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Underworld Cycle #1
Mob Rules
I'm Domino Riley, an enforcer for Shanar Rashan.
Like most mob bosses in L.A., he's a powerful sorcerer, battling for control of the city, gathering up the magic of violent and powerful emotions and storing it for his own use. Back in the day, Rashan saved me from the streets and made me his lieutenant. You could say I'm his go-to girl.
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First published January 1, 2010
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September 23, 2010
Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com
In MOB RULES the good is really good (amazingly creative world building and a feisty fun sidekick), but by comparison, the bad is really bad (a slow storyline that never picks up speed).
The main storyline in which magical mob enforcer, Domino, is trying to avoid a gang war while chasing down a nasty killer who skins and crucifies his victims in order to drain them of their magic sounds a lot more interesting then it is on paper. And that’s not because Haley is a bad writer, he’s not, but his pacing leaves a lot to be desired. The whole mystery could have been solved in three chapters but instead it drags on for fifteen.
I actually found myself getting mad that this very cool world building was wasted on a story that just meandered through this fascinating alternate L.A. in which Domino’s familiar is Mr. Clean trapped in her TV, she contacts the dead through a Facebook type site, graffiti tagging can tap into juice (aka magic), and spells for everything from counteracting nicotine to all matter of cosmetic enhancements are triggered by famous quotes.
The other bright spots in MOB RULES were the scenes between Domino and a mischievous eight inch tall naked piskie named Honey. Honey felt like an import from a Stephanie Plum novel with lots of quick and quirky dialogue like this scene where Honey begrudgingly offers to teach Domino how to control her magic:
I laughed. “No offense, Honey, but you’re eight inches tall. And you have a sword.” I noticed the sword was missing. “Where do you hide that thing, anyway?”
”It’s a secret.”
Overall, the truly stellar world building and fun supporting characters couldn’t save this story with its wimpy romance and dull plotting. There is a prequel in the anthology Harvest Moon coming out October 1, 2010, and the sequel called Skeleton Crew due out sometime in 2011 but I can’t see myself picking up either.
Sexual Content: References to sex. A scene of mild sensuality.
In MOB RULES the good is really good (amazingly creative world building and a feisty fun sidekick), but by comparison, the bad is really bad (a slow storyline that never picks up speed).
The main storyline in which magical mob enforcer, Domino, is trying to avoid a gang war while chasing down a nasty killer who skins and crucifies his victims in order to drain them of their magic sounds a lot more interesting then it is on paper. And that’s not because Haley is a bad writer, he’s not, but his pacing leaves a lot to be desired. The whole mystery could have been solved in three chapters but instead it drags on for fifteen.
I actually found myself getting mad that this very cool world building was wasted on a story that just meandered through this fascinating alternate L.A. in which Domino’s familiar is Mr. Clean trapped in her TV, she contacts the dead through a Facebook type site, graffiti tagging can tap into juice (aka magic), and spells for everything from counteracting nicotine to all matter of cosmetic enhancements are triggered by famous quotes.
The other bright spots in MOB RULES were the scenes between Domino and a mischievous eight inch tall naked piskie named Honey. Honey felt like an import from a Stephanie Plum novel with lots of quick and quirky dialogue like this scene where Honey begrudgingly offers to teach Domino how to control her magic:
I laughed. “No offense, Honey, but you’re eight inches tall. And you have a sword.” I noticed the sword was missing. “Where do you hide that thing, anyway?”
”It’s a secret.”
Overall, the truly stellar world building and fun supporting characters couldn’t save this story with its wimpy romance and dull plotting. There is a prequel in the anthology Harvest Moon coming out October 1, 2010, and the sequel called Skeleton Crew due out sometime in 2011 but I can’t see myself picking up either.
Sexual Content: References to sex. A scene of mild sensuality.
January 2, 2015
I should start by stating that I haven't yet finished this book. I have about 30 pages left to go. But I'm okay with writing the review now, because the book very obviously ended about 15 pages ago. There are spoilers ahead.
First of all, it seems Cameron Haley decided he was going to write his main character as a Cool Girl (tm). You know the one. The one that isn't like other girls, doesn't really even "get" them. The one who wears jeans and boots, and only drinks beer or hard liquor. The one who watches sports, drives a muscle car, who doesn't wear a lot of makeup, who can hang with the guys, and drink them under the table.
In short, a Cool Girl is a one dimensional character that is really a man. The Cool Girl doesn't actually exist in the real world, at least not the way she tends to be written. She's tough, callous, a tomboy, but still inexplicably attractive to guys.
I don't need my female characters to wear sundresses and paint their nails - in fact, I prefer a tough heroine, especially in the Urban Fantasy landscape. But Domino just never feels real. She's just flat. All these Cool Girl traits are fine, if you want to pick and choose some, but there has to be contrast, there has to be something that sparks. To me, she comes off as a female character written by someone that just does not understand how to write women. I can't remember this ever happening; though to be fair, I can't actually remember a time I read a female first-person POV character written by a man. So much of what she does just grates on me.
For example: why is she SO into Adan? Because he's cute? Well, I think I remember one description of him. If she's just into his looks, she sure doesn't think about it much. Is it his personality? Well, when we first "meet" Adan, she seems to only know him in passing. She's almost instantly head over heels for this guy, and we don't get any WHY to it. He's not particularly interesting, or funny. He doesn't really do anything at all. The reader is introduced to Adan as The Love Interest and we're just supposed to buy it, no question.
The interactions with Honey bothered me too. Is Honey supposed to be attracted to Domino? Is that what this is? Does anyone really think that when a girl likes another girl, the only way to express that is to constantly "joke" about showering together? And the other, non-interested party, would always just blush and say "that isn't a good idea"?
Definitely written by a guy.
Not to mention, she falls into the classic "I can do anything!" trope, as well. We have someone of middling powers that suddenly figures out they're actually super strong and special! And can defeat the bad guys all on her own. She also solves the major "mystery" plot point all on her own, off "screen", despite spending the first half of the book reminding us she isn't a detective.
Aside from my issues with Domino herself, this book starts off with a pretty good premise. We have ancient sorcerers running LA gangs, tags to channel magic, dark rituals, etc. And yet somehow, it turns out, the big bad is actually....
dun dun duuuuuun....
The Fae!
Of course!
Because it wasn't groan-worthy enough that we had a heroine that could do pretty much anything with magic, sorcerers, ghosts, vampires, a werewolf (who was actually a cool character), piskies, a jinn....nope, gotta make sure we cross off everything on the list, and get the Fae in there. They're just so god damned -predictable- now. So many urban fantasy authors are pulling out "Celtic Lore 101" and using the Fae as their baddies.
Over it.
In summation, if you're used to Kim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong, Patricia Briggs, or Tim Butcher levels of Urban Fantasy, this isn't going to cut it for you.
First of all, it seems Cameron Haley decided he was going to write his main character as a Cool Girl (tm). You know the one. The one that isn't like other girls, doesn't really even "get" them. The one who wears jeans and boots, and only drinks beer or hard liquor. The one who watches sports, drives a muscle car, who doesn't wear a lot of makeup, who can hang with the guys, and drink them under the table.
In short, a Cool Girl is a one dimensional character that is really a man. The Cool Girl doesn't actually exist in the real world, at least not the way she tends to be written. She's tough, callous, a tomboy, but still inexplicably attractive to guys.
I don't need my female characters to wear sundresses and paint their nails - in fact, I prefer a tough heroine, especially in the Urban Fantasy landscape. But Domino just never feels real. She's just flat. All these Cool Girl traits are fine, if you want to pick and choose some, but there has to be contrast, there has to be something that sparks. To me, she comes off as a female character written by someone that just does not understand how to write women. I can't remember this ever happening; though to be fair, I can't actually remember a time I read a female first-person POV character written by a man. So much of what she does just grates on me.
