Saturday, March 13, 2010

Review: Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep


Spider's Bite
Publication: Pocket; Original edition (January 26, 2010) 

Description: My name is Gin, and I kill people.

They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin in the South -- when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.

Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way -- good or bad. I may look hot, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I'm battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction...especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.

My Thoughts: If you are in the mood for gritty urban fantasy with an over-the-top kick*ss heroine, this book is for you. Gin is an assassin and is inapologetic about it. She is good at it. The money is good. She has her standards -- no kids, no pets. Her mentor and handler who took her in off the streets when she was thirteen is encouraging her to retire -- but there is always one more job. Only this one goes badly wrong. Gin escapes the double-cross and returns to find that her mentor has been brutally killed by an air elemental. She must team with the only honest police detective in Ashland (who wants to bring her to justice for killing his partner) to try to figure out what is going on and get revenge for the death of her mentor.

I liked the character of Gin. I found her backstory interesting and moving. The flashbacks to her childhood and the murder of her mother and sisters illuminate her character. I like the mythology of the elementals and other paranormals in this world. The violent scenes were graphic and the sex scenes were very hot. After all, what would be more likely than being hot for the cop who is trying to bring you to justice for the murder of his partner and for him to be hot for you despite his better judgment.

Challenges: 2010 E Book Reading Challenge, RYOB Reading Challenge

 

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