Hellbent (Cheshire Red Reports, Book 2) [Paperback]

Cherie Priest (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 6, 2011

BAD TO THE BONE
 
Vampire thief Raylene Pendle doesn’t need more complications in her life. Her Seattle home is already overrun by a band of misfits, including Ian Stott, a blind vampire, and Adrian deJesus, an ex-Navy SEAL/drag queen. But Raylene still can’t resist an old pal’s request: seek out and steal a bizarre set of artifacts. Also on the hunt is a brilliant but certifiably crazy sorceress determined to stomp anyone who gets in her way. But Raylene’s biggest problem is that the death of Ian’s vaunted patriarch appears to have made him the next target of some blood-sucking sociopaths.  Now Raylene must snatch up the potent relics, solve a murder, and keep Ian safe—all while fending off a psychotic sorceress. But at least she won’t be alone. A girl could do a lot worse for a partner than an ass-kicking drag queen—right?

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Cherie Priest’s Bloodshot
 
“Witty, fast-paced, and fabulous . . . a vastly entertaining read!”—Jeaniene Frost, New York Times bestselling author
 
“Catapults the kick-ass urban fantasy heroine into the realm of the truly bad-ass.”—Nicole Peeler, author of Tempest's Legacy
 
“Refreshing and addictive.”—Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Cherie Priest is the author of nine novels, including the steampunk pulp adventures Dreadnought, Clementine, and Boneshaker. Boneshaker was nominated for both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award; it was a PNBA Award winner, and winner of the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. She presently lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and a fat black cat. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Spectra; Original edition (September 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345520629
• ISBN-13: 978-0345520623
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.7 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #792,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cherie Priest is the author of twelve novels, including the steampunk pulp adventures Dreadnought, Clementine, Ganymede, and Boneshaker. Boneshaker was nominated for both the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award; it was a PNBA Award winner, and winner of the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. Cherie also wrote Fathom and the Eden Moore series from Tor (Macmillan), Bloodshot and Hellbent for Bantam, and three novellas published by Subterranean Press. In addition to all of the above, she is a newly minted member of the Wild Cards Consortium - and her first foray into George R. R. Martin's superhero universe, Fort Freak (for which she wrote the frame story), debuted in 2011. Cherie's short stories and nonfiction articles have appeared in such fine publications as Weird Tales, Subterranean Magazine, Publishers Weekly, The Living Dead 2, and the Thackeray T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities. She presently lives in Chattanooga, TN, with her husband, a fluffy young dog, and a fat black cat.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, quirky, and fast-paced urban fantasy September 7, 2011

By Karissa Eckert TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

I got an advanced reading copy of this book through Librarything's Early Reviewer program. I was soo excited to read this. I love pretty much everything I have read by Cherie Priest (I've read all her Clockwork Century series and of course the first book in this series, Bloodshot). Well I loved this book too. It was so much fun to read; definitely not as serious as her Clockwork Century series but a very fun, fast paced urban fantasy series with a lot of humor.

Our favorite OCD vampire thief, Raylene, is back with more hijinks. Raylene gets a call from one of her contacts asking her to steal some very valuble magical baculum (penis bones..uh yep that's what baculum are). It looks to be a simple snatch and grab, of course things aren't ever simple. Along with this snatch and grab gone wrong, Raylen's housemate Ian has problems of his own. The head of Ian's House has died and Ian would be next in line, except with his blindness he isn't suited for the position and is being hunted down instead. So Raylene and Adrian (the drag queen ex-Navy Seal) go over to Ian's House to try and fix things up for him; along the way they may even find out more about Adrian's sister.

This book has three plot lines going on: the stealing of the baculum, Ian's problems with his house, and the search for Adrian's missing sister. These plots are neatly and efficiently woven together making for a fast-paced, action packed urban fantasy that is hard to put down and fun to read.

The characters are part of what make this book wonderful. Raylene is quirky, hilarious, and very good at what she does. Adrian is another wonderful quirky character, that is a load of laughs, but also very bad-ass. There pretty much aren't any characters in this book that I don't like; they are all interesting, engaging, creative and...did I already mention fun?!

The dialogue throughout is also witty. The banter between Raylene and Adrian is hilarious. I absolutely love Raylene's snarky attitude and enjoy her constant digressions to only slightly related topics. Just beware there are numerous sexual references (but no sex) throughout and a crapload of swearing. I enjoyed it, but it is not for younger readers.

I love where this series is going, some big things happen right at the end of the book that make me excited to see where this series is headed to. The main plotlines are nicely wrapped up. You could probably read this book as a stand alone; good background is given in the beginning of the book. Why would you want to though when Bloodshot was such a fun read too?

Overall I absolutely loved this book. The plot and action are well done, the characters quirky and funny, it is fast-paced and lots of fun. I love love Raylene and her snarkiness. I love where this series is going and am so excited to read the next installment. I pretty much loved everything about this book. Is this book for everyone? Probably not, the humor is a bit off-the-wall and dark, there's a lot of swearing, and pretty much no romance. But, if you love fast-paced action-packed urban fantasy with a biting sense of humor you should definitely check this series out.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun and entertaining... November 24, 2011

By BastardBooks

Format:Paperback

I really enjoyed Bloodshot by Cherie Priest published earlier this year, first of the Cheshire Red Reports. It was fun, fast moving, and some good action. Was excited to learn a sequel was due out months later, one that I read recently. Hellbent continues the story of Raylene Pendle, an OCD vampire and master thief.

