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Greywalker #9
Revenant: A Greywalker Novel
Harper Blaine was your average small-time PI until she died—for two minutes. Now Harper is a Greywalker, treading the thin line between the living world and the paranormal realm. And these abilities are landing her all sorts of “strange” cases....
Turmoil, sickness, and destruction are sweeping through Europe—and its effects are being felt all the way across the world in Seattle. Harper Blaine and her lover, Quinton, suspect that Quinton’s father, James Purlis—and his terrifying Ghost Division—are involved.
Following a dark trail of grotesque crimes and black magic across the Old World, the pair slowly draws closer to their quarry. But finding and dismantling the Ghost Division won’t be enough to stop the horror that Purlis has unwittingly set in motion.
An ancient and forgotten cult has allied with Quinton’s mad father. And their goals are far more nightmarish than Harper and Quinton—or even Purlis—could ever imagine.
The pursuit leads to Portugal, where the desecrated tomb of a sleeping king and a temple built of bones recall Harper’s very first paranormal case and hold clues to the cult’s true intentions. Harper and Quinton will need all the help they can get to avert a necromantic cataclysm that could lay waste to Europe and drag the rest of the world to the brink of war.
Turmoil, sickness, and destruction are sweeping through Europe—and its effects are being felt all the way across the world in Seattle. Harper Blaine and her lover, Quinton, suspect that Quinton’s father, James Purlis—and his terrifying Ghost Division—are involved.
Following a dark trail of grotesque crimes and black magic across the Old World, the pair slowly draws closer to their quarry. But finding and dismantling the Ghost Division won’t be enough to stop the horror that Purlis has unwittingly set in motion.
An ancient and forgotten cult has allied with Quinton’s mad father. And their goals are far more nightmarish than Harper and Quinton—or even Purlis—could ever imagine.
The pursuit leads to Portugal, where the desecrated tomb of a sleeping king and a temple built of bones recall Harper’s very first paranormal case and hold clues to the cult’s true intentions. Harper and Quinton will need all the help they can get to avert a necromantic cataclysm that could lay waste to Europe and drag the rest of the world to the brink of war.
1 pages, Audio CD
First published January 1, 2014
56 people are currently reading
1639 people want to read
About the author
Kat Richardson
35 books1,245 followersBestselling author of the Greywalker paranormal detective novels. Former theater brat, singer, dancer, gemology and jewelry course-writer, liveaboard boater, and editor. Currently lives in the wilds of far-western Washington with her husband and dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 139 reviews
October 10, 2019
2.5
You know how series start getting boring and predictable and annoying after a certain point?
Well, this is a perfect example.
I loved the first few books of the series, the first 5 were really good. Then I kept hoping for that fun and joy to come again, so I kept on reading and, well, hoping.
Unfortunately, once this became dull, it stayed that way.
Is the series worth reading? Definitely. Is it worth reading all 9 books? I dunno... Probably not, if I'm objective, but it's nice to see what happens with the characters and how everything changes. So maybe yes?
You know how series start getting boring and predictable and annoying after a certain point?
Well, this is a perfect example.
I loved the first few books of the series, the first 5 were really good. Then I kept hoping for that fun and joy to come again, so I kept on reading and, well, hoping.
Unfortunately, once this became dull, it stayed that way.
Is the series worth reading? Definitely. Is it worth reading all 9 books? I dunno... Probably not, if I'm objective, but it's nice to see what happens with the characters and how everything changes. So maybe yes?
April 2, 2015
Figures the last book in the series would be like this! How else would it leave me wanting more? That is not common for me. Even when I love a series, I have a pretty good sense about when it should stop. In this case, however, I feel Harper has more to offer. Since Kat Richardson wrote 'This is the last Greywalker novel, at least for a while', the last part of it gives me hope.
The whole story takes place in Portugal eight months or so after the events in Possession. We know Quinton left to chase after an insane man promising to ask for Harper's help when the time comes. She enters Portugal secretly with the help of Carlos.
Revenant is Carlos's story as much as Harper's. His past is revealed, his enemies are not all dead. He makes this story even better than it already is. The best part is that Carlos isn't depicted as some brooding misunderstood vampire all of a sudden. Oh, no. He is even greater monster than one would expect. And I loved every single moment with him. You see, to beat villains and monsters like Purlis, his Ghost Division and his latest allies, the Kostní Mágové, Harper needs someone as ruthless. Nobody is better at wreaking havoc, harvesting deaths as a vampire necromancer. Even better when he is your friend. Carlos doesn't change himself for the sake of greater good. It is great to see how much he respects Harper.
The ghosts in this book are interesting too. Some even play greater roles. No simple appearances for Harper in Portugal.
I was always curious how Harper would manage somewhere with more layers of the Grey or somewhere where many tragedies happened. That was done masterfully.
There was one heart-stopping moment in the book that made me sad and angry, but since it was kind of anti-climatic, I wasn't surprised too much when the situation turned out to be exaggerated.
Revenant doesn't have what you might call a clean-cut ending. It doesn't have a cliffhanger either. Some things are simply left to our own imagination. Nothing frustrating and it suits the tone of this whole series pretty well.
The whole story takes place in Portugal eight months or so after the events in Possession. We know Quinton left to chase after an insane man promising to ask for Harper's help when the time comes. She enters Portugal secretly with the help of Carlos.
Revenant is Carlos's story as much as Harper's. His past is revealed, his enemies are not all dead. He makes this story even better than it already is. The best part is that Carlos isn't depicted as some brooding misunderstood vampire all of a sudden. Oh, no. He is even greater monster than one would expect. And I loved every single moment with him. You see, to beat villains and monsters like Purlis, his Ghost Division and his latest allies, the Kostní Mágové, Harper needs someone as ruthless. Nobody is better at wreaking havoc, harvesting deaths as a vampire necromancer. Even better when he is your friend. Carlos doesn't change himself for the sake of greater good. It is great to see how much he respects Harper.
The ghosts in this book are interesting too. Some even play greater roles. No simple appearances for Harper in Portugal.
I was always curious how Harper would manage somewhere with more layers of the Grey or somewhere where many tragedies happened. That was done masterfully.
'I was gaining an appreciation for living on the West Coast of the United States where the history of humankind’s inhumanity was shorter and more scattered.'She was hit pretty hard by the number of ghosts in various places in Portugal, from the 1775 Lisbon earthquake to other big and small deaths. Fortunately, Quinton was there to help her.
There was one heart-stopping moment in the book that made me sad and angry, but since it was kind of anti-climatic, I wasn't surprised too much when the situation turned out to be exaggerated.
Revenant doesn't have what you might call a clean-cut ending. It doesn't have a cliffhanger either. Some things are simply left to our own imagination. Nothing frustrating and it suits the tone of this whole series pretty well.
