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Scarlett Bernard #1
Dead Spots
Scarlett Bernard knows about personal space: step within ten feet of her, and any supernatural spells or demonic forces are instantly defused—vampires and werewolves become human again, and witches can’t get out so much as a “hocus pocus.” This special skill makes her a null and very valuable to Los Angeles’s three most powerful magical communities, who utilize her ability to scrub crime scenes clean of all traces of the paranormal to keep humanity, and the LAPD, in the dark.
But one night Scarlett’s late arrival to a grisly murder scene reveals her agenda and ends with LAPD’s Jesse Cruz tracking her down to strike a deal: he’ll keep quiet about the undead underworld if she helps solve the case. Their pact doesn’t sit well with Dash, the city’s chief bloodsucker, who fears his whole vampire empire is at stake. And when clues start to point to Scarlett, it’ll take more than her unique powers to catch the real killer and clear her name.
But one night Scarlett’s late arrival to a grisly murder scene reveals her agenda and ends with LAPD’s Jesse Cruz tracking her down to strike a deal: he’ll keep quiet about the undead underworld if she helps solve the case. Their pact doesn’t sit well with Dash, the city’s chief bloodsucker, who fears his whole vampire empire is at stake. And when clues start to point to Scarlett, it’ll take more than her unique powers to catch the real killer and clear her name.
293 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2012
1309 people are currently reading
4219 people want to read
About the author
Melissa F. Olson
42 books1,740 followersMelissa F. Olson is a writer and film professor. Her work includes the comic ARCHAIC, the feminist horror novel The Other Frankenstein, and more than 20 urban fantasy novels and novellas, including the Scarlett Bernard series and the Boundary Magic novels. Her journalism and academic work has been published in The International Journal of Comic Art, the compilation Images of the Modern Vampire, Tor.com, and the Everyone's Gone to the Movies series.
Melissa has been a writing teacher, English professor, and TEDx presenter, but she now divides her time between writing and conventions, where she speaks about issues related to genre, feminism, writing, and parenting. Read more about her life and work at MFOlson.com.
Melissa has been a writing teacher, English professor, and TEDx presenter, but she now divides her time between writing and conventions, where she speaks about issues related to genre, feminism, writing, and parenting. Read more about her life and work at MFOlson.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 762 reviews
July 8, 2014
First off I want to say that I loved Scarlet, she was smart, sexy, level headed, and chock full of common sense. It was very refreshing to pick up an Urban Fantasy that had a leading lady that was not only practical, but uses her brain to get things done. I mean it, she is a thinker, her job is to clean up messes made by vampires, werewolves, and witches, and she takes her job serious. She never speeds, she services her van monthly, and makes sure she is wearing the most popular shoes so her treads can not be traced. I can not express how much I love this, I seriously love things like this, as well as twists, which this book has as well. The whole time reading this, I was in Urban Fantasy fan girl heaven.
I also have to give out a warning cause I know that love triangles are a deal breaker for some people, and there is one in this. I want to say that this isn’t some young adult true love bullshit, there are very valid pros and cons to each of the guys that are interested in her. They are also both very good men, I have to say that I liked most of the characters in this book. I can't say that I liked Dash, but yeah he is the head vampire of the city, and a the very definition of an apex predator. I really don't thing the author wanted anyone to like him, he is a douche canoe of epic proportions.
The mystery of this book was really well done, and the pace was great. I didn't find myself skimming ahead out of boredom because the story was dragging.
So all in all, I loved this book, and Scarlet, Jesse and Eli. I can't wait til the next one cause they all have room to grow.
I do want to put in I do love me a good Urban Fantasy where the main character kicks bad guy ass with wit, sarcasm, and the ability to fight in three inch heels, cause dammit who's fooling who, that is a fucking super power.
I also have to give out a warning cause I know that love triangles are a deal breaker for some people, and there is one in this. I want to say that this isn’t some young adult true love bullshit, there are very valid pros and cons to each of the guys that are interested in her. They are also both very good men, I have to say that I liked most of the characters in this book. I can't say that I liked Dash, but yeah he is the head vampire of the city, and a the very definition of an apex predator. I really don't thing the author wanted anyone to like him, he is a douche canoe of epic proportions.
The mystery of this book was really well done, and the pace was great. I didn't find myself skimming ahead out of boredom because the story was dragging.
So all in all, I loved this book, and Scarlet, Jesse and Eli. I can't wait til the next one cause they all have room to grow.
I do want to put in I do love me a good Urban Fantasy where the main character kicks bad guy ass with wit, sarcasm, and the ability to fight in three inch heels, cause dammit who's fooling who, that is a fucking super power.
May 10, 2017
It's the author's first book, so I guess I'll be nice about minor issues I had. Like the complete fail when it comes to the romance thing. If you are going to put a triangle in your book, just don't put a triangle in your book.
Definitive proof that triangles just confuse the situation.
Just forget the idea of there being a romance in this and you might enjoy some other aspects of this UF world. Well, other than the whole "creation of magical beings" thing. That was really lame. If you are going to try and make up some scientific bullshit for the existence of vampires and weres, just don't make up some scientific bullshit for the existence of vampires and weres. It just doesn't work. Ever. It's either so stupid that anyone with a 3rd grade science education will laugh in its face, or it tries to be technical and bores the crap out of everyone. Just allow the world simply have these creatures. We can handle that. We are reading a book with vampires and werewolves in it - obviously we don't need to be convinced that they should exist. It's cool. Just leave it alone.
Sometimes it's better just to keep your mouth shut, because you're only making it worse by talking.
So, in this book we have vampires, werewolves and witches that exist because of "science". Scarlett is a null who works for them. A null is like a magical sponge who sucks up any magic within a certain radius of themselves, thereby turning any magical being into a mere human when they are near. Some of the magic people aren't real thrilled with having her around because of this, but others are totally into her human-turning thing and can't get enough of her. Especially werewolves. They need a break from the wolf inside their bodies. It's like having a border collie in there. Constantly pacing and getting on your last nerve. Calm the hell down!
Scarlett cleans up murder scenes for magical people who are constantly accidentally killing humans. Someone's gotta clean up that mess and it ain't gonna be the big cheese of vamps. Scarlett gets that awesome job. Lucky girl! When she arrives at a murder scene that she can't clean up, and it turns out that a null was part of the murdering, her employer decides that he is going to kill her. Talk about a tough boss! She has only a couple of days to solve the case or she's toast. So, she's running around with a cop, trying to figure out what happened.
I thought the mystery was okay, and the characters were pretty good, but the best part of the book was Scarlett herself. She had a 'tude that I could totally appreciate.
Before she found out that she would be killed if she didn't solve the crime, she was slightly reluctant to get involved:
I don't work for free, and running around town playing detective sounded like a lot of work. It could even interfere with my TV schedule.
When the cop started sharing a personal story with her:
Oh. I was a little thrown, having not realized we were on an adorable-family-story basis.
After some guy hits her:
"Feel better, you spineless son of a bitch? Does it make your tiny penis feel all big and hard to smack around girls?"
How could I not like a girl like that?
Did I mention Scarlett's drunken three-night stand with a werewolf?
What is NOT to like about this girl?
So, because the main character is so cool, I can see this series having potential to become something pretty awesome. I just hope the love-triangle is resolved like yesterday. And, go Team Eli. ;) Jesse is waaaay too Mr. Clean for my girl Scarlett.
Definitive proof that triangles just confuse the situation.
