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Spellcrackers.com #1
The Sweet Scent of Blood
1st Gollancz 2008 trade edition paperback, fine In stock shipped from our UK warehouse
363 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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3485 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne McLeod
14 books376 followersWelcome to my Goodreads page! I write the Spellcrackers.com urban fantasy series about magic, mayhem and murder – liberally spiced with hot guys, kick-ass chicks and super-cool supes! I live on the sunny (sometimes) South Coast of England with my wonderful husband and our two much loved boisterous HellHounds!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 262 reviews
March 21, 2022
2022 Re-Read
When I need a quick, fun reread, I turn to urban fantasy. I purchased a copy of this series during the covid shutdown in our city, but didn't read it right away. I really needed a shot of whimsy today, browsed my shelves, and pounced on this book with delight. It definitely hit the spot and I think my reading enthusiasm is renewed enough to return to other books again.
Original Review
I am a fan of all things Fae, so I was predisposed to enjoy this book. The main character, Genny, is Sidhe fae and she reminded me a little bit (but only a little bit) of October Daye (written by Seanan McGuire). McGuire’s fae world doesn’t include vampires, witches, or goblins, so McLeod has taken things in a very different direction.
As in so much urban fantasy, the vampires have ‘come out’ of the coffin and have become wildly popular, but regular humanity doesn’t know everything that the other supernatural creatures know. Genny has an interesting history with vampires, which will no doubt shape upcoming books.
As is traditional in this genre, there is a bit of a love triangle, between Genny, the handsome Satyr who she works with, and an alluring vampire. It doesn’t overwhelm the plot, thankfully, but will probably provide some tension for at least one more book.
I chose to start this series as I’ve heard through the rumour-mill that characters from another favourite series (Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London) make an appearance in this one at some point.
When I need a quick, fun reread, I turn to urban fantasy. I purchased a copy of this series during the covid shutdown in our city, but didn't read it right away. I really needed a shot of whimsy today, browsed my shelves, and pounced on this book with delight. It definitely hit the spot and I think my reading enthusiasm is renewed enough to return to other books again.
Original Review
I am a fan of all things Fae, so I was predisposed to enjoy this book. The main character, Genny, is Sidhe fae and she reminded me a little bit (but only a little bit) of October Daye (written by Seanan McGuire). McGuire’s fae world doesn’t include vampires, witches, or goblins, so McLeod has taken things in a very different direction.
As in so much urban fantasy, the vampires have ‘come out’ of the coffin and have become wildly popular, but regular humanity doesn’t know everything that the other supernatural creatures know. Genny has an interesting history with vampires, which will no doubt shape upcoming books.
As is traditional in this genre, there is a bit of a love triangle, between Genny, the handsome Satyr who she works with, and an alluring vampire. It doesn’t overwhelm the plot, thankfully, but will probably provide some tension for at least one more book.
I chose to start this series as I’ve heard through the rumour-mill that characters from another favourite series (Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London) make an appearance in this one at some point.
August 21, 2016
There are so many things wrong with this book I’m not sure where to start. Genevieve worked for spellcrackers.com. It was always referred spellcrackers.com, not just spellcrackers. People don’t refer to websites with .com in casual conversation especially if they are well known. Anyway the case she was coerced into taking wasn’t for spellcrackers. Eventually she lost her job with spellcrackers. It bothered Genevieve, but was I supposed to care? Her job and coworkers were practically nonexistent.
Just about the only thing involving spellcrackers with a fair amount of page time was the douchebag Finn. I didn’t like him, and I’m not sure why he was in the book. His purpose seemed to be to constantly hit on Genevieve. I wasn’t impressed with his antics, but she was. It was apparent from the start of the book their relationship had been going on that way for a while, so I wasn't privy to how they became lustful for each other. She wasn’t too fond of him unless he was around. Then it was all about how sexy he was and their magic was strong together whatever the hell that means.
Genevieve had a hard on for all things magical. Any creature with an inkling of magic could have her in their thrall in no time. Apparently the fae, especially powerful ones like her, were supposed to be immune to many types of magic, but she was still susceptible. I didn’t completely understand why. I got sick of her meeting some demented vamp or whatever and she’d think she should say no to their coercion but wouldn’t. I’ve never read a book where the MC was supposedly powerful but was at the mercy of every asshole around. She never had the upper hand in any situation.
Half way through the book the alter vamp was introduced. I just read this entire book, and I still don’t understand WTH an alter vamp is. It was added in such a random way. It was like oh BTW Genevieve isn’t just a special fae, she’s also half vampire. It was weird. Why wasn’t that info included from the beginning? The alter vamp was a vampire physical form she could somehow change into. Why? How? Was it caused from her vampire genes? The alter vamp was alluded to be something else entirely, but it wasn’t explained enough to make any kind of sense. She also had some vampire virus. What it’s effects on her were IDK. Having the virus appeared to be a bad thing but IDK why. Was the virus linked to her genetics or did she get it some other way?
This could have been a good book. First of all the burgeoning love triangle needs to go. It wasn’t a big issue in this novel, but I have a feeling it could be later on in the series. There is Finn who appealed to her fae side and Malik who appealed to her alter vamp. I don’t like characters like Finn. He’s a nice guy who acts like an ass frequently, but his piss poor behavior is always overlooked because he’sneedy and overbearing attentive and supportive. Now Malik OTOH is my kind of guy. He’s an asshole, and he knows it and makes it work for him. But I sense a good guy lurking underneath. Also he’s a vampire. Vampires are way cooler than satyrs which is what Finn is.
Secondly the world building was awful. All kinds of creatures and magical spells were introduced throughout the book, but they’d get the vaguest explanations. No rules were explained. How the various races interacted and what they were capable of wasn’t explained. I wasn’t confused while reading the book, but I kept wondering why and how things worked the way they did. More clarification was definitely needed.
When the scenes changed it didn’t flow well. Sometimes I’d have to go back and reread thinking I missed something when I hadn’t. Genevieve was doing a lot of things to work on the case. Most of the time nothing useful was gleaned from the tails she followed. Every time a new place to search for information arose, new characters were added. Other than using some of those scenes to incorporate new characters or show how powerful some were, they seem to be pointless because they certainly weren't essential to the mystery. Many of characters weren’t important, and it was too many characters to have in the first book of a series. Introduce them later on when they actually become essential to the plot.
As much as this book pissed me off, I didn’t hate it. Malik was one of the reasons I kept reading. Although I liked him he’s not worthy of being a book boyfriend. Genevieve’s history and her mysterious genetic makeup and abilities were interesting. I would like to know more about those things, but this book had too many faults to make me want to read the next one.
Just about the only thing involving spellcrackers with a fair amount of page time was the douchebag Finn. I didn’t like him, and I’m not sure why he was in the book. His purpose seemed to be to constantly hit on Genevieve. I wasn’t impressed with his antics, but she was. It was apparent from the start of the book their relationship had been going on that way for a while, so I wasn't privy to how they became lustful for each other. She wasn’t too fond of him unless he was around. Then it was all about how sexy he was and their magic was strong together whatever the hell that means.
Genevieve had a hard on for all things magical. Any creature with an inkling of magic could have her in their thrall in no time. Apparently the fae, especially powerful ones like her, were supposed to be immune to many types of magic, but she was still susceptible. I didn’t completely understand why. I got sick of her meeting some demented vamp or whatever and she’d think she should say no to their coercion but wouldn’t. I’ve never read a book where the MC was supposedly powerful but was at the mercy of every asshole around. She never had the upper hand in any situation.
Half way through the book the alter vamp was introduced. I just read this entire book, and I still don’t understand WTH an alter vamp is. It was added in such a random way. It was like oh BTW Genevieve isn’t just a special fae, she’s also half vampire. It was weird. Why wasn’t that info included from the beginning? The alter vamp was a vampire physical form she could somehow change into. Why? How? Was it caused from her vampire genes? The alter vamp was alluded to be something else entirely, but it wasn’t explained enough to make any kind of sense. She also had some vampire virus. What it’s effects on her were IDK. Having the virus appeared to be a bad thing but IDK why. Was the virus linked to her genetics or did she get it some other way?
This could have been a good book. First of all the burgeoning love triangle needs to go. It wasn’t a big issue in this novel, but I have a feeling it could be later on in the series. There is Finn who appealed to her fae side and Malik who appealed to her alter vamp. I don’t like characters like Finn. He’s a nice guy who acts like an ass frequently, but his piss poor behavior is always overlooked because he’s
Secondly the world building was awful. All kinds of creatures and magical spells were introduced throughout the book, but they’d get the vaguest explanations. No rules were explained. How the various races interacted and what they were capable of wasn’t explained. I wasn’t confused while reading the book, but I kept wondering why and how things worked the way they did. More clarification was definitely needed.
When the scenes changed it didn’t flow well. Sometimes I’d have to go back and reread thinking I missed something when I hadn’t. Genevieve was doing a lot of things to work on the case. Most of the time nothing useful was gleaned from the tails she followed. Every time a new place to search for information arose, new characters were added. Other than using some of those scenes to incorporate new characters or show how powerful some were, they seem to be pointless because they certainly weren't essential to the mystery. Many of characters weren’t important, and it was too many characters to have in the first book of a series. Introduce them later on when they actually become essential to the plot.
As much as this book pissed me off, I didn’t hate it. Malik was one of the reasons I kept reading. Although I liked him he’s not worthy of being a book boyfriend. Genevieve’s history and her mysterious genetic makeup and abilities were interesting. I would like to know more about those things, but this book had too many faults to make me want to read the next one.
August 7, 2009
Suzanne McLeod (from England) has written a refreshing book about sidhe, vampires and witches, along with some wonderful side characters that are trolls, satyrs, brownies and goblins. Pixies and gremlins are also mentioned in this book. But it all works. In this alternate reality, England has the works. Vampires have used public relations to present themselves as celebrities, even putting out calenders, (Mr. June, Mr October, etc).
The main character, Genevieve Taylor has been coerced into trying to find out the real cause of death of a young woman. From the beginning, complications arise in the form of vampires and witches. They lead Genevieve (Genny) through twists and turns until she gets to the truth. Genevieve has some secrets of her own, that gradually are revealed. Even though I thought I knew what would happen next, I was always surprised. Even at the end, a character that I thought was one person, ended up to be someone else. Nice work. And Genevieve is no shrinking violet. She's tough, though not invincible, and usually uses her head- though there are two times that I wanted to say, come on Genny, think before you run into those wards! She can see spells and wards, though twice, in the heat of the moment, she neglects to look first.
Ms McLeod's writing is excellant, with great dialogue between characters {one of my pet peeves while reading books is "sucky" dialogue. I could rant for a while on that, but what for? Although bad dialogue is enough to make me put a book down for good}. Througout the book we learn bits and pieces about this world, I didn't notice any large info-dumps that interrupts the flow of the book. Although, usually I don't really mind the insertions of that kind of thing, as long as it doesn't take pages, inserted right in the middle of a conversation- where, when the conversation resumes, I'm going "huh", and have to find where the conversation last left off. hehe. I liked the way Ms McLeod handled the giving of information here.
There's quite a few secondary characters, and they are interesting characters, that I enjoyed reading about. You can get a little taste of The Sweet Scent of Blood by reading chapters one or two. {this is from Suzanne's website} I love when authors are willing to put up a taste of their work on their websites. That's how I became so interested in this book. I stumbled on Suzanne McLeod's website (following comments) and saw she writes, then saw her excerpts and loved the writing. I waited as long as I could, hoping to see her books in Borders here in America, but finally just ended up ordering both (there's a sequel-just released) from the Book Depository {no shipping charges!}.
I rate this 5 stars, (wish there were a 6 star option for those extremely good books) which for me, means I'm keeping this book and recommending it to everyone I know. And looking for anything else Ms McLeod writes. If her debut novel is this good, it's entirely possible that it's just going to get better.
