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Ivy Granger #1
Shadow Sight
Welcome to Harborsmouth, where monsters walk the streets
unseen by humans…except those with second sight, like Ivy Granger.
Some things are best left unseen...
Ivy Granger's second sight is finally giving her life purpose. Ivy and her best friend Jinx may not be raking in the dough, but their psychic detective agency pays the bills—most of the time. Their only worry is the boredom of a slow day and the occasional crazy client—until a demon walks through their door.
Demons are never a good sign...
A demon attorney representing the water fae? Stranger things have happened. And things are about to get very, very strange as a bloodthirsty nightmare hunts the city of Harborsmouth.
There's blood in the water...
Kelpies have a reputation for eating humans. Unfortunately, Kelpies are the clients. When an Unseelie faerie this evil stalks the waterways of your city, you have to make hard choices.
The lesser of two evils...
unseen by humans…except those with second sight, like Ivy Granger.
Some things are best left unseen...
Ivy Granger's second sight is finally giving her life purpose. Ivy and her best friend Jinx may not be raking in the dough, but their psychic detective agency pays the bills—most of the time. Their only worry is the boredom of a slow day and the occasional crazy client—until a demon walks through their door.
Demons are never a good sign...
A demon attorney representing the water fae? Stranger things have happened. And things are about to get very, very strange as a bloodthirsty nightmare hunts the city of Harborsmouth.
There's blood in the water...
Kelpies have a reputation for eating humans. Unfortunately, Kelpies are the clients. When an Unseelie faerie this evil stalks the waterways of your city, you have to make hard choices.
The lesser of two evils...
240 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2012
218 people are currently reading
4631 people want to read
About the author
E.J. Stevens
53 books1,663 followersE.J. Stevens is the bestselling, award-winning author of the IVY GRANGER, PSYCHIC DETECTIVE urban fantasy series, the SPIRIT GUIDE young adult series, the HUNTERS' GUILD urban fantasy series, and the WHITECHAPEL PARANORMAL SOCIETY Victorian Gothic horror series. She is known for filling pages with quirky characters, bloodsucking vampires, psychotic faeries, and snarky, kick-butt heroines. Her novels are available worldwide in multiple languages.
BTS Red Carpet Award winner for Best Novel, Imadjinn Award winner for Best Short Story, Raven Award winner for Best Urban Fantasy Novel, Independent Audiobook Award winner for Best Short Story, SYAE finalist for Best Paranormal Series, Best Novella, and Best Horror, winner of the PRG Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Paranormal Fantasy Novel, Best Young Adult Paranormal Series, Best Urban Fantasy Novel, and finalist for Best Young Adult Paranormal Novel and Best Urban Fantasy Series.
When E.J. isn't at her writing desk, she enjoys dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles. E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.
Join the E.J. Stevens newsletter and learn about news, events, and receive a free book. http://www.subscribepage.com/n6k1a5 Monthly news updates, tour photos, and exclusive reader perks (FREE reads & giveaways!).
Website: http://www.EJStevensAuthor.com
Ivy Granger Series: http://IvyGranger.com
Blog: http://www.FromtheShadows.info
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EJStevensAuthor
@EJStevensAuthor
BTS Red Carpet Award winner for Best Novel, Imadjinn Award winner for Best Short Story, Raven Award winner for Best Urban Fantasy Novel, Independent Audiobook Award winner for Best Short Story, SYAE finalist for Best Paranormal Series, Best Novella, and Best Horror, winner of the PRG Reviewer's Choice Award for Best Paranormal Fantasy Novel, Best Young Adult Paranormal Series, Best Urban Fantasy Novel, and finalist for Best Young Adult Paranormal Novel and Best Urban Fantasy Series.
When E.J. isn't at her writing desk, she enjoys dancing along seaside cliffs, singing in graveyards, and sleeping in faerie circles. E.J. currently resides in a magical forest on the coast of Maine where she finds daily inspiration for her writing.
Join the E.J. Stevens newsletter and learn about news, events, and receive a free book. http://www.subscribepage.com/n6k1a5 Monthly news updates, tour photos, and exclusive reader perks (FREE reads & giveaways!).
Website: http://www.EJStevensAuthor.com
Ivy Granger Series: http://IvyGranger.com
Blog: http://www.FromtheShadows.info
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EJStevensAuthor
@EJStevensAuthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
November 2, 2017
Shadow Sight
Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective Series
By: E. J. Stevens
Narrated by: Traci Odom
I found this a cute psychic detective series and will certainly read more books by this author. Lots of fun creatures, adventure, characters and even a unicorn! It was a fun story with a good mystery.
The narrator was great and was the glue that held things together. Great voices, emotions, and sounds. Wonderful job!
Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective Series
By: E. J. Stevens
Narrated by: Traci Odom
I found this a cute psychic detective series and will certainly read more books by this author. Lots of fun creatures, adventure, characters and even a unicorn! It was a fun story with a good mystery.
The narrator was great and was the glue that held things together. Great voices, emotions, and sounds. Wonderful job!
February 12, 2016
Positives first. I've been wanting another read with a lead for psychometry. Ivy is pretty cool and as a character I enjoyed her. She had an interesting voice and I chuckled at quite a few lines of her internal banter. The cast of characters are fun and the magical creatures are in abundance. The Unicorn lore and THE unicorn was awesome. My unicorn obsession hit full force, and was a factor for me pushing through. I'm a sucker for magical creatures. Especially the horned one. (That would sound really bad out of context. It actually sounds kind of bad in context.)
It helps that the writing isn't the worst I've read, and spelling isn't an issue. Though the writing is rough. Sometimes I felt like there were too many commas. I do it to.
The killing factor for me was the information dumps. It's all very convoluted. It took 5 pages to walk to a church, because of the needless information that was being dumped. Don't get me wrong I adore it when an author has a place so well developed and the characters have rich back stories. When it's taking away from the present story it's not a good thing. Pacing and information come hand in hand. It needs to be told, but not in away that it bogs down the story. The back stories didn't even follow a linear story. They jumped around tossing random bits out.
The excess of information was bad. Quite a bit of it could have been cut out, or at least not repeated so much. Making this a much longer read then it needed to be, and quite honestly I no longer cared about the story it was trying to tell. Ivy ended up suffering as a character due to everything else being delved into. Actually I felt like Steve enjoyed all her other characters more. It was very strange.
In the end the convoluted nature of this book killed it's own story. Not even using the time to flesh out Ivy, who is actually an interesting character. From the little about her in the book. Psychometry we miss each other again. Maybe another lead in a better book. I'm out. There are better series. More importantly better written books. It's a shame, it had so much promise.
Sexual Content: Pretty clean. Nothing shocking.
1/5- I couldn't finish it or wish I hadn't.
Originally posted at Book Whispers.
It helps that the writing isn't the worst I've read, and spelling isn't an issue. Though the writing is rough. Sometimes I felt like there were too many commas. I do it to.
The killing factor for me was the information dumps. It's all very convoluted. It took 5 pages to walk to a church, because of the needless information that was being dumped. Don't get me wrong I adore it when an author has a place so well developed and the characters have rich back stories. When it's taking away from the present story it's not a good thing. Pacing and information come hand in hand. It needs to be told, but not in away that it bogs down the story. The back stories didn't even follow a linear story. They jumped around tossing random bits out.
The excess of information was bad. Quite a bit of it could have been cut out, or at least not repeated so much. Making this a much longer read then it needed to be, and quite honestly I no longer cared about the story it was trying to tell. Ivy ended up suffering as a character due to everything else being delved into. Actually I felt like Steve enjoyed all her other characters more. It was very strange.
In the end the convoluted nature of this book killed it's own story. Not even using the time to flesh out Ivy, who is actually an interesting character. From the little about her in the book. Psychometry we miss each other again. Maybe another lead in a better book. I'm out. There are better series. More importantly better written books. It's a shame, it had so much promise.
Sexual Content: Pretty clean. Nothing shocking.
1/5- I couldn't finish it or wish I hadn't.
Originally posted at Book Whispers.
July 27, 2012
Book Info: Genre: Urban Fantasy Reading Level: Adult
Disclosure: I received a free eBook ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review and to post in conjunction with her blog tour. There will be a giveaway on my blog starting Monday, 7/30/12.
Synopsis: Some things are best left unseen...
Ivy Granger's second sight is finally giving her life purpose. Ivy and her best friend Jinx may not be raking in the dough, but their psychic detective agency pays the bills--most of the time. Their only worry is the boredom of a slow day and the occasional crazy client – until a demon walks through their door.
Demons are never a good sign...
A demon attorney representing the water fae? Stranger things have happened. And things are about to get very, very strange as a bloodthirsty nightmare hunts the city of Harborsmouth.
There's blood in the water...
Kelpies have a reputation for eating humans. Unfortunately, Kelpies are the clients. When an Unseelie faerie this evil stalks the waterways of your city, you have to make hard choices.
The lesser of two evils...
My Thoughts: I’ve been interested in E.J. Stevens’ previous urban fantasy series for awhile, and jumped at the chance to read and review her latest. Ivy Granger has a distinct and amusing voice, and I laughed a lot while reading this book. In fact, Stevens gives each of her characters a unique and interesting voice, and reading this was a real treat. Additionally, there was a lot of terrific research done on the various fae that Stevens uses in this novel, which must have meant a great deal of reading of old fairy tales and lore and legends (and I’m so jealous, ‘cause I love reading stuff like that); it’s obvious she put a lot of effort into getting this stuff right.
As I mentioned, this book is very humorous, and I laughed like a loon, especially, at the meeting with the vampires (The Boss, Stinky, Dusty, and Shorty) and the pooka orgy. IN some place the humor is a bit wry, but this is a very entertaining start to what promises to be a highly enjoyable series.
The second book in this series, Ghost Light, is scheduled to come out next year. I know I’ll be watching for it. If you enjoy Urban Fantasies, and especially if you’re interested in the fae, you should definitely check out this book. Watch for a giveaway, starting Monday, 7/30/12, on my blog, Now is Gone, where you can win a copy of this book or other prizes!
Disclosure: I received a free eBook ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review and to post in conjunction with her blog tour. There will be a giveaway on my blog starting Monday, 7/30/12.
Synopsis: Some things are best left unseen...
Ivy Granger's second sight is finally giving her life purpose. Ivy and her best friend Jinx may not be raking in the dough, but their psychic detective agency pays the bills--most of the time. Their only worry is the boredom of a slow day and the occasional crazy client – until a demon walks through their door.
Demons are never a good sign...