Just forget the idea of there being a romance in this and you might enjoy some other aspects of this UF world. Well, other than the whole "creation of magical beings" thing. That was really lame. If you are going to try and make up some scientific bullshit for the existence of vampires and weres, just don't make up some scientific bullshit for the existence of vampires and weres. It just doesn't work. Ever. It's either so stupid that anyone with a 3rd grade science education will laugh in its face, or it tries to be technical and bores the crap out of everyone. Just allow the world simply have these creatures. We can handle that. We are reading a book with vampires and werewolves in it - obviously we don't need to be convinced that they should exist. It's cool. Just leave it alone.
Sometimes it's better just to keep your mouth shut, because you're only making it worse by talking.
So, in this book we have vampires, werewolves and witches that exist because of "science". Scarlett is a null who works for them. A null is like a magical sponge who sucks up any magic within a certain radius of themselves, thereby turning any magical being into a mere human when they are near. Some of the magic people aren't real thrilled with having her around because of this, but others are totally into her human-turning thing and can't get enough of her. Especially werewolves. They need a break from the wolf inside their bodies. It's like having a border collie in there. Constantly pacing and getting on your last nerve. Calm the hell down!
Scarlett cleans up murder scenes for magical people who are constantly accidentally killing humans. Someone's gotta clean up that mess and it ain't gonna be the big cheese of vamps. Scarlett gets that awesome job. Lucky girl! When she arrives at a murder scene that she can't clean up, and it turns out that a null was part of the murdering, her employer decides that he is going to kill her. Talk about a tough boss! She has only a couple of days to solve the case or she's toast. So, she's running around with a cop, trying to figure out what happened.
I thought the mystery was okay, and the characters were pretty good, but the best part of the book was Scarlett herself. She had a 'tude that I could totally appreciate.
Before she found out that she would be killed if she didn't solve the crime, she was slightly reluctant to get involved:
I don't work for free, and running around town playing detective sounded like a lot of work. It could even interfere with my TV schedule.
When the cop started sharing a personal story with her:
Oh. I was a little thrown, having not realized we were on an adorable-family-story basis.
After some guy hits her:
"Feel better, you spineless son of a bitch? Does it make your tiny penis feel all big and hard to smack around girls?"
How could I not like a girl like that?
Did I mention Scarlett's drunken three-night stand with a werewolf?
What is NOT to like about this girl?
So, because the main character is so cool, I can see this series having potential to become something pretty awesome. I just hope the love-triangle is resolved like yesterday. And, go Team Eli. ;) Jesse is waaaay too Mr. Clean for my girl Scarlett.
February 11, 2019
Dead Spots by Melissa F Olson and narrated by Amy McFadden is book one in a series about vampires, werewolves, witches and more. Our gal of the story is a Null. That is something special that cancels out the magic of all the supernatural creatures that are close to her. There is only a handful in the world. She works for a crabby vamp doing clean up! I don't mean cleaning houses. She ends up getting accused of killing victims of a scene she was sent to clean. Cops got there first, the master camp is mad and others noted a Null there prior to the death. Now she has a limited time to find the real killer or she will be killed to save face for the master vamp.
It ends in a "to be continued" which I hate! This is the book's only flaw. I knocked off a star for that but everything else I really enjoyed.
The narrator was very good.
It ends in a "to be continued" which I hate! This is the book's only flaw. I knocked off a star for that but everything else I really enjoyed.
The narrator was very good.
December 13, 2012
This book was deeply mediocre with welcome flashes of originality. Olson's story takes vampires and werewolves and witches and tries to give us a way to explain their existence through Darwinian adaptation to a mysterious connection to magic that evolved over time down three separate paths. Ignore that part. It's as silly as Stephanie Meyers' attempt at giving her vampires a reason for being sparkly. Unfortunately, there's a lot of exposition in the novel and most of it has to do with trying to make this background make sense.
Fortunately, the story itself is interesting and the exposition didn't kill the pacing enough to pull me out of the story. It helps that Scarlett is a "null"—a new type of magical manifestation that cancels out the others by proximity. i.e. vampires and weres become human once more in her presence and witches lose access to their magic—a useful trait and one with utility both subtle and direct. Scarlett is fully human and has no super power. This means she has to be very careful about who she pisses off and she has to maintain friendly relations with very powerful beings to whom she is an undiluted threat. A difficult task at best and moreso given that the other power factions have taken to employing her as a "cleaner"—someone who visits scenes of their, uh, indiscretions, and tidies them up to prevent humans from discovering that the world contains monsters.
Also fortunate is that Jesse Cruz, a cop brought into the supernatural world as a spectator, is simply scrumptious. Working with Scarlett out of necessity and his own sense of justice, he gets in way over his head, treading water furiously while trying to figure out the rules of this shadow world he has entered. I ended up liking him immensely and my hope that this is the start of a new series is centered around seeing his relationship with Scarlett grow into something more meaningful.
In the end I liked the book enough that I'll keep an eye out for others by the author. Snark about mediocrity aside, it's a decent showing for a new author and one that bodes well for her future work.
Fortunately, the story itself is interesting and the exposition didn't kill the pacing enough to pull me out of the story. It helps that Scarlett is a "null"—a new type of magical manifestation that cancels out the others by proximity. i.e. vampires and weres become human once more in her presence and witches lose access to their magic—a useful trait and one with utility both subtle and direct. Scarlett is fully human and has no super power. This means she has to be very careful about who she pisses off and she has to maintain friendly relations with very powerful beings to whom she is an undiluted threat. A difficult task at best and moreso given that the other power factions have taken to employing her as a "cleaner"—someone who visits scenes of their, uh, indiscretions, and tidies them up to prevent humans from discovering that the world contains monsters.
Also fortunate is that Jesse Cruz, a cop brought into the supernatural world as a spectator, is simply scrumptious. Working with Scarlett out of necessity and his own sense of justice, he gets in way over his head, treading water furiously while trying to figure out the rules of this shadow world he has entered. I ended up liking him immensely and my hope that this is the start of a new series is centered around seeing his relationship with Scarlett grow into something more meaningful.
In the end I liked the book enough that I'll keep an eye out for others by the author. Snark about mediocrity aside, it's a decent showing for a new author and one that bodes well for her future work.
November 24, 2015
Let's just say I'm team Eli.
October 28, 2017
“Nulls are the wrecking ball of the supernatural world: we swing in and out of situations, creating damage and chaos. But sometimes in a really useful way.”
Dead Spots is the first of a series that currently has three books out. I haven’t dug into it far enough to see if it’s a completed trilogy. I have the other two books to read, and planned to this month, but you know how that can go.
Scarlett is the go-to girl for the supernatural leaders in town, namely the Master Vampire and Werewolf pack leader. She’s called in to clean up messes and “accidents” before the humans finds the remains and get a witch hunt brewing. In this series world-building, supernaturals are under the radar and humans are blissfully unaware of their existence.
Scarlett is a null where the magic of all ceases to work in her radius, so she’s able to calm situations, fights and such, since vampires will turn temporarily human and lycathropes will instantly shift out of their forms. Some don’t like this ability, especially the head honcho of the vamps who doesn’t want any aging or temporarily vulnerability, while her roommate actually likes the temporary aging since she was changed when she was too young looking to be considered respectable in modern times. Lycanthropes enjoy the power since in this series worldbuilding, lycanthropy is a constant struggle all month, and being around Scarlett gives peace and calmness.
While working with a human detective who saw more than he should, she is given an ultimatum to solve a crime in two days – otherwise the dickish vamp leader will take her life in exchange for politics.
