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Grimm Agency #2
Armageddon Rules
Marissa Locks, newly appointed partner of the Grimm Agency, has a reputation for making a mess of magical matters—although causing Armageddon is a new low, even for her…
Marissa is due for a little happily ever after. After all, she did kill the evil Fairy Godmother, end a war, and snag a sweet promotion within the Fairy Godfather's magical-problem-solving Agency. But between maintaining a relationship with someone whose amorous advances can cause third-degree burns, dealing with a killer-poodle infestation, and helping her best friend, Princess Ari, learn to wield spells more powerful than curing a hangover, she’s not getting as much peace and quiet as she hoped.
When an enemy from her past appears to exact a terrible revenge, Marissa’s life goes from hectic to hell on earth. With Grimm inexplicably gone and Ari trapped by a sleeping spell, Marissa decides to fight fire with hellfire—and accidentally begins a countdown to the apocalypse.
With the end of days extremely nigh, Marissa will have to master royal politics, demonic law, and biblical plagues in a hurry—because even the end of the world can’t keep the Agency from opening for business…
Marissa is due for a little happily ever after. After all, she did kill the evil Fairy Godmother, end a war, and snag a sweet promotion within the Fairy Godfather's magical-problem-solving Agency. But between maintaining a relationship with someone whose amorous advances can cause third-degree burns, dealing with a killer-poodle infestation, and helping her best friend, Princess Ari, learn to wield spells more powerful than curing a hangover, she’s not getting as much peace and quiet as she hoped.
When an enemy from her past appears to exact a terrible revenge, Marissa’s life goes from hectic to hell on earth. With Grimm inexplicably gone and Ari trapped by a sleeping spell, Marissa decides to fight fire with hellfire—and accidentally begins a countdown to the apocalypse.
With the end of days extremely nigh, Marissa will have to master royal politics, demonic law, and biblical plagues in a hurry—because even the end of the world can’t keep the Agency from opening for business…
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 24, 2015
21 people are currently reading
626 people want to read
About the author
J.C. Nelson
15 books183 followersA Texas native transplanted to the Pacific Northwest, JC Nelson works with software, herds chickens and children, and writes books.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
February 18, 2015
Mon avis en Français
My English review
I really liked the first volume of this series and I admit that I was very excited to be able to immerse myself in the following novel to discover some new adventures of our beloved Marissa. I must say that she went through many things in the previous volume. I was a little scared at first I admit, because I could not see where the author wanted to take us, I could not understand if we had a real plot or if it was just the addition of small events. But after several chapters, we finally understand what he is trying to do and he plunges us again with a great pleasure in the history, following our heroine.
Marissa is now in a relationship with her beloved dragon, Liam. Yet all is not rosy and our young officer still a little afraid of getting pregnant and so passing the curse of her companion to their children. So when a job arises, promising to give enough power to lift the enchantment, Liam is determined to accept it and he makes it clear that it is important to leave Marissa a moment to finally have a normal relationship. Alas, him gone, troubles are only adding for our heroine. She finds herself having to manage a new character (if it was just that), she ends up signing a pact with a demon without even meaning to. And what do you think he wants? Nothing more than having Marissa leading the Apocalypse on earth. In addition, her contract prevents her to do the contrary; she will therefore have to find a lot of tricks to try to circumvent all that is happening. Besides, she won’t have anyone to help her in this context, as Grimm is gone, Ari plays Princess Sleeping Beauty and a former enemy appears trying to remove all of them. So yes Marissa will really have many things to do and being alone, nothing will be really easy for her. Yet she is determined to find a solution for all of them.
As I said even if it took me a little time to get into the story, once it was done I really got carried away by all with pleasure. We learn some revelations in the history saddening us for some. But anyway, we’re affected by the relationship between Liam and Marissa, a beautiful story that continues despite the continuing obstacles. As we discover more about Grimm and the mark of our agent. I confess that I did not expect at all this and I was very surprised to understand what was exactly going on. New characters appear as I said and I think some will become dominant. And then of course we have our beloved Marissa, her Apocalypse was really great, I loved her ideas as I loved the horsemen who come to her. A slight preference for Death elsewhere but I’ll let you find out about them. Anyway this story holds many things and I was very pleased to read the whole thing. The end also opens many new possibilities and I am impatient and curious to see what will happen to our heroine with this situation out of the ordinary.
So yes, it was a new and very good novel that the author presents here and I’ll wait until the third to learn more.
My English review
I really liked the first volume of this series and I admit that I was very excited to be able to immerse myself in the following novel to discover some new adventures of our beloved Marissa. I must say that she went through many things in the previous volume. I was a little scared at first I admit, because I could not see where the author wanted to take us, I could not understand if we had a real plot or if it was just the addition of small events. But after several chapters, we finally understand what he is trying to do and he plunges us again with a great pleasure in the history, following our heroine.
Marissa is now in a relationship with her beloved dragon, Liam. Yet all is not rosy and our young officer still a little afraid of getting pregnant and so passing the curse of her companion to their children. So when a job arises, promising to give enough power to lift the enchantment, Liam is determined to accept it and he makes it clear that it is important to leave Marissa a moment to finally have a normal relationship. Alas, him gone, troubles are only adding for our heroine. She finds herself having to manage a new character (if it was just that), she ends up signing a pact with a demon without even meaning to. And what do you think he wants? Nothing more than having Marissa leading the Apocalypse on earth. In addition, her contract prevents her to do the contrary; she will therefore have to find a lot of tricks to try to circumvent all that is happening. Besides, she won’t have anyone to help her in this context, as Grimm is gone, Ari plays Princess Sleeping Beauty and a former enemy appears trying to remove all of them. So yes Marissa will really have many things to do and being alone, nothing will be really easy for her. Yet she is determined to find a solution for all of them.