If at all possible, this is a book that should be puchased and savored. It was one hell of a read. The sequel, which was just released, is The Cold Kiss of Death. Look for both, you won't be disappointed. Totally worth ordering online - and keeping
The main character, Genevieve Taylor has been coerced into trying to find out the real cause of death of a young woman. From the beginning, complications arise in the form of vampires and witches. They lead Genevieve (Genny) through twists and turns until she gets to the truth. Genevieve has some secrets of her own, that gradually are revealed. Even though I thought I knew what would happen next, I was always surprised. Even at the end, a character that I thought was one person, ended up to be someone else. Nice work. And Genevieve is no shrinking violet. She's tough, though not invincible, and usually uses her head- though there are two times that I wanted to say, come on Genny, think before you run into those wards! She can see spells and wards, though twice, in the heat of the moment, she neglects to look first.
Ms McLeod's writing is excellant, with great dialogue between characters {one of my pet peeves while reading books is "sucky" dialogue. I could rant for a while on that, but what for? Although bad dialogue is enough to make me put a book down for good}. Througout the book we learn bits and pieces about this world, I didn't notice any large info-dumps that interrupts the flow of the book. Although, usually I don't really mind the insertions of that kind of thing, as long as it doesn't take pages, inserted right in the middle of a conversation- where, when the conversation resumes, I'm going "huh", and have to find where the conversation last left off. hehe. I liked the way Ms McLeod handled the giving of information here.
There's quite a few secondary characters, and they are interesting characters, that I enjoyed reading about. You can get a little taste of The Sweet Scent of Blood by reading chapters one or two. {this is from Suzanne's website} I love when authors are willing to put up a taste of their work on their websites. That's how I became so interested in this book. I stumbled on Suzanne McLeod's website (following comments) and saw she writes, then saw her excerpts and loved the writing. I waited as long as I could, hoping to see her books in Borders here in America, but finally just ended up ordering both (there's a sequel-just released) from the Book Depository {no shipping charges!}.
I rate this 5 stars, (wish there were a 6 star option for those extremely good books) which for me, means I'm keeping this book and recommending it to everyone I know. And looking for anything else Ms McLeod writes. If her debut novel is this good, it's entirely possible that it's just going to get better.
If at all possible, this is a book that should be puchased and savored. It was one hell of a read. The sequel, which was just released, is The Cold Kiss of Death. Look for both, you won't be disappointed. Totally worth ordering online - and keeping
April 27, 2010
When a vamp master calls in a marker, Fae magical troubleshooter Genny ends up trying to clear a young vamp in the murder of his human lover and ends up the prize in a vampire power struggle.
There was quite a bit that I liked in this first Spellcrackers novel: I liked the idea of the Fae heroine, Genny, and magical problem solving agency in this new UF offering, I really thought that Genny's hidden nature was quite interesting. I also liked some of the supporting Fae characters Genny's Satyr boss and her Troll police sergeant friend.
Where the book worked less well for me: an early action scene left me scratching my head to the point that I had to reread it - there were just too many new characters in the same room and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. I also thought much of the vamp parts of the story felt too cliche' - all of the vamp head games and the prerequisite trip to a vamp nightclub just felt too familiar. And on thinking back on the story there were bits here and there that just didn't hold together.
Still the book held my interest and I would be tempted to take a peek at the next book in the series and might even be inclined to read it if it turns out to be less focused on the vamp part of McLeod's alternate England. I am a bit tired of vamps right now, but the Fae part I would definitely like to see more of.
There was quite a bit that I liked in this first Spellcrackers novel: I liked the idea of the Fae heroine, Genny, and magical problem solving agency in this new UF offering, I really thought that Genny's hidden nature was quite interesting. I also liked some of the supporting Fae characters Genny's Satyr boss and her Troll police sergeant friend.
Where the book worked less well for me: an early action scene left me scratching my head to the point that I had to reread it - there were just too many new characters in the same room and I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. I also thought much of the vamp parts of the story felt too cliche' - all of the vamp head games and the prerequisite trip to a vamp nightclub just felt too familiar. And on thinking back on the story there were bits here and there that just didn't hold together.
Still the book held my interest and I would be tempted to take a peek at the next book in the series and might even be inclined to read it if it turns out to be less focused on the vamp part of McLeod's alternate England. I am a bit tired of vamps right now, but the Fae part I would definitely like to see more of.
April 23, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. The main character, Genny, was really likable--I've read a few books lately where I didn't like the main character, so I've found myself paying more attention to that.
Lots of different supes in this one--fae, witches, vamps. I really liked all the different fae that were introduced. It was pretty cool how they're all just integrated into humanity--satyrs, brownies, trolls, goblins, leprechauns, etc.
There were a few continuity issues I had with it, and I wasn't crazy about the investigative conclusions. The book is in first person, so we should have been in Genny's head as she figured things out, right? But all of a sudden, she'd confront someone with a "you did blah blah blah" and I was like, "Wait! How did you figure that out? WTF?" But other than that, it was a really good read. :)
Lots of different supes in this one--fae, witches, vamps. I really liked all the different fae that were introduced. It was pretty cool how they're all just integrated into humanity--satyrs, brownies, trolls, goblins, leprechauns, etc.
There were a few continuity issues I had with it, and I wasn't crazy about the investigative conclusions. The book is in first person, so we should have been in Genny's head as she figured things out, right? But all of a sudden, she'd confront someone with a "you did blah blah blah" and I was like, "Wait! How did you figure that out? WTF?" But other than that, it was a really good read. :)
June 25, 2013
Seriously, I really tried. I did. I took a break from this book, went to another one, before coming back to it again. I picked it up again and after about 25 more pages into it, I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to tell myself that my time could be better spent elsewhere. I simply could not bring myself to continue finishing this book. In all fairness though, my review was purely based on after reading 131 pages (which took me to the end of chapter 14 and was a good 1/3 of the way through) of the book. So if something amazing happened afterwards, I wouldn't know and so my review was biased and purely based on what I read so far.
This book failed to capture my interests and attention. I was actually bored and couldn't understand where things were going. The overall writing pose and passages were choppy and the plot jumped all over the place. I understood the overall premise - Genny, the heroine, had been asked to solve a murder mystery of sorts and ran into troubles along the way. Genny was a sidhe fae, who appeared to suffer from vampiric bloodlust (likely due to vampire infection years before). However, I didn't care for her one bit. Nothing stood out about her. She tasted flatter than plain old room temperature water. From a plot perspective, she just went from place to place and perhaps I was just dense, but I didn't and couldn't see where this whole thing was going. If it was going somewhere, well, it had lost me 1/3 of the way because I got off the bus already.
As the first installment in a series (I do believe there are other books sequels to this), this book introduced way too many characters in a short space of time and flooded pages with insignificant details. Really, I didn't care for the stupid waitress that Genny met in the bar. She had no relevance or significance (well, at least up to the end of chapter 14 anyway) and added no plot value at all. There were so many characters that I had a hard time following and remembering everyone's names. The problem was further exacerbated by the fact that none of the characters were interesting. Okay, no, I should correct myself, there was one character that stood out for me, and he was Finn, who was Genny's charming co-worker. He also had fae blood and took a romantic interest in Genny. Other than Finn, I didn't care for anyone else and had no desire to read further. There were these supposely mysterious, attractive, powerful vampires in the book, but again, MEH, I didn't care for them.
This book failed to capture my interests and attention. I was actually bored and couldn't understand where things were going. The overall writing pose and passages were choppy and the plot jumped all over the place. I understood the overall premise - Genny, the heroine, had been asked to solve a murder mystery of sorts and ran into troubles along the way. Genny was a sidhe fae, who appeared to suffer from vampiric bloodlust (likely due to vampire infection years before). However, I didn't care for her one bit. Nothing stood out about her. She tasted flatter than plain old room temperature water. From a plot perspective, she just went from place to place and perhaps I was just dense, but I didn't and couldn't see where this whole thing was going. If it was going somewhere, well, it had lost me 1/3 of the way because I got off the bus already.
As the first installment in a series (I do believe there are other books sequels to this), this book introduced way too many characters in a short space of time and flooded pages with insignificant details. Really, I didn't care for the stupid waitress that Genny met in the bar. She had no relevance or significance (well, at least up to the end of chapter 14 anyway) and added no plot value at all. There were so many characters that I had a hard time following and remembering everyone's names. The problem was further exacerbated by the fact that none of the characters were interesting. Okay, no, I should correct myself, there was one character that stood out for me, and he was Finn, who was Genny's charming co-worker. He also had fae blood and took a romantic interest in Genny. Other than Finn, I didn't care for anyone else and had no desire to read further. There were these supposely mysterious, attractive, powerful vampires in the book, but again, MEH, I didn't care for them.
April 10, 2010
This story started off with a lot of promise for me. I liked the characters and the world the author built. As I read on I became more and more unhappy with the execution of the book. Events seemed disjointed and everything felt slightly off. There was also a pov tense change at the end of the book that seemed odd and out of place.
I'm interested with seeing how things will settle with Malik and Finn, but I really don't want to deal with so many unanswered questions again. I really can't tell if the author deliberately left things vague and mysterious or if I was just missing something.
I'd be interested to know more about 3V and exactly why it seems like there's a cure for some people but none for others. Also I really don't understand what exactly is going on with the alter ego and what the specifics are of that. I wish I did. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I wasn't so confused by everything.
I'm interested with seeing how things will settle with Malik and Finn, but I really don't want to deal with so many unanswered questions again. I really can't tell if the author deliberately left things vague and mysterious or if I was just missing something.
I'd be interested to know more about 3V and exactly why it seems like there's a cure for some people but none for others. Also I really don't understand what exactly is going on with the alter ego and what the specifics are of that. I wish I did. I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I wasn't so confused by everything.
August 1, 2009
Genny Taylor is a sidhe fae living in London - a London full of paranormal creatures the humans all know about. Vampires are no longer feared and some even have celebrity status thanks to a successful PR campaign, but Genny knows not to trust them.
She works for Spellcrackers.com, a company run by witches, that sorts out magical problems by finding and 'cracking' spells. But when a well-known vampire is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, his human father comes to Genny for help prooving his innocence, and Genny is forced into checking it out by a previously made magical bargain. Things get stranger when other powerful vampires take an interest in the murder and Genny's findings. With the attention of the vampires, Genny knows things are going to get dangerous.
I loved this book! It was so awesome! I loved the mythology used for all the different paranormals; far, vampires, goblins, trolls witches, faelings, brownies, etc. But what I loved most was reading an urban fantasy that takes place in my home town. I have wrongly been of the impression that urban fantasy couldn't be set in the UK; Britain is far too British to be a good urban fantasy set here. The Sweet Scent of Blood proved me wrong! It is fantastic to have this exciting plot, and actually being able to picture the places where things are happening because I've been there!
Speaking of the plot, it was awesome! There was suspence and mystery throughout the novel, and you're kept guessing right until the end, not knowing who did what in regards to the dead girl and why, and taken completely by surprise when Genny finds out.
There are various characters in the book the book that I love; Agatha the brownie is just adorable and I love her accent, Finn the Satyr is so sexy it's hard not to have a literary crush on him, Katie, a human girl, us so excitable and such a teenager, it's funny, and Hugh the troll is just the lovliest person ever! Then there's Malic, a vampire who is hot and scary and mysterious, you're never really sure what to think of him. Genny herself is pretty cool; very strong, brave and smart, with such a cool sense of humour. She bugged me sometimes with her constant "so not what I wanted to hear" thoughts, and similar, but you can forgive her them for how awesome the book is. The possibility of a future love triangle is hinted at, which I just love! Though I think I know who I'd prefer Genny to go for.
I can't recommend this book enough; it's so exciting, suspenceful and just generally wow! I can't wait to get my hands on the second novel in the Spellcrackers.com series, The Cold Kiss of Death. Read this book now!