For example: why is she SO into Adan? Because he's cute? Well, I think I remember one description of him. If she's just into his looks, she sure doesn't think about it much. Is it his personality? Well, when we first "meet" Adan, she seems to only know him in passing. She's almost instantly head over heels for this guy, and we don't get any WHY to it. He's not particularly interesting, or funny. He doesn't really do anything at all. The reader is introduced to Adan as The Love Interest and we're just supposed to buy it, no question.
The interactions with Honey bothered me too. Is Honey supposed to be attracted to Domino? Is that what this is? Does anyone really think that when a girl likes another girl, the only way to express that is to constantly "joke" about showering together? And the other, non-interested party, would always just blush and say "that isn't a good idea"?
Definitely written by a guy.
Not to mention, she falls into the classic "I can do anything!" trope, as well. We have someone of middling powers that suddenly figures out they're actually super strong and special! And can defeat the bad guys all on her own. She also solves the major "mystery" plot point all on her own, off "screen", despite spending the first half of the book reminding us she isn't a detective.
Aside from my issues with Domino herself, this book starts off with a pretty good premise. We have ancient sorcerers running LA gangs, tags to channel magic, dark rituals, etc. And yet somehow, it turns out, the big bad is actually....
dun dun duuuuuun....
The Fae!
Of course!
Because it wasn't groan-worthy enough that we had a heroine that could do pretty much anything with magic, sorcerers, ghosts, vampires, a werewolf (who was actually a cool character), piskies, a jinn....nope, gotta make sure we cross off everything on the list, and get the Fae in there. They're just so god damned -predictable- now. So many urban fantasy authors are pulling out "Celtic Lore 101" and using the Fae as their baddies.
Over it.
In summation, if you're used to Kim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong, Patricia Briggs, or Tim Butcher levels of Urban Fantasy, this isn't going to cut it for you.
June 8, 2016
Are you tired of reading the same book over and over again under the guise of a different title? You know the ones: girl meets boy with a secret, magic is plentiful, perhaps a vampire is featured, and don’t forget the happy ending. Well, Cameron Haley may have started with this formula, but he blew it up—literally. The main character, Domino, works for the baddest mob boss in L.A. As a strong magic user, she’s his lieutenant in the outfit, which means she takes care of business the boss doesn’t want to deal with. When a member turns up dead and missing his skin, Domino tries her hand at investigation. She reaches out to the member’s soul to find out who killed him, and when that doesn’t work, she resorts to older magic to bring back his ghost. Shortly after her investigation starts, she’s dating a guy—who has a secret!—that she found along the trail. At the same time, Fred the vampire makes an appearance, but is he “vegetarian” or killer? From there, every time I thought I knew where Haley was taking the story, it would take an interesting turn in a different direction. Haley would play out the most logical conclusion almost to the end before she changed the path 90 to 180 degrees to show us another possibility. I bet you’re wondering about the happy ending, but you’re just going to have to read it for yourself.
I received my copy of this book from the First Reads giveaway program where members can offer a copy or several copies of a book for other people to collect. The system works mostly on random selection, but the process is simple. With three clicks of the mouse, I let Cameron Haley know I was interested in this book. He had listed three signed copies in celebration of his first book release, and 867 members requested a copy. I didn’t pay anything to sign up for an account, to enter, or to receive my book. The only stipulation is that I was asked to post my review of the book on the website (and any other venue I chose). This was not hard and was a pleasure to accomplish—to the point that I might have skipped some homework in order to finish reading this amazing book. I look forward to more books from this author.
I received my copy of this book from the First Reads giveaway program where members can offer a copy or several copies of a book for other people to collect. The system works mostly on random selection, but the process is simple. With three clicks of the mouse, I let Cameron Haley know I was interested in this book. He had listed three signed copies in celebration of his first book release, and 867 members requested a copy. I didn’t pay anything to sign up for an account, to enter, or to receive my book. The only stipulation is that I was asked to post my review of the book on the website (and any other venue I chose). This was not hard and was a pleasure to accomplish—to the point that I might have skipped some homework in order to finish reading this amazing book. I look forward to more books from this author.
November 19, 2011
Ugh, I really wanted to give this five stars, but I can't. Mob Rules was unique and interesting from the start. Yes, as others pointed out, the word "juice" is overused to the point of physical annoyance at the beginning of this book. Just push past it, it does decrease a bit after that. I wonder if I would have noticed it if I hadn't read a review that mentioned it first. It is pretty excessive, but I was also looking for it. Anyway, this book is about rival gangs that control the magic in a city. That description is not appealing at all to me, but this novel works. The main character talks to many people using slang at the beginning, which is a little grating to me, but adds realism to the novel. One of the huge selling points for me was the main character. This is a tough girl that is not ridiculously powerful, but can handle herself in a situation if necessary. She does not ask people for help, and figures things out for herself, well, in the first part of the novel she does. Actually, the moment the genie was introduced and she asked for help from numerous random characters, my interest started to decrease. I was just thinking in my head about how this main character doesn't need help from anyone, and is actually intelligent, when her ignorance starts to show. After that she relied on a piskie, her boss, the genie in the tv, and others to help her solve her problems. That's fine really, but it did lower her in my esteem. Not to mention it added a bit of silliness into the novel that was not present in the first part. Still, I was interested for the most part for the second half of the novel, and I enjoyed how unique this is. I could nitpick about some additional small issues I had, but really, I was more engrossed in this book that any urban fantasy I've read lately, give it a try.
November 8, 2010
Meet Domino Riley, second in command to her Mob boss Rashan. The buck stops with her, and typically most problems are a relatively simple fix for her using bribes, intimidation, or just plain "removal" of the person causing the problem. However, when bodies start showing up skinned and no traceable magical residue is left, she knows this one won't be so easy to crack. Things get really complicated when one of the deceased's ghost points her in the direction of her boss's son, the man she has a strong attraction to despite the huge amount of trouble that could get her in. The more she tries to fix things, the deeper in she gets, and this time she might just not be able to dig herself out.
Let me start off by saying I LOVE Domino's character. She has plenty of kick ass attitude and the magical strength to back it up. There just is something captivating about a "bad" guy with a conscience, and this fits Domino perfectly. While she will kill without hesitation when necessary, an ability any good mobster must have, she never harms innocents. She constantly worries about becoming a monster and secretly wonders if she already might be one. This and many other traits make her the "good" bad guy that anyone would want to have in their corner, but really wouldn't want to cross. I can really see why her boss picked her to pull off the streets to train to become his lieutenant, and I think she has only begun to realize her full potential.
The world and the characters in this book are full of depth. I found it amusing that Domino's familiar, a Jinn, is trapped in an old TV box set. He sure isn't happy about this idea and seems to do anything he can to make her life more difficult if he can. An interesting part about the world is that the magic or "juice" as they call it doesn't have immediate side effects or costs, but the rush is extremely addicting and can lead towards a slippery slope of insanity. I find this a unique way to make magic come at price without being an immediate hindrance. Besides Domino's character, I really liked Honey's character the best. She seems to be the perfect balance to Domino, and I think the two of them will make a good team in upcoming battles.
This book threw me for a loop several times. It was anything but predictable as every time I thought I could take a stab at where things were going to go, something completely unexpected would happen and those predictions would go right out the window. It was really nice to read something completely out of the box compared to a lot of urban fantasies out right now. This is a must read from a fantastic debut author. If you love the "darker" side of urban fantasy with a heroine that isn't necessarily a "good" guy, then this book will be sure to impress. It definitely was a very quick and compelling read, and I eagerly await the next installment.