The pacing is fine, although not as fast as one may hope. Scarlett’s job is rather a turn-off and I got disgusted with her covering up certain crimes like the humans didn’t matter. I especially felt bad for the villain. The lead vamp is an absolute ass with little redeeming quality. If I were in her shoes, I’d hate the job and it would bother me more than it does her – which is one reason I couldn’t warm up to the character.
What usually happens, happened – the story got better as it went along.
There is an unfortunately love triangle brewing too.
The cliffhanger is slightly cheesy with the surprising twist but still, I’m curious where that will go in the next book. Since I already own the next two books, will read and give the series a full chance.
Dead Spots is the first of a series that currently has three books out. I haven’t dug into it far enough to see if it’s a completed trilogy. I have the other two books to read, and planned to this month, but you know how that can go.
Scarlett is the go-to girl for the supernatural leaders in town, namely the Master Vampire and Werewolf pack leader. She’s called in to clean up messes and “accidents” before the humans finds the remains and get a witch hunt brewing. In this series world-building, supernaturals are under the radar and humans are blissfully unaware of their existence.
Scarlett is a null where the magic of all ceases to work in her radius, so she’s able to calm situations, fights and such, since vampires will turn temporarily human and lycathropes will instantly shift out of their forms. Some don’t like this ability, especially the head honcho of the vamps who doesn’t want any aging or temporarily vulnerability, while her roommate actually likes the temporary aging since she was changed when she was too young looking to be considered respectable in modern times. Lycanthropes enjoy the power since in this series worldbuilding, lycanthropy is a constant struggle all month, and being around Scarlett gives peace and calmness.
While working with a human detective who saw more than he should, she is given an ultimatum to solve a crime in two days – otherwise the dickish vamp leader will take her life in exchange for politics.
The pacing is fine, although not as fast as one may hope. Scarlett’s job is rather a turn-off and I got disgusted with her covering up certain crimes like the humans didn’t matter. I especially felt bad for the villain. The lead vamp is an absolute ass with little redeeming quality. If I were in her shoes, I’d hate the job and it would bother me more than it does her – which is one reason I couldn’t warm up to the character.
What usually happens, happened – the story got better as it went along.
There is an unfortunately love triangle brewing too.
The cliffhanger is slightly cheesy with the surprising twist but still, I’m curious where that will go in the next book. Since I already own the next two books, will read and give the series a full chance.
December 12, 2018
This audio was so freaking good!!
Dead Spots was such a fast passed book that I already can't wait to dive into the next book of the Scarlett Bernard series. Now Scarlett has a unique job. She works with some scary supernaturals, but also some really good looking ones, and she helps dispose of dead bodies. Whether it's an animal, human, or another supernatural. If it's dead, she needs to get rid of it.
Of course, there was some kind of murder mystery drama and she just ended up being the main suspect. Whether she actually did it or not didn't matter - people wanted her dead and gone. Little did they know, that she was like a little nancy drew and went into detective mode. Mostly to save her own skin, but she also secretly wanted to know who the hell was killing these people and why.
I did have my suspects and I was so freaking excited that I was right! I also had no idea who the other null was, oh yeah - Scarlett is a null. What that means is.. well, she kind of makes the other supernaturals and their powers.. null. They turn human in a way - which was honestly really cool. I had one theory of who the other null was.. but I was completely wrong.
Overall, I loved this book. The friendships and relationships were so freaking good. I totally have my own ship and really don't want to deal with a love triangle in the next book - sorry not sorry guys! I also really can't wait to meet her brother!
Oh, and that ending?? Holy crap guys, I thought she was dead.. and now she's back and alive...ish! Again, I'm pumped!
Dead Spots was such a fast passed book that I already can't wait to dive into the next book of the Scarlett Bernard series. Now Scarlett has a unique job. She works with some scary supernaturals, but also some really good looking ones, and she helps dispose of dead bodies. Whether it's an animal, human, or another supernatural. If it's dead, she needs to get rid of it.
Of course, there was some kind of murder mystery drama and she just ended up being the main suspect. Whether she actually did it or not didn't matter - people wanted her dead and gone. Little did they know, that she was like a little nancy drew and went into detective mode. Mostly to save her own skin, but she also secretly wanted to know who the hell was killing these people and why.
I did have my suspects and I was so freaking excited that I was right! I also had no idea who the other null was, oh yeah - Scarlett is a null. What that means is.. well, she kind of makes the other supernaturals and their powers.. null. They turn human in a way - which was honestly really cool. I had one theory of who the other null was.. but I was completely wrong.
Overall, I loved this book. The friendships and relationships were so freaking good. I totally have my own ship and really don't want to deal with a love triangle in the next book - sorry not sorry guys! I also really can't wait to meet her brother!
Oh, and that ending?? Holy crap guys, I thought she was dead.. and now she's back and alive...ish! Again, I'm pumped!
January 15, 2016
Scarlett Bernard is a null. She is a negative space for magic. In her presence vampires become human, werewolves revert and witches cannot cast spells. For supernatural beings she's a very dangerous person to be around. When they're around her, they lose their ability to heal, they age and they can be killed.
But her own life is also very fragile and despite her job working for the super-natural community to cover-up their crimes she discovers very quickly just how fragile. When three vampires are killed in the presence of a null all suspicion falls on her and the chief vampire from LA has sentenced her to death unless she can deliver the actual murderer.
After reading the first two books in the Boundary Magic series by the same author, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately it's a bit of a disappointment. It just didn't really grab me.
But her own life is also very fragile and despite her job working for the super-natural community to cover-up their crimes she discovers very quickly just how fragile. When three vampires are killed in the presence of a null all suspicion falls on her and the chief vampire from LA has sentenced her to death unless she can deliver the actual murderer.
After reading the first two books in the Boundary Magic series by the same author, I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately it's a bit of a disappointment. It just didn't really grab me.
December 9, 2012
This book was very nearly a DNF for me. It was dull, the leaps in logic were incredible, the heroes were nearly identical in personality without a hint of swoon-worthiness, and the ending was a series of dragged-out conversations with what was meant to be a cliffhanger tacked onto the end.
In short, this book is about a heroine who was so typical urban fantasy heroine that I can't even remember her name now (and I just finished it). Her parents are dead, she's a pseudo-witty jackass to dangerous creatures, she's described as "damaged," people love her even though she's not vaguely lovable... you get the picture. Her job is to clean up supernatural-related crime so that the police don't catch on. Naturally, the police do catch on--actually, one officer in particular, who we shall call Officer Friendly, because Officer Limp Rag would be rude.
Officer Friendly forces Heroine to give him fifty pages of awkward exposition on the milieu, and they agree to work the case out together. There's something-something-something about the werewolf that is madly in love with Heroine after having been used by her for sex three whole times, something-something-something about silver, and LOTS of something-something-something about evolution which we don't need to know.
Anyway, it all boils down to the heroine's vampire employer threatening her in a weak attempt to add tension to the story, although she's not so worried about it that she doesn't take plenty of breaks to sleep and hang out and share more expository dialogue. We do learn that she has a somewhat interesting back story at some point, which was one of the redeeming points of the novel, and I wonder why that wasn't an actual part of the plot instead of mentioned among the fifty pages of exposition we have to tolerate during the meat of the book.
Have you seen the old Batman movie with Adam West? How they decide that Catwoman must be involved, because the criminals are at sea? "Sea... C! For Catwoman!" That's pretty much how they end up determining who the bad guy must be in this book. "This is the tenth anniversary of this crime that happened that we showed for no reason at the beginning of the book and haven't mentioned since... OH MY GOSH the perpetrator must be the victim's brother!"