She works for Spellcrackers.com, a company run by witches, that sorts out magical problems by finding and 'cracking' spells. But when a well-known vampire is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, his human father comes to Genny for help prooving his innocence, and Genny is forced into checking it out by a previously made magical bargain. Things get stranger when other powerful vampires take an interest in the murder and Genny's findings. With the attention of the vampires, Genny knows things are going to get dangerous.
I loved this book! It was so awesome! I loved the mythology used for all the different paranormals; far, vampires, goblins, trolls witches, faelings, brownies, etc. But what I loved most was reading an urban fantasy that takes place in my home town. I have wrongly been of the impression that urban fantasy couldn't be set in the UK; Britain is far too British to be a good urban fantasy set here. The Sweet Scent of Blood proved me wrong! It is fantastic to have this exciting plot, and actually being able to picture the places where things are happening because I've been there!
Speaking of the plot, it was awesome! There was suspence and mystery throughout the novel, and you're kept guessing right until the end, not knowing who did what in regards to the dead girl and why, and taken completely by surprise when Genny finds out.
There are various characters in the book the book that I love; Agatha the brownie is just adorable and I love her accent, Finn the Satyr is so sexy it's hard not to have a literary crush on him, Katie, a human girl, us so excitable and such a teenager, it's funny, and Hugh the troll is just the lovliest person ever! Then there's Malic, a vampire who is hot and scary and mysterious, you're never really sure what to think of him. Genny herself is pretty cool; very strong, brave and smart, with such a cool sense of humour. She bugged me sometimes with her constant "so not what I wanted to hear" thoughts, and similar, but you can forgive her them for how awesome the book is. The possibility of a future love triangle is hinted at, which I just love! Though I think I know who I'd prefer Genny to go for.
I can't recommend this book enough; it's so exciting, suspenceful and just generally wow! I can't wait to get my hands on the second novel in the Spellcrackers.com series, The Cold Kiss of Death. Read this book now!
July 22, 2016
I really liked this book, but I felt lost for half of it. Not the first half, or a half taken out of the middle, but more of a cumulative half. I liked the story enough to push through it, but most of the time I wanted to bang my head against a wall and scream "WHAT'S GOING ON!!!"
Still worth it though. If it weren't for the confusion I'd give a solid 4 stars.
Still worth it though. If it weren't for the confusion I'd give a solid 4 stars.
February 26, 2011
I do love Urban Fantasy and this book was also refreshing because of the simple fact that it was set in London.
Now I feel that I can't give justice to how good the book was. The good ones are always the hardest to write about.
To the story then. Genny is a Fae in a world where supernaturals walk among us. The vampires have gone for fame and "groupies", but Fae like her have it a bit harder. They never were human at all. There are also trolls, brownies, goblins, witches, and lots more. And they all bring something extra to the book.
Genny was a great character. She was also clouded in mystery and I was dying to find out mor about her. Why she was not happy mixing with vampires, or why she did not let passion take over when Finn, her boss was around. She was an enigma but little by little details came out.
The story was great. She was investigating a vampire that was said to have killed his lover. This brought her to many more vampires, and they all wanted something. On top of that something sinister was in the air.
The enigma, the mystery, loved it. I kept reading and reading, wanting to find out more. Not only about the story but about her too. The end left me wanting to read book 2 at once.
This is a book I would recommend to fans of UF. Great new world, nice setting, heroine with secrets, vampires with secrets, a bit of sexual tension all wrapped into one.
Now I feel that I can't give justice to how good the book was. The good ones are always the hardest to write about.
To the story then. Genny is a Fae in a world where supernaturals walk among us. The vampires have gone for fame and "groupies", but Fae like her have it a bit harder. They never were human at all. There are also trolls, brownies, goblins, witches, and lots more. And they all bring something extra to the book.
Genny was a great character. She was also clouded in mystery and I was dying to find out mor about her. Why she was not happy mixing with vampires, or why she did not let passion take over when Finn, her boss was around. She was an enigma but little by little details came out.
The story was great. She was investigating a vampire that was said to have killed his lover. This brought her to many more vampires, and they all wanted something. On top of that something sinister was in the air.
The enigma, the mystery, loved it. I kept reading and reading, wanting to find out more. Not only about the story but about her too. The end left me wanting to read book 2 at once.
This is a book I would recommend to fans of UF. Great new world, nice setting, heroine with secrets, vampires with secrets, a bit of sexual tension all wrapped into one.
August 19, 2010
I have not wanted to burn a book in a long time but...
What didn't I like, let me count the ways.
1) Too many characters
2) Flashbacks that gave hints of an important back story that was never fully delivered by the end of the book. What really happened to Genny's mom, her nanny, the selkie, ect.
3) Was Rosa becoming the alter-Genny-vamp happen by accident or did Rosa always aim to bond to Genny?
4) The magic made no sense.
5. Why did Malik frame Genny for murder by placing the two bodies out for discovery and sending the dog walker to find them? She never asked him directly so I am not sure what his motivation was.
6. Genny was constantly using foul language when things went south and she was always drooling over Malik and Finn. She does not have sex with either one of them or anyone else in the book. That made no sense to me. Having her walking around in a state of hightened arousal was annoying.
Did I enjoy anything? Yes. I liked Genny and her budding romance with Malik. That storyline has major potential. I will have to keep an eye on the reviews of the next book to see if any of these questions are answered otherwise, I am not volunteering for that headache again.
What didn't I like, let me count the ways.
1) Too many characters
2) Flashbacks that gave hints of an important back story that was never fully delivered by the end of the book. What really happened to Genny's mom, her nanny, the selkie, ect.
3) Was Rosa becoming the alter-Genny-vamp happen by accident or did Rosa always aim to bond to Genny?
4) The magic made no sense.
5. Why did Malik frame Genny for murder by placing the two bodies out for discovery and sending the dog walker to find them? She never asked him directly so I am not sure what his motivation was.
6. Genny was constantly using foul language when things went south and she was always drooling over Malik and Finn. She does not have sex with either one of them or anyone else in the book. That made no sense to me. Having her walking around in a state of hightened arousal was annoying.
Did I enjoy anything? Yes. I liked Genny and her budding romance with Malik. That storyline has major potential. I will have to keep an eye on the reviews of the next book to see if any of these questions are answered otherwise, I am not volunteering for that headache again.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2010
Genny works for Spellcrackers.com, finding and cracking problem spells for clients. The job also gives her witch protection from vampires, who take a particular interest in her. Now a vampire needs her help-he is accused of murdering his human girlfriend and wants to prove he didn't do it by using Genny's ability to find magic. The master vampires in town are trying to blackmail her into finding this spell that killed Melissa, but someone wants her stopped-permanently. Who can she trust and is this case going to get her killed?
I expected a bit more from this book. Genny wasn't as good a character as some I've read recently and the plot gets complicated with so many different vampires with different agendas trying to confuse the reader! I found the plot patchy-good in some places and drifting in others. Finn annoyed the hell out of me with his arrogant 'I'm a Lovegod' attitude and every time he appeared I lost interest. It was ok to read once but I won't bother with the rest of the series.
I expected a bit more from this book. Genny wasn't as good a character as some I've read recently and the plot gets complicated with so many different vampires with different agendas trying to confuse the reader! I found the plot patchy-good in some places and drifting in others. Finn annoyed the hell out of me with his arrogant 'I'm a Lovegod' attitude and every time he appeared I lost interest. It was ok to read once but I won't bother with the rest of the series.
December 18, 2008
I found it quite hard to get through the first half (or more) of this book, which I thought was too cluttered with background story and slighty confusing. Only the last few chapters were interesting and had some action.
The mystery story was usually overshadowed by the character development, resulting in a poorly constructed plot. It was really painful to read sometimes.
Still, overall, I liked the book (more the last part, of course) and the characters (especially the sexy, if cliche, vampire Malik), so I'll probably follow the story. Bear in mind that other than the setting (London) this is your run-of-the-mill urban fantasy.
The mystery story was usually overshadowed by the character development, resulting in a poorly constructed plot. It was really painful to read sometimes.
Still, overall, I liked the book (more the last part, of course) and the characters (especially the sexy, if cliche, vampire Malik), so I'll probably follow the story. Bear in mind that other than the setting (London) this is your run-of-the-mill urban fantasy.
August 27, 2012
First in the Spellcrackers.com urban fantasy series revolving around Genevieve Taylor, half-fae, half-human? -vampire? and her ages-long fight against the 3V and her flight from her prince.
My Take
The premise is good and unique to my reading list, however, McLeod is irritating with her primary character AND the activities that occur throughout the story. It's one thing to tease the reader into continuing to read. It's another thing completely to tease with very little release. It almost reads as though McLeod wrote all sorts of possibilities, cultural traits, character-related flaws onto index cards. She then tore them up, threw them into the air and then picked them up and stuck them into the story any which way. I don't mind being led, being teased, reading snippets of clues, but, eventually, I DO want explanations. I want resolution. I want those snippets to slot into some sort of order, an explanation. Oh, yes, eventually, McLeod resolves the primary picture, but she leaves WAY too much simply hanging whether it's in Hugh's red dust or the Muse's box.
Christ, McLeod has so many rules and conditions for each race and each different set has different interactions with each other. I'm surprised any of the characters can keep 'em straight. Lord knows, I want a cheat sheet!
I am really confused as to just what Genny is. I am also seriously questioning her intelligence. She comes across as a smart person, but you'd think that 10 years of experience would have made her more aware of her disability's weaknesses. And when those weaknesses are as deadly as hers, well, why hasn't she, why doesn't she, take more care???
I don't understand her relationship with Finn. He appears fascinated by her, but I have to wonder if I'm being set up. All the other relationships in this story are setups, why would this one be any different. Why does Gen feel a need to have this magic body disguise?
Salt interferes with a person's magic and Genny's magic is non-existent at worst and unreliable at best. Genny eats chips and bacon every single day. Hmmm, what parallel would you draw?
I swear this is like a vampiric Keystone Kops. Most of it seems designed to simply throw all sorts of dramatic action around with one or two threads---maybe—holding it together. It's just too convoluted. There are some three separate issues going on with Malik and it's giving me a headache.
The Story
Murder. Mr. October killed his fiancée and Bobby's father wants Genny to find out the truth. But that's not how it works. Everything Genny has built will collapse around her if she takes this case except those five little words are uttered. No fae will renege on a bargain and, besides, Stella seems okay with Genny taking the job.
It's the trip Genevieve and Alan make to the police station to check Melissa's body for concealment spells that starts the trouble rolling for Gen. Three vampires walk into a police station (sounds like the start of a joke, hmmmm)...the fact that two of them hit everyone with a mind lock does not indicate alliance, but it is death for one of their party and almost that for another unless Gen gets real creative, real quick.
It's a down-and-dirty introduction in Sucker Town to a number of players when Gen needs a blood hit. Malik saves her there when she rescues Gazza from a fang gang. Only he thinks she's Rosa---a vamp Malik had turned. In truth, it has all the hallmarks of Rosie, but it's still a blackmarket magic disguise Genny bought.
Then the VIP (full protection) invites arrive: Declan's, the Earl's, and Malik's. The Earl wants proof. Malik wants to work with her. Declan wants an exclusive.
The Characters
Genevieve Taylor is a sidhe fae and part vamp due to the 3V infection she first got when she was fourteen. A blood slave who must avoid sexual connections and vampires. Working for Spellcheckers allows for a subsidy on her apartment. Count Alexandre is her father and a vampire who killed her mother. Matilde is Genny's stepmother.
Katie is a human waitress at Gen's favorite café, the Rosy Lee owned by Freddie, in Covent Garden and she is fascinated by vampires, Mr. October especially. Gazza is the café's latest dishwasher. A Goth who is too fascinated by faeries and vampires.
