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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
4.5 Stars, May 26, 2010
This review is from: Cheat the Grave (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)
I have a confession, I am a VPeep, yes that's right. I am a Vicki Pettersson fangirl. It's partly because she is a Vegas girl and I love that connection in her stories, but also because she writes dark urban fantasy and I love it. She isn't afraid to torture her characters or break the rules for the sake of the story. The last book in the series was shocking and turned the series upside down on its head. The main character, Joanna, was forever changed to the point that many thought the series was over with.. Yet, the series isn't over and Pettersson returns to torture us, and Joanna, in the fifth installment of the Signs of the Zodiac series, Cheat the Grave.
The Signs of the Zodiac series feature not vampires, or werewolves, or any other typical supernatural character.... but instead modern super heroes. The world is made up of Agents of Light and Shadow, battling to keep the world balanced with the events being recorded in comic books, known to the agents as manuals. Our main protagonist is Joanna, an Agent of Light, mostly. Her mother was Zoe Archer, the Sagitarrius Agent of Light while her father was the Tulpa, the evil genius in control of the Shadow Agents in Las Vegas.
Joanna Archer is tough, hard, bitter, angry, battle worn, and alone. Abandoned by her mother and practically disowned by her assumed father, she started off this series all of these things and more. When I read the first book I wondered where she could possibly go from there? Over the last 4 books she has found companionship and family through her troop and some unexpectedly inherited friends and family. She has been trained to be a deadly weapon, but she has also softened in her judgment and acceptance of those around her. She lets people into her life and get to know her and becomes a better character because of it. Yet letting people in often means getting hurt, and Joanna is no exception. Her troop has abandoned her, her lover betrayed her....she is once again alone and wondering what she has left to live for.
Cheat the Grave gives us a rare look at our super heroine weak and vulnerable. Joanna is wallowing in self pity and unsure of where she belongs. This part of the book was the hardest part for me to read, I didn't enjoy it but I know it was necessary and real. I wanted to smack Jo upside the head and tell her to snap out of it - she was a tough kick ass chick, not some mopey do nothing! As a side effect, this section was the slowest for me to read and I found myself wishing things were moving a bit faster.
Things picked up and the story shined for me as new characters were introduced to Joanna's world. Cast out of the Light and not willing to be Shadow, Jo is looking for some place to belong. Rogue agents, independents no longer light or shadow, make themselves known to her and she is forced to question her beliefs about light and dark. Can there be Gray and is she willing to be part of it? The Gray Agents are all interesting characters that will make you smile, Carlos especially. Even Zoe Archer makes an appearance, and man she kicks some serious ass.
Cheat the Grave teases us mercilessly through Jo and Hunter's relationship, bringing to light new facts and background information. The connection between the two is as strong as ever and a I can't wait to see what is in store in book 6. The end of this one left me with hope for them, but Vicki Pettersson is known for taking that hope and stomping on it while laughing maniacally.
In the end, Cheat the Grave is another great installment in the series, featuring a few "oh my god no way" moments you don't want to miss. It may have been a bit slow moving at times but the story telling and world building more than make up for it. Joanna Archer is at her limits and this book just pushes her harder, asking what will she do? What is she really made of? In this gritty dirty urban fantasy there are no happy endings, but if you are looking for great story telling and riveting character growth, this one is for you.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book of the series yet!, May 27, 2010
This review is from: Cheat the Grave (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)
I'll keep this short and light to avoid any spoilers... and leave the other reviews already here to handle the summary of this book, and merely just add my two cents on why this is, hands down, the best series ever.
book 5 is exceptional, and the best so far. i usually find, that with time, a series can become a tad stagnant. and although you love the characters you're following year after year, sometimes they can become a bit irritating because there often isn't any growth, and the story lines can seem a bit recycled. Vicki has the most original story i have had the pleasure of reading. you are doing yourself a disservice by not picking up all 5 books at once (trust me, you'll be THAT pissed off at yourself for having to waste precious time to stop at a book store again to pick up what you left behind... i did that after i started book 1 last year). every book gets better, and like i read in an early review, this is a real game changer.
i rated this book 5 stars because it's just the best of everything: writing, plot, character development, etc.
if you're new to the series, please start at book 1. if you've already read through 1-4, you gotta pick up 5. eagerly awaiting book 6... and by eagerly, i mean agonizing over the many months we have to wait for it.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sensational new outlook..., May 27, 2010
This review is from: Cheat the Grave (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 5) (Mass Market Paperback)
Cheat the Grave is stellar addition to one of the most unique, ambitious and vivid urban fantasy series on the market.
Following the portent by trying to avoid it; "Fifth Sign: the Shadow binding with the Light," Joanna Archer discovers what happens when you blend light and shadow to create a new, more balanced reality in shades of grey. Masks are stripped away. Agents shift alliances and grandstand for relevance and there is a new cast of characters including an exceptional individual with wholly unique powers and purpose the like of which I don't think has been seen before.
Cheat the Grave is the most philosophical installment in the series and perhaps that is part of the reason I found it so satisfying because it afforded readers the chance to truly weigh and consider all of the elements that have brought Joanna to this point. One of the mantras in Cheat the Grave is "Losses aren't bad things in themselves. Not as long as you remain open to new sensation." For much of her life Joanna has been a survivor, shaped by events and the choices of others - in the past, the answer for Joanna would have been live up to the destiny that others say is her raison d' etre but now her fate is clearly driven by her own free will and in making this choice, we have a heroine whose power springs from the well of free choice and Joanne owns it all.
Readers should know that there are elements in this installment that link back to Zoe Archer's short story The Harvest which was published in the anthology Holidays are Hell. While the events in that short story are not absolute required reading to follow some of the developments in Cheat the Grave, they do enhance the content and I strongly recommend reading it as a supplemental to contextualize and add dimension.
Vicki Pettersson's writing continues to evolve and impress me by the scope in which she is constructing this series; it is nothing short of epic and her writing is subtly elegant and focused in the delivery. This is a rare balance and much of what makes the Zodiac series such a compelling read.
The only thing missing in this installment was a trip to the Master Comics. The story didn't really lend itself for Jo to stop in and catch-up with the gang at the shop but I did miss them. Hopefully Jo will take a visit to Master Comics in the next installment in the series.
Cheat the Grave is a rich and wonderfully satisfying addition to the Signs of the Zodiac series... in fact, I think it's the best installment yet in a series that continues to evolve and challenge.
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