As I said even if it took me a little time to get into the story, once it was done I really got carried away by all with pleasure. We learn some revelations in the history saddening us for some. But anyway, we’re affected by the relationship between Liam and Marissa, a beautiful story that continues despite the continuing obstacles. As we discover more about Grimm and the mark of our agent. I confess that I did not expect at all this and I was very surprised to understand what was exactly going on. New characters appear as I said and I think some will become dominant. And then of course we have our beloved Marissa, her Apocalypse was really great, I loved her ideas as I loved the horsemen who come to her. A slight preference for Death elsewhere but I’ll let you find out about them. Anyway this story holds many things and I was very pleased to read the whole thing. The end also opens many new possibilities and I am impatient and curious to see what will happen to our heroine with this situation out of the ordinary.
So yes, it was a new and very good novel that the author presents here and I’ll wait until the third to learn more.
February 22, 2015
Review originally posted on my blog: A Book Obsession..
This was such a fun book! I love Marissa's character. She's so quirky and sassy, plus has a backbone of steel to boot. And trust me, she needed it with everything that was thrown at her in this book. Considering what happened to her in the last book, it's impressive that the bag of nasty tricks this round was worse. But she handled everything in her usual quirky way. And let me just say, how she managed the apocalypse curses? Priceless. She kept me entertained throughout the entire book. If you are a fan of Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson, you'll love Marissa as well. And of course the rest of the cast is pretty fantastic as well. From Her best friend Princess Ari, to her dragon cursed boyfriend, and even the Fairy Godfather himself, Grimm, each one added another interesting layer to the series.
This series is perfect blend of modern fantasy, humor, fantastic character, and a killer plot. I loved every minute of this book and I can't recommend it any higher. If you looking for something fun, yet action packed, look no further than this terrific series. It's the perfect book to kick back and enjoy the ride. I'll be counting down the days until the next book releases.
This was such a fun book! I love Marissa's character. She's so quirky and sassy, plus has a backbone of steel to boot. And trust me, she needed it with everything that was thrown at her in this book. Considering what happened to her in the last book, it's impressive that the bag of nasty tricks this round was worse. But she handled everything in her usual quirky way. And let me just say, how she managed the apocalypse curses? Priceless. She kept me entertained throughout the entire book. If you are a fan of Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson, you'll love Marissa as well. And of course the rest of the cast is pretty fantastic as well. From Her best friend Princess Ari, to her dragon cursed boyfriend, and even the Fairy Godfather himself, Grimm, each one added another interesting layer to the series.
This series is perfect blend of modern fantasy, humor, fantastic character, and a killer plot. I loved every minute of this book and I can't recommend it any higher. If you looking for something fun, yet action packed, look no further than this terrific series. It's the perfect book to kick back and enjoy the ride. I'll be counting down the days until the next book releases.
July 30, 2018
Fast-paced UF in a cool, over-the-top fairytale world. The author did a great job of taking away Marissa's support system. I really enjoy Marissa's voice.
Fave part: the first two plagues and the four horsemen's mounts.
Fave part: the first two plagues and the four horsemen's mounts.
January 24, 2016
This review was originally posted on Backchatting Books
Marissa is an old hand when it comes to dealing with things going awry but accidentally starting the apocalypse has to rate pretty high on the oops scale. An old foe emerges out of the shadows because, you know, life wasn't hard enough. She needs her friends to help defeat them but they have their own dramas to deal with.
Marissa often solves short term problems without considering the implications of these actions in the future. Anything that could get worse does and as awful as it sounds, I was glad - she is at her most inventive when she has her back against the wall and it made for some very entertaining moments.
The good bits
Nelson's mind must be a strange and wonderful place to generate such a zany plot. Marissa's adventures are wild and weird and I adored every minute of the book. A big part of this comes down to the world building which is meticulous. Everything hangs together logically even though there are crazy things going down with poodles and a demon trying to destroy everything.
The characters are very engaging and we get a really nice balance of personality types. Ari, the princess, for example is a perky delight and acts as a perfect foil for the more pragmatic Marissa while Liam's steadfastness contrasts with Grimm's reticence. I hope that Nelson eventually does a spin off series in the same world so we get to see things from some of the secondary characters' point of view. I appreciated finding out more about Grimm's back story as he specialises in being mysterious.
Humour has been slathered on very thickly. The scenes where Marissa deals with the Horsemen of Apocalypse are worth the price of the book alone.
The not so good bits
Only one teeny tiny quibble. If books could burn calories then this one would have been the perfect workout. An awful lot happens to Marissa in a short space of time and I got exhausted just reading what she managed to pack in. Nelson could have left some things out so the pace was a little less frenetic but that would have affected the tension as the hours ticked down to the apocalypse.
Verdict
Marissa is an old hand when it comes to dealing with things going awry but accidentally starting the apocalypse has to rate pretty high on the oops scale. An old foe emerges out of the shadows because, you know, life wasn't hard enough. She needs her friends to help defeat them but they have their own dramas to deal with.
Marissa often solves short term problems without considering the implications of these actions in the future. Anything that could get worse does and as awful as it sounds, I was glad - she is at her most inventive when she has her back against the wall and it made for some very entertaining moments.