The Undead Lord, the Earl, is an old vampire who runs the Blue Heart which is managed by Rio and she loves poke, poke, poking at Genny. The Earl is pretty savvy business-wise and his calendar of hot and hunky vamps whom he features at his nightclub is a big draw. He is also pretty hot for Gen's services. Westman is the vampire lawyer Alan rejected. Louis is a French vampire with his own agenda and "owned" by Rio. Red Poet is another of Rio's and the main attraction with the Human victim on stage. And the leader of the Sucker Town fang gang.
Malik al-Khan is another powerful vampire interested in Genny---even the trees are talking of his interest. Declan is the powerful Irish vampire who can steal memories. He and his brothers Seamus and Patrick own the Bloody Shamrock, an Irish pub for the fanged. Mick is a cluricaun and bartends at the Shamrock. Fiona is a vampire who can see the future and who believes she's more powerful than she is with some very wicked plans. She seems to work at the Shamrock.
Mr. October, a.k.a., Roberto, a.k.a., Bobby Hinkly, chose to go vamp to give himself time to look for a cure for the rare blood disease that killed his mother. Alan Hinkley is his devastated father, a journalist, desperate to save his son. He is determined to hire Gen to find out who really murdered Melissa, Bobby's wanna-be-a-vampire fiancée.
Stella Raynham, a witch, is her boss. Finn Panos is a lesser fae, a satyr, and if you look real close, you can just make out his horns. He's also about to become Genny's boss at Spellcrackers. A fact which doesn't prevent his trying to climb into her knickers! He's also played a rather nasty trick on her. Toni is the office manager at Spellcrackers. Real friendly. Agatha Brown is a brownie who has finagled a visit from Genny; she's nursemaid to Lady Meriel of Lake Serpentine's daughter Holly who is in trouble. One problem is Louis, the French Psycho vamp who is her friend.
Sergeant Hugo Munro is a seven-foot granite troll at Scotland Yard. And his advice has always been good. Constables Lamber and Taegrin are more trolls on the force; Constable Janet is a right bitch. Quick to judge and quicker to take advantage. Detective Inspector Helen Crane is the witch, er, cop in charge with a real hate on for Genny.
Sucker Town encounters include:
Cherub Cheeks, ZigZag and Mr. June who keep showing up everywhere including with Declan. Corset Girl, a.k.a., Hannah Ashby, accountant(!), comes onto Gen in her bloodsucker mode. Darius is Rio's toy---god knows why he stays...urgh...
The Soulers believe they must Protect the Soul and they are a right wing religious group who believes newly turned humans are selling their soul to the devil. Melissa's mother, Fran, insists on the Soulers having their way. Neil Banner is the Souler representative with Jeremiah, a Beater Goblin to protect him from vampires and magic.
The Cover
The cover is a somewhat textured black background with a Celtic knot in the upper right. The red-haired Gen is in Corset Girl's costume showcased within a sliver of blue.
The title is about Gen's fight and desire for The Sweet Scent of Blood.
My Take
The premise is good and unique to my reading list, however, McLeod is irritating with her primary character AND the activities that occur throughout the story. It's one thing to tease the reader into continuing to read. It's another thing completely to tease with very little release. It almost reads as though McLeod wrote all sorts of possibilities, cultural traits, character-related flaws onto index cards. She then tore them up, threw them into the air and then picked them up and stuck them into the story any which way. I don't mind being led, being teased, reading snippets of clues, but, eventually, I DO want explanations. I want resolution. I want those snippets to slot into some sort of order, an explanation. Oh, yes, eventually, McLeod resolves the primary picture, but she leaves WAY too much simply hanging whether it's in Hugh's red dust or the Muse's box.
Christ, McLeod has so many rules and conditions for each race and each different set has different interactions with each other. I'm surprised any of the characters can keep 'em straight. Lord knows, I want a cheat sheet!
I am really confused as to just what Genny is. I am also seriously questioning her intelligence. She comes across as a smart person, but you'd think that 10 years of experience would have made her more aware of her disability's weaknesses. And when those weaknesses are as deadly as hers, well, why hasn't she, why doesn't she, take more care???
I don't understand her relationship with Finn. He appears fascinated by her, but I have to wonder if I'm being set up. All the other relationships in this story are setups, why would this one be any different. Why does Gen feel a need to have this magic body disguise?
Salt interferes with a person's magic and Genny's magic is non-existent at worst and unreliable at best. Genny eats chips and bacon every single day. Hmmm, what parallel would you draw?
I swear this is like a vampiric Keystone Kops. Most of it seems designed to simply throw all sorts of dramatic action around with one or two threads---maybe—holding it together. It's just too convoluted. There are some three separate issues going on with Malik and it's giving me a headache.
The Story
Murder. Mr. October killed his fiancée and Bobby's father wants Genny to find out the truth. But that's not how it works. Everything Genny has built will collapse around her if she takes this case except those five little words are uttered. No fae will renege on a bargain and, besides, Stella seems okay with Genny taking the job.
It's the trip Genevieve and Alan make to the police station to check Melissa's body for concealment spells that starts the trouble rolling for Gen. Three vampires walk into a police station (sounds like the start of a joke, hmmmm)...the fact that two of them hit everyone with a mind lock does not indicate alliance, but it is death for one of their party and almost that for another unless Gen gets real creative, real quick.
It's a down-and-dirty introduction in Sucker Town to a number of players when Gen needs a blood hit. Malik saves her there when she rescues Gazza from a fang gang. Only he thinks she's Rosa---a vamp Malik had turned. In truth, it has all the hallmarks of Rosie, but it's still a blackmarket magic disguise Genny bought.
Then the VIP (full protection) invites arrive: Declan's, the Earl's, and Malik's. The Earl wants proof. Malik wants to work with her. Declan wants an exclusive.
The Characters
Genevieve Taylor is a sidhe fae and part vamp due to the 3V infection she first got when she was fourteen. A blood slave who must avoid sexual connections and vampires. Working for Spellcheckers allows for a subsidy on her apartment. Count Alexandre is her father and a vampire who killed her mother. Matilde is Genny's stepmother.
Katie is a human waitress at Gen's favorite café, the Rosy Lee owned by Freddie, in Covent Garden and she is fascinated by vampires, Mr. October especially. Gazza is the café's latest dishwasher. A Goth who is too fascinated by faeries and vampires.
The Undead Lord, the Earl, is an old vampire who runs the Blue Heart which is managed by Rio and she loves poke, poke, poking at Genny. The Earl is pretty savvy business-wise and his calendar of hot and hunky vamps whom he features at his nightclub is a big draw. He is also pretty hot for Gen's services. Westman is the vampire lawyer Alan rejected. Louis is a French vampire with his own agenda and "owned" by Rio. Red Poet is another of Rio's and the main attraction with the Human victim on stage. And the leader of the Sucker Town fang gang.
Malik al-Khan is another powerful vampire interested in Genny---even the trees are talking of his interest. Declan is the powerful Irish vampire who can steal memories. He and his brothers Seamus and Patrick own the Bloody Shamrock, an Irish pub for the fanged. Mick is a cluricaun and bartends at the Shamrock. Fiona is a vampire who can see the future and who believes she's more powerful than she is with some very wicked plans. She seems to work at the Shamrock.
Mr. October, a.k.a., Roberto, a.k.a., Bobby Hinkly, chose to go vamp to give himself time to look for a cure for the rare blood disease that killed his mother. Alan Hinkley is his devastated father, a journalist, desperate to save his son. He is determined to hire Gen to find out who really murdered Melissa, Bobby's wanna-be-a-vampire fiancée.
Stella Raynham, a witch, is her boss. Finn Panos is a lesser fae, a satyr, and if you look real close, you can just make out his horns. He's also about to become Genny's boss at Spellcrackers. A fact which doesn't prevent his trying to climb into her knickers! He's also played a rather nasty trick on her. Toni is the office manager at Spellcrackers. Real friendly. Agatha Brown is a brownie who has finagled a visit from Genny; she's nursemaid to Lady Meriel of Lake Serpentine's daughter Holly who is in trouble. One problem is Louis, the French Psycho vamp who is her friend.
Sergeant Hugo Munro is a seven-foot granite troll at Scotland Yard. And his advice has always been good. Constables Lamber and Taegrin are more trolls on the force; Constable Janet is a right bitch. Quick to judge and quicker to take advantage. Detective Inspector Helen Crane is the witch, er, cop in charge with a real hate on for Genny.
Sucker Town encounters include:
Cherub Cheeks, ZigZag and Mr. June who keep showing up everywhere including with Declan. Corset Girl, a.k.a., Hannah Ashby, accountant(!), comes onto Gen in her bloodsucker mode. Darius is Rio's toy---god knows why he stays...urgh...
The Soulers believe they must Protect the Soul and they are a right wing religious group who believes newly turned humans are selling their soul to the devil. Melissa's mother, Fran, insists on the Soulers having their way. Neil Banner is the Souler representative with Jeremiah, a Beater Goblin to protect him from vampires and magic.
The Cover
The cover is a somewhat textured black background with a Celtic knot in the upper right. The red-haired Gen is in Corset Girl's costume showcased within a sliver of blue.
The title is about Gen's fight and desire for The Sweet Scent of Blood.
March 11, 2013
Synopsis:
Genevieve Taylor is a sidhe - one of the noble fae - and she's unusual even in a London where celebrity vampires, eccentric goblins and scheming lesser fae mix freely with humanity...
Genny is a rising star at Spellcrackers.com, where she finds the "M" in magic - which can mean anything from mischief to malice to murder. The spellcrackers are run by the Witch Council, whose ancient tenets prohibit any contact with vampires. And that's just fine with Genny, who wants as little to do with the bloodsuckers as possible.
But when a sinfully sexy vamp is accused of killing his lover, an old debt forces Genny to help prove his innocence, risking her job, her safety - and the exposure of her own dark secrets. Genny soon realizes that she and her client are both unwitting pawns in a centuries-old power struggle. And it's not just her own neck at stake but the lives of all of London's supernatural beings.
My Thoughts:
I honestly don't know if I like this book or not. I spent most of it being confused. It took forever to figure out what was going on and it wasn't until things were spelled out in the end that I understood anything. There were a few things that I put together after a while. Like Genny's other big secret. Her first secret isn't that big of a secret from the readers since she pretty much talks about it right off the bat. The second secret is revealed not long after, but I didn't understand it at first. Not until I realized what her father must have been. That was when that scene in Sucker Town started to make sense. Not the whole Rosa thing, though. That was just weird. I'm wondering if there's any significance to that or if it's all just a coincidence. Why would her alter be someone that the vamp that seems to want her most be so familiar with? Really freaking weird. Especially when their history got revealed in that memory. The memory that she basically ignores for the whole book until the very end.
I rated it three stars because I don't hate it, but it didn't really hook me. I read it straight through because I did want to know what was going on, but most of the time, I was frustrated by what Genny was doing. I wanted to smack her around. She was terrified of getting close to vampires, but yet, she gets involved in this whole mess without EVER getting confirmation from her boss that is was okay considering she supposedly told the client about Genny in the first place. Honestly, she should have quit the minute all of those vampires showed up at the police station. And now they all know at least one of her major secrets and everyone thinks she's some kind of blood slut now.
There were just too many players in all of this. I know it was a power struggle type of deal with the added bonus of Genny's tasty sidhe blood, but it was damn near impossible to figure any of this out. Genny was all over the place. And then there was Finn who I'm not entirely enamored with despite Genny's strong attraction to him. But was that just because of her nature or does she actually like him? She barely knows anything about him considering she kept trying to keep away from him. And then there's Malik who I'm admittedly intrigued by, but that relationship is just weird considering their past.
When it was all said and done, I can't say that this book will be a very memorable one. If I continue the series, I likely won't do so for quite some time. It's just not a priority.
