Customer Reviews

The Taste of Night (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 2)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I reviewed "Scent of Shadows" the first in Vicki Pettersson's new series about the Zodiac, I saw potential, but felt that first novel needed more editorial and consideration of the world elements before its debut. "Scent of Shadows" just didn't quite live up to its press. I sincerely hoped that Ms. Pettersson's writing would mature as she continued to develop her novels.

I probably should have wished for a winning lottery ticket at the same time, because clearly that was my day to get what I wished for. "Taste of Night" fulfills the promise I hoped for in "Scent of Shadows" and then some.

"Taste of Night" continues the story of Joanna Archer, a young Las Vegas woman who discovered in "Scent of Shadows" that she wasn't her father, billionaire Xavier Archer's, daughter--and she wasn't quite human. Just after that, her younger sister, Olivia, plunges to her death from her highrise apartment in a vicious attack on the two sisters. Joanna wakens in a private hospital wearing her sister Olivia's face and body. She learns that hrough her maternal line, Joanna was destined to become the Archer, a superhero representing the sign of Sagittarius in Light Zodiac Troop 175, which is charged with preserving good in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also learns that her real father is the Tulpa, a created man who leads the Shadows--the dark Zodiac troop in opposition to the Light. This makes Joanna the "Kairos" the first 'sign' of the Zodiac, a being equally of light and shadow who will bring balance to the elements.

Without the somewhat cumbersome burden of first book setup, "Taste" takes off with fireworks--deadly ones, to be precise. The second sign of the Zodiac is plague. The Tulpa has released a sexually transmitted plague on the humans of Las Vegas via one of the biggest fireworks shows the city's had. In a matter of hours, pairs of dead bodies are being reported all over the city. The couples are generally hideously burned on their mouths and genital regions.

It's up to Joanna and the Light team to discover the source of the plague and the antidote before it kills off the humans in Las Vegas. But, Joanna faces her own private battles. Regan, an agent of the Shadow is trying to recruit her to her father's team--and providing some valuable information on the plague and her sworn enemy Joaquin, a member of the Shadow troop, in exchange. Unlike her troop leader, Joanna believes the Light should not just seek balance, but work to conquer the shadows--and her first order of business in doing that is killing Joaquin, but will Joanna risk the lives of her whole troop to do this?

And what about Joanna's great love, Ben Traina? Will she be able to let him go and go on with her life in her sister's skin?

"Taste" is head and shoulders above "Scent" in plot and pacing. Pettersson keeps the pages turning and doesn't bog the reader down with worldbuilding.

Pettersson's characters are developing life. Joanna is a strong protagonist, whose beliefs and personal desires sometimes collide. She's growing as she makes tough decisions. The other superheroes from her troop are also beginning to be more than just paper tigers. It's a pleasure to see how their lives and personalities unfold.

The plot is also more interesting and less convoluted than the first book. "Taste" is a fantasy with bits of mystery successfully embedded. The directness and swift movement of the plot make "Taste" much harder to put down than "Scent." Like me, you may find yourself reading it in one sitting, so reserve some time before you get started.

One negative is that the plague itself probably would not stand up to the scrutiny of an epidemiologist, but the twist is definitely one worthy of "Sin City."

Worldbuilding, key to any good fantasy, is also much stronger in "Taste." I'm particularly fascinated by Pettersson's notion that comic books are the actual history of superheroes' lives. Joanna's interactions with the denizens of a comic book store are some of the best in the book.

It appears that "Taste" is not getting the kind of media push that "Scent" received. My one marker is the place that the book holds in the new books rack at my local bookstore. Some of you may not know that these spaces are purchased by the publishers in the major chains and the closer to eye-level and center, the better. "Taste" was on one of the lower rows. I'm hoping that the initial push for "Scent" will carry the book in momentum. The third sign of the Zodiac promises to be even stronger than the the first two.

One thing to note, "Taste" is definitely on the fantasy end of the fantasy-paranormal romance spectrum. While there is sexual content in this book, it is not treated in the same manner as a paranormal romance would be.

I bought the first and second book in this series on the strength of previous reviews. "The Scent of Shadows" was a 4 star book for originality and pacing, a better read than this second in the series. With the second book, Ms. Pettersson seems to be running out of steam already. Her premise wears mighty thin as the supposedly brilliant and dedicated enemies of "the light" can't figure out the amazingly obvious artifice of "the Archer's" fake identity. And we're treated to a seemingly endless cycle of repetitive actions and last minute rescues of her heroine. How many times can the same thing happen in one book?

Having said that, I didn't hate the book; it's a decent light read, but I'm not sure I'd pick up the third installment.

_The Taste of Night_ begins a few months after _The Scent of Shadows_ ended, at a charity date auction where Joanna, masquerading as Olivia, meets a man who gloats that he's uncovered Joanna's secret identity. A fierce battle ensues, breaking the tenuous truce between Light and Shadow, and Joanna also meets a mysterious young Shadow initiate who may be an unlikely ally, or a secret enemy.

I'm really beginning to get a headache trying to keep track of who knows what information about Joanna's identity. Let me see if I've got this straight: The Shadows know the Archer is Joanna, but most of them don't know she's going around as Olivia now. Meanwhile, the heroes of Light know the Olivia identity, but most of them don't realize it's really Joanna. (Despite the fact that the comics call her Joanna.) I can't believe any superhero or supervillain worth his or her salt could miss these connections. It seems way too obvious. As poignant as the Joanna-as-Olivia plotline was in _Scent of Shadows_, it may be time for Joanna to take on a new persona now, because it suspends disbelief to the breaking point that Joanna's identity continues to be a "secret."

