Helpful Score: 1
This is the 7th book in the Elemental Assassin series; the 8th book (Deadly Sting) is scheduled for an April 2013 release. This was an excellent continuation of the series and starts up a new story thread featuring a wonderful new elemental baddie.
Owens old flame, Salina, shows up in town to cause problems and people in the underworld are mysteriously turning up missing. Could the two be linked? Gin has to find out because her own life is at risk. But will taking on Owens old girlfriend and forcing him to confront her cruelty tear Gin and Owen apart?
Excellent addition to this series. Gin has matured so much as a character. She deals with things in a much more emotionally mature way than in earlier books in the series and you can see shes really grown a lot as a character. Gin is getting to the point where her and Bria are coming to an understanding as well and it is so great to see Gin getting some stability in her life.
Owen does some things in this book that are frustrating, but at the same time I can understand how tough the situation is for him as well. There are points in this book where you will want to smack Owen for his stubbornness. Gin handles things nicely and its great to see that she has so much support from her sister Bria as well. We do get to learn a lot more about Owens past and that was excellent.
Salina makes for a wonderfully evil baddie. She is a bit too close to being a copy of Mab for me, but she differs in enough ways that it kept the story interesting. I loved that she used Elemental water magic; it is something different than weve seen in previous books.
The action scenes were spectacular, like normal. The book had just the right amount of recapping (previous books have been too heavy on recapping) and also had great pacing. The book was a fun read and the writing style was easy to read.
The storyline for this book was pretty contained. There are hints of a bigger storyline coming in future books. I am curious to see if Estep starts another big over-arcing story (like the Mab one) or sticks with more contained mysteries like this one.
Overall a really great addition to this series. I love where Gin is going as a character and how much she has matured. The action scenes are spectacular and the pacing is great; the story is incredibly engaging. There are times where I wanted to smack Owen for being so dense, but it was wonderful to get to learn more about his past. This whole series is highly recommended to those who love action-packed urban fantasy.
Owens old flame, Salina, shows up in town to cause problems and people in the underworld are mysteriously turning up missing. Could the two be linked? Gin has to find out because her own life is at risk. But will taking on Owens old girlfriend and forcing him to confront her cruelty tear Gin and Owen apart?
Excellent addition to this series. Gin has matured so much as a character. She deals with things in a much more emotionally mature way than in earlier books in the series and you can see shes really grown a lot as a character. Gin is getting to the point where her and Bria are coming to an understanding as well and it is so great to see Gin getting some stability in her life.
Owen does some things in this book that are frustrating, but at the same time I can understand how tough the situation is for him as well. There are points in this book where you will want to smack Owen for his stubbornness. Gin handles things nicely and its great to see that she has so much support from her sister Bria as well. We do get to learn a lot more about Owens past and that was excellent.
Salina makes for a wonderfully evil baddie. She is a bit too close to being a copy of Mab for me, but she differs in enough ways that it kept the story interesting. I loved that she used Elemental water magic; it is something different than weve seen in previous books.
The action scenes were spectacular, like normal. The book had just the right amount of recapping (previous books have been too heavy on recapping) and also had great pacing. The book was a fun read and the writing style was easy to read.
The storyline for this book was pretty contained. There are hints of a bigger storyline coming in future books. I am curious to see if Estep starts another big over-arcing story (like the Mab one) or sticks with more contained mysteries like this one.
Overall a really great addition to this series. I love where Gin is going as a character and how much she has matured. The action scenes are spectacular and the pacing is great; the story is incredibly engaging. There are times where I wanted to smack Owen for being so dense, but it was wonderful to get to learn more about his past. This whole series is highly recommended to those who love action-packed urban fantasy.
Helpful Score: 1
Things seem to be okay for Gin lately now that Mab Monroe is dead. She still has a few assassins silent gunning for her but for the most part things are pretty dang good for her. Owen and she are going strong and steady. But as we all know, Gins life can never be simpleenter Owens drop-dead gorgeous and extremely dangerous ex-girlfriend Salina, a water elemental. Salina has an agenda of her own and it involves getting Owen back along with killing a whole lot of people who have wronged her, especially Kincaid. Owens past is revealed and it has deep connections with Kincaid. Kincaid really comes to the forefront in Esteps seventh installment and as a reader we are not sure if he is friend or foe. As the roller coaster progresses we find that Owen is very conflicted when it comes to Salina and at times I really wanted to throw my book at the wall in frustration. For Gin it is an no brainer..kill the bitch! But unfortunately she has to consider Owens feeling and it is quite obvious he is not going to just let Gin kill Salina. Once Kincaid tells Gin the true story of what happened many years ago and how Salina came to be exiled, Gin must figure out a way to convince Owen that his saintly Salina is bad to the bone and has to be stopped, one way or another.
As a devoted fan, Estep did not let me down. Estep is not afraid of throwing kinks into the story that will have the reader hurting but you know it is for the good of the storyline. Gin of course has evolved as a character and now we are seeing the chinks in her armor. Jealousy is a new feeling for her and even some fear is starting to show. The traits that I loved about Owen, loyalty and honor, backfire because he feels that way towards Salina too, causing a rift between him and Gin. I am hanging on for this ride because I know Estep has a reason to take her readers on another tortuous path with Gin so I will be waiting anxiously for the next installment!
(ARC was received from author for an honest review)
As a devoted fan, Estep did not let me down. Estep is not afraid of throwing kinks into the story that will have the reader hurting but you know it is for the good of the storyline. Gin of course has evolved as a character and now we are seeing the chinks in her armor. Jealousy is a new feeling for her and even some fear is starting to show. The traits that I loved about Owen, loyalty and honor, backfire because he feels that way towards Salina too, causing a rift between him and Gin. I am hanging on for this ride because I know Estep has a reason to take her readers on another tortuous path with Gin so I will be waiting anxiously for the next installment!
(ARC was received from author for an honest review)
Helpful Score: 1
I thought this book was one of the better books in the series. Gave you a lot back ground information on Owen and Eva and help to really build their characters. Really good plot and well paced. Cooper was a very interesting character that was introduced. I hope he shows up in more books. Can't wait for the next book.
Helpful Score: 1
Gin Blanco meets a very deadly enemy in Salina Dubois. Some romantic intrigue and a lot of mystery and subterfuge. Gin is as pretty and calulating as always, but this has to be one of Estep's better books to date. You'll love it.
I keep expecting the next story to be boring, because a series often starts to flounder after five or more books. But not the Elemental Assassin series. Estep remains writing strong, interesting, and engaging stories. Looking forward to the next in the series!
