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Spider's Bite (Elemental Assassin, #1)

Jennifer Estep

Start date: January 1, 2017

Finish date: January 31, 2017

Discussion: Challenges: What's the Rush

Why we're reading this: Part of our group series (re)read: Elemental Assassin …more
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Challenges: What's the Rush

* 2025 Series Read: K.N. Banet's "Jacky Leon"
By Steph , Serious series addict · 114 posts · 34 views

last updated Oct 23, 2025 08:25PM

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* YEAR-LONG CHALLENGES
By Steph , Serious series addict · 1 post · 389 views

last updated Aug 17, 2010 11:14PM

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What Members Thought

Sep 27, 2010 Thenia rated it liked it

Shelves: r-ab, reviewed, series, paranormal, 2013

This is the beginning of Gin, aka Spider's story, stone elemental and notorious assassin. She is doing one last job before retiring, when everything goes wrong. She is double-crossed, framed, her mentor is murdered and she needs to find who is behind everything before she and her closest friend are killed.

Enter Donovan Caine, one of the last honest detectives who also has it in for Spider for killing his partner and caught in the middle of the mess created. The two have to team up to find the p This is the beginning of Gin, aka Spider's story, stone elemental and notorious assassin. She is doing one last job before retiring, when everything goes wrong. She is double-crossed, framed, her mentor is murdered and she needs to find who is behind everything before she and her closest friend are killed.

Enter Donovan Caine, one of the last honest detectives who also has it in for Spider for killing his partner and caught in the middle of the mess created. The two have to team up to find the people behind everything, while they struggle with the intense attraction and the distrust they feel for one another. Where Donovan is moral and determined to do the right thing, Gin is cocky and on the opposite side of the law, making things complicated for the two of them.

In this dark world, elementals seem to be on the top of the power pyramid, with vampires, giants, dwarfs and humans of all shades possible framing them. Gin's past is still very much a mystery and there's quite a bit of foreshadowing for what's to follow.

A couple of things stood out to me while listening to the audiobook. One, the way Gin kept referring to the color of her eyes - "my grey eyes narrowed"- and the way she would enumerate the emotions she could read in the detective's eyes/face in a list - "desire, guilt, something-else".
First, I don't know about other people, but when I narrow my eyes, I don't usually think of their color. A mention of it in a description once would have been fine, but the number of repetitions combined with the first person narrative made it weird.
Second, I envy some people their eye-reading skills as it seems I'm woefully unskilled in that area and can only speculate. Some emotions might be easy to decipher, but being able to read whole lists like that after a few seconds of gazing into someone's eyes takes talent!

Irony aside, Gin is cocky, but also straightforward and pursues the poor guilt-ridden detective, while investigating who framed her and seeking revenge for her mentor's grisly murder. She does get a bit banged up in her escapades, despite her skills, but keeps on going.

Tentatively, I'll try the next book in the series, hoping that I'll like Gin a bit more and that we'll get some answers. Oh, also fewer repetitions would be nice. Maybe I'll avoid the audiobook as well, since listening to the story seems to have exacerbated Gin's cockiness. ...more

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Jan 15, 2017 Netanella rated it it was amazing

Shelves: urban-fantasy, chicks-who-kick-butt, 2017-january-reading-challenges

First line: My name is Gin, and I kill people.

Thank you, Ms. Estep, for writing this book. First one in, and I'm feeling very committed.

After a major reading slump that lasted almost half a year, I needed this book (and this series) like I need manna from heaven, a cold drink on a hot day, the extra oily cabana boys down in Key West. A long urban fantasy series with some serious characters, plot you can sink your teeth into, and rich world-building that leaves you wanting to explore more.

Last ...more

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Mar 04, 2011 Samantha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, happy-i-read

Gin Blanco is an assassin. She's a good assassin and takes after her trade-name, the Spider. Before retiring she decides to take the 'one last gig' and ends up in a heap of trouble.
I'm really glad I started this series. Gin is the kind of UF-ballsy heroine that I like to read. She does her job and tries to stay one step ahead of her ugly past, which doesn't seem to want to let her go. I admired that for the most part she keeps things real and honest, even if it's uncomfortable. She keeps her ow ...more

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Apr 29, 2010 Cindi Kelley rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2010-read

Very well written and keep me engrossed the whole time. I can't wait to read more about Gin. ...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Christal rated it really liked it

Shelves: assassins-spies-and-mercs, vampires, urban-fantasy, female-lead, magic, purchased-to-read

Spider's Bite was a really enjoyable story. Jennifer Estep has crafted a fascinating world filled with elemental power and I can't wait to learn more about it.

Gin Blanco was pretty badass. She talked tough, but had the skills to back it up. I loved seeing her in action. I hope we learn more about her family and what happened to her in future books. Mainly I just want to know why they were targeted.

Finn was a great partner for Gin. He was funny and snarky and just played so well off her. I also r ...more

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Nov 20, 2010 Deyara rated it really liked it

Liked the elemental magic, liked Finn and Gin, not that into the cop, but however. There was quite a lot of ground-work laying in this book, but thats to be expected in a book 1, hopefully book 2 picks up the pace. I want to know more about her family too.

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