Stings and Stones: An Elemental Assassin short story collection

Elemental Assassin

by Jennifer Estep

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep serves up an Elemental Assassin short story collection featuring danger, magic, and a touch of romance . . . Flash back to one of Gin Blanco's many missions as the assassin the Spider. Learn more about Gin's relationships with her mentor, Fletcher Lane, and her foster brother, Finnegan Lane, and see what trouble the other characters get themselves into when Gin's not around. From a ghost's lost love to a villain's origin story, this action-packed collection has something for every urban fantasy and paranormal romance fan. The Stings and Stones collection features ten short stories told by various "Spider's Bargain" - Gin Blanco "Web of Death" - Gin Blanco "Web of Deceit" - Fletcher Lane "Poison" - Finnegan Lane "Wasted" - Finnegan Lane "Tangled Dreams" - Jo-Jo and Sophia Deveraux "Tangled Schemes" - Bria Coolidge "Spider's Nemesis" - Mab Monroe "Haints and Hobwebs" - Gin Blanco "Parlor Tricks" - Gin Blanco The print book of Stings and Stones also includes Spider and Frost , a crossover novella featuring Gin Blanco from the Elemental Assassin series and Gwen Frost from the Mythos Academy series.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Magic, Short Stories, Anthologies, Collections

324 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2023

About the author

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling author who prowls the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer is the author of the Elemental Assassin, Section 47, Galactic Bonds, Crown of Shards, Gargoyle Queen, and other fantasy series. She has written more than 40 books, along with numerous novellas and stories.

In her spare time, Jennifer enjoys hanging out with friends and family, doing yoga, and reading fantasy and romance books. She also watches way too much TV and loves all things related to superheroes.

For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit her website at www.JenniferEstep.com or sign up for her newsletter: http://www.jenniferestep.com/contact-....

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Happy reading, everyone! 😎

Reviews

[Erica Chilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this title to read and review for Wicked Reads

Stings & Stones is an anthology collection of short stories from the Elemental Assassin's universe, narrated by several of the main cast.

Note: these stories are not new shorts, featured on Jennifer Estep's website and within multi-author anthologies. For the first time ever, all the shorts are bundled into one handy location.

Spider’s Bargain: narrated by Gin Blanco.
Web of Death: narrated by Gin Blanco.
Web of Deceit: narrated by Fletcher Lane.
Poison: narrated by Finnegan Lane.
Wasted: narrated by Finnegan Lane.
Tangled Dreams: narrated by Jo-Jo & Sophia Deveraux.
Tangled Schemes: narrated by Bria Coolidge.
Spider’s Nemesis: narrated by Mab Monroe.
Haints and Hobwebs: narrated by Gin Blanco.
Parlor Tricks: narrated by Gin Blanco.

I would suggest only reading this collection of shorts if you have read at least the first 10 full-length novels to avoid spoiling the plot, as well as it would help to avoid confusion since the world building would be established.

Even though I had read every single one of these shorts previously, it was delightful to revisit the series again. Gin's sarcastic flair and how she views the world eradicated my reader's block. It was nice to sit down, enjoy a short story for a few minutes of escapism without the long-term commitment of reading a novel from start to finish. I read this during the Thanksgiving holiday while hosting guests, where I took a few minutes to myself to read a short or two at a time.

As soon as I hit post on this review, I have Spider's Bite already queued up. Time to go back to the very beginning and reexperience everything. My name is Gin, and I kill people.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh - I have read this whole series so it was kind of interesting seeing some of these stories but nothing earth shattering (no pun intended). I think I'm so used to listening to this series and there is no audio book version. Also I felt like the stories that were narrated by other characters didn't really have a distinctive voice so I didn't get any additional insight. I do always think the magic system and world building is interesting though.

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this collection of stories, to see this variety of perspectives throughout this series!

[Liliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book

I’ve read all of these short stories before but I am so glad that they’re all bundled together in one book now! Yay! This book contains a bunch of Elemental Assassin short stories, all in different POVs. You have Gin, of course, but you also have Finn, Bria, Fletcher, and more characters! It was great!

Spider’s Bargain takes place right before book one, Spider’s Bite, and it is told in Gin’s POV. In this short story, Gin goes after a corrupt cop who doesn’t know how to take ‘no’ for an answer. He is an officer of the law, someone you are supposed to be able to trust, but the things he does are terrible! I was very glad that this guy got on Gin’s radar. I enjoyed this one. It was full of tension and Gin is just a badass! I love her!