Genevieve Taylor is a sidhe - one of the noble fae - and she's unusual even in a London where celebrity vampires, eccentric goblins and scheming lesser fae mix freely with humanity...
Genny is a rising star at Spellcrackers.com, where she finds the "M" in magic - which can mean anything from mischief to malice to murder. The spellcrackers are run by the Witch Council, whose ancient tenets prohibit any contact with vampires. And that's just fine with Genny, who wants as little to do with the bloodsuckers as possible.
But when a sinfully sexy vamp is accused of killing his lover, an old debt forces Genny to help prove his innocence, risking her job, her safety - and the exposure of her own dark secrets. Genny soon realizes that she and her client are both unwitting pawns in a centuries-old power struggle. And it's not just her own neck at stake but the lives of all of London's supernatural beings.
My Thoughts:
I honestly don't know if I like this book or not. I spent most of it being confused. It took forever to figure out what was going on and it wasn't until things were spelled out in the end that I understood anything. There were a few things that I put together after a while. Like Genny's other big secret. Her first secret isn't that big of a secret from the readers since she pretty much talks about it right off the bat. The second secret is revealed not long after, but I didn't understand it at first. Not until I realized what her father must have been. That was when that scene in Sucker Town started to make sense. Not the whole Rosa thing, though. That was just weird. I'm wondering if there's any significance to that or if it's all just a coincidence. Why would her alter be someone that the vamp that seems to want her most be so familiar with? Really freaking weird. Especially when their history got revealed in that memory. The memory that she basically ignores for the whole book until the very end.
I rated it three stars because I don't hate it, but it didn't really hook me. I read it straight through because I did want to know what was going on, but most of the time, I was frustrated by what Genny was doing. I wanted to smack her around. She was terrified of getting close to vampires, but yet, she gets involved in this whole mess without EVER getting confirmation from her boss that is was okay considering she supposedly told the client about Genny in the first place. Honestly, she should have quit the minute all of those vampires showed up at the police station. And now they all know at least one of her major secrets and everyone thinks she's some kind of blood slut now.
There were just too many players in all of this. I know it was a power struggle type of deal with the added bonus of Genny's tasty sidhe blood, but it was damn near impossible to figure any of this out. Genny was all over the place. And then there was Finn who I'm not entirely enamored with despite Genny's strong attraction to him. But was that just because of her nature or does she actually like him? She barely knows anything about him considering she kept trying to keep away from him. And then there's Malik who I'm admittedly intrigued by, but that relationship is just weird considering their past.
When it was all said and done, I can't say that this book will be a very memorable one. If I continue the series, I likely won't do so for quite some time. It's just not a priority.
July 19, 2009
The Sweet Scent of Blood is set in modern day London, where it is common place to run into a brownie at the cafe, see pixies running through Trafalgar Square, or walk into the wait area of Old Scotland Yard and come face to face with a goblin. Magic seems to be everywhere you turn in London. The vampires are treated like glamorous A-list celebrities and are a huge money making tourist attraction for London.
This book is told from Genny's point view, her accounts are in vivid detail interlaced with her dry sense of humor. Genny leads a solitary life because she has a past with a secret that she needs to keep to herself. This means she has to avoid the fae and vampires because if she gets too close, they will know what she is trying to hide. If her secret gets out, she risks losing her job with Spellcracker.com and that means losing the protection against the vampires, that working for the witches affords her. You see being Sidhe fae, Genny is an instant attraction for vampires, who consider her kind a delicacy. So, when a vampire's human father comes around asking Genny to help his son out of a murder rap, she feels like she is caught between a rock and a hard place. But a favor has been called in, so she takes on the case and finds herself in one dark intriguing situation after another, usually involving a vampire or two.
The vampires in this book are reminiscent of the vampires from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, in that they can be cruel, beautiful and impress upon you a strong sense of danger. Also the fact that they consider other beings not vampire their food. I enjoyed the tension in the dark scenes between Genny and the mysterious vamp Malik, and when Finn, a sexy satyr comes on scene the air literally crackles. I found myself cheering for one then changing my mind and cheering for another. Here's a tasty tidbit of a scene between Genny and Finn.
"I wasn't making a wish, Gen." He crooked a finger at me. "That was a promise." He twirled the finger like he was reeling me in. "Wishes have to be granted." I felt a sharp pull deep in my centre as though hooked on the thorny stems of bramble. "Promises on the other hand." - he touched his lips to his palm, eyes never leaving mine - "when given" - he blew me the kiss - "are a sure thing."
Bet your wondering what happened before and after this scene to cause this bit of conversation, huh?
I got a real thrill out of how Suzanne McLeod threaded magical, fairy tale characters into the book. It's one of the aspects of this book I really enjoyed. But don't be mislead by the mention of fairy tale characters, into thinking this book is a light read because it isn't. This story has several dark moments, some full of tension, others fear. Tidbits of information are constantly being thrown out, reeling you. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series, The Cold Kiss of Death, because some of these tidbits are surrounded by mysteries that haven't been solved yet.
This book is told from Genny's point view, her accounts are in vivid detail interlaced with her dry sense of humor. Genny leads a solitary life because she has a past with a secret that she needs to keep to herself. This means she has to avoid the fae and vampires because if she gets too close, they will know what she is trying to hide. If her secret gets out, she risks losing her job with Spellcracker.com and that means losing the protection against the vampires, that working for the witches affords her. You see being Sidhe fae, Genny is an instant attraction for vampires, who consider her kind a delicacy. So, when a vampire's human father comes around asking Genny to help his son out of a murder rap, she feels like she is caught between a rock and a hard place. But a favor has been called in, so she takes on the case and finds herself in one dark intriguing situation after another, usually involving a vampire or two.
The vampires in this book are reminiscent of the vampires from Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, in that they can be cruel, beautiful and impress upon you a strong sense of danger. Also the fact that they consider other beings not vampire their food. I enjoyed the tension in the dark scenes between Genny and the mysterious vamp Malik, and when Finn, a sexy satyr comes on scene the air literally crackles. I found myself cheering for one then changing my mind and cheering for another. Here's a tasty tidbit of a scene between Genny and Finn.
"I wasn't making a wish, Gen." He crooked a finger at me. "That was a promise." He twirled the finger like he was reeling me in. "Wishes have to be granted." I felt a sharp pull deep in my centre as though hooked on the thorny stems of bramble. "Promises on the other hand." - he touched his lips to his palm, eyes never leaving mine - "when given" - he blew me the kiss - "are a sure thing."
Bet your wondering what happened before and after this scene to cause this bit of conversation, huh?
I got a real thrill out of how Suzanne McLeod threaded magical, fairy tale characters into the book. It's one of the aspects of this book I really enjoyed. But don't be mislead by the mention of fairy tale characters, into thinking this book is a light read because it isn't. This story has several dark moments, some full of tension, others fear. Tidbits of information are constantly being thrown out, reeling you. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series, The Cold Kiss of Death, because some of these tidbits are surrounded by mysteries that haven't been solved yet.
May 13, 2010
I give this one 3.5 stars.
What I really liked about this book was that it seemed very different from other things I've read. Granted, this might be because I haven't read all that many books about the fae, but it still seemed unique to me. The main character is Genny (Gen for short) and she works for a company called spellcrackers.com. She is a sidhe, and she breaks spells for a living. In this world, vampires have been given "human" rights for the past 20 years or so. And lately, they have been trying to mainstream themselves into celebrities of a sort. So when one of their new celebrities (Mr. October in the vamp mens calendar) is accused of murder the vamps want it swept under the rug. Gen has no desire to work for vamps (which is explained throughout the book) and yet she is compelled to help the father of the accused vamp when he brings up an old bargain that Gen made. Being a sidhe, she can't break a bargain. So she's off to help despite her reluctance to do so and she gets more than she bargained for (no pun intended!).
I liked Gen's character. She was strong, and competent without being a know it all or even worse the TSTL (too stupid to live) character. Of course, being female, my main interest was in the delectable Malik and I can only hope to see him more.
This book was filled with mystery and intrigue, and while it became a little tiresome to have to consistently find out information piece by piece throughout the book it was definitely better than getting everything at once in the first chapter. I also liked the history behind the vamp poisons, and all the different creatures on the side. I especially liked Hugh the troll.
I will be reading the next book in the series.
What I really liked about this book was that it seemed very different from other things I've read. Granted, this might be because I haven't read all that many books about the fae, but it still seemed unique to me. The main character is Genny (Gen for short) and she works for a company called spellcrackers.com. She is a sidhe, and she breaks spells for a living. In this world, vampires have been given "human" rights for the past 20 years or so. And lately, they have been trying to mainstream themselves into celebrities of a sort. So when one of their new celebrities (Mr. October in the vamp mens calendar) is accused of murder the vamps want it swept under the rug. Gen has no desire to work for vamps (which is explained throughout the book) and yet she is compelled to help the father of the accused vamp when he brings up an old bargain that Gen made. Being a sidhe, she can't break a bargain. So she's off to help despite her reluctance to do so and she gets more than she bargained for (no pun intended!).
I liked Gen's character. She was strong, and competent without being a know it all or even worse the TSTL (too stupid to live) character. Of course, being female, my main interest was in the delectable Malik and I can only hope to see him more.
This book was filled with mystery and intrigue, and while it became a little tiresome to have to consistently find out information piece by piece throughout the book it was definitely better than getting everything at once in the first chapter. I also liked the history behind the vamp poisons, and all the different creatures on the side. I especially liked Hugh the troll.
I will be reading the next book in the series.
July 16, 2011
Après en avoir entendu parlé par un auteur j'étais curieuse de voir ce que donnait ce premier tome, et je dois dire qu'il est vraiment trés bien !
Geneviève est la fille d'une sidhe et d'un vampire, ce qui est quelque chose d'étrange et impossible, mais la voilà. Elle garde pour elle précieusement ce secret et fait tout son possible pour ne pas être en relation avec un quelconque vampire.
Elle travaille auprès d'une boite dirigée par les sorcières et qui lui confère une protection quant aux vampires. Elle est engagée pour dénouer, absorber ou détruire des sorts lancés.
Mais voila qu'un jour le père d'un vampire lui rappelle une ancienne dette pour l'engager afin de discréditer l'implication de son fils vampire dans un assassinat. N'ayant pas le choix elle se retrouve dans une histoire énorme où tout le monde n'en a qu'après elle, bien qu'elle ne sache pas pourquoi et bien sur tous les vampires sont au rendez vous.
Geneviève est une jeune femme très réservée qui essaie de ne s'impliquer avec personne mais rien n'est simple. Elle se retrouve dans un grand bourbier d'où elle ne peut s'échapper et où elle ne fait que s'enfoncer. Elle se doit de faire confiance bien que tous aient des motifs cachés pour l'aider.
Je suis vraiment curieuse de plus en savoir sur Malik, ce vampire bien mystérieux qui l'aide mais qui en même veut quelque chose d'elle. Et surtout connaitre toute l'histoire de Geneviève dont finalement on ne sait pas grand chose.
Par contre j'ai vraiment eu du mal avec tous les personnages, à me rappeler qui était qui... Mais bon ce n'est peut être que moi et ma super mémoire.
Geneviève est la fille d'une sidhe et d'un vampire, ce qui est quelque chose d'étrange et impossible, mais la voilà. Elle garde pour elle précieusement ce secret et fait tout son possible pour ne pas être en relation avec un quelconque vampire.
Elle travaille auprès d'une boite dirigée par les sorcières et qui lui confère une protection quant aux vampires. Elle est engagée pour dénouer, absorber ou détruire des sorts lancés.
Mais voila qu'un jour le père d'un vampire lui rappelle une ancienne dette pour l'engager afin de discréditer l'implication de son fils vampire dans un assassinat. N'ayant pas le choix elle se retrouve dans une histoire énorme où tout le monde n'en a qu'après elle, bien qu'elle ne sache pas pourquoi et bien sur tous les vampires sont au rendez vous.