A demon attorney representing the water fae? Stranger things have happened. And things are about to get very, very strange as a bloodthirsty nightmare hunts the city of Harborsmouth.
There's blood in the water...
Kelpies have a reputation for eating humans. Unfortunately, Kelpies are the clients. When an Unseelie faerie this evil stalks the waterways of your city, you have to make hard choices.
The lesser of two evils...
My Thoughts: I’ve been interested in E.J. Stevens’ previous urban fantasy series for awhile, and jumped at the chance to read and review her latest. Ivy Granger has a distinct and amusing voice, and I laughed a lot while reading this book. In fact, Stevens gives each of her characters a unique and interesting voice, and reading this was a real treat. Additionally, there was a lot of terrific research done on the various fae that Stevens uses in this novel, which must have meant a great deal of reading of old fairy tales and lore and legends (and I’m so jealous, ‘cause I love reading stuff like that); it’s obvious she put a lot of effort into getting this stuff right.
As I mentioned, this book is very humorous, and I laughed like a loon, especially, at the meeting with the vampires (The Boss, Stinky, Dusty, and Shorty) and the pooka orgy. IN some place the humor is a bit wry, but this is a very entertaining start to what promises to be a highly enjoyable series.
The second book in this series, Ghost Light, is scheduled to come out next year. I know I’ll be watching for it. If you enjoy Urban Fantasies, and especially if you’re interested in the fae, you should definitely check out this book. Watch for a giveaway, starting Monday, 7/30/12, on my blog, Now is Gone, where you can win a copy of this book or other prizes!
March 19, 2018
Ivy Granger psychic Detective, Shadow sight: by E.J. Stevens
A funny, yet at times, a completely disturbing book. I think most people wouldn't describe it like that, but I found it funny at times. The sayings that the Author comes up with, and the way she describes things, I found quite funny. The Ivy Granger books are in a class all there own. I've only read two so far, but they've both been excellent, definitely worth reading. Paranormal, mystery, comedy, combined with disgusting and terrifying creatures.
Ivy and her few friends Jinx (her business partner/roommate/best friend, a human) Madame Kaye (friend/helps Ivy with magic, she's a witch) Hob (became friends over the years, with the grouchy little brownie, a type of fae). These are her main friends from the beginning. Then she also becomes friends with Marvin (a young, albeit very stinky, sweet, Troll). Who is homeless and lost his father, but Kaye is helping him.
Ivy and her friends are close, help each other with anything and reliable to each other. Ivy having always been the odd ball growing up, because of her power (psychometry, the supernatural ability to see events, usually traumatic, in an objects history, or skin too skin contact. She can also see through glamour, something the supernatural beings use to make themselves, or things look different). Ivy always wears gloves to prevent getting, horrific visions. She has seen way to many horrible things in her life. Now she only uses that gift if she absolutely has to, for solving a case. Ivy suffers terrible nightmares, because of all the things she's witnessed.
This book was very good. The characters are endearing, relatable, real people (except the monsters). I was completely engrossed in this book once I started it. I mean no sleep, don't talk to me, dam it I have to pee again, engrossed. There is always something happening, or something they are preparing for, something that is going to happen. There's no chance, for your mind to wonder, there's to much going on.
Ivy is much braver than she thinks, and does a lot of scary things, in the name of saving the little seaside community, where she lives. Ivy and her friends, along with some unsuspected others, go along way to try to save the community and humans in it.
In the end Ivy finds herself with more friends, and finds out a huge secret about herself. She also learns things about her parents, that she would have never guessed. Of course a lot more happens in the book, but I don't want to give anything away.
Oh, definitely worth reading. Fast paced, something is always happening. It's fun yet has scary creatures, along with the old favorite creatures. Has it's share of blood/Gore, but the blood and Gore is not constant. Also, shows the great easy flowing friendships, between Ivy and her friends. Although, at one point, something happened with Ivy, by one of her friends. Ivy was out of it, and starting to use a lot of different sayings and this friend did something (I know that is vague, but again I don't want to give anything away). I'm curious to see if anything comes of that. Heck, I'm curious about a lot of things, that's why I'm going to start the next book.
I was given a copy of this book to read, I left a review on my own.
A funny, yet at times, a completely disturbing book. I think most people wouldn't describe it like that, but I found it funny at times. The sayings that the Author comes up with, and the way she describes things, I found quite funny. The Ivy Granger books are in a class all there own. I've only read two so far, but they've both been excellent, definitely worth reading. Paranormal, mystery, comedy, combined with disgusting and terrifying creatures.
Ivy and her few friends Jinx (her business partner/roommate/best friend, a human) Madame Kaye (friend/helps Ivy with magic, she's a witch) Hob (became friends over the years, with the grouchy little brownie, a type of fae). These are her main friends from the beginning. Then she also becomes friends with Marvin (a young, albeit very stinky, sweet, Troll). Who is homeless and lost his father, but Kaye is helping him.
Ivy and her friends are close, help each other with anything and reliable to each other. Ivy having always been the odd ball growing up, because of her power (psychometry, the supernatural ability to see events, usually traumatic, in an objects history, or skin too skin contact. She can also see through glamour, something the supernatural beings use to make themselves, or things look different). Ivy always wears gloves to prevent getting, horrific visions. She has seen way to many horrible things in her life. Now she only uses that gift if she absolutely has to, for solving a case. Ivy suffers terrible nightmares, because of all the things she's witnessed.
This book was very good. The characters are endearing, relatable, real people (except the monsters). I was completely engrossed in this book once I started it. I mean no sleep, don't talk to me, dam it I have to pee again, engrossed. There is always something happening, or something they are preparing for, something that is going to happen. There's no chance, for your mind to wonder, there's to much going on.
Ivy is much braver than she thinks, and does a lot of scary things, in the name of saving the little seaside community, where she lives. Ivy and her friends, along with some unsuspected others, go along way to try to save the community and humans in it.
In the end Ivy finds herself with more friends, and finds out a huge secret about herself. She also learns things about her parents, that she would have never guessed. Of course a lot more happens in the book, but I don't want to give anything away.
Oh, definitely worth reading. Fast paced, something is always happening. It's fun yet has scary creatures, along with the old favorite creatures. Has it's share of blood/Gore, but the blood and Gore is not constant. Also, shows the great easy flowing friendships, between Ivy and her friends. Although, at one point, something happened with Ivy, by one of her friends. Ivy was out of it, and starting to use a lot of different sayings and this friend did something (I know that is vague, but again I don't want to give anything away). I'm curious to see if anything comes of that. Heck, I'm curious about a lot of things, that's why I'm going to start the next book.
I was given a copy of this book to read, I left a review on my own.
December 5, 2018
Hmmmm .... I don't know how I totally feel about this book.
The premise of a psychic detective with psychometry (seeing things by touch) had me on board, and the fact that she had little to no people skills and a snarky attitude left me with a smile on my face. Where the author lost me however was when she decided to stuff every kind of fae and myth imaginable into the storyline in the first book, devolving completely into fantasy fluffiness!
The tale has quite a backbone with Ivy taking on her first major case offered by a high Demon who is working for the Kelpies (not dogs, think seahorse fae). She is tasked with finding the King of the Kelpies, who has been kidnapped.
While the antagonists are fearsome and malevolent and the battle to save the King, and Ivy's home town, is bloody and action packed, it becomes almost farcical and ... dare I say .... farfetched, when Ivy leaves mid battle to retrieve some Pookas (klepto, nymphomaniac gnomes with glow-in-the-dark condoms on their heads!) to help in the battle. Funny, but nevertheless ..... farfetched.
If you like your fantasy crammed with creatures aplenty and are not necessarily that fussed about the detective side of things, then this rollicking adventure is for you. Me ..... I like my fantasy with a bit of bite!
The premise of a psychic detective with psychometry (seeing things by touch) had me on board, and the fact that she had little to no people skills and a snarky attitude left me with a smile on my face. Where the author lost me however was when she decided to stuff every kind of fae and myth imaginable into the storyline in the first book, devolving completely into fantasy fluffiness!
The tale has quite a backbone with Ivy taking on her first major case offered by a high Demon who is working for the Kelpies (not dogs, think seahorse fae). She is tasked with finding the King of the Kelpies, who has been kidnapped.
While the antagonists are fearsome and malevolent and the battle to save the King, and Ivy's home town, is bloody and action packed, it becomes almost farcical and ... dare I say .... farfetched, when Ivy leaves mid battle to retrieve some Pookas (klepto, nymphomaniac gnomes with glow-in-the-dark condoms on their heads!) to help in the battle. Funny, but nevertheless ..... farfetched.
If you like your fantasy crammed with creatures aplenty and are not necessarily that fussed about the detective side of things, then this rollicking adventure is for you. Me ..... I like my fantasy with a bit of bite!
June 12, 2015
**I received this book for free from author E.J. Stevens in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
Welcome to Harborsmouth boys and girls! Harborsmouth is a place where dozens of Otherworlders like fae, trolls, vampires, and kelpies call home. It is also the home to Psychic Investigator Ivy Granger who has the ability to see visions through psychometry. Sometimes it's a real pain in the ass having to wear gloves all the time. Especially since any object she touches may have experienced something traumatic. Ivy is also able to see past Otherworlders glamour through what she calls her second sight.
*Full Review Posted @ Gizmos Reviews 06/12/2015
http://www.gizmosreviews.blogspot.com...
Paperback: 242 pages
Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press (July 1, 2012)
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
Welcome to Harborsmouth boys and girls! Harborsmouth is a place where dozens of Otherworlders like fae, trolls, vampires, and kelpies call home. It is also the home to Psychic Investigator Ivy Granger who has the ability to see visions through psychometry. Sometimes it's a real pain in the ass having to wear gloves all the time. Especially since any object she touches may have experienced something traumatic. Ivy is also able to see past Otherworlders glamour through what she calls her second sight.
*Full Review Posted @ Gizmos Reviews 06/12/2015
http://www.gizmosreviews.blogspot.com...
Paperback: 242 pages
Publisher: Sacred Oaks Press (July 1, 2012)
April 22, 2023
[Originally read 09-10th September 2013. Re-read: 14th May 2015]
On a re-read I think this is more a 2.5 stars for me rather than 3.
It shows glimmers of interesting world building and the potential to be as intriguing as, say, Seanan McGuire's October Daye series (my "you must be this awesome" bar for modern UF involving the fae), but it's severely let down by rather amateurish writing (how many times did the author remind us it was the Each Uisge? That's pronounced "a-aCH oosh-kuh" BTW, since you wont find a pronounciation guide in the kindle version), a meandering plot that's just a series of "go here, do that" actions over and over, and making things overly complex by adding too many (unnecessary) elements
I have previously read the second in this series and will be re-reading it again because I vaguely remember it being more focused on Ivy's character development, but if I hadn't done so already I'm not sure I'd have been interested enough to continue. It's not that I really disliked reading it as much as it was disappointing to see what it could have been and simply not getting it.
