Closure (Assassin Chronicles Book 2)

The Dark Army

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Tara stops at almost nothing to keep her skeletons from tumbling out of the closet. Are rules really meant to be broken? Jake Carrington finds out the hard way and the answer is no! Now Chloe is the number one suspect in that murder. Things are getting just a little too personal for comfort! Regular Digital List Price: With two of their group now with Creach blood flowing in their veins, the team will be tested as never before.

They must unite together if they have any hope of surviving their journey to the Underworld and their battle with the vicious Lord of the Demons. The fate of the entire world hangs in the balance. The first book of the series, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading.

It worked and a new series was born. His book Reaching Your Reluctant Reader has helped hundreds of parents create avid readers. Killer Within is his second novel for adults. As a father of five, he and his wife Nicole spend most of their time chasing kids and taking advantage of living in the great state of Maryland. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel. If you see him there, sit down and have a cup of coffee with him. You just might end up in his next novel.

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon. Eva is trying to live an everyday life in New York. When this fails, she takes a seemingly unmagical job as a translator for a wealthy American family in Spain. Eva cannot stay out of trouble for long as she runs into a friendly but hungry vampire named Louis. Eva feels drawn to this handsome, dangerous stranger who has problems of his own. She smells like heaven. Or is it hell, always smelling but never partaking? Surely she is the devil coming to collect on his lost soul.

Scott Powell was born in Burlington, Vermont, to a father who was a police officer and a mother who emigrated from South Korea. Scott served a two-year Spanish-speaking mission for his church. He is a mixed martial artist who continues to train with his father, a second-degree black belt in tae kwon do and a kick boxer.

Besides being married to Scott for almost seventeen years, Judith Powell is a stay-at-home mom whose whole life has been full of stories. Being raised by an Irish storytelling father and a Native American mother, stories have filled her life and her head until they finally had no choice but to flow out through her fingertips.

What fun, and new perspective on vampires. And the intro of new specie, Enchantress, gives this novel a wonderful and imaginative take. It gives us another take on Vampires and the only Enchantress left in the world. The story flows smoothly and the characters are developed well. Let me just start by saying for the record I am not a huge fan of Vampires or flying humans, but this book has led me away from that concept with a fantastic storyline that focused on a man and woman who were meant to be.

I also would not classify the Kabolos as being from the dark. In the previous series there was a book written from one of the Kabolos's point of view, which makes it hard to classify them as evil. Once you see the world through someone's eyes, even an evil person, it is really difficult to see them only as one thing. So, if they are not from the dark, then they are just another invading army. If that is the case, why is Tom involved? Would he lead an army against a human enemy? This book was still very easy to read and I like the characters, it is just so different from the previous series I am not sure I can reconcile the changes in Toms mission and goals.

Dec 04, Michelle K. I just ordered this out of England since it's not out in the USA yet though it is being sold through the US branch of Amazon, so no awkward exchange rates on my end. She's not only strong when it comes to magic, but she's always been very independent and sure of her abilities. This time around, she was constantly telling Tom how to deal with Jenny on her behalf since she and Jenny weren't getting; it seemed out of character for Alice not to be straightforward with Jenny personally, and it came across as rather manipulative.

Jenny's problem stems from thinking Alice's reappearance will alter Tom's willingness to train Jenny; while the reader has the luxery of knowing that Tom still feels the same sense of duty towards Jenny that he always did, his behavior has, indeed, changed with Alice's reappearance.

They've made Jenny into a third wheel, and since her training requires her to live with Tom and Alice, by extension , it's not like Jenny can just punch a time clock and go home for the day after 8 hours of killing monsters and being ignored, and I know what being ignored feels like, so I'm sad for her. Jan 19, Kristy Maitz rated it it was ok Shelves: I am horrible disappointing with the whole story plot.