Geneviève est une jeune femme très réservée qui essaie de ne s'impliquer avec personne mais rien n'est simple. Elle se retrouve dans un grand bourbier d'où elle ne peut s'échapper et où elle ne fait que s'enfoncer. Elle se doit de faire confiance bien que tous aient des motifs cachés pour l'aider.
Je suis vraiment curieuse de plus en savoir sur Malik, ce vampire bien mystérieux qui l'aide mais qui en même veut quelque chose d'elle. Et surtout connaitre toute l'histoire de Geneviève dont finalement on ne sait pas grand chose.
Par contre j'ai vraiment eu du mal avec tous les personnages, à me rappeler qui était qui... Mais bon ce n'est peut être que moi et ma super mémoire.
October 27, 2011
3.5 stars. I liked it. I was a bit thrown because it wasn't very much like the short story I read in one of the anthologies, which focused on the fae and was a bit less dark than this. I didn't expect the vampires at all, and they're really the center of the book, despite the Spellcrackers name implying that it's about Genny's job working for the witches. There is a complex society where vampires, witches and fae live out in the open. Several witches and fae appear in the book, and of course Genny is mostly sidhe, but the book is primarily about the dark and dangerous vampires. Which was fine, just not what I was expecting.
But my real issue with the book was just that it was a bit confusing. There were too many extraneous characters, and I had a hard time following the stuff about her past, I had to go back and read sections again to figure out what the heck was going on. It was just more complicated than it needed to be, it should have been edited down and streamlined a bit. I like a nice rich story, but when I can't remember who the heck all of these people are, it's a problem. Not a major one though. I did like the stuff about her vampire alter a lot. I saw a few reviews where people didn't like it but I thought that was one of the more original aspects to the story. It was just somewhat introductory in this book, I expect that it will be explored more in the next installment. Overall, have a feeling that the second book in the series will be even better than this one was as the author gains experience and continues to flesh out the world and Genny's story.
But my real issue with the book was just that it was a bit confusing. There were too many extraneous characters, and I had a hard time following the stuff about her past, I had to go back and read sections again to figure out what the heck was going on. It was just more complicated than it needed to be, it should have been edited down and streamlined a bit. I like a nice rich story, but when I can't remember who the heck all of these people are, it's a problem. Not a major one though. I did like the stuff about her vampire alter a lot. I saw a few reviews where people didn't like it but I thought that was one of the more original aspects to the story. It was just somewhat introductory in this book, I expect that it will be explored more in the next installment. Overall, have a feeling that the second book in the series will be even better than this one was as the author gains experience and continues to flesh out the world and Genny's story.
February 7, 2011
Extraordinary attention to detail! If I knew how to draw, I could totally draw all of the characters, plus all of the houses, parks, streets and offices as well. Very well written, with a lot of suspense, a little romance, some big-time scary vampires, and a huge betrayal. I loved this book, and for the first time ever, I really, really loved a fae! Gen is wonderful, strong and funny, and a little bit sneaky too, but she had to be in order to try to make it. Exciting read, and a page-turner through-out the whole book.
January 9, 2009
Although outside my normal choice of genre, this book is such a fun read. It entertains from the first page with great characters that vary from enchanting to dangerous to downright sexy. There is plenty of exciting action, all set in contemporary London - and which just keeps those pages turning. A great debut novel from a new author and I can't wait for the next one in the series.
May 15, 2010
Excellent!!!! The author is similar to many of my favorites! Kim Harrison, Charlaine Harris, Karen Moning, etc.
The main character as a Sidhe with a little extra (found out in the book) is an excellent new twist in the Urban fantasy world. She's not a sociopath like Anita Blake (thank god!) or clutzy cool like Rachel Morgan, but the main character Genny is cool as hell! I love this series!!!
The main character as a Sidhe with a little extra (found out in the book) is an excellent new twist in the Urban fantasy world. She's not a sociopath like Anita Blake (thank god!) or clutzy cool like Rachel Morgan, but the main character Genny is cool as hell! I love this series!!!
August 28, 2009
Great dark fantasy! Different takes on vampires, the fey and a lot of popular tropes in the urban/dark fantasy subgenre. And, for those of you not fond of lots of sex in their reading diet, there's lots of tension but nothing explicit.
October 16, 2014
There was a lot that I liked about this book. I liked the world - it was complex and interesting, and it seems like there's a lot of layers to how the supernatural works. There's a lot of potential to do fun stuff in this world.
There's also a lot that I didn't like about this book.
1 - The plot unfolded in a weirdly jumpy fashion for a book written in first person.
Genny leaped to some conclusions in the back third of the book that came out of nowhere ... nothing unfolded to lead her there, and so I felt like I didn't know what was going on. Generally, I don't expect for the hero to know so much more than the audience does when we're riding along on her thoughts and internal monologue. I would have tolerated it better if this was not first person - it's fine for the hero to surprise us - but even then, there'd need to be the explanation of how we got from A to Z.
2 - I didn't like any of the secondary cast.
Literally, none of them. From Finn, with his too-presumptuous douchebaggery , to his letting himself into her apartment and demanding information he had no right to. Frankly, Finn feels like he was playing this from a lot of different angles, and he was keeping a lot of secrets and playing Genny like a pawn.
Malik was also a dick, and the shadowy backstory was too shadowy for me to give much of a shit about whatever history was being alluded to. I don't like him, I don't trust him, and I don't want to see Genny do anything with him. I give no fucks about whatever mysterious "connection" they have. None at all.
Katie was a whiny, TSTL twit. Hugh lied to her when it suited him (though I did like Hugh, so maybe he shouldn't be on this list.. though I still don't really trust him). The cops were both inept and corrupt... including Curly-Hair who was practically a 2-dimensional, mustache-twirling villain. The witches all seemed to be outright evil - from the police captain chick to the boss who set her up to deal with the vampires in the first place... and then didn't defend her when it all went to shit... to the mysterious council and their high-and-mighty judgement.
This is a problem, because I'm unlikely to like any of the rest of the books in the series if I don't like the secondary cast. And I really don't. They run the range from imbeciles to hateful, and not a single one of them was redeemed by some action in the end... in fact, the last of them were ruined. It also undercuts Genny, because she allows herself to be treated poorly by this bunch of assclowns. I kept waiting for her to whip out some sidhe magic (given how many times we're told how powerful she is) and beat their asses for their constant dickery. But nope.
3 - The plot, as a whole, felt cheated.
This really points back to #1, but I wanted to highlight it a little. It wasn't just leaps of investigative logic that were short-changed. The big showdown at the end, I was ... I felt like I was running to catch up. There were people showing up that... what the fuck? Who is this person? How did they get here, and why? When did we get to the Thunderdome? What the fuck is happening right now? Odds, bets, what now?
We have to feel like we build up to the finale. It has to feel like a logical progression, so that it caps the book. This felt like ... and now, coming in out of left field, we have a trip to the Thunderdome where all our characters will battle it out to determine the conclusion of the book!! What the actual fuck?
4 - The weight of backstory was too heavy.
I actually looked this series up, about a third of the way in, to see if there was a book before this in the series, because there was... so much weight given to stuff with no explanation. I feel like the author was trying to avoid the info-dumping that generally happens in the first book of a series, but the end result is lots of confusion. I felt like I was swimming in a sea of half-formed elements, because I didn't know how to put pieces together. We were buried under threads of backstory elements that were only half-formed. We have piles of shadowy ideas of Terrible Things that happened in her past, but they're just wisps... impossible to grasp, understand, or put together to form the puzzle of her personality.
So that's where I'm at. I'm undecided about whether to read on... mostly because of issue 2. My severe dislike of everyone in the cast but Genny... it just can't possibly end well.
*shrug*
There's also a lot that I didn't like about this book.
1 - The plot unfolded in a weirdly jumpy fashion for a book written in first person.
Genny leaped to some conclusions in the back third of the book that came out of nowhere ... nothing unfolded to lead her there, and so I felt like I didn't know what was going on. Generally, I don't expect for the hero to know so much more than the audience does when we're riding along on her thoughts and internal monologue. I would have tolerated it better if this was not first person - it's fine for the hero to surprise us - but even then, there'd need to be the explanation of how we got from A to Z.
2 - I didn't like any of the secondary cast.
Literally, none of them. From Finn, with his too-presumptuous douchebaggery , to his letting himself into her apartment and demanding information he had no right to. Frankly, Finn feels like he was playing this from a lot of different angles, and he was keeping a lot of secrets and playing Genny like a pawn.
Malik was also a dick, and the shadowy backstory was too shadowy for me to give much of a shit about whatever history was being alluded to. I don't like him, I don't trust him, and I don't want to see Genny do anything with him. I give no fucks about whatever mysterious "connection" they have. None at all.
Katie was a whiny, TSTL twit. Hugh lied to her when it suited him (though I did like Hugh, so maybe he shouldn't be on this list.. though I still don't really trust him). The cops were both inept and corrupt... including Curly-Hair who was practically a 2-dimensional, mustache-twirling villain. The witches all seemed to be outright evil - from the police captain chick to the boss who set her up to deal with the vampires in the first place... and then didn't defend her when it all went to shit... to the mysterious council and their high-and-mighty judgement.
This is a problem, because I'm unlikely to like any of the rest of the books in the series if I don't like the secondary cast. And I really don't. They run the range from imbeciles to hateful, and not a single one of them was redeemed by some action in the end... in fact, the last of them were ruined. It also undercuts Genny, because she allows herself to be treated poorly by this bunch of assclowns. I kept waiting for her to whip out some sidhe magic (given how many times we're told how powerful she is) and beat their asses for their constant dickery. But nope.
3 - The plot, as a whole, felt cheated.
This really points back to #1, but I wanted to highlight it a little. It wasn't just leaps of investigative logic that were short-changed. The big showdown at the end, I was ... I felt like I was running to catch up. There were people showing up that... what the fuck? Who is this person? How did they get here, and why? When did we get to the Thunderdome? What the fuck is happening right now? Odds, bets, what now?
We have to feel like we build up to the finale. It has to feel like a logical progression, so that it caps the book. This felt like ... and now, coming in out of left field, we have a trip to the Thunderdome where all our characters will battle it out to determine the conclusion of the book!! What the actual fuck?
4 - The weight of backstory was too heavy.
I actually looked this series up, about a third of the way in, to see if there was a book before this in the series, because there was... so much weight given to stuff with no explanation. I feel like the author was trying to avoid the info-dumping that generally happens in the first book of a series, but the end result is lots of confusion. I felt like I was swimming in a sea of half-formed elements, because I didn't know how to put pieces together. We were buried under threads of backstory elements that were only half-formed. We have piles of shadowy ideas of Terrible Things that happened in her past, but they're just wisps... impossible to grasp, understand, or put together to form the puzzle of her personality.
So that's where I'm at. I'm undecided about whether to read on... mostly because of issue 2. My severe dislike of everyone in the cast but Genny... it just can't possibly end well.
*shrug*
July 20, 2016
This was another one of those books that left me confused as to what rating to give. I felt like there were some four and five star moments. I also felt like there were plenty of one and two star moments. So I'm left with three but somehow that just doesn't seem right.
In some aspects this was your typical UF cast of characters. Vampires, witches, fae, etc.. I did like the addition of the trolls. There seems to be a sad lack of troll coverage in today's urban fantasy. I'm kidding of course but I actually did like it that they were in there. Normally I hate the vampires. I have had my fill that's for sure. Surprisingly, I didn't mind them so much in this book. I guess it's because the way they were presented. Instead of being the heroes of supernatural society, misunderstood rather than truly nasty, as they are so often portrayed, the vampires in this series were quite varied. They are looked upon as glamorous by the not so intelligent members of the human race but that's all down to a really successful PR campaign one enterprising vampire master came up with. I felt like in the reality of the story, some were nasty and evil, some were okay and a few might have been good. Because of this I found them less cringeworthy as a whole and the differences between them made them interesting.