On a re-read I think this is more a 2.5 stars for me rather than 3.
It shows glimmers of interesting world building and the potential to be as intriguing as, say, Seanan McGuire's October Daye series (my "you must be this awesome" bar for modern UF involving the fae), but it's severely let down by rather amateurish writing (how many times did the author remind us it was the Each Uisge? That's pronounced "a-aCH oosh-kuh" BTW, since you wont find a pronounciation guide in the kindle version), a meandering plot that's just a series of "go here, do that" actions over and over, and making things overly complex by adding too many (unnecessary) elements
I have previously read the second in this series and will be re-reading it again because I vaguely remember it being more focused on Ivy's character development, but if I hadn't done so already I'm not sure I'd have been interested enough to continue. It's not that I really disliked reading it as much as it was disappointing to see what it could have been and simply not getting it.
May 31, 2012
When I accepted an ARC of Shadow Sight, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew it would be good because the author’s Spirit Guide series has received such high reviews. I also wasn’t fully certain what an “urban fantasy” would be exactly. My brain has a strange way of classifying genres, and urban fantasy is not currently in my vocabulary. All of that aside though, I can safely say that I had a lot of fun reading this book.
The main character is a little quirky (along with her roommate named Jinx), which made me like her instantly. I love characters that aren’t perfect and seem to be aware of their flaws. Ivy was definitely one of these characters. She has a special gift—she can glean images (emotions) from any object that she touches. Pretty handy skill for finding your lost car keys, but not so great when you suddenly flash on someone’s worst nightmare. But despite the challenges, Ivy’s made a pretty good life for herself. She runs the psychic investigating operation Private Eye.
Her special talents often lead to special clients. Enter Forneus, a demon attorney (I laughed at the irony of that stereotype) representing the Kelpies of the area. No big deal, right? Hardly! Kelpies like to eat humans, but that’s the least of Ivy’s problems. As it turns out, the Kelpies are the victims in a ghastly plot to wipe out the human population of the town. Ivy has to find a way to rescue the kidnapped Kelpie king and stop the each uisge from attacking.
Not sure what each uisge are? Neither was I before reading this book! So I did a little research with my friend Google. The each uisge are similar to kelpies in that they both take on the horse-like form (or human at times) to lure their victims to the water, where they drown them and eat the remains. Kelpies, however, prefer fresh water and rivers while the each uisge are saltwater dwellers. They also have their origin in Scottish folklore, and are thought to be the most vicious of the water dwelling creatures. I think that is safe to say after reading this book! Holy smokes. If I saw one of these jokers in person I would pee my pants. No lie. Here is one of the descriptions of the diabolical monsters:
“The monster was death incarnate, from the milky orbs of its dead eyes to the dripping fangs, sickle claws, poisoned spines, razor sharp exoskeleton of its legs, and dark mangy fur stretched thin over jutting ribs and hips.”
I promise you, this description is all rainbows and lollipops compared to the first encounter with the beasts. You still get an idea of how terrifying this creature would be. No wonder you don’t hear much about the each uisge in mythology books!
One of my favorite aspects of this book was the incorporation of so many mythological elements. There were vampires, unicorns, kelpies, each uisge, fae of all types, witches, trolls, mermaids, merrow, and many more. Don’t think that the story is choppy with so many supernatural elements, because it is not. Everything fits in very nicely and sets the stage for future books in the series. I am certain that some of these mythological creatures will be revisited as Ivy’s story progresses.
If you’re a fan of mythology or paranormal books, you would enjoy Shadow Sight. There is an element of romance that begins to develop towards the end (which keeps you wondering what will happen in the next book) to satisfy the paranormal romance fans. But if you’d rather read a mythology-based mystery told from the point of view of a quirky, often sarcastic, main character, then you definitely need to read this book!
The main character is a little quirky (along with her roommate named Jinx), which made me like her instantly. I love characters that aren’t perfect and seem to be aware of their flaws. Ivy was definitely one of these characters. She has a special gift—she can glean images (emotions) from any object that she touches. Pretty handy skill for finding your lost car keys, but not so great when you suddenly flash on someone’s worst nightmare. But despite the challenges, Ivy’s made a pretty good life for herself. She runs the psychic investigating operation Private Eye.
Her special talents often lead to special clients. Enter Forneus, a demon attorney (I laughed at the irony of that stereotype) representing the Kelpies of the area. No big deal, right? Hardly! Kelpies like to eat humans, but that’s the least of Ivy’s problems. As it turns out, the Kelpies are the victims in a ghastly plot to wipe out the human population of the town. Ivy has to find a way to rescue the kidnapped Kelpie king and stop the each uisge from attacking.
Not sure what each uisge are? Neither was I before reading this book! So I did a little research with my friend Google. The each uisge are similar to kelpies in that they both take on the horse-like form (or human at times) to lure their victims to the water, where they drown them and eat the remains. Kelpies, however, prefer fresh water and rivers while the each uisge are saltwater dwellers. They also have their origin in Scottish folklore, and are thought to be the most vicious of the water dwelling creatures. I think that is safe to say after reading this book! Holy smokes. If I saw one of these jokers in person I would pee my pants. No lie. Here is one of the descriptions of the diabolical monsters:
“The monster was death incarnate, from the milky orbs of its dead eyes to the dripping fangs, sickle claws, poisoned spines, razor sharp exoskeleton of its legs, and dark mangy fur stretched thin over jutting ribs and hips.”
I promise you, this description is all rainbows and lollipops compared to the first encounter with the beasts. You still get an idea of how terrifying this creature would be. No wonder you don’t hear much about the each uisge in mythology books!
One of my favorite aspects of this book was the incorporation of so many mythological elements. There were vampires, unicorns, kelpies, each uisge, fae of all types, witches, trolls, mermaids, merrow, and many more. Don’t think that the story is choppy with so many supernatural elements, because it is not. Everything fits in very nicely and sets the stage for future books in the series. I am certain that some of these mythological creatures will be revisited as Ivy’s story progresses.
If you’re a fan of mythology or paranormal books, you would enjoy Shadow Sight. There is an element of romance that begins to develop towards the end (which keeps you wondering what will happen in the next book) to satisfy the paranormal romance fans. But if you’d rather read a mythology-based mystery told from the point of view of a quirky, often sarcastic, main character, then you definitely need to read this book!
May 19, 2015
One word. Fascinating. That describes this book to a tee. Other descriptions? World building that doesn’t quit. Wonderful heroine. And so much more. I first read, Hunting in Bruges, by this author, and loved it. I bought this book as soon as I finished that one and was just now able to get around to reading it. I found it worth the wait.
Ivy Granger is a private detective of the supernatural sort. She is able to touch an object, and learn things. Like where an object is, or who has the object. She has visions, and some are horrific. Due to those, she can never touch another person or even an object without getting a vision. That’s where the gloves come in, she has to wear them, no matter how hot the weather is, all the time, pretty much. Relationships with any man is pretty much not going to happen either, and she has learned to not yearn for one. When a demon lawyer comes to her for help, life in the city of Harborsmouth, will never be the same.
There was so much to love about this read. I absolutely adored Ivy. Her voice, while telling her story, in the first person, was nothing short of perfect, if you love a character with snark and just all around wit for days. Her roommate and business partner is Jinx, named that because she’s a complete klutz. However, she is excellent at her work-which is scheduling Ivy’s appointments, and doing all the paperwork. Equally important to this story is Kaye, an elderly witch that owns an emporium, and is a good friend to Ivy. Rounding out Ivy’s friends are Hob, Kaye’s kitchen brownie(and quite the character)and a young troll, named Marvin, who I promise will win your heart. I must add that there is someone that just might change Ivy’s dating life. I’ll leave that for you to find out!
I have honestly never read a book with this much world building. Some people might not like that, but I was fascinated by all the different species of creatures from the supernatural world that are explained in detail. A lot of these creatures are ones I have heard of, but there possibly(probably) are others that the author has dreamed up, and my does she have quite the imagination, if that is true!
Harborsmouth seems to be the hub for the supernatural in this part of the world. They live side by side unsuspecting humans. Most of them are Fae, and use glamour to hide what they really are. One of Ivy’s talents is to see past the glamour. Not only do they walk among humans, but I sure wouldn’t go in the water there. Water creatures and monsters abound there. A truly magical city, and not necessarily of the good kind.
The only young adult in this story is Marvin the troll, but I believe this is considered YA. However, there is plenty of violence, and gory deaths to be had in this read, so I would recommend this to older teens, up to adults. I enjoyed the whole read, and plan on buying the next one titled, Ghost Light.
(RabidReads.com)
Ivy Granger is a private detective of the supernatural sort. She is able to touch an object, and learn things. Like where an object is, or who has the object. She has visions, and some are horrific. Due to those, she can never touch another person or even an object without getting a vision. That’s where the gloves come in, she has to wear them, no matter how hot the weather is, all the time, pretty much. Relationships with any man is pretty much not going to happen either, and she has learned to not yearn for one. When a demon lawyer comes to her for help, life in the city of Harborsmouth, will never be the same.
There was so much to love about this read. I absolutely adored Ivy. Her voice, while telling her story, in the first person, was nothing short of perfect, if you love a character with snark and just all around wit for days. Her roommate and business partner is Jinx, named that because she’s a complete klutz. However, she is excellent at her work-which is scheduling Ivy’s appointments, and doing all the paperwork. Equally important to this story is Kaye, an elderly witch that owns an emporium, and is a good friend to Ivy. Rounding out Ivy’s friends are Hob, Kaye’s kitchen brownie(and quite the character)and a young troll, named Marvin, who I promise will win your heart. I must add that there is someone that just might change Ivy’s dating life. I’ll leave that for you to find out!
I have honestly never read a book with this much world building. Some people might not like that, but I was fascinated by all the different species of creatures from the supernatural world that are explained in detail. A lot of these creatures are ones I have heard of, but there possibly(probably) are others that the author has dreamed up, and my does she have quite the imagination, if that is true!
Harborsmouth seems to be the hub for the supernatural in this part of the world. They live side by side unsuspecting humans. Most of them are Fae, and use glamour to hide what they really are. One of Ivy’s talents is to see past the glamour. Not only do they walk among humans, but I sure wouldn’t go in the water there. Water creatures and monsters abound there. A truly magical city, and not necessarily of the good kind.