Let me start off by saying I LOVE Domino's character. She has plenty of kick ass attitude and the magical strength to back it up. There just is something captivating about a "bad" guy with a conscience, and this fits Domino perfectly. While she will kill without hesitation when necessary, an ability any good mobster must have, she never harms innocents. She constantly worries about becoming a monster and secretly wonders if she already might be one. This and many other traits make her the "good" bad guy that anyone would want to have in their corner, but really wouldn't want to cross. I can really see why her boss picked her to pull off the streets to train to become his lieutenant, and I think she has only begun to realize her full potential.
The world and the characters in this book are full of depth. I found it amusing that Domino's familiar, a Jinn, is trapped in an old TV box set. He sure isn't happy about this idea and seems to do anything he can to make her life more difficult if he can. An interesting part about the world is that the magic or "juice" as they call it doesn't have immediate side effects or costs, but the rush is extremely addicting and can lead towards a slippery slope of insanity. I find this a unique way to make magic come at price without being an immediate hindrance. Besides Domino's character, I really liked Honey's character the best. She seems to be the perfect balance to Domino, and I think the two of them will make a good team in upcoming battles.
This book threw me for a loop several times. It was anything but predictable as every time I thought I could take a stab at where things were going to go, something completely unexpected would happen and those predictions would go right out the window. It was really nice to read something completely out of the box compared to a lot of urban fantasies out right now. This is a must read from a fantastic debut author. If you love the "darker" side of urban fantasy with a heroine that isn't necessarily a "good" guy, then this book will be sure to impress. It definitely was a very quick and compelling read, and I eagerly await the next installment.
December 8, 2010
This was one of the books I had offered to me for review by Harlequin (its published by their imprint Luna) and I thought it sounded interesting so I added it to my pile. It took me longer than I wanted to get to it and I'd deliberately avoiding reading anything about it so really had no idea what to expect. Within the first chapter I was hooked on the characters and world building and couldn't put it down.
Domino is a little darker than most heroines in this genre, as the lieutenant in what amounts to an organised crime gang,albiet a magical one, she is about defending her crew, her boss and their interests. While her overriding motivation is survival, she is not heartless nor socipathic. She does however kick ass, magically and physically. Domino is a witch, she has a djinn trapped in a television set as a familar, shares her apartment with a Princess Warrior fairy, battles a vampire, falls in love with a changeling and gets help from a werewolf. There's a creature for everyone really.
The world building is intriguing, the story is set in downtown LA but in essence the territory is carved up into magical gangs that operate independently from the non magical (ordinary) society that are unaware of their existence. The magical community pulls "juice" from the less savoury aspects of social behaviour, as well as ley lines and channels them with tags - a kind of magic grafitti. The explantions for how magic works is clear and well intergrated into the story - I love that Domino channels spirits through Wikipedia. The setting has a real urban, gritty feel which I enjoyed.
In a lot of ways Mob Rules reminds me of Kim Harrisons' Rachel Morgan series which I also love, but it is fresh and original enough to stand on its own. Mob Rules is fabulous entry into the Urban Fantasgy genre, I can't wait to read the next one.
Domino is a little darker than most heroines in this genre, as the lieutenant in what amounts to an organised crime gang,albiet a magical one, she is about defending her crew, her boss and their interests. While her overriding motivation is survival, she is not heartless nor socipathic. She does however kick ass, magically and physically. Domino is a witch, she has a djinn trapped in a television set as a familar, shares her apartment with a Princess Warrior fairy, battles a vampire, falls in love with a changeling and gets help from a werewolf. There's a creature for everyone really.
The world building is intriguing, the story is set in downtown LA but in essence the territory is carved up into magical gangs that operate independently from the non magical (ordinary) society that are unaware of their existence. The magical community pulls "juice" from the less savoury aspects of social behaviour, as well as ley lines and channels them with tags - a kind of magic grafitti. The explantions for how magic works is clear and well intergrated into the story - I love that Domino channels spirits through Wikipedia. The setting has a real urban, gritty feel which I enjoyed.
In a lot of ways Mob Rules reminds me of Kim Harrisons' Rachel Morgan series which I also love, but it is fresh and original enough to stand on its own. Mob Rules is fabulous entry into the Urban Fantasgy genre, I can't wait to read the next one.
September 30, 2010
The publishing company, Luna, turns out pretty decent stories. I have a feeling that much like the better known company that Luna is a part of (Harlequin) there's a bit of a formula that goes into these. They're all based around a female lead, they're all fantasy and there's some kind of romance built in.
Some pull it off better than others - C.E. Murphy is one of those.
Mob Rules was certainly decent but it did lose my interest about half way through. I had to sort of pick at the last few chapters for my interest to be sparked again - I had actually reached a point where I didn't know if I wanted to continue on with the book or not.
I rallied and finished it, though. I enjoyed the main character quite a bit and I really do appreciate books that have their magic out in the open, more or less. And it's nice to read a story where the main character is already well aware of what she/he can do. The newbie to magic is nice but it's very frequent.
I think one of the issues I had was that there really weren't a lot of secondary characters to help hold the story up. Honey sort of fell flat with me and we didn't really get to know any of the other gangsters well enough to really click.
And about half way through the book, I was a little tired of how some of the magic was being played out. Too much, too often and it felt sort of dull instead of clever.
I'm viewing Mob Rules as a pilot to a series - it was decent enough to get me interested but the second book is going to make or break it for me if I continue on with the author as a whole.
Some pull it off better than others - C.E. Murphy is one of those.
Mob Rules was certainly decent but it did lose my interest about half way through. I had to sort of pick at the last few chapters for my interest to be sparked again - I had actually reached a point where I didn't know if I wanted to continue on with the book or not.
I rallied and finished it, though. I enjoyed the main character quite a bit and I really do appreciate books that have their magic out in the open, more or less. And it's nice to read a story where the main character is already well aware of what she/he can do. The newbie to magic is nice but it's very frequent.
I think one of the issues I had was that there really weren't a lot of secondary characters to help hold the story up. Honey sort of fell flat with me and we didn't really get to know any of the other gangsters well enough to really click.
And about half way through the book, I was a little tired of how some of the magic was being played out. Too much, too often and it felt sort of dull instead of clever.
I'm viewing Mob Rules as a pilot to a series - it was decent enough to get me interested but the second book is going to make or break it for me if I continue on with the author as a whole.
July 31, 2010
I read an advance reader's copy of this novel. This urban fantasy novel had a fast paced strong storyline with a strong heroine and an intelligently plotted magic system. The protagonist Dominica, or Domino as she prefers, is one of the top level magic users in a mob in L.A. that's run by a Sumerian sorcerer. Magical mob wars ensue, as her fellow mob members start turning up murdered in gruesome ways and Domino has to get to the bottom of it all. It's very mod, with Domino using Wikipedia and the Internet to divine and talk to the spirit world.
Something about it didn't grab me and I had to persevere to the end, despite its good storyline. Something about the mob morality, perhaps - I think I prefer more conflicted heroines if they are going to be murdering mobsters - though the author does bring in discussions of morality to some extent. Or maybe the updates to bring in L.A. mob and mod were a little too forced for me. Or the heavy echoes of Jim Butcher and Kim Harrison. Still, the echoes were freshened up and made pretty new. Overall maybe it's just that I didn't connect with the character emotionally. She seemed cold. Best recommended to older teens and young adults, I think, who as a bonus might actually like the painfully manga looking cover.