Web of Death takes place between book 1 (Spider’s Bite) and book 2 (Web of Lies) and is told in Gin’s POV. Gin is now officially retired as an assassin and is moving into her new place when all of a sudden she is interrupted by a scream coming from the surrounding forest. And thus, action ensues! It was so good! I love a sassy, snarky, ass-kicking Gin 😆

Web of Deceit is told in Fletcher’s POV, Finn’s dad and Gin’s mentor. This was such a touching story—I really liked it! In this story we get to see Gin go off on her first solo kill—some asshole named Jimmy Fontaine—at only sixteen years old. And Gin doesn’t know, but Fletcher decides to keep an eye on her just in case, which was so sweet! 😭 I really enjoyed this and getting to see things from Fletcher’s POV, just seeing how much he cares for Gin 🥹

Poison is told from Finn’s POV and it takes place way, way in the past when both he and Gin are only teenagers. In this short story, Finn finds himself in a bit of trouble, but don’t worry, Gin to the rescue! I keep mentioning how badass Gin is, but only because it’s true. And it was even true when she was thirteen years old! It was crazy! But more than that, I really enjoyed getting a bit of insight into Finn and Gin’s relationship, because they were never as close as they are in the present day. So it’s very interesting to see how that relationship has changed over the years.

Wasted takes place between book 2 (Web of Lies) and book 3 (Venom) and is told in Finn’s POV. This actually takes place at the bank he works at, where a beautiful woman walks and trouble ensues. Gin is the main character of the Elemental Assassin series, but the side characters are amazing in their own right! Finn is charming and equally as deadly as his sister. Except he prefers guns over knives. Lol. And this short story perfectly captured how amazing he is! Just don’t tell him that to his face—his ego is big enough as is 😆

Tangled Dreams is told in the POVs of Jo-Jo and Sophia, and it takes place between books 3 (Venom) and 4 (Tangled Threads). In this short story, after Gin kicks some ass and heads over to Jo-Jo’s to heal up, the Deveraux sisters take care of a scumbag that managed to get away from Gin. I really liked this short story and the different perspectives! We got to see Jo-Jo in action and see how Sophia gets rid of the bodies, which I always found intriguing. I very much enjoyed the insight into these beloved characters in Gin’s life.

Tangled Schemes is told in Bria’s POV, Gin’s baby sister. This short story doesn't actually take place between any two books like the other short stories tend to. This one spans from book 1 (Spider’s Bite) all the way up to just before the start of book 4 (Tangled Threads), and it shows Bria’s search for her sister Genevieve who she thought was dead, until recently. Little does Bria know that she is closer to her sister than she can imagine. I absolutely loved this! It was so heartbreaking to see Bria’s search for her sister and how close she got, but not realizing who Genevive actually was.

Spider’s Nemesis was SO good! The short story actually spans several years, even before Gin was born. One of the earliest scenes we see was when Mab was 7 years old and on her first (and I’m guessing only) playdate with Eira Snow, Gin’s mother. I honestly can’t believe this rivalry started because Mab was a spoiled, jealous brat. But even better, this short story is told in Mab’s POV, which was amazing! Learning Mab’s motives and seeing how she is and WHY she is the way she is... it was crazy. She is a terrible human being so it was very interesting having this insight into Mab’s horrible, twisted mind. I absolutely loved this short story! It was amazing seeing things in Mab's POV and witnessing her awesome but cruel powers from a different perspective. I very much enjoyed this trip through Mab’s past and her feud with the Snow family.

Ghosts! We get ghosts in Haints and Hobwebs and it was awesome! This is actually the first time we see them in this world, so that was very interesting. But in this novella Gin helps out a ghost and that special way she “helps” 😆 The antagonist in this one novella has air magic and it was used in the most interesting way. We have not seen it used like this before in this series, so I really liked that. It was very cool but equally as awful. And we got some Owen action in this one! Owen is Gin’s significant other and I love him! He is so sweet! But I loved this novella overall! The characters are just great, and there is so much action packed into this shorter story! I love it!

In Parlor Tricks, Gin is helping her baby sister Bria out on a case of a missing girl. This leads them to a traveling carnival, one that is quite strange and filled with even stranger people. And this missing girl might not be the only one who’s gone missing around this particular carnival 👀 I really liked this short story, overall! It had action, a crazy setting, and lots of magic with another interesting air elemental. And of course, our badass assassin Gin kicking ass alongside her sister Bria, who is pretty badass in her own way. I really liked that it was just Bria and Gin hanging out, getting in trouble, and then trying to get out of said trouble 😆 It was short, sweet, and fun. What more could you ask for? Lol.

