Customer Reviews

The Scent of Shadows (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 1)

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I bought this book at a bookstore, not knowing what to expect. It sounded interesting, but the back cover didn't really tell you what it was all about...girl gets abused, girl gets angry, girl hunts the night.

This book is much more than that, much more ambitious. While the ideas are big, if a little on the hackneyed side, the writing is so-so. I've read romances, and am not hostile to them; I've read fantasy, sci-fi, dark fiction, and this was a mix of all but not enough of any. The romance bits felt uncomfortable and stiff, the fantasy felt like a retread, and there were some chick-lit moments that made me wonder why I was still reading.

And that's it. I was still reading, even though I could see the flaws. In spite of what feels like an overwritten first novel, the ideas and characters were intriguing enough that I still wanted to finish. And I did, in one day, sitting in the bath. Even as I huffed and muttered I needed to know what happened next.

Best book ever? No. But a good book for the bath or beach or when you want a relatively easy read with dark undertones. I haven't decided if I'll read the next one yet.

Joanna has grown up living the high life in Las Vegas. But she's had a troubled past and an even scarier future. Whether she likes it or not, Joanna finds herself in the middle of a war of super-powered beings. And if she makes it to her 25th birthday, she'll become one of them. The war is between the superheroes called the Light, comprised of people from the different star signs of the zodiac, and the Shadow, their evil opposites in the spectrum. Half Light and Half Shadow, no one truly trusts Joanna. She doesn't even trust herself.

While there are aspects of romance, Joanna faces more heartache than happiness. Pettersson weaves several elements from different genres: urban fantasy, violence, intrigue, superheroes, and myth. Pettersson has created an incredibly fun character in Joanna with many facets and layers to her personality.

This dark and edgy superhero story was a long novel at 464 pages. But I read it amazingly fast, as I literally couldn't put it down. I'm itching to get my hands on the next in the series that, thankfully, comes out in just a little over a month!

Honestly, I enjoyed the first hundred pages or so and thought it had great promise. The the major plot flaws started popping up. Top secret information available in the form of a comic book? Hiding the main character's identity through major (whole body) plastic surgery? And why couldn't the bad guys figure out her identity? Seemed like it could have been figured out with some basic logic. The Zodiac? A bunch of fools. I'm rooting for the bad guys this time - or I would be if I planned to keep reading.

By the way, this has the distinction of being the only book that I've ever given up on with only 30 pages to go. I just couldn't make myself care enough to finish.

Ah, the paranormal combat genre. Such wonderful names can be included here: Laurell K. Hamilton, Jim Butcher, Simon Green...

Vicki Pettersson will not be added to that list. The writing is more suited to a Harlequin romance, the plot has more holes in it than Swiss cheese used for target practice, the characters are barely as two-dimensional as the page they're printed on, and the overarching concept completely fails to live up to any reasonable expectations much less the high hopes of the author.

If you're looking for nothing more than a quick airport read, this will be a better choice than James Patterson. For any other reason this side of the recycle bin, I recommend staying away.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Gripping, stunning, mind blowing! These are just a few words that describe this powerhouse of a book, Scent of Shadows, by debut author Vicki Pettersson. You will not want to put this one down until turning that last page!

On the day before her 25th birthday, Joanna Archer's life takes an abruptly changing course... for the second time in her life.

The first was when she was 15, brutally attacked, raped, and left for dead in the desert of Las Vegas. But she survived, and this turning point set her on the course leading to her second life changing event. Joanna spent the next nine years learning and mastering martial arts, and prowling the dark and dangerous streets of Vegas swearing she'd never be so helpless again. The second event, involved a blind date with a seeming harmless banker who suddenly turns the tables, snatching her and planning to kill her. She escapes, only to later that same night, at midnight precisely, be attacked a second time and save herself only to see her dear sister Olivia killed before her eyes. Thus begins this new adventure and the latest stage of Joanna's life...

Now Joanna learns of her real legacy. She is The Archer, The First Sign of the New Zodiac. One of the Light forces, sworn to protect Las Vegas from the evil Shadow Zodiac, known for their lust for power and chaos. But she is more... Legend foretold of one known as the Kairos, born of equal parts Shadow and Light, who would rise to aid the Light in their triumph over Shadow. This is the new Joanna. Amidst the doubts of her fellow Light Zodiac troop, and her own internal struggles, she must learn to harness her powers and channel her guilt, hatred, and quest for revenge, into her new gifts in time to save the Zodiac troop, and the city, from destruction.

Scent of Shadows is not for the faint of heart. There are some very graphic descriptions of death and torture that could make some readers queasy. However, Pettersson keeps it from getting too dark by adding a touch of quirkiness. I personally enjoyed such things as having a line of comic books and trading cards based on the adventures of both the Light and Shadow warriors and having a bubble-headed friend mistake Joanna's glyph (a sort of unique "birthmark" found on all Light warriors) for a stiletto pump. Cat lovers will also enjoy having felines be the wardens (AKA guardians) of the Light signs. Only a fellow cat person would have dreamed that up!