What I did not like is the character of main character Tom Ward. In it he is just 17 years old boy who has a big flaw in his character; he has to big heart to say NO to everyone around him. I tried to come up with some explanations why Joseph Delaney wrote him as he is but I can't see any and to be truthful I don't care anymore.

What I did not like: Tom Ward is young spook who is to stupid to say what he thinks aloud, he rather stays quite I am horrible disappointing with the whole story plot. Tom Ward is young spook who is to stupid to say what he thinks aloud, he rather stays quite and does what someone wants him to do. Story plot on its own is really phenomenally out of spooks way. We have here a war between 2 different countries and 1 foolish young spook who is the only one who can lead the whole army of man into the battle. Alice is one character in Joseph Delaney story plot who can fuck or kill everyone for good reason and be as bad as you can get and at the end still get out with being a good girl and getting Tom back as her boyfriend.

Whole story plot or end result is to disappointing to be of any fun. I recommend Author Joseph Delaney to end the whole Tom Ward story plot and get on with something new and refreshing. Mar 26, Highness Atharva rated it really liked it. The book picks up where it was left off in its predecessor. It wasn't at all surprising to know that Thomas Ward Tom , our apprentice was revived. Of course, we are not reading Game of Thrones here where Martin kills off our primary characters.

So, yeah, Thomas Ward is back alive and seems pretty well. I would just like to pass the message that if you are taking up this series it would be a lot better if you'd just finished the Wardstone Chronicles first. There's something called as ''Connecting Link''. So the story of the book mostly takes place in the northern islands, the land of Kobalos. Lukrasta and Alice appear out of nowhere and help in rallying the forces and assist Tom in surviving. There's some imprisonment where the Starblade comes into action and Tom doing some spooky stuff with Kobalos ghosts in the castles and rallying the soldiers and battling the horde of the demon army.

That bloody lamia , Grimalkin and Pan fighting against Golgoth, the old god and saving the County from immediate threat. Well, Grimalkin dies in the end, seems unbelievable to me. Well, Tom died in the first book, he was revived, now it's just Grimalkins turn. Okay, the plot is done, here are my opinions. The book has a steady pace, a fast and furious plat, a full fledged battle scene, spooky ghosts in huge castles, a hundred horrible ways to die, enemies and alliances, Old Gods and some recurring characters that make an appearance and surprise you.

The central theme of the book is to delay the uprising of the Kobalos race and fighting off hordes of the demon army, but readers! It doesn't end here, there's a lot more character development and sub story arcs. First of all, I like the idea of how Tom was resurrected and Grimalkins theory that it could be the combined effort of Lukrasta and Alice.

I also love how the author has converted his mistakes into a boon in the book through Alice's explanation of why she had to join the dark mage Lukrasta, it seems very convincing when she narrates it to Tom. Jenny, as good as ever fails to grab my attention for too much time. What can I say? She has become a secondary character, mind you, she is so good but still I wonder why the author is not giving her enough attention.

In fact, Tom is not the only primary character here. Credit is due to Alice and Grimalkin as well, more in fact. Grimalkin just gets better, her battle skills and all that I was so surprised to see Lukrasta die. He had that coming But what surprised me most was Alice's return, the book seems so much like the older books, Alice just brings in the relative feeling and cheers up Thomas Ward. The starblade plays a central role and it's of utmost importance in thwarting the forces of darkness. There are some many new concepts to be explored in the book such as the Earth Witch, the Kobalos army, some new battle tactics and other things that you should totally read about if you are a hardcore Wardstone Chronicles fan.

I like the concept how the author gets about the story and delivers an excellent and involving narrative. There are some minor flaws in the book, but I didn't consider them when reading, I was totally engrossed. Should i dare say that the battles scenes are gory and full of bloody horrors. I was waiting for the hero crew to leave Kobalos land. It's exciting to see Alice and Tom back together and their interaction jut blows my mind off.