The only young adult in this story is Marvin the troll, but I believe this is considered YA. However, there is plenty of violence, and gory deaths to be had in this read, so I would recommend this to older teens, up to adults. I enjoyed the whole read, and plan on buying the next one titled, Ghost Light.
(RabidReads.com)
July 6, 2012
I happened to stumble upon this book while browsing on Goodreads, as a new release for July 2012, and I must say this book was probably the most unexpectedly enjoyable read I've found in a while. My tastes tend to run in the direction of Urban Fantasy, and a series similiar to this one, The October Daye Series of books, is a favorite of mine. Simply put, I wish there were more novels out like this, the urban fantasy books that lean more towards the Fae/Faery end of the spectrum. SO after reading the premise, I bought this book expecting atleast a pleasant read, especially for the great kindle price. But WOW I am happy to say that this book far exceeded my expectations! Ivy Granger is a great heroine and Shadows Sight is a book that promises a new series full of all the things I love: Magic, a flawed but tough as nails heroine, with a quirky and loveable bestfriend/sidekick, a Sexy and Magical love interest, all the most interesting and frightening creatures of lore, and some hillarious dialogue...and did I mention Magic? Seriously Why isnt this book on more readers radars?! GET THIS BOOK, the price is great and the fact that there will be more books in this series is such a treat. The writing was really solid and the characters indepth and fully fleshed out. The only reason I didnt give this book Five stars is because I know there is room to grow, but really I was so happy with this purchase, and the fact i have a new series to love. My ONLY comment that I might wish could be changed is the cover Image, it just doesnt seem like that woman fits the Ivy in the book (she barely was ok with putting a skirt on 1 time in the novel, I dont think she would be wearing tall latex thigh high boots, and the random and uninspiring wall and door behind her leaves nothing to be intrigued about) but still this book was so worth it. Cannot wait for 2013 and the next book in this series, Ghost Light. E.J. Stevens, you have another fan!
May 22, 2012
Overall this was a fairly decent book. Did I love it? Not exactly. Did I hate it? Definitely not. The only real issue I had was with the writing itself. The story is great. I love the action and Ivy is a very interesting character. It would suck not being able to touch things or people because you could have a vision that makes people think you are crazy. At least she turned that crazy situation into a good decision. Helping people. That's a great way to use your gift.
The problem I had with this book was it was hard to get into without the action parts. So much time was spent on explaining the world Ivy lives in or every creature she passes or might possibly pass. It got super annoying. What happened to show, not tell?
Full review here: http://tristasiegel.blogspot.com/2012...
The problem I had with this book was it was hard to get into without the action parts. So much time was spent on explaining the world Ivy lives in or every creature she passes or might possibly pass. It got super annoying. What happened to show, not tell?
Full review here: http://tristasiegel.blogspot.com/2012...
May 19, 2018
Ivy has psychometry, something she discovered in a horrible horrible way as a child. Now she will never touch anything or anyone unless she has gloves on or it is needed to a case. She uses this second sight as a detective.
A lot of shit goes down in this book, it's full of happening things and the plot is rather good, it's the presentation that has left me not in hurry to read book 2. It took me over a month to read this small little book (that should tell you something). The author is a tad bit repetitive, and info dumps galore. It felt as it she was trying to hard with it, if you have read it I think you will get what I'm saying.
I liked it, I'm hoping to at some point see what happens next to Ivy and co but like I said not soonish..
A lot of shit goes down in this book, it's full of happening things and the plot is rather good, it's the presentation that has left me not in hurry to read book 2. It took me over a month to read this small little book (that should tell you something). The author is a tad bit repetitive, and info dumps galore. It felt as it she was trying to hard with it, if you have read it I think you will get what I'm saying.
I liked it, I'm hoping to at some point see what happens next to Ivy and co but like I said not soonish..
March 19, 2018
Shadow Sight by E.J. Stevens is a good start to a new series. It is really descriptive and makes it easy to follow. There are a lot of characters (and creatures) but the mains are really solid. It is really well done, but slips a bit from the original stated premise.
December 2, 2012
This review can also be read on-
The Dark, Delicious and Dreamtastic.
Somewhere along a 2.5 stars and 2.7 stars for me.
An okay-okay sorta book, I can't say I am too happy with it, which is in itself quite depressing since I had quite a few hopes sub-consciously bookmarked to this novel even before it's release.
Sorely lacking in the butt-kicking, badass section. *grim face*
Note: The heroine had a spine of steel and didn't shy away from defending herself and anyone she loved- make no mistake of that- but what I mean by saying "very less butt-kicking, badass" scenes is that there were very little of 'em. I just felt there should've been something.. I don't know.. more. Narrows it down, doesn't it?
Ditto for romance.
Ditto for drama.
So. Hmm.
Aw, what the heck, here goes.
I liked the overall concept, and the writing was okay- nothing special- but the book had potential: If only the author worked on the drama and the writing a bit, I'm pretty sure it'd have at least made a dent in 3-4 stars sector.
A little disappointing, I'd hoped for a much better read. Even though there were horrendous sea monsters eating people up and leaving their livers floating in the water, demons making deals, witches and kelpies and what-not going around and trying to get all their shit together, you know what I felt lacking? The importance of all that shit and drama. Makes sense? No?
Let me explain.
Interesting stuff happened. Like really. But the writing was so bland, the drama was so flat, that even a kidnapped kelpie king- who was supposedly gorgeous and totally hot by the way- chained and tortured, and deprived of his will didn't make me feel anything. No remorse, no anything- I was left unimpressed.
Ya get whatcha mean?
I KNOW! Cool pic, right?
Damon does not approve. Well neither do I. Huh.
Anywhooooo, even though I'm very dejected and a lot disappointed, I'm still going to read the sequel when it comes.
Answer to your obvious look of surprise: No I'm not a masochist.
Reason for the decision? No matter the lack of drama and romance and a little blandness in the the writing, the book has potential. Like I mentioned earlier, I liked the concept, the story.. It might turn out to be really good, you never know. Also, as I've learned with experience, and quite a few times too- first books of fantasy series tend to not be as awesome as the rest of the series. So, I'll be reading the next book, hoping that it just might turn out to be really great.
The Dark, Delicious and Dreamtastic.
Somewhere along a 2.5 stars and 2.7 stars for me.
An okay-okay sorta book, I can't say I am too happy with it, which is in itself quite depressing since I had quite a few hopes sub-consciously bookmarked to this novel even before it's release.
Sorely lacking in the butt-kicking, badass section. *grim face*
Note: The heroine had a spine of steel and didn't shy away from defending herself and anyone she loved- make no mistake of that- but what I mean by saying "very less butt-kicking, badass" scenes is that there were very little of 'em. I just felt there should've been something.. I don't know.. more. Narrows it down, doesn't it?
Ditto for romance.
Ditto for drama.
So. Hmm.
Aw, what the heck, here goes.
I liked the overall concept, and the writing was okay- nothing special- but the book had potential: If only the author worked on the drama and the writing a bit, I'm pretty sure it'd have at least made a dent in 3-4 stars sector.
A little disappointing, I'd hoped for a much better read. Even though there were horrendous sea monsters eating people up and leaving their livers floating in the water, demons making deals, witches and kelpies and what-not going around and trying to get all their shit together, you know what I felt lacking? The importance of all that shit and drama. Makes sense? No?
Let me explain.
Interesting stuff happened. Like really. But the writing was so bland, the drama was so flat, that even a kidnapped kelpie king- who was supposedly gorgeous and totally hot by the way- chained and tortured, and deprived of his will didn't make me feel anything. No remorse, no anything- I was left unimpressed.
Ya get whatcha mean?
I KNOW! Cool pic, right?
Damon does not approve. Well neither do I. Huh.
Anywhooooo, even though I'm very dejected and a lot disappointed, I'm still going to read the sequel when it comes.
Answer to your obvious look of surprise: No I'm not a masochist.
Reason for the decision? No matter the lack of drama and romance and a little blandness in the the writing, the book has potential. Like I mentioned earlier, I liked the concept, the story.. It might turn out to be really good, you never know. Also, as I've learned with experience, and quite a few times too- first books of fantasy series tend to not be as awesome as the rest of the series. So, I'll be reading the next book, hoping that it just might turn out to be really great.
February 12, 2013
Review originally posted on My Urban Fantasies
This was my first E.J. Stevens novel and... WOW. She is the perfect combination of Kim Harrison and Jim Butcher, which is huge considering they are two of my favorite authors. Harborsmouth is filled with a plethora of supernatural characters. There is a psychic, demon, witch, kelpies, pixies, merrow, ghouls, and mermaids to name a few. I was amazed how she managed to squeeze in a unicorn, not typically found in a city, simply brilliant! E.J. Stevens introduced each new supernatural species by giving a brief description about who/what they are. Stevens handled the descriptions beautifully, they very character involved, short and never felt like a lecture. I'm so happy Shadow Sight is part of a series. I am eagerly and somewhat impatiently waiting to read more of the Ivy Granger series.
Ivy Granger is a psychic detective gifted with Psychometry, the ability to receive visions of past events by touching an object or person. This nasty "gift" will leave Ivy screaming in a puddle of drool until her vision is over, which could take hours. With the help of Jinx, her best friend and business partner, Ivy has learned to live with her power.
In Shadow Sight Ivy is forced into taking a meeting with a potential new client, a demon lawyer. The demon, whose name is Forneus, is representing kelpies who are in need of Ivy's special skills. The kelpies need Ivy to find their missing king's bridle and if possible the missing king, Ceffyl Dŵr. Forneus warns Ivy that there will be dire consequences if she refuses to find Ceffyl Dŵr's bridle. The reason that human livers are washing up on shore is because the each uisge, terrifying and bloodthirsty creatures who lives to devour humans, are now living in the bay.
The local water fae usually keep the each uisge in check, stopping them from killing humans and drawing unwanted attention. However, Ceffyl Dŵr is missing and the other kelpies and water fae are afraid to stand up against the each uisge. If the each uisge are responsible for Ceffyl Dŵr's kidnapping and have control of Ceffyl's bridle, they can control the kelpie king as long as they have the bridle. If Ceffyl Dŵr returns without his bridle he will not be leading his people against the each uisge, Ceffyl will be fighting for the enemy. Ivy realizes that time is of the essence, the each uisge are just testing the waters with the individual attacks. When they realize that no one is going to oppose them the each uisge will storm the city leaving devastation in their wake.
