8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More coherent and inventive than REDEMPTION ALLEY, December 5, 2009
This review is from: Flesh Circus (Jill Kismet, Hunter, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
Run by evil hellbreed and their human Trader partners, the Cirque de Charnu (Circus of Flesh) uses flashy trappings and promises of pleasure to lure suicidal humans to their deaths ... or worse. Under an ancient agreement between the Cirque and the hunters -- humans who protect their fellows from supernatural evil -- there will be no interference with the Cirque as long as it only consumes those who come to it voluntarily. The Cirque guarantees its good behavior with a hostage whose life will be forfeit if the Cirque steps out of line.
The Cirque has returned to Santa Luz after an absence of nearly a century, and though hunter Jill Kismet is none too happy to receive it, she knows the rules. Sanctuary minder Galina remembers that something bad happened the last time the Cirque was in town, but she can't recall what it was or who was involved. When someone or something attacks the hostage, threatening to throw the Cirque into dangerous chaos, Jill is reluctantly forced to defend the Cirque and track down the attacker. At the same time, a rash of non-demonic possessions, zombie attacks, and gruesome murders alerts Jill that one or more practitioners of "voodoo" are running amok in her town. Could there be a connection between the events of the past, the voodoo of the present, and the attacks on the Cirque?
FLESH CIRCUS follows the same formula as the previous books in this series, mixing supernatural creatures, violent action, noirish private-eye cliches, gross-out humor, romantic tension, repetition (she describes her werecougar boyfriend Saul as Native American beefcake at least three times), and a bunch of seemingly unrelated narrative threads that get tied up in a neat little bow at the end. This novel improves on REDEMPTION ALLEY by being more coherent and more inventive. On the other hand, it does very little with the rich possibilities of a hell-tainted circus. Worse, the use of voodoo (and the interest of the loa--the non-demonic voodoo spirits) are entirely unmotivated; why voodoo and not, say, kabbalah or mundane old black magic? In the end, it's a typical book in the series, likely to appeal to anyone who enjoyed the earlier volumes.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!, December 12, 2009
This review is from: Flesh Circus (Jill Kismet, Hunter, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
I LOVE Saintcrow's books, and can't wait for the next one-but I couldn't wrap my brain around this book, because I kept flashing back to Bradbury's
Something Wicked This Way Comes .
While Lili has Jill Kismet, kick-behind Hunter and a lot more fire power in the middle of the desert, vs Bradbury's midwest 13 year old boys-they have a lot in common. Mr. Dark's Carnival also traps people by granting their deepest darkest wish and they both finish in a thunder storm.
I also kept skimming through the scenes waiting for something to happen. There was a lot of description that got said over and over and over.
If you are a fan of flat out awesome heroines, I'd definitely recommend this book, in sequence. But I just don't feel it is the best of the series so far.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Kismetly Flat, February 6, 2010
This review is from: Flesh Circus (Jill Kismet, Hunter, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
Flesh Circus had some interesting parts, but overall I found it to be flat and boring. I skipped most of it because the plot was uber blah and even the romance angle was completely and utterly predictable. I can't say I'll be continuing on with this series, but who knows. I may get that bored. You never know.
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