August 16, 2014
True Confession: When I go to my local paperback exchange, I look for Richardson's books in the paranormal romance section and then move them to fantasy/sci-fi/horror. The best thing about them is the protagonist, Harper Blaine, the Greywalker, a strong, intelligent woman, both physically and mentally. The plots are NOT centered around her romantic relationships, but rather the cases she works as a investigator. As the novels progress, the world mythology becomes increasingly intricate and Harper grows and changes and she learns more about it. Like Kadrey's Sandman Slim novels, the development of this complicated paranormal world and the smart characters are partnered with action (although the violence is less over-the-top than Kadrey's). Additionally, Richardson does a great job with setting; I had no interest in visiitng Seattle until after reading these books. I'm slightly heartbroken to find out this is the last Greywalker novel. But, I admire an author who's willing to say, this story is done; however, this has been one of my favorite series from book one. I'm going to miss Harper and the anticipation of her next adventure.
April 4, 2016
Okay, let's start this with a confession. I had never read anything by this author before, and starting with the last book in this series was probably not the wisest thing to do. And that may be perhaps why I didn't feel as engaged as I might have liked to. I didn't have any emotional baggage to bring to this book, and as the culmination of a series, I suspect it may depend on that.
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Read
September 26, 2020This book felt like it had tons of potential but the style of narration made it impossible for me to stick to it. I don’t know if Mia Barron is always like this half dead sounding person so will have to check another book read by her. Anyway, I might try a Kat Richardson book in another format to read but don’t feel like I can give this any kind of star rating. Its more of a reminder to me if I come across this again.
November 15, 2014
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.0
*Full Review to Follow*
I don't know how I feel about this being the last book of the series. I can see an author wanting to move on to something else while leaving their franchise behind. Happens all the time. Authors walk away after 4 books in the series and feel absolutely no regrets. It also happens when publishers are not happy with overall sales numbers instead of standing up and by their authors.
I can't see an author putting her heroine through so much pain and suffering, and then just walking away leaving the reader to wonder what happens next after she barely survived. Perhaps I am nagging for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps I was hoping for a bit more of an ending to the series and am disappointed because it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I am glad in one aspect that apparently things have resolved themselves with Quinton's psychotic father. Or was it?
I'm wondering if it was truly necessary to have a large majority of the book focus on Carlos and his past instead of the Grey and The Guardian Beast. He is a piece of work no matter how you look at things. I was happy to see the Danzinger's return for their final appearance apparently. They just disappeared without a trace when they were Harper's only real support mechanism when she was learning about being a Greywalker.
Expected publication: August 5th 2014 by Roc Hardcover
*Rating* 3.0
*Full Review to Follow*
I don't know how I feel about this being the last book of the series. I can see an author wanting to move on to something else while leaving their franchise behind. Happens all the time. Authors walk away after 4 books in the series and feel absolutely no regrets. It also happens when publishers are not happy with overall sales numbers instead of standing up and by their authors.
I can't see an author putting her heroine through so much pain and suffering, and then just walking away leaving the reader to wonder what happens next after she barely survived. Perhaps I am nagging for all the wrong reasons. Perhaps I was hoping for a bit more of an ending to the series and am disappointed because it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I am glad in one aspect that apparently things have resolved themselves with Quinton's psychotic father. Or was it?
I'm wondering if it was truly necessary to have a large majority of the book focus on Carlos and his past instead of the Grey and The Guardian Beast. He is a piece of work no matter how you look at things. I was happy to see the Danzinger's return for their final appearance apparently. They just disappeared without a trace when they were Harper's only real support mechanism when she was learning about being a Greywalker.
Expected publication: August 5th 2014 by Roc Hardcover
March 22, 2015
Ninth and possibly last in the Greywalker urban fantasy series revolving around Harper Blaine, a most unusual private investigator based in Seattle. This story takes place mostly in Portugal.
My Take
I have loved this series. Richardson put such an interesting twist on private investigators. Yes, there are vampires and more in this, but it's Harper who's the fascinating supernatural in this one. I adore the mysterious Quinton as well. He's been, well, a mystery from the start, and Richardson has been dribbling out bits and pieces about his past throughout the series.
I'm bummed that Richardson is probably ending this series. It does feel as though Richardson has left herself room to come back to Harper, the Greywalker, but I suspect she was merely being gentle.
Richardson gives us a grim, selfish back history on Carlos. Fascinating and gruesome, and I did appreciate how she made him both evil and sympathetic at the same time. It's horrifying that as bad as Carlos sounds, he appears angelic next to James Purlis. The sacrifices Purlis is willing to make, listening to Purlis and Rui discuss their ideas, their plans, will disgust you.
Carlos' house is definitely weird, existing in different times. I suppose, though, that it rather suits the travel arrangements he's made for Harper, 'cause how Harper gets to Lisbon is pretty weird too. And the good times continue when Lisbon itself proves a difficult city for Harper to move in, for she sees all its history in the gray, "images … like overlapping film".
I wish Richardson had been more clear about the temporaclines within Carlos' house. It was very confusing to read, although I suppose it could have been done on purpose to help us identify with Harper and her confusion. There were also, hmmm, how do I describe this? Jerks. As I read, it felt like jerks in the story that pulled me up in my thinking. Disjointed bits of scenes that felt like the scenes were broken. Not smooth. Then there are scenes like the one at the old convent when Carlos is tricked. While the history he relates is fascinating, the actual details of this contemporary meeting are extremely confusing. Who he's meeting, how he arranged it, how Maggie learns enough to know who to ask about it.
Quinton raises an excellent point about the Portuguese as he wonders how they went from a great sea-faring power to a backwater. But then that does seem to be the cycle that countries endure. Look at the Romans, England, and it looks like we're heading that way as well. I do love the bit of background Richardson provides about King Sebastian, Dom Sebastião. Wow, he was a busy boy and quite modern in his outlook.
Ooh, I love this thought Harper has about her friend Phoebe's used bookstore, Old Possum's, as she wonders if "books somehow collected the intellectual joy of their readers and let it back out…" And I think Richardson is a Dr. Who fan.
If Harper can travel somewhat in the Grey, why doesn't she use it to escape Lisbon? I suppose though that it wouldn't have worked. Actually, as I think about it and read on, Richardson is brilliant with this scenario. It creates drama and tension and makes me even more terrified of Rui and reminds me why I should fear the Grey. I do appreciate that Richardson gives us dribbles of hope along the way. Then again, Harper has that ability to enter the gray, why didn't she do it when she was captured again?
Another quibble is how Carlos, as a bastard, can be the last Count of Atouguia.
I have missed the Danzigers. I'm glad Richardson brought them in. Hmmm, I wonder if Richardson will carry on with Soraia in a new series.
The Story
It's been a slew of disasters across Europe as Quinton follows in his father's wake, and now Harper must get to Portugal without anyone knowing she's gone.
Quinton's father has done the unthinkable and taken his own granddaughter to use in conjunction with his ghost boxes, to fulfill his promises, and execute his plans to take down the world.
The Characters
Harper Blaine, a.k.a., Helena Robinson-Smith, is a private investigator who has died a number of times, always coming back, for she is the Greywalker. Quinton, a.k.a., Jay or James Jason "J.J." Purlis or Reggie McCrea Lassiter or Christopher Marlowe Smith or Tio Pássaro, is a magician when it comes to electronics. He's been chasing down his megalomaniac father.
