Bride of Death

Marla Mason #7

by T.A. Pratt, Jessica Almasy (Reader)

Marla Mason has been a mercenary, a chief sorcerer, a protector of an entire city, and an occult detective, and now she's a goddess of death...but only part time. She gets to spend six months a year living as a mortal woman on Earth, and she's decided to devote those months to hunting monsters for fun and personal redemption. Armed with ax and dagger, with the living severed head of her worst enemy in a birdcage for a traveling companion, she sets off by motorcycle into the American Southwest on a journey of self-discovery and other destruction.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Fiction, Urban, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook, Horror

MP3 CD

First published November 5, 2013

About the author

T.A. Pratt is the pseudonym of Tim Pratt, under which he penned the Marla Mason books.

I've crowdfunded seven projects (four through Kickstarter) successfully in the past few years, and I don't foresee any problems with this one, either. I write novels for a living, and this is a book I'm excited to do. It's always possible there will be bumps and delays on the production process, or an unforeseen illness or other disaster, but if so, I'll keep everyone posted, and we'll get there in the end.

Reviews

[Niki Hawkes - The Obsessive Bookseller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out my Booktube channel at: The Obsessive Bookseller

I always enjoy a good Marla Mason novel – it’s nice to get that snarky fix every so often. I love Marla. She’s a very unconventional character, especially as an urban fantasy heroine, and is most pointedly NOT a nice person (it’s part of her charm). Her “unlikable” profile and generally low BS tolerance gives her great anti-hero vibe I’ve not yet seen done better in this genre.

I found myself slightly unsatisfied with the direction Bride of Death took when compared to the first few books in the series. Some of the reasons this series is among my favorites are those early expansive culture-building within Felport and the well-developed and complex cast of characters. I really didn’t get much of either from this book. I also thought the character went through some weird changes and shifts in mindset that didn’t feel totally consistent with character. But I guess who am I to judge if even a fictional character wants to “do better.”

Overall, I think the first books that went through a trad house were a lot more streamlined. These self-published ones are taking already weird story elements to the ridiculous and sometimes downright stupid realms that I feel are a disservice to the series. Even so, I loved those first books so much that I’m committed to reading to the end eventually. And there are a couple of unresolved plot points that I’m eager to see resolved.

Recommendations: If you like Urban Fantasy and are in the mood for something wildly unconventional and creative, the Marla Mason series is a great pick. Especially the first five or so books. The jury is still out on these remainders…

Thank you to my Patrons: Dave, Katrin, Frank, Jen, Sonja, Staci, Kat, Betsy, Eliss, and Mike! <3

Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com

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[Christin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really do not know why this series does not seem to receive as much love among urban fantasy fans as some others do. This series is solid in its characterizations and world-building as well as being immensely enjoyable. It would also pass the Bechdel test with flying colors. It stars a lead, kick-butt, heroine without every devolving into romantic fluff. Rather, the Marla Mason series is immune from pining love interests or over-used romantic triangles. Instead, you have an awesome main character who just happens to be female. In fact, Marla is probably less romantically inclined than most of the heroes in other series like the Dresden Files, etc. This is remarkably refreshing, especially as a female reader, to have an urban fantasy series that isn't filled with smut just because the lead character is female. I have read those series as well but they can get rather tiresome, and repetitive, and it's a welcome change of pace to come back to the universe of Marla Mason.

The last book in the series was a bit frustrating to deal with but it also dealt with a moment in Marla's life that was supposed to be a bit frustrating so it was really successful in conveying that. In this book however, Marla roars back to life with her usual no-holds-barred attitude and now in first person voice. A great addition to an already great series and I can't wait for the next.

I wish I could give this book a 4.5 as I was drawn between rating it a 4 or a 5 out of 5 stars.

[Timelord Iain · Rating 4 out of 5]

First up, one of the aspects of this second arc seems to be writing each book a different way... Grim Tides was an oral re-telling with the narrator revealed at the end... this book was a series of journal entries written by Marla in 5-6 parts (which allowed for some false narration jokes and foreshadowing)... the next book seems to be a series of POVs with even less chapter structure...

With that over, I liked everything about this entry in the Marla Mason series, EXCEPT when Marla pulled out the cosmic cheat codes and just enabled God Mode for the Final Showdown vs the Eater... pretty anti-climactic... the big reveals in the last 5% were nice, tho... and unexpected... altho each book DOES tend to end with some hint about what the next is going to be about...

Re-read: This was a memorable entry in the series that I looked forward to re-reading, and it didn't disappoint...

[Ungelic_is_us · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty solid Marla; if you liked the previous books in the series, you'll enjoy this one. Pratt's tendency to drag in Lovecraftian monsters and themes always makes me smile. I'm not sure how I feel about the first-person POV (I don't know that I believe Marla would actually keep a journal,) but the narration was smooth and the snarky commentary was a plus, for the most part.

[Nirkatze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know that Pratt started independently publishing the Marla books a few books before this one, but this is the first entry that feels like it was serially written, and reminds me of Dickens' Era stories published chapter-at-a-time in magazines. Marla's adventures are very episodic, and some episodes I enjoyed more than others. The common threads linking everything together, and the final circle-around at the end, weren't quite as tight as earlier entries. I'm also not a huge fan of Nicolette (I'd rather have Elsie Jarrow if we need a Chaos witch!) but I was glad to see Pelham again!

