A Book Obsession..: Nancy Holzner

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Release Day Review: Firestorm by Nancy Holzner

, by KT

Firestorm by Nancy Holzner

Deadtown #6

They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders—but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…

When Vicky allowed an ancient goddess to possess her, she had no regrets—it was the only way to protect the people she loved. But now Ceridwen, locked in a power struggle with the Hellion that long ago claimed Vicky with its mark, refuses to leave. Both beings believe controlling Vicky is the key to winning the coming war for the human realm.

Despite the forces pulling her apart, Vicky needs all her wits about her. The demons of Hell are growing bold and she can barely keep up with the attacks plaguing the city: sirens in the Mystic River, goblins snarling traffic on Storrow Drive, imps tearing the gold from the State House dome. As the signs of war multiply and Hell threatens to overrun its boundaries, Vicky finds herself torn between her duty to save the world and her desire to save something of herself…

Whew was this a whirlwind of a series ending book! There was so much going on with all the many plot threads being wrapped up that the pacing is almost frenetic at times. There's simply not a dull moment in FIRESTORM. Between the demon/goddess duos possessing her, and all the external issues attacking humans and the paranormals in and out of Deadtown alike, Vicky couldn't catch a moment's breath. That being said the pacing never steps over the line into the "too much" category, instead it was a perfect balance of intense action that I had no trouble following. Very impressive.

All in all FIRESTORM was an enjoyable end to the Deadtown series that should more than please fans. While this book was a long time coming, I have to say it was worth the wait!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Tome Tender

Previous Books:
1. Deadtown
2. Hellforged
3. Bloodstone
4. Darklands
5. Hellhound

Early Review: Darklands by Nancy Holzner

, by KT

Darklands by Nancy Holzner

Deadtown #4

They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its border—but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…

Boston’s demons have been disappearing, and Vicky’s clients are canceling left and right. While fewer demons might seem like a good thing, Vicky suspects foul play. A missing Celtic cauldron from Harvard’s Peabody museum leads her to an unwelcome conclusion: Pryce, her demi-demon cousin and bitter enemy, is trying to regain his full powers.

But Pryce isn’t alone. He’s conjured another, darker villain from Vicky’s past. To stop them from destroying everything she loves, she’ll have to face her own worst fear—in the realm of the dead itself.

Being the only professional demon slayer around, Vicky makes her living by bringing down the demons who prey on unsuspecting humans. But when her clients start canceling in droves as their tormenting demons disappear, Vicky knows something fishy is going on. Turns up her psychotic cousin Pryce is up to no good. He's bound and determined to get the shadow demon half that Vicky destroyed back so he can continue in his quest to conquer all of the realms, bringing about death and destruction the likes of which have never been seen. To stop him, she will have to make incredible sacrifices as she travels to the realm of the dead with no guarantee of making it back alive.

It seems like Vicky never gets more than a brief respite before she is thrown into another world threatening mess. In Darklands, the stakes are even higher than before and there was plenty of heart pounding action. But in between all those action packed moments, Vicky also went through a lot of growth, both in her relationship with Kane, which I'll get into in a little bit, but also in facing the incredible amount of guilt over her father's death that she has carried over the years. Because of this she has thrown herself into a lone ranger type of mentality, making relying on others incredibly difficult for her, with her mentor, Mab being the only exception. Yet, due to a guilt demon forcing her to face those issues as well an interesting turn of events, Vicky finally seems to be on the path to accepting help when she needs it. And trust me, she needs it in Darklands. I really enjoyed seeing her open up to others to accept their help despite wanting to keep them safe. It's time she learned that she isn't the only one who can take risks for the people they care about.

Vicky's insecurities with her relationship with Kane really came to a head in Darklands. She's very hot and cold towards him, and it is very obvious that she really cares, but there is that extreme fear of commitment. Despite his willingness, Vicky still hesitates to take the next step, or really anything to solidify the relationship at all. I really think she doesn't believe she deserves Kane, especially since she could never give him a picket fence life. So she pushes him away, but it would seem that he's had just about enough of her wishy-washiness, and is bound and determined to prove to her that he isn't going anywhere. In fact, I'd say he does one heck of a job showing her that he would follow her anywhere and give up anything for her no matter the cost, forcing Vicky to face her feelings for him. It really says something when a man is willing to literally go to hell and back for the woman he loves. All I can say is that is well past time Vicky wakes up and faces the music.