Dr. Samantha Rebelo is his very skeptical sister, married to Piet Rebelo, and living in Portugal. Soraia is Sam's six-year-old daughter with imaginary friends. Martim is the two-year-old. A vineyard manager's ghost paces in Sam's house and wants Harper to get the little girl back for she makes the house happy. Quinton's mother, Liz, is locked up as nuts.
Carlos is a vampire necromancer who originally came from Portugal (he "died" in 1755), and he has a personal interest in preventing Purlis from following through on his experiment. Cameron is the leader of the Seattle vampires. Tovah works at a funeral home.
Portugal
Lisbon
Avó means grandmother. It's what Rafa calls Amélia Maria Desidéria Leitão e Sousa de Neves Ataíde who was Carlos' wife back in the 1700s. Gonçalo is the caretaker and handyman.
Dom Carlos is our Carlos, the Angel of Death. His mother had the ability to graft bone from herself onto another to help their broken or diseased bones heal. Rafa is a housekeeper who died in 2000 and welcomes Harper into Dom Carlos' home. Lenoir had been Carlos' master in the 1700s.
A Casa Riberia is…
…a turihabs, a bed-and-breakfast, on land given to Amélia by her parents as part of her dowry. Nelia is a descendant and runs the B&B when the olive harvest is on. Eladio is her possessive boyfriend.
Mara Danziger is a witch, and she's married to Ben. Both are university professors (she teaches geology and he teaches folklore), and they've been on the move in Europe for the past four years. Brian is their son. Quinton thinks they may be able to help keep Soraia safe if they can rescue her.
James McHenry Purlis, Quinton's father, is a really bad guy seeking power for his own sake (see Possession , 8). He was running a Ghost Division that explored how paranormal creatures worked and if their abilities could help Purlis in his plans for world domination. He's working with the Bone Mages.
Kostní Mágové are…
…the Bone Mages, mostly priests, nuns, and monks who are religious fanatics. Part of their process is to tune and assemble bones, using them for spells, and binding them. Maggie Griffin is the current apprentice of Master Rui Araújo e Botelho de Carreira who had been an apprentice under Lenoir and then Carlos. The security at the site includes Bara, MacPherson, and Mancino.
The Night Dragon is a construct intended to destroy. O Dragão do Inferno is the Hell Dragon, Coca, a dragon in Portuguese mythology, a boogeyman.. Both dragons, both draches, need bones and a dreamspinner.
The Marquis of Pombal was prime minister back in the day. Before he betrayed most of the noble Portuguese families, he was Carvalho e Melo — the same cousin who threw Carlos from the window.
"The Grey is where ghosts dwell and monsters are real." Nevoacria are shadow creatures used by Carlos. The Guardian Beast dwells in the Grey; Harper thinks of him as her boss. An ossuary is constructed of piles of bones arranged to decorate the walls. Sergeyev was the man imprisoned by Lenoir back in the day (see Possession). The ghost bone results when bones match resonance and those bones can be exchanged or grafted. Ick.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a stone background bathed in an orange light with part of the wall built from bones. In front of it is Harper, gun in hand, wearing jeans and a black blazer with a determined look on her face and in her stance.
I suspect the title refers to Rui, as he is a Revenant.
My Take
I have loved this series. Richardson put such an interesting twist on private investigators. Yes, there are vampires and more in this, but it's Harper who's the fascinating supernatural in this one. I adore the mysterious Quinton as well. He's been, well, a mystery from the start, and Richardson has been dribbling out bits and pieces about his past throughout the series.
I'm bummed that Richardson is probably ending this series. It does feel as though Richardson has left herself room to come back to Harper, the Greywalker, but I suspect she was merely being gentle.
Richardson gives us a grim, selfish back history on Carlos. Fascinating and gruesome, and I did appreciate how she made him both evil and sympathetic at the same time. It's horrifying that as bad as Carlos sounds, he appears angelic next to James Purlis. The sacrifices Purlis is willing to make, listening to Purlis and Rui discuss their ideas, their plans, will disgust you.
Carlos' house is definitely weird, existing in different times. I suppose, though, that it rather suits the travel arrangements he's made for Harper, 'cause how Harper gets to Lisbon is pretty weird too. And the good times continue when Lisbon itself proves a difficult city for Harper to move in, for she sees all its history in the gray, "images … like overlapping film".
I wish Richardson had been more clear about the temporaclines within Carlos' house. It was very confusing to read, although I suppose it could have been done on purpose to help us identify with Harper and her confusion. There were also, hmmm, how do I describe this? Jerks. As I read, it felt like jerks in the story that pulled me up in my thinking. Disjointed bits of scenes that felt like the scenes were broken. Not smooth. Then there are scenes like the one at the old convent when Carlos is tricked. While the history he relates is fascinating, the actual details of this contemporary meeting are extremely confusing. Who he's meeting, how he arranged it, how Maggie learns enough to know who to ask about it.
Quinton raises an excellent point about the Portuguese as he wonders how they went from a great sea-faring power to a backwater. But then that does seem to be the cycle that countries endure. Look at the Romans, England, and it looks like we're heading that way as well. I do love the bit of background Richardson provides about King Sebastian, Dom Sebastião. Wow, he was a busy boy and quite modern in his outlook.
Ooh, I love this thought Harper has about her friend Phoebe's used bookstore, Old Possum's, as she wonders if "books somehow collected the intellectual joy of their readers and let it back out…" And I think Richardson is a Dr. Who fan.
If Harper can travel somewhat in the Grey, why doesn't she use it to escape Lisbon? I suppose though that it wouldn't have worked. Actually, as I think about it and read on, Richardson is brilliant with this scenario. It creates drama and tension and makes me even more terrified of Rui and reminds me why I should fear the Grey. I do appreciate that Richardson gives us dribbles of hope along the way. Then again, Harper has that ability to enter the gray, why didn't she do it when she was captured again?
Another quibble is how Carlos, as a bastard, can be the last Count of Atouguia.
I have missed the Danzigers. I'm glad Richardson brought them in. Hmmm, I wonder if Richardson will carry on with Soraia in a new series.
The Story
It's been a slew of disasters across Europe as Quinton follows in his father's wake, and now Harper must get to Portugal without anyone knowing she's gone.
Quinton's father has done the unthinkable and taken his own granddaughter to use in conjunction with his ghost boxes, to fulfill his promises, and execute his plans to take down the world.
The Characters
Harper Blaine, a.k.a., Helena Robinson-Smith, is a private investigator who has died a number of times, always coming back, for she is the Greywalker. Quinton, a.k.a., Jay or James Jason "J.J." Purlis or Reggie McCrea Lassiter or Christopher Marlowe Smith or Tio Pássaro, is a magician when it comes to electronics. He's been chasing down his megalomaniac father.
Dr. Samantha Rebelo is his very skeptical sister, married to Piet Rebelo, and living in Portugal. Soraia is Sam's six-year-old daughter with imaginary friends. Martim is the two-year-old. A vineyard manager's ghost paces in Sam's house and wants Harper to get the little girl back for she makes the house happy. Quinton's mother, Liz, is locked up as nuts.