There's a great cameo appearance of Slither and the rebellion movement of the Haizda mage. I liked Grimalkin's tactics in battle, but nonetheless, the human army was just doomed to lose in the enemies courts. Grimalkin seems very different, she's limitless and has a lot of perseverance. She just never gives up and that's gonna take a toll something. The nasty Witch assassin may be an ally but she is indeed dominating. The real fun begins when the heroes return back to the County.

There's a bloody dark case that Tom solves along with Jenny and discovers that the portal to the County is being opened by the Mages and Golgoth is being teleported to the County and people are being splattered into piece. Much of the action happens here. The evergreen places such as Caster, Pendle, Chipenden and Angelzarke Moor are introduced yet again int he book.

The fight in the end where Grimalkin dies fighting Golgoth is just amazing, Pan also makes an appearance. I hated the part regarding human princes, rallying the armies, war strategy and politics in the castles. They just took away all the 'Spook' atmosphere. Anyways, a nice book that gripped by attention. Many surprising events are just icing on the cake.

I pity the characters, there is just too much coming up for them, I can't say everybody will survive. The book seems convincing and enchanting. Strongly recommended to people who enjoy other Spook stories. Feb 15, Emily Price rated it liked it. First off, I used to really love the beautiful black and white illustrations at the start of every chapter. I wish we could still have these in the Spooks Series. Some of the pictures could be quite scary and really set the tone of the chapter. I usually rate the books in this series very highly.

However, this story left me wanting more mostly because three quarters of the book was not set in the county and seemed to take place in strange lands. Therefore, it didn't feel like a Spooks tale. I am First off, I used to really love the beautiful black and white illustrations at the start of every chapter. I am being critical because I really love Joseph Delaney's writing and will always write an honest review for him, this is the first time I have not rated a Spooks book with five stars. Regardless of this review I am still counting down the days for the next book. How many books is one character good for?

This is the 15th Tom Ward book. I am not tired of Tom. I always like his voice as the narrator. I will keep going and finish this trilogy when the next book comes out. The writing didn't seem as good in this book as in the first series, though. It was more telling than showing. Jenny was the other narrator, and I didn't like her voice much. She seemed pretty whiny, and never obeyed Tom when he told her to stay away. Also, she doesn't like Alice. Who doesn't like Alice? Dec 13, Margaret rated it liked it Shelves: Continuing the fight against the dark enemies, most takes place this time in what would seem to be Poland.

The Assassin witch Grimalkin, enlists enlists the Spooks help to defeat this new threat to mankind. Jan 10, Jennifer rated it really liked it. I'm not sure how much I like this second series. But the way this book ended I'm not sure it's gonna continue. But I could be wrong. Also very upset about one my favorite characters. But I won't spoil. Started slowly for me, but the end was very surprising Lots of interesting bits along the way Aug 19, Fairwren rated it liked it.

The Dark Amy is the second book in the Starblade Chronicles. Most of the story takes place in Polyznia, the principality under the rule of Prince Stanislaw. The story picks up right after book one A New Darkness leaves off. Tom Ward, the new County spook is dead, slain by a Shaiksa assassin. I give it a solid three stars, and here is why.

Every time I read a battle scene I felt like I was reading a totally different book. I was tempted to stop reading this book and just start Wardstone Chronicles over from the beginning, but that is out of the question because it was ridiculously long. Keep reading for my views on each of the main characters.

What was the point of killing Tom? That is simply ridiculous. Just defeating the assassin should have been enough. Tom made more sound decisions as an apprentice than he makes as Spook. His character has not grown at all. He relies too much on Alice and Grimalkin and only reacts to what is happening around him, when he should be making important decisions. She was melodramatic and moody and nothing like the warrior witch assassin that I loved from the previous series. Because Lukrasta is dead.

Why is Lukrasta dead? Is he really dead? Who knows with the rules of this book. Why kill off Lukrasta? It makes no sense. He was one of the more interesting characters. The book made a big deal about Alice belonging to the dark and how Tom belongs to the light and how they will never truly be together, especially not in death.

