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Signs of the Zodiac #3
The Touch of Twilight: The Third Sign of the Zodiac
Book 3 in the NYT & USA Today Bestselling “Signs of the Zodiac” Urban Fantasy Series
Reluctant superhero, Joanna Archer, has finally embraced the roles destiny assigned Avenger, Savior … Destroyer.
On the surface, she’s a sexy, sophisticated socialite. Yet Joanna Archer also inhabits another one ordinary mortals can’t see or enter … a dangerous dimension where an eternal battle rages between the agents of Shadow and Light.
Joanna is both.
She never sought the power that’s been thrust upon her but refuses to abandon it now that it’s hers. Stalked by being from a preternatural realm, Joanna can sense that the Light is waning – and that a terrifying confrontation with the leader and lord of Shadow is pitting her against her own true father.
In Vegas, where fortunes are made and lost in a heartbeat, Joanna Archer must wager it all … and if she’s to safeguard her new friendships, her future, and her intertwined worlds …
She’ll have to do so by embracing her Shadow side. Welcome to the Urban Fantasy underworld of the Zodiac ... where superheroes and supernatural hunters are one and the same. The Complete Series Reading
Reluctant superhero, Joanna Archer, has finally embraced the roles destiny assigned Avenger, Savior … Destroyer.
On the surface, she’s a sexy, sophisticated socialite. Yet Joanna Archer also inhabits another one ordinary mortals can’t see or enter … a dangerous dimension where an eternal battle rages between the agents of Shadow and Light.
Joanna is both.
She never sought the power that’s been thrust upon her but refuses to abandon it now that it’s hers. Stalked by being from a preternatural realm, Joanna can sense that the Light is waning – and that a terrifying confrontation with the leader and lord of Shadow is pitting her against her own true father.
In Vegas, where fortunes are made and lost in a heartbeat, Joanna Archer must wager it all … and if she’s to safeguard her new friendships, her future, and her intertwined worlds …
She’ll have to do so by embracing her Shadow side. Welcome to the Urban Fantasy underworld of the Zodiac ... where superheroes and supernatural hunters are one and the same. The Complete Series Reading
422 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 27, 2008
38 people are currently reading
1627 people want to read
About the author
Vicki Pettersson
30 books1,303 followersVicki Pettersson is a NYT and USA Today bestselling author of ten novels, most set in her hometown of Las Vegas. Though she'll ever consider that glittering dustbowl home, she now divides her time between Vegas and Dallas,Texas, where she's learning to like good Tex-Mex (easy) and the Dallas Cowboys (easier than you'd think).
Her most recent release is SWERVE, aptly titled as it's both a chase book and a hard departure from her fantasy work. A pure adrenaline, white-knucked thriller, Swerve releases on July 7, 2015 -- perfect for the novel's Fourth of July setting. If you're looking for a romance with little to no violence ... this is not your novel. If, as with her other work, you're looking for a strong female protagonist who comes out swinging when pushed into a corner, then perhaps you can connect. Welcome!
Her most recent release is SWERVE, aptly titled as it's both a chase book and a hard departure from her fantasy work. A pure adrenaline, white-knucked thriller, Swerve releases on July 7, 2015 -- perfect for the novel's Fourth of July setting. If you're looking for a romance with little to no violence ... this is not your novel. If, as with her other work, you're looking for a strong female protagonist who comes out swinging when pushed into a corner, then perhaps you can connect. Welcome!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 130 reviews
June 6, 2008
I had high hopes that this would be a three-star book; sadly, it isn't. And it isn't the unsupportable world (she's writing her way out of that, slowly), the doormat of a protag (that's getting better over time), or the whoppers that torment the language like a Dominican Inquisitor (she's really improving there, which is good but also kind of sad).
This time, the problem is the the deep-seated assumption on the superiority of the "hero" characters and the protagonist's need to acquiesce to their blatant disregard for who gets hurt.
The plot is reasonable: Archer (our protag rape-survivor-turned-superhero-who-has-taken-over-the-life-of-her-millionaire-heiress-playboy-playmate-sister, because we don't want too much wish fulfillment here--see my reviews of Scent of Shadows and Taste of Night) has a doppleganger out to get her (and she doesn't know what a doppleganger is, oddly), has younger members of her super-Troop out to get her, screwed up (maybe) and broke the accepted order of the Light/Shadow world (causing the Light to lose access to the archive of what's happening and probably killing the changeling dedicated to protecting the Light heroes in neutral space), and the whole city is about to be destroyed (or thrown into another dimension), which has even her being-of-pure-evil-thoughts-father trying to work with her.
Not great, but reasonable. The storyline whereby the changeling is damaged has real potential. Sadly, it gets almost no attention other than comic relief.
The writing keeps getting better. Pettersson can write action pretty well. Whether it's a 15-person combat in a canyon, a knock-down-drag-out fight in a bathroom, or a sneaking around the mansion of a crazy, evil, and paranoid man, it works: the tension is right and it never falls into the common "too much happening, can't follow it in my head" pit.
Unfortunately, the problems from the first book, where Archer was knocked unconscious, drugged, physically altered to look, smell, and sound like her dead sister, and forced into a charade spying on the step-father she hates--and we are supposed to think it was appropriate--are back in force.
This time, Archer's only character development is learning to do the same thing to the man she loves. While sleeping with the man who's telling her to do it.
A recurring line in the book is about how Archer has to accept that her access to both Shadow and Light powers makes her "biologically different" and how she has to stop trying to act like a "normal" Light hero; she is encouraged to accept that she may know how to do something they don't understand and that she should do it anyway. The subtext, though, is that she is "biologically different" from the normal people around her and that she knows better than they do, not only how to protect the city from the Shadow Troop, but whom they should sleep with, where they should live(1), and even whether they should be allowed to be who they are.
The Light agents are horrified at the thought that Archer may have accidentally killed someone, but they are equally horrified that she won't capture someone, erase their memories, and give them a new personality just because they think he may be tempted by the Shadows.
In Pettersson's world, having power makes you morally superior and redemption is something you have handed to you by someone with more power (another theme in the book, but that would take serious spoilers).
Of course, I don't know that disagreeing with its randroid worldview is enough to knock a star off the review, so let's say I did it for the hamfisted handling of the "romance" storyline and the painful three-page sex scene that went on about how she was just using him to get off so she didn't have to think about her troubles.
I don't know if I'll give book 4 a read or not.
-----
1) She sends her friends out of town for the duration of the book, which takes unnecessary page time except to built the expectation that She Knows Best.
This time, the problem is the the deep-seated assumption on the superiority of the "hero" characters and the protagonist's need to acquiesce to their blatant disregard for who gets hurt.
The plot is reasonable: Archer (our protag rape-survivor-turned-superhero-who-has-taken-over-the-life-of-her-millionaire-heiress-playboy-playmate-sister, because we don't want too much wish fulfillment here--see my reviews of Scent of Shadows and Taste of Night) has a doppleganger out to get her (and she doesn't know what a doppleganger is, oddly), has younger members of her super-Troop out to get her, screwed up (maybe) and broke the accepted order of the Light/Shadow world (causing the Light to lose access to the archive of what's happening and probably killing the changeling dedicated to protecting the Light heroes in neutral space), and the whole city is about to be destroyed (or thrown into another dimension), which has even her being-of-pure-evil-thoughts-father trying to work with her.
Not great, but reasonable. The storyline whereby the changeling is damaged has real potential. Sadly, it gets almost no attention other than comic relief.
The writing keeps getting better. Pettersson can write action pretty well. Whether it's a 15-person combat in a canyon, a knock-down-drag-out fight in a bathroom, or a sneaking around the mansion of a crazy, evil, and paranoid man, it works: the tension is right and it never falls into the common "too much happening, can't follow it in my head" pit.