I absolutely adore Ivy and her snarky personality. Ivy is more of an investigator than traditional ass kicker, I still would not get on her bad side. Ivy has this amazing inner strength that I absolutely love in a heroine. Life may have given her a crap deal, but Ivy has made the most of it. She deals with her "gift" the best that she can while dedicating her life to helping other people.
This was my first E.J. Stevens novel and... WOW. She is the perfect combination of Kim Harrison and Jim Butcher, which is huge considering they are two of my favorite authors. Harborsmouth is filled with a plethora of supernatural characters. There is a psychic, demon, witch, kelpies, pixies, merrow, ghouls, and mermaids to name a few. I was amazed how she managed to squeeze in a unicorn, not typically found in a city, simply brilliant! E.J. Stevens introduced each new supernatural species by giving a brief description about who/what they are. Stevens handled the descriptions beautifully, they very character involved, short and never felt like a lecture. I'm so happy Shadow Sight is part of a series. I am eagerly and somewhat impatiently waiting to read more of the Ivy Granger series.
Ivy Granger is a psychic detective gifted with Psychometry, the ability to receive visions of past events by touching an object or person. This nasty "gift" will leave Ivy screaming in a puddle of drool until her vision is over, which could take hours. With the help of Jinx, her best friend and business partner, Ivy has learned to live with her power.
In Shadow Sight Ivy is forced into taking a meeting with a potential new client, a demon lawyer. The demon, whose name is Forneus, is representing kelpies who are in need of Ivy's special skills. The kelpies need Ivy to find their missing king's bridle and if possible the missing king, Ceffyl Dŵr. Forneus warns Ivy that there will be dire consequences if she refuses to find Ceffyl Dŵr's bridle. The reason that human livers are washing up on shore is because the each uisge, terrifying and bloodthirsty creatures who lives to devour humans, are now living in the bay.
The local water fae usually keep the each uisge in check, stopping them from killing humans and drawing unwanted attention. However, Ceffyl Dŵr is missing and the other kelpies and water fae are afraid to stand up against the each uisge. If the each uisge are responsible for Ceffyl Dŵr's kidnapping and have control of Ceffyl's bridle, they can control the kelpie king as long as they have the bridle. If Ceffyl Dŵr returns without his bridle he will not be leading his people against the each uisge, Ceffyl will be fighting for the enemy. Ivy realizes that time is of the essence, the each uisge are just testing the waters with the individual attacks. When they realize that no one is going to oppose them the each uisge will storm the city leaving devastation in their wake.
I absolutely adore Ivy and her snarky personality. Ivy is more of an investigator than traditional ass kicker, I still would not get on her bad side. Ivy has this amazing inner strength that I absolutely love in a heroine. Life may have given her a crap deal, but Ivy has made the most of it. She deals with her "gift" the best that she can while dedicating her life to helping other people.
July 4, 2015
First sentence-
Welcome to Harborsmouth, where monsters walk the streets unseen by humans....except those with second sight.
Review
I received this book in return for a honest review from the author from a giveaway on Librarything. I was drawn to this book by the synopsis it sounds so interesting I love anything paranormal. The book is about Ivy Granger a Psychic Detective who co-owns Private Eye with her roommate and best friend Jinx. Ivy is special she has the second sight, that means she can see the supernatural for who they are not what they want they want to be seen. In addition to being able to see who the supernatural's are Ivy can also get visions from touching an object, that being said not visions are warm and fuzzy so they affect her deeply leaving her haunted by nightmares, and in screaming fits. So Ivy wears gloves and is very careful what she touches to avoid unwanted visions.
They are hired by a Demon attorney who happens to be working for Kelpies a water horse fae who's king has gone missing, when his bridle was stolen. They learn that the bridle has been taken by the ever uisage, and since a Kelpie is controlled by who has the bridle it is assumed they control the king. A deal is struck between the Demon and Ivy, that she will find the bridle, after all the girls have to be able to pay rent. Ivy seeks assistance from a local very powerful witch Kaye to help her find the bridle. With the missing Kelpie king the ever uisage are free to plan a attack on the city of Harborsmouth slaying all the humans.
Ivy sets out on a mission to recruit help from the supernatural community to fight the threat of the ever uisage before they can destroy the city. She makes many new friends, make deals with other supernaturals in the community that could bite her later, and risk her life for the city. This is a face paced, supernatural mystery, that keeps you on your toes and guessing what will come next. I really enjoyed reading this book, it was hard to put it down when I had real life stuff popping up and when I wasn't reading it's all I thought about. I wanted to know more. I like that the book plays off the supernaturals that aren't always the spotlight of the book a unique twist.
The characters are well written Ivy is a gem, you just love her right away, she's comes off as a real person she's special but it's not always a gift either. She really grows as a character, as you learn more about her as the book progresses. She lives with her best friend, one of the only ones to understand her Jinx who happens to be obsessed with shoes, and uses them to guilt Ivy. This book has it all, unicorns, vampires, trolls, hobs, witches, fae, demons, pixies and much much more. I really enjoyed reading this book, and look forward to the next one, the teaser at the end of this one did just that.
Welcome to Harborsmouth, where monsters walk the streets unseen by humans....except those with second sight.
Review
I received this book in return for a honest review from the author from a giveaway on Librarything. I was drawn to this book by the synopsis it sounds so interesting I love anything paranormal. The book is about Ivy Granger a Psychic Detective who co-owns Private Eye with her roommate and best friend Jinx. Ivy is special she has the second sight, that means she can see the supernatural for who they are not what they want they want to be seen. In addition to being able to see who the supernatural's are Ivy can also get visions from touching an object, that being said not visions are warm and fuzzy so they affect her deeply leaving her haunted by nightmares, and in screaming fits. So Ivy wears gloves and is very careful what she touches to avoid unwanted visions.
They are hired by a Demon attorney who happens to be working for Kelpies a water horse fae who's king has gone missing, when his bridle was stolen. They learn that the bridle has been taken by the ever uisage, and since a Kelpie is controlled by who has the bridle it is assumed they control the king. A deal is struck between the Demon and Ivy, that she will find the bridle, after all the girls have to be able to pay rent. Ivy seeks assistance from a local very powerful witch Kaye to help her find the bridle. With the missing Kelpie king the ever uisage are free to plan a attack on the city of Harborsmouth slaying all the humans.
Ivy sets out on a mission to recruit help from the supernatural community to fight the threat of the ever uisage before they can destroy the city. She makes many new friends, make deals with other supernaturals in the community that could bite her later, and risk her life for the city. This is a face paced, supernatural mystery, that keeps you on your toes and guessing what will come next. I really enjoyed reading this book, it was hard to put it down when I had real life stuff popping up and when I wasn't reading it's all I thought about. I wanted to know more. I like that the book plays off the supernaturals that aren't always the spotlight of the book a unique twist.
The characters are well written Ivy is a gem, you just love her right away, she's comes off as a real person she's special but it's not always a gift either. She really grows as a character, as you learn more about her as the book progresses. She lives with her best friend, one of the only ones to understand her Jinx who happens to be obsessed with shoes, and uses them to guilt Ivy. This book has it all, unicorns, vampires, trolls, hobs, witches, fae, demons, pixies and much much more. I really enjoyed reading this book, and look forward to the next one, the teaser at the end of this one did just that.
July 31, 2012
This review is also posted at The Bawdy Book Blog.
Shadow Sight is a fun, quirky paranormal read that just leaves you wanting more (which is good, since there’s more coming!).
Ivy Granger isn’t an ordinary human; she’s been gifted (cursed?) with a second sight. When she touches people and objects, she sees pieces of their past, although usually with grand mal seizure-like episodes. She thinks that part sucks. Why can’t she just be normal?
But that doesn’t stop her from capitalizing on her gift/curse and opening a detective agency with her BFF Jinx, the world’s unluckiest chick. Enter the demon lawyer, Forneus. Forneus, in all his brimstone stench, has been hired by the Kelpies to find their King’s bridle, and subsequently, their King, who has been kidnapped. The fate of the town, and possibly mankind rests on this case and the only person who can really crack it – with some help from demons, fairies, and a juvenile troll – is Ivy. Just what she signed up for.
Shadow Sight is just a delightful and fun read. It’s quick to the punch-line and still maintains a level of seriousness – I mean, they really will die if they don’t find the Kelpie King – that is needed in a novel that has the Fae. And oh the Fae! E.J. Stevens doesn’t shy away from incorporating all kinds of magic into Shadow Sight, so there is something new to find on every page. Her descriptions of the different Fae species – and sometimes what they do to humans – is vivid and captivating.
And even though the general tone of the novel is somewhat somber – Ivy is on a life-saving mission, after all – Stevens still manages to inject a lot of lightheartedness and fun into the pages with her wit and humor. Ivy herself is fun to read, quick-witted and doesn’t take herself so seriously. She knows the situation she is in is so ridiculous, and she pokes fun at it – and herself – quite a bit. What else can you do, really? The rest of the cast is also an entertaining lot!
I really only had one very minor issue with Shadow Sight and when I say minor, I do mean teeny-tiny: there is mention of a spell being cast early on in the story by her witch friend Kaye, that is akin to the Holy Fire of legend. I didn’t know what that was (and I actually never did look it up, I kept on plugging along), so the significance was lost on me.
But overall, I really enjoyed Shadow Sight! Stevens is an incredible author with an arsenal of characters and great plot arcs, and she isn’t afraid to use them. I was incredibly and thoroughly entertained from beginning to end and I just can’t wait for the second one to come out.
Shadow Sight is a fun, quirky paranormal read that just leaves you wanting more (which is good, since there’s more coming!).
Ivy Granger isn’t an ordinary human; she’s been gifted (cursed?) with a second sight. When she touches people and objects, she sees pieces of their past, although usually with grand mal seizure-like episodes. She thinks that part sucks. Why can’t she just be normal?
But that doesn’t stop her from capitalizing on her gift/curse and opening a detective agency with her BFF Jinx, the world’s unluckiest chick. Enter the demon lawyer, Forneus. Forneus, in all his brimstone stench, has been hired by the Kelpies to find their King’s bridle, and subsequently, their King, who has been kidnapped. The fate of the town, and possibly mankind rests on this case and the only person who can really crack it – with some help from demons, fairies, and a juvenile troll – is Ivy. Just what she signed up for.
Shadow Sight is just a delightful and fun read. It’s quick to the punch-line and still maintains a level of seriousness – I mean, they really will die if they don’t find the Kelpie King – that is needed in a novel that has the Fae. And oh the Fae! E.J. Stevens doesn’t shy away from incorporating all kinds of magic into Shadow Sight, so there is something new to find on every page. Her descriptions of the different Fae species – and sometimes what they do to humans – is vivid and captivating.
