Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant writing, but a word of warning., January 30, 2010
This review is from: Unperfect Souls (Connor Grey, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
SYNOPSIS:
Connor Grey finds himself, once again, smack dab in the middle of all the fey and human political maneuvering in The Weird, a part of Boston given over to the fey of all descriptions. While Connor and Murdock get involved in investigating the murder of a Dead (notice the capital), they also find themselves completely embroiled in the politics between the humans in Boston and Queen Maeve and King Donor, two not so congenial monarchs of the fey. A new force is about to arrive on the scene and is definitely someone those two rulers will need to reckon with. Nothing is ever what it seems to be and that is about the only given fact in this paranormal world. Happily, for Connor and the reader, he does begin to understand more of what the dark mass in his brain is all about.
OPINION:
The writing in this entire series is absolutely wonderful. I've read all the books so far in the Connor Grey series and have enjoyed them all. But - and didn't you wonder if there was going to be a "but"? - I'm beginning to feel that I need a cheat sheet to keep up with everything that goes on. Book One started everything off in this urban fantasy world with a very diverse group of fey beings while keeping a nice connection to the human world. Each book has taken the characters and catastrophes from that book directly into the next book. That is beginning to be rather cumbersome for me. Now, here I am, just finished reading book #4 and I have so many characters and events floating around in my head that I'm very, very close to becoming confused. Or is that the beginnings of frustration? The first three books have huge paranormal occurrences which happen and which are constantly referred to. This one has a variety of unusual events that take place (which are interesting), but it seemed to be mainly focused on the political side of things. Who is an ally for whom, or seems to be, while actually working hand in glove with another faction within the Guild and fey politics. All of the books focus a large amount of attention on Guild, fey, and human politics because that is ultimately at the bottom of all the problems. These books now have a cast of many, many characters. And the author continues to introduce new paranormal type characters into each book. And each of those have their own identities, where they fit within the fey community, what their powers are, whether they are good or evil. I'm starting to need a list of who, what, when and where.
RECOMMENDATION:
Very highly recommended with one caveat: these books really must be read in order. The story builds so completely on what happened in the previous books that I just cannot even conceive of trying to start this series with anything but the first book. Some of this confusion/distraction/frustration may just be my own fault. I read a LOT of books, by the time I get back to the next book in a series I don't necessarily remember all the details of what happened previously in a series. Whatever the reason may be, this book made me stop often and try to figure out who a character was, when I had previously met them, and what cataclysmic event had taken place and what it's outcome had been. That's my word of warning.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
This series just gets better and better, January 28, 2010
This review is from: Unperfect Souls (Connor Grey, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
I started Unperfect Souls with that happy, satisfied feeling of a reader who knows she won't be disappointed. Every book in the Connor Grey series has been better than the last, and Unperfect Souls is no exception. It is less cataclysmic than books #2 and #3 - and it's a good thing, too, because the city of Boston was falling apart at the end of book 3. Don't get me wrong - Unperfect Souls is packed with a lot of very, very interesting revelations and some pretty major political shake-ups. And some big explosions. And battles in the streets. And attempted murder at the Guildmaster's Yule Ball, leading to the ruination of several costly fairy gowns. Hmm. I guess it's pretty cataclysmic.
So what's in store for us in Unperfect Souls? We learn a lot about the dark mass inside Connor's head. He finally meets someone who knows what it is, who takes the time to explain how it works. Connor doesn't get all the answers, but it's a lot more progress than we've seen in any earlier book. We get a confrontation with Bergen Vize. And we find out why Murdock's father, the police commissioner, hates Connor so much.
But while the last couple of books in this series have been about watching things fall apart - the appearance of the Taint, the destruction of TirNaNog - this one is about putting things back together again. The problems that have plagued earlier books - like Guild mismanagement and broken human-fey relations - reach a crisis point. Lines are drawn in the sand. And it's about Connor feeling comfortable with the person he's becoming, accepting that his central role in recent earth-shattering events is no fluke. He thinks to himself, at one point, how funny it is that it wasn't until he lost all his powers that the fey elite started paying attention to him - and boy, have they. Queen Maeve and King Donor both have spies watching his every move. Security doubles every time he makes a visit to the Guildhouse.
The only bad thing about reading a new book from a series I really love is knowing how long it will be until I can get my hands on the next one. The Connor Grey series is one of those for me - I clap my hands when the release date comes, and then I'm grumpy when I tear through the book and realize how long it will be till I get another fix.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book in the series so far!, February 11, 2010
This review is from: Unperfect Souls (Connor Grey, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)
"Wow!" That's pretty much what my reaction was after reading this book. A lot happens this time around and neither Connor nor his friends are left unscathed.
The story starts out in it's typical fashion with Connor's police detective friend, Leonard Murdock, calling him in to assist on a murder case. It seems that a dead Dead guy (that is NOT a typo) has been found headless in the sewers. Now as odd as this may seem, this is the neighborhood of The Weird we're talking about, so naturally things end up getting progressively worse.
During the course of the investigation, Connor finally (FINALLY!) stumbles across someone who knows something about the mysterious mass in his head. The only problem is that this person also happens to be one of the most repulsive beings known to the Fey, and what Connor is told isn't really something he wants to hear. Still, this is the only way he can learn more about what's happening to him and his desperation has him taking chances that he knows he probably shouldn't.
Then there's Murdock ... more than once as the story plays out, Murdock finds himself in situations that are both dangerous and, ultimately, tragic. Murdock's world becomes seriously shattered and he ends up more shaken and vulnerable than we've ever seen him before. With all the crazy stuff that's going on, Connor is the one Murdock ends up turning to, and the concern and support that Connor shows him is quite gratifying to witness. (Connor's certainly come a long way from that guy who left his friend alone and unconscious in a graveyard (see "Unquiet Dreams").)
I have to say that the relationship between Connor and Murdock is something that I've found fascinating from the very first book. The differences in their backgrounds, beliefs and ways of life are so diverse that calling them an "odd couple" is almost an understatement. While the previous books have focused mainly on the professional aspects of their relationship, this book delves deeper into their friendship and we're finally allowed to see just how much trust and affection exists between them.
Meryl too, as Connor's not-quite girlfriend, gets her fair share of drama. And Joe the Flit just keeps getting better and better. He's got some of the funniest lines and I just love how his friendship with Murdock seems to be deepening as well.
Overall, this story packs much more of an emotional wallop than the others. Connor and his small circle of friends suffer through some major stuff and not everything is tied up nicely in the end. Being forced to wait another year for the next book to come out just seems cruel.
Great job Del Franco. Great job!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