I liked the writing style, as far as sentence structure and word usage. I felt like there were some issues with editing here and there but nothing too distracting. I liked that the story was set in London but not written by an American author. It made me trust that the feel of the city and the mannerisms of the characters might have been more authentic this way.
The biggest problem I had with this book is that it was really convoluted and extremely confusing at times. There were certain scenes in which you think you are getting the whole story but you're really not. You don't find out about it until later though. For example: One scene follows Genny, the MC all throughout her day. You see her leave her apartment, you experience all of the events and the people she encounters throughout the day. You follow along with her until she gets back home again. Then the next day another character makes a comment about something that happened the night before. The result of the event he is describing makes no sense whatsoever in itself, but add to that I don't know what he's talking about because I don't even remember it happening anyway. The first time this happened, I was so confused I went back and reread an entire chapter, certain I must have skipped over something somehow, but no - that particular scene wasn't included and must have happened on the way home, etc.. This happened more than once. I didn't like it but I did get used to it. The next time I got confused, I just waited for the explanation that I knew would eventually be forthcoming. It was annoying though.
Some other things that I didn't like about this was that Genny seems to be universally hated and I didn't think there was sufficient reason for this. Also, where are all the rest of the Fae? It is mentioned that she's the only one of her kind in the city but it never mentions where in the world are the rest of them, or even if there are any more. It also felt like there were just too many times that Genny was pushed around by this witch or that vampire. It got old. I needed just a bit more ass-kicking to be satisfied. Where is the Mary Sue lead when you need her?
All in all, I think this was fairly interesting. It really had to be otherwise I would have put it down. It was just that confusing and really kind of an all over the place mess. I thought it took too long for all the plot threads to get tied together and more often than not, by the time it happened I had kind of forgotten what the issue was in the first place.
I do believe I will give the next book a chance. I have read reviews in which readers feel like the author greatly improves in her ability to tie the story together and I would like to see what happens with some of these characters.
In some aspects this was your typical UF cast of characters. Vampires, witches, fae, etc.. I did like the addition of the trolls. There seems to be a sad lack of troll coverage in today's urban fantasy. I'm kidding of course but I actually did like it that they were in there. Normally I hate the vampires. I have had my fill that's for sure. Surprisingly, I didn't mind them so much in this book. I guess it's because the way they were presented. Instead of being the heroes of supernatural society, misunderstood rather than truly nasty, as they are so often portrayed, the vampires in this series were quite varied. They are looked upon as glamorous by the not so intelligent members of the human race but that's all down to a really successful PR campaign one enterprising vampire master came up with. I felt like in the reality of the story, some were nasty and evil, some were okay and a few might have been good. Because of this I found them less cringeworthy as a whole and the differences between them made them interesting.
I liked the writing style, as far as sentence structure and word usage. I felt like there were some issues with editing here and there but nothing too distracting. I liked that the story was set in London but not written by an American author. It made me trust that the feel of the city and the mannerisms of the characters might have been more authentic this way.
The biggest problem I had with this book is that it was really convoluted and extremely confusing at times. There were certain scenes in which you think you are getting the whole story but you're really not. You don't find out about it until later though. For example: One scene follows Genny, the MC all throughout her day. You see her leave her apartment, you experience all of the events and the people she encounters throughout the day. You follow along with her until she gets back home again. Then the next day another character makes a comment about something that happened the night before. The result of the event he is describing makes no sense whatsoever in itself, but add to that I don't know what he's talking about because I don't even remember it happening anyway. The first time this happened, I was so confused I went back and reread an entire chapter, certain I must have skipped over something somehow, but no - that particular scene wasn't included and must have happened on the way home, etc.. This happened more than once. I didn't like it but I did get used to it. The next time I got confused, I just waited for the explanation that I knew would eventually be forthcoming. It was annoying though.
Some other things that I didn't like about this was that Genny seems to be universally hated and I didn't think there was sufficient reason for this. Also, where are all the rest of the Fae? It is mentioned that she's the only one of her kind in the city but it never mentions where in the world are the rest of them, or even if there are any more. It also felt like there were just too many times that Genny was pushed around by this witch or that vampire. It got old. I needed just a bit more ass-kicking to be satisfied. Where is the Mary Sue lead when you need her?
All in all, I think this was fairly interesting. It really had to be otherwise I would have put it down. It was just that confusing and really kind of an all over the place mess. I thought it took too long for all the plot threads to get tied together and more often than not, by the time it happened I had kind of forgotten what the issue was in the first place.
I do believe I will give the next book a chance. I have read reviews in which readers feel like the author greatly improves in her ability to tie the story together and I would like to see what happens with some of these characters.
August 27, 2010
3 1/2 stars
Sweet Scent of Blood is an edgy, mysterious and fast-paced story that will take you from 0 to 60 mph in the blink of an eye, so hold on to your knickers and get ready for the ride.
Genevieve “Genny” Taylor is the only sidhe living in London at a time when vampires, witches, goblins, trolls and other fae live openly among humans. Without a community of fellow sidhe, Genny is happy to have found a home with Spellcrackers.com and, given her ability to not only see, but also absorb various spells and magic, she is one of the most talented agents that Spellcrackers has to offer. When an old favor is called in, Genny must try to uncover whether a human girl was recently killed by magic or by the hand of her vampire boyfriend, Roberto “Mr. October” Hinkley. Genny discovers that the investigation has nothing to do with clearing Mr. October and saving the vampires from a scandal, but really centers around finding a mysterious, yet highly sought spell which might have been left of the girl’s body. The human authorities are shutting her out. Each of the four vampire clan “masters” is trying various forms of manipulation and threats to get Genny to retrieve the spell. And of course, Genny, who’s job forbids her from even interacting with vampires, is trying to stay alive, keep her job,…oh…and find this pesky spell to which she can’t even get close enough to actually see.
I recently made a foray into urban fantasy after ardently holding my “I <3 (heart) paranormal romance 4 life” sign and have been pleasantly surprised by books in this genre. The Sweet Scent of Blood is an interesting take on the typical paranormal creatures, but also includes an interesting spin with elements of murder-mystery. There were nice elements of sexual tension between Genny and her co-worker Finn and a tall, dark and handsome vamp Malik, who I’d personally let borrow my vein anytime. Speaking of blood, Ms. McLeod describes the entire drinking process so sensually and erotically, I had a few *fans self* moments. I am also a fan of books like this that are told from the first person perspective; I found Genny to be intelligent, mysterious and a bit comical.
While I enjoyed the fast-paced plot, I actually think this is the biggest challenge with the story. In the process of making things move quickly, I lost out on world-building that helps tie things together. At times, I was scratching my head trying to understand things and often flipped back to ensure I hadn’t accidently skipped some pages that linked what I was reading. It would have been helpful to have more color on the different vampires, trolls, witches, fae and other beings in the world. The sheer number of creatures and the sometimes cursory background made it difficult to distinguish what makes, for example, the vampires in this world different or more interesting than the vampires in the many other books out there. In this regard, parts of the story became slightly predictable.
The Sweet Scent of Blood is a good debut to the Spellcracker series. With a strong and charismatic heroine narrating her adventures and the potential for interesting storylines between Genny and other characters, particularly Malik, I’m interested to see where Ms. McLeod takes us.
Favorite Quote:
“Well, I really can’t say it was nice meeting you, and we certainly didn’t have fun. So please feel free to never call me.”
Sweet Scent of Blood is an edgy, mysterious and fast-paced story that will take you from 0 to 60 mph in the blink of an eye, so hold on to your knickers and get ready for the ride.
Genevieve “Genny” Taylor is the only sidhe living in London at a time when vampires, witches, goblins, trolls and other fae live openly among humans. Without a community of fellow sidhe, Genny is happy to have found a home with Spellcrackers.com and, given her ability to not only see, but also absorb various spells and magic, she is one of the most talented agents that Spellcrackers has to offer. When an old favor is called in, Genny must try to uncover whether a human girl was recently killed by magic or by the hand of her vampire boyfriend, Roberto “Mr. October” Hinkley. Genny discovers that the investigation has nothing to do with clearing Mr. October and saving the vampires from a scandal, but really centers around finding a mysterious, yet highly sought spell which might have been left of the girl’s body. The human authorities are shutting her out. Each of the four vampire clan “masters” is trying various forms of manipulation and threats to get Genny to retrieve the spell. And of course, Genny, who’s job forbids her from even interacting with vampires, is trying to stay alive, keep her job,…oh…and find this pesky spell to which she can’t even get close enough to actually see.
I recently made a foray into urban fantasy after ardently holding my “I <3 (heart) paranormal romance 4 life” sign and have been pleasantly surprised by books in this genre. The Sweet Scent of Blood is an interesting take on the typical paranormal creatures, but also includes an interesting spin with elements of murder-mystery. There were nice elements of sexual tension between Genny and her co-worker Finn and a tall, dark and handsome vamp Malik, who I’d personally let borrow my vein anytime. Speaking of blood, Ms. McLeod describes the entire drinking process so sensually and erotically, I had a few *fans self* moments. I am also a fan of books like this that are told from the first person perspective; I found Genny to be intelligent, mysterious and a bit comical.
While I enjoyed the fast-paced plot, I actually think this is the biggest challenge with the story. In the process of making things move quickly, I lost out on world-building that helps tie things together. At times, I was scratching my head trying to understand things and often flipped back to ensure I hadn’t accidently skipped some pages that linked what I was reading. It would have been helpful to have more color on the different vampires, trolls, witches, fae and other beings in the world. The sheer number of creatures and the sometimes cursory background made it difficult to distinguish what makes, for example, the vampires in this world different or more interesting than the vampires in the many other books out there. In this regard, parts of the story became slightly predictable.
The Sweet Scent of Blood is a good debut to the Spellcracker series. With a strong and charismatic heroine narrating her adventures and the potential for interesting storylines between Genny and other characters, particularly Malik, I’m interested to see where Ms. McLeod takes us.
Favorite Quote:
“Well, I really can’t say it was nice meeting you, and we certainly didn’t have fun. So please feel free to never call me.”
November 24, 2010
Originally posted at http://thespinecracker.blogspot.com/
When I finished the last page of The Sweet Scent of Blood I sat there for a few minutes staring at the back cover, still sifting through everything that just happened. Wow! You know how sometimes there are movies you just have to give your undivided attention to; no bathroom brakes or popcorn refills? This is the book counterpoint to that kind of story-telling. Suzanne McLeod brings new meaning to the phrase "a smart read."
Genevieve Taylor, our heroine, is cut from a different cloth. And when you read as much UF as I do, I fully appreciated the originality of her character. Genny is a sidhe, a court fae to be exact, but she has anomalies {which I can't tell you} that set her further apart from your run of the mill fae. Even though Genny is one-of-a-kind, a special creature among millions in London, that doesn't mean she's perfect. Actually, she can't perform spells used to train toddlers. I enjoyed looking inside a character that could do wrong for a change. There are still parts of Gen that are a complete mystery, and I suspect that over the course of the series the holes will fill. I will admit that I'm normally one of those readers that likes things rather buttoned up at the end, nice and tidy, but the way in which McLeod teases you with information has me intrigued not frustrated.
Actually all the characters introduced throughout the book are creative and well planned. Though admittedly, in the beginning I was a bit confused about all the character's relation to the story and consequently their relationship to our protag. Now, everything became straight in my head quickly enough, but when there are several rich characters demanding my attention I need a lot of reinforcement as to their possible purpose to the plot and I didn't get that here as much as I'm use to.
