gang war. And since it doesn't effect any of the Arcane communities - they don't care. Melina is on her own. Rendahl did a fine job painting the mc into a corner. None of her arcane acquaintances want to get involved. She has a sweet roommate who doesn't know anything about Melina's messenger responsibilities or Arcane connections. And a new flame(?) A cop whom she should be holding off with a 10 foot pole because it's a bad idea for Danes to discover the Arcanes.
I was looking forward to the resolution of all the disparate pieces of Melina's life coming together. Until I got down to about 60 pages left in the story and it was like the author said "screw it" It's too much work, I'll just skip over the coming together part. And BAM. Instant team. I flipped back two or three times to make sure I hadn't missed a chapter. Nope. One page Melina is an island all on her own. The next page everyone is on her team. Talk about whiplash.
Over all I loved Rendahl's voice. And she created great characters. Her vehicle drove me crazy, but all things considered was a pretty fun ride.
June 22, 2010
To view review on my blog:
http://lll808.blogspot.com/2010/05/re...
First off, this cover rocks and definitely caught my eye *finger snap* like that.
"Don't Kill The Messenger" is a great title and descriptive.
Melina Markowitz is just that, a Messenger.
She skirts the lines between Mundanes/'Danes (humans) and Arcanes/'Canes (those who
are among the things of myth and camp fire stories).
She is a Messenger or in Melina's words "a glorified gopher."
There is no payment to reward the burden but all the risk involved.
She is the go-to gal when creatures of the 'Cane world want something delivered. Be
it a message or possession.
Once a child hood tragedy has led to the everyday life not fully fitting in anywhere.
Melina is an engrossing Protagonist and a pleasure to read.
She has been 'different' since age three when she died and was brought back.
Her life seems to be a string of happenings and not so much as living.
Melina's complexity is gladly welcomed.
Is it weird to say I find her humor, at times dark, refreshing?
For instance: page 16 in reference to the rules of not killing the Messenger but
seeing as how many creatures she rubs elbows with don't always heed rules regardless of punishment.
"If I die, I'd like to know that someone will suffer after I am gone. I'm just that kind of little
ray of sunshine."
This humor continues throughout the novel. What I particularly like is how Eileen Rendahl
weaves this humor into various settings in the novel- from sharing back story to fighting scenes and
everything in between.
Don't Kill The Messenger introduces readers to an array of characters and creatures.
Melina spends majority of the novel tracking down Kiang Shi, Chinese Vamps, and their evil-doing
human puppeteers. Chaos is in her city and somehow she finds herself in middle of it all.
Will she be able to reign in the chaos?
There is action of all sorts present here: flirting with handsome men to flirting with danger *hi-yahhh* (My sad attempt of a Ninja)
http://lll808.blogspot.com/2010/05/re...
First off, this cover rocks and definitely caught my eye *finger snap* like that.
"Don't Kill The Messenger" is a great title and descriptive.
Melina Markowitz is just that, a Messenger.
She skirts the lines between Mundanes/'Danes (humans) and Arcanes/'Canes (those who
are among the things of myth and camp fire stories).
She is a Messenger or in Melina's words "a glorified gopher."
There is no payment to reward the burden but all the risk involved.
She is the go-to gal when creatures of the 'Cane world want something delivered. Be
it a message or possession.
Once a child hood tragedy has led to the everyday life not fully fitting in anywhere.
Melina is an engrossing Protagonist and a pleasure to read.
She has been 'different' since age three when she died and was brought back.
Her life seems to be a string of happenings and not so much as living.
Melina's complexity is gladly welcomed.
Is it weird to say I find her humor, at times dark, refreshing?
For instance: page 16 in reference to the rules of not killing the Messenger but
seeing as how many creatures she rubs elbows with don't always heed rules regardless of punishment.
"If I die, I'd like to know that someone will suffer after I am gone. I'm just that kind of little
ray of sunshine."
This humor continues throughout the novel. What I particularly like is how Eileen Rendahl
weaves this humor into various settings in the novel- from sharing back story to fighting scenes and
everything in between.
Don't Kill The Messenger introduces readers to an array of characters and creatures.
Melina spends majority of the novel tracking down Kiang Shi, Chinese Vamps, and their evil-doing
human puppeteers. Chaos is in her city and somehow she finds herself in middle of it all.
Will she be able to reign in the chaos?
There is action of all sorts present here: flirting with handsome men to flirting with danger *hi-yahhh* (My sad attempt of a Ninja)
March 31, 2011
*SPOILER ALERT*
I'm truly shocked to see this book getting such great reviews on Goodreads.
I decided to pick up this book because I'd read another book by Rendahl that I enjoyed and because I enjoy a good vampire/zombie/werewolf book as much as the next person. I have never read a paranormal romance before (unless you count the Sookie Stackhouse books, which I guess kind of are). Perhaps this is why I don't get the love for this book.
I found the juvenile "voice" of the lead character very irritating. Perhaps a more "informal" style of writing is common in paranormal romances; I don't know. I found it incredibly difficult to relate to a 26-year-old lead character who said things such as: "I so did not need to hear that" and "George really harshed my buzz." Seriously? I know this book is set in California, but it's not 1985 anymore; I'm pretty sure "valley girl" speak went out of style before this character would even have been born.
And don't even get me started on the actual plot. So a gang of TRIADS - one of the most dangerous gangs in the world - has an parcel of Chinese zombie vampires at their disposal, and the only thing they can think of to do with them is start a war between two other rival gangs so they can take over the MARIJUANA trade in the city of Sacramento? Excuse me while I laugh myself silly.
I also thought that her half-hearted, alleged attraction to the Alex character was lazy on the author's part. It was obvious that she was into Ted Goodnight (ugh, that name) from the beginning and that he was intended to be her romantic lead. The author's attempts to give the book a little extra drama by trying to create this pathetic love triangle was disappointing.
