They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders—but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…
When Vicky allowed an ancient goddess to possess her, she had no regrets—it was the only way to protect the people she loved. But now Ceridwen, locked in a power struggle with the Hellion that long ago claimed Vicky with its mark, refuses to leave. Both beings believe controlling Vicky is the key to winning the coming war for the human realm.
Despite the forces pulling her apart, Vicky needs all her wits about her. The demons of Hell are growing bold and she can barely keep up with the attacks plaguing the city: sirens in the Mystic River, goblins snarling traffic on Storrow Drive, imps tearing the gold from the State House dome. As the signs of war multiply and Hell threatens to overrun its boundaries, Vicky finds herself torn between her duty to save the world and her desire to save something of herself…
Vicky is possessed by an ancient goddess and a demon has marked her and is attempting to take control as well. Vicky thinks she has it all under control, but you just know something is seriously going to go wrong with all her well laid plans.
Demons are breaking through all over the place and it all comes down to Vicky, her wits, her strengths and her ability to work with what you got on hand.
Things are really heating up for Vicky and not in a good way. All hell is breaking loose and its about to get really real!
Talk about action intense, FIRESTORM, seems to be chock full of conflict, inside and out. I have to admit I enjoyed her external conflicts/ battles a lot more than the internal switches with the demon and goddess. I was invested in the telling but found the internal struggles a little distracting.
Holzner gives you closure in FIRESTORM's plot but leaves just enough open making you want more.
I received this ARC copy of Firestorm from Berkley Publishing Group - InterMix. This is my honest and voluntary review. Firestorm is set for publication May 16, 2017.
Firestorm is the ending of Holzner's Deadtown series ... and this book has been postponed for about 4 years after the author's husband getting terminally ill and finally passed away. Truth be told I was a little worried that I would face difficulties to get back to this world. I don't have good memory in the first place, but I just don't want to re-read everything before I start (sorry, I don't re-read!).
However, Holzner put that worries to rest. I was able to get back into Deadtown with Vicky, Mab, Kane, as long as the goddess Ceridwen (who is now resides inside Vicky) facing the threat from the Destroyer and his Hellions. Threat that involves zombies getting berserk and murderously rampage humans. I'd say this book is about 80% action? Vicky doesn't have a lot of breaks -- . Understandable though, this IS the final book after all. They are gearing up to the final confrontation.
As a final book, I thought this was good. I did miss Kane ... I thought he was missing too much, even if he was Vicky's mate. There were more of Mab and Ceridwen here, and as much as I liked Mab I wished it didn't take away Kane's place.
Overall, this is a good urban fantasy series. I hope that Holzner will return with a new series soon
This one didn't hold me throughout. There were a couple of places where the timeline kind of skipped around unbelievably and I found myself expect to find out that it was all a dream sequence because of the jumps without explanation, but no. Also, the MC was very petulant through most of the story which I thought was pretty out of character.
It wrapped up well enough, and I'm glad to have the end of the story, but it wasn't a tight story.
It’s been 3.5 years since the release of the previous Deadtown story, Hellhound, and I’ve been stalking the author, er… um… patiently waiting the release of the sixth and final story of Vicky Vaughn’s tales. As always, the story opens with Vicky in action, this time trying to banish a group of sirens who are causing people to plunge to their deaths off the Tobin Bridge and into the Mystic River. Aunt Mab is still around, there to help Vicky prepare for the upcoming final showdown with longtime demonic nemesis, the Destroyer.
Firestorm is the exciting climax of and fitting conclusion for Ms. Holzner’s amazing Deadtown series which features a “Buffy-like chosen one” set to save the world from evil forces. The book is the culmination of every title that came before it, so you definitely want to start back at the beginning. I was concerned that with so much time passed and the intricacies of this urban fantasy arcing plotline, that I would be completely lost and playing catch up. But between reading my previous reviews and the author’s expertly placed reminders of important events, I was able to jump right into the story.
In the previous book, Vicky allowed the Goddess Ceridwen inside her, and now both the Destroyer and Ceridwen are fighting for control of her body. It’s a seesaw battle, and poor Vicky is the one suffering its impacts, like when the goddess took over and when on a tear through the bars of Deadtown. The back and forth wreaks havoc on Vicky’s mental and emotional states, leaving her vulnerable and open to making poor decisions. She feels like she’s constantly being played or used and that she’s fighting against her own destiny. I liked that Vicky had to go through this final set of trials, helping her to realize what is truly important. I also appreciated that the author made sure to tie up all the loose ends with the major characters. No spoilers, but I was happy with everything!