Unfortunately, the problems from the first book, where Archer was knocked unconscious, drugged, physically altered to look, smell, and sound like her dead sister, and forced into a charade spying on the step-father she hates--and we are supposed to think it was appropriate--are back in force.
This time, Archer's only character development is learning to do the same thing to the man she loves. While sleeping with the man who's telling her to do it.
A recurring line in the book is about how Archer has to accept that her access to both Shadow and Light powers makes her "biologically different" and how she has to stop trying to act like a "normal" Light hero; she is encouraged to accept that she may know how to do something they don't understand and that she should do it anyway. The subtext, though, is that she is "biologically different" from the normal people around her and that she knows better than they do, not only how to protect the city from the Shadow Troop, but whom they should sleep with, where they should live(1), and even whether they should be allowed to be who they are.
The Light agents are horrified at the thought that Archer may have accidentally killed someone, but they are equally horrified that she won't capture someone, erase their memories, and give them a new personality just because they think he may be tempted by the Shadows.
In Pettersson's world, having power makes you morally superior and redemption is something you have handed to you by someone with more power (another theme in the book, but that would take serious spoilers).
Of course, I don't know that disagreeing with its randroid worldview is enough to knock a star off the review, so let's say I did it for the hamfisted handling of the "romance" storyline and the painful three-page sex scene that went on about how she was just using him to get off so she didn't have to think about her troubles.
I don't know if I'll give book 4 a read or not.
-----
1) She sends her friends out of town for the duration of the book, which takes unnecessary page time except to built the expectation that She Knows Best.
March 22, 2021
If your looking for a strong female? Don't read this book. If your looking for a damsel in distress? Don't read this book. Now if your looking for a book where the character doesn't grow, childish as hell, and creates more problems then stars in the sky. This is the book for you.
Seriously 3 books in and the character doesn't grow a inch, She's all talk and no bite. Her only weapon? Sarcasm that's it. She gets into trouble/creates problems, gets saved only to do it again while everyone is screaming "NO" but does she listen in any of the 3 books or any of the chapters? NO SHE DOES NOT. So its an endless cycle. causes EVERYONE trouble. Gets close to death, gets saved. Yes she does have a real weapon but she is usually to slow or to stupid to get the upper hand. Each and every fight is like page after page of her barley surviving only for someone to come save her.
She should have just killed the shadow agent that's messing with Ben, Does she? no! She talks tough but once the fighting starts she losses. It wouldn't be so annoying if she didn't ALWAYS lose so all that tough talk seems exactly that a waste of breath.
She is heartless in romantic way. Maybe Naïve or stupid is better. She plays this "I'm here...im gone" with Ben. Seriously fucking with his state of mind. All while having feelings and leading Hunter on.
She says she wants to protect everyone even her daughter but how can she when she cant even keep herself alive without praying for help? She does stupid things and gets everyone in life threatening situations and everyone accepts it when she says "I'm sorry let me try again" how many times would someone really put there lives in the hand of someone who always fucks up and drags everyone with them? Once would be the maximum times for me, but some reason the author thought its smart or reasonable for the rest of the characters to repeatedly do just that. So Really none of the characters grow in this book if they did they wouldn't be allowing a childish weak Jo/olive to lead them so close to death each book.
And the only praise I have for this book. The whole Light side sitting on their ass's twiddling their thumbs while the dark goes on killing sprees. Sounds exactly like real life! So least the author kept in touch with that since it at least 'seems' that the murders/rapist/all around bad guy gets away since cops and other law enforcement has to sit and wait for evidence only for the law system to favor the bad guy.
Seriously 3 books in and the character doesn't grow a inch, She's all talk and no bite. Her only weapon? Sarcasm that's it. She gets into trouble/creates problems, gets saved only to do it again while everyone is screaming "NO" but does she listen in any of the 3 books or any of the chapters? NO SHE DOES NOT. So its an endless cycle. causes EVERYONE trouble. Gets close to death, gets saved. Yes she does have a real weapon but she is usually to slow or to stupid to get the upper hand. Each and every fight is like page after page of her barley surviving only for someone to come save her.
She should have just killed the shadow agent that's messing with Ben, Does she? no! She talks tough but once the fighting starts she losses. It wouldn't be so annoying if she didn't ALWAYS lose so all that tough talk seems exactly that a waste of breath.
She is heartless in romantic way. Maybe Naïve or stupid is better. She plays this "I'm here...im gone" with Ben. Seriously fucking with his state of mind. All while having feelings and leading Hunter on.
She says she wants to protect everyone even her daughter but how can she when she cant even keep herself alive without praying for help? She does stupid things and gets everyone in life threatening situations and everyone accepts it when she says "I'm sorry let me try again" how many times would someone really put there lives in the hand of someone who always fucks up and drags everyone with them? Once would be the maximum times for me, but some reason the author thought its smart or reasonable for the rest of the characters to repeatedly do just that. So Really none of the characters grow in this book if they did they wouldn't be allowing a childish weak Jo/olive to lead them so close to death each book.
And the only praise I have for this book. The whole Light side sitting on their ass's twiddling their thumbs while the dark goes on killing sprees. Sounds exactly like real life! So least the author kept in touch with that since it at least 'seems' that the murders/rapist/all around bad guy gets away since cops and other law enforcement has to sit and wait for evidence only for the law system to favor the bad guy.
January 16, 2009
This was a very good continuation of the series. Pettersson set up the next book very well, but I didn't have the feeling while I was reading this book that the entire purpose of this story was to set up the next one.
It was nice to see more of Hunter. I expect he'll play a big role in the next book. I'm hoping he doesn't actually turn to the shadow side, that would be repetitive after this book. While I think Jo/Olivia was right about needed to figures things out herself before getting involved with another man, I would like to see them together. I like Hunter and I'm not entirely convinced why he still wants Jo other than "it feels good." But at least he's mostly avoided the "you've said no but I'm going to keep pursuing you stalker-like but it's okay because we're meant to be together" trap. He made it clear he wants her, but mostly he's left her alone except when she comes to him.
I really didn't mind losing Ben. It had been a while since I'd read the other books so I'd forgotten a lot about him and no longer had a feel for their relationship. Ben himself appeared only briefly. This may all have been intention on Pettersson's part, after all, the point was that Jo/Olivia was holding on to the idea of Ben more than Ben himself.
It looks like there will be some significant changes in the next book. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.
It was nice to see more of Hunter. I expect he'll play a big role in the next book. I'm hoping he doesn't actually turn to the shadow side, that would be repetitive after this book. While I think Jo/Olivia was right about needed to figures things out herself before getting involved with another man, I would like to see them together. I like Hunter and I'm not entirely convinced why he still wants Jo other than "it feels good." But at least he's mostly avoided the "you've said no but I'm going to keep pursuing you stalker-like but it's okay because we're meant to be together" trap. He made it clear he wants her, but mostly he's left her alone except when she comes to him.
I really didn't mind losing Ben. It had been a while since I'd read the other books so I'd forgotten a lot about him and no longer had a feel for their relationship. Ben himself appeared only briefly. This may all have been intention on Pettersson's part, after all, the point was that Jo/Olivia was holding on to the idea of Ben more than Ben himself.
It looks like there will be some significant changes in the next book. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2009
Note: this review will be useless to someone who hasn't read the first two books.
I enjoyed the book. I really did. The series is interesting and I'm definitely invested in the characters. However, the "new author" smell is wearing off and I'm starting to notice some flaws. There have definitely been occassions in the book where I wondered if Vicki Pettersson remembered what she'd said in one of the earlier books, or even earlier in this book. It's not a new problem, I noticed it before, but it seemed a bit heavier in this book. It seems like something is lacking in her writing, but I couldn't tell you what.
That said, the story here is interesting. The mythology gets a lot more philosophical and enigmatic, and sometimes hard to follow, but still interesting.
