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Neon Ghosts #1
A Witch's Sin
What would you do to keep your dreams ad-free?
Bruised, stoned, and still adjusting to her latest wear implants, apprentice enforcer Taya Mint plunges into the darkest depths of Megastructure Seven Zero Three, challenging everything she thought she knew about life within the walls she has never stepped beyond. With only one assignment left to earn her full license, Taya finally stands a chance to rebuild a life wounded by grief. But soon she discovers the kidnapping she's investigating is just a piece of a puzzle, one that leads to grisly death and the greedy heart of power within the structure. When evidence points to a supernatural threat as the culprit, Taya finds herself needing to rely on cold-blooded allies just to survive the hell that is Seven Zero Three.
In order to save an innocent life in a world polluted by zealots, Taya will have to learn just how much it costs to face the monsters that occupy humanity’s artificial Eden.
Bruised, stoned, and still adjusting to her latest wear implants, apprentice enforcer Taya Mint plunges into the darkest depths of Megastructure Seven Zero Three, challenging everything she thought she knew about life within the walls she has never stepped beyond. With only one assignment left to earn her full license, Taya finally stands a chance to rebuild a life wounded by grief. But soon she discovers the kidnapping she's investigating is just a piece of a puzzle, one that leads to grisly death and the greedy heart of power within the structure. When evidence points to a supernatural threat as the culprit, Taya finds herself needing to rely on cold-blooded allies just to survive the hell that is Seven Zero Three.
In order to save an innocent life in a world polluted by zealots, Taya will have to learn just how much it costs to face the monsters that occupy humanity’s artificial Eden.
495 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 4, 2023
167 people are currently reading
3110 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
July 7, 2023
I'm a fan of Daniel's youtube channel and tried Breach of Peace when he debuted. His writing has definitely improved since Lawful Times, and the book is beautifully packaged. However, I have a very ominous feeling about this release in general, which I will get to after I discuss the book itself.
First: Taya. She has a nice voice, although Greene relies on thoughts in italics that are almost always not as clever as they need to be. I liked her relationship with her partner. With his character "Khlid," Greene showed that he could write a believable woman, but a huge misstep was taken by giving Taya "wear" that turns her into a weirdly macho, hypermasculine power fantasy. While I'm sure Greene would protest "wear bad, enforcers bad" I just think there was a clear blind spot in Taya's emotions regarding this element of her "job;" she really didn't feel like a believable woman in that regard.
Speaking of: while one book series about an imagined society where the protagonist is a "morally grey" demi-cop who runs amok with unchecked power has its merits, another one? Plays the same boring tune. "It would be bad if police brutality was even worse" is really not the statement Greene thinks it is... in fact, it gives me MORE confidence in the current system, in a sort of straw-man way. Like, at least we have warrants and a right to a trial... so what exactly am I supposed to take away from this "morally grey" portrayal, which, at best, is riotous pulp?
Furthermore, the clumsiness continues with the "vampire-as-oppressed-class" metaphor. And with the "vampires don't bite children!" rhetoric coming from the vampires, I think it (UNINTENTIONALLY!!!) edges close to antisemitism (blood libel, immortal lizard ppl, etc). While it did give the book an interesting (albeit pulpy) flavor, it takes away from what could have been much more pointed cultural criticism about class. Vampires, after all, are bloodsucking creatures of the night - whereas what sets apart the poor from the wealthy besides poverty?
(Final note on this: Taya's partner, Quinn, is a vampire, and speaks in dialect. I hate to say it, because I like Daniel's channel and feel he's a nice guy and hate the idea that he'd read this and it'd hurt his feelings... but if this were any other book by anyone else, I would not hesitate to say that the dialect is godawful-nigh-unreadable. I can't even imagine where Quinn is supposed to be from. For a character I otherwise liked, it made everything he said a tedious chore that sometimes took rereading to discern.)
The worldbuilding is the strength of the book. While verbose at times, every detail about the advertising, the AI holograms on TV, even the economics of the outer-world and its history were very fun and well-imagined. While I had trouble understanding the "megastructures" where every floor is a city, the setting is propped up by cyberpunk genre conventions in a fun, if not believable, way. My biggest complaint was that over 300 years had passed since our present. While I can see that in terms of constructing megastructures, everything else about the world felt much closer to home - more like 100 years, all things considered.
Overall, Neon Ghosts is a readable piece of pulp fiction that will sell well to fans of his channel. The packaging by Wraithmarked is astounding; it's an absolutely gorgeous book, and all the bells and whistles justify the price tag (lots of hardcovers are going for 35 these days...). If, of course, you're already a fan of Greene.
If, however, Greene wishes to make a name for himself as a writer - not just a youtuber - he has a lot of work to do. While the line editing is much better than in Breach of Peace, Neon Ghosts is in bad need of a ruthless developmental edit. The approach to the story is blunt, formulaic, and moves ploddingly from scene to scene. It is still quite clear why Greene isn't represented by the big 5. And I'm self published: I look up to Greene's success in his publishing endeavors. But while the packaging has all the trappings of a cult classic, what's inside the pages just doesn't hold up. The mark of a quality novel is not how many copies it sells on release, but how many it sells ten years after.
Boutique presses are not new and many great authors have started within them, but what gives me pause is said presses accepting authors knowing they have an audience to sell to, rather than a book they really believed in. Not to say Wraithmarked doesn't believe in Ghosts, or Greene - they certainly do - but my own hope for the industry would be they get some real powerhouse editors who are not afraid to bruise creator egos and tear books apart. While on some level I agree that the big 5 could use some rivalry, it hurts my bookish heart to think the market is selling books the same way some would sell a novelty t-shirt.
Find me at www.playtempusfugit.com
First: Taya. She has a nice voice, although Greene relies on thoughts in italics that are almost always not as clever as they need to be. I liked her relationship with her partner. With his character "Khlid," Greene showed that he could write a believable woman, but a huge misstep was taken by giving Taya "wear" that turns her into a weirdly macho, hypermasculine power fantasy. While I'm sure Greene would protest "wear bad, enforcers bad" I just think there was a clear blind spot in Taya's emotions regarding this element of her "job;" she really didn't feel like a believable woman in that regard.
Speaking of: while one book series about an imagined society where the protagonist is a "morally grey" demi-cop who runs amok with unchecked power has its merits, another one? Plays the same boring tune. "It would be bad if police brutality was even worse" is really not the statement Greene thinks it is... in fact, it gives me MORE confidence in the current system, in a sort of straw-man way. Like, at least we have warrants and a right to a trial... so what exactly am I supposed to take away from this "morally grey" portrayal, which, at best, is riotous pulp?
Furthermore, the clumsiness continues with the "vampire-as-oppressed-class" metaphor. And with the "vampires don't bite children!" rhetoric coming from the vampires, I think it (UNINTENTIONALLY!!!) edges close to antisemitism (blood libel, immortal lizard ppl, etc). While it did give the book an interesting (albeit pulpy) flavor, it takes away from what could have been much more pointed cultural criticism about class. Vampires, after all, are bloodsucking creatures of the night - whereas what sets apart the poor from the wealthy besides poverty?
