Helpful Score: 12
The back of the book hooked me into buying this book. The premise of the story is there is a veil that leads to a prison where demons and worse things have been hidden from our world. And there is only one hunter. One per generation ala Buffy. Max is dark to Buffy's light however. The tattoo's are really interesting and a great addtion to the story. They come alive and protect her.
However I must say that the story itself falls flat. I felt like I was either struggling to understand some secret vocabulary or I was bored and really didn't care. There are too many people/things doing mysterious things for mysterious reasons. And none of it really gets resolved in the end. It felt like a prequel novel to a more complete book. I will get the next one to see if it's better fleshed out since the idea of the book was so great.
On the whole though I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
However I must say that the story itself falls flat. I felt like I was either struggling to understand some secret vocabulary or I was bored and really didn't care. There are too many people/things doing mysterious things for mysterious reasons. And none of it really gets resolved in the end. It felt like a prequel novel to a more complete book. I will get the next one to see if it's better fleshed out since the idea of the book was so great.
On the whole though I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
Helpful Score: 9
First off... This is not the first in this series...that is why so many readers felt lost. The first story from this series is in an anthology called "Wild Things." You must read this story first and you will fully understand the The Iron Hunt.
Now....I completely agree with Linda C. This book was fabulous. It was refreshing and had a completely different feel to it than most of the books that I have read in the paranormal genre. It is very different from Liu's Dirk and Steele series. I can't wait to read the second book! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!
Now....I completely agree with Linda C. This book was fabulous. It was refreshing and had a completely different feel to it than most of the books that I have read in the paranormal genre. It is very different from Liu's Dirk and Steele series. I can't wait to read the second book! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!
"Silver smoke winds around my torso, peeling away from my ribs and back, stealing the dark mist covering my hands and lower extremities...tattos dissolving into demon flesh, coalescing into small dark bodies. My boys. The only friends I have in this world. Demons.
"I am a demon hunter. I am a demon. I am Hunter Kiss."
If you are looking for a soppy supernatural romance with a bitchy heroine and a alpha male love interest don't get this book! You, like some of the other reviewers, will be dissapointed.
This one took my breath away. The first person viewpoint is intense and startling. It's IS a little confusing, but it's meant to be. The reader must put the pieces together just like the heroine does. And this is no swooning heroine. She's not looking for a prince charming. She's got the world on her shoulders and demons at her back and she knows she'll win simply because she must. The description of the demons and other supernatural characters are guttural and poetic. Think more Dante's Inferno than Anita Blake.
If you're tired of bland prose and want something more etheral, more guttural. If you're tired of flighty heroines whose only determined quest is to sleep around. And if you're tired of heros who are full of the same annoying, macho blandness then you will like this book.
"I am a demon hunter. I am a demon. I am Hunter Kiss."
If you are looking for a soppy supernatural romance with a bitchy heroine and a alpha male love interest don't get this book! You, like some of the other reviewers, will be dissapointed.
This one took my breath away. The first person viewpoint is intense and startling. It's IS a little confusing, but it's meant to be. The reader must put the pieces together just like the heroine does. And this is no swooning heroine. She's not looking for a prince charming. She's got the world on her shoulders and demons at her back and she knows she'll win simply because she must. The description of the demons and other supernatural characters are guttural and poetic. Think more Dante's Inferno than Anita Blake.
If you're tired of bland prose and want something more etheral, more guttural. If you're tired of flighty heroines whose only determined quest is to sleep around. And if you're tired of heros who are full of the same annoying, macho blandness then you will like this book.
Helpful Score: 4
I REALLY enjoyed this book, however it is very unusual and I highly recommend reading the prequel short story, which is in the "Wild Things" anthology. It sets up her relationship with her boyfriend (which is kind of distant in this book) and gives more background. There's no real romance in this, it's a pretty pure, dark urban fantasy that was fantastic. The set-up was very unique, and the dark world really pulled me in. I can't wait for the next book in this series!
Helpful Score: 2
Liu has created an incredible world with this book. It is sometimes frustrating to be reading from the heroine's point of view because there is so much information she doesn't have and we don't know what's going on either! I have high hopes that some things will clear up in book two. After I read this book (Book One) I found out there is a prequel in the Wild Thing anthology. Perhaps more would have made sense if I had started there. There is so much in this created world - good (?) demons, allusions to fairy tales and ancient civilizations, beings that look human but aren't, not to mention her tattoos that protect her!