And now for the spoilers:
I'm getting really tired of the troop falling for the Tulpa's tricks and playing right into his hands. You think they'd learn to excercise a little bit more caution.
I'm also bored to death with Ben Traina. I don't like the way his character has developed (which may be the point) and I'm ready for Joanna to get over him, stop being quite so naive and stubborn and give Hunter the chance he deserves. Hunter seems a way better match for Joanna's character anyway. There never really was much to convince you that Ben and Joanna had a great thing going, you were just expected to accept that they had a history and count that as enough. But we've gotten to see the relationship between Hunter and Jo up close, so I'm definitely more motivated to cheer for it.
I'm am getting really really sick of Regan (also probably the point), but I suppose Joanna can't keep going up against the Tulpa and surviving without it starting to look fishy, so I guess there has to be some smaller enemy for her to focus on and she already took out Ajax and Joaquin.
Warren's character creates such mixed feelings in me. He's this huge mix of leadership and paranoia with a little bit of naivety mixed in. Really don't know what to do with him.
Still worth reading and I'm definitely looking forward to the release of the fourth book in July.
That's my two cents, take it for what it's worth.
Peace
I enjoyed the book. I really did. The series is interesting and I'm definitely invested in the characters. However, the "new author" smell is wearing off and I'm starting to notice some flaws. There have definitely been occassions in the book where I wondered if Vicki Pettersson remembered what she'd said in one of the earlier books, or even earlier in this book. It's not a new problem, I noticed it before, but it seemed a bit heavier in this book. It seems like something is lacking in her writing, but I couldn't tell you what.
That said, the story here is interesting. The mythology gets a lot more philosophical and enigmatic, and sometimes hard to follow, but still interesting.
And now for the spoilers:
I'm getting really tired of the troop falling for the Tulpa's tricks and playing right into his hands. You think they'd learn to excercise a little bit more caution.
I'm also bored to death with Ben Traina. I don't like the way his character has developed (which may be the point) and I'm ready for Joanna to get over him, stop being quite so naive and stubborn and give Hunter the chance he deserves. Hunter seems a way better match for Joanna's character anyway. There never really was much to convince you that Ben and Joanna had a great thing going, you were just expected to accept that they had a history and count that as enough. But we've gotten to see the relationship between Hunter and Jo up close, so I'm definitely more motivated to cheer for it.
I'm am getting really really sick of Regan (also probably the point), but I suppose Joanna can't keep going up against the Tulpa and surviving without it starting to look fishy, so I guess there has to be some smaller enemy for her to focus on and she already took out Ajax and Joaquin.
Warren's character creates such mixed feelings in me. He's this huge mix of leadership and paranoia with a little bit of naivety mixed in. Really don't know what to do with him.
Still worth reading and I'm definitely looking forward to the release of the fourth book in July.
That's my two cents, take it for what it's worth.
Peace
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2014
If things aren't bad enough for our zodiac Archer, defender of humans for the side of all things good and light, her thorn in the ass enemy, Regan, has gone one step to far in torturing Jo/Olivia. And it is the one thing that will bring the wrath of Jo full blown down on her. I can't tell you what it is, just know that Jo loses is big time. So now Jo has the Shadow zodiac's out to kill her, her own people shunning her and now a doppelganger trying to eat her heart. But Jo sticks with it till a culmination finally comes knocking her into "Bitch of the Century" mode. Yet we are still a ways from the end of this series...three more to go. Is Jo ever going to wind of with the picket fence? Will she still want it?
November 29, 2018
Reread 29/12/18
Still 3.5-4 stars. This time though I find Jo dumb. She's intelligent and figures stuff out but she blunders around in the dark like a dumbass half the time. Ben is like a spoilt brat and irritates me in this one. That being said, the story plays out nicely, it's fast paced and unpredictable. Chandra has the opportunity to step and does, I love that.
More like 3.5 stars.
Joanna is a/the big gun annnnnnnnnnd not much else. There is still the action and trust me it packs a punch but this felt like a little bit of a filler.
Still 3.5-4 stars. This time though I find Jo dumb. She's intelligent and figures stuff out but she blunders around in the dark like a dumbass half the time. Ben is like a spoilt brat and irritates me in this one. That being said, the story plays out nicely, it's fast paced and unpredictable. Chandra has the opportunity to step and does, I love that.
More like 3.5 stars.
Joanna is a/the big gun annnnnnnnnnd not much else. There is still the action and trust me it packs a punch but this felt like a little bit of a filler.
March 19, 2013
WOW! It took me a bit to catch back up to the trail of the story, but once I did....WOW!
Olivia/Joanne is still dealing with her dual-sided Light/Shadow self. Now she has an otherworldly being trying to become her. AND she has biotch Shadow Regan doing everything she can to take over her life, too, including Ben, Jo's man.
The story moves along at a clip and I decided to get on to the next in the series so I won't lose the thread. I don't want to lose this.
Highly enjoyable and recommendable.
Olivia/Joanne is still dealing with her dual-sided Light/Shadow self. Now she has an otherworldly being trying to become her. AND she has biotch Shadow Regan doing everything she can to take over her life, too, including Ben, Jo's man.
The story moves along at a clip and I decided to get on to the next in the series so I won't lose the thread. I don't want to lose this.
Highly enjoyable and recommendable.
December 13, 2009
2.5/5 stars. Hmmm. I wasn't overally fond of this particular book in the series. Maybe because I missed Joanna's vindictive side towards characters we had so much invested time with in books 1 and 2. I don't know. I will still likely read book 4, but I am not as excited about the series as I was when I first started it...
January 5, 2018
I like this series, but this book seemed overly slow and overly dramatic. Every time we saw R**, instead of a villain vs superhero fight, it was a Housewife show moment. There was very little action. The ones there were exciting, but there weren't enough.
The main issue, I felt like smacking her for not getting it right away. It was pretty obvious to me, but she was pure clueless. Okay, she might not know what a doppelganger is since she was never interested in myth and fantasy, but the actual CLUE given wasn't exactly hard to figure out.
The secondary story was good. The thing that happened with J** was interesting and I really am rooting for that one to be figured out. I loved how the others handled it, with Joanne just saying No... we'll figure a better way to fix this. lol
Mostly, if R** goes away forever, I'll be happy. She's annoying.
The main issue, I felt like smacking her for not getting it right away. It was pretty obvious to me, but she was pure clueless. Okay, she might not know what a doppelganger is since she was never interested in myth and fantasy, but the actual CLUE given wasn't exactly hard to figure out.
The secondary story was good. The thing that happened with J** was interesting and I really am rooting for that one to be figured out. I loved how the others handled it, with Joanne just saying No... we'll figure a better way to fix this. lol
Mostly, if R** goes away forever, I'll be happy. She's annoying.
June 30, 2024
To Be Continued.....
Death, despair, and decadence....all wrapped inside Sin City....personified in Las Vegas. A momentary pause in the warfare between Light and Shadows but the danger is not resolved, only on hold for mere moments. Life still is not a clear, spelled out pathway for the Kairos, but as she slowly moves forward, distractions are moved side even as new ones arise...and a growing realization that she must grow to know and fully trust herself in order to protect herself and her own. And the plot thickens....
Death, despair, and decadence....all wrapped inside Sin City....personified in Las Vegas. A momentary pause in the warfare between Light and Shadows but the danger is not resolved, only on hold for mere moments. Life still is not a clear, spelled out pathway for the Kairos, but as she slowly moves forward, distractions are moved side even as new ones arise...and a growing realization that she must grow to know and fully trust herself in order to protect herself and her own. And the plot thickens....
January 18, 2021
I really enjoyed the first two books in this series about the paranormal world in Las Vegas and the forces of Light and Shadow. At least I think I did; it's been a long time. Unfortunately, this third book is doing nothing for me and I'm struggling to get through it, so I'm giving up. Too many other books to read.