With each book in the Deadtown series, I only get sucked further in, this installment even more so considering the way things ended. While not a cliffhanger in the strictest sense, a lot of things are left in the balance, leaving me desperate to find out what happens next. Darklands was incredibly action packed, leaving me literally on the edge of my seat. Combine that with the intense emotional moments and Vicky's character growth, and Darklands made for an incredibly entertaining installment that cannot be missed!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Previous Books:
1. Deadtown
2. Hellforged
3. Bloodstone

Bloodstone (Early Review)

, by KT

Bloodstone by Nancy Holzner

Deadtown #3

They call it Deadtown: the city's quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders - but Victory Vaughn, Boston's only professional demon slayer, isn't exactly human...

Boston's diverse South End is known for its architecture and great restaurants, not its body count. So when mutilated human corpses begin turning up in the area, the entire city takes notice. The killer-dubbed the South End Reaper-uses a curved blade for his grisly work. And even though there's no real evidence pointing to a paranormal culprit, the deaths are straining the already-tense relations between Boston's human and inhuman residents.

As the bodies pile up, Vicky, her formidable aunt, Mab, and her werewolf boyfriend, Kane investigate, only to find that the creature behind the carnage is after something much more than blood...

There's a killer on the loose. You wouldn't think that would be such shocking news considering all the "monsters" out there in Deadtown, and yet there's something different about these kills. The bodies are so far brutalized that they are hard recognizable, so of course the humans in Boston instantly start pointing fingers at the residents of Deadtown. But if there is one thing Vicky knows, it's that humans can be every bit as violent as the worst monster, maybe even worse. As the body count grows higher she scrambles to find out anything she can. But when things start hitting way too close to home, even with help, she knows this time it may just be her final curtain call.

While Bloodstone had a slower pace just like the previous installment, it differed in that it didn't feel like things were dragging. The lack of action was easily overlooked as we got to learn so much more about Mab and the past. So many pressing questions were answered that it kept me with the sense of feeling that things were moving, as well as more than keeping my attention. Even the parts of action seemed to be furthering the overall motion of the series rather than only focusing on the task at hand. The reasons and culprits behind the current "mess" were very tied into Mab's mysterious past and as a result made then directly effect Vicky in turn. This pulled me even more into the book, making for a quite enjoyable read.

Although the time between Vicky and Kane was really only brief moments in the book, I couldn't help but to notice that their relationship seems so much more substantial and full of depth. In the first installment they were almost casual acquaintances, despite the fact that they had been "dating" for years. Now, it really feels like each one is a very important part of one another's life and I really enjoyed seeing that. I just happen to be one of those people who think a little romance will always make a book better, so I definitely am a happy camper after reading Bloodstone. Of course others may have complaints about this area because as I mentioned, the time spent together is really rather brief. Yet, they are solidifying things and moving forward, which is good news to me and really all I can ask for at this point based on who they are.

Bloodstone may very well be my favorite installment of the Deadtown series. Things were centered back in Deadtown after spending so much time outside of it previously, definitely a plus. Also there was the relationship progression and the answers to many lurking questions. Finally, with an ending that shows the beginning of a very promising future, and you have one heck of an entertaining book. I for one will be counting down the days to the release of the fourth installment. I cannot wait to see what Vicky gets herself into next!

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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Bloodstone (A Deadtown Novel)

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Hellforged

, by KT

Hellforged by Nancy Holzner

Deadtown #2

A demon is stalking Vicky's dreams-just as several of Deadtown's zombies are viciously attacked and become really dead. And when Vicky realizes she is the only connection between the victims, she suspects that the demon is somehow working through her dreams to become Deadtown's living nightmare.

The description of this book, while accurate, really only portrays a very small part of what Hellforged is really about. Yes, Vicky has to deal with a demon in her dreams, and yes zombies are dying nasty terrible deaths, with Vicky being the connection between each victim. Yet, the book is more about Vicky's path to Wales, and learning to overcome a nasty prophecy designed to enslave her. In a sense this book is mostly about Vicky finding herself and learning to believe in her own worthiness, rather then focusing on an actual in your face threat. It made for a slower read at first, but very rich on the character development.