None of this would be a big deal if the story was exciting, or if I could get excited about the characters, but it was all pretty bland and low-tension. UF is a flawed genre, but vibrant worlds, eccentric characters, and interesting relationships make up for it. UF is usually unbridled fun. All of that is absent here.
Mostly, I think I'm only so disappointed in this book because the concept of a "null" (someone who turns supernatural creatures human when she's in the vicinity) is so damn interesting, and I one-clicked the heck out of it based on that premise alone. Think of all the trouble you can get into with a null! But the heroine is passive and reactive and everyone around her drives the plot. She's just along for the ride. Man, what a waste of a fun power.
I suspect that a lot of the major problems with this book were editorial decisions on the part of 47North rather than the author, though; the lengthy, LENGTHY segments of exposition were most likely forced on Olson by editors who thought that people needed to know that evolution produced werewolves, vampires, and witches, or else they would be too confused. Here's a hint, editors: the world in this book is so derivative of every single vampire/werewolf/witch book out there that nobody, and I mean nobody, will be confused by it.
That said, this is the author's debut novel, and I might pick up a sequel. Fuck me, but I do love urban fantasy, even when the poor attempts at noirish plots and inexplicably irresistible heroines drive me up the wall. Fingers crossed that the sequel will skip all the exposition. The tacked-on cliffhanger also suggests a much more personal plot for the followup that might spur Heroine into taking charge of her life, which is promising.
I tentatively recommend this to UF genre fans, as long as you don't mind the weaksauce "romance" and poorly-structured procedural elements.
In short, this book is about a heroine who was so typical urban fantasy heroine that I can't even remember her name now (and I just finished it). Her parents are dead, she's a pseudo-witty jackass to dangerous creatures, she's described as "damaged," people love her even though she's not vaguely lovable... you get the picture. Her job is to clean up supernatural-related crime so that the police don't catch on. Naturally, the police do catch on--actually, one officer in particular, who we shall call Officer Friendly, because Officer Limp Rag would be rude.
Officer Friendly forces Heroine to give him fifty pages of awkward exposition on the milieu, and they agree to work the case out together. There's something-something-something about the werewolf that is madly in love with Heroine after having been used by her for sex three whole times, something-something-something about silver, and LOTS of something-something-something about evolution which we don't need to know.
Anyway, it all boils down to the heroine's vampire employer threatening her in a weak attempt to add tension to the story, although she's not so worried about it that she doesn't take plenty of breaks to sleep and hang out and share more expository dialogue. We do learn that she has a somewhat interesting back story at some point, which was one of the redeeming points of the novel, and I wonder why that wasn't an actual part of the plot instead of mentioned among the fifty pages of exposition we have to tolerate during the meat of the book.
Have you seen the old Batman movie with Adam West? How they decide that Catwoman must be involved, because the criminals are at sea? "Sea... C! For Catwoman!" That's pretty much how they end up determining who the bad guy must be in this book. "This is the tenth anniversary of this crime that happened that we showed for no reason at the beginning of the book and haven't mentioned since... OH MY GOSH the perpetrator must be the victim's brother!"
None of this would be a big deal if the story was exciting, or if I could get excited about the characters, but it was all pretty bland and low-tension. UF is a flawed genre, but vibrant worlds, eccentric characters, and interesting relationships make up for it. UF is usually unbridled fun. All of that is absent here.
Mostly, I think I'm only so disappointed in this book because the concept of a "null" (someone who turns supernatural creatures human when she's in the vicinity) is so damn interesting, and I one-clicked the heck out of it based on that premise alone. Think of all the trouble you can get into with a null! But the heroine is passive and reactive and everyone around her drives the plot. She's just along for the ride. Man, what a waste of a fun power.
I suspect that a lot of the major problems with this book were editorial decisions on the part of 47North rather than the author, though; the lengthy, LENGTHY segments of exposition were most likely forced on Olson by editors who thought that people needed to know that evolution produced werewolves, vampires, and witches, or else they would be too confused. Here's a hint, editors: the world in this book is so derivative of every single vampire/werewolf/witch book out there that nobody, and I mean nobody, will be confused by it.
That said, this is the author's debut novel, and I might pick up a sequel. Fuck me, but I do love urban fantasy, even when the poor attempts at noirish plots and inexplicably irresistible heroines drive me up the wall. Fingers crossed that the sequel will skip all the exposition. The tacked-on cliffhanger also suggests a much more personal plot for the followup that might spur Heroine into taking charge of her life, which is promising.
I tentatively recommend this to UF genre fans, as long as you don't mind the weaksauce "romance" and poorly-structured procedural elements.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2021
Both the back-cover blurb in my edition and the summary at the head of this Goodreads page are fairly accurate this time (although the cover model is supposed to have black hair), so I'll just refer you to the summary and add some notes here.
In this book it's extremely important for the supernatural community, here called the Old World, to remain secret--that gets stressed over and over and plays a very important role in the motivations and events of the story.
Jesse Cruz is a likable plainclothes police officer, third grade, just promoted from his gig visiting Los Angeles schools as Officer Friendly; he's steady and very ethical, and he gives the story its solid backbone. He gets the shock of his life at that grisly crime scene in La Brea when a wolf leaps towards the bloody corpses and suddenly becomes a (very surprised) naked man.
That's what happens when a werewolf gets within ten feet of Scarlett Bernard, who got to the scene too late to clean it up and is now about to be handcuffed by Jesse. She slips away while Jesse is distracted and reports back to the city's ruling vampire, a despicable power-mad creature named Dashiell (Dash for short).
Jesse's point-of-view chapters are written in third person, but Scarlett Bernard's are first-person narratives, so we know she must be the main character.
As the blurb tells us, Scarlett is one of the rare "nulls," people who nullify magic within a certain radius (which expands if they're having a strong emotion). Vamps become human and start aging, witches' spells don't work, and werewolves usually like it when she's around (provided they're in their human form) because it's peaceful when their inner beast vanishes.
But of course the vamps, wolves, and witches are just vulnerable humans in the presence of a null, so if you want to kill one, remember to have a null close by, through complicity or trickery or force, it doesn't matter how.
There is something of a mystery about the La Brea killings but the whole story is definitely an adventure, minus a few rather unnecessary memory segments and a dreadful info dump near the beginning when Scarlett broadens Jesse's horizons. Oh, and a hint of romance between those two, but Scarlett's erstwhile lover Eli (the city's beta werewolf) wants to get back with her--triangle to be continued.
As a matter of fact, there's a lot left hanging . Among other things, Scarlett's ethics are questioned (crime scene cleanup includes transporting corpses to a private furnace, etc.) both by Jesse and by Scarlett herself, but she sees no alternative to the job she does, given her value to powerful supernaturals.
Overall, fairly enjoyable.
In this book it's extremely important for the supernatural community, here called the Old World, to remain secret--that gets stressed over and over and plays a very important role in the motivations and events of the story.
Jesse Cruz is a likable plainclothes police officer, third grade, just promoted from his gig visiting Los Angeles schools as Officer Friendly; he's steady and very ethical, and he gives the story its solid backbone. He gets the shock of his life at that grisly crime scene in La Brea when a wolf leaps towards the bloody corpses and suddenly becomes a (very surprised) naked man.
That's what happens when a werewolf gets within ten feet of Scarlett Bernard, who got to the scene too late to clean it up and is now about to be handcuffed by Jesse. She slips away while Jesse is distracted and reports back to the city's ruling vampire, a despicable power-mad creature named Dashiell (Dash for short).