Because the focus of the book is the FINAL BATTLE, Firestorm didn't have a standalone mystery or storyline like each of the previous titles, and I missed that aspect of Ms. Holzner’s storytelling. At times I felt the storytelling suffered from ADD because it jumped from one thought to the next, and the plot wasn't as complex as previous tales. However, the story as shared was appropriate since it is the series end. There were very few side stories except for Mab's sacrifices and Vicky's decisions. There was a lot of action, some of it violent, but never gratuitous. Also, the story took some dark turns. At one point, I wondered how the world would be able to recover from the events and how there could be a happy ending. But readers were left with closure, and a suitable, solid, happy ending. And we got to see
In the end, I am SOOOOOOO grateful that this book was finally written and released. Firestorm is an appropriate end to Vicky's story, but the door was left open for the reader's imagination to plan many more adventures. Deadtown is one of my favorite urban fantasy series, and I highly recommend you check out this quirky, humorous, complex series!
My Rating: B, Liked It Series: A- Enjoyed it a lot
Review copy provided by Publisher Originally posted at That's What I'm Talking About
This is the final book in the Deadtown series. While parts of the story dragged, it came to a very satisfying conclusion. Rounded up for that and for the author’s strength and persistence in finishing this during such a difficult time. I hope she is doing well and is working on a new series!
It has been years since the author did not return to her Deadtown series, since 2013 to be precise. I know that it was not simple and Nancy Holzner explains it to us in a note at the beginning of the story. A tragic story. But then, the author finally managed to get back to her novels to conclude the series for our greatest pleasure!
I admit that it has been years since I read the previous novels too and I did not remember much of the events to my dismay. Even if I thought that it would come back to me gradually by getting into the story, it is true that I didn’t remember everything. So I advise you to have the story in mind if possible.
Victory is facing some new problems. Indeed, since the last events, all the creatures sow chaos in town and things become a little too big for our heroine alone. But now that Ceridwen lives in her body, nothing is really easy. Indeed, the goddess seems to want to take more and more room and it is more and more complicated for Vicky to control her. But if it was only that because the hellion also wants to recover her and he does not hesitate to fight against Vicky and Ceridwen for that.
This novel is full of action and revelations and I confess that I was finally content with this conclusion. I will not say too much but it was nice to see the relationship between Kane and Vicky changing but also to see our heroine determined in her choices whatever the consequences.
It was really a pleasure to find the characters and I am very happy to finish the series this way!
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89 points/100 (4 ½ stars/5)
Vicky now has parts of three people and more inside her body: herself, the Hellion demon the Destroyer, and the goddess Cerridwen. There is only enough room for one. The Hellion only wants to take over earth with his army of zombies. The goddess? She wants more.
Firestorm is incredibly predictable. This isn't a criticism. No indeed, this is exactly where the story has been working its way towards the entire time. There are no surprises here. We have seen where this has been going. It is just time for it to play out. Again, not a criticism. In fact, it is actually approval. It is easy to change your mind during the last novel in a series when you've decided you don't like what you planned out from the beginning.
In the vein of "predictable", the one thing that could be a "surprise" for this book is...well it isn't. Right before starting the book, I turned to friends and explained the story briefly - and then I said "what do you bet this book ends in a baby?". Well, when Vicky spends the first 20% of the book nauseous and throwing up, especially at certain smells? Yeah, this was no surprise.
The baby plays a big part in Firestorm. Vicky never wanted a baby - she didn't wanna lose her shifting powers. Now that she is pregnant, she doesn't not want the baby. She wants to have it, to start a pack with Kane. But, she isn't the only one. The goddess wants the baby, too, so it can be her new vessel. The demon probably wouldn't say no to the baby, either (though we don't actually hear from him on the subject now that I think about it). All of this in a time when the world is basically going to war with itself.
All of this leads to Vicky trying to exorcise both the goddess and the demon from her body. That is actually a large part of the book - setting up the exorcism and trying to actually go through with it. My only question is "WHY DIDN'T YOU TRY AND DO THIS BEFORE?!?" Honestly, why? At least for the demon! I don't get this at all.
The rest of the book is the war that as starting between the humans and zombies as well as the rest of the supernaturals. The world has turned to chaos in Boston. Zombies have been corrupted by the Morfran demons. Humans are allowed ammunition they really shouldn't be having access to. Roving bands of murder, basically.
And at the middle of it all, a pregnant Vicky. A Vicky that has been seeing visions of herself change to the other side for two books now. A Vicky that has tried to rid herself of her spirit companions. Hmm.
Yeah, predictable.
All this said, Firestorm was actually a really good ending for the Deadtown series. It wraps everything up with a good ending, and then it gives the people inside it a good ending, too. Everything is solved. While everything has not gone back to normal after the war, things are working themselves out. Everything is going in the right direction.
*Note to Self - According to Amazon the final book, Firestorm Deadtown #6, will be released May 16 2017. If this is actually the case then I'd like to start reading this series right away. If the final book doesn't come out in May 2017, wait to purchase and read this series after this book is released.
I am so grateful to Ms. Holzner for writing and publishing this book for her readers. It is so nice to be able to have closure on a series that I have so enjoyed reading. This book is rough in places and not as rich as the others in the series but it does give that all important closure. Ms. Holzner lost her husband unexpectedly while writing the draft of this book. This book took almost 4 years to finish and I don't know how she pushed through to do it.