The good bits
Nelson's mind must be a strange and wonderful place to generate such a zany plot. Marissa's adventures are wild and weird and I adored every minute of the book. A big part of this comes down to the world building which is meticulous. Everything hangs together logically even though there are crazy things going down with poodles and a demon trying to destroy everything.
The characters are very engaging and we get a really nice balance of personality types. Ari, the princess, for example is a perky delight and acts as a perfect foil for the more pragmatic Marissa while Liam's steadfastness contrasts with Grimm's reticence. I hope that Nelson eventually does a spin off series in the same world so we get to see things from some of the secondary characters' point of view. I appreciated finding out more about Grimm's back story as he specialises in being mysterious.
Humour has been slathered on very thickly. The scenes where Marissa deals with the Horsemen of Apocalypse are worth the price of the book alone.
The not so good bits
Only one teeny tiny quibble. If books could burn calories then this one would have been the perfect workout. An awful lot happens to Marissa in a short space of time and I got exhausted just reading what she managed to pack in. Nelson could have left some things out so the pace was a little less frenetic but that would have affected the tension as the hours ticked down to the apocalypse.
Verdict
A kick-ass urban fantasy that takes you on one heck of a ride.
April 6, 2015
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
ARMAGEDDON RULES follows in FREE AGENT's footsteps as an action-packed, roller-coaster ride of a novel, full of drama and never letting the reader catch a breath. While sometimes this works, in this case, the entire novel became a bit difficult to follow, with multiple plotlines and many similarly named characters offering the opportunity for confusion.
Marissa, our main character, started to grate on my nerves. She has grown up a little since the previous book, but she still tends to have the act first, question later method of dealing with problems. I don't always get the impression that she thinks things through before she does them and that is frustrating in a character who is supposedly mature enough to take over the Agency in Grimm's absence.
On the upside, ARMAGEDDON RULES was definitely not as gory as FREE AGENT, which was an improvement. Though violent, it was usually pretty sparsely described, instead of going into tons of detail. There was also less of people throwing up in this installment, as well. And though there were quite a few main characters, they were enjoyable to get to know, I just wish that there had been more time to focus on them. I feel like any one of the difficulties that Marissa was facing would have been enough for a book, but instead she got almost every problem that could have been thrown in her direction.
ARMAGEDDON RULES certainly doesn't let the reader take a break and definitely doesn't suffer from any slow development that some second books tend to have problems with. Nelson keeps up the pace and drags the reader along for a rough and tumble ride that is enjoyable, if a bit much. I definitely will give book three in the Grimm Agency series a try, WISH BOUND, when it comes out in August.
Sexual content: Kissing, sexual situations implied
ARMAGEDDON RULES follows in FREE AGENT's footsteps as an action-packed, roller-coaster ride of a novel, full of drama and never letting the reader catch a breath. While sometimes this works, in this case, the entire novel became a bit difficult to follow, with multiple plotlines and many similarly named characters offering the opportunity for confusion.
Marissa, our main character, started to grate on my nerves. She has grown up a little since the previous book, but she still tends to have the act first, question later method of dealing with problems. I don't always get the impression that she thinks things through before she does them and that is frustrating in a character who is supposedly mature enough to take over the Agency in Grimm's absence.
On the upside, ARMAGEDDON RULES was definitely not as gory as FREE AGENT, which was an improvement. Though violent, it was usually pretty sparsely described, instead of going into tons of detail. There was also less of people throwing up in this installment, as well. And though there were quite a few main characters, they were enjoyable to get to know, I just wish that there had been more time to focus on them. I feel like any one of the difficulties that Marissa was facing would have been enough for a book, but instead she got almost every problem that could have been thrown in her direction.
ARMAGEDDON RULES certainly doesn't let the reader take a break and definitely doesn't suffer from any slow development that some second books tend to have problems with. Nelson keeps up the pace and drags the reader along for a rough and tumble ride that is enjoyable, if a bit much. I definitely will give book three in the Grimm Agency series a try, WISH BOUND, when it comes out in August.
Sexual content: Kissing, sexual situations implied
March 2, 2015
**I received this book for free from (Penguin/Ace) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!! This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.**
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
Armageddon Rules is the second installment in the Grimm Agency series by J.C. Nelson. Rules picks up 2 years after the end of Free Agency, and once again is told in the first person narrative by Marissa Lock. The same Lock who was once sold to Fairy Godfather Grimm to pay off her family's debts and has spent the past 8 years working for him. This includes hunting down serial killers, putting an end to the evil Poodle infestations, and going up against spoiled princes and princesses in a land where fairy tale characters really do exist.
There are lots of things to talk about in this installment, so I'll get to it. Marissa has earned a bit of a reprieve after killing the evil Fairy Godmother Odette and surviving. But, time marches along and doesn't stop for anyone. She really doesn't have time to dwell on past events when assassins appear at your doorstep nearly every day, and an evil Queen sends Rip Van Winkle to kill you. Marissa's life has been changed since she was first introduced to readers in Free Agency. She met half dragon Liam Stone and fell in love with him and now wants a family. She has a best friend and partner in Arianna (Ari) Thromson who is also a princess/witch she once hated.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Recvd via NetGalley 02/11/2015* Released: February 24th 2015 by Ace
*Genre* Urban Fantasy
*Rating* 3.5
*My Thoughts*
Armageddon Rules is the second installment in the Grimm Agency series by J.C. Nelson. Rules picks up 2 years after the end of Free Agency, and once again is told in the first person narrative by Marissa Lock. The same Lock who was once sold to Fairy Godfather Grimm to pay off her family's debts and has spent the past 8 years working for him. This includes hunting down serial killers, putting an end to the evil Poodle infestations, and going up against spoiled princes and princesses in a land where fairy tale characters really do exist.
