Rivera forces Lanore to investigate his case, the Burning Bush Murders. Someone’s been tying girls to bushes and setting them on fire. Lanore must find the killer, or Rivera goes public with his information.
Meanwhile, Dante won’t take his defeat without a fight. He counterattacks and the Santeria habitat, as well as Lanore’s and Zulu’s lives, are changed forever.
Michelle’s Review – 4 and 1/2 Skulls – A-
I’ve been falling out of love with urban fantasy and paranormal books as of late. I’m not exactly sure when and how it happened but it did. My problems (since you asked):
The monsters are not scary. We have vampires, werewolves, demons, shape shifters, witches, and every possible combo imaginable. We have “good” vampires and “bad” vampires. We have “sexy” shape shifters and “scary” shape shifters. Shoot, we even have horny demon doctors trying to save the world! We have it all, in all possible combinations, but even with the infinite possibilities, the monsters are not scary unless the author makes the monster scary. The author shouldn’t have to make the monster scary. It should be scary because, well, it’s a damn monster. In my little imagination, a vampire should be scary because he is a fricking vampire!!! Not because he is a mean vampire. A werewolf is scary because he is a monster with fur and long claws, not because he was abused by a pup and raised by fairies (I made that up by the way). And as a rule, a demon is bad. It’s my rule. Demon = bad. No getting around it. Go ahead and call the monster rights organization, I don’t care. I don’t care how delicious you look, if you are a demon, I’m not going to jump your bones or your horn and I’m certainly not going to let you play doctor on me. Ok, I didn’t know I carried such deep seeded prejudices against monsters, I’m moving on.
The monsters are props. Monsters should not allow an author to get away with a bad plot. Just because the love interest is 7ft5, with a forked penis, and has blood that is an aphrodisiac, doesn’t mean you should excuse the author from writing a quality storyline.
The monster’s world is not logical. Ok, I know, the monsters are not from this world so they don’t have to follow our rules. Thus, a 180 pound man can fly and turn invisible (or sparkle in some cases). Or a werewolf manages to get no doggie hairs on the carpet and doesn’t smell like wet dog when he comes in from the rain. However, if you create a monsters world, it should be logical within that world. And if you have a monster that defies gravity, take some time to explain it!!!
So now that I’ve ranted about my problems with urban fantasy and paranormal books in general, it is so absolutely wonderful when I find a book that makes me fall in love again with this genre. The Burning Bush is that book. The monsters are monsters. They are animalistic, they don’t follow human tradition, customs and they have their own rules. They are brutal, have no mercy, powerful, and frankly, if you don’t like them, it’s tough shit.
Kenya Wright manages to not only win me over in making her monsters, well..monsters, but she also throws in a story line that manages to combine mystery, horror, and even some major steamy romance with a side of conflict. I’m usually disappointed in the follow up book (aka book 2) to a strong debut book. But Wright’s book 2 easily surpassed book 1 and left me with one hell of a shocking ending (please oh please say it aint so).
Rating:
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Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker
When I'm not with the family, with the dog, at work, playing outdoors, or watching football, I'm reading. I LOVE to read. In my dream world, I'm getting paid to read and I do it all day, everyday. In the real world, I do it as a hobby but would love if it was my career.
I'm the ONLY reader in my family and I've found that people CAN become jealous of books. I'll read almost anything but prefer urban fantasy, paranormal romance, post-apocalyptic, horror, historical romance, erotica (especially dark erotica), and some historical fiction. However, if it is good, I'll read it!
I have an e-reader that I love and a Mp3 full of audio books, I don't mind waiting in lines, sitting for hours at doctor's offices, or being stuck in traffic, it is the perfect opportunity to get just one more chapter in!
Well, never did I think forked demon penises and my book would be in the same paragraph. However, that rocks!! LMAO! Thanks for reading the book. You rock!
I loved it Kenya. However, please, please hurry up and write book 3… the ending… OMG.
I absolutely see where you’re coming from. I’m also more drawn to books where the monsters aren’t simply eccentric humans with superpowers but who actually act like monsters and do monster things. Like angels who annihilate cities (Angelfall) or Vampires that eat people (The Immortal Rules & Abe Lincoln Vampire Slayer) or Ghosts who rip humans apart with their hands (Anna!) Those are always the books I love best.
I hadn’t heard of this author or series but I’m definitely going to add her to my list. That cover alone is worth having that book on my shelf but your recommendation also makes me want to read it!
Donna @ The Happy Booker recently posted..Scott Nicholson’s The Home for Halloween Kindle Fire Giveaway!
Thanks for the comment Donna and I’m glad I’m not alone. It’s weird to have a monster standard for my reading list but I do. I can’t wait to see what you think of the series. I’m so happy I stumbled upon this series, it is turning into one of my favorites.