Carlos is a vampire necromancer who originally came from Portugal (he "died" in 1755), and he has a personal interest in preventing Purlis from following through on his experiment. Cameron is the leader of the Seattle vampires. Tovah works at a funeral home.
Portugal
Lisbon
Avó means grandmother. It's what Rafa calls Amélia Maria Desidéria Leitão e Sousa de Neves Ataíde who was Carlos' wife back in the 1700s. Gonçalo is the caretaker and handyman.
Dom Carlos is our Carlos, the Angel of Death. His mother had the ability to graft bone from herself onto another to help their broken or diseased bones heal. Rafa is a housekeeper who died in 2000 and welcomes Harper into Dom Carlos' home. Lenoir had been Carlos' master in the 1700s.
A Casa Riberia is…
…a turihabs, a bed-and-breakfast, on land given to Amélia by her parents as part of her dowry. Nelia is a descendant and runs the B&B when the olive harvest is on. Eladio is her possessive boyfriend.
Mara Danziger is a witch, and she's married to Ben. Both are university professors (she teaches geology and he teaches folklore), and they've been on the move in Europe for the past four years. Brian is their son. Quinton thinks they may be able to help keep Soraia safe if they can rescue her.
James McHenry Purlis, Quinton's father, is a really bad guy seeking power for his own sake (see Possession , 8). He was running a Ghost Division that explored how paranormal creatures worked and if their abilities could help Purlis in his plans for world domination. He's working with the Bone Mages.
Kostní Mágové are…
…the Bone Mages, mostly priests, nuns, and monks who are religious fanatics. Part of their process is to tune and assemble bones, using them for spells, and binding them. Maggie Griffin is the current apprentice of Master Rui Araújo e Botelho de Carreira who had been an apprentice under Lenoir and then Carlos. The security at the site includes Bara, MacPherson, and Mancino.
The Night Dragon is a construct intended to destroy. O Dragão do Inferno is the Hell Dragon, Coca, a dragon in Portuguese mythology, a boogeyman.. Both dragons, both draches, need bones and a dreamspinner.
The Marquis of Pombal was prime minister back in the day. Before he betrayed most of the noble Portuguese families, he was Carvalho e Melo — the same cousin who threw Carlos from the window.
"The Grey is where ghosts dwell and monsters are real." Nevoacria are shadow creatures used by Carlos. The Guardian Beast dwells in the Grey; Harper thinks of him as her boss. An ossuary is constructed of piles of bones arranged to decorate the walls. Sergeyev was the man imprisoned by Lenoir back in the day (see Possession). The ghost bone results when bones match resonance and those bones can be exchanged or grafted. Ick.
The Cover and Title
The cover has a stone background bathed in an orange light with part of the wall built from bones. In front of it is Harper, gun in hand, wearing jeans and a black blazer with a determined look on her face and in her stance.
I suspect the title refers to Rui, as he is a Revenant.
August 16, 2023
This is supposed to be the last book of the series but the story feels unfinished. It's not a cliffhanger ending and the whole Papa Purlis story arc is finished, but the story stops very abruptly.
There were 10 pages left in my Kindle book and I thought there was going to be an epilogue. But instead it was a long note from the author. So this leave me feeling a bit unsatisfied. I loved this whole series and I really expected a better ending.
There were 10 pages left in my Kindle book and I thought there was going to be an epilogue. But instead it was a long note from the author. So this leave me feeling a bit unsatisfied. I loved this whole series and I really expected a better ending.
March 12, 2019
Definitely the best in the series. It was a very good wrap to the series, too. I'd read spinoffs of this.
August 16, 2017
After having read the nine books in the Greywalker series, I wish I could say that it ended on a stronger note than only "OK." There are good things in this book. Carlos' backstory is great (although I think we had a bit too many heart-to-hearts with him). The Big Bad is sufficiently evil to warrant the name.
The problems I had with this book were the overwhelmingly detailed descriptions (in the afterword, Richardson admitted that she had been unable to visit Portugal, so her knowledge of the area was limited to tourism guides, blogs, and Google Maps) and the focus on Harper's relationship with Quinton. I was also frustrated that this series, which seemed drenched in Seattle at times, ended elsewhere. I do think there were good reasons to take this story to Portugal, but as the end of a series, it seemed like an odd move.
All in all, I liked this book, but I'm not certain that I'll go back and reread the series. I may, in fact, give away all but the first few books--the ones that I truly liked the most.
The problems I had with this book were the overwhelmingly detailed descriptions (in the afterword, Richardson admitted that she had been unable to visit Portugal, so her knowledge of the area was limited to tourism guides, blogs, and Google Maps) and the focus on Harper's relationship with Quinton. I was also frustrated that this series, which seemed drenched in Seattle at times, ended elsewhere. I do think there were good reasons to take this story to Portugal, but as the end of a series, it seemed like an odd move.
All in all, I liked this book, but I'm not certain that I'll go back and reread the series. I may, in fact, give away all but the first few books--the ones that I truly liked the most.
August 20, 2023
Sigh….I definitely enjoy this series (this is at a minimum my 3 time reading , though my first as an audiobook). I feel
Bereft now it’s done….
Bereft now it’s done….
January 15, 2018
This book...I couldn’t put down. It’s been a while since a book grabbed me like this. I know the ending was the “right” one, but it’s the only part of the book I didn’t really love.
September 29, 2014
This is the ninth book in the Greywalker series. I have really enjoyed this investigative urban fantasy series and how each book focuses on a new topic. This was a wonderful continuation of the series in which the vampire necromancer Carlos plays a large role.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done. The narrator for this series sounds exactly like I imagine Harper would sound. She also does a great job distinguishing between character voices and adding emotion to her narration. Definitely a series I would recommend listening to on audiobook if you like audiobooks.
In this book Harper rushes over to Europe after getting an urgent request for her help from Quintin, Carlos accompanies her. Quintin has uncovered a plot initiated by his father to take out vast portions of Europe; the whole scheme involves a bone mage cult.
This was a well done continuation of the Greywalker series. A lot of major plot points are wrapped up in this book. I enjoyed that Harper and Quintin were actually both in the story together again.
Harper has grown a lot throughout this series. She’s become a very able Greywalker and makes good decisions when she is navigating the Grey. I love that her and Quintin have a loving a stable relationship and trust each other implicitly. There isn’t a ton of romance in this book, but I have enjoyed watching Harper and Quintin form a stable relationship with one another.
We spend a lot of time with Quintin’s family in this story. Quintin's fathers is causing most of the issues here, so he is in the story quite a bit. We also meet Quintin's sister and niece.
There is a lot of history on Carlos, he features in the story a ton. We learn how he ended up becoming both a vampire and a necromancer. We also learn about his family and wife. The majority of the story takes place in Portugal, so we get to learn a lot about the history of that country and about some of the traditions there.
As I have mentioned before this won’t be the type of urban fantasy everyone will love. Richardson has a very analytical and precise writing style, she gives a lot of information to the reader quickly and has a lot of detail. I really enjoy this style and I love how Richardson does research into a new place/topic every book. In this book we learn a ton about Portugal and Portuguese traditions.