Anyway, Joanna's new Shadow acquaintance tips Joanna off to a diabolical plot being hatched by the villains, but Joanna can't figure out how to tell her own troop about it without revealing her illicit battle or her even-more-illicit chat with the Shadow agent.

I began to lose a lot of sympathy for Joanna in this book. Her silence was costly, and her singleminded obsession with her rapist, Joaquin, caused her to lose both common sense and any team spirit she might have had. ("We might have needed you!" complains Warren when Joanna dropped off the radar for a while. "I was safe," is Joanna's only response. Not a thought for anyone else.) She always had an acid tongue, and it gets worse here. I cheered Tekla when she told Joanna not to use her Shadow side as an excuse to be a jerk. Throughout _The Taste of Night_, Joanna shows an selfish, immature streak a mile wide. Hunter, too, displays behavior more appropriate to a high school student than to a grown man.

Might I also add that getting the "aureole" is starting to seem too easy? It was presented in _Scent of Shadows_ as an unusual event. Now it seems like Joanna gets it way too often.

Hopefully, the unsympathetic Joanna is on her way out and a newer, more mature one in the making. The events at the end of the novel show that she is beginning to consider her actions a bit more, to think of others, and to embrace goals other than revenge. I'll be waiting for the third book, and hoping.

If you want to know what Paris Hilton would be like as a super hero read this book. I read the previous book and loved it but in this book Jo has turned into a air head. She is constantly being saved from some mess she's gotten into.I certainly wouldn't want to be a an innocent by stander around her because innocents are dropping like flies. What type of super hero is she? What really bugged me about this book was she never follows through with or defended her plans. She was just a bubble head through out the book. I will still buy the next book everyone makes mistakes. Buy the book because you'll need it to follow the storyline in future books.

I have read both of the books in this series. Now, let me tell you. The first book began with some promise. I truly enjoyed the idea of "super heroes" working in Las Vegas against the forces of evil. Hoorah! I realize that becoming a super hero must be hard work especially when you are "special" and are thus the odd one out and doesn't really fit in anywhere blah blah blah. The point? I liked the first book.

Then I read the second book. It started off all right and had some interesting plot twists and turns. Now, I am not going to divulge any of the plot, but if you could bottle misery and put it in a book, this would be the book! Nothing good EVER happens to this girl. NOTHING. EVER. Her life spirals into a black abyss from which she never emerges. Things just get worse and worse and WORSE if possible. There really aren't any laughs in the book, just serious abject unhappiness and misery for our heroine. Honestly. I was depressed by the time I finished it and vowed not to read the next book in the series.

The end.

The author had one of the best ideas for a paranormal storyline that I have read recently. She really, really came up with a great idea. It's interesting and she has good supporting cast and villains. So, why two stars? The writing of the main character is just pathetic. By the time that I was drug through one too many iterations of her moaning and moping for the "love of her life" I just couldn't stand it any longer.

Now, this may be good stuff for the Romance crowd and if that works for you then enjoy the books. I just can't stand someone who is so strong and defiant about why she can't be controlled by anything continually mope over some guy who she hadn't seen in years and then is suddenly in flames over after a brief visit. Weak minded drivel that belittles the intellect of an otherwise tolerable main character.

I had my problems with the first book, but overall I was excited by what I thought would be a great supernatural series, with a snarky non-cookie cutter heroine. Mainly, I thought Ms. Pettersson could have benefited from the use of a good editor. But this new book was a disappointment. The heroine has become Too Depressing To Live. As another reviewer pointed out, absolutely nothing good seems to happen, and while I like my dose of reality, this was way too much. I can't help but think that I would have liked this book more if it was released in winter, but with all this sunshine and blue skies, it was just a complete downer.

Okay, so i've finished this one and waiting on the next one already! Personally i love the fact that Joanna is flawed, makes mistakes and wrong moves sometimes outdoes her potential and sometimes falls flat to her own shortcomings. This isn't just another superhero comes up with way to win every situation fantasy but a rich tapestry of individuals trying to work together and sort their desires needs and fears into a fight for good in a city undermined by evil, greed and power, both in their enemies and themselves. the world and the premise might be fantastic, but the characters are real enough to fall, cheer and cry for. Love it!

This series so far is like junk food. It's not really filling, but you can't help yourself from coming back for more. In this book we see Joanna do more of what she does best: mope, brood, get angry, & generally not be a team player. It would get annoying, except it is so much fun to watch her act this way & all things considering, it's not entirely unreasonable for her to act this way. However, the one complaint I do have is that there has been no development in Joanna's maturity level. I do understand that it takes time to win over people (especially when they start off disliking her), but she doesn't seem to really understand the whole teamwork thing. Still, that is a huge plot point in the book that propels the events in the end of the book, so I guess we should just trust Pettersson to keep up the good work. Each book of hers gets better than the last one & I'm looking forward to the next book.

Vicki Pettersson, The Taste of Night (Avon, 2007)

Pettersson's second Signs of the Zodiac book says "series fiction" just a little too loudly for me; most authors seem to take two or three books to settle into some conventions, while Pettersson adopts them wholeheartedly here (though she does avoid the "retell the whole story for the first half of the book" curse that afflicted, say, Terry Goodkind). I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this, given that it is series fiction, but something about it just rubbed me (slightly) the wrong way. That said, if you liked the first one, you're going to like this one; Pettersson's fantasy-CSI-on-crack approach to the dark side of Vegas is still right on the mark, and she's come up with a good'un here: the Shadow Zodiac have released a virus that's randomly killing the populace, and the good guys have to figure out what it is and how it's transmitted before they can figure out how to stop it. The same blend of suspense, intrigue, romance, and action that carried the first book is very much at work here. If you like urban fantasy and you haven't checked out Vicki Pettersson, you're in for a good time. ***