And lastly, my favorite book of 2023: Spider and Frost! (I believe that Spider and Frost will only be available in the paperback edition, but not the ebook.)



I cannot express how excited I was for this novella. I love both the Elemental Assassin series and Mythos Academy, so having a story where Gin Blanco meets Gwen Frost is just-



Going into this I was beyond excited because I knew this crossover was going to be epic, but I don’t know how Jennifer did it because it was even better than I expected! The story was great, the action was engaging, and the interactions and banter between the characters... it was so freaking good! Gwen and Gin just made an epic team! The fight sequences were SO good, especially at the end because they did a thing and it was SO exciting! This novella was just perfect. It made me so giddy and happy... I just had the time of my life reading this. Lol. I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of either the Elemental Assassin series or Mythos Academy! It was SO good! I can’t get over it! Lol.

[Ashley (Red-Haired Ash Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories that take place throughout the Elemental Assassin series. If you have not read the series, or have not finished the series, then you will most likely be confused at times because some of these stories do relate to the main storyline. I have included when these stories take place to make it easier to figure out when to read them.

Spider’s Bargain

This is a Gin Blanco short and takes place before Spider’s Bite, book 1.

This is a short scene of Gin doing a pro bono case to kill Detective Cliff Ingles and evil man who likes to hurt young girls. I love that Gin may be an assassin but she has a moral code and she tries to clean up her town.

Web of Death

This is a Gin short and takes place after Spider’s Bite.

Gin is struggling with the boredom of being retired, her grief over Fletcher’s death, and moving into his house. While moving things in she hears a scream and decides to investigate and ends up rescuing a woman who works for Roslyn.

Web of Deceit

This is a Fletcher Lane short and takes place several years before Spider’s Bite.

This was a wonderful short showing how proud Fletcher was of Gin and her abilities as an assassin. It also shows us how guilty he felt about the death of her mother and older sister and how he was determined to help Gin to get revenge. I love that we got a short featuring Fletcher because he is such an important character but sadly we don’t get to know him. I love getting this brief glimpse of him raising Gin and training her to be an assassin like he was.

Poison

This is a Finnegan Lane short and takes place several years before Spider’s Bite.

This is teenage Finn being angry and resentful about Gin’s presence in his family and Fletcher’s desire to train her to be an assassin instead of him. We see a very sulk and angry Finn but he quickly changes his tune in the end when Gin saves him. I like seeing teenage Finn and his struggle with Gin suddenly joining his family. I do like seeing the start of the family bond being formed between these two though.

Wasted

This is a Finnegan Lane short and it takes place after Web of Lies, book 2.

In this we get to see that while Finn may not be an assassin his father still taught him how to take care of himself, or in this case bank robbers. Finn may be a pretty boy who loves flirting but he has a violent side when necessary and I love when we see him get ruthless.

Tangled Dreams

This is a Jo-Jo and Sophia Deveraux short and takes place after Venom, book 3.

This was a great little scene because we get both Jo-Jo’s and Sophia’s POV. Jo-Jo and Sophia are two characters that I have loved from the very beginning so I love seeing this little scene of them taking care of Gin and how they utilize their air magic in different ways. Also who knew Jo-Jo could be so dangerous.

Tangled Schemes

This is a Bria Coolidge short and takes place after Venom, book 3.

This shows Bria's struggle with finding out Genevieve is alive, she is the spider, and that she can't find her. I enjoyed this candid look at Brianand her feelings. We get to see the determined woman and her drive to bring people to justice with her badge.

Spider's Nemesis

This is a Mab Monroe short and takes place after Tangled Threads, book 4.

This is a slightly longer short than the other and shows Mab's anger at being unable to kill Spider. We also see a brief glimpse of her and Gin's mothers past and her attempting to kill all of the Snow family. It was very interesting to have Mabs POV and to feel her anger at being thwarted. She is one of my favorite villains.

Haints and Hobwebs

This is a Gin story and it takes place after Tangled Threads, book 4.

This was a very interesting short story. This is the first time ghosts or haints have been mentioned in this series so it was interesting to see how they worked. I enjoyed this story of love and loss a lot. As with all of Gin’s stories, I loved seeing her kick ass and help those in need.

Also, I really enjoyed seeing Owen actually help with a mission. It shows how much he accepts all of Gin and her assassin ways. He really is the perfect man for her and I can’t wait to see their relationship grow.

Parlor Tricks

This is a Gin story and it takes place after Deadly Sting, book 8.