When are her powers going to shine? All in all, not a very impressive book. The bad part about it, there is an interesting story hidden beneath all the filler. I loved how the previous books were dark and scary not too scary though. It will give you a better understanding of what is going on and will give you a better appreciation for this world and what it has to offer. Nov 17, Valerie Senese rated it liked it. During the Wardstone chronicles, there were times I felt the series dragged on, but over all I was happy.

Action, developing characters, nice tempo with plenty of suspense. After all those books and so much leading up to the Fiends death I expected more than just the spook being seen dead.

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I expected more from the final death of the Fiend, and I expected more drama from Tom. But, I accepted it with satisfaction. Now, the Starblades have been entirely different. I have some major complaints. Where did Mam go? She was apart of so much, and not so much as a good job Tom? The addition of Jenny seemed interesting at first.

There seemed to be so much potential in her character. She was a mystery. Skills, and being in the lineage of the Old One's gave so much promise of her being a decent character. Hugh Tucker is showing more debt to his character and is making him much more compelling. I am very intrigued and since more questions were left than answers, I am looking forward to finding out much more in the future: Just as it was the death of her. The rest of the gang were reliably adorable and quirky.

I love that we are starting adding sexy nerd coroner Ryan in the mix more and we need more Silvio time, if you ask me!!! However, it is still a fun, non-pretentious, somewhat violent but not to much so, OTT UF series and I enjoy diving into this world from time to time: If you like such, this is a fun choice for sure! I personally am hoping we continue getting more Spider justice and eventually see how it ends. View all 8 comments. Mar 24, Marta Cox rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Those who enjoy a strong urban fantasy. Well Gin is back and this time she's not the only one with a game plan.

This may be the sixteenth book in this series but the author sure does know how to keep her readers hooked. After so much mayhem and murder previously you would imagine that things would start to slow down but absolutely not! The Spider is closing in on the mysterious Circle, chasing leads and determined to take down those responsible for the deaths in her family.

Yet when asked to find a missing girl Gin doesn't hesitate to Well Gin is back and this time she's not the only one with a game plan. Yet when asked to find a missing girl Gin doesn't hesitate to help but some things just don't add up. Ashland has a secret serial killer with a taste for the unusual but is Gin being helped or hindered by those around her? Has the hunter become the prey? I absolutely love this series and yes I know that an assassin shouldn't really be my idea of a heroine but Gin is impossible not to like.

Fierce , protective and so very brave but it's her quick thinking that always seems to save the day. Gin may be following clues , tracing a trail but she's not the only cunning adversary in this story. The killer isn't exactly what she expects and those protecting the Circle are all too aware of Gins hunt. Our favourite assassin casts her net wide but there's a very tangled web to fight her way through. As usual Gin gets beaten up but hey that's OK as it gives her the opportunity to show her many talents. Yes we get more of her extended family which always gives me warm fuzzy feelings and yep even some quality time with Owen!

Best of all though is I'm enjoying this new direction , the secrets, the lies , even the surprises about characters I thought I knew. Yes misdirection is the name of the game and more revelations are most certainly on their way. I'm as hooked by this book as I was the first and this author has thoroughly entertained me once again so a huge recommendation from me! This voluntary take is of a copy I asked for from Netgalley and my thoughts are truly my own honest opinion View all 9 comments.

Snared , Estep always picks the greatest reflections of her work for her titles. Gin definitely finds herself Snared by the very group she is hunting…the elusive Circle. This series is like one of those deep fried bloomin' onion, with each layer Est Snared , Estep always picks the greatest reflections of her work for her titles. This series is like one of those deep fried bloomin' onion, with each layer Estep unpeels, you find yourself indulging deeper into the simple joy of it. SNARED is packed full of revelations, with lots of new and exciting, undiscovered depths to characters we thought we knew.