Something about it didn't grab me and I had to persevere to the end, despite its good storyline. Something about the mob morality, perhaps - I think I prefer more conflicted heroines if they are going to be murdering mobsters - though the author does bring in discussions of morality to some extent. Or maybe the updates to bring in L.A. mob and mod were a little too forced for me. Or the heavy echoes of Jim Butcher and Kim Harrison. Still, the echoes were freshened up and made pretty new. Overall maybe it's just that I didn't connect with the character emotionally. She seemed cold. Best recommended to older teens and young adults, I think, who as a bonus might actually like the painfully manga looking cover.
January 9, 2011
This one was a very quick read, and kept my attention. I have to say that it does usually take at least 2 books to find out if I like a series - the first book is world building and not enough room for real character development (so I count the pace and whether or not I want to finish it higher than other things). I felt it was a good start, and I was starting to become invested in the characters.
The main characters are gangsters, so they are working in a lot of gray areas. They didn't spend too much time on the illegal activities, which I think helps keep the heroine a good-ish person. There's a lot of room for more stories - it will be interesting to see where it goes. A lot happened to the main character, but not a lot of time was spent on how she deals with it. I'm hoping to get some of that in Book 2.
My biggest complaint is that "juice" is used to describe magic - that's fine, but the first couple of pages mentioned "juice" so many times I really started to hate the word. Luckily, after that it was used at a reasonable rate and I could go back to enjoying the book.
The romance is light and was at the right level for the story - its not a paranormal romance, nor is it trying to be.
The main characters are gangsters, so they are working in a lot of gray areas. They didn't spend too much time on the illegal activities, which I think helps keep the heroine a good-ish person. There's a lot of room for more stories - it will be interesting to see where it goes. A lot happened to the main character, but not a lot of time was spent on how she deals with it. I'm hoping to get some of that in Book 2.
My biggest complaint is that "juice" is used to describe magic - that's fine, but the first couple of pages mentioned "juice" so many times I really started to hate the word. Luckily, after that it was used at a reasonable rate and I could go back to enjoying the book.
The romance is light and was at the right level for the story - its not a paranormal romance, nor is it trying to be.
September 22, 2010
This is my first foray in to supernatural chick-lit thrillers, and I cheated by picking a well-reviewed first novel rather than trying on a best-seller. It was good. You could drive a truck through the plot holes, but it hit some good notes, and the writing wasn't offensively bad. It had a fairly original conception of magic (who doesn't these days) in which magical "juice" is tapped from human vice using graffiti and other methods. Organized crime, then, is just as concerned with tapping juice it can use to defend turf as it is with turning a profit. The heroine and protagonist is defined just vaguely enough to identify with, and sometimes struggles with the moral code - the "mob rules" - by which her job as the boss' hit girl is justified. I probably won't read the sequel, because there are meatier F/SF romps than this one, but I'd certainly recommend it to anyone in the massive market for tough-girl vampire-killer books.
December 21, 2013
I note this book didn't get positive feedback from quite a few readers, but I really got into it with the refreshing focus being on the urban gang warfare factor.
I liked the inclusion of having a good mix of nationalities, broadening out the personalities implicit in a high density urban city populations and that in itself providing different behavioural patterns, injecting a impressive freshness to the atmosphere.
The action was pretty good and the resulting love interest is paid out in the nature of the supernatural.
I'm definitely looking into lauching myself into the next book.
PS It's really sad that this series seems to have been discontinued. I would have looked towards some sort of final solutions. From researching what happened to wipe out this series, it was supposed to go on for about 6 books. Guess I'll just have to be hanging in limbo and using my imagination.
I liked the inclusion of having a good mix of nationalities, broadening out the personalities implicit in a high density urban city populations and that in itself providing different behavioural patterns, injecting a impressive freshness to the atmosphere.
The action was pretty good and the resulting love interest is paid out in the nature of the supernatural.
I'm definitely looking into lauching myself into the next book.
PS It's really sad that this series seems to have been discontinued. I would have looked towards some sort of final solutions. From researching what happened to wipe out this series, it was supposed to go on for about 6 books. Guess I'll just have to be hanging in limbo and using my imagination.
November 12, 2010
This is a fun book to read. It has magic used in an original way, with both everyday and combat spells. There is personal conflict, internal turmoil, family problems, new friends, betrayal, and a war.
Domino grew from nothing to a lieutenant in a LA mob made up of sorcerers. She doesn't realize how powerful or important she is and can be. She has a genie as a familiar. She gets a peskie (not a pixie, that's "offensive and insensitive") as a roommate. She dates the boss's son, who may be possessed by an evil spirit and is friends with an evil vampire. She tries to prevent a war with creatures whose magic humans can't see and have no defence against. She becomes her boss's wartime captain and heir. She ends up with more than she ever dreamed possible.
I won this book on First-Reads.
Domino grew from nothing to a lieutenant in a LA mob made up of sorcerers. She doesn't realize how powerful or important she is and can be. She has a genie as a familiar. She gets a peskie (not a pixie, that's "offensive and insensitive") as a roommate. She dates the boss's son, who may be possessed by an evil spirit and is friends with an evil vampire. She tries to prevent a war with creatures whose magic humans can't see and have no defence against. She becomes her boss's wartime captain and heir. She ends up with more than she ever dreamed possible.
I won this book on First-Reads.
Read
August 20, 2010Someone passed me an advanced reading copy, after I said I was on the lookout for urban fantasy set in L.A.
While this book hit the edges of my tolerance for splatter at times, the voice kept me hooked. A witty protagonist will get me every time. Add to that colorful characters (I am totally in love with the piskie princess), some surprisingly chewy discussions of morality, and twists that I did not predict. I couldn't put it down, and will be on the watch for the next.
While this book hit the edges of my tolerance for splatter at times, the voice kept me hooked. A witty protagonist will get me every time. Add to that colorful characters (I am totally in love with the piskie princess), some surprisingly chewy discussions of morality, and twists that I did not predict. I couldn't put it down, and will be on the watch for the next.
August 16, 2010
Enjoyable book which sets up well for a sequal. Enjoyed some characters but main character lacked depth (was hard to identify with). The love relationship seemed hokey but all in all there was enough action and interest to keep the pages turning especially for one new to the genre who may be learning about "juice" for the first time.
March 28, 2011
This stunning debut effort may be the best urban fantasy novel I've read. Well crafted vivid prose and strong characters across the board. I find that most uf novels stumble somewhere in the early chapters but this remained solidly on track for me. I read the Kindle version and bought a paper copy for my permanent collection.
September 11, 2010
Great SciFi/Fantasy book that brought the world of sorcery and magic together with Gangsters/Mobsters. I am looking forward to the next book! If you want to read something with a pretty original idea then give this book a try.
October 30, 2010
Mob Rules was brought to my notice via a friend on the Goodreads website. As soon as I read the blurb I decided to give it a shot. I contacted Greg asking for the same and he promptly sent me a review copy. The story is set in Los Angeles and features a world wherein magic is present and it has been utilized to set up a feudalistic crime structure which has led to various US cities being divided up by gangs. Dominica “Domino” Riley is a Mexican-Irish member of one such gang which is situated in South Central part of LA. Its lead by a Sumerian wizard turned gang lord called Shanar Rashan.
Domino is the gang’s top enforcer who’s been personally handpicked by Shanar Rashan due to her ability to detect & manipulate “Juice” (magic as described in this world). She describes her work in the following way which sums it up nicely:
“Ninety-nine percent of my job is pretty simple. I’m a fixer, a problem solver. I make sure the outfit is operating as it should. When it isn’t, I step in and make the necessary adjustments. I have no day-to-day routine, no ongoing managerial responsibilities. It’s a nice gig!”