This book is all the more impressive for the fact it is so refreshingly different. I love vampires, witches, and shape shifters as much as the next person, but they do get old after a while and thank heavens there is not a single one of those found here! Vicki Pettersson puts her own unique brand on the fantasy market. For centuries we've all known of the Zodiac, and the unique traits of each sign. With Scent of Shadows, we'll all see it in a whole new light. This book will make us all dream of grasping our own sign in a new way, and reevaluate its inherent gifts.

Scent of Shadows is bound to be one of the best reads you'll find all year! Thank you Vicki Pettersson for gifting us with such a fascinating story! I am chomping at the bit for book two, The Taste of Night!

© Kelley A. Hartsell, February 2007. All rights reserved.

Joanna Archer learns she is a superhero and her parents were superheroes from opposing sides of light and dark. Joanna watches her sister die and then must become her to hide her identity. This book is way over the top and a lot of things happen a long the way that I found truly confusing. I can't help but enjoy the character of Joanna/Olivia and some of the comic-book type characters found along the way. I think the premise is good, if outlandish, in that is very different than my standard reads in the paranormal genre. The power scenes here are vague and confusing, even when I back up to read them again. Characters figure things out along the way and I struggled to find out how they came to their conclusions. I don't claim to be a genius or anything, but I am well-read and fairly intelligent but parts of this book made me feel like a second grader struggling with reading comprehension. I had already bought the second book in this series before I read the first one, so I will read that. I am hoping that this series does pick up and become more readable. I'd hate to give up on this series because it really does have a great premise.

Scent of Shadows really didn't catch me until the last third of the book. In fact I skimmed through the middle and probably wouldn't have even finished it at all if I didn't already have the second book. The last third was good enough though that I gave it the extra half star.

I think that the problem was, that Joanna really starts out as a prickly wraith, dead inside and just moving through life and poking holes in anyone who tries to get close to her. Determined to turn herself into a weapon after being attacked and nearly killed when she was sixteen, she now prowls the streets making herself bait so that she can indulge the darkness inside her by taking out her wouldbe attackers. While the author was successful in portraying the bleakness of Joanna's existence, it didn't make Joanna very likeable. When Joanne meets up with Ben her childhood sweetheart, and rekindles the spark that has always blazed between them things started to perk up, but then her life takes a traumatic turn. Losing people she loves, one in a way even more permanent than death, her old life is such as it was is exchanged for a new one. In this life she can no longer be herself and she is surrounded by jealously, fear and distrust. This doesn't make for a very fun read. I realise that most of this time was setting up the world where superheroes are real and we were getting to know Joanna's new colleagues, but not being engaged with Joanna made this part of the books just something to just get through.

The last third of the book though, really showed a glimmer of what this series could be. Treachery and evil plots are exposed, and there are a couple good battles. Also we get a neat peak into Hunter, one of the more interesting side characters in the book.

I don't know that I would recommend going out and buying this book new, but if you are desperate for something a little different - a paranormal dark fantasy with no vampires - you might want to pick this up if you see it at a garage sale or book store.

I'm always on the hunt for a good urban fantasy. This one came with
two glowing recommendations (on the cover) by one of my favorite
authors, Diana Gabaldon, and also Kim Harrison. Some of the reader's
reviews were mixed so I kept my expectations in check as I started
reading. The result: I liked this book.

It starts out kind of like the movie Point of No Return, and morphs
into graphic novel (sans graphics of course). The writing is good if
a bit uneven in places, but overall compelling. I did think the
author was overfond of the f-word, and there are some dark parts to this story that are meant to be upsetting. But I'm very interested to learn
more about the mythology Pettersson has created and learn more about
her characters. The romance element was not the focus of this book, but is particularly intriguing.
Here's hoping the rest of the series is as good.

Positives - engaging storyline, interesting setting

Negatives - plot holes, bad characterization, uneven writing

There are a number of things good about this work, but ultimately it falls down with plot and characterization flaws. It sits with other books of this genre with some original elements (zodiac signs, light and dark warriors). I was disappointed in this book; possibly because the heroine becomes super powered rather quickly, gaining the best of all worlds (looks, power, etc). If the genre (romantic paranormal fantasy, with very strong wish fulfillment) is a reader favorite, this is a good choice. However, if you aren't able to continue past flaws of writing and plot this book is not for you.

Its a good first novel, but ultimately not a keeper. Here is hoping the author continues in her work and the second installment is a stronger effort.

I picked up this book because the plot looked so interesting. But as soon as it got to the part where she woke up as her sister...I just couldn't see this happening and the main character not going completely berserk. Yes, she agreed to help them, but this went a little too far. And she seemed o.k. with it, after about a paragraph worth of fussing. I can handle 'out there' plot lines, but please, no one who is sane would be fine waking up as their dead sister. No matter what the cause. I wasn't that into this book anyway, but when I got to this part I just gave up. I haven't done that with a book in...I actually don't think I ever have. I usually make myself finish them. But I just couldn't with this one.