There are lots of things to talk about in this installment, so I'll get to it. Marissa has earned a bit of a reprieve after killing the evil Fairy Godmother Odette and surviving. But, time marches along and doesn't stop for anyone. She really doesn't have time to dwell on past events when assassins appear at your doorstep nearly every day, and an evil Queen sends Rip Van Winkle to kill you. Marissa's life has been changed since she was first introduced to readers in Free Agency. She met half dragon Liam Stone and fell in love with him and now wants a family. She has a best friend and partner in Arianna (Ari) Thromson who is also a princess/witch she once hated.
*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*
http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/201...
*Recvd via NetGalley 02/11/2015* Released: February 24th 2015 by Ace
March 27, 2015
Disclosure: I received a review copy from the publisher in exchange for a honest review.
Armageddon Rules picks up a couple of years after the events of Free Agent. Marissa is no longer an agent as she was promoted to partner; but that doesn’t mean work at the agency is any mellower. Assassins are showing up every day, there’s a flesh-eating poodle infestation and oh yeah, Marissa accidently signed a demon contract promising to bring down the apocalypse. It’s just another day in Marissa Locke’s life.
Two things you can always expect from this series is that things will never be boring and it’s unpredictable. Readers literally will not know what to expect because like the world-building and characters, everything about the book/plot is unconventional, in a good way of course. In the latest installment, readers will learn more about Fairy Godfather’s past, the Black Queen, and the most interesting thing of all; why wishes are never granted anymore. While the usual gang is present, there’s a whole new group of villains, from nasty demons, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Princess-Queen Serial Killer Rip Van Winkle, to the devil himself who happens to go by Nick!
You know how kids are when they had too much sugar and are so hyper that they’re practically bouncing off the walls…yeah this series is like that! Armageddon Rules is another crazy, hilarious, fun installment in the Grimm Agency series! I really enjoyed it, and can’t wait till the third book, Wish Bound, which comes out later this year.
Armageddon Rules picks up a couple of years after the events of Free Agent. Marissa is no longer an agent as she was promoted to partner; but that doesn’t mean work at the agency is any mellower. Assassins are showing up every day, there’s a flesh-eating poodle infestation and oh yeah, Marissa accidently signed a demon contract promising to bring down the apocalypse. It’s just another day in Marissa Locke’s life.
Two things you can always expect from this series is that things will never be boring and it’s unpredictable. Readers literally will not know what to expect because like the world-building and characters, everything about the book/plot is unconventional, in a good way of course. In the latest installment, readers will learn more about Fairy Godfather’s past, the Black Queen, and the most interesting thing of all; why wishes are never granted anymore. While the usual gang is present, there’s a whole new group of villains, from nasty demons, the four horsemen of the apocalypse, Princess-Queen Serial Killer Rip Van Winkle, to the devil himself who happens to go by Nick!
You know how kids are when they had too much sugar and are so hyper that they’re practically bouncing off the walls…yeah this series is like that! Armageddon Rules is another crazy, hilarious, fun installment in the Grimm Agency series! I really enjoyed it, and can’t wait till the third book, Wish Bound, which comes out later this year.
July 19, 2014
Whoa, up already! Super excited JC's second novel is hitting goodreads already.
January 28, 2016
Review to come
December 9, 2015
maybe not so good as the first but still good enough
August 10, 2019
Some fun weirdness, but the lead, Marissa is seriously too stupid to live. And, I kinda want a demon poodle.
April 18, 2018
56 points/100 (3 stars/5).
Marissa accidentally starts Armageddon in the midst of a whirlwind of problems, Grimm is missing, and someone keeps trying to kill her and everyone she knows.
I was really disappointed with this book. At forty percent through, I realised that I had no clue what this book was actually supposed to be about. Nelson wanted to showcase how many weird, "interesting" things they could put the characters through more than focusing on the plot. The author also makes same same tired jokes that are inappropriate for the series and are just in there to get a tired laugh.
The world building was really uninspired this book, too. I think it would have been better if the author stuck to just fairy tales. The whole hell/heaven demon/angel thing is just a step too much into kitchen sink. I would have really enjoyed this, I think, had it stuck to fairy tales, those parts are all good. And the balrog bit should have been left out. I have literally no idea how magic is unknown to the world at large, because every damn person we meet except Liam seems to have a clue what is going on. Also, that damned gnome monster truck rally thing was so ridiculous.
The main character, Marissa, seems like a totally different person than the one introduced in the first book. Not only in personality, but the personal backstory is even slightly different, but not too off base from what was introduced in the first book. Sorry, but the fact that she has friends and a boyfriend (that was not clear they were getting together in the first book) should not change her core personality that much. She even makes jokes about Liam being her slave all "teehee" when in the first book she hated being a slave herself. Infuriating.
The decisions the main character makes in this book are head scratching and seem to be just to cause the most silly situation possible. She makes deals with Death, accidentally makes deals to start the Apocalypse, and just constantly does things without consulting anyone resulting in constantly fucked up things. It really makes for an annoying experience.