I'm giving this book two stars only because it did have a few interesting ideas. In just writing this review, I almost talked myself into giving it only 1.
I think it's safe to say that I won't be reading the I-can't-believe-it's-even-been-written sequel to this book.
I'm truly shocked to see this book getting such great reviews on Goodreads.
I decided to pick up this book because I'd read another book by Rendahl that I enjoyed and because I enjoy a good vampire/zombie/werewolf book as much as the next person. I have never read a paranormal romance before (unless you count the Sookie Stackhouse books, which I guess kind of are). Perhaps this is why I don't get the love for this book.
I found the juvenile "voice" of the lead character very irritating. Perhaps a more "informal" style of writing is common in paranormal romances; I don't know. I found it incredibly difficult to relate to a 26-year-old lead character who said things such as: "I so did not need to hear that" and "George really harshed my buzz." Seriously? I know this book is set in California, but it's not 1985 anymore; I'm pretty sure "valley girl" speak went out of style before this character would even have been born.
And don't even get me started on the actual plot. So a gang of TRIADS - one of the most dangerous gangs in the world - has an parcel of Chinese zombie vampires at their disposal, and the only thing they can think of to do with them is start a war between two other rival gangs so they can take over the MARIJUANA trade in the city of Sacramento? Excuse me while I laugh myself silly.
I also thought that her half-hearted, alleged attraction to the Alex character was lazy on the author's part. It was obvious that she was into Ted Goodnight (ugh, that name) from the beginning and that he was intended to be her romantic lead. The author's attempts to give the book a little extra drama by trying to create this pathetic love triangle was disappointing.
I'm giving this book two stars only because it did have a few interesting ideas. In just writing this review, I almost talked myself into giving it only 1.
I think it's safe to say that I won't be reading the I-can't-believe-it's-even-been-written sequel to this book.
March 14, 2010
Melina Markowitz is a messenger. She didn't plan on being a messenger and she isn't always happy to make her "deliveries". Neverthless, she does her job when she is forced to. Who she is a messenger to is more interesting than the fact that she is a messenger. She delivers packages, notes and other important items to members of the "arcane" which includes vampires, werewolves and other "creatures".
Melina screws up one of her deliveries. It's not really her fault but the consequences are hers to bare regardless. She is attacked by a group of Ninjas (yes Ninjas) and never delivers a vampire to vampire delivery. Because she failed at her delivery, she tries to recover the item. This is where the story becomes even more unique and interesting.
Melina uncovers more than she should when investigating where her missing delivery went. In fact, she stumbles into a vicious gang war. Not your ordinary gang war but a war involving Chinese vampires and the master that controls them(it totally works in this story as weird as it sounds).
Melina makes serious mistakes along the way but she also learns about herself and her abilities. There is a love relationship but it only adds to the story. I loved how unique the entire story was. It's hard to be unique even though you are writing about vampires and werewolves. It seems that some of the authors are unwilling to take risks and they stick with the same stereotypical blood sucking, devilishly handsome vampire mold. The author goes way beyond the stereotypes in this book. This is why I loved it so much.
Melina screws up one of her deliveries. It's not really her fault but the consequences are hers to bare regardless. She is attacked by a group of Ninjas (yes Ninjas) and never delivers a vampire to vampire delivery. Because she failed at her delivery, she tries to recover the item. This is where the story becomes even more unique and interesting.
Melina uncovers more than she should when investigating where her missing delivery went. In fact, she stumbles into a vicious gang war. Not your ordinary gang war but a war involving Chinese vampires and the master that controls them(it totally works in this story as weird as it sounds).
Melina makes serious mistakes along the way but she also learns about herself and her abilities. There is a love relationship but it only adds to the story. I loved how unique the entire story was. It's hard to be unique even though you are writing about vampires and werewolves. It seems that some of the authors are unwilling to take risks and they stick with the same stereotypical blood sucking, devilishly handsome vampire mold. The author goes way beyond the stereotypes in this book. This is why I loved it so much.
June 17, 2010
I gave this one 3.5 stars.
Okay, so I will give a brief synopsis since it seems that many haven't read this one yet. The main character is named Melina, and she is what's known as a Messenger. She is the go between for different species, so for example, a vampire needs something delivered to a werewolf, he will request for Melina to do it. This is mainly to prevent fights between species that don't like each other.
While Melina is on her way to deliver a pkg. from one vamp to another vamp, she is ambushed by "ninjas". I sort of laughed at that part, thinking it was ridiculous, but it was explained they weren't really ninjas. What she discovers is that the things that attacked her are known as kiang shi (Chinese vamps). They are reeking havoc in the city, and Melina doesn't know if she should intervene or not.
What I liked about this book was that it's different. Albeit, a little strange in some places, but I think I'd prefer a little bit of strangeness than a carbon copy of everything else out there. Yeah, there were the vamps and the werewolves, and they are pretty much the same as in every other book. But there were also mention of trolls, imps, and I can say I've never heard of the Chinese vamps who were like undead vamp zombies.
I liked Melina's character. But towards the end, she sort of got that TSTL mentality, but I can brush that off. Ted Goodnight's character was cute, but fluffy. I liked the vamp Alex, he was definitely sexy.
The reason I didn't really rate it higher was that it was a really slow moving book. Yeah, sometimes I complain when books are constantly filled with action, but this one moved like molasses. I'd like a nice "in between" if it's possible lol.
I'm definitely curious about another book, if there is even going to be one. I would like to see where the author takes the characters and the plot line.
Okay, so I will give a brief synopsis since it seems that many haven't read this one yet. The main character is named Melina, and she is what's known as a Messenger. She is the go between for different species, so for example, a vampire needs something delivered to a werewolf, he will request for Melina to do it. This is mainly to prevent fights between species that don't like each other.
While Melina is on her way to deliver a pkg. from one vamp to another vamp, she is ambushed by "ninjas". I sort of laughed at that part, thinking it was ridiculous, but it was explained they weren't really ninjas. What she discovers is that the things that attacked her are known as kiang shi (Chinese vamps). They are reeking havoc in the city, and Melina doesn't know if she should intervene or not.
