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15 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Lost its way, March 6, 2009
I wanted to like Night Huntress a lot more than I did. To me Yasmine Galenorn created a series that was a perfect blend of Urban and High Fantasy. The series revolves around three (not quite human) sisters, placed here from OW (a traditional High Fantasy land) who are on a quest to find and protect 9 seals that united by the evil Shadow Wing will allow the barriers between OW, Earth and the underworld inhabited by demons and the like, to fall and cause armageddon. I used to play Dungeons and Dragons and, like many others, tried to find a way of playing my D&D characters in a modern day setting. The Sisters of the Moon series was the story I didn't have the imagination to tell.
So I am extremely disappointed that I find myself less and less enthralled by the books. There are a number of reasons. For starters I think that YG made a mistake when she cast the novels in first person. There is so much action that we don't get to see because the narrator isn't present at the encounter that it gets frustrating. Action instead of exposition. Show instead tell. Anyone writer or reader can tell you that's one of the rules of storytelling, but the format is forcing more and more exposition because the sisters can't be everywhere at one time.
SPOILERS
However I think that the series really fails when it comes to the romantic relationships. There seems to be a rule in UF series that the butt kicking heroine must be entangled with multiple men at one time; and that the men can't be good for her. So Delilah, who has been having a relationship with Chase, a full blooded human (FBH) who runs the Fey-FBH CSI task force turns from a pretty decent guy to a cad. And, we find out, he's been a cad to women for his whole life. Delilah, hurt, turns to Zach, a werepuma who is absolutely perfect for her. He understands her changeling side, is crazy about her, and is gorgeous to boot. But when Chase gets himself kidnapped and everyone goes off to rescue him Delilah decides that she *loves* Chase. In one of the sickliest scenes in UF today, her dagger comes to life because of her ability to love true. Chase is rescued. And in the end Chase and Delilah try to give their relationship another shot-while Zach recovers from having his back broken saving Chase's life.
As an end note, it's hard to root for a relationship on paper, where in reality I'd tell the couple to break up and get therapy
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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Strictly Fun, January 12, 2009
I had trouble rating this one. For sheer enjoyment I'd give it a four out of five; it's really fun, with plenty of wacky characters and wild ideas. However, I do have a couple of stylistic niggles.
First, combat felt a wee bit too much like a D&D session to me. Things were over-described a lot (such as where each exit was in a room). Even though the characters acknowledge early on in one major raid on a demon-infested house that their opponents probably have preternatural hearing AND already know they're there, they stand around in the hallway debating and planning strategy endlessly.
Second, if I'm going to read erotic romance novels then I'm willing to set aside a certain amount of my normal sensitivity to overwrought description. That only goes so far, however, and a line that describes a lover's... ahem... as "a white-hot match that reached into my center to ignite my flame" just makes me snicker.
Finally, I found I couldn't buy into the love plot, which is tough on a romance (although since Chase, Delilah's boyfriend, isn't around for much of the book, it isn't as bad as you'd think). I realize the author seems to want to make some sort of point about not giving up on troubled relationships with imperfect people, but Chase comes across as enough of a jackass, and the author just doesn't make me believe in some sort of all-overcoming love between the two of them, that I seriously found myself cheering on Zach, the competition for Delilah's affections. Maybe this is one of those things I would have been able to get on board with if I'd read the previous books.
I realize that after spending so much space on what I didn't like, I've probably made it sound as though I didn't enjoy Night Huntress. However, that isn't the case. There's plenty of action, suspense, and wacky human-fae politics to keep things jumping, and I loved reading about all of that. Consider my rating a 3.5---higher if my stylistic issues don't bother you.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
very "meh", January 28, 2009
I want to preface this review by saying I have read all the previous 'Sister of Moon' books, and am quite a fan of urban fantasy. I am currently following several series in the genre, including the Mercy Thompson (my favorite!), Kate Daniels (2nd fave), Rachel Morgan, Women of the Otherworld and a few others. Now that my credentials are established...
Out of all the UF series that I have read and stuck with, I would have to say that Sister of the Moon is the very weakest of the lot, and Night Huntress is a weak entry for the series. It seems to be on a decline, after a bump upwards with Darkling.
This book centers on Delilah, the werecat/panther/Death Maiden (if that doesn't make sense to you, that should prove that this isn't really a stand-alone novel and the whole series should be read to understand the concepts). There is a continuous plot running throughout all the books, but honestly I have to say it is getting really muddled, and from one book to the next I don't feel the flow is creating any sense of escalating tension.
The writing is mediocre at best, and I just feel Ms. Galenorn is losing the audience. That's sad to me, because I actually really do enjoy the three main heroines (many supporting characters are flat fillers, though) and am still interested in them enough to see what happens to them. Hopefully the next entry will be a step up, as the previous Menolly-centered book was my favorite of the series.
(One side note: Why the heck is Delilah (w/ her sisters' support) so keen on being with Chase? I have 0 sympathy after learning more about him and, especially with Zach being darn near perfect, the Chase dilemna seems just bizarre.)
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