Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning Reading Experience, August 8, 2011
Title Blood Rock
Author Anthony Francis
Tags series, paranormal, dakota frost, tattoos, magic, shapeshifters, vampires, graffiti
Rating ****1/2
This is the second in Francis' Skindancer series about magical tattoo artist Dakota Frost. The magic in the tattoos is literal. They can move, transfer from Dakota to someone else, and store and release magical energy. Frost Moon was an impressive debut, yet Blood Rock easily passes it as a truly unique and inventive novel. Dakota is called to a horrifying scene by the police. She arrives to find Revenance, a vampire she likes and respects, captured and attacked by magical graffiti. Dakota does her best to rescue him but he is killed. The situation quickly becomes a crisis when others - humans, vampires, and shapeshifters - are attacked. To stop the attacks Dakota must first figure out how the graffiti works. Being the police's main suspect is a hindrance, to say the least, and she also loses custody of her adopted teenage daughter, Cinnamon. Cinnamon is a weretiger and her school has just discovered she is a mathematical genius.
Blood Rock is one of the most fascinating reading experiences I've ever had, and I read a lot. It is rare one finds a truly unique plot. Ally that with compelling characters, a delving into the science behind magic, and the brilliant use of the Atlanta setting and you have a book with a stunning impact.
The only downside is a tendency to throw too much at the main character. Most humans would curl up into a fetal ball and whimper. I would also have recommended a different title. Since I read a lot of mysteries and a lot of paranormal fiction, I'm all too aware how many books have blood in the title, and that it makes it harder for a title to stand out. It is recommended you read Frost Moon first, which isn't a hardship as it is also a very good book.
Anthony Francis deserves to become a highly recognized author, and I hope that happens with the publication of Blood Rock. He is going to be in Atlanta in September 2011 for a talk at the Georgia Tech Library (which, full disclosure, I'm helping organize) and for DragonCon. Go see - he is an author to watch.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best Urban Fantasies around, August 23, 2011
In "Blood Rock", the second Dakota Frost novel, the title character is in trouble. Her home, Atlanta, is under attack by a magical graffiti artist with dubious goals and no morals. All over the city vampires, weres, and humans are being attacked by painted thorns and flames. The mundane police prove less than effective, and the body count continue to rise. As Dakota's life is disrupted more and more by the tagger, it becomes vital that she stop him before it's too late.
That's a rough plot outline, and looking back at it, doesn't sound too different from other urban fantasies. What makes "Blood Rock" stand out are the quality of writing, the original magical system, and the sheer urban feel twined through the novel. Francis' writing continues to be really solid overall, and shines when describing visuals such as Dakota's tatoos, Cinnamon's were-tiger features, and urban graffiti. He also does a great job balancing the vampires, weres and humans within society and the novel itself; many other urban fantasies conform too much to stereotype.
I'm a huge fan of the magic system he's come up with. It's cool, with magical tattoos being the protagonist's weapon of choice. Mechanically speaking, I like the concept that they operate somewhat like electrical circuits, just with different governing mathematics. Lastly, the magical system actually contributes to the urban feel. The only other author I can think of that does that (by using graffiti, funnily enough) is Haley in Mob Rules (Luna Books); Francis' magic is, I think, somewhat superior in that it isn't as powerful as Haley's, and so is more believable within the context of society, as well as allowing more of an importance in plot than overpowered smiting.
In general, Francis' novels have felt far more "urban" than other urban fantasies. His description of Atlanta allows even me (notoriously geographically clueless) to connect with the city's general layout. His characters run the gambit from hip, modern types, to counter-culture enviro-punks like Dakota. Overall, I think "Blood Rock" stands out, and strongly recommend it to those wanting to read a cool, original, well thought-out urban fantasy.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Even better than the first one!, August 15, 2011
This review is from: Blood Rock (Kindle Edition)
This is the sequel to Frost Moon. It's not essential to read Frost Moon first to understand the story, but it does make it more enjoyable.
Dakota Frost is back. She is trying to enroll her adapted were-tiger daughter, Cinnamin, in a good school when she gets called to a shocking scene. Her vampire friend Remy is caught in a grafitti tag which has come to life and is killing him. And he's not the first missing vampire. Pretty soon, the grafitti is all over Atlanta and killing weres and humans as well as vampires. And then, the fires start.
Dakota is trying to investigate when she suddenly becomes accused of setting the fires and of being the grafitti artist. After all, she does create magic tatoos. Social Services shows up to take Cinnamin away and her close friends start dying...
This is a complicated story with a number of subplots and very well done. I really like how Dakota remains a imperfect human who makes mistakes and doesn't always think first.
The magic theories are well thought out and fascinating. Highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
