110:7 Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep

Book 4 in the Elemental Assassins series.  Gin has given notice to Mab that the Spider is going to take her down so Mab has brought in the best assassin money can buy, an electric elemental named LaFleur.  LaFleur is charged to kill Bria (Gin's long lost baby sister), Gin, and to find and kill the Spider since Mab still has no clue that Gin and the Spider are one and the same.  Can Gin take her down first before LaFleur gets her or her sister?  And then there is the added complication of Owen Greyson who has made it clear that he wants a real relationship with Gin and accepts who she is, bloody knives and all.  Seems like dealing with him maybe harder than LaFleur.

Another page turner.  So much going on.  I think my only knock on these books is how much time is given to her self-doubts that she won't be strong enough this time.  I get that being cocky in that line of work tends to leave one dead but still, I don't think we need to hear it every few pages either.  Better balance would be good.  Otherwise, it continues to be an outstanding series.

Page count: 357p/2,628p ytd

110:6 Venom by Jennifer Estep

The third book in the Elemental Assassin series.  Jonah is looking for the person who murdered his son and Gin is at the top of his list so he enlists the help of his compatriot, Mab's top goon, Elliot to see if the truth can be beaten out of her.  Being a tough as nails assassin tho means she can take the licking when necessary.  But when it comes up later that Elliot is "interested" in Rosyln because he had to check her out to try and find the mysterious hooker who killed Jonah's son, Gin feels she has no choice but to help solve the not-so-little problem the giant represents.

Another total page turner.  There is just so much going on in these books that it's just about impossible to put them down as you just have to know what happens next.  So glad I have the next two waiting for me and the next one is coming out soon.  Not sure what I'm going to read after this tho as it's going to be a hard act to follow.

Page count: 389p/2,271p ytd

110:5 Web of Lies by Jennifer Estep

The 2nd book in the Elemental Assassin series.  Gin has retired following the death of her mentor Fletcher but when a girl walks into The Pork Pit asking for the Tin Man and someone takes a shot at her, well Gin just can't walk away from that...especially not when it turns out that the young lady is the granddaughter of an old friend of Fletcher's.  Well, heck, retirement had been boring Gin anyway.

Another fast paced book with tons going on.  Not content to have just one story going, there is the main story for that book but a couple of other storylines that you know are going to arch over several books.  I love things like that and I really enjoy this author's style of writing.  It was a little hard to get into at the very first but very quickly becomes an easy and very enjoyable read.

Page count: 400p/1,882p ytd

110:4 Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep

I'd been seeing this one on recommendation pages so had put it up on my wishlist waiting for the right opportunity to grab it.  Then a friend said I absolutely had to read it so I bumped it up on the wishlist and I got a couple for Hanukkah so that was all the incentive I needed to grab the rest and get started.

Can I just say how happy I am that I did?!  We'll get right past the fact that the main character and I share names (although her's is spelled wrong LOL) and move right into the fact that she's a kickass assassin but one with some morals.  It's an interesting mix.  Throw in that she's a stone elemental with some control over ice as well so we have magic using mixed in and while there are vampires, they aren't nearly the kind that we are generally familiar with and it's dwarves and giants rather than werewolves so far.  

A really fun read that totally gripped me and kept me until it was over and I'm so glad I have the next one on hand.  If you are a fan of the urban fantasy scene and enjoy a really strong female character, this is definitely a series for you.

Page count: 393p/1,482p ytd

110:3 Dead of Night by Jonathan Maberry

Yet another zombie novel, better than many others I'll grant.  It starts with the outbreak rather than survivors trying to deal with the aftermath.  We follow 2 cops who were first-responders on a call that turns out to be the site of infection so we go through them trying to figure out what is going on.  Another interesting touch is that the people who have been infected still feel and think but have zero control over there body and we occasionally get to hear the thoughts of the first person bitten, his helplessness as he is trapped in a body that doesn't obey his commands and hurts those he knows and his despair as he keeps narrowly missing being killed.  Not an aspect I've seen before as usually it's mindless zombies or occasionally they can think but they also have control over their body.  Otherwise, a pretty typical zombie story.  Enough excitement, plot, and character development to actually keep me interested.  Not enough to make me care if there is a sequel although it has been set-up for one.

Page count: 356p/1,089p ytd

110:2 Elfquest: The Discovery by Wendy & Richard Pini

It's amazing how this comic series never fails to grab hold of me and drag me into it and I lose all track of there being some other world until the story is told and I can come up for air.  This was no different.  Gods, the artwork is phenomenal as always and the story tight.  It seems I've missed some stuff between the last stuff I read and this so I need to go hunt it down because Suntop and Ember are now all grown and there are new cubs and OMG, Strongbow speaks!  When the heck did that happen?!

In all, a lovely installment to this most incredible of all comics.  Now to go see about tracking down some back stuff...

Page count: 128p/733p ytd

110:1 Naamah's Blessing by Jacqueline Carey

The last of the Naamah's trilogy.  Moirin and Bao have returned to Terre d'Ange as her destiny has led her but both know they have more oceans to cross before they are done.  While there, they have political intrigue to deal with and public perception to get on their side before Moirin can finally set-off to correct the wrong she was part of when she first came to Terre d'Ange as a naive young girl looking for her father.  New worlds await them across the sea but whether they can survive them is another matter.

Well, starting off the new year's reading with this one was definitely a good choice.  It ends the current trilogy and wraps up things with Moirin and Bao.  There could be more stories to tell there if she chooses but if she doesn't, that's okay too.  It's got a satisfying conclusion for that pair and told in Ms. Carey's beautiful style.

Page count: 605p/605p ytd