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76 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Upper Echelon Urban Fantasy...With Some Issues, March 23, 2010
You ever notice that some authors write decent stories that aren't very polished, and some authors write excellent stories that are? J.A. Saare falls somewhere in between in this debut of the Rhiannon's Law series. Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between is an EXCELLENT story - and that makes reviewing it particularly difficult for me, because - rightly or wrongly - I tend to be a harsher critic of stories and authors that I believe are top notch. And this one is. Lets start with the good - and there's a bunch of good here. Rhiannon Murphy is a reluctant necromancer who hasn't had any training. She sees dead people and certainly doesn't particularly like what she sees. A bartender and pool shark by trade, she's unabashed about her lack of formal education and her willingness to throw a punch or excise a problem with that wicked mouth of hers. She's tough, ballsy, crude...and her past is horrifying to the extreme. She's a mile of bad attitude wrapped around a kernel of innocence and light and the dichotomy in her personality is ultimately refreshing and extremely interesting. I liked just about everything about her...even when I wanted to strangle her. And I love that Saare gave her a legitimate backstory that explains exactly why she is like she is. That's rare. I love even more that we see true growth of the character through the progression of the book - and that growth is VERY organic to the story line and character. VERY well done. Disco, the vampire who goes to Rhiannon for help with a problem of missing vampires, is quite possibly my favorite male protagonist in any of the urban fantasy series I'm currently reading. If he's not THE favorite, he's definitely in the top three. I don't know what it is about him really, but something about how he is as a character, and how the relationship with Rhiannon evolves, just totally worked for me. If I had any complaint about him, it would be that he was more of a secondary character than a true co-star. As the series is obviously Rhiannon's, I guess that makes sense, but I'd have really enjoyed had he had more of a role, like Val in the Jazz Parks series by Jennifer Rardin, or Bones in the Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. Those are different types of urban fantasy, I know, but hey, I'm just telling you what I would've preferred, because I enjoyed Disco so much. The name didn't fit him though. I'll admit that. His nickname conflicted with his dialogue a bit. His real name is Gabriel and he speaks FAR more like a Gabriel - and a vampire that was born in 1837 as a human - than a 'Disco', but there's backstory to explain the name (eventually) so I can't really complain about it. The other secondary and ancillary characters were also extremely well written and fully formed - from the very vanilla Ethan (Goose), the necromancer who's not nearly as strong but is far better trained than Rhiannon, to the other members of Disco's family (Paine was an interesting and favorite secondary character), to even members of Joseph's family (like his necromancer), the book was well populated with three dimensional and very real-feeling characters that I enjoyed (or who horrified me, as the bad guys were JUST as well done). I'd definitely say that the strength of this particular book rests on all their shoulders, though the story itself was by no means a slouch. Unfortunately, there were some issues, and you may have noticed that while I just gushed about the characters and story, I rated the book three stars. I'll admit, part of that is because I think this book is in that upper echelon of urban fantasy and I expect more from it than I would from some other authors, and part of it is because this book contains one of my all time pet peeves. It ends with a cliffhanger. I can't express how much I hate that. If I know going in that a book isn't an encapsulated novel, I can deal with it. Karen Marie Moning's Fever series springs immediately to mind in that regard. I started that series late, three books published and the fourth included before I reached the end of the third, and I knew going in that it is really one very impressive and monsterously huge story broken up into five parts. I was prepared. I wasn't prepared here, and I think readers should be aware - without giving spoilers - that Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between ends with a cliffhanger, and I wanted to toss my Kindle out the window when I reached it. I know there's a second book in the works, titled The Renfield Syndrome, but I have NO idea what the expected release date on that is, and I went to the author's website and blog to try to find out. I wasn't successful. So if you're like me and hate cliffhangers, this might pose a problem. On the bright side, the main plot of this book WAS wrapped up by the end. But that just ticked me off more, because the author COULD have left it wrapped up and provided a sneak peak of The Renfield Syndrome that included the last chapter of Dead and I would've been perfectly content (did I mention how much I LOATHE cliffhangers?). It makes me feel obligated to buy the next book, and frankly, Dead was good enough that I would've anyway. I just resent that feeling of obligation. The other issues I had with the book were story-related. I found the beginning to be a bit confusing and muddled, and I felt sort of dropped into Rhiannon's head without any signposts to mark the way. There were several things that read like random mentionings of past occurrences that were explained further in, but while reading it had me scratching my head a bit. And it did take me a little while to translate Rhiannon's speech and thought patterns because of that. Just about everything while she was in the bar had me a bit off kilter, but once the story progressed beyond that, it really gelled nicely and either I started to really understand Rhiannon or enough had been explained in retrospect that everything fell together. There was one other scene in particular that didn't work for me at all given what the author had set up about the character, the scene in which the reader finds out about Rhiannon's past. Rhiannon had said she NEVER spoke of it to ANYONE and she was absolutely vehement about it, and so the manner in which it came out and the person it came out to struck me as odd. It's a brutal, horrifying backstory that broke my heart, so I wish it had been revealed in a way that didn't feel like the author had to explain it some way, so that's the way she chose, regardless of her main character's definition. Because that's how I felt after reading it. There were a couple of other issues I had, but they are small and the sum of them is more significant than the detail of them. All in all, this is an excellent, solid urban fantasy that I would've absolutely rated four stars - if it weren't for that damned cliffhanger. So keep in mind, I really liked the book. I plan on word-of-mouthing it to as many people as I know who enjoy good urban fantasy. I just plan on mentioning the cliffhanger...as I set up to troll Saare's website for any information on the release of the second book in the series. I'll definitely be reading it.