Jesse's point-of-view chapters are written in third person, but Scarlett Bernard's are first-person narratives, so we know she must be the main character.
As the blurb tells us, Scarlett is one of the rare "nulls," people who nullify magic within a certain radius (which expands if they're having a strong emotion). Vamps become human and start aging, witches' spells don't work, and werewolves usually like it when she's around (provided they're in their human form) because it's peaceful when their inner beast vanishes.
But of course the vamps, wolves, and witches are just vulnerable humans in the presence of a null, so if you want to kill one, remember to have a null close by, through complicity or trickery or force, it doesn't matter how.
There is something of a mystery about the La Brea killings but the whole story is definitely an adventure, minus a few rather unnecessary memory segments and a dreadful info dump near the beginning when Scarlett broadens Jesse's horizons. Oh, and a hint of romance between those two, but Scarlett's erstwhile lover Eli (the city's beta werewolf) wants to get back with her--triangle to be continued.
As a matter of fact, there's a lot left hanging . Among other things, Scarlett's ethics are questioned (crime scene cleanup includes transporting corpses to a private furnace, etc.) both by Jesse and by Scarlett herself, but she sees no alternative to the job she does, given her value to powerful supernaturals.
Overall, fairly enjoyable.
November 6, 2025
Scarlett Bernard is a magical null. Just being around her will turn any vampire, werewolf or other magical creature completely mortal and human. Being a null gives her a special place in the supernatural community, she can use her abilities to clean up their crime scenes. On an extremely gruesome crime scene, Scarlett encounters Detective Jesse Cruz.
Jesse Cruz was in for the shock of his life, coming across an extremely horrific multi-murder with a beautiful woman holding a garbage bag and a wolf the turns into a naked man then a wolf again. Knowing he can not explain the truth to the LAPD, Jesse Cruz searches for the woman behind the finger prints left on the garbage bag and crashes head first into the world of the supernatural.
Uncaring of who is guilty, as long as someone is punished, the vampire leader gives Scarlett a brief deadline to uncover the true murderer or it will be her life he takes. Scarlett sets out to undercover the true identity of the murderer before her time runs out.
This is a splendid start to what is sure to be a fantastic new series. Where paranormals collide with each other and the average humans, Dead Spots takes us on a vibrant exploration of Melissa F. Olson imaginary world. A romantic triangle, unusual friendships and lots of action highlight an already dazzling plot. Don’t miss Dead Spots, it is sure to thrill the paranormal romance lover.
Jesse Cruz was in for the shock of his life, coming across an extremely horrific multi-murder with a beautiful woman holding a garbage bag and a wolf the turns into a naked man then a wolf again. Knowing he can not explain the truth to the LAPD, Jesse Cruz searches for the woman behind the finger prints left on the garbage bag and crashes head first into the world of the supernatural.
Uncaring of who is guilty, as long as someone is punished, the vampire leader gives Scarlett a brief deadline to uncover the true murderer or it will be her life he takes. Scarlett sets out to undercover the true identity of the murderer before her time runs out.
This is a splendid start to what is sure to be a fantastic new series. Where paranormals collide with each other and the average humans, Dead Spots takes us on a vibrant exploration of Melissa F. Olson imaginary world. A romantic triangle, unusual friendships and lots of action highlight an already dazzling plot. Don’t miss Dead Spots, it is sure to thrill the paranormal romance lover.
September 12, 2013
Dead Spot had a unique PNR premise but it was marred by very uneven writing, feeble character development and plot inconsistencies. It got very frustrating to read and DNF.
So I'm skipping the sequels too.
So I'm skipping the sequels too.
April 23, 2019
Wow this was fantastic, i love the world and different magics and loved the characters too, the ending was unexpected but brilliant i can wait till next book.....
Scarlett is a Null and after finding a gruesome murder scene, she is discovered by pretty LAPD boy Jesse and becomes number one suspect, but the reader falls deeper down the rabbit hole as the whole scope of the world expands as Scarlett and Jesse are out to uncover the real murderer.
Scarlett is such a deep and well written character, i really was fascinated by her plus the two males vying for her attention made it even more interesting... Brilliant book.
Scarlett is a Null and after finding a gruesome murder scene, she is discovered by pretty LAPD boy Jesse and becomes number one suspect, but the reader falls deeper down the rabbit hole as the whole scope of the world expands as Scarlett and Jesse are out to uncover the real murderer.
Scarlett is such a deep and well written character, i really was fascinated by her plus the two males vying for her attention made it even more interesting... Brilliant book.
September 6, 2017
Great start
I really enjoyed his this series starts. I'm definitely going to continue. I really need to know what's going to happen next especially with the wow ending.
I really enjoyed his this series starts. I'm definitely going to continue. I really need to know what's going to happen next especially with the wow ending.
December 31, 2019
Notes:
The series is on Kindle Unlimited Read & Listen.
It's like popcorn. Just enough substance to make the story fun but not enough to make it stand out.
The series is on Kindle Unlimited Read & Listen.
It's like popcorn. Just enough substance to make the story fun but not enough to make it stand out.
January 12, 2020
Average story badly needed an editor to clean it up a bit. The world is not that interesting to me. It's not fully thought out...bunky science.
As far as characters: Hate Olivia & Dashnel, Eli has potential. Jesse didn't seem like an option for any romance, It feels forced just to move the plot forward. Anyway they all feel thin to me. I am going to read book 2 bc I already have it.
FYI The accent on the audible book for Jesse was annoying.
As far as characters: Hate Olivia & Dashnel, Eli has potential. Jesse didn't seem like an option for any romance, It feels forced just to move the plot forward. Anyway they all feel thin to me. I am going to read book 2 bc I already have it.
FYI The accent on the audible book for Jesse was annoying.
May 30, 2023
Quality UF available on Kindle Unlimited Read & Listen... 4 connected trilogies and counting...
EDIT: doing a re-read, now that the author has published a conclusion to all ongoing story arcs, post-pregnancy IRL...
EDIT: doing a re-read, now that the author has published a conclusion to all ongoing story arcs, post-pregnancy IRL...
November 24, 2019
Reread: I liked it even more the second time around!
Another urban fantasy novel of vampires, witches, and werewolves but told from the fearful bottom up.
In most of these tales the woman has substantial magical power, kick-ass power, or (let's just tell it like it is) pussy power. Scarlett is the Old Worlds garbage man, a null making little money to be on call 24/7 to clean up messes.
Scarlett’s sex life consists of a three night stand with a beta surfer boy werewolf and a crush on a pretty cop who is just barely making it in his department.
Like in most stories there have been murders that threaten the status quo and the MC has to solve the mystery or else. There are high level Old World politics and secrets afoot but you barely glimpse theses because Scarlett is so low on the totem pole.
This is a tale of the hard scrabble of those normally lesser characters, which is interesting. Think Cloverfield not Independence Day.
*audible note - one of my favorite narrators!
December 1, 2018
Scarlett Bernard cleans up the messes made by LA's Old World. Sometimes it is only disposing of a few chickens that a werewolf couldn't resist, sometimes she has to dispose of bodies. When she is called to a horrific murder scene in the park with 3 dead vampires, it is unclear who could be responsible. This is also where she first meets Detective Jesse Cruz. Once she convinces the Cardinal Vampire of LA not to kill Jesse for finding out about the Old World, Scarlett and Jesse team up to figure out who the killer is.
OK, so I actually read the other Scarlett Bernard series before this one so I already love her and the other characters. I really wish I had read them in order though because as exciting as it is to know what is going to happen to some characters ahead of time but be ignorant of the journey there, it is also frustrating as f**k! I have to finish this series ASAP to know how they get from point A to point B!