This series is a great bit of urban fantasy and well worth the read. I would encourage anyone interested in a great series to pick these up. You will not be disappointed!
I started this series in 2010, after 11 years I finally finished.
I had ups and downs in it, moments that I loved and others that I found very weak.
In that sixth book there were many things that left something to be desired. I thought the whole fight was a bit busy and it seemed "easy".
Vicky and Kane for me are not one of the best couples out there but they are also not the worst. I thought the author kind of forced a happy ending a little. The two together, with a baby and Vicky still maintained her powers.
They never talked much about Mab's past and putting her like Vivian was a little sudden, but as I like the character I liked her ending. She may have died but she finally stayed with the person she loves.
Ceridwen being "nice" in the end was a little forced too, it would have been better if this evolution had been built. And putting her with Tina was just to give a happy ending to two.
Anyway, in general the story was good. Apart from the fast pace and the forced happy ending (in my opinion).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
It took me a little while to get this after it came out, but I’ve been waiting for years. I was sorry to hear of the author’s loss, and I’m glad she was able to finish the series. I was willing to wait, and I’m not disappointed. This was action-packed and kept me enthralled. I wish there’d been more of Juliet, and more of the denouement, the in-between where six months seem to pass, but I was left satisfied. Victory was stuck between a rock and a hard place, and she discovered an escape route through pure piss and vinegar. I might reread the series to experience it all again.
I enjoyed the series thoroughly and have always loved strong female main characters, but this book fell short of those before it. This novel wraps up the series and ends things in a somewhat expected fashion, but there really wasn't any feeling of risk or possible loss that the reader expects from such a finale. I was not on the edge of my seat, I was just reading to see what happened. When reading the afterward, it is understandable why this book did not have the deep thrill of the earlier books in the series.
With six books - all loaded with tension - it's been a long rugged road. But it was amazing. Victory was the perfect hero, Alex was a world unto himself, Mab was the image of A Great Aunt / Mentor, and then there were Juliet the six hundred year old Vampire who loved Giant T.Vs, and Tina, maybe my favorite Person in the story. It was a great GOODREAD. I'd love to see it go on. So many possibilities.
I've always enjoyed Vicky and the way she stays true to herself to do what's right. She definitely does that and then some! Nancy, what a wonderful ending for Victory and her own, so to speak. Thank you for sharing her final story with us.
the final deadtown book was brilliant as the others and I enjoyed the whole series, 😅 some 4 stars most 5 stars on goodreads, i highly recommend this particular series to anyone who is into young adult fiction sci-fi
I loved the characters throughout this entire series. I loved how each character had such a unique personality, flaws and all. Each book was an extension of the previous, it kept a steady flow of reality and fantasy.
I would like to thank the author for coming back to finish 4 years is a short time to wait on an awesome ending ! Thank you I was looking forward to it and it was indeed worth the wait.
Satisfying ending to a series I have enjoyed. I am glad that Holzner is starting to move beyond her grief and returning to her writing. She is a great talent and I look forward to her future work. Thank you for finishing up the series for us. I know it has been incredibly difficult but you did good.
Whew was this a whirlwind of a series ending book! There was so much going on with all the many plot threads being wrapped up that the pacing is almost frenetic at times. There's simply not a dull moment in FIRESTORM. Between the demon/goddess duos possessing her, and all the external issues attacking humans and the paranormals in and out of Deadtown alike, Vicky couldn't catch a moment's breath. That being said the pacing never steps over the line into the "too much" category, instead it was a perfect balance of intense action that I had no trouble following. Very impressive.
All in all FIRESTORM was an enjoyable end to the Deadtown series that should more than please fans. While this book was a long time coming, I have to say it was worth the wait!
I wish I could say that this sixth book in the Deadtown series was great, but I can't. It seemed a bit rushed and while I can understand that the author was not in the best state of mind after having lost her husband, it made for a bit of a letdown to a reader. That's not to say it wasn't a GOOD book because it was. If you had (like me) read the first five of the series, then you just had to read this one. In fact, I purchased it on Kindle/Amazon simply because I had to finish the story. I was a bit surprised by the death(s) at the end, but they were understandable and did fit into the storyline. I thought the (SPOILER ALERT!) baby plotline was a bit rushed but hey, it was the last book of the series. All in all, this was a GREAT series and I would recommend it to anyone who likes zombies and/or the supernatural with a bit of politics thrown in. Somehow I could imagine the political situation actually happening should there ever be a zombie apocalypse or if creatures of the supernatural were truly real and came out of hiding.
This is the long-awaited ending of the Deadtown Series and while I am sad that the series is ending, those of us who have never forgotten the series that started long ago and didn't think we would ever get this book, it's a great gift from Nancy Holzner. So if you love the Urban Fantasy genre and are looking for an amazing series this is one you might have not found yet.This review was originally posted on Books In Brogan