This was a short story featuring Gin and Bria at a carnival. It definitely was a creepy circus and I agree with Gin that clowns can be creepy. I liked this one because it was just Gin and Bria taking on the bad guys. They made a good team.

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.*

[Sue F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great background for the Elemental Assassin series…

I’ve been a fan of Jennifer Estep’s books for a while, although I came rather late to her writing. (My first of her books was Kill The Queen, from the late 2010s.) So I missed out at first on her Elemental Assassin series, but over the last year or so, I’ve gradually read and enjoyed the 19-ish books in that series too.

All of which is a long way of saying that, although I was happy to receive an advance review copy of Stings and Stones, which is a collection of Elemental Assassin short (and long) stories, I am also quite glad I’ve read all of the Elemental Assassin books by now. Because otherwise, I’d be somewhat short on context for many of these stories.

Don’t get me wrong, Stings and Stones is great as a companion to the Elemental Assassin books. And both the Haints and Hobwebs novella (really too long to be a short story IMO) and the Parlor Tricks short story are fine as standalones. As in fact, they originally were, having been previously published in a couple of different anthologies. But to fully appreciate most of the stories, which range from a very nice prequel to a bunch of bits-and-pieces told from several different characters’ points-of-view (Bria, Fletcher, Finnegan, the Deveraux sisters, even Mab Monroe herself), it really helped to have a grasp of the overall Elemental Assassin storyline.

So, this leads me to a “split” review: if you’re familiar with and like the Elemental Assassin world, you’re going to like Stings and Stones, and it’s five stars. The chance to fill in some background and see things through other characters’ eyes is lots of fun. If, on the other hand, you aren’t familiar with the main series, I would probably give this collection a miss, or maybe pick it up just for Haints and Hobwebs and Parlor Tricks. And it would probably get a lower rating…

But I’m going to assume that if you’re considering reading Stings and Stones, you probably already are an Elemental Assassin fan, so I’m going to rate it on that basis.

And finally, my thanks to the author for the advance review copy!

[WycEd Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Check out our full post for STINGS AND STONES on Wicked Reads.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Erica – ☆☆☆☆☆
STINGS AND STONES is an anthology collection of short stories from the Elemental Assassin universe, narrated by several of the main cast.

Note: These stories are not new shorts; previously featured on Jennifer Estep's website and within multi-author anthologies. For the first time ever, all the shorts are bundled into one handy location.

I would suggest only reading this collection of shorts if you have read at least the first 10 full-length novels to avoid spoiling the plot, as well as it would help to avoid confusion since the world building would be established.

Even though I had read every single one of these shorts previously, it was delightful to revisit the series again. Gin's sarcastic flair and how she views the world eradicated my reader's block. It was nice to sit down, enjoy a short story for a few minutes of escapism without the long-term commitment of reading a novel from start to finish. I read this during the Thanksgiving holiday while hosting guests, where I took a few minutes to myself to read a short or two at a time.

As soon as I hit post on this review, I have SPIDER'S BITE already queued up. Time to go back to the very beginning and reexperience everything. My name is Gin, and I kill people.

Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.

[Jackie]

Stings and Stones: An Elemental Assassin short story collection by Jennifer Estep


“Spider’s Bargain” — Gin Blanco POV

Dirty cop goes down.

“Web of Death” — Gin Blanco POV

Retired Assassin or not Gin Blanco still has it!

“Web of Deceit” — Fletcher Lane POV

Fletcher sends Gin out on her first solo assignment but does not stay far away just in case his teenage protege needs help.

“Poison” — Finnegan LanePOV

Finn doesn't appreciate Gin taking his old mans attention but when the chips are down his 13-year-old foster sister still has his back when he needs it.


“Wasted” — Finnegan Lane POV

A short showing that Finn has more going for him than looks and charm as he saves the day.


“Tangled Dreams” — Jo-Jo and Sophia Deveraux dual POV

The two dwarves prove themselves more than just a beautician and cook in quite a deadly way.


“Tangled Schemes” — Bria Coolidge POV

Bria and Gin are on opposite sides of the law and while they have met Bria has not yet pinpointed Gin as either her older sister Genevieve or The Spider.


“Spider’s Nemesis” — Mab Monroe POV

Mab as a child grows up to be a formidable ruthless foe as we become privy to some of her background explaining her motives as to why.


“Haints and Hobwebs” — Gin Blanco POV

Gin and Owen are together but the supernatural elements in this short take center stage.

“Parlor Tricks” — Gin Blanco POV

Gin and Bria together at the Carnival, what could go wrong?