What can I say, Estep is a go to author. Bringing amazing fictional characters that become as familiar as family members. With each installment, catching us up with what's going on in their lives My Full review will follow shortly. This is my honest and voluntary review.

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Snared is set for publication April 25, Pocket Books Publication Date: April 25, ISBN View all 5 comments. Jan 09, Carmel Rabid Reads rated it really liked it. Not bad for the sixteenth installment—scratch that—it was goddamned Spider-ific! One of the things that I enjoy the most about these novels is how the author keeps making links to the past while still developing new tangents. Estep also takes us back to that awful day when Blanco lost everything, and we discover an interesting morsel about her mom that has the potential to be a game changer.

Yes, she finds herself in more life-or-death situations that all the secondaries combined however, in this particular instance the outlook was worse than usual. View all 4 comments. Nov 12, Denisa rated it really liked it Shelves: Don't get me wrong, she's a badass and I love her, it just wasn't exactly a 5-star book. Feb 21, Ian rated it really liked it Shelves: Gin Blanco has a lot on her hands. She is not only the unpopular boss of Ashland's criminal underworld but she has discovered there is a rival and perhaps even more insidious organisation called The Circle that is pulling strings from the shadows.

She really doesn't have time to track down a missing person but when one of her lieutenants calls in a favor she finds herself doing just that. A serial killer is on the loose in Gin's patch and she's determined to hunt him down and save his latest vic Gin Blanco has a lot on her hands. A serial killer is on the loose in Gin's patch and she's determined to hunt him down and save his latest victim. In Snared Jennifer Estep runs with the same tried and true formula that has made her one of the biggest names in Urban Fantasy.

This whole series is like buttered popcorn. There isn't much to it but it's so much fun that you won't be able to stop until all that's left are those few sad unpopped kernels sitting in the bottom of the bucket. This installment was one of my favorites in the series. It continues this new mystery of Gin's mother Eira Snow and her involvement with the Circle.

I love this series and I love the characters. Each book holds my interest because they are action-packed and the mystery Gin Blanco has to solve always keeps me thoroughly entertained. Book 16 started immediately as Gin was spying on Hugh Tucker in her attempts to unravel the clues left behind by Fletcher Lane.

Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne Series

Even while eavesdropping, Gin 4. Even while eavesdropping, Gin and Finn can't figure out the identity of the leader of "The Circle". But they are getting close. First, the gang has to help Jade Jamison, a local mob boss, because the Lipstick killer kidnapped Jade's little sister Elissa, the little sister of Jade. What I love about this author is the way she weaves a story using the past simultaneously with the present.

I feel as though Fletcher is alive because he is so instrumental in all of Gin's escapades. Either that or Fletcher was one hell of a sage because he was light years ahead of his time when it came to predicting what his protege would need in the future.

Finn seemed to be much better emotionally than the last couple of books after the betrayal by his mother Deidra Shaw. He was back to trading witty repartee with Gin. I found myself chuckling a lot in this book. The snarky delivery by the Spider makes her one of my favorite heroines. She's sassy and smart-alecky but she always gets the job done. This book was definitely top 3 best installments in this series. If you love the past books, this one is the same but continuing this slow revelation about the Circle. I'm hoping the leader of the The Circle is as fierce as the legendary fire elemental, Mab Monroe, because no other villain has measures up.

I'm looking for a crime lord who will make the Ashland quake in their boots. Nov 26, Ronda rated it liked it. Unfortunately, I am not a fan of this book Usually Gin and the gang keep me on my toes but I found their vacation boring and repetitive. I seemed to be reading paragraphs that were extended with nothing if that makes sense! The entire book felt like a child's game of Hide and Seek but for a bunch of jewels! I think what disappointed me more was that ending Knowing Gin is going to be hooked on a new set of enemies doesn't bode too well with me, I think I needed a finale, a final ending..