August 26, 2019
The great adventure continues. I am rushing to the next book to keep reading the series. I love the series so far.
May 5, 2024
Would probably give this one a 3.5. Jo was annoying me with how hard she was hanging on to Ben, and the Doppelganger stuff was a little confusing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2010
This is the third book in the Sign of the Zodiac series by Vicki Pettersson. This book was a strong addition to the series, a lot happens, and many things from the last book are resolved.
In this book Joanna Archer is struggling with a number of things; one of the Shadow Agents (under cover as Rose) has her sights set on Joanna's childhood sweetheart Ben, Joanna is being hunted by a mysterious doppleganger, something has happened to the changeling that protects Joanna, the Tulpa is still trying to woe Joanna to the "darkside", and on top of all this the third sign of the Zodiac is imminent. Of course there is also the issue of Joanna's daughter, Joanna's lack of a relationship with Hunter, and Joanna's missing mother. When you take it all in, there is a lot going on in this book.
For the most part it was a very good book and I enjoyed it. I loved the addition of the doppleganger. I loved that more depth was added to Zane, the comic book store owner. I also liked that Joanna is learning more about her powers and finally taking a bit more responsibility for her actions. It was a very interesting book. I also liked that Pettersson is trying to take this a bit beyond most paranormals by adding a deep Mythos behind her characters and adding interesting theories of vibrational frequencies behind the power of the super heros.
There were a few things I didn't like though. For a lot of the book I feel like Joanna is confused and just has two much going on. It is almost like Joanna has horrible ADD and can't focus long enough to complete anything. It makes me wonder if maybe Pettersson is having some trouble focusing on what the point of the story is; maybe she's thrown too much at Joanna for this character to get things done in some symblance of order. Joanna's fixation with Ben and blindness towards him is irritating, as is her reluctance to accept her new life. Joanna's lack of training and knowledge is also irritating, usually in this type of story you would have at least a small period where the hero learns what their capabilities are and Joanna doesn't do that; she just stumbles through the story. Also, even though I liked the inclusion of scientific theory behind the special super hero powers, I felt like the vibrational theory explanation was a bit contrived. It felt like Pettersson was making up these theories on the fly and hadn't really thought them though.
Even though this wasn't the tightest most well put together story that I have ever read, and the main character seemed unfocused and scattered at times, it was still a very good book. Joanna has a lot of depth as a character and the story is wildly creative and interesting. Joanna does redeem herself at the end, showing that she is growing as a character and making progress in accepting who she is. This isn't quite the book I had hoped it would be, but I have high hopes for the next novel. These books are just a hair away from being something really extraordinary.
In this book Joanna Archer is struggling with a number of things; one of the Shadow Agents (under cover as Rose) has her sights set on Joanna's childhood sweetheart Ben, Joanna is being hunted by a mysterious doppleganger, something has happened to the changeling that protects Joanna, the Tulpa is still trying to woe Joanna to the "darkside", and on top of all this the third sign of the Zodiac is imminent. Of course there is also the issue of Joanna's daughter, Joanna's lack of a relationship with Hunter, and Joanna's missing mother. When you take it all in, there is a lot going on in this book.
For the most part it was a very good book and I enjoyed it. I loved the addition of the doppleganger. I loved that more depth was added to Zane, the comic book store owner. I also liked that Joanna is learning more about her powers and finally taking a bit more responsibility for her actions. It was a very interesting book. I also liked that Pettersson is trying to take this a bit beyond most paranormals by adding a deep Mythos behind her characters and adding interesting theories of vibrational frequencies behind the power of the super heros.
There were a few things I didn't like though. For a lot of the book I feel like Joanna is confused and just has two much going on. It is almost like Joanna has horrible ADD and can't focus long enough to complete anything. It makes me wonder if maybe Pettersson is having some trouble focusing on what the point of the story is; maybe she's thrown too much at Joanna for this character to get things done in some symblance of order. Joanna's fixation with Ben and blindness towards him is irritating, as is her reluctance to accept her new life. Joanna's lack of training and knowledge is also irritating, usually in this type of story you would have at least a small period where the hero learns what their capabilities are and Joanna doesn't do that; she just stumbles through the story. Also, even though I liked the inclusion of scientific theory behind the special super hero powers, I felt like the vibrational theory explanation was a bit contrived. It felt like Pettersson was making up these theories on the fly and hadn't really thought them though.
Even though this wasn't the tightest most well put together story that I have ever read, and the main character seemed unfocused and scattered at times, it was still a very good book. Joanna has a lot of depth as a character and the story is wildly creative and interesting. Joanna does redeem herself at the end, showing that she is growing as a character and making progress in accepting who she is. This isn't quite the book I had hoped it would be, but I have high hopes for the next novel. These books are just a hair away from being something really extraordinary.
October 3, 2011
Joanna Archer has finally accepted her dual identity as a beautiful socialite by day and a warrior for the light by night. But the third sign of the zodiac is about to rise, and it is prophesied that Joanna will turn her back on the light when her dormant shadow side rises and she joins forces with her father, the Tulpa aka leader of the shadows. Joanna is also being hunted by a doppelganger who wants nothing more than to take over Joanna's life, and the shadow agent Regan who is corrupting Joanna's first love Ben.
I was looking forward to this book, and while it wasn't quite what I expected I wasn't disappointed. The introduction of doppelgangers and a whole other world called Midheaven was unexpected, but helped the book to continue developing. This book also picked up some features from the earlier books - like the changelings, where non-lineaged star signs come from and the Tulpa's desperation for revenge on Zoe, Joanna's mother.
Joanna annoyed me a bit in this book, continually whining about Ben. She completely ignores Hunter (the other potential love interest) for most of the book, and then ends up really hurting him in a show of immaturity and selfishness. Thankfully the Ben storyline is concluded in this book, so hopefully Joanna will pull herself together and start acting like a grown-up.
While the other star sign characters don't get much attention, Chandra (the initiate who was usurped by Joanna) does get a fair bit of page time and finds her role within the light team. Before now Chandra has been pretty one-dimensional, and this book sees her become a more developed character. We also find out a lot more about Zane, the record keeper who draws the comics - like how exactly he became the record keeper, and what that entails.
Disappointingly, quite a lot of story threads were left unfinished at the end of the book which given how well liked the books appear to be was unnecessary. However, it could be that it will take a lot to tie them up so that could be why they were left hanging. One major one was that the fourth sign of the zodiac was not revealed, whereas each book so far has revealed the following sign.
All in all, I enjoyed the book (although slightly less than books one The Scent of Shadows and two The Taste of Night)and am looking forward to book four: City of Souls.
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 7/10
Overall: 44/50
I was looking forward to this book, and while it wasn't quite what I expected I wasn't disappointed. The introduction of doppelgangers and a whole other world called Midheaven was unexpected, but helped the book to continue developing. This book also picked up some features from the earlier books - like the changelings, where non-lineaged star signs come from and the Tulpa's desperation for revenge on Zoe, Joanna's mother.
Joanna annoyed me a bit in this book, continually whining about Ben. She completely ignores Hunter (the other potential love interest) for most of the book, and then ends up really hurting him in a show of immaturity and selfishness. Thankfully the Ben storyline is concluded in this book, so hopefully Joanna will pull herself together and start acting like a grown-up.
While the other star sign characters don't get much attention, Chandra (the initiate who was usurped by Joanna) does get a fair bit of page time and finds her role within the light team. Before now Chandra has been pretty one-dimensional, and this book sees her become a more developed character. We also find out a lot more about Zane, the record keeper who draws the comics - like how exactly he became the record keeper, and what that entails.
Disappointingly, quite a lot of story threads were left unfinished at the end of the book which given how well liked the books appear to be was unnecessary. However, it could be that it will take a lot to tie them up so that could be why they were left hanging. One major one was that the fourth sign of the zodiac was not revealed, whereas each book so far has revealed the following sign.
