The Taste of Night (Signs of the Zodiac, #2) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jan 25, 2011 AH rated it really liked it

Shelves: sos-bookshelf-bingo, zzread-mar-2011, urban-fantasy, own

Imagine a world where comic book heroes walk amongst us fighting the age old battle of good vs. evil. In The Taste of Night, the battle is between the Light and Shadow forces, each divided into a corresponding sign of the Zodiac. Their actions are chronicled by two comic book writers who publish manuals for both the Light and the Shadow sides of the Zodiac.

Set in Las Vegas, the author built a world that is not out of the realm of possibility. Las Vegas provides a rich and colorful background, fu Imagine a world where comic book heroes walk amongst us fighting the age old battle of good vs. evil. In The Taste of Night, the battle is between the Light and Shadow forces, each divided into a corresponding sign of the Zodiac. Their actions are chronicled by two comic book writers who publish manuals for both the Light and the Shadow sides of the Zodiac.

Set in Las Vegas, the author built a world that is not out of the realm of possibility. Las Vegas provides a rich and colorful background, full of sounds, lights, and action. Also a comic book hero would probably not stand out in Vegas.

This book picks up right where the last one ended. Our heroine, Joanna Archer is masquerading as her dead sister Olivia Archer. (I shall now refer to Joanna as OJ). OJ is trying to reconcile her mixed heritage as both Shadow and Light. The Shadow leader wants OJ to join their side. The Light side does not really trust OJ, and do not tell her much. OJ also has a need for revenge. She is after her rapist Joaquim, a most slimy character. OJ becomes a bit of a loose canon, and both sides have difficulty with her.

Meanwhile, the Shadow side has released a plague on Las Vegas and people are dropping like flies. You’ve got to hand it to those Shadow agents, that was a very creative plague dispersal system.

OJ’s relationship with her step-father was often stormy when she was Joanna. As OJ, she shares a quiet father/daughter moment reminiscing about Joanna. I found it amazing that he could not tell that Olivia was really Joanna.

When OJ finally meets the Tulpa (head of Las Vegas’ Evil Central and her real father), I was surprised by the “loving” father role he took on. The Tulpa’s goal has always been to get OJ to join his side, and his methods were surprisingly pleasant. I loved the descriptions of the Tulpa. The author really has an interesting sense of humor.

There were a few things that bugged me. The Light side behaved a little unrealistically for me. They followed rules of engagement, did not cheat, and just acted a little too purely for my tastes. They did not trust OJ, nor did they tell her the full extent of her powers. OJ was also the only agent able to read both Light and Shadow manuals. Why not use that to your advantage? I found the leader of the Light side to be a wuss. I felt like he had no business being leader.

I enjoyed this book way more than the first. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to read it. (Thanks, Steph!) The action was literally non-stop. And, whoa! There were some really good bombshells revealed. I can’t wait to read the next book to find out what happened.

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Mar 07, 2011 Karyogini rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-on-2011

Oh wow. So this is more like your superhero type of UF... no vamps or werwolves so far. :) Nice to see this type of UF. I'm sure there are others out there that might be better. I'm sticking with this series first. I'm not particularly a fan of superheroes... they tend to get cheesy and dramatic.

I would actually give this book a 5 star but there were moments that I was "well duh. Didn't you figure out that yet?" But otherwise great twists and turns in the story. There are moments that it felt l ...more

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Jun 10, 2010 Wenj rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2010

This book had me gasping as secrets were revealed! Seriously, I should have seen it coming...I mean with any other book I would have, but that just speaks to how wonderful this book was. It has so many things happening you don't get a chance to analyze any of them. It springs from one emotion to the next and you're basically just along for the ride. And it appears that as the series kicks off it just keeps getting better and better!

I can't wait to get the next installment! ...more

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