The book begins with Domino being called in to investigate the murder of Jamal James, a Juice tagger (collector) for the organization. She finds the crucified & skinned corpse and then tries to contact Jamal’s spirit for finding the killer’s identity. However she is unable to get a smooth connection before Jamal’s spirit disappears. Domino’s powers while arcane are smoothly connected with the technology of the present world, Domino uses her spells via the internet (I found this to be a very cool interpretation of magic). Her search efforts don’t pan out the way as envisioned and so she decides to hit the streets to find out about Jamal’s recent activities. She finds out that he’s been seen in a rival gang’s club called The Cannibal Club so she proceeds to the club and is surprised to find Adan, Rashan’s son over there. He admits to have seen Jamal a few times however Adan is a non-magical person and amongst his posse is a vampire who reeks the wrong way and soon gets into a fight with Domino. She makes short work of him and delivers deadpan humour at the same time.
Next day Domino meets up with Rashan to discuss the possibilities of forthcoming war with the rival gang of Papa Danwe. She learns that there’s been another death in a similar skinned fashion however the person was magically different from Jamal. Rashan & Domino set their plans for meeting with the neighboring Russian & Korean gangs to discuss an alliance and also find out who will be the next target. Also at the same time Domino is getting some romantic signals from Adan and finds herself attracted to him as well. She also then decides to hire the help of a pixie named Honey to facilitate her search; however Honey seems to be more interested in Domino than finding other things. Thus the plot then escalates as she races against time to find out who is hitting upon their gang and also to save her own skin as the general consensus is that they might have a betrayer amongst them.
Mob Rules is a slightly darker version of the UF stories being put out. The world settings are pretty gritty & and the protagonist is a Mob enforcer. One whose conscience is regularly bended to benefit her position and her job. Domino Riley makes an exciting protagonist to read about as she’s tough and ruthless and she understands Shanar’s cardinal mob rule “Survive, pick a side and do whatever it takes to win!” It’s a rule wherein the strong survive and they continue to stay strong by crushing all possible opposition and one which Domino thoroughly espouses.
Greg also combines crime and magic to gives the readers a potent combo in the tale settings. The city of LA is very realistically described and adds to the ambiance of the story. Also adding to the reading experience is the plot twist in the latter half of the tale, the story veers off from where the reader thinks it might be heading into a slightly different direction. Another distinct plus point is the way the author has manifested magic within the contemporary settings for example the combining of magic with the internet for Domino, the presence of Genies who aren’t as helpful as the stories foretell & magic with its relation to crime for eg. Vampires being blood magicians, prostitution being sex magic, etc. This was a very apt way to merge both genres of crime fiction and Urban fantasy & so full marks to the author on this front.
Now onto the drawbacks, the story manages to lose steam in the middle third part where Domino is running blind and trying to figure out the mastermind behind the attacks. The tale drags a bit before rushing on to the climax and all its revelations. Also Domino’s past is hinted at but never properly explored [This I believe could covered in the prequel short story Retribution in the Harvest Moon anthology] also this is the first book so it pretty much serves as a set up for the future stories namely Skeleton Crew which will be released next year. Overall a good debut effort and Cameron Haley marks himself out amongst the UF crowd with this dark tale and with a promise of more mayhem to come in the form of zombies in next year’s Skeleton Crew.
August 2, 2017
A really fun read with interesting characters. Domino has a lot great lines, and Honey is a hoot. It kind of dragged at the end, and could've ended sooner. But the idea and creation of this world of magic and gangs, really creative. Well done overall! Worth a read.
June 13, 2018
Dark and haunting
Good, evil, right , wrong.. Where do you draw the lines, how do you choose what is right for you? What to fight for? How do you decide what side your on when it comes down to the end of the world?
Good, evil, right , wrong.. Where do you draw the lines, how do you choose what is right for you? What to fight for? How do you decide what side your on when it comes down to the end of the world?
January 3, 2021
I want to give it 3.5. The beginning to half of the book I was not digging and felt it was slightly boring. But it picked up and the story got interesting. I’m going to move onto to the second but the third book is seeming to be hard to find or get.
November 6, 2021
This book just wasn't my cup of tea. I felt like this world had a lot to offer (e.g., magic sourced from graffiti tags), but I didn't resonate with the writing style or overall plot. I hope someone else is able to enjoy this story, but I'll be passing on the others in the series.
July 1, 2017
The first half of Mob Rules was okay.
The second half was better, though there were still a few issues that bothered me.
The second half was better, though there were still a few issues that bothered me.
April 19, 2018
Interesting story. Like the characters and the setting.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
Read
July 14, 2022Started off well, then dropped off quickly. DNF @ p. 29 (paperback edition).
January 3, 2014
In Mob Rules, the first novel of Cameron Haley’s new Underworld Cycle series, we learn from a mobster’s right-hand lieutenant, Domino Riley, what it takes to be a gangster. It doesn’t take any longer than reading page two before readers understand that this isn’t the world of Don Corleone's mafia. Domino’s world is ruled by cut-throat sorcerers who use the power of graffiti magic to boost the strength of their organization. One the most powerful sorcerers, Shanar Rashan, is a Sumerian mobster and Domino is his go-to girl for spellcraft.
Supernatural Graffiti
Like the traditional mafia that we learned about in The Godfather movies, Rashan’s organization is made up of soldiers; each with their unique talents and job description. But only those few nearest the top are actually paid to think.
One of the more common roles in Rashan’s mob is that of tagger. Taggers are graffiti artists who have just enough magical power to use their art to link into the powerful ley lines of the Beyond and pull all power up for their bosses. Think of all the graffiti you see in a day on city walls, buildings, and bus stops. Imagine all the graffiti funneling a steady flow of supernatural power to a sorcerer like Rashan. This is a world of immense power.
In Rashan’s organization it is up to Domino to handle all but the most critical decisions. And it’s her job to figure out why another mob organization would murder a lowly tagger as a means to start a mob war. Domino realizes that for once, her job will require her to think outside her normal mob rules of etiquette and investigate this crime as if she is detective. This is just one of ways that the book’s author forces readers to look beyond the surface. Domino is an undisputed gangster, but she has rules in her society that she follows and a loyalty to her side that requires justice. There is no reason not to like Domino, who is just a hard working girl trying to her job.
Urban Fantasy vs. Paranormal Romance
While you’ll find a thread of a romance in this novel – which I hope carries over in the next book in the series, Skeleton Crew – any romance in Domino’s world is a subplot to the Underworld and her life as a gangster. The mob and the constant battle to maintain power in this world are the focus of this book. Mob Rules is action packed Urban Fantasy. But the thread of romance in Mob Rules shows that Haley is capable of packing much more than a mere sci-fi fantasy story into his novels. You can give this book a quick read and enjoy the story for just what it is – great entertainment! But I hope that there are a few of you who’ll also read between the lines and learn more about how carefully we should all pay attention to the world around us.
This novel is an interesting case study of a woman taking a more traditional male role. It isn’t often that you hear of a woman, especially a rather young woman when she first started with Rashan’s organization, to rise in such a male dominant world where strength and power rule. Domino believes that it’s her street smarts and spellcraft that has made her fit into this male world so well. However, I believe that Haley had other ideas when he cast the lead as an untraditional female.
Haley has created a world similar to ours but different. Different if we are able to see it. That of the Otherworld. Domino acts as the reader’s eyes in this new version of the world. And for us to begin to look at everything differently, we have to first accept that certain things are no longer important – such as sexism. In Domino’s world there are many more much pressing concerns that require one to look beyond what one expects.
Character Study
Haley goes even further with his creation of Moon Dog, who appears to be your typical Hollywood burnt-out Vietnam vet who came home from the war shell shocked and handicapped. In an email interview with the author, Haley wrote
“It may not be obvious, but [Moon Dog] kind of encapsulates the Underworld more than any other character in the book, even Domino. He's iconic of the idea of the supernatural hiding in plain sight on the margins of our society.”