And even though the general tone of the novel is somewhat somber – Ivy is on a life-saving mission, after all – Stevens still manages to inject a lot of lightheartedness and fun into the pages with her wit and humor. Ivy herself is fun to read, quick-witted and doesn’t take herself so seriously. She knows the situation she is in is so ridiculous, and she pokes fun at it – and herself – quite a bit. What else can you do, really? The rest of the cast is also an entertaining lot!
I really only had one very minor issue with Shadow Sight and when I say minor, I do mean teeny-tiny: there is mention of a spell being cast early on in the story by her witch friend Kaye, that is akin to the Holy Fire of legend. I didn’t know what that was (and I actually never did look it up, I kept on plugging along), so the significance was lost on me.
But overall, I really enjoyed Shadow Sight! Stevens is an incredible author with an arsenal of characters and great plot arcs, and she isn’t afraid to use them. I was incredibly and thoroughly entertained from beginning to end and I just can’t wait for the second one to come out.
July 8, 2012
vy Granger isn't a character from Harry Potter, she is a specially skilled detective in a town brimming with unusual creatures. Others may see an old man collecting bottles or a rasta smoking a joint, but she sees the monsters hidden behind the glamor. More importantly, Ivy has the gift of psychometry, the ability to sense visions from touching an object. As soon as her skin touches people or objects, she may be victim to seeing horrible happenings from the past. These talents are what gives an edge to Private Eye, the private detective agency run by Ivy and her *rockabilly friend Jinx.
In Shadow Sight, the first book of the series, Ivy Granger comes face to face with a demon. Worse a demon lawyer. He wrangles her into an early morning meeting the next day (a Saturday rrrr), and drops the bomb that Ivy better start looking for clues or the entire town will be under attack from beasties.
The number of creatures introduced throughout the book is staggering. Because each creature tends to have a way to hide it's appearance, these fae and demons lurk in plain sight. I found the way this is done to be very clever. Props to the author for including species I have never heard of before. However, I could have used a pronunciation guide for the dark horses each uisge.
I like the main character Ivy, she seems to have her head on her shoulders. Why she would be wearing three inch heels in the cover is beyond me, as those aren't included in the two pairs of shoes she owns in the book. Cross trainers and a pair of Doc Martens--so no, not really a heels chick. Practical, she wears gloves in the heat to avoid nasty visions. Since often being sarcastic and grumpy seems to be part of Ivy's personality, she could have been a little more edgy.
Shadow Sight is a quick read. I found myself zipping blithely along in the grocery aisle. Overall it was a good story with excellent images, mythos, action, and pacing. The romance subplot could have been integrated a little better throughout the book so it was less out of the blue. I wished Ivy's character was a little meatier, but there's nobody else quite like her. Her gifts make Ivy Granger and her detective agency truly unique.
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In Shadow Sight, the first book of the series, Ivy Granger comes face to face with a demon. Worse a demon lawyer. He wrangles her into an early morning meeting the next day (a Saturday rrrr), and drops the bomb that Ivy better start looking for clues or the entire town will be under attack from beasties.
The number of creatures introduced throughout the book is staggering. Because each creature tends to have a way to hide it's appearance, these fae and demons lurk in plain sight. I found the way this is done to be very clever. Props to the author for including species I have never heard of before. However, I could have used a pronunciation guide for the dark horses each uisge.
I like the main character Ivy, she seems to have her head on her shoulders. Why she would be wearing three inch heels in the cover is beyond me, as those aren't included in the two pairs of shoes she owns in the book. Cross trainers and a pair of Doc Martens--so no, not really a heels chick. Practical, she wears gloves in the heat to avoid nasty visions. Since often being sarcastic and grumpy seems to be part of Ivy's personality, she could have been a little more edgy.
Shadow Sight is a quick read. I found myself zipping blithely along in the grocery aisle. Overall it was a good story with excellent images, mythos, action, and pacing. The romance subplot could have been integrated a little better throughout the book so it was less out of the blue. I wished Ivy's character was a little meatier, but there's nobody else quite like her. Her gifts make Ivy Granger and her detective agency truly unique.
For More Reviews please a href="http://wrendoloro.blogspot.com"> visit wrendoloro.blogspot.com visit wrendoloro.blogspot.com
January 21, 2013
An interesting story. There were sections that managed to surprise me, which, when you've read as many books of this genre and type that I have is a hard thing to do but I enjoyed it immensely. The book has a slightly different premise to the type that I normally read, I'm a Witch and Vampire lover normally (give me Rachel Morgan and Ivy Tamwood anytime and I'll be happy) but I found myself entranced by the various types of fae in this book, I know that they are not uncommon in fiction but I thought that they were each portrayed well.
The main character of the book, Ivy, has something that we all enjoy, she's a feisty girl. It hides under the surface a lot of the time but she proves herself in the end by being smart enough to think of a way out of danger. That was what I enjoyed about her, she doesn't have to be the most powerful because she's smart about the situation she's got herself into. The second thing I thought worked very well was the way in which her ability was handled throughout the book. It isn't a nice idea, but the way that Ivy has developed phobias and fears surrounding her ability just seems perfect somehow.
I have to say that I felt a little let down at the end by the choice of Ivy's partner, however, if there is more character development in the next book I'm sure that it will be a good pairing. To me, he just feels a little flat at the moment.
Good book over all, I'll get the second but probably won't rush out to buy it immediately or anything like that.
The main character of the book, Ivy, has something that we all enjoy, she's a feisty girl. It hides under the surface a lot of the time but she proves herself in the end by being smart enough to think of a way out of danger. That was what I enjoyed about her, she doesn't have to be the most powerful because she's smart about the situation she's got herself into. The second thing I thought worked very well was the way in which her ability was handled throughout the book. It isn't a nice idea, but the way that Ivy has developed phobias and fears surrounding her ability just seems perfect somehow.
I have to say that I felt a little let down at the end by the choice of Ivy's partner, however, if there is more character development in the next book I'm sure that it will be a good pairing. To me, he just feels a little flat at the moment.
Good book over all, I'll get the second but probably won't rush out to buy it immediately or anything like that.
December 27, 2014
Always looking for new things to read I bought this book on the recommendation from amazon, which sometimes they get right, sometimes not so much.
Ivy Granger fears all touch due to her gift of psychometry. Using her ability in her job as a private detective is her way of making a good thing out of the bad. Something her bad luck plagued friend Jinx suggested.
Her life gets more complicated when she makes a deal with a Demon - worse a Demon lawyer- to find the Kelpie king’s bridle.
Ivy is an interesting character; she has flaws beyond her obvious issue with touch, such as her dislike for the Fae. That ability alone is an interesting. She does however seem to rely on others quite a bit and I would really like to see her stand on her own a little more.
The book introduces a variety of species. Vampires in real estate, a nice path rather than something that sparkles, although a down side is there is a little more tell rather than show. There are a lot of introductions some could find tedious.
Overall, this book is a great introduction to a new character and world. I did enjoy the book and consider it a good read or in this re-read and that for me if the basis of a good book. Hope the rest of the series shows Ivy growing into her own and accepting that not all Fae are the bad guys.
Ivy Granger fears all touch due to her gift of psychometry. Using her ability in her job as a private detective is her way of making a good thing out of the bad. Something her bad luck plagued friend Jinx suggested.
Her life gets more complicated when she makes a deal with a Demon - worse a Demon lawyer- to find the Kelpie king’s bridle.
Ivy is an interesting character; she has flaws beyond her obvious issue with touch, such as her dislike for the Fae. That ability alone is an interesting. She does however seem to rely on others quite a bit and I would really like to see her stand on her own a little more.
The book introduces a variety of species. Vampires in real estate, a nice path rather than something that sparkles, although a down side is there is a little more tell rather than show. There are a lot of introductions some could find tedious.
Overall, this book is a great introduction to a new character and world. I did enjoy the book and consider it a good read or in this re-read and that for me if the basis of a good book. Hope the rest of the series shows Ivy growing into her own and accepting that not all Fae are the bad guys.
July 27, 2012
Ivy Granger is a character I liked from the very beginning. She is a psychic detective operating out of the port town of Harborsmouth. Harborsmouth is teaming with a whole myriad of unusual supernatural characters. They cloak themselves in glamour and thus exist unknown, for the most part, among the “normals”. Ivy sees beneath the glamour to the real persona. She also has a gift of seeing past events when she touches something. Sometimes, unexpectedly, those visions can be debilitating; striking with vivid and paralyzing ferocity.
I am not particularly well-versed on mythology and in this book many of the creepy characters are firmly ensconced in the stories and whisperings about frightening monsters passed down through the generations. I honestly read this story more for the adventure than because of any fascination with mythology. I loved the world-building begun in this book. The secondary characters, as well as Ivy, are interesting and quirky, too. The pacing is superb, and my imagination was fully engaged throughout. E.J. has a real knack for perfectly rendered descriptions and sharp, humorous dialogues.
I am not particularly well-versed on mythology and in this book many of the creepy characters are firmly ensconced in the stories and whisperings about frightening monsters passed down through the generations. I honestly read this story more for the adventure than because of any fascination with mythology. I loved the world-building begun in this book. The secondary characters, as well as Ivy, are interesting and quirky, too. The pacing is superb, and my imagination was fully engaged throughout. E.J. has a real knack for perfectly rendered descriptions and sharp, humorous dialogues.
July 9, 2012
Well when I was approached by the author E.J. Stevens to review her newest novel I jumped at the bait. As I am already a huge fan of E.J.’s YA paranormal series I decided to give Shadow Sight a try, and boy am I happy that I did. I quickly found myself enjoying this novel and being caught up in the story. This story is like nothing that E.J. has ever written before and I am so happy that she decided to venture out of her comfort zone.
The plot was wonderfully entertaining. I loved the character Ivy. She has a way of making me laugh out loud. I mean how many hero's can make a joke out of a deathly situation. The plot of Shadow Sight smooth's along smoothly. It has to be horrible for Ivy growing up and everything you touch telling you a story that you did not want to know. I also enjoyed Jinx, she is the perfect person to help Ivy along in life. And I loved reading about Jinx’s shoe collection.
I can not wait for the sequel so I can find out what other mischief Ivy and Jinx can get their selves into next. Keep up the great work E.J.