All in all, I enjoyed the book (although slightly less than books one The Scent of Shadows and two The Taste of Night)and am looking forward to book four: City of Souls.
Plot: 9/10
Characters: 8/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 7/10
Overall: 44/50
December 15, 2014
The Touch of Twilight felt like a filler book to me. It jumps between several different plot threads, and only one of them actually held my attention. In fact, I can't even remember how the book began even though it's been less than 24 hours since I started it. However, at some point Joanna has a lot of stuff to deal with: something is creating black holes all over the city, Regan is still leading Ben on and probably trying to kill him, Regan and the something creating black holes want to kill her, and she somehow broke Jasmine, her changeling. There's a lot on her plate, and Joanna doesn't know how to fix all of it, especially in the face of the third sign coming to pass.
My biggest annoyance with The Touch of Twilight was the doppelganger plot. The idea behind the doppelganger was pretty interesting, but it it felt randomly thrown in. Plus, I am so sick of doppelgangers thanks to The Vampire Diaries, even though this one was nothing like the ones in the show. In addition to just not liking this plot, I found the conclusion to be very unbelievable. Joanna knows nothing about doppelgangers and doesn't have the slightest idea how to stop it or give it what it wants (or even what it wants). But all of a sudden she's enlightened and goes into this whole speech about it at the end. What? Where did all of that come from? I don't even know.
The Jasmine plot thread was all but abandoned for most of the book. Sure Joanna needs to watch out for herself, and Ben is her number one priority, but she didn't even try to help Jasmine or her sister Li. She has no idea what she did to her, so of course she doesn't know how to fix it, but the only thing she had to say about it was "I'm working on it." Um, no, she wasn't. She has plenty of resources at her disposable but she didn't use any of them. She should just take the direct route like everyone was telling her to: kill Jasmine.
The only part of The Touch of Twilight I really enjoyed was the whole Joanna, Regan, Ben fiasco. It's just so messed up! Ben knows Joanna is around somewhere, but he's dating Regan who happens to look just like her, and he runs into Olivia all the time but can't tell that it's really Joanna. Joanna wants to tell him the truth, but she's careless and lets Regan in on it, who of course, takes matters into her own hands, and OMG, that was horrible! I'm still rooting for those two, but it's looking less and less likely.
The Touch of Twilight was disappointing. I don't think it progressed the overall series plot that much. The third sign happened, but it felt very disconnected to me. Thankfully, City of Souls will get it back on track.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
My biggest annoyance with The Touch of Twilight was the doppelganger plot. The idea behind the doppelganger was pretty interesting, but it it felt randomly thrown in. Plus, I am so sick of doppelgangers thanks to The Vampire Diaries, even though this one was nothing like the ones in the show. In addition to just not liking this plot, I found the conclusion to be very unbelievable. Joanna knows nothing about doppelgangers and doesn't have the slightest idea how to stop it or give it what it wants (or even what it wants). But all of a sudden she's enlightened and goes into this whole speech about it at the end. What? Where did all of that come from? I don't even know.
The Jasmine plot thread was all but abandoned for most of the book. Sure Joanna needs to watch out for herself, and Ben is her number one priority, but she didn't even try to help Jasmine or her sister Li. She has no idea what she did to her, so of course she doesn't know how to fix it, but the only thing she had to say about it was "I'm working on it." Um, no, she wasn't. She has plenty of resources at her disposable but she didn't use any of them. She should just take the direct route like everyone was telling her to: kill Jasmine.
The only part of The Touch of Twilight I really enjoyed was the whole Joanna, Regan, Ben fiasco. It's just so messed up! Ben knows Joanna is around somewhere, but he's dating Regan who happens to look just like her, and he runs into Olivia all the time but can't tell that it's really Joanna. Joanna wants to tell him the truth, but she's careless and lets Regan in on it, who of course, takes matters into her own hands, and OMG, that was horrible! I'm still rooting for those two, but it's looking less and less likely.
The Touch of Twilight was disappointing. I don't think it progressed the overall series plot that much. The third sign happened, but it felt very disconnected to me. Thankfully, City of Souls will get it back on track.
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.
August 13, 2011
I am working my way through this series at a pretty rapid rate because it is enjoyable and each book leaves unanswered questions and problems that need a solution. Each book makes the world larger but still leaving the reader wanting more.
As much as I like this series I do have a few continuing issues. This is now the third book in the series and beyond a brief mention in book one, the world is still all White. This is absolutely unrealistic for a city like Las Vegas and speaks very much to the authors belief in White supremacy. If you cannot even imagine people of colour, in a world of your creation, it means that we are less than nothing in her mind. The same erasure of course exists for the GLBT community in this book, with the exception of the following line:
"I wasn't going to get into a conversation about transgenders with a kid who read National Geographic for the boobies."(emphasis mine) pg. 177
The use of the word transgenders is absolute dehumanizing though not surprising considering how Pettersson through around the word hermaphrodite in the first book. If I find her choice of words upsetting, I cannot imagine how much more so people who are gender variant find them.
Much of the book centered around the fact that the zodiacs get their importance from their mothers rather than their fathers. As much as this series is about light vs dark it is also matriarchy vs patriarchy. Often this question does not arise in society let alone the media. If you doubt it question why it is most children carry their fathers last name and why it is always a concession to add a mothers name using a hyphen. In much of what Joanna/Oliva does she is directly withstanding her fathers claim on her identity. When we think of the rise of things like purity balls this can be seen as transgressive. Does the daughter naturally belong to her father until ownership can be transferred to a husband or does the daughter have a right to choose her mother or even herself? Indirectly I would say that these are question that Pettersson is seeking to explore with this series.
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As much as I like this series I do have a few continuing issues. This is now the third book in the series and beyond a brief mention in book one, the world is still all White. This is absolutely unrealistic for a city like Las Vegas and speaks very much to the authors belief in White supremacy. If you cannot even imagine people of colour, in a world of your creation, it means that we are less than nothing in her mind. The same erasure of course exists for the GLBT community in this book, with the exception of the following line:
"I wasn't going to get into a conversation about transgenders with a kid who read National Geographic for the boobies."(emphasis mine) pg. 177
The use of the word transgenders is absolute dehumanizing though not surprising considering how Pettersson through around the word hermaphrodite in the first book. If I find her choice of words upsetting, I cannot imagine how much more so people who are gender variant find them.
Much of the book centered around the fact that the zodiacs get their importance from their mothers rather than their fathers. As much as this series is about light vs dark it is also matriarchy vs patriarchy. Often this question does not arise in society let alone the media. If you doubt it question why it is most children carry their fathers last name and why it is always a concession to add a mothers name using a hyphen. In much of what Joanna/Oliva does she is directly withstanding her fathers claim on her identity. When we think of the rise of things like purity balls this can be seen as transgressive. Does the daughter naturally belong to her father until ownership can be transferred to a husband or does the daughter have a right to choose her mother or even herself? Indirectly I would say that these are question that Pettersson is seeking to explore with this series.
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February 21, 2015
La course poursuite entre Regan et Joanna prend de l'ampleur et la noirceur de l'âme du Cancer de l'Ombre nous apparaît de jolis en plus au fil de cet épisode. Elle est obnubilée par Joanna et elle n'est hélas pas la seule.
Cependant Joanna ne veut pas changer de point de vue et de priorité même face à la survie du bataillon ou d'innocents. Un seul être lui importe et pour lui elle serait prêté à tout.
Nous retrouvons ainsi la Joanna bornée et sans scrupule mais surtout amoureuse d'un rêve qui ne se réalisera probablement jamais.
La lutte contre le Tulpa, contre cette chose qui semble lui en vouloir particulièrement, la victoire de la Lumière face aux Ombres , tout cela ne semble pas faire le poids face aux sentiments qu'elle éprouve encore et toujours pour Ben Traina. Et les secrets qu'elle lui cache ne sont que des armes de plus en plus nombreuses que ses ennemies veulent lui envoyer à la face.