What I liked about this book was that it's different. Albeit, a little strange in some places, but I think I'd prefer a little bit of strangeness than a carbon copy of everything else out there. Yeah, there were the vamps and the werewolves, and they are pretty much the same as in every other book. But there were also mention of trolls, imps, and I can say I've never heard of the Chinese vamps who were like undead vamp zombies.
I liked Melina's character. But towards the end, she sort of got that TSTL mentality, but I can brush that off. Ted Goodnight's character was cute, but fluffy. I liked the vamp Alex, he was definitely sexy.
The reason I didn't really rate it higher was that it was a really slow moving book. Yeah, sometimes I complain when books are constantly filled with action, but this one moved like molasses. I'd like a nice "in between" if it's possible lol.
I'm definitely curious about another book, if there is even going to be one. I would like to see where the author takes the characters and the plot line.
October 29, 2014
2.5 stars.
Meh... I'm really not sure I can be bothered to write a proper review about this. It had some good ideas and it wasn't awful, in fact it was purely mediocre and perhaps that's most of the problem I have with it.
There's some good ideas floating around, but there's also a lot of time spent with the character not doing much other than driving around bitching about how she doesn't want to be a Messenger and No-One Asked Her. Of course in real life I'd have some sympathy for her, but in a book I read for entertainment the Pity Party gets old incredibly fast.
I was also underwhelmed with the abortive Love Triangle. I'm not really sure what was going on there since it was the tired old "he's hot, but so is he!" vibe going on until it suddenly swerved in to a relationship with one guy. Whilst I like the decisiveness of it and hate angsty, tortured love triangles, I can't quite help wondering why it was added in the first place if it wasn't going to play any part in anything. Very confusing.
Things did pick up towards the end, but I'm really not convinced I care enough to try the next one out. I think this is a me thing rather than the series on the whole though, I think I've got to the stage where I've read so many similar UF with female protagonist stories that I've had to raise the bar higher than I usually would.
Meh... I'm really not sure I can be bothered to write a proper review about this. It had some good ideas and it wasn't awful, in fact it was purely mediocre and perhaps that's most of the problem I have with it.
There's some good ideas floating around, but there's also a lot of time spent with the character not doing much other than driving around bitching about how she doesn't want to be a Messenger and No-One Asked Her. Of course in real life I'd have some sympathy for her, but in a book I read for entertainment the Pity Party gets old incredibly fast.
I was also underwhelmed with the abortive Love Triangle. I'm not really sure what was going on there since it was the tired old "he's hot, but so is he!" vibe going on until it suddenly swerved in to a relationship with one guy. Whilst I like the decisiveness of it and hate angsty, tortured love triangles, I can't quite help wondering why it was added in the first place if it wasn't going to play any part in anything. Very confusing.
Things did pick up towards the end, but I'm really not convinced I care enough to try the next one out. I think this is a me thing rather than the series on the whole though, I think I've got to the stage where I've read so many similar UF with female protagonist stories that I've had to raise the bar higher than I usually would.
July 26, 2021
I remember now why I never kept reading this series. Messanger #1 is not a particularly good book. None of the characters are people you’d like to meet or hang out with, even less read about. From the heroine that moves from whiny to absurd, to Mae, if I ever meet a sponsor like that I would love to kill the deal rather than keep her, to Teflon boy, the cop.
The plot drags and there’s no much reason given for her “job”. Nor for the world I guess.
If I had to rate it I wouldn’t get much higher than 1.
The plot drags and there’s no much reason given for her “job”. Nor for the world I guess.
If I had to rate it I wouldn’t get much higher than 1.
March 10, 2017
First off, I have to thank my lovely friend Patricia Rickrode for gifting me with this book. She had a great idea to give books away to everyone who commented on her blog (which I obviously did), reinforcing the importance of readers leaving reviews. I thought that was a creative way to share books while selflessly garnering reviews for other authors. Genius! If you don't follow her blog, you should.
So...Don't Kill the Messenger is the first book in the Messenger series, and for me, it was a mixed bag.
WHAT I LOVED...
THE UNIQUE WORLD. This is urban fantasy, but the concept was something fresh and fun. Our main character, Melina, basically died when she was 3 and returned...with Messenger responsibilities. This isn't really explained, but that's okay. It's urban fantasy, after all. But a Messenger was a new and interesting concept I hadn't read before, so that was intriguing. As a Messenger, Melina is tasked with making no-questions-asked deliveries between all the supernatural beings in the world. And that's another thing I loved--the full range of supernaturals. There are vampires, werewolves, witches, imps, zombies, gnomes, everything! But if she doesn't make the deliveries, she's plagued with bad luck until the delivery is made (she learned that the hard way, of course).
MARTIAL ARTS. I'm a martial arts girl, so the fact Melina not only practiced martial arts but taught kids at her local dojo...I was IN. All the lingo and brand names and struggles that go along with it had me nodding. Oh yeah, I felt her pain.
NINJAS. 'Nuff said, because...ninjas.
CHINESE VAMPIRE ZOMBIES. Seriously. How could you not want to read about Chinese vampire zombies? That went right along with the unique world Melina deals with on a daily basis.
ROMANCE: There was just enough romance to make me happy, and I was definitely on board with the person Melina chose to get a little frisky with, although she did have a few other options that probably would've been just as fun.
THE GANG: Once Melina's individual friends from all her different worlds converged, I really liked them together. They were fun and they squabbled and made each other a little crazy, but their care for Melina made a common cause. I would've loved to see them together more on the pages.