Overall I continue to really enjoy this investigative urban fantasy series. All the books in this series have had excellent mysteries with a heavy dose of paranormal/ghost elements. I love that some of the major plot points were wrapped up and am curious to see what adventures the future holds for Harper and Quintin.
I listened to this on audiobook and the audiobook was very well done. The narrator for this series sounds exactly like I imagine Harper would sound. She also does a great job distinguishing between character voices and adding emotion to her narration. Definitely a series I would recommend listening to on audiobook if you like audiobooks.
In this book Harper rushes over to Europe after getting an urgent request for her help from Quintin, Carlos accompanies her. Quintin has uncovered a plot initiated by his father to take out vast portions of Europe; the whole scheme involves a bone mage cult.
This was a well done continuation of the Greywalker series. A lot of major plot points are wrapped up in this book. I enjoyed that Harper and Quintin were actually both in the story together again.
Harper has grown a lot throughout this series. She’s become a very able Greywalker and makes good decisions when she is navigating the Grey. I love that her and Quintin have a loving a stable relationship and trust each other implicitly. There isn’t a ton of romance in this book, but I have enjoyed watching Harper and Quintin form a stable relationship with one another.
We spend a lot of time with Quintin’s family in this story. Quintin's fathers is causing most of the issues here, so he is in the story quite a bit. We also meet Quintin's sister and niece.
There is a lot of history on Carlos, he features in the story a ton. We learn how he ended up becoming both a vampire and a necromancer. We also learn about his family and wife. The majority of the story takes place in Portugal, so we get to learn a lot about the history of that country and about some of the traditions there.
As I have mentioned before this won’t be the type of urban fantasy everyone will love. Richardson has a very analytical and precise writing style, she gives a lot of information to the reader quickly and has a lot of detail. I really enjoy this style and I love how Richardson does research into a new place/topic every book. In this book we learn a ton about Portugal and Portuguese traditions.
Overall I continue to really enjoy this investigative urban fantasy series. All the books in this series have had excellent mysteries with a heavy dose of paranormal/ghost elements. I love that some of the major plot points were wrapped up and am curious to see what adventures the future holds for Harper and Quintin.
April 11, 2015
Revenant is the ninth and final book in the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson. I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey with Harper and Quintin. Richardson’s urban fantasy series was fresh and the cases fascinated me. For fans of the series, Revenant offered closure as well as an exciting case that had us rushing around Europe.
Richardson’s old school private investigator series, combined with paranormal woo-woo and witty, quirky characters have made this series a pleasure to read. This is an author whose pod-casts, interviews and blogs I followed. All of those things made Harper and Quintin’s cases and relationship seem real. I remember how she struggled with their first heated moment…and how long we waited for that to happen. I was sadden to hear this was the final book and put off reading it. Finally, in December I broke it out and said good-bye. (Yes, I know its April now; yep it took me this long to squeeze the review post in on the blog)
Who should pick up the Greywalker series? If you like urban fantasy that is heavy on mystery then this series is for you. The investigations were one of my favorite aspects and they have a dime-store PI vibe to them. Richardson took us into the occult, gave us vampires and some overall arcs that kept us guessing. The paranormal woo-woo is unique from Harper’s ability to the strange cases. The pacing isn't nail-biting but we do see some intense scenes.
Revenant was slightly heavier on romance as it unraveled and brought closer to overall arc developments. While this was not my favorite book between the case and a certain vampire but Richardson did give us closure. Something that happened with Quintin’s niece opened a door for a possible spin-off. *fingers-crossed*
The Greywalker series is threaded throughout my memories over the past seven years. It was painful to say farewell, but I am looking forward to whatever Richardson brings us next. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Richardson’s old school private investigator series, combined with paranormal woo-woo and witty, quirky characters have made this series a pleasure to read. This is an author whose pod-casts, interviews and blogs I followed. All of those things made Harper and Quintin’s cases and relationship seem real. I remember how she struggled with their first heated moment…and how long we waited for that to happen. I was sadden to hear this was the final book and put off reading it. Finally, in December I broke it out and said good-bye. (Yes, I know its April now; yep it took me this long to squeeze the review post in on the blog)
Who should pick up the Greywalker series? If you like urban fantasy that is heavy on mystery then this series is for you. The investigations were one of my favorite aspects and they have a dime-store PI vibe to them. Richardson took us into the occult, gave us vampires and some overall arcs that kept us guessing. The paranormal woo-woo is unique from Harper’s ability to the strange cases. The pacing isn't nail-biting but we do see some intense scenes.
Revenant was slightly heavier on romance as it unraveled and brought closer to overall arc developments. While this was not my favorite book between the case and a certain vampire but Richardson did give us closure. Something that happened with Quintin’s niece opened a door for a possible spin-off. *fingers-crossed*
The Greywalker series is threaded throughout my memories over the past seven years. It was painful to say farewell, but I am looking forward to whatever Richardson brings us next. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
March 19, 2018
I've now read all of the series, and even though I hoped it would improve, it just doesn't. I expect authors to be a little rough on the first book, but in my experience, they improve as they go. Kat Richardson does not get any better, and the same flaws that exist in the first book exist in all the others.
Her characters are good, which is probably the only reason I didn't give up entirely. Her plots have potential, but she always ends up ruining them. The action is muddled and stuff ends up going down in such a way that makes little sense. I feel this is probably because she tries to create surprises for the reader, but they are forced and don't fit in well with the story. If her books were paintings, you'd see her try to create splashes of color, but then she would muddle the paint around until everything was a bunch of ugly browns and greys. Speaking of the grey, The Grey is used as an inconsistent plot device. Harper is either more or less skilled with The Grey depending on what Richardson wants her to do at that point in the story, and not based on any of the previous books or things that have been previously described.
It's clear that Richardson does background research. It's clear because she feels the need to obsessively include every little tidbit she discovers, whether it adds to the story or not. I can't think of another book where the author describes the exact street routes that characters take. Who cares? You can tell that Richardson has got out her street map and is trying to describe exactly where the character is going as if she's giving directions. This is like a chef coming out to tell you what kind of knife he used to julienne the carrots.
Overall, I can best equate this series with chocolate. Sometimes, you just want some chocolate and are willing to settle for some pretty inferior stuff if nothing better is available. This series is the left-over Easter chocolate of urban fantasy. If you want to read urban fantasy, and have already gone through the good stuff, this may tide you over until you can get something better.
Her characters are good, which is probably the only reason I didn't give up entirely. Her plots have potential, but she always ends up ruining them. The action is muddled and stuff ends up going down in such a way that makes little sense. I feel this is probably because she tries to create surprises for the reader, but they are forced and don't fit in well with the story. If her books were paintings, you'd see her try to create splashes of color, but then she would muddle the paint around until everything was a bunch of ugly browns and greys. Speaking of the grey, The Grey is used as an inconsistent plot device. Harper is either more or less skilled with The Grey depending on what Richardson wants her to do at that point in the story, and not based on any of the previous books or things that have been previously described.