(Final note on this: Taya's partner, Quinn, is a vampire, and speaks in dialect. I hate to say it, because I like Daniel's channel and feel he's a nice guy and hate the idea that he'd read this and it'd hurt his feelings... but if this were any other book by anyone else, I would not hesitate to say that the dialect is godawful-nigh-unreadable. I can't even imagine where Quinn is supposed to be from. For a character I otherwise liked, it made everything he said a tedious chore that sometimes took rereading to discern.)
The worldbuilding is the strength of the book. While verbose at times, every detail about the advertising, the AI holograms on TV, even the economics of the outer-world and its history were very fun and well-imagined. While I had trouble understanding the "megastructures" where every floor is a city, the setting is propped up by cyberpunk genre conventions in a fun, if not believable, way. My biggest complaint was that over 300 years had passed since our present. While I can see that in terms of constructing megastructures, everything else about the world felt much closer to home - more like 100 years, all things considered.
Overall, Neon Ghosts is a readable piece of pulp fiction that will sell well to fans of his channel. The packaging by Wraithmarked is astounding; it's an absolutely gorgeous book, and all the bells and whistles justify the price tag (lots of hardcovers are going for 35 these days...). If, of course, you're already a fan of Greene.
If, however, Greene wishes to make a name for himself as a writer - not just a youtuber - he has a lot of work to do. While the line editing is much better than in Breach of Peace, Neon Ghosts is in bad need of a ruthless developmental edit. The approach to the story is blunt, formulaic, and moves ploddingly from scene to scene. It is still quite clear why Greene isn't represented by the big 5. And I'm self published: I look up to Greene's success in his publishing endeavors. But while the packaging has all the trappings of a cult classic, what's inside the pages just doesn't hold up. The mark of a quality novel is not how many copies it sells on release, but how many it sells ten years after.
Boutique presses are not new and many great authors have started within them, but what gives me pause is said presses accepting authors knowing they have an audience to sell to, rather than a book they really believed in. Not to say Wraithmarked doesn't believe in Ghosts, or Greene - they certainly do - but my own hope for the industry would be they get some real powerhouse editors who are not afraid to bruise creator egos and tear books apart. While on some level I agree that the big 5 could use some rivalry, it hurts my bookish heart to think the market is selling books the same way some would sell a novelty t-shirt.
Find me at www.playtempusfugit.com
Read
July 28, 2023So, what did I think of Daniel Greene's latest release?
This is cyberpunk sci-fi, which is not what I usually gravitate to. It took me a little while to get into, but that may be due to adjusting to this sub-genre. After the first 50 pages and the initial setup, the real story begins, and that is where I became hooked. A mystery/detective story lies at the heart of this book, and Daniel Greene does a fantastic job of leaving breadcrumbs of information that hooked me. This was probably the strongpoint of the story. It felt very satisfying putting the puzzle pieces together, especially when a unique take on vampires is thrown into the mix with a gangster/mafia(ish) element as well.
It is great to see how Daniel Greene has worked on his craft since Breach of Peace. Particularly when it comes to his prose and general narrative voice. A Witch's Sin flowed far more efficiently, and the dialogue felt less fractured. I would say that there were some pacing issues in the middle, but aside from that it was a really enjoyable character-driven read.
This is cyberpunk sci-fi, which is not what I usually gravitate to. It took me a little while to get into, but that may be due to adjusting to this sub-genre. After the first 50 pages and the initial setup, the real story begins, and that is where I became hooked. A mystery/detective story lies at the heart of this book, and Daniel Greene does a fantastic job of leaving breadcrumbs of information that hooked me. This was probably the strongpoint of the story. It felt very satisfying putting the puzzle pieces together, especially when a unique take on vampires is thrown into the mix with a gangster/mafia(ish) element as well.
It is great to see how Daniel Greene has worked on his craft since Breach of Peace. Particularly when it comes to his prose and general narrative voice. A Witch's Sin flowed far more efficiently, and the dialogue felt less fractured. I would say that there were some pacing issues in the middle, but aside from that it was a really enjoyable character-driven read.
July 10, 2023
“All that matters is you grow to understand what you feel and why.”
I'll admit the following biases before I continue with this review: I'm subscribed to Daniel's youtube channel and enjoy watching the content on it. I've read two of his prior books and found one to be passable, while the other was poor.
I came into this hoping to see Daniel's writing improve, and in some ways, it has. In other ways, it hasn't. I've got mixed feelings for this one, and so before we continue with the review, I think it best to say the following: I can recommend this book to fans of Daniel who want to support him, and those who are interested in seeing his journey as a writer. For those looking for a piece of general entertainment, you'd be better off looking for something else, unless, campy, b-tier, fantasy/sci-fi pulp is your bread and butter; you might be able to overlook this novel's flaws to enjoy it.
So, let's go into details. The 190 notes of details I took while reading this novel, hopefully truncated down into something more bite-sized.
What's Better?
Daniel is an absolute ideas machine where it concerns the world building, and in this novel, it truly shines; the entire concept of megastructures surrounded by a supernatural mist that suffocates all life is already fascinating enough, but that is only the start. On top of that he layers in more and more, some of which become plot twists outright as the main protagonist's view of the world shifts and tumbles. There are so many overlapping concepts in this novel that it starts to genuinely stand out--I can't quite really think of anything with quite the same mix of fantasy and science fiction elements, and that's awesome! With more practice and experience, I can see Daniel crafting truly strange, creative worlds. Additionally, I quite enjoyed the diverse cast of characters and multiple locations really felt passionate and inspired.
Additionally, he's always toyed with more gray-hued morality in his worlds, and in this one, I felt it's the best it's ever been. His previous two novels really struggled with it, but here, it's getting somewhere. It's rough and yet were I a younger, more forgiving reader, I'd have probably given it a pass and loved it.
Unfortunately, this is about where my praise stops. There are some serious issues that make it hard to recommend as general entertainment, so let's get into those now.
#1: Kindle Formatting
This has been a problem in previous novels that Daniel's put up, but in this one, it was the most glaring. I don't know who is responsible for editing, but they seriously need to do a better job with their Kindle editions. I read my novels on kindle with black backgrounds and white text--it's easier on my eyes that way--but for this novel, the text would randomly flip between white and a dim, eyestraining gray.
In this day and age, this isn't acceptable quality. A single proofreading with black background and white text should have caught this error. It's splayed across hundreds of pages of text. This is embarrassingly poor editing and I have no idea how it wound up like this. This also isn't the only example of problem formatting, it's just the most glaring. The usual suspects are here--sentences that end with multiple forms of punctuation; an epilogue that isn't a properly formatted chapter header; et cetera.