Ce tome est donc beaucoup plus sombre que les précédents même si le tome 2 nous poussait déjà un peu vers le côté obscur de la force.
Ici nous suivons les réflexions de Joanna, ses priorités, ses besoins avec encore plus d'acuité que précédemment. Les fissures qu'ont laissé dans son âme son agression adolescente, la disparition de sa mère et la mort d'Olivia auquel se rajoute la découverte de sa nature complexe, de ce père exécré et des sempiternels doutes de ces compagnons de bataillon sur sa part d'Ombre ne sont pas pour la rassurer. Elle doit donc lutter à chaque instant contre elle-même et contre les autres.
Cela ne nous la rend pas attachante mais parfois un peu énervante. Même si nous voulons comprendre et compatir nous nous rendons compte aussi qu'elle suit sa propre voie, égoïstement comme elle l'a toujours fait. Parfois celle-ci rejoint celle de la lumière mais de doutes nous assaillent aussi au fil de la lecture ce qui la rend d'autant plus intéressante et impatiente.
Vicky Petterson en nous montrant les facettes les plus sordides de ces personnages réussit à nous plonger dans le doute et l'expectative.
Une seule question tout du long: va-t-elle pencher oui ou non pour le côté Ombre?
Une question où de nombreux indices semblent vouloir nous répondre et en même temps nous faire encore plus douter de nos réflexions.
Cependant Joanna ne veut pas changer de point de vue et de priorité même face à la survie du bataillon ou d'innocents. Un seul être lui importe et pour lui elle serait prêté à tout.
Nous retrouvons ainsi la Joanna bornée et sans scrupule mais surtout amoureuse d'un rêve qui ne se réalisera probablement jamais.
La lutte contre le Tulpa, contre cette chose qui semble lui en vouloir particulièrement, la victoire de la Lumière face aux Ombres , tout cela ne semble pas faire le poids face aux sentiments qu'elle éprouve encore et toujours pour Ben Traina. Et les secrets qu'elle lui cache ne sont que des armes de plus en plus nombreuses que ses ennemies veulent lui envoyer à la face.
Ce tome est donc beaucoup plus sombre que les précédents même si le tome 2 nous poussait déjà un peu vers le côté obscur de la force.
Ici nous suivons les réflexions de Joanna, ses priorités, ses besoins avec encore plus d'acuité que précédemment. Les fissures qu'ont laissé dans son âme son agression adolescente, la disparition de sa mère et la mort d'Olivia auquel se rajoute la découverte de sa nature complexe, de ce père exécré et des sempiternels doutes de ces compagnons de bataillon sur sa part d'Ombre ne sont pas pour la rassurer. Elle doit donc lutter à chaque instant contre elle-même et contre les autres.
Cela ne nous la rend pas attachante mais parfois un peu énervante. Même si nous voulons comprendre et compatir nous nous rendons compte aussi qu'elle suit sa propre voie, égoïstement comme elle l'a toujours fait. Parfois celle-ci rejoint celle de la lumière mais de doutes nous assaillent aussi au fil de la lecture ce qui la rend d'autant plus intéressante et impatiente.
Vicky Petterson en nous montrant les facettes les plus sordides de ces personnages réussit à nous plonger dans le doute et l'expectative.
Une seule question tout du long: va-t-elle pencher oui ou non pour le côté Ombre?
Une question où de nombreux indices semblent vouloir nous répondre et en même temps nous faire encore plus douter de nos réflexions.
August 26, 2008
I just finished reading this one, and I must saw, as always, Pettersson's books sure pack a wallop! The Third Sign of the Zodiac is that the Shadow side (or is it the dormant side?) of the Kairos (Joanna Archer) will awaken, and Joanna's father, the evil Tulpa, would like nothing better than to see her join his Shadow team. That is, until he perceives her chi is damaged, a problem which has also caused the manuals of Light to become unreadable, and the changeling Jasmine to develop some of the same powers Joanna has, all the while forgetting her changeling nature (as is typical at puberty) but failing to pass the torch. Meanwhile, a mysterious doppelganger has entered the picture, hungry for Joanna's heart. Joanna comes across much better in this third installment than she did in the second, as she is growing in her abilities and actually showing some ingenuity at times. She's deeply torn between two lovers, one mortal and one superhero, and there's plenty of romantic angst if you like that sort of thing. I found the climax to be clever and thrilling, one of those for which the seeds were sown earlier but which still caught me by surprise. Unfortunately, in my opinion the book could easily have stopped twenty pages before it did, since the ending was designed to a. too quickly tie up one of the plot lines (did the author get bored?) and b. remind us that, oh yeah, a lot of things still haven't been resolved. Because they haven't, and because I find this a fun and exciting series, I'm already anxious for book number 4!
P.S. I wish that Pettersson would come up with a sort of dramatis personae, although it might be challenging with the changes in personnel. But do the math; if every sign is represented there will be twelve members each of the Shadow and Light sides, plus initiates, mortal beards, and various associated figures, plus the people at the comic book store, plus ordinary mortals. That's a lot of characters to keep track of!
P.P.S. I also wish Pettersson would be nicer with and to us Libras! We're nice folks, honest!
P.S. I wish that Pettersson would come up with a sort of dramatis personae, although it might be challenging with the changes in personnel. But do the math; if every sign is represented there will be twelve members each of the Shadow and Light sides, plus initiates, mortal beards, and various associated figures, plus the people at the comic book store, plus ordinary mortals. That's a lot of characters to keep track of!
P.P.S. I also wish Pettersson would be nicer with and to us Libras! We're nice folks, honest!
June 30, 2008
Joanna Archer is still getting used to the dramatic changes in her life. She recently became a member of a Zodiac-themed group of heroes, and she was forced into pretending to be her late sister as a secret identity. Her situation is even more complicated because of the mysterious disappearance of her mother, her determination to protect her ex from an enemy agent, and the fact that even her allies are waiting to see if the influence of her evil father will turn her against them.
This series is unique among urban fantasy books, it's basically a comic book in prose form. Like many good comic books, there's a heavy dose of drama including character interactions almost as intricate as an afternoon soap. The action scenes are well done and evocative, there are times where I can almost see the panels drawn out on the page. There's plenty of cheese, but it doesn't usually get too over-the-top for me.
The main thing that I dislike is that the heroine really grates at times. She gets too whiny at times and is often unwilling to speak up for herself. Her other character flaws are interesting and fit the story, but the self-pity thing is getting old, especially because she seems to genuinely enjoy her new abilities. Thankfully that seems to be changing, and I was also happy to see Pettersson wrap up the plot about her ex that was really holding Joanna back (and becoming a bit dull).
People who are looking for something different and action-packed may enjoy this (but start with the first book, The Scent of Shadows). But avoid it if you will be really unhappy going along with comic-style logic, physics, and magic, which occasionally don't make that much sense.
This series is unique among urban fantasy books, it's basically a comic book in prose form. Like many good comic books, there's a heavy dose of drama including character interactions almost as intricate as an afternoon soap. The action scenes are well done and evocative, there are times where I can almost see the panels drawn out on the page. There's plenty of cheese, but it doesn't usually get too over-the-top for me.
The main thing that I dislike is that the heroine really grates at times. She gets too whiny at times and is often unwilling to speak up for herself. Her other character flaws are interesting and fit the story, but the self-pity thing is getting old, especially because she seems to genuinely enjoy her new abilities. Thankfully that seems to be changing, and I was also happy to see Pettersson wrap up the plot about her ex that was really holding Joanna back (and becoming a bit dull).
People who are looking for something different and action-packed may enjoy this (but start with the first book, The Scent of Shadows). But avoid it if you will be really unhappy going along with comic-style logic, physics, and magic, which occasionally don't make that much sense.