It's clear that Richardson does background research. It's clear because she feels the need to obsessively include every little tidbit she discovers, whether it adds to the story or not. I can't think of another book where the author describes the exact street routes that characters take. Who cares? You can tell that Richardson has got out her street map and is trying to describe exactly where the character is going as if she's giving directions. This is like a chef coming out to tell you what kind of knife he used to julienne the carrots.
Overall, I can best equate this series with chocolate. Sometimes, you just want some chocolate and are willing to settle for some pretty inferior stuff if nothing better is available. This series is the left-over Easter chocolate of urban fantasy. If you want to read urban fantasy, and have already gone through the good stuff, this may tide you over until you can get something better.
August 27, 2018
Maybe more like 3.5 stars. This novel suffers from the same problem as Labyrinth, in that it completely abandons the premise of a PI whose investigations sometimes run into the paranormal, in favor of an action/adventure novel, albeit with less creepy involved. Additionally, the narrator of the audiobook was a serious liability, as the voice that she has chosen for Carlos is downright annoying, as though he's continually making grave imperious pronouncements, even when, according to the text, he's doing a very convincing impression of a drunk tourist... Not to mention that the narrator somehow has his voice lacking any sort of emotion whatsoever, and Carlos becomes a very emotionally complex (and even actually very likable) character in this book. I probably would have enjoyed the novel much better if I'd read it in print instead of listening to it. As an ending to the series, it was... okay. The tense situation with the Danzigers seems to have resolved itself decently enough, but I most definitely don't feel that the situation with Quinton's family had a satisfying ending at all. Also, I have serious questions about Harper's future, both as a Greywalker and as a PI, given what her work in the past has involved, and the fact that Richardson left her medical condition an open question at the end of the book as to what would be happening there.
December 3, 2014
Harper is in a tough place to start this story, separated from Quinton as she is. When they do meet, you can feel the gulf of the eight months they've been apart, as well as their efforts to bridge it. As the story progresses, their relationship takes as much of center stage as the main events, which is nice for a change. There is as much emotional turmoil for Harper as there is trouble and danger.
This was one of the best of the Greywalker series, and I will say, without a spoiler warning because I wish I had known, that it's also the last. I'm very sad there won't be more in the Greywalker series, and I have my fingers crossed that the author changes her mind in the future! How can you not miss Harper!
This was one of the best of the Greywalker series, and I will say, without a spoiler warning because I wish I had known, that it's also the last. I'm very sad there won't be more in the Greywalker series, and I have my fingers crossed that the author changes her mind in the future! How can you not miss Harper!
November 20, 2014
Most of the Harper Blaine Greywalker series have been urban fantasy tales of supernatural thrills. This episode (as we are told the final--when have I heard that before ?), is more romance and travelogue with some masses-popular political thinking thrown in. Sure there is a supernatural plot and there are a few pages of stressful anticipation of outcome, but mostly it is a book written for those who care about Harper and her hipster-ish boyfriend Quinton's love life.I am sorry to say not, Quinton is just a terrible character and it almost feels like Richardson has tried to write it--directly--from a real person, perhaps her own mate. It is an impossible task...if that is what she did. In the other books he shows up, and then disappears. No problem, just a little nuisance.
The vampire Carlos is involved in the plot, and although he is relevant, since he comes from Portugal where the action takes place, he plays a backseat to the awkward character Quinton. Oh yes, we get to hear Carlos moon over Harper like a puppy while he sulks and acts in a bad mood. Not the best writing from Richardson's series...perhaps she has had it with the whole Harper character too since she leaves Harper worse for wear at the end of the book.
Richardson does set up some interesting characters if she decides to stay in the same world, the same genre. Quinton has a niece named Soraia that plays into the plot and Harper's old friend Mara shows up (not for long enough.) So perhaps a witch book is in the future.
I am glad I finished the series, but if it is time to say goodnight to Harper, I have no problem turning off the light.
The vampire Carlos is involved in the plot, and although he is relevant, since he comes from Portugal where the action takes place, he plays a backseat to the awkward character Quinton. Oh yes, we get to hear Carlos moon over Harper like a puppy while he sulks and acts in a bad mood. Not the best writing from Richardson's series...perhaps she has had it with the whole Harper character too since she leaves Harper worse for wear at the end of the book.
Richardson does set up some interesting characters if she decides to stay in the same world, the same genre. Quinton has a niece named Soraia that plays into the plot and Harper's old friend Mara shows up (not for long enough.) So perhaps a witch book is in the future.
I am glad I finished the series, but if it is time to say goodnight to Harper, I have no problem turning off the light.
August 18, 2015
This is a new genre for me. I needed to step away from urban crime and drama. I am digging the paranormal novel. Historical fiction with bone mages and witches make for an enjoyable summer read. Harper Blaine is my hero. Soraia has to grow up quickly. I see dead people and ghosts. Quirky.
Harper Blaine worked with Carlos and Quinton to foil a plot to have a bone cult take over the world. It was an okay read. not too much suspense for me. I guess I have to be more into ghosts and traversing time realms to understand the plot. Portugal is a nice place to write a book although the author revealed that she did the novel based on Google earth.
Harper Blaine worked with Carlos and Quinton to foil a plot to have a bone cult take over the world. It was an okay read. not too much suspense for me. I guess I have to be more into ghosts and traversing time realms to understand the plot. Portugal is a nice place to write a book although the author revealed that she did the novel based on Google earth.
December 12, 2014
Ok book, but too much detail and explaining, too much romance - I preferred Harper when she was single, and ultimately too little power creep. I really enjoyed that the early books still had PI/detective stuff going on, but at some point you'd expect the meta-plot to expand some. This series and book just sort of gradually proceeded along. Harper learns more and gets experience, but she doesn't kick ass at all. Even in this last book of the series she's laid to the ground in agony and pain at whatever, while she should be standing firm and getting shit done.
October 3, 2014
Not the best one in the series by a long shot.
December 4, 2018
Anything by Kat is worth the read
Love the characters and story line. A must read series. I read them incredibly fast they are that good to read.
Love the characters and story line. A must read series. I read them incredibly fast they are that good to read.
January 6, 2020
Well done.
Both the book and the series.
Hats off to you, Ms. Richardson.
Both the book and the series.
Hats off to you, Ms. Richardson.
May 30, 2019
Last book of the series....
Ugh, by the end, I was sick to death of Quinton and I wanted Harper and Carlos to get together.
Ugh, by the end, I was sick to death of Quinton and I wanted Harper and Carlos to get together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2018
Revenant is the ninth and final book in the Greywalker series written by Kat Richardson and centered on Harper Blaine, a private investigator, who inadvertently became a Greywalker, a person who can see and walk among the supernatural, when she died for two minutes.
Harper joins her lover Quentin and the vampire necromancer Carlos in an overseas mission to stop James McHenry Purlis, Quentin's mad father from unleashing literal Hell on Europe. After Purlis established "The Ghost Division", a branch of the CIA meant to study and exploit the supernatural, he has been sowing chaos and terror in the global theater in a bid to strengthen the United States' position as a global superpower.