Please, please, I'm begging whoever is in charge of editing these things on Kindle, do better. My review of this novel should not be better formatted than the novel itself.
#2: Bland Voices
It's hard to get into it without spoiling, but to be blunt: Most characters in this novel sound the same. They swear the same, they slang the same. It wouldn't bother me if they all, say, came from the same upbringing, but they don't--some are ancient beings, some are young; some are wealthy, some are poor; some are fanatics, some are doubters...
... you get the point: The novel has a huge range of characters in terms of backgrounds, beliefs, upbringings, and yet most of them sound the same. If you ripped a random piece of dialogue out that didn't mention anyone's name, I would struggle to tell you who said it most of the time.
This isn't a constant problem--there are certain characters that sound, at points, distinct. But they are few and far between. This results in a novel where some elements just did not work for me at all.
Example:
#3: Consequence-Free Fight Scenes
Fight scenes in this novel often go on for several pages at a time and definitely contribute to its rather long length at almost 500 pages. Now I like me a good fight scene in any pulpy book, and descriptions in this novel get visceral--bones break, flesh bleeds, people die. Awesome. The problem? Every time a fight occurs that inflicts serious problems for the main protagonist, those problems effectively get finger snapped away by later passages, to the point that I lost any ability to care. What does it matter if the main protagonist has every bone in their body shattered and then flung out of a window to make impact at terminal velocity with the ground if it amounts to very little? Characters can ignore broken bones with sheer willpower, and it just... kinda deflates any tension that might exist with injuries.
And I know that some might argue that it does result in changes--and yes; those changes are that the protagonist always gets stronger. Not because she learns from her mistakes, or because she has to overcome the adversity of lost resources, but because she is literally always given more power. If she loses a gun, she gets a bigger gun given to her. If she loses a cybernetic limb, she gets bigger, better cybernetic limbs.
And I do want to emphasize one word here: given. It is always given; she gets discounts, and at some points, all powerful tools are literally handed to her. At one point she makes friends with someone who essentially has Batman levels of wealth and all concern for limited resources goes out the window entirely, robbing future fight scenes of a lot of their tension.
The worst example of this is:
I really can't emphasize this point enough: One of the biggest influences for this novel is the cyberpunk genre. One of the core inducers of stress in that genre is that most people have to constantly scrounge through garbage just to survive; a loss of resources is devastating and can set someone back months, or even years. This novel completely fails to encapsulate that, in spite of its attempts to do so with the main character's bank account, and that is truly saddening.
#4: Politics without Politics
This novel attempts to dabble in various issues that are reflective of our own in a fantastical context. There are , but they deserve their own dedicated point here, so we'll leave them off the table. For most of the novel, I had no idea what the government looked like. I have no idea why enforcers--who have the right to pummel and abuse people--aren't allowed to arrest them. I have no idea why there is apparently a vast military industrial complex for a largely isolated mega-tower.
There is one point that is clear: Poor people live lower, rich people live higher. That's it.
This is important, because the context of ads everywhere implies a plutocratic corporate dystopia, but apparently, there are political parties and people vote on things. What do they vote on? No idea. Who gets to vote? No idea. What's the general pulse on various political issues? Non-existent.
This imperils the world building on ads because I have no context for what keeps them in place. It's not explored.
You can't talk about real world political issues in a fantastical context, and then... not explain how the fundamental political system of the megastructures works. We have no context for why things are the way they are; they just... uh... are.
#5: The Problem with Mages as Minorities
This novel doesn't technically have mages, but it's a useful lens through which to view one of its most critical problems without spoiling it, so bare with me.
A common problem to address in fantasy and science fiction stories about dystopia is this: How do you handle racism and sexism? A common solution is to create an allegory--racism against elves, for example. In some cases, it works wonderfully, and all is well in the world. The 1:1 allegory starts to fall apart, however, when you introduce fantastical elements into the persecuted minority that might justify why someone would feel wary toward that minority: Thus, Mages. If a person can blow up your house by looking at it, or render you blind for looking at them the wrong way, you would be--justifiably--terrified of that person. You would want more than just the reassurance that that person will only blow up your house if they decide you deserve it. Organizations would arise to deal with that sort of thing. The racism allegory thus falls apart, because a mage isn't a minority; a mage is a man with an RPG pointed at your house.
This novel has that problem exemplified in spades by multiple characters. To go any further is a spoiler, so, here it is, if you really want to know before reading it yourself.
So yeah, there it is. I would say that it's an improvement from previous novels, and that the only reason I've written in such detail here is because I genuinely am invested in seeing how far Daniel develops as an author. I love his youtube persona, I support the guy all the way. I just hope he can overcome some of these issues in future novels. That's all.
For those of you who read this review: Have a lovely day.
June 15, 2023
Disclaimer: ARC provided by the author in exchange for honest and fair review
Neon Ghosts: A Witch's Sin exceeded all my expectations, delivering a thrilling story that left me wanting more.
The story revolves around our protagonist Taya Mint who is in the process of becoming an enforcer, aka a bounty hunter. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Taya uses her enforcer role as a distraction from the emotional scars she carries. However, her carefully constructed world is about to crumble, forcing her to confront her hidden emotions and gain the clarity needed to see the true nature of the world around her.
Along the way you will meet Taya’s mentor, a cop who moonlights on the side in a lot of different ways, one of which is training up enforcers. Her best friend who has a few special abilities of her own that she has yet to unlock and a suspect turned alley who will both mislead and enlighten Taya all while drumming up enough sexual tension for a late night Cinemax tv episode. Oh and as the book suggests there is also a Witch, I’m not talking Dorothy you're not in Kansas no more type of Witch. Nah this witch takes it to 11 with her creepiness but not in a way you will see coming.
At its core, A Witch's Sin is a techno thriller woven with elements of magic, science fiction, and fantasy, all set in a cyberpunk hellscape. The story delves into political intrigue, religious fanaticism, and the complex divisions of society encompassing economics, race, and social dynamics. Honestly it was a wild ride with some great twists and turns and I’m excited to see where he takes the series in book two.
P.S.
Daniel please consider me again when you're ready to send out ARC's for book two 😁
Neon Ghosts: A Witch's Sin exceeded all my expectations, delivering a thrilling story that left me wanting more.
The story revolves around our protagonist Taya Mint who is in the process of becoming an enforcer, aka a bounty hunter. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that Taya uses her enforcer role as a distraction from the emotional scars she carries. However, her carefully constructed world is about to crumble, forcing her to confront her hidden emotions and gain the clarity needed to see the true nature of the world around her.
Along the way you will meet Taya’s mentor, a cop who moonlights on the side in a lot of different ways, one of which is training up enforcers. Her best friend who has a few special abilities of her own that she has yet to unlock and a suspect turned alley who will both mislead and enlighten Taya all while drumming up enough sexual tension for a late night Cinemax tv episode. Oh and as the book suggests there is also a Witch, I’m not talking Dorothy you're not in Kansas no more type of Witch. Nah this witch takes it to 11 with her creepiness but not in a way you will see coming.