The plot was wonderfully entertaining. I loved the character Ivy. She has a way of making me laugh out loud. I mean how many hero's can make a joke out of a deathly situation. The plot of Shadow Sight smooth's along smoothly. It has to be horrible for Ivy growing up and everything you touch telling you a story that you did not want to know. I also enjoyed Jinx, she is the perfect person to help Ivy along in life. And I loved reading about Jinx’s shoe collection.
I can not wait for the sequel so I can find out what other mischief Ivy and Jinx can get their selves into next. Keep up the great work E.J.
Read
May 27, 2017It's been a while since I've read a book like this one. Here we have a strong female protagonist, Ivy Granger, using her paranormal powers for good… A bit like, and yet very unlike, Buffy, the vampire slayer. This is a book you can dive right into, suspend your disbelief, and get caught up in the story. I have to say that the fictitious Harborsmouth does, in some ways, remind me of New Orleans.
E. J. Stevens has a way with words. Her descriptions, while not flowery, are all spot on. As you read, I challenge you to not visualize exactly the creature she is portraying. Yes, there are creatures, and some of them are far from nice. You can feel the fear and torment. You can smell the brimstone. Yet, you will not feel overwhelmed by prose.
It is difficult to talk about Ivy Granger without giving a lot of the story away. I don't do spoilers! I can tell you that SHADOW SIGHT will start you on a journey, so that you, like I, will definitely want to read the rest of this series. I'm off to read "Blood and Mistletoe," a novella, that is the next story in the Ivy Granger saga.
E. J. Stevens has a way with words. Her descriptions, while not flowery, are all spot on. As you read, I challenge you to not visualize exactly the creature she is portraying. Yes, there are creatures, and some of them are far from nice. You can feel the fear and torment. You can smell the brimstone. Yet, you will not feel overwhelmed by prose.
It is difficult to talk about Ivy Granger without giving a lot of the story away. I don't do spoilers! I can tell you that SHADOW SIGHT will start you on a journey, so that you, like I, will definitely want to read the rest of this series. I'm off to read "Blood and Mistletoe," a novella, that is the next story in the Ivy Granger saga.
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February 14, 2024
Ivy Granger is far from average. At a young age, she learned that through her touch she could learn about the person, or people, who have been in contact with that item. These aren't idle visions - these are visceral, bone wrenching visions. To outsiders, it would seem that her ability would be a gift. To Ivy, a life with the 'gift' of psychometry has been torture.
dnf
September 4, 2019meh giving up
September 24, 2016
I slogged through on my second try and wish I didn't. This was written in a way that just irritated the hell out of me. She info dumps and describes scenes, leading to... average. We have big build ups, over and over, and then the meeting and important plot points are rushed, or glossed over. We never get a sense of anything for ourselves instead we get Ivy's info dumps and movement description. In my 2nd try below, I describe how she talks about entering the church and having a bad feeling, she describes how she has 3 moves planned, how she learned those moves in classes, and how she can "run like a gazelle". Well that came after her lead up to entering the church which she describes down to turning the door knob "widdershins" yep. Luckily I have come across that word once before and didn't get stumped but, I would've passed it over if I didn't understand. Still I was so bored with the whole entering that my mind is off wondering, 'why not just say counter clockwise?'. See I'm listening, so even easier for my mind to wonder. Then after the eerie, battle ready Ivy finally sees there is nothing. She "genuflects" at the alter. My brain again is wondering as she is droning and I wonder 'I guess that is more appropriate than kneels.' She actually has me thinking, not on the plot and the characters, but on her innane motions. Well this is passed the 1/3 part and it doesn't get much better.
Another killer scene was going to the circus and being told how horrible the scene is, yet not told the scene. We get her extreme reaction instead. What she is reacting too, I don't know but it is horrible, and she goes into great detail how horrible without actually say much about the scene, just her reaction. So I guess it is pretty horrible. Well who cares here anyway, this is about meeting the fae in charge. Getting to the woman takes forever but once there the agreement was made in a heart beat and Ivy doesn't even stop to consider the TSTL agreement she makes. I was appalled. And any enjoyment that I had, was lost, right then and there. Really we took forever to get to talk here, to this woman, and you rush through that. Wow.
Then we get to finally the "epic" battle that she has been bargaining to have factions on her side. Well, she has time to go to her friend to get her to caste a spell. But hey, she has to get through the guards first and they are idiots, of course. Then it take a bit to get the friend since she is in a bad way. Then her tapped friend castes the spell. Then she has time to go to a house to talk another group of fae into joining the fight. After all of that, there is the slog of a romance during the battle scene that is still raging along. Right at the end, the romance comes. Ha, it is comical how incredibly rushed this was. One of my Goodreads friends called it the worse romance in UF ever and I cannot think of a worse one so she may be right. The thing is, it was the best part of the book for me.
At the end of this story, I had very little connection to the characters though they should be interesting, too much talk about them and too little time with them. The info dumps and descriptions getting to plot points, took away from the plot itself. It left me detached from both the story and characters. There was an OK story in there, it was just hard to concentrate on. I ended up disliking everything but the ending and since we are left with lots of open questions too, I cannot even recommend it for that.
1 1/2 stars
________2nd try____________
Had to re start this altogether because couldn't remember things, argh. There are parts that I had completely zone out through. I understand why. She enters a church and has eerie feeling when the door closes behind her. She then drones on about why it is creepy, then says she was ready and describes her planned moves of defense, 3 choices, then tells about her work out and abilities, her best move being running. Wow impressive, not. Then... nothing happens. She meets the priest. No wonder I totally forgot it. This is just one example. I don't want to start this over so will stick through it this time, at least I'm determined to try. I got nearly 1/2 way the first start. I've been proven wrong before about a book (Magic Bites) but I don't have a positive feeling.
__________first try_______
So I got this on sale at Audible and finally decided to start it. Not a bad narrator but the story
line... hmm... she tells you a lot but you are shown little. I started getting bored with all the back stories on characters and being "told" how they are. I started drifting and not wanting to come back to it, so started another book and three books later haven't had any pull to this. I may come back and try it again because I know that the start of a book and series sometimes can be very slow so cannot truly judge by the little 10-15% that I have read. Magic Bites was one of my favorites in the end but it took 3 starts and over 3 years to get through it. For now this is going into that "reading slowly" folder. Not bad writing just slow and told in a way that I'm drifting. So no rating yet.
Another killer scene was going to the circus and being told how horrible the scene is, yet not told the scene. We get her extreme reaction instead. What she is reacting too, I don't know but it is horrible, and she goes into great detail how horrible without actually say much about the scene, just her reaction. So I guess it is pretty horrible. Well who cares here anyway, this is about meeting the fae in charge. Getting to the woman takes forever but once there the agreement was made in a heart beat and Ivy doesn't even stop to consider the TSTL agreement she makes. I was appalled. And any enjoyment that I had, was lost, right then and there. Really we took forever to get to talk here, to this woman, and you rush through that. Wow.
Then we get to finally the "epic" battle that she has been bargaining to have factions on her side. Well, she has time to go to her friend to get her to caste a spell. But hey, she has to get through the guards first and they are idiots, of course. Then it take a bit to get the friend since she is in a bad way. Then her tapped friend castes the spell. Then she has time to go to a house to talk another group of fae into joining the fight. After all of that, there is the slog of a romance during the battle scene that is still raging along. Right at the end, the romance comes. Ha, it is comical how incredibly rushed this was. One of my Goodreads friends called it the worse romance in UF ever and I cannot think of a worse one so she may be right. The thing is, it was the best part of the book for me.
At the end of this story, I had very little connection to the characters though they should be interesting, too much talk about them and too little time with them. The info dumps and descriptions getting to plot points, took away from the plot itself. It left me detached from both the story and characters. There was an OK story in there, it was just hard to concentrate on. I ended up disliking everything but the ending and since we are left with lots of open questions too, I cannot even recommend it for that.
1 1/2 stars
________2nd try____________
Had to re start this altogether because couldn't remember things, argh. There are parts that I had completely zone out through. I understand why. She enters a church and has eerie feeling when the door closes behind her. She then drones on about why it is creepy, then says she was ready and describes her planned moves of defense, 3 choices, then tells about her work out and abilities, her best move being running. Wow impressive, not. Then... nothing happens. She meets the priest. No wonder I totally forgot it. This is just one example. I don't want to start this over so will stick through it this time, at least I'm determined to try. I got nearly 1/2 way the first start. I've been proven wrong before about a book (Magic Bites) but I don't have a positive feeling.
__________first try_______
So I got this on sale at Audible and finally decided to start it. Not a bad narrator but the story
line... hmm... she tells you a lot but you are shown little. I started getting bored with all the back stories on characters and being "told" how they are. I started drifting and not wanting to come back to it, so started another book and three books later haven't had any pull to this. I may come back and try it again because I know that the start of a book and series sometimes can be very slow so cannot truly judge by the little 10-15% that I have read. Magic Bites was one of my favorites in the end but it took 3 starts and over 3 years to get through it. For now this is going into that "reading slowly" folder. Not bad writing just slow and told in a way that I'm drifting. So no rating yet.
November 1, 2018
This was an enjoyable read. I thought the story was interesting and different. I liked the main character. I thought she was fun and interesting. I think the story was really engaging because of the creatures and it being a detective type story. The ending was great. I can’t wait to see what happens in the rest of the series. Overall, a great read.
September 9, 2015
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
This is the first book that I’ve read or listened to by this author. I’ve seen several reviews that really peaked my interest, but never got around to picking them up. Then I hear that they were available on audio, which I can get through much faster than reading, as I can listen while working, so this worked perfectly for me. I’m so glad I was finally able to get to this series. Shadow Sight was a great start to the series.
Ivy Granger is a psychic detective. She also has some special powers. She can see things when she touches things. Some people might call this a gift. Ivy calls it a curse. She tends to see horrible things that happen to people who’ve touched an object. It makes things really hard for her. She doesn’t like to go out where she might touch someone else. She always wears long gloves to prevent skin contact. She also has the ability to see through glamour.
Ivy is surrounded by some pretty great friends. Jinx is Ivy’s roommate and business partner. She has the nickname because she is a clutz. She has bad luck wherever she goes. She is more of the people person and organizer of the business. Kaye is an elderly witch who helps to mentor Ivy. Ivy goes to her with supernatural questions and advice. There is also Hob, Kaye’s kitchen brownie and Marvin, a young troll who has a hard time in the story, but has a really big heart.
Ivy is hired by a demon to help find the kelpie king’s bridle. A kelpie’s bridle holds all their control. Steal a kelpie’s bridle and you have complete control over them. She works with a priest to help with the demon. She does a ton of leg work on the case while the priest and Jinx workout the contract, because demon contracts are from Hell.