Purlis teams up with the Kostní Mágové, the Bone Mages, who are religious fanatics who uses bones for their spells and bindings. When Purlis goes so far as to kidnap Soraia, his six-year-old granddaughter and Quentin's niece, to be used as a sacrifice in a spell to be cast by one of his lackeys, the race is on to find the girl and stop the spell that could cause disaster worldwide.
Their investigation leads them to Portugal, in particular to the desecrated tomb of Sebastian of Portugal, the Keing of Portugal and the Algraves in the late sixteenth century and the penultimate Portuguese monarch of the House of Aviz. He is known as the sleeping king who would return to help Portugal in its darkest hour, similar to King Arthur, Frederick Barbarossa, or Constantine XI Palaeologus.
It all recalls Harper Blaine's very first paranormal case and hold clues to the cult's true intentions, which is rather disturbing. It is up to Harper, Quinton, and all the help they can mustard to avert a necromantic cataclysm that could lay waste to Europe and drag the rest of the world to the brink of war. Having this case reminded of Harper Blaine's first case was ingenious and haves the series brings full circle to the series.
Revenant, an apropos title for the final book, is written rather well. Richardson has mixed the paranormal, magic and urban fantasy rather well with history and legend of European, in particular Portuguese in nature. It was high on the mystery, action packed, and a wonderful tour of the Old World. It was a risk having the final book take place outside the familiar Seattle, but I think that it was a risk well taken, because it should be a wonderful finale to have a worldwide event for the protagonist to solve or take care of.
Richardson's gift for description was the highlight of the places that Harper Blaine had visited, however the description of Carlos' house that exists in different times – it was a tad weird and confusing, but that should not really surprise me, because time travelling has always gave me a headache. The relationships between the characters have tightened, deepened, and strengthened over the series – it is a joy to see how much growth Richardson made when writing this series.
The Greywalker series as a whole is wonderful in writing and conception – it took a couple of installments for Richardson to find her footing, but it was well worth it. It was a pleasure to witness an author's growth as the reader spends more time with the series. I also liked that Harper Blaine was a normal human being and at heart were detective stories with a hint of the mystical. It was a pleasure to read the growth of Harper Blaine from wanting to avoid the Grey to accepting it and growing in strength within it. In short, it is a wonderful series and one of my favorite urban fantasies so far.
All in all, Revenant is written extremely well and a good conclusion for the series, which I was glad that I have chosen to read.
Harper joins her lover Quentin and the vampire necromancer Carlos in an overseas mission to stop James McHenry Purlis, Quentin's mad father from unleashing literal Hell on Europe. After Purlis established "The Ghost Division", a branch of the CIA meant to study and exploit the supernatural, he has been sowing chaos and terror in the global theater in a bid to strengthen the United States' position as a global superpower.
Purlis teams up with the Kostní Mágové, the Bone Mages, who are religious fanatics who uses bones for their spells and bindings. When Purlis goes so far as to kidnap Soraia, his six-year-old granddaughter and Quentin's niece, to be used as a sacrifice in a spell to be cast by one of his lackeys, the race is on to find the girl and stop the spell that could cause disaster worldwide.
Their investigation leads them to Portugal, in particular to the desecrated tomb of Sebastian of Portugal, the Keing of Portugal and the Algraves in the late sixteenth century and the penultimate Portuguese monarch of the House of Aviz. He is known as the sleeping king who would return to help Portugal in its darkest hour, similar to King Arthur, Frederick Barbarossa, or Constantine XI Palaeologus.
It all recalls Harper Blaine's very first paranormal case and hold clues to the cult's true intentions, which is rather disturbing. It is up to Harper, Quinton, and all the help they can mustard to avert a necromantic cataclysm that could lay waste to Europe and drag the rest of the world to the brink of war. Having this case reminded of Harper Blaine's first case was ingenious and haves the series brings full circle to the series.
Revenant, an apropos title for the final book, is written rather well. Richardson has mixed the paranormal, magic and urban fantasy rather well with history and legend of European, in particular Portuguese in nature. It was high on the mystery, action packed, and a wonderful tour of the Old World. It was a risk having the final book take place outside the familiar Seattle, but I think that it was a risk well taken, because it should be a wonderful finale to have a worldwide event for the protagonist to solve or take care of.
Richardson's gift for description was the highlight of the places that Harper Blaine had visited, however the description of Carlos' house that exists in different times – it was a tad weird and confusing, but that should not really surprise me, because time travelling has always gave me a headache. The relationships between the characters have tightened, deepened, and strengthened over the series – it is a joy to see how much growth Richardson made when writing this series.
The Greywalker series as a whole is wonderful in writing and conception – it took a couple of installments for Richardson to find her footing, but it was well worth it. It was a pleasure to witness an author's growth as the reader spends more time with the series. I also liked that Harper Blaine was a normal human being and at heart were detective stories with a hint of the mystical. It was a pleasure to read the growth of Harper Blaine from wanting to avoid the Grey to accepting it and growing in strength within it. In short, it is a wonderful series and one of my favorite urban fantasies so far.
All in all, Revenant is written extremely well and a good conclusion for the series, which I was glad that I have chosen to read.
September 1, 2022
As someone who grew up in PNW, lived in Fremont, and now lives in Portugal, I really struggled with this book.
It is obvious that the author got her information from on line sources and has never visited Portugal as she completely misses the culture.
Just a few things…
- no one would ever honk or get upset in traffic. It is just not done.
- there is one train to caiscas and the ticket machines are in English. You have to be pretty slow to not be able to figure it out.
-Portugal is the 3 or 4th safest country in the world and the idea that Alfama is unsafe is laughable.
-there were 68 reported pickpocket crimes last year and Harper sees two in one day. Also, pick pocket a priest??? No. Would never happen.
-Portugal has the most progressive addiction program in the world and the lowest heroin addiction in Europe, while tit is on the increase in the USA. Yes there have been money cuts but it is like saying Baskin Robbins only serves 29 flavors instead of 31.
- The portuguese people love being part of the EU. The economy is poor but most feel it is getting better.
And here is the big one: EUROPE IS NOT A COUNTRY!
The whole premise of Europe being “unstable” and just waiting for a match is US ego-centric.
Switzerland is economically unstable?
Germany is economically unstable?
Sweden is politically unstable?
Stop lumping all of Europe together!
She makes sweeping statements about Europe as if it is a country and seems to have little understanding of individual countries economical or political situation.
Frankly, the book reads like it was written from someone who has done little or no international travel and has few foreign friends. It reads like an American’s idea of what European issues are with a bit of a “it’s not as good over there as it is here” attitude.
The author needs to do some serious world travel and perhaps expand her friend base before trying to make these issues a central theme of her book.
Frankly, I’m glad it is her last in this series because I am so disappointed in how she handled the subject matter that I have zero desire to pick up another of her books.
BTW: bread and ham for breakfast is not weird but it is also not Portuguese 🤦🏻♀️
It is obvious that the author got her information from on line sources and has never visited Portugal as she completely misses the culture.