10 tales reread and enjoyed just as much the second time.

[Sandy S · Rating 4 out of 5]

STINGS AND STONES by Jennifer Estep is a collection of ten previously released (newsletter or website) short stories and novellas in the author’s ELEMENTAL ASSASSIN series focusing on assassin and elemental Gin Blanco.

Told from several first person perspectives including Gin Blanco, Fletcher Lane, Finnegan Lane, Jojo or Sophia Devereaux, Bria Coolidge or Mab Monroe, each story line can either be a prologue or epilogue to one of the instalments in the Elemental Assassin series, or a side story in which the reader is up close and personal with the private and personal lives outside of the main story lines.

Fast paced, entertaining and intriguing, STINGS AND STONE is a wonderful addition revealing a little background and history of the story line characters.


cop supplied for review

www.thereadingcafe.com

[Vannessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Elemental Assassin series is one of my all time favourite series, and this book was a great addition to the main series. Full of short stories, with short adventures from different characters' perspective, it was a fun, quick read and reminded me once again why Gin Blanco is one of my favourite characters to read! She may be an assassin, killing people for money, but there are certain lines she won't cross and generally only goes after the really bad guys anyway to protect those in need!

Although I loved them all, I think Spider's Nemesis was my favourite - it was great to read from Mab Monroe's point of view for a change and to see things from her perspective a bit more. Also showed that she has always been a spoilt, evil little girl too - she just got worse as she grew up!

I would recommend that you read this collection after book 8 in the main series to avoid any spoilers, but I guess if you pick this one up, you've probably read them all anyway!

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Source* Jennifer Estep Review Team
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 4.0

*Thoughts*

Author Jennifer Estep's Stings and Stones is a 67,000-word collection of Elemental Assassin short stories. Some of the stories previously appeared on Estep’s website, while others have been featured in anthologies. The Elemental Assassin series focus on Gin Blanco, an assassin code named the Spider who can control the elements of Ice and Stone. When she’s not busy killing people and righting wrongs, Gin runs a barbecue restaurant called the Pork Pit in the fictional Southern metropolis of Ashland. The city is also home to giants, dwarves, vampires, and elementals – Air, Fire, Ice, and Stone.

*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*

https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...

[Denise H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Great collection of stories told by the characters we love in the Elemental Assassin series. Each story was a fun look into snippets of the EA world. I enjoyed them all but I think my favorites were Web of Deceit – told from Fletcher’s point of view about Gin’s first assassin job, Poison – Finnegan’s thoughts on Gin coming into his family and being trained by Fletcher, and then Haints and Hobwebs – because Owen, sigh. He and Gin are perfect together. If you’ve read and enjoyed the Elemental Assassin series, don’t miss this!

[Nancy Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series of short stories and novellas featuring Gin Blanco (AKA the Spider) and crew (Finn, Bria, Fletcher Lane). Most I have read before, but it was great re-reading them again. In the e-book edition, there is a teaser for Only Hard Problems; the book includes Spider and Frost, a cross-over novel.

Lots of references to some of Estep's other books (Bigtime series), too.

A great way to dip a toe into the Elemental Assassin series and the Mythos Academy series to discover the magic of Estep's writing. Then read them all.

[Joy Whiteside · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing collection of short stories, each of which will grab you and keep you reading till the end. They each move along at the perfect speed for the individual sstories and no matter what happens you will love these characters. This book is a must read for anyone who has loved these stories and wants new ones. You will not be disappointed in the least. This is a must read.

[Jasmine Breeden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice reminder of my favorites

Definitely liked the blasts from the past as it's been a while since I read the early books. Liked getting to see the characters again and seeing how they've grown

[R. Lee Frankenstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and 1/2 is probably a more honest rating. Enjoyable read that would have been better had I previously read the stories they interacted with. Pretty sure I will be reading more by this author in the future.

[Tammy Kesteloot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read most of these shorts before... but I still loved reading this novel. I hope Jennifer comes out with more from this series!

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gin will always be one of my favorite people!

[Amy Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for fans of Gin Blanco’s adventures, this mix of action, adventure, and the paranormal offers a fun, exciting read!

[BookAddict ✒ La Crimson Femme · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many insights that thrilled me from beginning to end. For readers that loved the Elemental Assassin series, this is a great collection of side stories about Gin, her friends, and family. It is like opening an old picture album you have never seen. Then having each picture bring a story to life. A memory that may be bittersweet or a fond remembrance.

To read the rest of my review, click on the image below to see it on my website.



* I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.