At its core, A Witch's Sin is a techno thriller woven with elements of magic, science fiction, and fantasy, all set in a cyberpunk hellscape. The story delves into political intrigue, religious fanaticism, and the complex divisions of society encompassing economics, race, and social dynamics. Honestly it was a wild ride with some great twists and turns and I’m excited to see where he takes the series in book two.
P.S.
Daniel please consider me again when you're ready to send out ARC's for book two 😁
Read
September 4, 2023A cyberpunk, detective novel that has fresh characters, a new take on vampires and explosive set pieces. The writing is quick and direct, the pacing slows a little around the middle and the world-building really is unique and gripping. A good start to Neon Ghosts.
January 8, 2025
A cyberpunk novel written by a known booktuber who spend most of his time reviewing YA novels. How does he fare? Does his on camera criticism translate into solid writing chops? I am perhaps interested in that aspect, more so than the novel itself.
Set in the far future, a poisonous haze forced humanity into megastructure for protection. Amid the stirring factions, a woman named Taya dreams of being an enforcers. Mentored by Quinn, a police officer by day, an enforcer by night, Taya got her first gig which seemed simple but rarely it does in a noir crime story.
The setting is what I believe Greene spend most of his time on. That's not a knock on Greene because I really do enjoyed the setting. It's familiar and whatever you expected of in a cyberpunk story, it will most certainly pop up here. The lower you go, the shittier it gets, reminisce of the movie Dredd. Greene throws around terminology like it's going out of style but I say that as a positive because that is how you world build instead of dumping tons of lore or exposition towards the readers. Granted, there are some but it did not get in the way of the story. While originality would be next to impossible, especially in a genre that's explored as cyberpunk is, the setting is not very personalized to the point that I can say that this is Greene's cyberpunk world. It is in fact very generic in its familiarity, even if there's the twist that magic and vampirism also exist in this world. What does a vampire mean in a cyberpunk story? Nothing really, just your typical vampire albeit in a futuristic world.
As for the characters, Taya is a very rudimentary main character typical of a YA novel or manga. She's headstrong, youthful but cocky. She is fun when she was written around her buddy Quinn more so then when she's alone or with someone else. Her personal life, tragic as they may be doesn't feel like it matters too much or directly connected to the story even though it was brought up multiple of times. Her arc doesn't change at all if her backstory was removed completely. If it sounds like she's lacking dimension, yup, she does. Quinn is the archetype you expect; the tough experience guy, mentor figure. As the story went on however, his influence on the story and Taya dissipate to the point that I thought his character died at some point earlier and I missed it. The other two characters to round out the novel are Juno, the tech-savvy archetype but very underutilize similar to how Quinn was and Oscar the vampire, that is at odds with Taya but he just felt like he's just there.
The story is a mystery noir at its heart; a missing person case. Taya is eager to be an enforcer and supposedly a missing person case was supposed to be the easy case to get her feet wet but it blew up to be something larger that ended up illuminate the secret ongoings around her neck of the woods. Mystery, interesting one that is, is difficult to write and it's a true art to write a compelling and successful mystery story. If the mystery is weak, the character have to be interesting to take the load off of the weak mystery but the characters were weak, and so too was the mystery. I felt like drifting reading this novel thanks to the weak characters and tepid mystery. Greene is also very bad at chapter construction. There are a lot of meandering. Scenes have very little momentum to push one point to another. Chapter to chapter lack causality with each other.
Greene's writing is also, another weak point of this novel. There are a lot of rhyming but Greene does not go for a lyrical style prose. There are parts where it try to be written in the truncated noir style made famous by guys like Jim Thompson, other times it's written normally. Greene also does a lot of telling rather than showing except for the combat scenes which are overwritten to the point that it weighted down the scene's pace. Calling the writing amateur would be too kind.
A Witch's Sin is a detailed worldbuilding tacked on to an odd genre mashup with a weak mystery and one dimensional characters. Final draft, this is not. It was barely a first to begin with.
Set in the far future, a poisonous haze forced humanity into megastructure for protection. Amid the stirring factions, a woman named Taya dreams of being an enforcers. Mentored by Quinn, a police officer by day, an enforcer by night, Taya got her first gig which seemed simple but rarely it does in a noir crime story.
The setting is what I believe Greene spend most of his time on. That's not a knock on Greene because I really do enjoyed the setting. It's familiar and whatever you expected of in a cyberpunk story, it will most certainly pop up here. The lower you go, the shittier it gets, reminisce of the movie Dredd. Greene throws around terminology like it's going out of style but I say that as a positive because that is how you world build instead of dumping tons of lore or exposition towards the readers. Granted, there are some but it did not get in the way of the story. While originality would be next to impossible, especially in a genre that's explored as cyberpunk is, the setting is not very personalized to the point that I can say that this is Greene's cyberpunk world. It is in fact very generic in its familiarity, even if there's the twist that magic and vampirism also exist in this world. What does a vampire mean in a cyberpunk story? Nothing really, just your typical vampire albeit in a futuristic world.
As for the characters, Taya is a very rudimentary main character typical of a YA novel or manga. She's headstrong, youthful but cocky. She is fun when she was written around her buddy Quinn more so then when she's alone or with someone else. Her personal life, tragic as they may be doesn't feel like it matters too much or directly connected to the story even though it was brought up multiple of times. Her arc doesn't change at all if her backstory was removed completely. If it sounds like she's lacking dimension, yup, she does. Quinn is the archetype you expect; the tough experience guy, mentor figure. As the story went on however, his influence on the story and Taya dissipate to the point that I thought his character died at some point earlier and I missed it. The other two characters to round out the novel are Juno, the tech-savvy archetype but very underutilize similar to how Quinn was and Oscar the vampire, that is at odds with Taya but he just felt like he's just there.
The story is a mystery noir at its heart; a missing person case. Taya is eager to be an enforcer and supposedly a missing person case was supposed to be the easy case to get her feet wet but it blew up to be something larger that ended up illuminate the secret ongoings around her neck of the woods. Mystery, interesting one that is, is difficult to write and it's a true art to write a compelling and successful mystery story. If the mystery is weak, the character have to be interesting to take the load off of the weak mystery but the characters were weak, and so too was the mystery. I felt like drifting reading this novel thanks to the weak characters and tepid mystery. Greene is also very bad at chapter construction. There are a lot of meandering. Scenes have very little momentum to push one point to another. Chapter to chapter lack causality with each other.
Greene's writing is also, another weak point of this novel. There are a lot of rhyming but Greene does not go for a lyrical style prose. There are parts where it try to be written in the truncated noir style made famous by guys like Jim Thompson, other times it's written normally. Greene also does a lot of telling rather than showing except for the combat scenes which are overwritten to the point that it weighted down the scene's pace. Calling the writing amateur would be too kind.