Just a few things…
- no one would ever honk or get upset in traffic. It is just not done.
- there is one train to caiscas and the ticket machines are in English. You have to be pretty slow to not be able to figure it out.
-Portugal is the 3 or 4th safest country in the world and the idea that Alfama is unsafe is laughable.
-there were 68 reported pickpocket crimes last year and Harper sees two in one day. Also, pick pocket a priest??? No. Would never happen.
-Portugal has the most progressive addiction program in the world and the lowest heroin addiction in Europe, while tit is on the increase in the USA. Yes there have been money cuts but it is like saying Baskin Robbins only serves 29 flavors instead of 31.
- The portuguese people love being part of the EU. The economy is poor but most feel it is getting better.
And here is the big one: EUROPE IS NOT A COUNTRY!
The whole premise of Europe being “unstable” and just waiting for a match is US ego-centric.
Switzerland is economically unstable?
Germany is economically unstable?
Sweden is politically unstable?
Stop lumping all of Europe together!
She makes sweeping statements about Europe as if it is a country and seems to have little understanding of individual countries economical or political situation.
Frankly, the book reads like it was written from someone who has done little or no international travel and has few foreign friends. It reads like an American’s idea of what European issues are with a bit of a “it’s not as good over there as it is here” attitude.
The author needs to do some serious world travel and perhaps expand her friend base before trying to make these issues a central theme of her book.
Frankly, I’m glad it is her last in this series because I am so disappointed in how she handled the subject matter that I have zero desire to pick up another of her books.
BTW: bread and ham for breakfast is not weird but it is also not Portuguese 🤦🏻♀️
March 22, 2018
78 points/100 (4/5 stars).
Harper follows Quinton to Portugal in an effort to stop his Dad from doing something very bad, and takes Carlos with her.
This finale changes the entire series by the end. Harper and everyone involved is no longer the same person by the end. I was reluctant to start the book, felt better very shortly in about reading it, and then by the end once again I was left dissatisfied. It was a very firm ending, but I'm just not keen on how it ended. The majority of the book itself was very good, actually. I enjoyed the journey until the ending.
Richardson ended Possession by breaking the group, but within two pages backtracks on that idea. It would not be much of a book without them all together, but it took two pages for that to change. There was no point in it, felt arbitrary. Felt like Richardson wanted to do something but then thought better of it, or wasn't able to make it work, and had to do something else.
This book dealt a lot with magic, nothing any of them really have much experience with or proficiency in other than Carlos. Which is why Carlos is there at all, I suspect. The entire time they all felt massively unprepared for everything going on, and only learning critical parts of the equation as they were happening or right before they were going to happen. The drama felt artificially inforced that way.
A conclusive finale to the Greywalker series. There is just enough left open that there is a chance she could continue it at a later date, but as of writing this review that seems unlikely. Not the best series finale I have ever read. This series did not quite get up to the highs I had hope when I started the reread to finish the series all the way.
Harper follows Quinton to Portugal in an effort to stop his Dad from doing something very bad, and takes Carlos with her.
This finale changes the entire series by the end. Harper and everyone involved is no longer the same person by the end. I was reluctant to start the book, felt better very shortly in about reading it, and then by the end once again I was left dissatisfied. It was a very firm ending, but I'm just not keen on how it ended. The majority of the book itself was very good, actually. I enjoyed the journey until the ending.
Richardson ended Possession by breaking the group, but within two pages backtracks on that idea. It would not be much of a book without them all together, but it took two pages for that to change. There was no point in it, felt arbitrary. Felt like Richardson wanted to do something but then thought better of it, or wasn't able to make it work, and had to do something else.
This book dealt a lot with magic, nothing any of them really have much experience with or proficiency in other than Carlos. Which is why Carlos is there at all, I suspect. The entire time they all felt massively unprepared for everything going on, and only learning critical parts of the equation as they were happening or right before they were going to happen. The drama felt artificially inforced that way.
A conclusive finale to the Greywalker series. There is just enough left open that there is a chance she could continue it at a later date, but as of writing this review that seems unlikely. Not the best series finale I have ever read. This series did not quite get up to the highs I had hope when I started the reread to finish the series all the way.
December 21, 2021
A pretty good end to the series, all things considered. I think there was a lot of good stuff to find with Carlos and Harper's characters in particular, and their growth rounded them out nicely. The overall plot to the final book was a bit convoluted, but I've felt similarly about the last few in this series so that wasn't much of a surprise. I'm the most disappointed about Quinton's character because he seems to have evolved the least over the course of the 9 books. He started out as a loner weirdo and kind of ended up in the same boat despite being at the forefront of the last few books.
Looking back through the entirety of the series, I'd recommend it for anyone deep into urban fantasy looking for something they likely haven't read before. The concept here was loosely reminiscent of Urban Shaman or the TV show Grimm, but was overall quite unique. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone tying to get into the genre or with a multitude of other options.
Looking back through the entirety of the series, I'd recommend it for anyone deep into urban fantasy looking for something they likely haven't read before. The concept here was loosely reminiscent of Urban Shaman or the TV show Grimm, but was overall quite unique. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone tying to get into the genre or with a multitude of other options.
August 19, 2019
This book is a great addition to the series, it is filled with many paranormal activities which I enjoy to read. It delighted me with plenty of otherworldly activity and its well-fleshed-out characters. Richardson gave private investigators such an exciting twist. I'm stunned that this series will likely end. Richardson is giving Carlos a selfish background history. Fascinating, I appreciated how she simultaneously made him both evil and compassionate. Quinton raises an outstanding point about the Portuguese as he wonders how they came to a backwater from a wonderful sea-faring force. But then it seems that this is the cycle that nations are going through. The Danzigers I missed. I'm happy they were carried in by Richardson. I'm wondering if Richardson is going to continue in a fresh series with Soraia. But yet again, there is other many things she can deal with. Anyways, this book was such a great addition to the series I hope there is many other good books that are similar genre to this one.
September 1, 2019
I was really looking forward to reading this, having picked it up from a library sale I thought the premise sounded really intriguing and despite being part of a series the books mostly read as a standalone, like the first few Charlaine Harris books, Dan Brown books, or Jame Bond movies; unfortunately instead it was boring and predictable.
I won't go into the description of the storyline because the assumption is by the ninth book, there would be an understanding of the series over-arching storyline, so as a reader who hadn't read any of the others, this is what I have to say:
The characters were so two dimensional and the stupid jealous love triangle type thing was so unnecessary, tropey and again predictable. The dialogue was not at all funny or quirky, it was just boring and cringy and the descriptions went for pages.
Little disappointed, I thought if this was good I'd go back and get the rest of the series but no, not happening.
I won't go into the description of the storyline because the assumption is by the ninth book, there would be an understanding of the series over-arching storyline, so as a reader who hadn't read any of the others, this is what I have to say:
The characters were so two dimensional and the stupid jealous love triangle type thing was so unnecessary, tropey and again predictable. The dialogue was not at all funny or quirky, it was just boring and cringy and the descriptions went for pages.
Little disappointed, I thought if this was good I'd go back and get the rest of the series but no, not happening.
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