Overall, just really bored and disappointed. Not what I was hoping for from a second book. Ridiculous plot, ridiculously obvious plot, disjointed, non-thinking character.. One book to go but I'm not looking as forward to it.
Marissa accidentally starts Armageddon in the midst of a whirlwind of problems, Grimm is missing, and someone keeps trying to kill her and everyone she knows.
I was really disappointed with this book. At forty percent through, I realised that I had no clue what this book was actually supposed to be about. Nelson wanted to showcase how many weird, "interesting" things they could put the characters through more than focusing on the plot. The author also makes same same tired jokes that are inappropriate for the series and are just in there to get a tired laugh.
The world building was really uninspired this book, too. I think it would have been better if the author stuck to just fairy tales. The whole hell/heaven demon/angel thing is just a step too much into kitchen sink. I would have really enjoyed this, I think, had it stuck to fairy tales, those parts are all good. And the balrog bit should have been left out. I have literally no idea how magic is unknown to the world at large, because every damn person we meet except Liam seems to have a clue what is going on. Also, that damned gnome monster truck rally thing was so ridiculous.
The main character, Marissa, seems like a totally different person than the one introduced in the first book. Not only in personality, but the personal backstory is even slightly different, but not too off base from what was introduced in the first book. Sorry, but the fact that she has friends and a boyfriend (that was not clear they were getting together in the first book) should not change her core personality that much. She even makes jokes about Liam being her slave all "teehee" when in the first book she hated being a slave herself. Infuriating.
The decisions the main character makes in this book are head scratching and seem to be just to cause the most silly situation possible. She makes deals with Death, accidentally makes deals to start the Apocalypse, and just constantly does things without consulting anyone resulting in constantly fucked up things. It really makes for an annoying experience.
Overall, just really bored and disappointed. Not what I was hoping for from a second book. Ridiculous plot, ridiculously obvious plot, disjointed, non-thinking character.. One book to go but I'm not looking as forward to it.
August 11, 2020
I was very pleasantly surprised by the first book in the series, Free Agent, so I was glad that I had access to the audiobook for this next book. This book had a slightly different feel as an audiobook. The narrator is really good. She give Marissa a lot of attitude. I also like the way she characterizes the other characters. Liam sounds extra yummy and adorable. Marissa comes off as a tough cookie, but she is very caring and loyal to her friends and loved ones, a driving force to her actions.
I feel like the body count was pretty high in this book compared to the first, and there's an overall cavalier attitude about death and dying. I supposed that's to be expected, considering the business and the overall state of affairs.
I am a sucker for the fairy tale theme, and I appreciate how naturalistic this is to the overall story. In this world, fairy godparents, princesses, evil queens, and all manner of supernatural being are part and parcel.
This novel provides more insight into the mysterious Grimm and his background. I would definitely read these books in order because otherwise one would be lost. This book picks up where the first book left off.
If you can grab the audiobook, I recommend it.
I feel like the body count was pretty high in this book compared to the first, and there's an overall cavalier attitude about death and dying. I supposed that's to be expected, considering the business and the overall state of affairs.
I am a sucker for the fairy tale theme, and I appreciate how naturalistic this is to the overall story. In this world, fairy godparents, princesses, evil queens, and all manner of supernatural being are part and parcel.
This novel provides more insight into the mysterious Grimm and his background. I would definitely read these books in order because otherwise one would be lost. This book picks up where the first book left off.
If you can grab the audiobook, I recommend it.
September 15, 2017
In the vein of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Marissa Locks polices beings and situations that the mundane don't want to know about. While J.C. Nelson has control of her(?) storytelling, I found the whole building too whimsical and each reveal of new creatures and how they fit into this world pushed a bit too far: for example, a prince who speaks in hyper-socially aware speech, trolls who take the idea of the risk of death makes living sweeter to extremes. That said, I enjoyed the contract negotiations and interpretations around Marissa's accidentally signing a contract with a demon to bring about the apocalypse.
January 1, 2018
In the second book in this series it is now 2 years later and Marissa and Liam are madly in love. Marissa is now a partner in the Grimm Agency, and she is about to have more problems than she can handle. Liam is contracted to a coven of vampires for 2 weeks on a different continent, while Marissa will soon have to deal with a demon who tricks her into starting the armageddon.
This girl is AMAZING at finding trouble, and everytime she thinks she fixes a problem, she soon discovers that she had made even more.
This is an entertaining read for sure.
This girl is AMAZING at finding trouble, and everytime she thinks she fixes a problem, she soon discovers that she had made even more.
This is an entertaining read for sure.
September 17, 2024
Good Omens may never be surpassed as the best and most hilarious Armageddon book, but this book had some great laugh out loud Armageddon gems. Thankfully, it wasn't a rip off of Good Omens, or a repeat of punchlines, but there was a similar irreverent approach.
It's been some time since I read the first book, and I remember enjoying some silliness. Don't know why it took me so long to come back, but it was definitely worth the return. My sense of humor is not for everyone, but this hit just right for me.
It's been some time since I read the first book, and I remember enjoying some silliness. Don't know why it took me so long to come back, but it was definitely worth the return. My sense of humor is not for everyone, but this hit just right for me.