OK, so I actually read the other Scarlett Bernard series before this one so I already love her and the other characters. I really wish I had read them in order though because as exciting as it is to know what is going to happen to some characters ahead of time but be ignorant of the journey there, it is also frustrating as f**k! I have to finish this series ASAP to know how they get from point A to point B!
June 16, 2015
PB/Urban Fantasy: Ironically I am listening to a Dresden book where magic is open in the world. In this world, magic and the creature of the night are a secret to the majority of the world. Usually, I don't like that kind of set up, but the author makes it work. The book reminded me a lot of the Anna Strong series. Our heroine, Scarlett, is not a vampire or a witch; she's a null. There is a ten foot parameter around her that is dead space to any witch, vampire, or were. It keeps her safe, but makes her wonder who her friends really are.
I liked the premise of the book. I like Scarlett's character and development throughout the book. I liked her two suitors. This book is not romance, so the love triangle was low-key. (No 30-page arguments like Anita Blake that makes you want to throw a book against a wall). I did not like Scarlett's boss, Dashiell. He seemed more like a bully. Wait, he is a bully. In fact, I hated him. He was too one dimensional and too unlikable. I couldn't figure out how he could stay the vampire leader for so long because he's too quick to judge, hotheaded, threatening, and, well, not very smart.
I liked the cop, Jesse, because he had a real job and a real boss. He had to stay at his job and work. He had to report in unlike most cops in books. Most sidekicks in books can throw reality out the window with jobs and responsibility. I like the other guy too. Eli the bartender, slash surfer, slash werewolf is finding himself as a newly changed.
One problem I had was some of the names of the guys. We had a Jack, Jacob, Jake, Jared, Jay, and Jesse. Too many Js. I did like that there was no time frame of prologue. Granted, I kept on wondering where it was going to fall in the book.
I liked the true element of time. LA is a large city and the author made the character live in real time. If they had three stops to make in one night to investigate, well, it was going to take until 2 a.m. because of travel time.
I liked that the book wraps up even though it is going to be a series. If you don't want to continue with the series, the story is wrapped up. Yes, there is a surprise at the end, but it is a beginning to another arc. Yes, I am having a problem with books not ending lately. Forcing me to read the next book to wrap up a plot makes me mad. Give me the choice of whether I want to go to the next book. Especially because I've been burned with publishers not wanting to continue with a series, and there was a cliffhanger! But I digress.
This is a good read and I recommend it. It runs 300 pages. I was not saying, "The editor should have cut 50 pages" or "I wish I had more". It was just right. It is well written, well thought out, and it was not the ending I was expecting.
I liked the premise of the book. I like Scarlett's character and development throughout the book. I liked her two suitors. This book is not romance, so the love triangle was low-key. (No 30-page arguments like Anita Blake that makes you want to throw a book against a wall). I did not like Scarlett's boss, Dashiell. He seemed more like a bully. Wait, he is a bully. In fact, I hated him. He was too one dimensional and too unlikable. I couldn't figure out how he could stay the vampire leader for so long because he's too quick to judge, hotheaded, threatening, and, well, not very smart.
I liked the cop, Jesse, because he had a real job and a real boss. He had to stay at his job and work. He had to report in unlike most cops in books. Most sidekicks in books can throw reality out the window with jobs and responsibility. I like the other guy too. Eli the bartender, slash surfer, slash werewolf is finding himself as a newly changed.
One problem I had was some of the names of the guys. We had a Jack, Jacob, Jake, Jared, Jay, and Jesse. Too many Js. I did like that there was no time frame of prologue. Granted, I kept on wondering where it was going to fall in the book.
I liked the true element of time. LA is a large city and the author made the character live in real time. If they had three stops to make in one night to investigate, well, it was going to take until 2 a.m. because of travel time.
I liked that the book wraps up even though it is going to be a series. If you don't want to continue with the series, the story is wrapped up. Yes, there is a surprise at the end, but it is a beginning to another arc. Yes, I am having a problem with books not ending lately. Forcing me to read the next book to wrap up a plot makes me mad. Give me the choice of whether I want to go to the next book. Especially because I've been burned with publishers not wanting to continue with a series, and there was a cliffhanger! But I digress.
This is a good read and I recommend it. It runs 300 pages. I was not saying, "The editor should have cut 50 pages" or "I wish I had more". It was just right. It is well written, well thought out, and it was not the ending I was expecting.
July 26, 2019
I thought that the premise for Dead Spots was interesting, the main character, Scarlett is a Null and magic doesn't work in her vicinity, and in this world that means that vamps and werewolves - who have evolved on a magical branch of the evolutionary tree - turn back to human in her presence. Initially, Scarlett's role in their world is really mundane - she's the cleanup crew who steps in when there is a supernatural slip-up and the evidence needs to disappear, so I was worried that she was going to be merely an errand girl to the supernatural. But when a crime scene 'cleaning' goes wrong, her life becomes more interesting, Scarlett's suddenly on the hook to find the killer in less than two days.
I liked Scarlett and I liked newbie police detective Jess Cruz whose world view just isn't the same after interrupting Scarlett at the botched crime scene mop up - he ends up witnessing a naked man shift into a werewolf when she hightails it out of there and the magic starts working again. I felt a lot of sympathy for Jesse who is a really decent guy put in an awful situation the puts both his life and his job and his ethics on the line. And the switch between Scarlett's first person point of view to third person for Jesse's worked really well for me - I liked getting insight into him instead of just being stuck in Scarlett's head. I also liked the peril and the background mystery associated with Scarlett's do or die hunt.
There is a suggestion of a love triangle for Scarlett and Jesse and Scarlett and Eli, a surfing bartender werewolf who is now Scarlett's apprentice, but there is no on screen smexy stuff just references to one night stands in the past with Eli. (I would hate to have to pick between the two, since both of the guys are really nice.) With a couple interesting developments for Scarlett's character - and a 'what the heck' was that moment at the end - I am looking forward to the next installment and to finding out what's next for Scarlett.
ARC received via Amazon Vine - release date 10/30
I liked Scarlett and I liked newbie police detective Jess Cruz whose world view just isn't the same after interrupting Scarlett at the botched crime scene mop up - he ends up witnessing a naked man shift into a werewolf when she hightails it out of there and the magic starts working again. I felt a lot of sympathy for Jesse who is a really decent guy put in an awful situation the puts both his life and his job and his ethics on the line. And the switch between Scarlett's first person point of view to third person for Jesse's worked really well for me - I liked getting insight into him instead of just being stuck in Scarlett's head. I also liked the peril and the background mystery associated with Scarlett's do or die hunt.
There is a suggestion of a love triangle for Scarlett and Jesse and Scarlett and Eli, a surfing bartender werewolf who is now Scarlett's apprentice, but there is no on screen smexy stuff just references to one night stands in the past with Eli. (I would hate to have to pick between the two, since both of the guys are really nice.) With a couple interesting developments for Scarlett's character - and a 'what the heck' was that moment at the end - I am looking forward to the next installment and to finding out what's next for Scarlett.
ARC received via Amazon Vine - release date 10/30
December 17, 2017
Even though this is only the first book in the series and some people here on Goodreads weren't impressed by it, I have to give it 4 stars. I didn't expect it to entertain me as much as it did and it gets bonus points for the surprising twist at the end.
Scarlett Bernard is a null, which means she disrupts magic. Vampires and werewolves lose their magic around her, so it's understandable that her job is to clean up magical messes. However, this time, that magical mess might end up killing her.