It is clear from Moon Dog’s role in Domino’s story that Haley likes this character. Domino’s descriptions of Moon Dog and her interaction with him give readers an appreciation for those who have suffered and those with disabilities. Moon Dog is a character that you’ll want to pay attention to and enjoy; there’s a lot about life and society that he can teach you.
Mob Rules
Haley’s novel reads as if you are sitting at a bar having a drink with Domino. You are in her head and the conversation is flowing naturally from her to the reader. For example, Domino declares not far into the story, “I can speak with the dead. It comes up in my business.” While the statement is shocking to us mere mortals, the practice is commonplace to Domino. No more disconcerting to her than if she said, “Here, have some pretzels.” So go ahead, sit down. Have a drink and some snacks with Domino. And enjoy reading Mob Rules. I certainly did.
Supernatural Graffiti
Like the traditional mafia that we learned about in The Godfather movies, Rashan’s organization is made up of soldiers; each with their unique talents and job description. But only those few nearest the top are actually paid to think.
One of the more common roles in Rashan’s mob is that of tagger. Taggers are graffiti artists who have just enough magical power to use their art to link into the powerful ley lines of the Beyond and pull all power up for their bosses. Think of all the graffiti you see in a day on city walls, buildings, and bus stops. Imagine all the graffiti funneling a steady flow of supernatural power to a sorcerer like Rashan. This is a world of immense power.
In Rashan’s organization it is up to Domino to handle all but the most critical decisions. And it’s her job to figure out why another mob organization would murder a lowly tagger as a means to start a mob war. Domino realizes that for once, her job will require her to think outside her normal mob rules of etiquette and investigate this crime as if she is detective. This is just one of ways that the book’s author forces readers to look beyond the surface. Domino is an undisputed gangster, but she has rules in her society that she follows and a loyalty to her side that requires justice. There is no reason not to like Domino, who is just a hard working girl trying to her job.
Urban Fantasy vs. Paranormal Romance
While you’ll find a thread of a romance in this novel – which I hope carries over in the next book in the series, Skeleton Crew – any romance in Domino’s world is a subplot to the Underworld and her life as a gangster. The mob and the constant battle to maintain power in this world are the focus of this book. Mob Rules is action packed Urban Fantasy. But the thread of romance in Mob Rules shows that Haley is capable of packing much more than a mere sci-fi fantasy story into his novels. You can give this book a quick read and enjoy the story for just what it is – great entertainment! But I hope that there are a few of you who’ll also read between the lines and learn more about how carefully we should all pay attention to the world around us.
This novel is an interesting case study of a woman taking a more traditional male role. It isn’t often that you hear of a woman, especially a rather young woman when she first started with Rashan’s organization, to rise in such a male dominant world where strength and power rule. Domino believes that it’s her street smarts and spellcraft that has made her fit into this male world so well. However, I believe that Haley had other ideas when he cast the lead as an untraditional female.
Haley has created a world similar to ours but different. Different if we are able to see it. That of the Otherworld. Domino acts as the reader’s eyes in this new version of the world. And for us to begin to look at everything differently, we have to first accept that certain things are no longer important – such as sexism. In Domino’s world there are many more much pressing concerns that require one to look beyond what one expects.
Character Study
Haley goes even further with his creation of Moon Dog, who appears to be your typical Hollywood burnt-out Vietnam vet who came home from the war shell shocked and handicapped. In an email interview with the author, Haley wrote
“It may not be obvious, but [Moon Dog] kind of encapsulates the Underworld more than any other character in the book, even Domino. He's iconic of the idea of the supernatural hiding in plain sight on the margins of our society.”
It is clear from Moon Dog’s role in Domino’s story that Haley likes this character. Domino’s descriptions of Moon Dog and her interaction with him give readers an appreciation for those who have suffered and those with disabilities. Moon Dog is a character that you’ll want to pay attention to and enjoy; there’s a lot about life and society that he can teach you.
Mob Rules
Haley’s novel reads as if you are sitting at a bar having a drink with Domino. You are in her head and the conversation is flowing naturally from her to the reader. For example, Domino declares not far into the story, “I can speak with the dead. It comes up in my business.” While the statement is shocking to us mere mortals, the practice is commonplace to Domino. No more disconcerting to her than if she said, “Here, have some pretzels.” So go ahead, sit down. Have a drink and some snacks with Domino. And enjoy reading Mob Rules. I certainly did.
December 22, 2013
I'm kind of on the fence about the rating - there were things I really quite enjoyed about this book, the world-building and the choice of making the protagonists (the "good guys", as it were) a bunch of gangsters - but on the other hand, some vocabulary choices nearly drove me to screaming and a major plot reveal came completely out of nowhere, so... I've read better (overall more comprehensive and consistent) books I've given three stars to, so two it is.
It wasn't a boring book, I can say that - it was a quick, rather enjoyable read. Mostly. The world-building was as unique for a contemporary urban fantasy as I've seen, especially the way the magic system worked (it all certainly had a properly "urban" feel to it, what with the use of graffiti tags for channeling magic and what not), it was refreshingly different in actually having a largely non-white cast of characters, and Domino herself was reasonably okay as a protagonist, if a little flat in some ways (but I don't consider that a dreadful flaw in first books in series, as I understand that some authors just focus more on world-building in those and leave proper character development for later).
On the other hand, juice. God. "Juice" is the slang word for "magic" in this book. Now, that doesn't sound so bad, no? Well... It does when it's used about three times in every paragraph. Seriously. I think I got 509 instances or something like that when counting in Kindle for PC, most of them in the first half of the book.
The problem with that is that when a less common word is used to replace a common word for something, it sticks out. It's not invisible. If "magic" had been used in all those cases, I don't think it would have felt nearly as out of place or downright irritating, because "magic" is the word normally used for, well, magic. It's the default word. It's like "said" as a dialogue tag; it's there, doing its job, not sticking out like a sore thumb.
"Juice", on the other hand, did just that. Especially in combination with the extreme overuse of another slang word, "outfit" (in the sense of "criminal organisation"). Again, this was pretty much used in every other paragraph at least, for pages at a time.
(And a lesser issue but one that - probably because I was already over-sensitive to repetition of certain words - also started to grate towards the end was the overuse of people's names in dialogue. It was all Domino this and Honey that. Maybe it's me but when it's just two people in the room, talking to each other, do people really have to keep saying each other's names in every sentence they utter? Like, really? Urgh.)
All that aside, I also had a problem with the main plot reveal once it came. I actually had to page back to see if I'd accidentally missed something, because it came out of nowhere; Domino had apparently just worked it all out in her head, without us - the readers - not having been given anything remotely like a clue, and then she just .. info-dumped it all on us. Randomly. Out of nowhere. Okay, maybe I'm just blind or something, but it just made no sense to me at all, how she arrived at those conclusions based on what we knew.
I also wasn't keen on the pacing in the end - it sort of felt like everything was over 15% before the end, but then there was more stuff, and then some more stuff, and I can only assume it was there to set the stage for the next book, but I won't be reading that.
Pity, really, as it was promising, and I did like the world-building as I said. But there are so many other urban fantasy series where I've ended up liking the writing of the first book better, and so many I haven't even tried yet, so.
It wasn't a boring book, I can say that - it was a quick, rather enjoyable read. Mostly. The world-building was as unique for a contemporary urban fantasy as I've seen, especially the way the magic system worked (it all certainly had a properly "urban" feel to it, what with the use of graffiti tags for channeling magic and what not), it was refreshingly different in actually having a largely non-white cast of characters, and Domino herself was reasonably okay as a protagonist, if a little flat in some ways (but I don't consider that a dreadful flaw in first books in series, as I understand that some authors just focus more on world-building in those and leave proper character development for later).