A Witch's Sin is a detailed worldbuilding tacked on to an odd genre mashup with a weak mystery and one dimensional characters. Final draft, this is not. It was barely a first to begin with.
July 24, 2023
If cool ideas were all it took to make a good book then I'd be rating this far better. Unfortunately, with dreary writing, poor editing, and an excruciatingly slow pace, this just barely scraped its 2 stars.
While the world was an ambitious mix of cyberpunk and the occult, the two never gelled. The futuristic elements were derivative with nothing new or original on offer. The supernatural aspects had some promise, but the clunky world-building failed to sell the concepts, resulting in a silly mishmash of genres.
I particularly struggled with the story. The investigation subplot was as convoluted as it was generic. Things moved at a snail's pace with prolonged dialogue-heavy scenes rarely moving the plot forward and equally failing in developing characters. A lack of consequences gradually eroded any semblance of engagement on my part, which resulted in a tedious 2nd half consisting of poorly motivated characters running along a formulaic and predictable track.
The protagonist was comically overpowered and suffered from a glaring case of plot armour. They were also woefully basic and vague, feeling like they were exactly the character the story needed rather than a single, evolving character I should care about. The side characters were decent, albeit overly convenient whenever the plot required it.
I liked that some of the thematic conflicts had some grey to them, but the execution of the whole was severely underwhelming. I could see a younger male audience enjoying this for what it is, but the lack of quality makes it hard to recommend to anyone else.
While the world was an ambitious mix of cyberpunk and the occult, the two never gelled. The futuristic elements were derivative with nothing new or original on offer. The supernatural aspects had some promise, but the clunky world-building failed to sell the concepts, resulting in a silly mishmash of genres.
I particularly struggled with the story. The investigation subplot was as convoluted as it was generic. Things moved at a snail's pace with prolonged dialogue-heavy scenes rarely moving the plot forward and equally failing in developing characters. A lack of consequences gradually eroded any semblance of engagement on my part, which resulted in a tedious 2nd half consisting of poorly motivated characters running along a formulaic and predictable track.
The protagonist was comically overpowered and suffered from a glaring case of plot armour. They were also woefully basic and vague, feeling like they were exactly the character the story needed rather than a single, evolving character I should care about. The side characters were decent, albeit overly convenient whenever the plot required it.
I liked that some of the thematic conflicts had some grey to them, but the execution of the whole was severely underwhelming. I could see a younger male audience enjoying this for what it is, but the lack of quality makes it hard to recommend to anyone else.
July 19, 2023
Hello! I don't normally write reviews so bare with me please.
I didn't know what to expect going into this book. I thought the concept seemed cool and I wanted to read a book by Mr. Greene, who's YouTube channel I enjoy. Without going into spoilers, what I found was a well fleshed out and world with an interesting culture, politics and worldbuilding. It has a sense of style and depth that you don't often encounter in similar novels. I don't generally like when a books mixes together elements from different genres, but here I found the blend of high-tech and magic to be well thought-out and it only added to the excitement.
The plot was gripping and constantly kept me on my toes. It really made me feel like I was walking in the main heroine's shoes. I felt excited, confused and frustrated right alongside her in the best way!
The story was intriguing with good foreshadowing and a couple excellent twists and revelations. I thought it had good pacing and I never felt bored with it.
As for the characters, they were believable and likeable. I enjoyed in particular their interactions and banter. They too had a sense of style and depth and I found myself wanting to know more about them on an individual level.
I also really liked the depiction of anxiety and panic attacks in this book. I felt like it was done in a tasteful and respectful manner while remaining realistic. Although I do wish it was explored more.
Overall, this was an amazing ride and I can't wait to see more.
5 stars.
I didn't know what to expect going into this book. I thought the concept seemed cool and I wanted to read a book by Mr. Greene, who's YouTube channel I enjoy. Without going into spoilers, what I found was a well fleshed out and world with an interesting culture, politics and worldbuilding. It has a sense of style and depth that you don't often encounter in similar novels. I don't generally like when a books mixes together elements from different genres, but here I found the blend of high-tech and magic to be well thought-out and it only added to the excitement.
The plot was gripping and constantly kept me on my toes. It really made me feel like I was walking in the main heroine's shoes. I felt excited, confused and frustrated right alongside her in the best way!
The story was intriguing with good foreshadowing and a couple excellent twists and revelations. I thought it had good pacing and I never felt bored with it.
As for the characters, they were believable and likeable. I enjoyed in particular their interactions and banter. They too had a sense of style and depth and I found myself wanting to know more about them on an individual level.
I also really liked the depiction of anxiety and panic attacks in this book. I felt like it was done in a tasteful and respectful manner while remaining realistic. Although I do wish it was explored more.
Overall, this was an amazing ride and I can't wait to see more.
5 stars.
July 22, 2023
Cyberpunk meets John Wick in this exciting genre mash up!
Following Taya, cynical, addicted to wear and reliant on the numbing sensation of her vape as she desperately tries to get her enforcer badge. A case is bought forward to find a little girl and Taya knows she needs to get to the bottom of it. What she doesn’t know is that this case will change her life forever. Suddenly entangled in a game of war amongst the undead, the church and her own wavering morals Taya will have to make a choice. Ghost or Reaper?
Lines will be crossed, friendships destroyed and fangs drawn. Neon Ghosts was one hell of a ride.
Greene has provided an awesome cult classic in the making.
Following Taya, cynical, addicted to wear and reliant on the numbing sensation of her vape as she desperately tries to get her enforcer badge. A case is bought forward to find a little girl and Taya knows she needs to get to the bottom of it. What she doesn’t know is that this case will change her life forever. Suddenly entangled in a game of war amongst the undead, the church and her own wavering morals Taya will have to make a choice. Ghost or Reaper?
Lines will be crossed, friendships destroyed and fangs drawn. Neon Ghosts was one hell of a ride.
Greene has provided an awesome cult classic in the making.
June 23, 2024
Cyberpunk meets vampires! Neon Ghosts: A Witch’s Sin was a fast-paced detective story and some of Daniel Greene’s best writing. The story itself was a little slow to get into, but once the pace picked up it didn’t stop. There was a lot of action, fantasy, and sci-fi that really held my attention. The premise made for some interesting world building, but the true highlight of this book was the characters. Each one felt really fleshed out and I found myself enjoying all of them. Some even more than the main character.
The hardcover, kickstarter edition of this book is absolutely beautiful. The artwork on the dust jacket and cover really capture the vibe of the story.
Also, I’m counting this book as book 10 of Pride Month. 🏳️🌈 Although it’s not a queer story, there are a few characters that are definitely not straight. 🏳️🌈
The hardcover, kickstarter edition of this book is absolutely beautiful. The artwork on the dust jacket and cover really capture the vibe of the story.
Also, I’m counting this book as book 10 of Pride Month. 🏳️🌈 Although it’s not a queer story, there are a few characters that are definitely not straight. 🏳️🌈
July 10, 2023
I really enjoyed the first half of this book, an easy 4 stars- possibly 5 stars.