April 18, 2015
Marissa has a new wonderful life. She’s Grimm’s partner, fully involved in running the agency with all its wonders and petty annoyances. Her best friend Arianna has put her princess past behind her and is settling in as an agent. And her boyfriend Liam is still with her and it’s wonderful –barring some singeing from the half-dragon
But she made enemies – and those enemies have a lot of resources and a lot of patience. When they come for her Marissa finds herself alone, her friends endangered, absent or depowered and her juggling saving them and keeping the agency going
Also, she kind of started the apocalypse…
This book is exponentially more silly than the first one. And it works
It works in a way it wouldn’t with the first book because Marissa is now Grimm’s partner, not his indentured servant. By putting her in charge, by making her an equal, the book has more scope to be fun and silly than dark and gritty and angsty. There were certainly elements of the silly in the first book, but the darker undertones pulled us away from it and stopped it going too far
The darkness has been dispersed, Marissa has moved on from her previous wishes, her laments of the life she is forced into and her general moping. She now has a career she’s embraced, power and agency, a man she loves and some very good friends. She even has a new intern to shoot. She’s happy. She’s in a good place and it really changes the entire tone of the series
So we have gnomish monster-truck death cults! We have infernal energy manifesting as plagues of murderous poodles! We have princesses blessed with so many positive attributes so there has to be balance – and they cannot drive. We have a love sick wraith of pure hatred dancing attendance on Arianna. We have a prince and true love’s kiss bearer with a phobia of physical contact. We have a zany apocalypse complete with plagues of encyclopaedia salesmen, we have the need to kill golden-egg-laying geese before they destroy the market and a weekly gig of turning frogs back into princes (finding which are which because princes are far lazier and more entitled than frogs) and dwarves digging up balrogs (“nothing says ‘you shall not pass’ like a howitzer.”)
It’s fun, it’s hilarious and it works. Sometimes you just need a book that’s fun.
We have Marissa being awesome and competent and long suffering and holding everything together as the new co-head of the agency. Liam, her new dragon boyfriend, has been shipped out of the book for most of it which is good – because we can focus on Marissa and Arianna. Arianna may be my favourite character - she has grown leaps and bounds, she’s a powerful magical princess, has a great big gun and really really hates the fact she’s a princess despite the magical bonuses she gets. While both she and Marissa are contemptuous of normal princess behaviour (“flail helplessly and wait for a man”) it’s also wonderfully clear that Queens and princesses are the real powers in this world. Marissa’s contempt for princesses isn’t carried over into reality and we see Marissa’s envy shining through.
If it can be said to be anyone’s book than Marissa’s, it’s Arianna’s as well
Now the problem. This book suffers from a lack of focus and a huge twist in the storyline half way through which I felt was jarring and resulted in neither storyline being developed as much as it could be
For the first half of the book the focus is on Queen Mihail and her desire for vengeance on Marissa and all her friends and contacts after the events of book one. This is a fun, dramatic storyline because Marissa did promise vengeance, is an extremely powerful being and has the resources to make it stick. We see Marissa reeling from multiple attacks but also having to handle more and more things on her own as her support network grumbles. It was an excellent chance for Marissa to shine without Grimm’s power and knowledge and even without Arianna’s magic or Liam’s new dragon nature. It allowed Marissa to remind us of her competence (even if there are meta-plot hints of her being manipulated) and her capabilities despite being the only non-magical human in the cast. She’s still powerful, she still leads the story, she’s still pretty awesome and this bit of the book shows her off and the world to an excellent degree
Then half way through Marissa accidentally becomes the harbinger of the apocalypse (which could be a fun little mistake to make, but the whole rules around it and how she is duped are implausible to say the least – yes I know it’s a book all about the implausible but this pushes it further than I can run with). Now we have another major storyline and it all kind of mooshes together clumsily. Despite putting all this effort into squishing Marissa, Queen Mihail seems to take a break while Marissa runs around trying to save her friends from their various predicaments. The brewing apocalypse requires nothing more than a few, brief, delaying moves from Marissa which are definitely funny (she has to provide mounts for the 4 horsemen. But her contract doesn’t specify what constitutes a mount) but it generally feels like Marissa is just putting off the apocalypse. An apocalypse, I feel, generally demands more of one’s attention.
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But she made enemies – and those enemies have a lot of resources and a lot of patience. When they come for her Marissa finds herself alone, her friends endangered, absent or depowered and her juggling saving them and keeping the agency going
Also, she kind of started the apocalypse…
This book is exponentially more silly than the first one. And it works
It works in a way it wouldn’t with the first book because Marissa is now Grimm’s partner, not his indentured servant. By putting her in charge, by making her an equal, the book has more scope to be fun and silly than dark and gritty and angsty. There were certainly elements of the silly in the first book, but the darker undertones pulled us away from it and stopped it going too far
The darkness has been dispersed, Marissa has moved on from her previous wishes, her laments of the life she is forced into and her general moping. She now has a career she’s embraced, power and agency, a man she loves and some very good friends. She even has a new intern to shoot. She’s happy. She’s in a good place and it really changes the entire tone of the series
So we have gnomish monster-truck death cults! We have infernal energy manifesting as plagues of murderous poodles! We have princesses blessed with so many positive attributes so there has to be balance – and they cannot drive. We have a love sick wraith of pure hatred dancing attendance on Arianna. We have a prince and true love’s kiss bearer with a phobia of physical contact. We have a zany apocalypse complete with plagues of encyclopaedia salesmen, we have the need to kill golden-egg-laying geese before they destroy the market and a weekly gig of turning frogs back into princes (finding which are which because princes are far lazier and more entitled than frogs) and dwarves digging up balrogs (“nothing says ‘you shall not pass’ like a howitzer.”)