On the other hand, juice. God. "Juice" is the slang word for "magic" in this book. Now, that doesn't sound so bad, no? Well... It does when it's used about three times in every paragraph. Seriously. I think I got 509 instances or something like that when counting in Kindle for PC, most of them in the first half of the book.
The problem with that is that when a less common word is used to replace a common word for something, it sticks out. It's not invisible. If "magic" had been used in all those cases, I don't think it would have felt nearly as out of place or downright irritating, because "magic" is the word normally used for, well, magic. It's the default word. It's like "said" as a dialogue tag; it's there, doing its job, not sticking out like a sore thumb.
"Juice", on the other hand, did just that. Especially in combination with the extreme overuse of another slang word, "outfit" (in the sense of "criminal organisation"). Again, this was pretty much used in every other paragraph at least, for pages at a time.
(And a lesser issue but one that - probably because I was already over-sensitive to repetition of certain words - also started to grate towards the end was the overuse of people's names in dialogue. It was all Domino this and Honey that. Maybe it's me but when it's just two people in the room, talking to each other, do people really have to keep saying each other's names in every sentence they utter? Like, really? Urgh.)
All that aside, I also had a problem with the main plot reveal once it came. I actually had to page back to see if I'd accidentally missed something, because it came out of nowhere; Domino had apparently just worked it all out in her head, without us - the readers - not having been given anything remotely like a clue, and then she just .. info-dumped it all on us. Randomly. Out of nowhere. Okay, maybe I'm just blind or something, but it just made no sense to me at all, how she arrived at those conclusions based on what we knew.
I also wasn't keen on the pacing in the end - it sort of felt like everything was over 15% before the end, but then there was more stuff, and then some more stuff, and I can only assume it was there to set the stage for the next book, but I won't be reading that.
Pity, really, as it was promising, and I did like the world-building as I said. But there are so many other urban fantasy series where I've ended up liking the writing of the first book better, and so many I haven't even tried yet, so.
December 10, 2010
Something NEW this way comes. (4 stars)
In Domino Riley's world if you're not the one controlling the most juice you're liable to get squeezed. No really. In L.A. the gangsters work for stronger magic ("juice") users who control their territories. As a bit of a right-hand to Shanar Rashan, Domino commands a lot of respect for an half-Irish, half-Mexican woman in the world of thugs. When one of Rashan's boys meets a very grisly end completely dried of his juice it's up to Domino to find out how. The plot continues to thicken as she begins to suspect a rival gang's Haitian head, Papa Danwe, is trying to overthrow her boss.
But when it comes to magic and the people who can manipulate it, everything is not always as cut and dry as it seems. Vampires, piskies and djinn occupy this world throwing their own interesting complications into Domino's investigation. By the time the whole story unravels the fight for L.A.'s juice may become a blood bath, but not if Domino can stop it.
In the genre that is Urban Fantasy it sometimes feels like you're reading the same story you've read before and all that's changed it what things are called and character names. Then, once in a while, you get really lucky and find a diamond in the rough. A book that's so fresh in concept or delivery you can't help but want everyone to read it. Mob Rules is an amazing example of taking an old idea and breathing some new life into it. There are lots of magic users out there in the genre but mixed in with the ganster elements this is urban fantasy guys can read without hiding the cover.
Fans of first person narratives from tough heroines should try this one out. Occasionally it's obvious Domino is written by a guy but thanks to her lifestyle it's forgiveable and works. The dialog is solid, something that for me as a reader is an essential element in enjoyable fiction. Haley does a great job of making larger than life secondary characters that don't pull you away from the heroine yet jump off the page making each scene they pop up in memorable. Honey the piskie is an absolute riot and next to Jenks from The Hollows series gives just the right touch of humor to lighten otherwise dark moments.
There is a touch of potential romance, a romance that—without me giving any spoilers—left me wanting more. Haley manages to use it well, making it just one spice in a tasty broth. I'm really looking forward to seeing where he takes Domino with this in future installments.
Overall I can't do the book justice as a reviewer. I can't quite put everything I want to say about what I liked into words without spoiling some of the greatest elements of the story. There are definitely some excellent surprises, just when I was totally bummed Haley managed to pull a fast one on me giving me a little hope. I am hooked. I recommend this one for urban fantasy readers sick of romance and sex taking over good plot, for readers looking for something weird and unexpected and for guys especially. Yeah, yeah, I said I recommend it for guys especially. I tend to like what my husband calls "guy movies" and can never fathom why he calls them that, I see them as "girls can be tough and look really sexy at the same time" movies. Domino is my kind of girl, doesn't take anyone's crap, can roll with the dudes but she's still a girl who can put on a skirt and makeup underneath it all.
***Notes: Received this one as an ebook review copy via NetGalley.
In Domino Riley's world if you're not the one controlling the most juice you're liable to get squeezed. No really. In L.A. the gangsters work for stronger magic ("juice") users who control their territories. As a bit of a right-hand to Shanar Rashan, Domino commands a lot of respect for an half-Irish, half-Mexican woman in the world of thugs. When one of Rashan's boys meets a very grisly end completely dried of his juice it's up to Domino to find out how. The plot continues to thicken as she begins to suspect a rival gang's Haitian head, Papa Danwe, is trying to overthrow her boss.
But when it comes to magic and the people who can manipulate it, everything is not always as cut and dry as it seems. Vampires, piskies and djinn occupy this world throwing their own interesting complications into Domino's investigation. By the time the whole story unravels the fight for L.A.'s juice may become a blood bath, but not if Domino can stop it.
In the genre that is Urban Fantasy it sometimes feels like you're reading the same story you've read before and all that's changed it what things are called and character names. Then, once in a while, you get really lucky and find a diamond in the rough. A book that's so fresh in concept or delivery you can't help but want everyone to read it. Mob Rules is an amazing example of taking an old idea and breathing some new life into it. There are lots of magic users out there in the genre but mixed in with the ganster elements this is urban fantasy guys can read without hiding the cover.
Fans of first person narratives from tough heroines should try this one out. Occasionally it's obvious Domino is written by a guy but thanks to her lifestyle it's forgiveable and works. The dialog is solid, something that for me as a reader is an essential element in enjoyable fiction. Haley does a great job of making larger than life secondary characters that don't pull you away from the heroine yet jump off the page making each scene they pop up in memorable. Honey the piskie is an absolute riot and next to Jenks from The Hollows series gives just the right touch of humor to lighten otherwise dark moments.
There is a touch of potential romance, a romance that—without me giving any spoilers—left me wanting more. Haley manages to use it well, making it just one spice in a tasty broth. I'm really looking forward to seeing where he takes Domino with this in future installments.
Overall I can't do the book justice as a reviewer. I can't quite put everything I want to say about what I liked into words without spoiling some of the greatest elements of the story. There are definitely some excellent surprises, just when I was totally bummed Haley managed to pull a fast one on me giving me a little hope. I am hooked. I recommend this one for urban fantasy readers sick of romance and sex taking over good plot, for readers looking for something weird and unexpected and for guys especially. Yeah, yeah, I said I recommend it for guys especially. I tend to like what my husband calls "guy movies" and can never fathom why he calls them that, I see them as "girls can be tough and look really sexy at the same time" movies. Domino is my kind of girl, doesn't take anyone's crap, can roll with the dudes but she's still a girl who can put on a skirt and makeup underneath it all.