The world was immersive, the setting interesting, and I was really enjoying the characters and their relationships.
It is easy to see how much Daniel Greene has improved since the publication of his first book.
I’m not used to sci-fi but the technology and different levels of the superstructure that the population lives in to protect the poisonous haze in the outside world really drew me in. The initial introduction of a particular virus was very interesting to me
I adored how advertisements were pushed on everyone, to the point that an open window was used as consent for a drone to come into your home to try and sell you products
I love the talk about the failed terraforming of Mars, class structures, and how different the levels of the megastructure operated. Overall, the world building was one of my favourite aspects of this book
________
But around the halfway point, things took a turn. It was like being reintroduced to a new story. There was a lot of exposition to explain the new thing introduced, conversations felt repetitive, and the plot lost a lot of interest for me.
Then once I got used to this first change, the story changed again and more exposition was needed before we settled into another new normal. It was like there were three different stories in this book.
With my investment lacking, I started to notice little issues that hadn’t bothered me in the first half- the most notably being jokes about how people bypassed government restrictions to get weapons/modifications… giving the feeling that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.
And thats setting aside my longstanding issues with
Character interactions no longer felt natural and were used as more exposition to move the plot along, lacking the genuine feelings from the first half.
The characters voice in the second half all start to sound the same. They all talked, texted, cursed the same way regardless of their age, upbringing, or motives. With no distinct voice.
The villains we’re cartoonishly evil and I really just stopped paying attention :(
Other issues arose from how little consequences the protagonist faced but I need to go into spoilers for that one
Regardless that the second half of this story wasn’t to my personal taste I am excited to see what he publishes next, and will happily support his career going forward... happily awaiting for my physical copy as it looks beautiful :)
The world was immersive, the setting interesting, and I was really enjoying the characters and their relationships.
It is easy to see how much Daniel Greene has improved since the publication of his first book.
I’m not used to sci-fi but the technology and different levels of the superstructure that the population lives in to protect the poisonous haze in the outside world really drew me in. The initial introduction of a particular virus was very interesting to me
I adored how advertisements were pushed on everyone, to the point that an open window was used as consent for a drone to come into your home to try and sell you products
I love the talk about the failed terraforming of Mars, class structures, and how different the levels of the megastructure operated. Overall, the world building was one of my favourite aspects of this book
________
But around the halfway point, things took a turn. It was like being reintroduced to a new story. There was a lot of exposition to explain the new thing introduced, conversations felt repetitive, and the plot lost a lot of interest for me.
Then once I got used to this first change, the story changed again and more exposition was needed before we settled into another new normal. It was like there were three different stories in this book.
With my investment lacking, I started to notice little issues that hadn’t bothered me in the first half- the most notably being jokes about how people bypassed government restrictions to get weapons/modifications… giving the feeling that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.
And thats setting aside my longstanding issues with
Character interactions no longer felt natural and were used as more exposition to move the plot along, lacking the genuine feelings from the first half.
The characters voice in the second half all start to sound the same. They all talked, texted, cursed the same way regardless of their age, upbringing, or motives. With no distinct voice.
The villains we’re cartoonishly evil and I really just stopped paying attention :(
Other issues arose from how little consequences the protagonist faced but I need to go into spoilers for that one
Regardless that the second half of this story wasn’t to my personal taste I am excited to see what he publishes next, and will happily support his career going forward... happily awaiting for my physical copy as it looks beautiful :)
July 5, 2023
Loved this book. Daniel has come so far as an author. The world building is particularly outstanding and intriguing. I can't wait to see what happens to this protagonist in the next volume!
July 16, 2023
A low 2⭐️, mainly for worldbuilding and potential.
Dnf 18%
Idk, I tried. The world is good, not much else is. A lot of it reads like really bad fanfic. It needs more work, a lot more, but there is potential.
Dnf 18%
Idk, I tried. The world is good, not much else is. A lot of it reads like really bad fanfic. It needs more work, a lot more, but there is potential.
August 16, 2024
Wow even after reading his other two debut novels, I don’t think I ever could’ve prepared myself for the full depth of this book and while I dearly hope for a rebels series continuation, I am beyond invested into the dope world that merges magic with futuristic cyberpunk in such a fun and wild way. The start and backstory was a little slow being honest so it took me quite a while to fully get enthralled. But once I started in my journey with Taya I knew I was all in now holding back.
July 19, 2023
I picked this up because I like Daniel Greene as a youtuber, and while I like Cyberpunk, this feels like a mashup of Cyberpunk and like YA/NA fantasy, and ya fantasy is not my thing AT ALL. So I just want to be clear that I picked this up knowing it isn't what I'm into. (It's also not YA, it just feels like it.)
It's definitely very readable, but having witches and vampires in a Cyberpunk sci-fi dystopia was a lot like eating an oatmeal cookie when you want chocolate chip. It's like aww man I thought these were chocolate chips (science) but they're raisins (magic). But I don't want to sit here and complain about it too much because I knew I wasn't getting chocolate chip. I'm not going to be like "Curse you Daniel for failing to convert me!"
It's definitely very readable, but having witches and vampires in a Cyberpunk sci-fi dystopia was a lot like eating an oatmeal cookie when you want chocolate chip. It's like aww man I thought these were chocolate chips (science) but they're raisins (magic). But I don't want to sit here and complain about it too much because I knew I wasn't getting chocolate chip. I'm not going to be like "Curse you Daniel for failing to convert me!"
July 29, 2023
Oh Daniel. I love you to death, you're an amazing booktuber, and I wanted to love this. I really did.
But...can we talk pacing?
This story rushes where it should walk, tumbles where it should flow, and trudges where it should run along quickly. There is an almost chapter-long fight scene, choreographed blow for blow, which would have been a delight to watch (and was, in They Live) but about halfway through, I started flipping ahead, wondering how much longer it could last. We're given a pair of characters at the beginning and every time we learn something new about either one, it's brushed over briefly. Perhaps forty pages (and I may be being generous) are about character development of our protagonist, and that seems fewer than the fight scene I just described. We touch on a potential drug/alcohol problem, mentioned three or four times...which she shrugs off with a "I can't do this anymore" about a third of the way through the book. The sudden swap from Sci-Fi to a Fantasy world is...abrupt, and seems too easily accepted by the cyberpunkette cyborg protagonist. The storyline is convoluted (think Brandon Sanderson) without really explaining itself by the end in a way that is easily comprehensible (I had to check notes several times).
That said, some of the characters are very interesting, though very underdeveloped. The protagonist's best friend, the witch, and Oscar are interesting, almost more so than the protagonist, but we get very little about them except Oscar, who is clearly being "groomed" by the story to be the reluctant love interest. The world is interesting, though rather underdeveloped, with a lot of hand-waving "in the long long ago" kind of explanation for the post-apocalyptic society in which the story takes place. And some love and attention was clearly put into the ideas of the technology and the society in which these people live.