There is a few things I care a lot about in Urban Fantasy - protagonist, romance, crime solving, world building and supporting characters. In my time of reading UF, I've come to realize that most UF books usually get some of the aspects right, but not all of them (there are exceptions, of course, like Kate Daniels or Mercy Thompson). Dead Spots got almost all of them right. I liked Scarlett, she was smart, competent, not too whiny and not too bitchy. There were some things about her I didn't exactly love, but it's just a first book, so she has time to grow as a character, hopefully. Crime solving was probably the strongest aspect of this book - I expected the villain to be someone obvious, but I was pleasantly surprised - and I was pleasantly surprised again in the end, although I probably could have seen it coming. World building was great, because although we have the good old fractions - werewolves, vampires and witches - it brings something new. And the side characters were, in my opinion, pretty cool. I like Beatrice, Molly and werewolves and I'm not really sure about Dash and Cory, but I can't deny the fact that they are all interesting.
One weak spot is the romance. I love Eli and I like Jesse, but why do we have to get them both? If there was only one of them, I would give this book 5 stars. But I hate love triangles and I could certainly live without this one. Hopefully it will be resolved soon because I'm not in a mood to read about girl whining that there are two great guys fighting over her and she doesn't know which one to choose.
Scarlett Bernard is a null, which means she disrupts magic. Vampires and werewolves lose their magic around her, so it's understandable that her job is to clean up magical messes. However, this time, that magical mess might end up killing her.
There is a few things I care a lot about in Urban Fantasy - protagonist, romance, crime solving, world building and supporting characters. In my time of reading UF, I've come to realize that most UF books usually get some of the aspects right, but not all of them (there are exceptions, of course, like Kate Daniels or Mercy Thompson). Dead Spots got almost all of them right. I liked Scarlett, she was smart, competent, not too whiny and not too bitchy. There were some things about her I didn't exactly love, but it's just a first book, so she has time to grow as a character, hopefully. Crime solving was probably the strongest aspect of this book - I expected the villain to be someone obvious, but I was pleasantly surprised - and I was pleasantly surprised again in the end, although I probably could have seen it coming. World building was great, because although we have the good old fractions - werewolves, vampires and witches - it brings something new. And the side characters were, in my opinion, pretty cool. I like Beatrice, Molly and werewolves and I'm not really sure about Dash and Cory, but I can't deny the fact that they are all interesting.
One weak spot is the romance. I love Eli and I like Jesse, but why do we have to get them both? If there was only one of them, I would give this book 5 stars. But I hate love triangles and I could certainly live without this one. Hopefully it will be resolved soon because I'm not in a mood to read about girl whining that there are two great guys fighting over her and she doesn't know which one to choose.
November 12, 2012
4.5 stars. I am so glad I gave this one a chance! Scarlett is a null, meaning if she is within 10 feet of a supernatural they turn human for the amount of time she is in their range. Yes I know how odd this sounds! Trust me you will love Scarlett. A little broken, a lot tough she is quite the heroine. If I had one problem with the book it would be the men. I like my guys alpha and Jesse just wasn't alpha enough for me. He got better as I kept reading so don't give up in the beginning. As for the werewolf Eric, I really liked him! I know it's gonna be a love triangle but please, please let the girl choose Eric! As for the ending? So wasn't expecting that! I am so reading the second book as soon as it comes out!
June 7, 2019
Great first book loved all the charaters great fast pace loved the dead line keep everthing flowing perfectly.
April 28, 2020
3.75
I liked the world building and main character Scarlet- with her snarky and I've seen it all attitude. Well, maybe she hasn't seen it all, but she has seen some serious shit being a....cleaner... for the supernatural community.
See, Scarlet is a null, meaning that anything supernatural in a 10 foot vicinity is returned to their natural state of humanity. This endears her to some werewolves due to the fact that keeping a balance with their beast is a difficult endeavor, but most vampires despise her because with their momentary humanity they begin to age again. They also become as vulnerable as humans.
This natural power comes in handy when she has to clean up supernatural crime scenes and fix wayward spells by neutralizing them.
Mini story spoiler review:
So I liked the head of the witches, Kristen-and the werewolves we got to meet, but the vampires? Dash was a grade A jerkwad, and if he's not careful with the game he's playing with Scarlet he could end up getting burned. Because he's threatening people and her to get his way, and I don't see that tactic working for long.
Also the romance? Maybe I've been reading waaayyy to many RH's because I was thinking 'choose em both!' So maybe the love triangle of it all wasn't as successful because I didn't feel strongly about either of them.
I think ill read on to the next!
I liked the world building and main character Scarlet- with her snarky and I've seen it all attitude. Well, maybe she hasn't seen it all, but she has seen some serious shit being a....cleaner... for the supernatural community.
See, Scarlet is a null, meaning that anything supernatural in a 10 foot vicinity is returned to their natural state of humanity. This endears her to some werewolves due to the fact that keeping a balance with their beast is a difficult endeavor, but most vampires despise her because with their momentary humanity they begin to age again. They also become as vulnerable as humans.
This natural power comes in handy when she has to clean up supernatural crime scenes and fix wayward spells by neutralizing them.
Mini story spoiler review:
So I liked the head of the witches, Kristen-and the werewolves we got to meet, but the vampires? Dash was a grade A jerkwad, and if he's not careful with the game he's playing with Scarlet he could end up getting burned. Because he's threatening people and her to get his way, and I don't see that tactic working for long.
Also the romance? Maybe I've been reading waaayyy to many RH's because I was thinking 'choose em both!' So maybe the love triangle of it all wasn't as successful because I didn't feel strongly about either of them.
I think ill read on to the next!
September 10, 2019
Outstanding! Incredibly well written, with great characters, superb pacing and an all around joy to read. So why four stars instead of five?? It does have the dreaded love triangle trope!! Not nearly as bad as some other novels but it still is annoying. Scarlett is dreadfully scarred and is a compelling MC, full of honor and sacrifice. The supporting cast is filled out with Werewolves, vampires, and cops!! So good cannot wait to start book two, Trail Dead!
January 1, 2013
3.65 stars rounded up
Quick recap (for my own sake):
Scarlet is a null and her ability makes all supernatural beings lost their power when they're within certain radius from her. She works as a cleaner who helps 'hiding' all traces of supernatural from crime scenes. Until one night, she is late to a horrible crime scenes where three vampires are killed brutally and an L.A.P.D Officer, Jesse Cruz, arrives first. Scarlett runs away but Jesse is able to track her, and she is forced to tell him about the Old World. Soon, Scarlett finds himself under ultimatum from Dashiell (the leader of vampire in L.A.) to find who is responsible or Scarlett and Jesse will be killed...
-------------------------
This series is quite interesting because of Scarlett's ability. She is a null -- and I think the only null I read prior to this is Sherrif Nash from Allyson James's "Stormwalker" series.
At first, I think that kind of ability is a bit passive, you know? I mean, Scarlett doesn't really have to do anything (she doesn't need to fight, to kill, etc), ALTHOUGH, all supernatural beings are wary of her. But it doesn't really help when Dash threatens to kill her if she can't find the murderer. Plus, Scarlett is a bit too calm, seems like she resigns to her fate, and not trying to save herself (and Jesse).
HOWEVER, it all changes during the climax scene. Oh, WOW, . That surely elevates my curiosity for the next book. I want to know how far her power goes!!