April 3, 2011
Favorite Line: “The need to amputate her smile welled, and I took a step forward before I could stop it.” (p. 7)
Book three in Vicki Pettersson’s Sign of the Zodiac series, The Touch of Twilight, picks up where book two The Taste of Night ends, with Joanna/Oliva Archer’s arch-enemy dating the love of Jo’s life. Determined not to lose Ben, Joanna is willing to risk everything for him.
This book takes a look into the loss and loneliness involved in being a superhero. Joanna was damaged long before gaining her abilities, but she is determined to find a happy ending with Ben. A happy ending which isn’t going to be simple to achieve with all the drama surrounding her troop. With pissed off teammates who are constantly questioning her loyalty to the light over the dark, it’s a wonder she hasn’t gone postal on their collected asses. There were a few that I wanted to punch several times.
In addition to the long distance “I love you Ben” thread, there is movement between Hunter and Joanna that, while not unexpected, really bothered me. I think the Hunter/Joanna thread kind of stole the story even though the third sign of the zodiac was fulfilled. Expect to find closure, new possibilities and regrets throughout the story.
The Touch of Twilight is a book which marks a turning point in the series. There are six books in the series and it’s book three. A major storyline carried over from books one and two ends and new characters who are extremely important in the final books are introduced. The sixth and final book, Neon Graveyard, will be released in a few months.
Scooper Speaks
Book three in Vicki Pettersson’s Sign of the Zodiac series, The Touch of Twilight, picks up where book two The Taste of Night ends, with Joanna/Oliva Archer’s arch-enemy dating the love of Jo’s life. Determined not to lose Ben, Joanna is willing to risk everything for him.
This book takes a look into the loss and loneliness involved in being a superhero. Joanna was damaged long before gaining her abilities, but she is determined to find a happy ending with Ben. A happy ending which isn’t going to be simple to achieve with all the drama surrounding her troop. With pissed off teammates who are constantly questioning her loyalty to the light over the dark, it’s a wonder she hasn’t gone postal on their collected asses. There were a few that I wanted to punch several times.
In addition to the long distance “I love you Ben” thread, there is movement between Hunter and Joanna that, while not unexpected, really bothered me. I think the Hunter/Joanna thread kind of stole the story even though the third sign of the zodiac was fulfilled. Expect to find closure, new possibilities and regrets throughout the story.
The Touch of Twilight is a book which marks a turning point in the series. There are six books in the series and it’s book three. A major storyline carried over from books one and two ends and new characters who are extremely important in the final books are introduced. The sixth and final book, Neon Graveyard, will be released in a few months.
Scooper Speaks
August 2, 2010
**Review** Our heroine, Joanna Archer, the Light Sagittarius, comes from a lineage of superheroines. She took over her sister Olivia's identity after she fell to her death in the first book in this series. Now, she's in peril of losing her superhero identity as an unknown doppelganger that has appeared. *Created, naturally, by her own mother!**
If Joanna doesn't solve her double's riddle soon, the doppelganger will eat her heart and assume her identity. This may or may not have something to do with Jasmine the Changeling who it turns out Jo accidentally "broke." The Tulpa, head of the Shadows, is equally afraid of the doppelganger taking over, as it seems to possess abilities he can't match.
This book focuses on several fights between Joanna and others within her own troop as well as the dark side. Regan, the Shadow Cancer, has stolen Joanna's identity, man, and life as of the end of the last book. This book focuses on the two women taunting each other. Regan has everything, but Joanna is constantly watching. The battle heats up when Joanna finds cracks in Regan's heart and targets the things she loves.
This is also about the duality of her decisions on the fact that she is the Kairos, a being of Light and Shadow. She is Joanna Archer and Olivia Archer at the same time, and she loves Ben and lusts after Hunter, who has a dark secret of his own that soon shall be revealed.
This series is definitely for those who love dark fantasy and comic book heroes, as it has both.
If Joanna doesn't solve her double's riddle soon, the doppelganger will eat her heart and assume her identity. This may or may not have something to do with Jasmine the Changeling who it turns out Jo accidentally "broke." The Tulpa, head of the Shadows, is equally afraid of the doppelganger taking over, as it seems to possess abilities he can't match.
This book focuses on several fights between Joanna and others within her own troop as well as the dark side. Regan, the Shadow Cancer, has stolen Joanna's identity, man, and life as of the end of the last book. This book focuses on the two women taunting each other. Regan has everything, but Joanna is constantly watching. The battle heats up when Joanna finds cracks in Regan's heart and targets the things she loves.
This is also about the duality of her decisions on the fact that she is the Kairos, a being of Light and Shadow. She is Joanna Archer and Olivia Archer at the same time, and she loves Ben and lusts after Hunter, who has a dark secret of his own that soon shall be revealed.
This series is definitely for those who love dark fantasy and comic book heroes, as it has both.
November 18, 2010
This series just gets better and better. I mean who wouldn't want to be this kick-ass superhero who everyone wants to keep under wraps or better yet even destroy.
Joanna is back! She is still trying to understand her powers and find her place in the Zodiac troop. It has only been a few months since her 25th birthday and the transformation that has changed her life forever. Then next stage of the prophesy is ready to happen.The question on everyone's mind is, Will her shadow half come into power? Joanna's past love and a personal mistakes from the second book haunt her in this book.
So many great twists, adventures and there is so much more to come. The end of this series could live on forever. The plot was well-developed, the action scenes were seriously awesome. I loved the fact that she misses her past and doesn't really want it let it go. Decisions are made on who to let go and who to give a chance to. Personally, I was in the middle of if she would choose the love of her life or give her love to another agent. And when she finally chooses it was BAME!!! I actually cried for her. Some decisions in life are never easy but just then sometimes in the end it was the better decision.
I couldn't have wanted more in a series. Life, love, romance, humor, letting go, and strength. I mean I can go on and on about this book. I couldn't put this down or any other book in the series down for that matter. This is a must read for all the woman who ever wanted to be a superhero.
Joanna is back! She is still trying to understand her powers and find her place in the Zodiac troop. It has only been a few months since her 25th birthday and the transformation that has changed her life forever. Then next stage of the prophesy is ready to happen.The question on everyone's mind is, Will her shadow half come into power? Joanna's past love and a personal mistakes from the second book haunt her in this book.
So many great twists, adventures and there is so much more to come. The end of this series could live on forever. The plot was well-developed, the action scenes were seriously awesome. I loved the fact that she misses her past and doesn't really want it let it go. Decisions are made on who to let go and who to give a chance to. Personally, I was in the middle of if she would choose the love of her life or give her love to another agent. And when she finally chooses it was BAME!!! I actually cried for her. Some decisions in life are never easy but just then sometimes in the end it was the better decision.
I couldn't have wanted more in a series. Life, love, romance, humor, letting go, and strength. I mean I can go on and on about this book. I couldn't put this down or any other book in the series down for that matter. This is a must read for all the woman who ever wanted to be a superhero.
March 5, 2014
Hidden from humans a war rages between light and dark agents of the zodiac. Our heroine, Joanna Archer, happens to be both. We see her being followed by a doppelganger throughout her city, Las Vegas. She's looking for many answers, but not having much luck. Everyone who may know something is reluctant at best or their memory fogs up when she asks the important questions. The balance of the zodiac is important within this story so anyone caught in the middle with additional information about the opposite side is unable to share it.
One of my favorite elements in the, Signs of the Zodiac, series is the character development. Even some of the characters who appear shallow when they first appear on the page are given depth over time. It is fascinating is see this story play out through Joanna's eyes. She's piecing together her past and present right along with the reader in some sections. Her knowledge that she is both light and dark gives her cause to doubt her intentions at times. It adds a human element to the character. It also makes her a target to some and an asset to others.
Las Vegas is more of a character to me in this series than a setting. The city leaps from the pages and makes an impact on multiple aspects of the book.