WHAT I WASN'T SO CRAZY ABOUT
First person POV isn't generally my favorite, but it won't make me shy away from a book I really want to read. Melina's introspection was often entertaining, not gonna lie. The problem for me, though, was there was just too much introspection and not a lot of action, especially at the beginning of the book. Even though I liked Melina's character, I eventually got bored with her inner monologue, simply because there was so much of it. And maybe the problem was that Melina was mostly investigating by herself for a good portion of the book. Who else is she going to talk to, right?
I also didn't feel completely immersed in the story until the end, and that was probably due to the combination of too much introspection and first person POV. Until the gang got together, I felt as if I was being told the story by Melina more than being in the story with her, which made it hard to enjoy the read as much as I wish I could have.
Melina's job as a supernatural Messenger is initially what leads her to trouble in the story, but the side missions felt unconnected to the main plot line, which pulled me a little more out of the story. They were sorta fun, true, but didn't tie in with figuring out how to stop the villain and his creatures.
All in all, Don't Kill the Messenger had a lot going for it with a unique world, fun protagonist, and interesting supernatural creatures. It's the first in a 3-book series, and I'm sure Melina will have a lot more opportunities to get into trouble.
So...Don't Kill the Messenger is the first book in the Messenger series, and for me, it was a mixed bag.
WHAT I LOVED...
THE UNIQUE WORLD. This is urban fantasy, but the concept was something fresh and fun. Our main character, Melina, basically died when she was 3 and returned...with Messenger responsibilities. This isn't really explained, but that's okay. It's urban fantasy, after all. But a Messenger was a new and interesting concept I hadn't read before, so that was intriguing. As a Messenger, Melina is tasked with making no-questions-asked deliveries between all the supernatural beings in the world. And that's another thing I loved--the full range of supernaturals. There are vampires, werewolves, witches, imps, zombies, gnomes, everything! But if she doesn't make the deliveries, she's plagued with bad luck until the delivery is made (she learned that the hard way, of course).
MARTIAL ARTS. I'm a martial arts girl, so the fact Melina not only practiced martial arts but taught kids at her local dojo...I was IN. All the lingo and brand names and struggles that go along with it had me nodding. Oh yeah, I felt her pain.
NINJAS. 'Nuff said, because...ninjas.
CHINESE VAMPIRE ZOMBIES. Seriously. How could you not want to read about Chinese vampire zombies? That went right along with the unique world Melina deals with on a daily basis.
ROMANCE: There was just enough romance to make me happy, and I was definitely on board with the person Melina chose to get a little frisky with, although she did have a few other options that probably would've been just as fun.
THE GANG: Once Melina's individual friends from all her different worlds converged, I really liked them together. They were fun and they squabbled and made each other a little crazy, but their care for Melina made a common cause. I would've loved to see them together more on the pages.
WHAT I WASN'T SO CRAZY ABOUT
First person POV isn't generally my favorite, but it won't make me shy away from a book I really want to read. Melina's introspection was often entertaining, not gonna lie. The problem for me, though, was there was just too much introspection and not a lot of action, especially at the beginning of the book. Even though I liked Melina's character, I eventually got bored with her inner monologue, simply because there was so much of it. And maybe the problem was that Melina was mostly investigating by herself for a good portion of the book. Who else is she going to talk to, right?
I also didn't feel completely immersed in the story until the end, and that was probably due to the combination of too much introspection and first person POV. Until the gang got together, I felt as if I was being told the story by Melina more than being in the story with her, which made it hard to enjoy the read as much as I wish I could have.
Melina's job as a supernatural Messenger is initially what leads her to trouble in the story, but the side missions felt unconnected to the main plot line, which pulled me a little more out of the story. They were sorta fun, true, but didn't tie in with figuring out how to stop the villain and his creatures.
All in all, Don't Kill the Messenger had a lot going for it with a unique world, fun protagonist, and interesting supernatural creatures. It's the first in a 3-book series, and I'm sure Melina will have a lot more opportunities to get into trouble.
November 30, 2017
I bought this book while trying to find some new reads in the urban fantasy/paranormal genre and was keen to see what it brought to the table. I mean, it mentioned Chinese vampires, which is something you most certainly don't see in mainstream Western fiction. Plus, the concept of a Messenger was also interesting and I was curious to see where they went with it.
Unfortunately, the story really didn't go anywhere. Sure, it was nice seeing a different kind of vampire, but the idea of the Messenger just seem so inefficient and rather boring all things considered. There was a lot of potential to make her more, but it just never really happened. She went out investigating, got in a few scraps, but that was about it. The one time she was in real danger and could have shown what a strong character she was, she was rescued and was more of a reactionary character rather than a proactive one. And when she actually does some of the messenger stuff she's supposed to, it leads to some rather boring and page filling material rather than anything the reader can sink their teeth into.
However, with that said, Rendahl brings in some interesting creatures/deities/etc into this book, which makes up for the fact that her werewolves are plain, normal werewolves and her western vampires are the same regular vampires. It actually amazed me that with the effort given into these other, unique, creatures, that she wouldn't go further and develop her bread and butter creatures into something... more.
And on the subject of her creatures, the character's reactions to them are muddled. You have people who have seen Chinese vampires lose their mind over dealing with a werewolf and a normal western vampire (it is even raised in the book that if they were dealing with one kind of undead, why didn't they consider that there would be others?), and they have other characters who are introduced to the whole paranormal genre of 'monsters among us in plain sight' thing and yet they treat it as if they just learned their local brewery got a new brew.
In the end, I don't think I will be reading more of this series. It took me forever to get me to finish it (a year) when I had other books I was in the middle of reading that were far more interesting. If you are an urban fantasy genre reader, this series may be worth your time reading, but honestly, as someone who has read a significant amount of the genre, there are more entertaining series to get into first.
Unfortunately, the story really didn't go anywhere. Sure, it was nice seeing a different kind of vampire, but the idea of the Messenger just seem so inefficient and rather boring all things considered. There was a lot of potential to make her more, but it just never really happened. She went out investigating, got in a few scraps, but that was about it. The one time she was in real danger and could have shown what a strong character she was, she was rescued and was more of a reactionary character rather than a proactive one. And when she actually does some of the messenger stuff she's supposed to, it leads to some rather boring and page filling material rather than anything the reader can sink their teeth into.