So I really enjoyed Deadtown, and I was quite eager to read Hellforged as a result. However, for the first half or so everything just seemed to drag, and I had to force myself to keep on reading in hopes things would pick up eventually. It took a long while, but once things got started, everything took off with a bang and the action was nonstop and quite heart pounding, enough so that it made up for the extremely slow beginning. I'll be honest that I had expected the book to only gain a two star rating in the end, but yet I found myself upping it to a three by the end. That right there should show just how full and fantastic the last third of the book was, in that it was enough to more than carry the rest of it. I still hope that the next installment is a little bit more balanced in being able to keep my interest for the entire book, as that would make for a much more enriching read.

I think the biggest reason why Hellforged dragged so much for me was the change in setting. For much of the book, Vicky was in Wales training with her aunt due to some personal demon problems. This would have been fine and dandy in my book, except for the fact that the tediousness of the training was stretched out over and over. I realize any good training takes time, and yet as a reader, we don't really need to see that to appreciate it. Also, the romance area fell even more flat than the previous installment. I had had high hopes for the romance to pick up based on the events in Deadtown, but unfortunately they really didn't. Vicky spent most of her time kinda liking both men, but really unsure of either of them. That being said however, (and I don't want to sound like a broken record here, but) I think things might just be finally changing in that department. One of her men really steps up to the plate and declares himself, and seemingly takes his place in her heart. Only time will tell in the end I guess, but I hope to see things pan out for them.

Hellforged is one of those books that you just have to have the determination, plus the foundation of the first book, in order to persevere through the slow and rough beginning. I am very glad to have stuck it through, and am in no way disappointed. I cannot wait to dive into the next book to see how things pan out in the aftermath of both the resolution of the demonic activity and Vicky's unsteady love life. So, if you enjoyed Deadtown, then trust me, you will want to read Hellforged, just make sure to hold on to your hats once the action gets started as you won't know what hit you.

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Deadtown

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Deadtown

, by KT

Deadtown by Nancy Holzner

Deadtown #1

If you were undead, you'd be home by now...

They call it Deadtown: the city's quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders-but Victory Vaughn, Boston's only professional demon slayer, isn't exactly human.

Victory loves her job. She gets to kick demon butt, and she is quite good at it. She lives in Deadtown, named for the zombies that were created there. Its borders hold all the paranormal residents be they alive or undead, keeping them separate from humans, for now...

Deadtown was completely different than I had expected. In the past I hadn't been interested in zombie books for the most part. They just weren't my thing, so I had passed over reading Deadtown in favor of other books. However, lately I have read a few zombie books and enjoyed then, so I figured it was time to give this series a try. Funny thing is, that the zombie aspect plays such a small part, that I could have read it long ago. While the city Deadtown was created because of the zombies to contain them and other paranormals, the book actually focuses more on demonic activities as the narrator is a shape shifting demon slayer. This made the book more than entertaining, but I couldn't help a little frustration at the lack of development in the zombie aspect. Yes, they do say how the zombies came to be, but it is all approached with a rather blaze attitude. No assurances nor precautions to make sure it didn't happen again, which I found to be quite unrealistic.

Vicky is a fun, yet tough as nails character. She's a shapeshifter able to change in to any animate form, yet she also has limitations. She can only change up to three times a month, so she must use those changes wisely. Also, she mostly takes on the nature of whatever she changes into, which can get a little tricky when she changes into a large predator. It is very easy for the other nature to overcome her human side, so she must always be very careful to keep an iron control on herself. I really liked this as it helped keep things "down to earth." In so many Urban Fantasies, the heroine is absurdly strong/powerful that it can get a little excessive. So, Deadtown was quite refreshing in that aspect.

While there wasn't much romance in Deadtown, just some small bits here and there, I was still able to feel the connection between the different characters. I do hope things kick it up a notch in the next installment. So, other than the few things I pointed out, Deadtown was a very solid read that kept me more than entertained. The world was incredibly vivid, and the fully fleshed out characters are very easy to care for. So if you like a good urban fantasy that is full of many different paranormals, then Deadtown is for you.

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