***Notes: Received this one as an ebook review copy via NetGalley.
May 14, 2011
Have you ever had a book sit in your review pile for what seems like forever, and then randomly one day you start reading and it grabs you by the eyeballs and just refuses to let go? That essentially sums up what happened to me with Mob Rules, the first book in the Underworld Cycle. I figured it would be a fun urban fantasy story by an author I hadn't read before (which makes sense, since I found out upon further research that this is a DEBUT NOVEL, which only adds to my awe) but I wasn't expecting the engrossing, highly enjoyable story that I found. I love surprises like this!
I want to preface the rest of this review with a statement that hopefully everyone will take to heart: This is Not a Paranormal Romance. I understand completely that it is published by an imprint of Harlequin and that that might lead some to get the wrong idea, so I'll go on record here as saying that this is urban fantasy, through and through. Domino is a gangster and she spends a good portion of the book doing gangster things; she has the moral compass one might expect from a lieutenant in a street gang.
All is not quiet on the streets of LA. Low level members of the organization Domino belongs to are getting ugly dead and squeezed for their juice; their magical mojo, so to speak. Domino is charged by the boss to figure out who's doing it and to administer appropriate justice; it becomes immediately clear that this is not going to be an easy task. Add in the fact that she's falling hard for her boss's son and Domino finds herself in quite a pickle indeed.
Easily my favorite part of this novel was the way that the urban setting and the supernatural elements were blended together and tied so closely that you couldn't see where one ended and one began. I loved how all of Domino's spells were rooted in quotations, instead of made up words or a more fantasy-style presentation. The subtle emphasis on how central Domino's skills as a sorceress were to her identity made the conflicts in the book seem believable and real. This is a story of one woman kicking ass and taking names because it's the only thing she truly feels competent doing; this is not the story of someone waiting to be rescued from life or bemoaning the circumstances in which she finds herself.
The true depth and nature of the conflict behind the murders is surprising; I enjoyed the twists and depths that were added to the story, even though I admit they fully became clear at a pretty late stage in the game. It definitely made me look forward to the next book in the series, which according to Amazon will be released on April 19th!
If you're looking for an excellent debut urban fantasy novel that isn't afraid to be as bad as it wants to be and doesn't care if it hurts people's feelings, then I highly recommend Mob Rules.
Overall Grade: A
Check out more reviews and other good stuff at What Book is That?!
I want to preface the rest of this review with a statement that hopefully everyone will take to heart: This is Not a Paranormal Romance. I understand completely that it is published by an imprint of Harlequin and that that might lead some to get the wrong idea, so I'll go on record here as saying that this is urban fantasy, through and through. Domino is a gangster and she spends a good portion of the book doing gangster things; she has the moral compass one might expect from a lieutenant in a street gang.
All is not quiet on the streets of LA. Low level members of the organization Domino belongs to are getting ugly dead and squeezed for their juice; their magical mojo, so to speak. Domino is charged by the boss to figure out who's doing it and to administer appropriate justice; it becomes immediately clear that this is not going to be an easy task. Add in the fact that she's falling hard for her boss's son and Domino finds herself in quite a pickle indeed.
Easily my favorite part of this novel was the way that the urban setting and the supernatural elements were blended together and tied so closely that you couldn't see where one ended and one began. I loved how all of Domino's spells were rooted in quotations, instead of made up words or a more fantasy-style presentation. The subtle emphasis on how central Domino's skills as a sorceress were to her identity made the conflicts in the book seem believable and real. This is a story of one woman kicking ass and taking names because it's the only thing she truly feels competent doing; this is not the story of someone waiting to be rescued from life or bemoaning the circumstances in which she finds herself.
The true depth and nature of the conflict behind the murders is surprising; I enjoyed the twists and depths that were added to the story, even though I admit they fully became clear at a pretty late stage in the game. It definitely made me look forward to the next book in the series, which according to Amazon will be released on April 19th!
If you're looking for an excellent debut urban fantasy novel that isn't afraid to be as bad as it wants to be and doesn't care if it hurts people's feelings, then I highly recommend Mob Rules.
Overall Grade: A
Check out more reviews and other good stuff at What Book is That?!
January 22, 2013
I'm not sure what I was expecting from this book, but it wasn't what I got.
The beginning seemed promising. It was just different enough from other urban fantasy novels that I sort of wriggled back into my chair and prepared for a long read. You don't often read books about a main character who's part of the mob and is all right with it and what she's doing. Add a bit of grit and a fairly interesting magic system and I thought that I would truly enjoy reading the book. Unfortunately, it didn't quite turn out that way.
The problem is that most of the book feels flat. Domino, as the main character, has the most depth to her, but she never grew into more for me. She was just sort of there, doing the things that she had to do, and it actually bored me. For a book where the opening pages had a man strapped to a bondage rack with his skin completely cut off from his body--well, let's just say that I wasn't expecting boring.
The other characters were all one dimensional. You never really get to know them, including Adan, who spends a good portion fo the book being horrifically bland. And the relationship that Domino has with Adan is just as bad. She's attracted to him. We get that from the first meeting. But we're just told that she's attracted to him, and I just don't see it.
The book tries hard to be gritty, but it reaches and kind of fails (it doesn't help that the main character apparently can't help but be flippant in her dialogue). There's slang and curses and--did I mention that I grew rather bored? Yeah. Also, repetitions of the word 'juice' kind of drove me crazy. I understand that the author is using it as a term for magic, but it's still used too much. Then there's the exposition. As in, there is too much exposition. We, the readers, do need some to sink our feet into the world, but Mob Rules uses exposition clumsily. Every time Domino has to explain something to me I'm knocked out of the story (which partially explains my boredom).
I expected a book more serious that I received, and I think that expectation colored my resulting reaction. Show, not tell, is a suggestion that is ignored here. On the other hand, the book really picked up towards the end, to the point where I wasn't just skimming it anymore but actually reading it. I just feel like the first 3/4s of the book could have been condensed and made much sharper than what was actually given to us. All in all, for most of the book it was 1 star. Parts of it (mainly the end) were 3 stars. So, averaging out to 2.
The beginning seemed promising. It was just different enough from other urban fantasy novels that I sort of wriggled back into my chair and prepared for a long read. You don't often read books about a main character who's part of the mob and is all right with it and what she's doing. Add a bit of grit and a fairly interesting magic system and I thought that I would truly enjoy reading the book. Unfortunately, it didn't quite turn out that way.
The problem is that most of the book feels flat. Domino, as the main character, has the most depth to her, but she never grew into more for me. She was just sort of there, doing the things that she had to do, and it actually bored me. For a book where the opening pages had a man strapped to a bondage rack with his skin completely cut off from his body--well, let's just say that I wasn't expecting boring.
The other characters were all one dimensional. You never really get to know them, including Adan, who spends a good portion fo the book being horrifically bland. And the relationship that Domino has with Adan is just as bad. She's attracted to him. We get that from the first meeting. But we're just told that she's attracted to him, and I just don't see it.
The book tries hard to be gritty, but it reaches and kind of fails (it doesn't help that the main character apparently can't help but be flippant in her dialogue). There's slang and curses and--did I mention that I grew rather bored? Yeah. Also, repetitions of the word 'juice' kind of drove me crazy. I understand that the author is using it as a term for magic, but it's still used too much. Then there's the exposition. As in, there is too much exposition. We, the readers, do need some to sink our feet into the world, but Mob Rules uses exposition clumsily. Every time Domino has to explain something to me I'm knocked out of the story (which partially explains my boredom).
I expected a book more serious that I received, and I think that expectation colored my resulting reaction. Show, not tell, is a suggestion that is ignored here. On the other hand, the book really picked up towards the end, to the point where I wasn't just skimming it anymore but actually reading it. I just feel like the first 3/4s of the book could have been condensed and made much sharper than what was actually given to us. All in all, for most of the book it was 1 star. Parts of it (mainly the end) were 3 stars. So, averaging out to 2.
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