However, with that said, Rendahl brings in some interesting creatures/deities/etc into this book, which makes up for the fact that her werewolves are plain, normal werewolves and her western vampires are the same regular vampires. It actually amazed me that with the effort given into these other, unique, creatures, that she wouldn't go further and develop her bread and butter creatures into something... more.
And on the subject of her creatures, the character's reactions to them are muddled. You have people who have seen Chinese vampires lose their mind over dealing with a werewolf and a normal western vampire (it is even raised in the book that if they were dealing with one kind of undead, why didn't they consider that there would be others?), and they have other characters who are introduced to the whole paranormal genre of 'monsters among us in plain sight' thing and yet they treat it as if they just learned their local brewery got a new brew.
In the end, I don't think I will be reading more of this series. It took me forever to get me to finish it (a year) when I had other books I was in the middle of reading that were far more interesting. If you are an urban fantasy genre reader, this series may be worth your time reading, but honestly, as someone who has read a significant amount of the genre, there are more entertaining series to get into first.
November 28, 2017
Well, I really enjoyed it but it didn't start out that way.
Rendahl has the main character use a lot of colloquial dialogue with the reader and it sometimes becomes repetitive. Also, I found a lot of the in-between thoughts/feelings between the action and dialogue to be rather boring and I skimmed a lot of it, not even on purpose, because it didn't catch my attention.
I really like the story, it's a unique take on the magical/supernatural world, but I wanted the main character to have more powers (but she doesn't so I'll just have to live with it). There's a low-key love triangle but I didn't really mind. *spoiler* I also wish Norah was supernatural. When the MC finds out Norah knew about her double life, I wanted her to be a fairy, almost like a fairy godmother type, or something. I mean, why else would she be cool with the vampire but not a cop? Is it because she's really that much of a hippie? I don't buy it. But again, not my story so I'll just have to deal :P
I am excited to see what the next book holds!
Rendahl has the main character use a lot of colloquial dialogue with the reader and it sometimes becomes repetitive. Also, I found a lot of the in-between thoughts/feelings between the action and dialogue to be rather boring and I skimmed a lot of it, not even on purpose, because it didn't catch my attention.
I really like the story, it's a unique take on the magical/supernatural world, but I wanted the main character to have more powers (but she doesn't so I'll just have to live with it). There's a low-key love triangle but I didn't really mind. *spoiler* I also wish Norah was supernatural. When the MC finds out Norah knew about her double life, I wanted her to be a fairy, almost like a fairy godmother type, or something. I mean, why else would she be cool with the vampire but not a cop? Is it because she's really that much of a hippie? I don't buy it. But again, not my story so I'll just have to deal :P
I am excited to see what the next book holds!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2017
Manchmal hat man eindeutig unentdeckte Schätze auf dem SuB liegen! So eine Perle ist "Don't kill the messenger" auf jeden Fall. Ich war mehr als begeistert von diesem Auftakt in eine neue Urban Fantasy-Reihe, der über 3 Jahre auf meinem Stapel ungelesener Bücher auf seinen Einsatz warten musste.
Worldbuilding
Eileen Rendahl hat hier einen interessanten neuen Aspekt in einen eigentlich eher typischen Weltenentwurf eingebracht. In Melinas Welt leben übernatürliche Kreaturen wie Werwölfe, Vampire, Feen, Götter usw. unerkannt unter den Menschen. Allerdings gibt es zusätzlich die Messenger, wie Melina einer ist - Menschen, die nach einer Nahtoderfahrung für die übernatürliche Welt sensibel werden und bessere Sinne sowie größere Stärke erlangen. Diese Messenger übermitteln Nachrichten oder Lieferungen zwischen den verschiedenen paranormalen Fraktionen, die sich oft nicht ausstehen können.
Figuren
Die Autorin hat es geschafft, aus vielen dieser Parteien eine Figur einzuführen und die übernatürlichen Parteien so vorzustellen, ohne das Buch mit Rudeln, Hexenzirkeln oder Vampirverbänden zu überfrachten. Im Laufe des Buches formt sich eine interessante Crew um Melina, die ich sehr ins Herz geschlossen habe und von der ich sehr hoffe, sie im nächsten Band in dieser Konstellation wiedertreffen zu können. Jeder Nebencharakter erhält durch ein paar "Einzelauftritte" mit Melina Charaktertiefe.
Melina selbst hat mir ebenfalls gut gefallen. Sie ist eine dieser Kick Ass-Heldinnen, die nicht ständig perfekt sind und jeden Kampf gewinnen. Stattdessen macht sie auch Fehler, deren Konsequenzen sie sich stellen muss, ob sie will oder nicht. Ein wenig gestört hat mich an ein, zwei Stellen jedoch, dass sie bezüglich des Falles ein wenig naiv wirkte. Darüber kann man aber hinwegsehen, da sie ansonsten sehr plausibel und nachvollziehbar handelte.
Zusätzlich ist Melina oft auch ordentlich selbstironisch und die Handlung wird an einigen Stellen durch humorvolle Passagen wunderbar aufgelockert.
Und dann hätten wir da ihren Love Interest Ted Goodnight. Oh ja, er mag zwar der typische gute Cop sein, aber ich fand ihn trotzdem äußerst sexy... äh - sympathisch meine ich natürlich! Er hat im Laufe der Geschichte ebenfalls einiges zu schlucken und macht dabei eine positive, wenn auch vorhersehbare, Wandlung durch.
Spannung
Im Geschichtenverlauf baute sich ein Fall um die kiang shi auf, den ich in diesen Ausmaßen definitiv nicht erwartet hätte, und mit dem Melina und ihre Freunde trotzdem fertig werden. Ein überraschender Plot Twist am Ende blieb zwar aus und der Showdown hätte für meine Ansprüche einen kleinen Ticken spannender sein können, aber insgesamt hat Rendahl es geschafft, einen soliden Spannungsbogen aufzubauen, der sich aus den Geschehnissen rund um den Fall sowie aus der Annäherung zwischen Ted und Melina speiste.