**
The Touch of Twilight is the third book in this series and I recommend reading them in order. Each installment so far has been excellent. Worth checking out for fans of urban fantasy and paranormal.
One of my favorite elements in the, Signs of the Zodiac, series is the character development. Even some of the characters who appear shallow when they first appear on the page are given depth over time. It is fascinating is see this story play out through Joanna's eyes. She's piecing together her past and present right along with the reader in some sections. Her knowledge that she is both light and dark gives her cause to doubt her intentions at times. It adds a human element to the character. It also makes her a target to some and an asset to others.
Las Vegas is more of a character to me in this series than a setting. The city leaps from the pages and makes an impact on multiple aspects of the book.
**
The Touch of Twilight is the third book in this series and I recommend reading them in order. Each installment so far has been excellent. Worth checking out for fans of urban fantasy and paranormal.
July 12, 2009
I think I've mentioned reviewing the previous two books how nice it is to have a new idea about good vs. evil. A lot of good vs. bad stories, particularly, I find, superhero stories, revolve around the efforts of good and bad to totally eradicate each other. But 8in this series, the good guys aren't trying to eradicate the bad; they're just trying to maintain the balance between the good and the bad, so that we mere mortals are able to make our own decisions regarding the path we follow.
While I have some issues about the idea that these particular superheroes are born to be good or bad, the main character, Joanna/Olivia/Archer/Kairos, being born of both the Light and Shadow sides of the struggle is given the same choice as mortals: Good or Bad? And she struggles with her identities, with her allies and her enemies and their perceptions of her, with her birth, and with what it means to her, and to the other Zodiac members, to be half shadow. This choice and her struggles make Joanna/Olivia a much more compelling character than most of her allies or enemies would be, and her inherent humanity, despite her superhero existence, leaves me itching for the next book of this series.
While I have some issues about the idea that these particular superheroes are born to be good or bad, the main character, Joanna/Olivia/Archer/Kairos, being born of both the Light and Shadow sides of the struggle is given the same choice as mortals: Good or Bad? And she struggles with her identities, with her allies and her enemies and their perceptions of her, with her birth, and with what it means to her, and to the other Zodiac members, to be half shadow. This choice and her struggles make Joanna/Olivia a much more compelling character than most of her allies or enemies would be, and her inherent humanity, despite her superhero existence, leaves me itching for the next book of this series.
November 23, 2012
Sadly this one was not my favorite. Good premise of the doppelgänger, the broken changling, and the problem of the comics of the light not being able to be read by the children. I was hoping that the book would have expanded more on these plot lines. Instead the story concentrates on Joanna's inability to grow as a character, she is stuck in her immature antics of only focussing/obsessing on Ben her childhood love. She is hell bent on revenge and destruction of Regan, the shadow cancerian, who has set her sights on Ben. She doesn't grown into her role of a superhero, she makes excuses for her childish ways and expects everyone to forgive her for the things she does. She uses people all for the greater good of Ben, when Ben has a dark side prior to the entrance of Rose into his life. Joanna doesn't see any of that. Her obsession of Ben is all that matters. Finally at the end she let him go, realizing that he wasn't there for her when she was victimized as a kid, and when he didn't realize that he slept with another woman. I'm hoping that book 4 will redeem the series and show growth in Joanna's character now that she has let Ben go. Besides, the other issues were not resolved and I need to know how they are going to be fixed.
August 23, 2008
The signs of the Zodiac series is a dark series with a comic book, Frank Miller feel. The rules of the world are many, and there is a lot for the reader to accept, but I think that once you do, you have a gritty and compelling story that's enjoyable to read, if you can handle an angsty tale. Joanna Archer is an imperfect heroine who does a lot of unlikeable things and makes decisions that I felt were wrong. It's the fact that she keeps trying to make up for her mistakes and her ultimate goal is to do good that keeps me reading. I want there to be a good resolution to her story, but it's a dark story, so I'm not sure if that's going to happen, but in book 3, I felt like Joanna is slowly making progress. I would not recommend reading any of the books in this series out of order because the world and plot is quite complex. Actions that happen in earlier books have consequences two books down, so someone reading the series in the middle will find themselves lost.
More detailed review on my book blog - http://janicu.livejournal.com/33349.html
More detailed review on my book blog - http://janicu.livejournal.com/33349.html
January 25, 2012
The Touch of Twilight was as intriguing and entertaining as I thought it would be. The main protagonist Joanna has a lot of growing into herself to do and the challenge at times seems like it may break her. The ever changing landscape of emotional upheaval and destruction that she faces would definitely break your average mortal. The characters all show strong personalities and quirks that become another challenge for the reader to decipher. Once again at the end of a Vicki Pettersson book I find myself reaching for the next one in the series immediately.
There are so many aspects in the Signs of the Zodiac series that I've never encountered in other fantasy/urban fantasy novels that it makes it feel like I'm discovering a whole different world. My only fear is that the storyline will trickle down as often happens in really great series' and will end leaving me with a sense of something left undone. So far, this series is one I'd recommend to anyone who likes to explore their imagination and consider just what may be possible right under our noses.
There are so many aspects in the Signs of the Zodiac series that I've never encountered in other fantasy/urban fantasy novels that it makes it feel like I'm discovering a whole different world. My only fear is that the storyline will trickle down as often happens in really great series' and will end leaving me with a sense of something left undone. So far, this series is one I'd recommend to anyone who likes to explore their imagination and consider just what may be possible right under our noses.
October 28, 2012
Another wild ride in the battle for Las Vegas. I found the first couple of chapters to be almost annoyingly confused and/or vague, like there was complex stuff going on that I was supposed to understand, but didn't. But I guess, as usual, that was a reflection of Joanna's confusion, though it didn't seem exactly presented that way. We soon got momentum going, however, and you were more easily able to go with the flow. It did take Joanna a frustratingly long time to figure out the riddle of the doppelgänger, however, especially since I pretty much figured out what she wanted fairly early on. If anything, I'd say that's my main complaint about the series so far; Joanna is just too dense sometimes, even accounting for the troop's inexplicable refusal to educate her on anything (which would be my secondary complaint). I get that the "mystery", as such, is what makes up the core of each book, but it just feels artificial at times. That said, they're always action packed, angst ridden, and entertaining.
June 4, 2012
In the last book, Joanna used her changeling, Jasmine, to visit her (supposed) one true love, Ben. This apparently "broke" Jasmine and now the graphic novels that tell the stories of the Light superheroes cannot be written. Without a written history, the Light superheroes run the risk of failing to exist.
Regan, who was introduced in the last book as well, continues to be a scourge on Joanna's life. She has come of age and reinvented herself as a copycat of the real Joanna and is now dating Ben. She continues to push Joanna's buttons, which makes Joanna make decisions emotionally rather than thoughtfully.
Finally, there is a doppelganger of Joanna running around, trying to kill her so that she can be brought fully into existence.
There's plenty of action to keep you going. Again, Joanna makes a lot of stupid mistakes, which can be infuriating. I know that she's damaged from her past, but she needs to try to think with her head rather than her anger. And yes, I did just talk about her as though she is real.
In other words, Vickie Pettersson is a genius.
Regan, who was introduced in the last book as well, continues to be a scourge on Joanna's life. She has come of age and reinvented herself as a copycat of the real Joanna and is now dating Ben. She continues to push Joanna's buttons, which makes Joanna make decisions emotionally rather than thoughtfully.
Finally, there is a doppelganger of Joanna running around, trying to kill her so that she can be brought fully into existence.
There's plenty of action to keep you going. Again, Joanna makes a lot of stupid mistakes, which can be infuriating. I know that she's damaged from her past, but she needs to try to think with her head rather than her anger. And yes, I did just talk about her as though she is real.
In other words, Vickie Pettersson is a genius.
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