It's an entertaining summer read. I hope Daniel continues to improve because I think someday he will be a quite good author. This just isn't there yet.
But...can we talk pacing?
This story rushes where it should walk, tumbles where it should flow, and trudges where it should run along quickly. There is an almost chapter-long fight scene, choreographed blow for blow, which would have been a delight to watch (and was, in They Live) but about halfway through, I started flipping ahead, wondering how much longer it could last. We're given a pair of characters at the beginning and every time we learn something new about either one, it's brushed over briefly. Perhaps forty pages (and I may be being generous) are about character development of our protagonist, and that seems fewer than the fight scene I just described. We touch on a potential drug/alcohol problem, mentioned three or four times...which she shrugs off with a "I can't do this anymore" about a third of the way through the book. The sudden swap from Sci-Fi to a Fantasy world is...abrupt, and seems too easily accepted by the cyberpunkette cyborg protagonist. The storyline is convoluted (think Brandon Sanderson) without really explaining itself by the end in a way that is easily comprehensible (I had to check notes several times).
That said, some of the characters are very interesting, though very underdeveloped. The protagonist's best friend, the witch, and Oscar are interesting, almost more so than the protagonist, but we get very little about them except Oscar, who is clearly being "groomed" by the story to be the reluctant love interest. The world is interesting, though rather underdeveloped, with a lot of hand-waving "in the long long ago" kind of explanation for the post-apocalyptic society in which the story takes place. And some love and attention was clearly put into the ideas of the technology and the society in which these people live.
It's an entertaining summer read. I hope Daniel continues to improve because I think someday he will be a quite good author. This just isn't there yet.
August 17, 2023
I'd probably put this at a 3.5, but I like Daniel so I'm rounding up.
Story was fairly straightforward. I liked the setting and the supernatural elements. The worldbuilding with all the ads was great.
I didn't connect very strongly with Taya, which I think ended up dragging the book down for me. I thought she got beat up a little too much for it to be believable, and perhaps to a point that sapped tension from fight scenes. Her setbacks didn't really seem like real setbacks because she was often given an escape rope the next chapter, e.g. from a wealthy friend.
Never quite felt settled on the "vampires are ight" cause that was championed. Maybe if they were campaigning for segregation rather than integration I would have been on board. "Hey, give us our own space where we can be contained, just don't kill us or remove all our privacy." Instead it was like, "Don't talk to me before I've had my coffee. And by coffee I mean humans. Then I'm fine." And we're supposed to sympathize? Maybe?
Oh, shoutout to the absolutely beautiful cover too!
Story was fairly straightforward. I liked the setting and the supernatural elements. The worldbuilding with all the ads was great.
I didn't connect very strongly with Taya, which I think ended up dragging the book down for me. I thought she got beat up a little too much for it to be believable, and perhaps to a point that sapped tension from fight scenes. Her setbacks didn't really seem like real setbacks because she was often given an escape rope the next chapter, e.g. from a wealthy friend.
Never quite felt settled on the "vampires are ight" cause that was championed. Maybe if they were campaigning for segregation rather than integration I would have been on board. "Hey, give us our own space where we can be contained, just don't kill us or remove all our privacy." Instead it was like, "Don't talk to me before I've had my coffee. And by coffee I mean humans. Then I'm fine." And we're supposed to sympathize? Maybe?
Oh, shoutout to the absolutely beautiful cover too!
December 2, 2023
I love this book: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comm...
July 27, 2024
Man, this book was just really fun to read. Please read if you want an MC who is not the brightest which causes things to just snowball out of control for them.
November 9, 2023
Vampyra og hækse i ei cyberpunkfertælling, jaja
Read
July 13, 2024DNF ca. 25% in - a few interesting worldbuilding ideas that would have worked better as a short story, the book feels unexciting.
July 6, 2023
I enjoyed this book a lot. I read Breach of Peace by the author and even though I did like it, it felt like a first writing project. However, I saw the protentional in his writing and said I would pick up his next book. That brings us to "A Witch's Sin".
The worldbuilding is outstanding in this book and you connect with the main character, Taya, straight away. The beginning is super strong and has wonderful scenes that gives you information about the world naturally.
Also, it gave me the vibe of another book I read earlier this year that I enjoyed "The City of Nightmares" by Rebecca Schaeffer. They are very different books, but both gave me that gritty underbelly city vibe and have the main character solving a mystery with a vampire. I love the dynamic and I found myself reading a lot of vampire books this year and loving it. Give me more vampires that are dangerous, but still human. Also, give me more sci-fi books with witches.
The only negative I have is that parts of the middle part seemed to be too long and dragged the spacing for my personal taste.
Overall, I recommend giving this a read, especially if you are sci-fi mystery fan.
The worldbuilding is outstanding in this book and you connect with the main character, Taya, straight away. The beginning is super strong and has wonderful scenes that gives you information about the world naturally.
Also, it gave me the vibe of another book I read earlier this year that I enjoyed "The City of Nightmares" by Rebecca Schaeffer. They are very different books, but both gave me that gritty underbelly city vibe and have the main character solving a mystery with a vampire. I love the dynamic and I found myself reading a lot of vampire books this year and loving it. Give me more vampires that are dangerous, but still human. Also, give me more sci-fi books with witches.
The only negative I have is that parts of the middle part seemed to be too long and dragged the spacing for my personal taste.
Overall, I recommend giving this a read, especially if you are sci-fi mystery fan.
September 7, 2023
Enjoyment 6/10
Concept 9/10
Execution 5/10
Writing 5/10
Plot & Logic 3/10
Pacing & Structure 5/10
Atmosphere 10/10
Characters 5/10
Intrigue 7/10
World Building 8/10
Rating: 3.19/5
Concept 9/10
Execution 5/10
Writing 5/10
Plot & Logic 3/10
Pacing & Structure 5/10
Atmosphere 10/10
Characters 5/10
Intrigue 7/10
World Building 8/10
Rating: 3.19/5
March 7, 2024
Not my cup of tea. Too dark, too bloody, too hopeless. At some points I wanted to scream at the obvious mistakes. But overall I just couldn't connect with any of the characters and was so disappointed at how Taya was just plainly used throughout the book. It was a long, painful journey from bad to worse. And not at a single point has she stopped to actually think. The whole book she runs from one fight to another, each one more bloody than the previous one, twice she's patched up after almost dying and in a few hors she's on the run again. Even with all the super cool tech, meat needs time to heal. Well, at least while one's alive.
What bugs me the most, it feels like she's never in control, there's always someone playing her. And even knowing that, she comes back for more.
And there are scanners on every corner and she's tracked almost all the time. But 5 minutes later she's brought from level 99 to 2 with none the wiser. Wait, she was brought like that twice. Both times she was barely breathing piece of meat. And no pings? No tracers? Hmmm...