Fazit
Wer einen coolen Urban Fantasy-Roman mit einem ordentlichen Schuss Romantik, Spannung und Action (wenn auch nicht Hardcore) lesen möchte, der sich flüssig runterlesen lässt, der ist hier richtig. Größter Pluspunkt des Buches sind seine Hauptprotagonisten und auch die Nebenfiguren, die man sehr schnell liebgewinnt.
Worldbuilding
Eileen Rendahl hat hier einen interessanten neuen Aspekt in einen eigentlich eher typischen Weltenentwurf eingebracht. In Melinas Welt leben übernatürliche Kreaturen wie Werwölfe, Vampire, Feen, Götter usw. unerkannt unter den Menschen. Allerdings gibt es zusätzlich die Messenger, wie Melina einer ist - Menschen, die nach einer Nahtoderfahrung für die übernatürliche Welt sensibel werden und bessere Sinne sowie größere Stärke erlangen. Diese Messenger übermitteln Nachrichten oder Lieferungen zwischen den verschiedenen paranormalen Fraktionen, die sich oft nicht ausstehen können.
Figuren
Die Autorin hat es geschafft, aus vielen dieser Parteien eine Figur einzuführen und die übernatürlichen Parteien so vorzustellen, ohne das Buch mit Rudeln, Hexenzirkeln oder Vampirverbänden zu überfrachten. Im Laufe des Buches formt sich eine interessante Crew um Melina, die ich sehr ins Herz geschlossen habe und von der ich sehr hoffe, sie im nächsten Band in dieser Konstellation wiedertreffen zu können. Jeder Nebencharakter erhält durch ein paar "Einzelauftritte" mit Melina Charaktertiefe.
Melina selbst hat mir ebenfalls gut gefallen. Sie ist eine dieser Kick Ass-Heldinnen, die nicht ständig perfekt sind und jeden Kampf gewinnen. Stattdessen macht sie auch Fehler, deren Konsequenzen sie sich stellen muss, ob sie will oder nicht. Ein wenig gestört hat mich an ein, zwei Stellen jedoch, dass sie bezüglich des Falles ein wenig naiv wirkte. Darüber kann man aber hinwegsehen, da sie ansonsten sehr plausibel und nachvollziehbar handelte.
Zusätzlich ist Melina oft auch ordentlich selbstironisch und die Handlung wird an einigen Stellen durch humorvolle Passagen wunderbar aufgelockert.
Und dann hätten wir da ihren Love Interest Ted Goodnight. Oh ja, er mag zwar der typische gute Cop sein, aber ich fand ihn trotzdem äußerst sexy... äh - sympathisch meine ich natürlich! Er hat im Laufe der Geschichte ebenfalls einiges zu schlucken und macht dabei eine positive, wenn auch vorhersehbare, Wandlung durch.
Spannung
Im Geschichtenverlauf baute sich ein Fall um die kiang shi auf, den ich in diesen Ausmaßen definitiv nicht erwartet hätte, und mit dem Melina und ihre Freunde trotzdem fertig werden. Ein überraschender Plot Twist am Ende blieb zwar aus und der Showdown hätte für meine Ansprüche einen kleinen Ticken spannender sein können, aber insgesamt hat Rendahl es geschafft, einen soliden Spannungsbogen aufzubauen, der sich aus den Geschehnissen rund um den Fall sowie aus der Annäherung zwischen Ted und Melina speiste.
Fazit
Wer einen coolen Urban Fantasy-Roman mit einem ordentlichen Schuss Romantik, Spannung und Action (wenn auch nicht Hardcore) lesen möchte, der sich flüssig runterlesen lässt, der ist hier richtig. Größter Pluspunkt des Buches sind seine Hauptprotagonisten und auch die Nebenfiguren, die man sehr schnell liebgewinnt.
March 21, 2015
I'm actually a little disappointed in this book. After reading reviews here, I added it to my TBR list thinking it would the start of a new series to follow. It had potential, but for me, it fell flat and I'm totally on the fence as to whether I'll try the next one in the series.
So what didn't I like? Where do I start? The lame plot, the pathetic half-hearted attempt to create a love triangle at the last minute, the immature, kinda whiny lead character (I have a hard time thinking of her as a heroine)?
First the plot.
So what didn't I like? Where do I start? The lame plot, the pathetic half-hearted attempt to create a love triangle at the last minute, the immature, kinda whiny lead character (I have a hard time thinking of her as a heroine)?
First the plot.
December 20, 2010
I'm used to publishers mismarketing paranormal romance as urban fantasy, but it's nonetheless annoying every time it happens. Don't Kill the Messenger is the rare opposite: urban fantasy mismarketed as paranormal romance. An author blurb emblazoned on the cover speaks of "an edgy, kick-ass protagonist", as if they've never come across one before. Maybe not in paranormal romance, but I assure you that in urban fantasy they're a dime a freaking dozen.
Originally I'd passed over this book because the series concept isn't anything new: the protag is a Messenger, an intermediary between preternatural creatures, with some Speshul Snowflake abilities of her own. But with ninjas, Taoist priests, and Chinese vampires on offer, the book's rather tempting, as is its bargain price.
The location is Sacramento, a city I haven't encountered in fiction since Karen Kijewski's crime novels. (Am I showing my age?) The characters are a bit cardboard, but the main plot is intriguing. The sub-plot regarding Kokopelli's flute, however, is unnecessary in the big picture, and thus could have been excluded.
There is convenience in that the characters only go to their jobs when it serves the plot. I'll admit that I know next to nothing about the police, but I reckon they must be terribly overworked. Ted Goodnight, however, spends his time checking on his girlfriend at her two workplaces. Is he really employed? 'Tis rather unprofessional to get involved with case witnesses, and there's really no reason for him to get with this one.