The story has two different perspectives. With Scarlett's chapters, it's first person. With Jesse, it's third person. I have no problem with that. None at all. I like knowing what Scarlett is thinking while on the other ocassion, knowing what Jesse is observing and what happens surrounding him. The mystery (the reason those vampires are killed and the real culprit) is quite well done.
I do have slight issue with what I could imagine turning into a love-triangle of sort. With Jesse having his own chapters, it's easy to conclude that he will be one of the love interest. But there's also Eli, the werewolf whom Scarlett has three night-stands in ( and it seems he will be the other one. I'm a bit tired of that trope in UF/PNR to be perfectly honest. Feels like a 'template' for PNR/UF and been way overused *shrugs*
But yeah, I want to check the second book. Especially with that plot twist . Definitely.
Quick recap (for my own sake):
Scarlet is a null and her ability makes all supernatural beings lost their power when they're within certain radius from her. She works as a cleaner who helps 'hiding' all traces of supernatural from crime scenes. Until one night, she is late to a horrible crime scenes where three vampires are killed brutally and an L.A.P.D Officer, Jesse Cruz, arrives first. Scarlett runs away but Jesse is able to track her, and she is forced to tell him about the Old World. Soon, Scarlett finds himself under ultimatum from Dashiell (the leader of vampire in L.A.) to find who is responsible or Scarlett and Jesse will be killed...
-------------------------
This series is quite interesting because of Scarlett's ability. She is a null -- and I think the only null I read prior to this is Sherrif Nash from Allyson James's "Stormwalker" series.
At first, I think that kind of ability is a bit passive, you know? I mean, Scarlett doesn't really have to do anything (she doesn't need to fight, to kill, etc), ALTHOUGH, all supernatural beings are wary of her. But it doesn't really help when Dash threatens to kill her if she can't find the murderer. Plus, Scarlett is a bit too calm, seems like she resigns to her fate, and not trying to save herself (and Jesse).
HOWEVER, it all changes during the climax scene. Oh, WOW, . That surely elevates my curiosity for the next book. I want to know how far her power goes!!
The story has two different perspectives. With Scarlett's chapters, it's first person. With Jesse, it's third person. I have no problem with that. None at all. I like knowing what Scarlett is thinking while on the other ocassion, knowing what Jesse is observing and what happens surrounding him. The mystery (the reason those vampires are killed and the real culprit) is quite well done.
I do have slight issue with what I could imagine turning into a love-triangle of sort. With Jesse having his own chapters, it's easy to conclude that he will be one of the love interest. But there's also Eli, the werewolf whom Scarlett has three night-stands in ( and it seems he will be the other one. I'm a bit tired of that trope in UF/PNR to be perfectly honest. Feels like a 'template' for PNR/UF and been way overused *shrugs*
But yeah, I want to check the second book. Especially with that plot twist . Definitely.
January 23, 2024
This was an entertaining, quick read and there's a lot to like about it. I especially appreciate the absence of hormonal teenage behaviour by adult characters.
The backstory of vampires, werewolves and witches is okay, I wasn't particularly excited about it. Some things about the general setup of the story need a lot of suspension of disbelief, but that's mostly all right.
I like that the story is told from the perspective of those low on the supernatural food chain, and I like that Scarlett is not the chosen one to save the world(TM), although I didn't really understand why she was the lowest of the low with her powers. She's also a super rare urban fantasy heroine: actually acts clever most of the time and uses her common sense, she has one-night stands and sees nothing wrong with that, she doesn't let her love life take over her whole life.
Most of the secondary characters I found interesting and believable in an urban fantasy-way, especially the vampires. Scarletts housemate is refreshing and funny with a hint of tragic, and it's great to see the old, powerful boss-vampire to actually behave like one (most of the time) and not fall in love with the heroine and act like a homone-controlled teenager because of it.
The love was done okay here, and the characters behaved like the adults they are, which made me happy. Problematic romance tropes were pleasantly absent.
Pacing is good and the plot is interesting enough.
All in all, this is more of a 3-star-book, but since it didn't do so many of the things that usually annoy me to no end in urban fantasy novels, I have to give it a fourth star, simply because I am so happy about that fact.
The backstory of vampires, werewolves and witches is okay, I wasn't particularly excited about it. Some things about the general setup of the story need a lot of suspension of disbelief, but that's mostly all right.
I like that the story is told from the perspective of those low on the supernatural food chain, and I like that Scarlett is not the chosen one to save the world(TM), although I didn't really understand why she was the lowest of the low with her powers. She's also a super rare urban fantasy heroine: actually acts clever most of the time and uses her common sense, she has one-night stands and sees nothing wrong with that, she doesn't let her love life take over her whole life.
Most of the secondary characters I found interesting and believable in an urban fantasy-way, especially the vampires. Scarletts housemate is refreshing and funny with a hint of tragic, and it's great to see the old, powerful boss-vampire to actually behave like one (most of the time) and not fall in love with the heroine and act like a homone-controlled teenager because of it.
The love was done okay here, and the characters behaved like the adults they are, which made me happy. Problematic romance tropes were pleasantly absent.
Pacing is good and the plot is interesting enough.
All in all, this is more of a 3-star-book, but since it didn't do so many of the things that usually annoy me to no end in urban fantasy novels, I have to give it a fourth star, simply because I am so happy about that fact.
August 10, 2014
When one of my GR friends was talking about this book I thought the blurb sounded interesting and wanted to check the book out.
I was a bit confused by the prologue, it didn't seem to have anything to do with the rest of the book. I was also confused by what was going on at the start of the book. We just jumped in and there as no explanation until later.
I did like that Scarlett was a null and how she used her "powers". I especially liked the relationship between Molly and Scarlett. I loved that Molly wasn't your stereo-typical vampire.
I wasn't sure what to think of the cop. I did like he wanted to learn about this new world, but it seemed like he should freak out more being a cop.
My other big issue with this book was that I was bored while reading. After 50 pages what little interested me wasn't enough to keep me reading. In the end, this one just wasn't for me.
I was a bit confused by the prologue, it didn't seem to have anything to do with the rest of the book. I was also confused by what was going on at the start of the book. We just jumped in and there as no explanation until later.
I did like that Scarlett was a null and how she used her "powers". I especially liked the relationship between Molly and Scarlett. I loved that Molly wasn't your stereo-typical vampire.
I wasn't sure what to think of the cop. I did like he wanted to learn about this new world, but it seemed like he should freak out more being a cop.
My other big issue with this book was that I was bored while reading. After 50 pages what little interested me wasn't enough to keep me reading. In the end, this one just wasn't for me.
February 23, 2015
All things considered, probably not the best or cliché-free urban fantasy ever, but it worked for me.
Don't really have much to say, but ... yeah. I enjoyed it. Scarlett was a decent protagonist, believable enough and bad-ass without having a huge chip on her shoulder and actually letting other people help her when needed, the plot was engaging enough, and for a change I didn't even mind the sort-of love triangle, probably because it was kept fairly light and there was over-dramatic no plot-hindering agonising over whether to pick the hot blond were or the hot Latino cop. (Plus if one must have a love triangle, it helps to have both guys be fairly decent.)
Don't really have much to say, but ... yeah. I enjoyed it. Scarlett was a decent protagonist, believable enough and bad-ass without having a huge chip on her shoulder and actually letting other people help her when needed, the plot was engaging enough, and for a change I didn't even mind the sort-of love triangle, probably because it was kept fairly light and there was over-dramatic no plot-hindering agonising over whether to pick the hot blond were or the hot Latino cop. (Plus if one must have a love triangle, it helps to have both guys be fairly decent.)
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