It’s fun, it’s hilarious and it works. Sometimes you just need a book that’s fun.
We have Marissa being awesome and competent and long suffering and holding everything together as the new co-head of the agency. Liam, her new dragon boyfriend, has been shipped out of the book for most of it which is good – because we can focus on Marissa and Arianna. Arianna may be my favourite character - she has grown leaps and bounds, she’s a powerful magical princess, has a great big gun and really really hates the fact she’s a princess despite the magical bonuses she gets. While both she and Marissa are contemptuous of normal princess behaviour (“flail helplessly and wait for a man”) it’s also wonderfully clear that Queens and princesses are the real powers in this world. Marissa’s contempt for princesses isn’t carried over into reality and we see Marissa’s envy shining through.
If it can be said to be anyone’s book than Marissa’s, it’s Arianna’s as well
Now the problem. This book suffers from a lack of focus and a huge twist in the storyline half way through which I felt was jarring and resulted in neither storyline being developed as much as it could be
For the first half of the book the focus is on Queen Mihail and her desire for vengeance on Marissa and all her friends and contacts after the events of book one. This is a fun, dramatic storyline because Marissa did promise vengeance, is an extremely powerful being and has the resources to make it stick. We see Marissa reeling from multiple attacks but also having to handle more and more things on her own as her support network grumbles. It was an excellent chance for Marissa to shine without Grimm’s power and knowledge and even without Arianna’s magic or Liam’s new dragon nature. It allowed Marissa to remind us of her competence (even if there are meta-plot hints of her being manipulated) and her capabilities despite being the only non-magical human in the cast. She’s still powerful, she still leads the story, she’s still pretty awesome and this bit of the book shows her off and the world to an excellent degree
Then half way through Marissa accidentally becomes the harbinger of the apocalypse (which could be a fun little mistake to make, but the whole rules around it and how she is duped are implausible to say the least – yes I know it’s a book all about the implausible but this pushes it further than I can run with). Now we have another major storyline and it all kind of mooshes together clumsily. Despite putting all this effort into squishing Marissa, Queen Mihail seems to take a break while Marissa runs around trying to save her friends from their various predicaments. The brewing apocalypse requires nothing more than a few, brief, delaying moves from Marissa which are definitely funny (she has to provide mounts for the 4 horsemen. But her contract doesn’t specify what constitutes a mount) but it generally feels like Marissa is just putting off the apocalypse. An apocalypse, I feel, generally demands more of one’s attention.
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March 25, 2019
I enjoyed this series. The ending to this book as well as the series was great. Strong female character. Good story and side characters. The sudden love was hard but I think there may be a book in between.
Clean
Clean
July 26, 2017
This was a fun read.
Thank You Ms Nelson
Ken
Thank You Ms Nelson
Ken
December 27, 2017
Worth it if you can recognize that the character's flaws are meant to be flaws to be overcome and can stand the journey.
October 30, 2018
I enjoyed this more than the first one.
December 15, 2018
Meh. Good but not great. Didn't stick with me, took forever to read it, well for me. It's alright, just doesn't really stand out and is forgettable.
March 22, 2020
Pretty twisty thinking!
August 25, 2021
Love this series and love the 4 horsemen in I laughed at them in this book very original
August 4, 2024
I didn't expect more of Marissa but I did enjoy the sequel.
The world-building and Black Queen plot is interesting enough for me to continue...provided my library has the next book. ;)
The world-building and Black Queen plot is interesting enough for me to continue...provided my library has the next book. ;)
September 1, 2015
ARMAGEDDON RULES: The Apocalypse with a Humorous Twist
ORIGINAL POST 9/1/15: http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...
Isn’t it funny how supernatural creatures are written with augmented human weaknesses or fallibility? If they are SUPERnatural shouldn’t they be above humanity’s characteristics? you know they have magic but are worried about their looks, they have power but are still greedy.
What I see is that these magical abilities or powers do not make supes better “people,” just more power hungry and often evil. If the characters are not evil or such they are often, like the fae in this series, aloof and uncaring about humanity. They have a wide view and humans have a short and personal idea of what is right and wrong.
This book is a demonstration of the above: Queens are the richest and prettiest and they just want to grind everyone down, and most have insane vendettas. Demons, who are much more powerful than we are, still want to make their daddy demon happy. Almost all the characters show a need for approval.
I reviewed the first audiobook in this series last month and I found it hard to follow the intricate world building in an audio format. But, the benefit of having done that one is that this made more sense.
I liked the reciprocal saving of the supernaturals and the humans, particularly Marissa and Ari and Marissa and Grimm, who is an ubersupe, yet not infallible.
And, I like how Marissa saves herself most of the time — how she outwits the nitwits.
I do not like the bespelled dragon guy, Marissa’s beau – he looks too much like an older Gerard Depardieu in my head. I also do not like the killing of man-eating poodles. But, I think Marissa has a plan for dealing with that in the form of a piper she is mentoring for her and Grimm’s agency.
Marissa also has to mature for her relationship with dragon be-spelled metal smith boyfriend as she allows him to go off on a job of his own.
This story reminds me of the line, “This is the way the world ends.” In the end, can one outwit the devil and throw enough sabotage at the four riders of the apocalypse to save the world?
ORIGINAL POST 9/1/15: http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...
Isn’t it funny how supernatural creatures are written with augmented human weaknesses or fallibility? If they are SUPERnatural shouldn’t they be above humanity’s characteristics? you know they have magic but are worried about their looks, they have power but are still greedy.