The world McLeod has created is so inventive I'd suspect we have a long running series in the makings; I can't imagine ever becoming bored with this new version of London. She's created so many new rules and believable truths that I wonder if McLeod actually resides in a fantasy version England where she can borrow from her everyday. Her plot is constant, and original, and slightly frustrating. {in a delicious sort of way...yes I'm using the word delicious} Much the way Sherlock Holmes keeps going and going and you're merely along for the ride, Mcleod {through Genny's POV} dangles the answers in front of you but keeps them just out of reach. It kept an exciting game of "what if" playing the entire story.
Bottom Line: I know that saying "A Whole New World" is a little Disney, but Mcleod's London is original, her characters are refreshing, and the plot is imaginative...so call me princess Jasmine.
When I finished the last page of The Sweet Scent of Blood I sat there for a few minutes staring at the back cover, still sifting through everything that just happened. Wow! You know how sometimes there are movies you just have to give your undivided attention to; no bathroom brakes or popcorn refills? This is the book counterpoint to that kind of story-telling. Suzanne McLeod brings new meaning to the phrase "a smart read."
Genevieve Taylor, our heroine, is cut from a different cloth. And when you read as much UF as I do, I fully appreciated the originality of her character. Genny is a sidhe, a court fae to be exact, but she has anomalies {which I can't tell you} that set her further apart from your run of the mill fae. Even though Genny is one-of-a-kind, a special creature among millions in London, that doesn't mean she's perfect. Actually, she can't perform spells used to train toddlers. I enjoyed looking inside a character that could do wrong for a change. There are still parts of Gen that are a complete mystery, and I suspect that over the course of the series the holes will fill. I will admit that I'm normally one of those readers that likes things rather buttoned up at the end, nice and tidy, but the way in which McLeod teases you with information has me intrigued not frustrated.
Actually all the characters introduced throughout the book are creative and well planned. Though admittedly, in the beginning I was a bit confused about all the character's relation to the story and consequently their relationship to our protag. Now, everything became straight in my head quickly enough, but when there are several rich characters demanding my attention I need a lot of reinforcement as to their possible purpose to the plot and I didn't get that here as much as I'm use to.
The world McLeod has created is so inventive I'd suspect we have a long running series in the makings; I can't imagine ever becoming bored with this new version of London. She's created so many new rules and believable truths that I wonder if McLeod actually resides in a fantasy version England where she can borrow from her everyday. Her plot is constant, and original, and slightly frustrating. {in a delicious sort of way...yes I'm using the word delicious} Much the way Sherlock Holmes keeps going and going and you're merely along for the ride, Mcleod {through Genny's POV} dangles the answers in front of you but keeps them just out of reach. It kept an exciting game of "what if" playing the entire story.
Bottom Line: I know that saying "A Whole New World" is a little Disney, but Mcleod's London is original, her characters are refreshing, and the plot is imaginative...so call me princess Jasmine.
July 27, 2010
(2.5 stars) Genevieve is the only sidhe fae in London and has a traumatic past involving vampires, which we readers learn about in flashbacks throughout the story. She works as a spellcracker, removing hexes from objects. There are two ways she can remove a spell. She can “crack” the spell, thereby destroying both the spell and the object, or she can absorb it into herself, which carries its own problems. As the story begins, a celebrity vampire stands accused of murdering his girlfriend, Melissa. The vampire’s father hires Genny to examine Melissa’s body for evidence of magic. His theory is that someone killed Melissa with a spell and then made it look like a vampire attack.
Or at least that’s the ostensible plot. As it happens, Genny never does examine Melissa’s body, instead becoming embroiled in a tangled power struggle among several powerful vampires. Any of them could be a suspect, and all of them crave the rare, tasty sidhe blood that runs in Gen’s veins.
The Sweet Scent of Blood has a promising beginning. Suzanne McLeod introduces several original concepts. One is her version of the vampire creation myth, which is unique and yet slots so neatly into classical mythology that it feels like it was always there. Another is the connection between magic and diet. If a witch eats too much salt, it blocks her powers, but eating sugar enhances them, to the point that many witches gain large amounts of weight trying to boost their abilities.
Unfortunately, it then devolves into a middle that is both sagging and extremely confusing. One (lengthy) scene in particular stands out, in which a huge number of just-introduced characters engage in a posturing contest using magic that isn’t clearly explained to the reader. Just trying to figure out what’s actually happening is hard enough. When trying to keep track of all the new characters at the same time, it becomes a huge headache. One is left with the feeling of having picked up book three by accident, rather than book one. In fact, I have started series in the middle and been less confused than I was by The Sweet Scent of Blood. I spent much of this book not knowing what was going on, or how Genny drew some of the conclusions she did.
Some — but not all — of the confusing elements are explained at the end. It was too little too late for me, though, and didn’t quite make up for the feeling of being lost for several hundred pages. Sadly, I cannot recommend The Sweet Scent of Blood.
This review originally published at Fantasy Literature
Or at least that’s the ostensible plot. As it happens, Genny never does examine Melissa’s body, instead becoming embroiled in a tangled power struggle among several powerful vampires. Any of them could be a suspect, and all of them crave the rare, tasty sidhe blood that runs in Gen’s veins.
The Sweet Scent of Blood has a promising beginning. Suzanne McLeod introduces several original concepts. One is her version of the vampire creation myth, which is unique and yet slots so neatly into classical mythology that it feels like it was always there. Another is the connection between magic and diet. If a witch eats too much salt, it blocks her powers, but eating sugar enhances them, to the point that many witches gain large amounts of weight trying to boost their abilities.
Unfortunately, it then devolves into a middle that is both sagging and extremely confusing. One (lengthy) scene in particular stands out, in which a huge number of just-introduced characters engage in a posturing contest using magic that isn’t clearly explained to the reader. Just trying to figure out what’s actually happening is hard enough. When trying to keep track of all the new characters at the same time, it becomes a huge headache. One is left with the feeling of having picked up book three by accident, rather than book one. In fact, I have started series in the middle and been less confused than I was by The Sweet Scent of Blood. I spent much of this book not knowing what was going on, or how Genny drew some of the conclusions she did.
Some — but not all — of the confusing elements are explained at the end. It was too little too late for me, though, and didn’t quite make up for the feeling of being lost for several hundred pages. Sadly, I cannot recommend The Sweet Scent of Blood.
This review originally published at Fantasy Literature
November 26, 2009
(First posted by me over at The Book Bundle
Since I’ve been re-reading it in preparation for the sequel, which comes out on July 16th, I just had to review this book. It’s been a while since I’d read it, and I’d forgotten how much I loved it.
‘The Sweet Scent of Blood’ is about a Sidhe fae called Genny Taylor, who lives in present day London, working at finding magic while trying to stay away from vampires - she knows from experience exactly how bad they can be.
From the website:
When Mr October, a sexy calendar pin-up vamp, is accused of murdering his girlfriend, an old debt is called in and Genny is forced to help prove his innocence, risking her job and the protection it offers – and threatening to expose her own dark secrets. Searching for the killer plunges Genny deep into the hidden heart of vampire society. It’s not long before she realises that she and Mr October are both unwitting pawns in a centuries-old power struggle between London’s non-human communities . . . and it’s not just her own neck that’s at stake, but the lives of all London’s supernaturals.
This book grabbed me straight away, and it wastes no time in getting to the action. By the end of the first chapter (which you can read on her website) I was totally hooked. Genny is a very interesting narrator, and as the book progresses, we learn more and more about her history with vampires, and get to meet some of her interesting friends.
There are so many things I love about this book. One of them has to be the characters. They are all so vivid and real, and there are a lot of hot, sexy vampires - which to me is always a plus. Then there’s the fact that you just don’t know who Genny can really trust.
The writing style was another thing I loved - it was just fantastic, not letting down those characters or the intricate plot. I’ll admit that the first time I read this, I was rushing through so quickly that I then had to go back and re-read the last few chapters to make sure I really knew what had happened. It’s one of those rare books where I think you can appreciate it even more with each subsequent reading.
Since I’ve been re-reading it in preparation for the sequel, which comes out on July 16th, I just had to review this book. It’s been a while since I’d read it, and I’d forgotten how much I loved it.
‘The Sweet Scent of Blood’ is about a Sidhe fae called Genny Taylor, who lives in present day London, working at finding magic while trying to stay away from vampires - she knows from experience exactly how bad they can be.
From the website:
When Mr October, a sexy calendar pin-up vamp, is accused of murdering his girlfriend, an old debt is called in and Genny is forced to help prove his innocence, risking her job and the protection it offers – and threatening to expose her own dark secrets. Searching for the killer plunges Genny deep into the hidden heart of vampire society. It’s not long before she realises that she and Mr October are both unwitting pawns in a centuries-old power struggle between London’s non-human communities . . . and it’s not just her own neck that’s at stake, but the lives of all London’s supernaturals.
This book grabbed me straight away, and it wastes no time in getting to the action. By the end of the first chapter (which you can read on her website) I was totally hooked. Genny is a very interesting narrator, and as the book progresses, we learn more and more about her history with vampires, and get to meet some of her interesting friends.
There are so many things I love about this book. One of them has to be the characters. They are all so vivid and real, and there are a lot of hot, sexy vampires - which to me is always a plus. Then there’s the fact that you just don’t know who Genny can really trust.
The writing style was another thing I loved - it was just fantastic, not letting down those characters or the intricate plot. I’ll admit that the first time I read this, I was rushing through so quickly that I then had to go back and re-read the last few chapters to make sure I really knew what had happened. It’s one of those rare books where I think you can appreciate it even more with each subsequent reading.
October 8, 2014
This was a bit of an odd reading experience. I felt confused throughout the book and am still not sure that I came out of it with a solid understanding of the world or the rules of magic and how all the supernatural species fit in with each other. That said, I still somehow ended up liking it.
I enjoyed the focus on the fae and Genevieve, London's only known sidhe fae, makes for a likeable heroine. I think there might be a love triangle on the horizon though which gives me pause. One of the potential suitors, Finn, is someone who already knows our heroine at the start of the book. I hate being cheated out of that all too crucial first meeting so when that happens the author really has to work hard to sell me on the chemistry. That didn't happen here as I didn't feel any heat between Finn, a satyr, and Genevieve. Love contestant #2 is Malik, an exotic and mysterious vampire. We do get the pleasure of his first meeting with Genevieve and there was enough chemistry there for me to be intrigued.
Set in an alternate, but modern, London, the story is populated with pretty much every supernatural creature there is. It's got vampires, trolls, goblins, satyrs, witches, brownies, kelpies. You name it, it's in there. It seems a bit ambitious and, again, I'm not sure that it was blended in all that seamlessly. However, despite the first book feeling a little all over the place I'm giving the second book a try. I should probably give this story a two star rating just because of the lack of clarity in the world building but a rating like that wouldn't accurately reflect how much I did end up enjoying it. Hopefully the magic rules and the world will feel a little less nebulous with more story under my belt.
I enjoyed the focus on the fae and Genevieve, London's only known sidhe fae, makes for a likeable heroine. I think there might be a love triangle on the horizon though which gives me pause. One of the potential suitors, Finn, is someone who already knows our heroine at the start of the book. I hate being cheated out of that all too crucial first meeting so when that happens the author really has to work hard to sell me on the chemistry. That didn't happen here as I didn't feel any heat between Finn, a satyr, and Genevieve. Love contestant #2 is Malik, an exotic and mysterious vampire. We do get the pleasure of his first meeting with Genevieve and there was enough chemistry there for me to be intrigued.
Set in an alternate, but modern, London, the story is populated with pretty much every supernatural creature there is. It's got vampires, trolls, goblins, satyrs, witches, brownies, kelpies. You name it, it's in there. It seems a bit ambitious and, again, I'm not sure that it was blended in all that seamlessly. However, despite the first book feeling a little all over the place I'm giving the second book a try. I should probably give this story a two star rating just because of the lack of clarity in the world building but a rating like that wouldn't accurately reflect how much I did end up enjoying it. Hopefully the magic rules and the world will feel a little less nebulous with more story under my belt.
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