Knowing Gin is going to be hooked on a new set of enemies doesn't bode too well with me, I think I needed a finale, a final ending Maybe I'm just outgrowing The Spider Apr 13, Steven rated it liked it Shelves: Jennifer Estep knows how to have FUN in her stories. This one covered some really dark material I mean honestly, the series is about an assassin Gin finds out that some of her enemies aren't just violent evil thugs.

She makes some progress on her Circle hunting. And we get to see quite a few of our favorite cast members.

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D My biggest complaint is that it was predictable. I pretty much guessed almost everything that was going to happen. But, in typical Estep fashion, I had fun anyways. All in all, a very solid entry into the series. She says she's planned now through book 19 really? You're killing me, Estep -- why 19 instead of 20? Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

View all 16 comments. It almost felt like the author tried to return to her roots because the beginning of this book is very basic in terms of the Urban Fantasy style. It was still very well-written but even the writing felt a little on the safe side in this one. But because this is one of my favorite series, I do have pretty high expectations.

For me, it was really the safest one because I could predict a lot of what happened. Apr 12, Douglas Meeks rated it really liked it. Well where do we start? First thing, if you can have a series that has gotten to book 16, you have to have done something right, publishers don't stick with books that don't sell.

Gin is most likely the most consistently bloody and violent heroine you will ever read about while still having a heart of gold for the weak and loyal to her friends beyond all reason. So even though she wants to devote full time to The Circle, when a young girl is missing Gin has to make that a priority with some twi Well where do we start? So even though she wants to devote full time to The Circle, when a young girl is missing Gin has to make that a priority with some twists you don't expect and a couple you can see coming This book was a bit harder to review because it got stuck a time or two and I felt she was cursed with temporary stupidity to get the plot moved along.

Thing is though, the story was addicting and kept me glued to the pages, I would hit one of these "She ain't that stupid" moments and then just move on with the story but it was distracting. We have started searching out The Circle in earnest and she has at least one of them in her sights but things get complicated and Tucker seems to be a real enigma and I hope he does not get so evil we can't like him just a bit. Great story, good plot, some stumbles in keeping Gin consistent, really good ending and we get to know a bit more about the night her family died. Hang on folks, this ride is not over.

View all 7 comments. With clues left by her late mentor, Fletcher, Gin and Silvio have started identifying the members of the devious Circle. As Gin digs deeper into both situations, she uncovers a serial killer is With clues left by her late mentor, Fletcher, Gin and Silvio have started identifying the members of the devious Circle. As Gin digs deeper into both situations, she uncovers a serial killer is loose in Ashland. Estep had me glued to my Kindle as I took a ride with my favorite assassin. The Elemental Assassin books are always full of high-octane action, and Snared is no exception with its race against time - serial killer plot.

While parts were fairly predictable, I found the energy surrounding Gin and her situation strong, and it pulled me in right from the start. With that said, there are a few things that bugged me this time, more than usual. Gin is an extremely intelligent woman; one of the smartest heroines out there.

She also relies heavily on her gut instincts. And she always seems to have facial recognition amnesia. That whole "something is off but I can't figure out what" thing happens too often. But at this point, I find them disappointing. Even with my frustrations over repetitious behaviors that seem to dumb down Gin and the issues with her memory recall, Snared still entangled me. I liked that I figured out the plot right from the get go, yet Ms. Estep made me second guess my hypothesis over and over as the clues surfaced.

I loved watching Gin figure out who the bad guy is and how she brings them down. Snared had many layers, and Gin uncovered a few secrets that brought her a little closer to discovering how to end the mysterious leader of the Circle. Apr 28, Jen Davis rated it really liked it. Assassin Gin Blanco has come a long way over the past 16 books. Or at least the figurehead. Here, we see the strengthening of a friendship between Gin and small-time underworld player Jade. Gin is her regular loyal, snarky, bad-ass self and I love her now as much as ever. I love her relationship with Owen. At least in my mind.

This is a fun, action packed series that stands-up from story to story. May 15, Maria Dimitrova rated it it was ok Shelves:

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