What I see is that these magical abilities or powers do not make supes better “people,” just more power hungry and often evil. If the characters are not evil or such they are often, like the fae in this series, aloof and uncaring about humanity. They have a wide view and humans have a short and personal idea of what is right and wrong.
This book is a demonstration of the above: Queens are the richest and prettiest and they just want to grind everyone down, and most have insane vendettas. Demons, who are much more powerful than we are, still want to make their daddy demon happy. Almost all the characters show a need for approval.
I reviewed the first audiobook in this series last month and I found it hard to follow the intricate world building in an audio format. But, the benefit of having done that one is that this made more sense.
I liked the reciprocal saving of the supernaturals and the humans, particularly Marissa and Ari and Marissa and Grimm, who is an ubersupe, yet not infallible.
And, I like how Marissa saves herself most of the time — how she outwits the nitwits.
I do not like the bespelled dragon guy, Marissa’s beau – he looks too much like an older Gerard Depardieu in my head. I also do not like the killing of man-eating poodles. But, I think Marissa has a plan for dealing with that in the form of a piper she is mentoring for her and Grimm’s agency.
Marissa also has to mature for her relationship with dragon be-spelled metal smith boyfriend as she allows him to go off on a job of his own.
This story reminds me of the line, “This is the way the world ends.” In the end, can one outwit the devil and throw enough sabotage at the four riders of the apocalypse to save the world?
January 29, 2016
Over-the-top fantasy may not be everyone's cup of tea, but If you like the Charley Davidson series (First Grave on the Right), then you would highly appreciate Grimm Agency's second book - Armageddon Rules. Both series portray strong, brave, quirky and likeable female protagonists that kick ass and don't take shit from anybody. They aren't perfect, they screw up, but they step up and deal with it and that's what makes them so endearing (side eye some YA fantasy books).
Armageddon Rules doesn't disappoint with its usual style of epic adventures, whacky humour, and vibrant characters, all rolled up in 300 pages of solid plot and story development. There was never a point in time where I felt bored or uninterested, which is rare, considering all the mediocre books I've read this year. The action and flow is so compelling that I am willing to overlook the multiple (pretty obvious) grammatical errors in the book.
'War stepped forward."You sent us across the country. Made us ride back.And we don't even get to kill anyone?"
"Sorry." I hope my tone sounded sufficiently insincere.'
Ah, fantasy and the apocalypse, two of my favourite things in the world.
Armageddon Rules doesn't disappoint with its usual style of epic adventures, whacky humour, and vibrant characters, all rolled up in 300 pages of solid plot and story development. There was never a point in time where I felt bored or uninterested, which is rare, considering all the mediocre books I've read this year. The action and flow is so compelling that I am willing to overlook the multiple (pretty obvious) grammatical errors in the book.
'War stepped forward."You sent us across the country. Made us ride back.And we don't even get to kill anyone?"
"Sorry." I hope my tone sounded sufficiently insincere.'
Ah, fantasy and the apocalypse, two of my favourite things in the world.
September 26, 2015
I have to say I don't think I've enjoyed a book this much in months! Having 3 starred the first book in this series (Free Agent) I was expecting another mediocre book, but this book way exceeded those expectations.
I'm not going to run down the synopsis other than saying the book starts 2 years after the ending of the first and while everything appears to be running smoothly, well as smoothly as things can go in Mariss, Liam, and Ari! On the surface life is fairly good, except old enemies have been plotting and things a about to blow up right in these Agents faces. Marissa, Liam, Ari, and new friends have to figure out who's trying to kill them and put an end to it. Much chaos ensues very comically I must say. It was a laugh out loud kinda book, where one minute your quietly reading and then bellowing much to the chagrin of your dog who's sadly trying to sleep on your leg!
I'd recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones, but you should probably start with the first book!
I'm not going to run down the synopsis other than saying the book starts 2 years after the ending of the first and while everything appears to be running smoothly, well as smoothly as things can go in Mariss, Liam, and Ari! On the surface life is fairly good, except old enemies have been plotting and things a about to blow up right in these Agents faces. Marissa, Liam, Ari, and new friends have to figure out who's trying to kill them and put an end to it. Much chaos ensues very comically I must say. It was a laugh out loud kinda book, where one minute your quietly reading and then bellowing much to the chagrin of your dog who's sadly trying to sleep on your leg!
I'd recommend this one to anyone who is a fan of the Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones, but you should probably start with the first book!
March 16, 2015
This book is awesome. I can't believe Marissa almost starts the apocalypse. Then again she always ends up in some kind of trouble. At least along the way she took out one of Kingdom's boogeymen. I know the story of Rip Van Winkle and think this version of him is better than the story in all honesty. Although the fact that he pretty much indiscriminately kills Kingdom royalty is interesting. Ah well he ends up dead, the apocalypse averted, and Grimm is free to have access to his full powers. The only downside is that now his daughter is on the loose. I hope Marissa will be able to survive that problem.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2015
Marissa has a boy friend, but also a problem - he tends to go scaly and breathe fire. She has made partner at the Grimm Agency, but has several Queens after her hide. One mad a deal with a demon, but Marrissa inadvertently signed a contract with the same demon to bring on an apocalypse! Luckily, Marissa has Larry the Lich lawyer on her side and cunningly weasels her way through to bringing on a "demon apocalypse". Plenty of poodles, puns, action and violence. More fun than Free Agents!
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