Despite all my whingeing, I actually quite enjoyed this, mainly because of the subject matter. But unless the next novel features some other of my interests (eg. cryonics, cyborgs, and samurai), the series doesn't seem worth continuing - the concept's just not awesome enough.
Originally I'd passed over this book because the series concept isn't anything new: the protag is a Messenger, an intermediary between preternatural creatures, with some Speshul Snowflake abilities of her own. But with ninjas, Taoist priests, and Chinese vampires on offer, the book's rather tempting, as is its bargain price.
The location is Sacramento, a city I haven't encountered in fiction since Karen Kijewski's crime novels. (Am I showing my age?) The characters are a bit cardboard, but the main plot is intriguing. The sub-plot regarding Kokopelli's flute, however, is unnecessary in the big picture, and thus could have been excluded.
There is convenience in that the characters only go to their jobs when it serves the plot. I'll admit that I know next to nothing about the police, but I reckon they must be terribly overworked. Ted Goodnight, however, spends his time checking on his girlfriend at her two workplaces. Is he really employed? 'Tis rather unprofessional to get involved with case witnesses, and there's really no reason for him to get with this one.
Despite all my whingeing, I actually quite enjoyed this, mainly because of the subject matter. But unless the next novel features some other of my interests (eg. cryonics, cyborgs, and samurai), the series doesn't seem worth continuing - the concept's just not awesome enough.
April 10, 2012
Melina acts as a go-between for the supernatural around Sacramento. Not by her choice. If an imp or sylph or whatnot drops off a package and orders its delivery, she must do it. So when she's getting off her clerking night shift at the hospital and the hot, hunky vampire doc from the ER give her a parcel for delivery, she gripes but does what she needs to do. She doesn't expect to have ninjas drop out of a tree and give her the beat-down to get the item. Something is up. Any supernatural creature knows not to mess with the messenger. And when it turns out that kiang shi--Chinese vampires--are on the prowl as the city's about to erupt in all-out gang warfare, Melina knows she has to do something... and try not to get killed in the process.[return][return]As a Central California girl, I loved reading an urban fantasy/paranormal romance that took place so close to home. It was especially refreshing to read about kiang shi, which I only knew of as bonguns and munaks in the online game Ragnarok Online. Other unusual creatures make appearances, too, including Kokopelli--I learned a lot more about that deity. I do have a few gripes about the book. The voice here is the snarky and sassy female one that's in so many urban fantasies, so that didn't really feel distinct... plus, she's almost a tad too flippant in some circumstances. Also, every hot guy lusts after her, which is a bit silly. But those negatives didn't hamper my enjoyment in the least. This is a fun and fast read (I went through it in a day) reminiscent of C. E. Murphy's Walker Papers series. I'll be on the lookout for a sequel for sure.
September 20, 2012
I surprised myself with this one. It's likely between a 3 and a 4 for me as a fun popcorn read. The concept behind this book is that our heroine Melina drown as a small child, but was brought back. However, that few minutes left her a bit on the odd side and chosen as a messenger to the supernatural world. This is just as glamorous as it sounds as she spends her life trying to juggle a somewhat normal life and job with delivering packages for whatever supernatural beastie requests it of her. She's tried not delivering packages but broke out with teenage acne and enough trouble to decide it was worth it just to get the job done. With the job comes accelerated healing and reflexes and she gets to encounter some of the hunkier aspects of the supernatural world, as well as the slimy and unpleasant. This particular book starts with what happens when one of her packages is waylaid and stolen, starting her on a path where she realizes that maybe she can be more than just the messenger...but does she really want to get that involved?
So all in all this is a fun read, it is not a PERFECT read. I could pick a lot of nits with it, but as a vacation read I found myself willing to wander around in Melina's world and mystery and be amused with it... Though really, Officer Teddy Goodnight? Gag me with a spoon... Not the worst name for a romantic lead ever, but it does rank right up there.
Steamy: One sex scene of moderate explicitness and one horny fertility god who makes some rather colorful suggestions...
So all in all this is a fun read, it is not a PERFECT read. I could pick a lot of nits with it, but as a vacation read I found myself willing to wander around in Melina's world and mystery and be amused with it... Though really, Officer Teddy Goodnight? Gag me with a spoon... Not the worst name for a romantic lead ever, but it does rank right up there.
Steamy: One sex scene of moderate explicitness and one horny fertility god who makes some rather colorful suggestions...
August 9, 2010
This book is not what I expected. I expected more of a romance novel, instead I got an action/adventure with lots of paranormal.
The main character is a little clueless, but I think it works well for her and for the story. She didn't want to acknowledge the "others" and live a normal life so I think the clueless part was her character.
I love how all her friends come together at the end, both the "danes" and the "canes". The only concern is Norah. Is she really going to be ok after learning about the "canes"?
I'm actually looking forward to another book!
The main character is a little clueless, but I think it works well for her and for the story. She didn't want to acknowledge the "others" and live a normal life so I think the clueless part was her character.
I love how all her friends come together at the end, both the "danes" and the "canes". The only concern is Norah. Is she really going to be ok after learning about the "canes"?
I'm actually looking forward to another book!
February 17, 2013
I liked this book more than my 3 star rating may indicate, but it wasn't quite a 4 star to me. Full review written for Open Book Society to come.
January 2, 2021
I've had this book sitting on my kindle for a while, so decided to just dive in as first book for 2021. I think the reason I added it was based on experience with the author via a short story anthology. Whatever grabbed me in that short story may have fizzled a little in full length format, but it was definitely a unique world that was built here.
Melina is a Messenger. While there's not a whole lot of detail about what that entails, or we learn along the way, it's definitely something different. She's routinely tasked with delivering messages or items between supernatural species, gets some extra special abilities, but had to die at a young age and be resuscitated before getting this "job." I say job in quotes because she doesn't actually get paid for this gig, so she's got some day jobs to pay the bills. The big story here? Melina needs to take control of her life and stop pushing decisions off to other people.