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39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Amazing Urban Fantasy!, February 26, 2010
Why do I love Dead, Undead or Somewhere in Between? Let me count the reasons. First of all, there's Rhiannon. She's a smart, kick ass chick who doesn't take any guff from anyone. She can take care of herself, and that's really saying a lot since she sees dead people. She's capable and smart and the kind of girl you'd want to stand back to back with in a fight. Her loyalty, once earned, is to the death. She fights a lot of enemies in Dead, both internal and external, but she always goes down swinging. I can't wait to see what the future holds for her. Next, there's Disco, a badass vampire who could take you out with nary more than the narrowing of his gorgeous eyes and some well-placed thoughts. Strong and powerful, but never cliched, he's the kind of hero every story needs. He's sexy and protective and deadly. Need I say more? Then there's the twists of Ms. Saare's paranormal world. I love vampires, but let's face it, they've been done to undeath. Ms. Saare manages to make her world fresh and new and completely unlike any story I've read before. Her characters leap off the page - fangs bared, in some cases, but in a striking, vibrant way that will leave you clamoring for more. Her level of detail is unsurpassed. One of the things I love about this author's work is her ability to craft scenes that linger in a reader's mind long after they reach "The End." That's especially true here. Her writing sweeps you away. You ache with her characters, you fear for them, you rejoice with them - and in so doing, sometimes you forget to do essential things like eat and sleep. ;) Finally, there's the action! It never stops, and you never get a chance to relax. There is romance here, but make no mistake, this is gritty urban fantasy at its finest. Dead is a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish, and around every turn comes the unexpected. I can honestly say this book took me places I did not expect to go, and I loved every minute of the trip. Since this is book one of a series, I know there's more to come. And luckily, I can always read - and reread - while I wait.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent addition to the Urban Fantasy Genre..., April 23, 2010
This review is from: Dead, Undead, or Somewhere in Between (Paperback)
PJVs QUICKIE POV: I approached this novel with trepidation, I really don't even know why, probably because I couldn't nail it down, categorize it in a pretty little box. Some touted it as Urban Fantasy, some as PNR I even got a few snips from another blog with it as erotica. So what to do? I like my genre boxes, which is so odd for me, since I was told over and over in design school "Think Outside The Box!" But what is wrong with a bit of organization? I think I'm rambling. Back to the book. So confusion led to it sitting on my shelf for a month or two...until I couldn't take it anymore, picked up the book, and then I was stuck. To put it in perspective, I grabbed it for my cereal book (the one I read while I'm brushing my teeth and then eating my cereal before I leave for work). I was on page 15 by the time the clock read 6:31 which was the warning to me that said "Get to Work" but I didn't want to go to work, I wanted to keep reading! I was hooked from page one. Now it is my turn to categorize this: This has to be one of the best Urban Fantasy books to come out of an ePublishing house that I have read so far. And I can't help but imagine the potential this book has if a good editor got their hands on it. Great job Mrs. Saare, can't wait for the next one. REVIEW: Rhiannon, like all of my fav Urban Fantasy chicks is kick ass, curses like a sailor, brings grown men to their knees with her sharp insults and might be a tad bit on the unhinged side of the crazy line. Did I mention she also sees ghosts? Not your happy little translucent ghosts either, we are talking, mangled, chest cavity exposed, missing limbs - what you looked like on the slab kind of dead people. Yum. Rhiannon is my kind of chick. While slinging drinks in a New York strip club, Rhiannon is approached by a vampire, who goes by the name Disco (hee hee). Disco needs help from a ghost seeing girl like Rhiannon and he isn't taking no for an answer. Before Rhiannon can say "Go to Hell", Disco has her running around the city looking for some lunatic that enjoys cutting up vampires and taking their hearts. Not to mention he drags her into a snakes nest of vampire politics and a world she has been shying away form, but is very much a part of: Necromancy. A knee-jerking, action, adventure of the fanged variety, Dead, Undead is a great addition to your Urban Fantasy TBR. Pick this one up, you will not be disappointed. What I liked about this novel: Saare approached your garden variety UF subjects with finesse. She took characters that were very stereo-typically UF/PNR and made them different and very entertaining. I liked her approach. Like all damaged characters, Rhiannon was in a seriously bad mental place when Dead, Undead opens. This is also a typical UF trait in their main female characters. For example, Anita Blake and her hate. Mercy Thomas and her abandonment. Sookie Stackhouse and her being treated as a pariah. Well for Rhiannon her past is a childhood of abuse. Saare approached this from straight on, holding back nothing when it came to her character, we know she is broken, she knows she is broken, but like all good novels, their is progression. Usually in these books there is a break, whether internal or external. Saare handled Rhiannon's break with a subtlety that impressed me, she didn't take the easy way out and this gives me great anticipation for what will come next in her later novels. The characters were well done with a level of emotion that you don't normally see in these kinds of novels. Saare tackled some very hard subjects in this book, and instead of being turned off I was very empathetic. Rhiannon was hard where I expected her to be hard, and soft when it was needed. She was a very well rounded character. Then the ending...oh my do I want more. I ended this book with WTH? And I need more like now! What I didn't like about this novel: My one hang up on this novel was that there were a lot of elements that are used in many of the popular vamp series. This happens a lot, there is only so many ways you can write vamp novels, but I guess they were just very glaringly obvious in this one. The vampire family structures, the mark, the human familiars, I've read many of these ideas in other books. My dislikes in no way turned me away from this book though, and it was very easy to overlook once I got hooked into this novel. Recommendations: Adults, there is a ton of cursing and a bit of nookie. Urban Fantasy, vamp fans you'll really enjoy. Fans of the Anita Blake, Sookie Stackhouse, Rachel Morgan, Mercy Thomas series, enjoy.
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