After the events of Bloodshot, we see Raylene in a more domestic setting living what can be construed as a family life. She gets contracted to steal mystical penis bones, which doesn't go as planned. Complicating matters, the patriarch from Ian's vampire house is murdered, making Ian next in line to become head of the house, something he can't do since he would get killed himself because of his current handicap. Yet, there are people who could get targeted if he doesn't avail himself, people he cares for. It's up to Raylene to figure out a way around this, travelling to California to investigate the matter. All the while, trying to recover the mystical penis bones in the hands of a crazy sorceress fueling her magic to disastrous proportions.

Hellbent was a fun roadtrip of a book, sadly it was simply that and left me wanting for something more. I really enjoy Raylene as a narrator, which I find to be pretty much the most important aspect in a first person narration. Not only that the book is filled with some good dialogue and plenty of fun banter with other characters. The problem was that the book's plot was lacking and the action very much subdued, particularly when compared with Bloodshot.

I thought the best aspect of the book was Adrian, a Marine drag-queen who has become Raylene's sidekick. He's fairly badass, plus there's some cool banter with Raylene making the novel quite the fun read. But other than that, there wasn't much here. My other problem was that the resolution to the plot was heavily hinted at in the middle of the book, which made the ending quite predictable. Not only that, events occur in quite a convenient manner for our heroes, particularly towards the end. The book has some good humor, but it becomes a bit repetitive after a while so it got old for me fairly quickly.

Action-wise, which was one of the main draws of the first book and what many had praised Bloodshot for, was also scant. Though, at the risk of contradicting myself, there was still quite a bit of action. Problem was when the action was featured it wasn't as exciting as the first book. The sense of tension and danger was not present in this book, something which I thought Bloodshot did quite well.

Hate to be negative on this book because it's still an enjoyable read that I'm sure plenty urban fantasy readers would enjoy, but can't help feeling disappointed with the lackluster plot which didn't grab me. The novel itself serves more as a bridge novel to what is to come, and I'm still looking forward to reading more in the series now that the pieces are in their respective places. Sadly, I just learned that Cherie Priest only has a two book contract for this series, and it's unknown whether she'll be able to return to this series.

As mentioned before, I very much enjoy Raylene as a narrator, a very much needed bright-spot for this book. She comes off as this person you just met in the bar, who is a bit nuts, but there's an instant connection and you became quick best friends. There's an intimacy in the way she narrates, as she was speaking directly at you over a bottle of wine (I'd say beer, but Raylene prefers her wine).

Hellbent is simply quite an entertaining lighthearted roadtrip of a book with an OCD vampire which plenty will enjoy. Those looking for something more, particularly a strong plot, will have some trouble with it. In any case, hoping for more as I'm sure that series will get better from here, and hopefully back to the form we found in Bloodshot.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun, twisty adventure October 28, 2011

By titania86 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Raylene Pendle, accomplished thief and vampire, has a pretty complicated life. Her collection of strays has grown to include orphan siblings Domino and Pepper and blind vampire Ian Stott living in her apartment plus drag queen and ex-Navy SEAL Adrian deJesus, even though he lives elsewhere. Supporting so many people plus the huge move when she was forced from her previous building proves to be expensive. When Horace Bishop contacts her with a very lucrative job, she accepts despite the weirdness factor. The items of great value are actually penis bones, or bacula, of fantastical creatures, such as werewolves and unicorns and they are worth millions. She knows the job is more complicated than it seems, but is still surprised when someone steals them first and then destroys the house with lightning. To further complicate matters, the leader of Ian's House is killed, leaving him in charge. He can't risk returning because of his disability, but can't ignore his responsibilities to his family. Raylene resolves to solve his problem by finding out what really happened to his father and takes Adrian with her to pose as her ghoul. Can she wrestle the bacula from a powerful, crazy woman AND save Ian from certain death also known as vampire politics?

Hellbent is the second installment of Cherie Priest's Cheshire Red series and proves to be just as good as the first one. Raylene is a unique protagonist. Her narrative is colored by her humor and her interesting view of the world. Underneath her veneer of being a perfect, hard as nails thief, she's actually quite human. Her collection of strays betrays her loneliness and need for other people. She really cares about her makeshift family and, although they sometimes drive her crazy, she will do anything in her power to keep them safe. One of the cutest scenes in the book was when Raylene found a kitten at a murder scene and couldn't just leave it there where it would probably die. I found the scene endearing and cute. She is painfully OCD at times, obsessively overpreparing for every conceivable situation and loading up on extra equipment just in case. Although she goes overboard, her OCD is one of the reasons why she's still alive. Her vampiric powers aren't unrealistic or godlike. They just make her tougher and faster than a human with weak psychic powers. More of her regenerative powers and psychic connection to those who drink her blood are explored.

The other characters are just as engaging. What's not to like about a drag queen who was also a Navy SEAL? Hellbent gives Raylene and her friends added depth and more background. Raylene's past involvement with a House is discovered as well as Ian's vampire family and more details about Adrian. Their three story lines come together in unexpected ways that kept me guessing. The plot is very twisty and it would go in completely different directions than I predicted, which is refreshing. The story is funny, fast paced, suspenseful, and fun. Romance is only hinted and doesn't overpower or interrupt the action as it does in fantasy so often. I hope Raylene eventually has a relationship with someone, but the issues at hand are a little bit more important.

Hellbent is a really fun paranormal read that combines mystery, humor, action, and fantasy. I can't wait for the next book in the Chesire Red series!