I enjoyed the story. I thought the worldbuilding was phenomenal. There are several different kinds of fae. Some of which I was familiar with from other stories, others were new to me. I felt that they author gave enough information about each kind that I was never lost, even if I wasn’t aware of the mythology behind them. Some had very small parts in this story, I hope that I’ll be able to see more of them in future books. All in all, the book was a great read. There is a very light romance that might build going into future books, but not really anything to speak of in this one. There is enough action to keep you from being bored at any time.
Narration
This was the second time I listened to Traci Odom (first was Pride Mates by Jennifer Ashley). I really enjoyed her narration of this book. I thought she did a great job with the vast array of characters. I really felt like she handle the many different types of creature voices really well. I always felt like I knew which character was talking. I liked her tone and pace. I listened to this at normal speed, but that is my preference in general.
I like to thank E.J. Stevens for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book that I’ve read or listened to by this author. I’ve seen several reviews that really peaked my interest, but never got around to picking them up. Then I hear that they were available on audio, which I can get through much faster than reading, as I can listen while working, so this worked perfectly for me. I’m so glad I was finally able to get to this series. Shadow Sight was a great start to the series.
Ivy Granger is a psychic detective. She also has some special powers. She can see things when she touches things. Some people might call this a gift. Ivy calls it a curse. She tends to see horrible things that happen to people who’ve touched an object. It makes things really hard for her. She doesn’t like to go out where she might touch someone else. She always wears long gloves to prevent skin contact. She also has the ability to see through glamour.
Ivy is surrounded by some pretty great friends. Jinx is Ivy’s roommate and business partner. She has the nickname because she is a clutz. She has bad luck wherever she goes. She is more of the people person and organizer of the business. Kaye is an elderly witch who helps to mentor Ivy. Ivy goes to her with supernatural questions and advice. There is also Hob, Kaye’s kitchen brownie and Marvin, a young troll who has a hard time in the story, but has a really big heart.
Ivy is hired by a demon to help find the kelpie king’s bridle. A kelpie’s bridle holds all their control. Steal a kelpie’s bridle and you have complete control over them. She works with a priest to help with the demon. She does a ton of leg work on the case while the priest and Jinx workout the contract, because demon contracts are from Hell.
I enjoyed the story. I thought the worldbuilding was phenomenal. There are several different kinds of fae. Some of which I was familiar with from other stories, others were new to me. I felt that they author gave enough information about each kind that I was never lost, even if I wasn’t aware of the mythology behind them. Some had very small parts in this story, I hope that I’ll be able to see more of them in future books. All in all, the book was a great read. There is a very light romance that might build going into future books, but not really anything to speak of in this one. There is enough action to keep you from being bored at any time.
Narration
This was the second time I listened to Traci Odom (first was Pride Mates by Jennifer Ashley). I really enjoyed her narration of this book. I thought she did a great job with the vast array of characters. I really felt like she handle the many different types of creature voices really well. I always felt like I knew which character was talking. I liked her tone and pace. I listened to this at normal speed, but that is my preference in general.
I like to thank E.J. Stevens for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
August 9, 2012
3.25 stars
Ivy Granger has a gift of psychometry, she can receive visions by the act of touching an object. Along with her best friend, Jinx, Ivy forms a Private Eye agency; especially in service for locating lost items. One day, a demon by the name of Forneus, who is in the employ of kelpies, comes to Private Eye and requires a service from Ivy. Ceffyl Dŵr, King of the Kelpies, has gone missing, along with his bridle -- an artifact that helps the Kelpies to defend the city of Harborsmouth from the threat of each uisge, dark skinned water horses that have taste for human's flesh ...
-------------------
This book feels more like a mythology of magical creature!! There's so many informations regarding kelpies, each uisge, trolls, brownies, pookas, pixies, vampires, merrows, etc, etc. I find that part quite exciting.
Character wise, Ivy the main heroine, feels different from most urban fantasy series I read. While she has a magical gift, but Ivy is not a 'fighting' heroine. She doesn't fight with magic or swords or guns ... instead her power helps her locate things, and her connection with a powerful witch, Kaye, serves her more like an errand girl. Ivy does research, she finds way to make magical creatures unite to fight each uisge: visiting vampires, asking help from merrows, making deal Green Lady, the powerful glaistig, using pooka to steal back the briddle ... but she never directly use physical force to fight. On one hand, it's a different kind of heroine. On the other hand, it becomes doozy when the threats are escalating.
Also, the sudden introduction to romance with Ceffyl Dŵr, the King of Kelpies is totally out of the blue. Ceffyl doesn't really appear until last few chapters, when Ivy helps releasing him from each uisge's imprisonment, and suddenly he asks her for a date? Then in the epilogue, they're dating? Urgh, no, just NO. This book is fine and dandy being an urban fantasy without a love-interest; especially since it's only the first book in the series. In result, the romance feels like a last-minute addition to attract readers who are looking for 'paranormal romance'. It's rushed, awkward, and unspiring.
The identity of Ivy's real father (apparently, Ivy has a fae blood in her, since her father is a member of Unseelie Court) is a nice twist. I wonder what will it do to Ivy, whether she has another power coming aside from her psychometry. I'm quite intrigued with the next book. I hope that the romance is being either forgotten or better developed (if it wants to be a paranormal romance, I mean).
Ivy Granger has a gift of psychometry, she can receive visions by the act of touching an object. Along with her best friend, Jinx, Ivy forms a Private Eye agency; especially in service for locating lost items. One day, a demon by the name of Forneus, who is in the employ of kelpies, comes to Private Eye and requires a service from Ivy. Ceffyl Dŵr, King of the Kelpies, has gone missing, along with his bridle -- an artifact that helps the Kelpies to defend the city of Harborsmouth from the threat of each uisge, dark skinned water horses that have taste for human's flesh ...
-------------------
This book feels more like a mythology of magical creature!! There's so many informations regarding kelpies, each uisge, trolls, brownies, pookas, pixies, vampires, merrows, etc, etc. I find that part quite exciting.
Character wise, Ivy the main heroine, feels different from most urban fantasy series I read. While she has a magical gift, but Ivy is not a 'fighting' heroine. She doesn't fight with magic or swords or guns ... instead her power helps her locate things, and her connection with a powerful witch, Kaye, serves her more like an errand girl. Ivy does research, she finds way to make magical creatures unite to fight each uisge: visiting vampires, asking help from merrows, making deal Green Lady, the powerful glaistig, using pooka to steal back the briddle ... but she never directly use physical force to fight. On one hand, it's a different kind of heroine. On the other hand, it becomes doozy when the threats are escalating.
Also, the sudden introduction to romance with Ceffyl Dŵr, the King of Kelpies is totally out of the blue. Ceffyl doesn't really appear until last few chapters, when Ivy helps releasing him from each uisge's imprisonment, and suddenly he asks her for a date? Then in the epilogue, they're dating? Urgh, no, just NO. This book is fine and dandy being an urban fantasy without a love-interest; especially since it's only the first book in the series. In result, the romance feels like a last-minute addition to attract readers who are looking for 'paranormal romance'. It's rushed, awkward, and unspiring.
The identity of Ivy's real father (apparently, Ivy has a fae blood in her, since her father is a member of Unseelie Court) is a nice twist. I wonder what will it do to Ivy, whether she has another power coming aside from her psychometry. I'm quite intrigued with the next book. I hope that the romance is being either forgotten or better developed (if it wants to be a paranormal romance, I mean).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2017
This is a great introduction to Ivy Granger, Psychic Detective and her world of magical and fae creatures. Ivy is careful what she touches as she gets images of the history and location of objects or people related to them. Unlike most humans in Harborsmouth, Ivy knows there are monsters and other magical creatures living among us. Ivy has second sight and, with the help of her roommate and first-rate assistant, Jinx, they have opened a psychic detective agency that specializes in finding lost objects … or people… including those of a non-human nature. Things are plodding along in the office when a demon visits to engage Ivy’s services. He has been sent as the lawyer for the kelpies to find and retrieve the bridle of the kelpie king. It appears that an evil tribe of rival Unseelie have captured the bridle with the king. Whoever holds the bridle controls the kelpie king so his own people can’t even fight against the evil that controls him.
Ivy must find as many allies as she can in the magical and fae realm if they want a chance to defeat the evil that will otherwise feed on the creatures, human and other, as they swarm into Harborsmouth. Ivy starts with her friend Kaye who is an aging but still powerful witch. Kaye directs her to other local fae and Ivy must figure out what deal she has to make with each fae group to gain their assistance and agreement to support the defense of the city.
I have listened to books three and four so I was familiar with many of these characters. Still, I appreciated starting at the beginning to meet the characters as they are introduced. I especially liked learning more about Kaye’s hearth brownie, Hob, and the initially scruffy and dismal looking troll child, Marvin. This story also begins the romance between Ivy and Ceffyl, the Kelpie King.
Ms. Stevens has done a great job of world building, creating many fae communities which each have their own strengths, weaknesses and rules and all insist on a deal that exchanges some favor for their participation. The story is told first person from Ivy’s view, complete with snark and sincere emotions. The characters are fun and the story full of deals and action that kept me listening.
Audio Notes: Traci Odom does a fine job with the narration, picking up different voices and conveying the emotions and dangers. I enjoyed listening to this as it moves quickly and easily.
I received this Audiobook from the Author. My rating 4.25.
Ivy must find as many allies as she can in the magical and fae realm if they want a chance to defeat the evil that will otherwise feed on the creatures, human and other, as they swarm into Harborsmouth. Ivy starts with her friend Kaye who is an aging but still powerful witch. Kaye directs her to other local fae and Ivy must figure out what deal she has to make with each fae group to gain their assistance and agreement to support the defense of the city.
I have listened to books three and four so I was familiar with many of these characters. Still, I appreciated starting at the beginning to meet the characters as they are introduced. I especially liked learning more about Kaye’s hearth brownie, Hob, and the initially scruffy and dismal looking troll child, Marvin. This story also begins the romance between Ivy and Ceffyl, the Kelpie King.
Ms. Stevens has done a great job of world building, creating many fae communities which each have their own strengths, weaknesses and rules and all insist on a deal that exchanges some favor for their participation. The story is told first person from Ivy’s view, complete with snark and sincere emotions. The characters are fun and the story full of deals and action that kept me listening.
Audio Notes: Traci Odom does a fine job with the narration, picking up different voices and conveying the emotions and dangers. I enjoyed listening to this as it moves quickly and easily.
I received this Audiobook from the Author. My rating 4.25.
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