So, aside from that, there's some weirdo vampire zombie tai chi guys making mayhem in her city. Throw in a vampire with questionable intentions, a martial arts dojo owner, a frisky witch, an overly helpful cop, and the best roommate ever and you've got the wonderful world of Melina. It takes her a long time, however, to appreciate what she's got and manages to get herself into all sorts of trouble by essentially procrastinating any and all decision making. I found it super frustrating, and that led me to drag my feet getting through this book. I have no doubt that this world will continue to get better as the books go along, but it took a lot out of me to get here so I'm definitely taking a breather now.
Melina is a Messenger. While there's not a whole lot of detail about what that entails, or we learn along the way, it's definitely something different. She's routinely tasked with delivering messages or items between supernatural species, gets some extra special abilities, but had to die at a young age and be resuscitated before getting this "job." I say job in quotes because she doesn't actually get paid for this gig, so she's got some day jobs to pay the bills. The big story here? Melina needs to take control of her life and stop pushing decisions off to other people.
So, aside from that, there's some weirdo vampire zombie tai chi guys making mayhem in her city. Throw in a vampire with questionable intentions, a martial arts dojo owner, a frisky witch, an overly helpful cop, and the best roommate ever and you've got the wonderful world of Melina. It takes her a long time, however, to appreciate what she's got and manages to get herself into all sorts of trouble by essentially procrastinating any and all decision making. I found it super frustrating, and that led me to drag my feet getting through this book. I have no doubt that this world will continue to get better as the books go along, but it took a lot out of me to get here so I'm definitely taking a breather now.
June 11, 2017
I thought this book was a lot better the first time I read it I guess. The writing was not for me; I don't like how it was written overall, honestly. There were parts of the book that were clearly the author stating her own opinion and putting it into the voice of her character when it was honestly irrelevant. Melina was so obviously clueless it was painful. She says no man could ever be into her, while a super hot vampire is totally into her and he makes sure she knows it. The amount of times she did or said something sexually or felt something sexual was insane, especially when it was SO inappropriate. Control your hormones, please.
The concept is super cool and I enjoyed the plot, but the execution of it was just not for me. It reminds me a lot of the writing for Vampire Academy, but this had way too many weird metaphors or just said things that felt totally out of place. I'd say this is an interesting book and it would appeal to some people, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.
The concept is super cool and I enjoyed the plot, but the execution of it was just not for me. It reminds me a lot of the writing for Vampire Academy, but this had way too many weird metaphors or just said things that felt totally out of place. I'd say this is an interesting book and it would appeal to some people, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.
March 3, 2018
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were engaging and held my interest throughout the book. I am curious ad to why her new love interest always smelled like baked goods to her. I was expecting to find out that he was some type of paranormal being. It was good to finally read a book with a setting in the Bay Area. I don't think I have ever read a book with the characters living in Sacramento. It had always been the usual places like Los Angeles or New York. It is refreshing reading novels where the stories takes place in other states. I know that is a small thing but it matters to me for some reason. It is wonderful when the author provides little tidbits about the city and make it part of the story. I'm getting off track here lol. Overall, I really liked the book and currently reading the second one "Dead on Delivery ".
September 20, 2018
An enjoyable urban fantasy. It started a bit slow but it got better as Melina stopped being so much of a victim. Though there should be some way that she could be compensated for her delivery service. It could be very difficult to hold down a job and still have to be a messenger at times.
I liked how Melina's friend has known for years about what she was involved in, or at least to some degree and had fooled Melina all along. There were some humorous elements because of this.
The Chinese vampires was a new twist that I hadn't read before. The fact that they had to hop because of rigor mortis was interesting and amusing at times.
I liked how Melina's friend has known for years about what she was involved in, or at least to some degree and had fooled Melina all along. There were some humorous elements because of this.
The Chinese vampires was a new twist that I hadn't read before. The fact that they had to hop because of rigor mortis was interesting and amusing at times.
January 31, 2018
I wasn't sure if I was going to like this one or not, but I have to say- I loved it! The "author's voice" pulled me right in and had me really liking Melina by page 2! Her sarcasm and wit had me laughing out loud in so many places I actually started getting "shushed" by my family.
The characters were definitely different- quite refreshing after reading about the same old vampires in every novel out there lately. I will definitely read book 2 in this series when it comes out- I'm glad the story is continuing.
4 1/2 stars
The characters were definitely different- quite refreshing after reading about the same old vampires in every novel out there lately. I will definitely read book 2 in this series when it comes out- I'm glad the story is continuing.
4 1/2 stars
January 8, 2024
A good start
I don’t know how I missed this when it came out but apparently I did. Either way, very classic urban fantasy with a kick-ass lead female, that of course, everyone wants. But I do like the concept of the Messenger. I think there was a lot thrown into this book and I expect the rest of the series to be a little calmer in terms of people being added and just how much she does.
I don’t know how I missed this when it came out but apparently I did. Either way, very classic urban fantasy with a kick-ass lead female, that of course, everyone wants. But I do like the concept of the Messenger. I think there was a lot thrown into this book and I expect the rest of the series to be a little calmer in terms of people being added and just how much she does.
March 22, 2017
DNF @ 28%
For now I am DNF'ing this book. I sorta-kinda like it.... but the problem is, it isn't holding my interest. I have tried to keep reading this one 3 times now and it just isn't working, I'm not feeling it... so for now I am going to dnf it. But I might come back to this book at a later time and give it another try.
For now I am DNF'ing this book. I sorta-kinda like it.... but the problem is, it isn't holding my interest. I have tried to keep reading this one 3 times now and it just isn't working, I'm not feeling it... so for now I am going to dnf it. But I might come back to this book at a later time and give it another try.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews