The Touch of Twilight (Sign of the Zodiac, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Vicki Pettersson (Author)
Key Phrases: designated safe zone, dormant side, ill chi, The Touch of Twilight, Vicki Pettersson, Master Comics (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Pettersson's paranormal world is as original as it is compelling. The action comes fast and furious. Like Las Vegas itself, this is an adventure that'll keep you up all night." (Kelley Armstrong )

"The Scent of Shadows came out of nowhere and slapped me silly. . You're going to love this." (Kim Harrison )

"...Read at your own risk -it'll keep you up past your bedtime." (Charlaine Harris )

Product Description

On the surface she's a sexy, sophisticated socialite, at home among the beautiful people of the Las Vegas upper crust. But Joanna Archer inhabits another world: a place ordinary humans cannot see . . . a dangerous dimension where an eternal battle rages between the agents of Light and Shadow. And Joanna is both.

Stalked by an enigmatic doppelganger from a preternatural realm, Joanna can feel the Light failing—which is propelling her toward a terrifying confrontation with the ultimate master of evil, the dark lord of Shadow: her father.

Vegas is all about winning big . . . or losing everything. To save her friends, her future, her worlds, Joanna Archer must gamble it all by fully embracing the darkness inside her.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Eos (May 27, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060898933
• ISBN-13: 978-0060898939
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #35,780 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #32 in

  Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Horror > Occult

• This is item 3 in The Sign of the Zodiac Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Third Sign's the Charm - Mostly! , May 29, 2008

By	Smarmstress (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

I've enjoyed this series since its beginnings, and the third installment doesn't disappoint, despite a few nagging issues that have been pretty much present since book one.

The good:
- More is revealed about Zane and his fascinating post as the comic book artist/archivist. The comics-as-superhero-history angle in Pettersson's series is a great touch, and its very satisfying to see more about the comics and Zane revealed in "Touch."
- The significance of the third "sign" and how it ended up playing out at the climax was pretty much a complete surprise that I did not see coming at all. Pettersson does a very good job of building suspense yet hiding her cards.
- Lots of great Vegas flavor throughout, and as always, the author gives us glimpses of the city that a tourist would know little about.
- Joanna still has a lot of bravado and impulsiveness, but she appears to be getting better about knowing when she's really messed something up. She's also playing nicer with others. In particular, I loved the unique partnership that is forged between her and Chandra, the would-be Archer she was so unkind to in book 1. Chandra is a character who becomes really well-developed in "Touch," and now I can't wait to see more of her in future books.
- Another great new character: Skamar! I wonder what Skamar will be up to in the next book...
- A painful decision Joanna makes at the end of the book show that she really has matured and is ready to move past certain personal roadblocks.


The bad:
- Pettersson knows how to create a very unique and fascinating fantasy world, but in all 3 books theres a sense of over-reaching, at times. Scenes and phenomenon are described that I can barely get a mental grasp on. In the book's opening, for example, a fight scene involving a black hole left me boggling at the impossible visual that her prose created. Perhaps this is the point - to create a world that is so fantastic it can't actually be replicated in prose - but it does leave me with a bit of head-strain.
- I remain persistently skeptical about the Olivia/Joanna identity and how its been kept a secret for so long. The troop knows her as Olivia, but the Shadows and the Tulpa know her as Joanna. Sometimes she's wearing a mask, but at other times one isn't mentioned. Even more confusing is the fact that Joanna herself can clearly recognize a number of Shadow agents by sight - so shouldn't they by rights recognize her, too? I just don't understand how anyone's identity could really feasibly be a secret at this point.

The identity questions and overblown descriptions are mostly easy for me to get past, though, as these are good books, and really do present a pretty unique and compelling fantasy world. I look forward to book 4!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Omens and Good-byes, July 12, 2008

By	Jill Carpitche "okie_sweetyj" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Joanna Archer has had a difficult life, for sure. She also makes a point to mention it every chance she gets. I love this series, but it's becoming dangerously close to one where you want to take the heroine, or superheroine in this case, and shake her. Very little is accomplished here and what little is accomplished happens in the last few chapters. She focuses entirely too much on revenge she thinks she deserves, totally ignoring things like responsibility to her troop and a little girl she has essentially broken.
The book is not a complete loss. Facts are unearthed about her childhood home, alternate planes, the power of thought, and why some people are the way they are. She finally makes a decision about her love life, takes the initiative in Olivia's life, and discovers some intrigue within her stepfather's life. The book is also a great resource for some of the trivialities: what exactly is a tulpa, how does a conduit come into existence, how much license does the author grant for the supernatural, what car does Hunter drive?
Ultimately, it's a worthwhile read, especially if you're already into the series. It helps tie some things together, creates some interesting venues for the future, and furthers a few interpersonal bonds within the troop. I just really hope this isn't a sign of things to come as the first two books were a much easier, enjoyable read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Third in series, July 9, 2008

By	Helen Hancox "Auntie Helen" (Essex, England) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is the third book in Pettersson's 'Signs of the Zodiac' series. I haven't read either of the previous books and right from the outset that was a significant problem. The backstory given was dribbled out piecemeal and I was often confused by events and situations. Pettersson has clearly built a complex world in the previous two novels and as a new reader dropped into the middle of it I found it all too much and was tempted many times to stop reading.

Joanne Archer is a strange mix of Light and Shadow - her father is the dark lord of Shadow and yet she works on the side of the Light. Set in Las Vegas the story has good action and a varied cast of characters, including a Doppelgänger for Joanne who is with her boyfriend Ben. Joanne's an interesting character, a mix of strength and vulnerability, and someone who has had her life turned upside down in the last year as she's discovered she is one of a group of people who have to battle against the shadow side. There are parts of the book that drag interspersed with good action, Joanne can come across as a bit of a whiner who's spending far too much time on the men in her life and not enough on saving the world, but overall it's an interesting urban fantasy book - but definitely rewards knowledge of the previous books in the series!

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008