And Jordan? She doesn't even feel like a good guy forced to do bad things for the greater good. She's just plain bad. Manipulative b**ch. It's been a while since I've been disgusted by a character so much.
Overall, very bad aftertaste after the book, I need something meaningful to cleanse my palette asap.
Oh, yes, and if you can't explain something, call it magic. Nothing of the origins of the powers and the conflict is explained, just some hints and breadcrumbs. Big words without any actual substance.
What bugs me the most, it feels like she's never in control, there's always someone playing her. And even knowing that, she comes back for more.
And there are scanners on every corner and she's tracked almost all the time. But 5 minutes later she's brought from level 99 to 2 with none the wiser. Wait, she was brought like that twice. Both times she was barely breathing piece of meat. And no pings? No tracers? Hmmm...
And Jordan? She doesn't even feel like a good guy forced to do bad things for the greater good. She's just plain bad. Manipulative b**ch. It's been a while since I've been disgusted by a character so much.
Overall, very bad aftertaste after the book, I need something meaningful to cleanse my palette asap.
Oh, yes, and if you can't explain something, call it magic. Nothing of the origins of the powers and the conflict is explained, just some hints and breadcrumbs. Big words without any actual substance.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
The world felt familiar but unique in its own way, I did enjoy the world building. The sci-fi city vibe was familiar but the vampires added in were a surprise I did not expect from this book when I picked it up.
I liked Taya she’s headstrong and definitely still dealing with trauma. I liked the plot, the mystery, I was intrigued by what Oscar said was the curse of the vampire and not a virus but we didn’t get much into that. I liked how the further along she got the more was revealed about the Labor family. It just got more and more involved, more intense, more how the hell is she gonna get out of this now.
Though when she was turned I was kinda bummed out I really didn’t think it was necessary to the story and I felt like everything that was added to it at that point, the bond with Jordan, the added issues with the world and plot became a bit convoluted. Like there was a lot crammed into the details of the story in the last 100 pages and I’m not sure I caught all of it.
That being said I looked forward to reading it everyday and enjoyed it thoroughly I just think there was too many elements involved by the end. I will definitely read the next one as I expect there will be given the way it ended.
The world felt familiar but unique in its own way, I did enjoy the world building. The sci-fi city vibe was familiar but the vampires added in were a surprise I did not expect from this book when I picked it up.
I liked Taya she’s headstrong and definitely still dealing with trauma. I liked the plot, the mystery, I was intrigued by what Oscar said was the curse of the vampire and not a virus but we didn’t get much into that. I liked how the further along she got the more was revealed about the Labor family. It just got more and more involved, more intense, more how the hell is she gonna get out of this now.
Though when she was turned I was kinda bummed out I really didn’t think it was necessary to the story and I felt like everything that was added to it at that point, the bond with Jordan, the added issues with the world and plot became a bit convoluted. Like there was a lot crammed into the details of the story in the last 100 pages and I’m not sure I caught all of it.
That being said I looked forward to reading it everyday and enjoyed it thoroughly I just think there was too many elements involved by the end. I will definitely read the next one as I expect there will be given the way it ended.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2024
Unfortunately for me, Neon Ghosts didn't quite hit the mark. I was drawn to the concept and interesting mash of genres however the execution just wasn't up to par. My two stars really are for the description of the setting and whole idea of megastructures along with the mysterious haze but was left disappointed that I ended the story having no more knowledge of how these came to be than I began with. The fight scenes were very well written but to me there were too many, too close together. I understand what Daniel was trying to do with the character of Taya with the inclusion of flaws and trauma but honestly I couldn't connect with the character. Often I found myself frustrated with her choices and treatment to others that I just couldn't empathize and not to mention how she lets herself be used as a tool. There was also quite a bit of repetition that grated me after a while e.g. every time she gained/used some overpowered piece of kit or info provided conveniently by another character she would thank them in her thoughts instead of allowing the character to think around the barriers that these things fixed. The plot initially was interesting but again I didn't feel I got much closure on the why's by the end and the ones we did get felt a little weak. This was the first of Daniels work I've read and although I won't be continuing this series I do think he has a lot of potential to improve and hope he sticks with it and I might give a different future work a look.
Also want to note I did see a fairly obviously copy edit mistake on page 240 "comple0mented" just so if it's not already rectified, it can be in future prints.
Also want to note I did see a fairly obviously copy edit mistake on page 240 "comple0mented" just so if it's not already rectified, it can be in future prints.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2023
Witch's Sin was an unusual (to me) blend of scifi and magic with a very strong scifi start. The main issue for me was that the magic in the story felt forced in and definitely not explained or rationalized well. Since Witch's Sin is intended to be the first in a series it might be that later books help fill in critical missing background information that lessened my enjoyment of the story a little.
The character development for many of the characters was really well done making me care about them and invested in what happened to them.
This is the first book by Daniel B. Greene that I've read since I'm not generally a fantasy fan. (My wife watches his Youtube book reviews which is how I heard about Witch's Sin and the synopsis drew me in. :-) ) It was enjoyable enough that I'll be willing to read more if they catch my fancy.
The character development for many of the characters was really well done making me care about them and invested in what happened to them.
This is the first book by Daniel B. Greene that I've read since I'm not generally a fantasy fan. (My wife watches his Youtube book reviews which is how I heard about Witch's Sin and the synopsis drew me in. :-) ) It was enjoyable enough that I'll be willing to read more if they catch my fancy.
July 29, 2024
Oh man, mixed feelings. Halfway through this book I was convinced I wasn't going to continue in the series, was thinking it was a 3 star. But the second half got explosive, and now I'm really intrigued. If the second book was out now I'd probably dive in right away just to see, but I have no idea when the second one will be published...so can't say for sure if I'll continue or not. But it was a fun read and I'm glad I gave it a shot!
June 14, 2025
Honestly a little surprised by this one! I mean I didn’t doubt that Daniel was a good writer, but where the plot ended up going was really good. I have never read a Cyberpunk book so I was intrigued by that but then to also have vampires be a central part of the story, I just wasn’t sure how it was gonna land for me. It did take me a little to get into the story, it starts off as a cyberpunk noir tale but then develops from there and the stakes got a lot larger than I thought they would.
Taya is a relatively unlikable character at times, very flawed which I can appreciate. I will say she gets her ass beat A LOT, I just wanted her to have one fight where she made it out unscathed. Again, this book really surprised me and I really hope Daniel is working on the next one!
Taya is a relatively unlikable character at times, very flawed which I can appreciate. I will say she gets her ass beat A LOT, I just wanted her to have one fight where she made it out unscathed. Again, this book really surprised me and I really hope Daniel is working on the next one!
Want to read
April 23, 2024You can now get physical copies for this book. That's great, because I do want to actually read this.
Now, if GoodReads would only add the hardcover and paperback editions of the book.
Now, if GoodReads would only add the hardcover and paperback editions of the book.
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