[Baal Of · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the direction Pratt is taking Marla. She seems much better suited to being a roving monster hunter, than being stuck in Hawaii, and with the character seeming to have more fun, the book itself was more fun. I'm looking forward to the final arc of this series.

[John Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable and occasionally laugh-out-loud continuation of the series that does a good job of examining Marla's history in a critical light without losing track of her blind spots.

[Maggie Freeman]

Fabulous!

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

T.A. Pratt is having fun. Seriously. I can only imagine how freeing it must be to be an author popular enough to make a living self-publishing, writing what you love for people who love it, without having the executive meddling of a major publisher. Mur Lafferty is another one for that.

This is, as mentioned above, book №7 of the Marla Mason series, and second in the new arc. While it isn't necessary to read all of the preceding chronology, I strongly recommend reading Grim Tides before reading this one. This is a heavily derivative series with lots of world-building, and important backstory will be missed. It's possible to treat these as stand-alone, but… I wouldn't. Your mileage may vary.

Marla is wandering the earth, searching for good deeds, and Pratt is indulging himself, playing with narrative and style in the process. It's a lot of fun, although somewhat unpolished. Not having the huge infrastructure available allows the occasional editorial or grammatical error to slip through. Being somewhat self-indulgent means that some parts of the story lose direction, or become disruptive. Despite that, this book is very readable.

And the story moves fast. This is wastelander Marla, getting her knight in sour armor on. And there's also a strong awareness of the meta-narrative here — Marla banters with her sidekick about movies and music, culture and values. She makes and loses friends. Said sidekick even explicitly mentions the difficulty of trusting the ‘unreliable narrator’.

The defining phrase for this book is ‘Do Better’, and from what I've read, they could also be the arc words, too. Marla is consciously trying to be a more human person, while she acknowledges her physical (and metaphysical) inhumanity. Despite learning, and striving, she still has many of her defining flaws — she is quick to anger, and slow to forgive; Marla no longer actively rejects kindness, but is still not in the practice of extending kindness, and that causes her to make unfortunate, avoidable mistakes.

Of course, we as readers, love those mistakes. Perfect people are boring, and Finding the most horrible things to do to your characters is often what makes for the best writing. This one is a doozy, setting up the return of a favorite (fan or author, I don't know, but she's in most of the books…) antagonist, and introduction of some interesting new weaknesses to balance out interesting new powers.

Lastly, as a Kickstarted book, Mr. Pratt is free to set up longer-reaching plot hooks and events, and lead into an expected new book. He knows he'll get there at some point. At so the story continues, with Lady of Misrule. See you all there.

Edit: Marked supernatural romance for tsundere relationship with Death and a shower scene. This is not sloppy vampire smut, and anyone looking for a melting ice queen will probably be disappointed.

[M.K. Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading a series that follows a protagonist over the course of several adventures/years, there seems to be a tendency for things to get ridiculous - a character who started out as a scrappy underdog becomes incredibly powerful and successful by book 3, for example, or by book 5, the thoughtful, questioning protagonist with realistic reservations about certain lifestyle choices has thrown all thought and question out the window, but who cares, the books are selling so well the publisher seems to think proofreaders are no longer necessary (...wasn't so-and-so's hair black in the last book? When did he become a blond?), etc.

The Marla Mason series has been refreshingly different. I did start thinking "is this where it gets ridiculous?" around book 5 - and it could have, very easily - but instead, in reading Bride of Death, I felt like I'd been given a peek at where it could have gone, and then given a story that took me back to why I started reading the series in the first place. Marla is growing and changing in realistic ways (and unrealistic - hey, it's a series about sorcerers), and there's a pleasant balance between that change and her recognizable, familiar self. It also feels like Tim Pratt is really hitting a stride as a writer, and that in itself makes this book enjoyable.

This series has continued because the author and the existing reader base wanted it to, and the results have exceeded my expectations. There's something special about being able to keep reading a story because an author really wants to keep writing it.

[Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's Marla Mason. Of course I enjoyed it. I worry about her getting stuck in one place, though, since now that she's a six-months-on, six-months-off goddess of death now, she'll fall into a tired pattern of what kinds of adventures she can have--and how much she'll have to work to win the day, since she's extremely powerful even without goddess powers. On the other hand, T.A. Pratt hasn't disappointed me yet, so I'm heartily looking forward to the volume after this one.

What I enjoyed most about this book was Marla's self-reflection, and acknowledgement of her own faults and areas where she can improve. I like that Marla is both a ridiculously confident person and someone who accepts her mistakes and owns them. She doesn't try to place fault with the sorcerers of Felport for kicking her out, nor does she try to sweep the bad decisions she's made and the people she's hurt under the rug. She acknowledges everything she is and works to improve herself, and I think that's very important in a character. Marla, as a character, shows development while remaining true to herself.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a slow start for me and I had to keep coming back to it. By about a quarter of the way in, I really got drawn in and enjoying the Marla Mason character. By this time in Marla's life she has experienced being a meercenary, a lead sorcerer of a city, and a detective. None have panned out for her so she's now 1//2 time goddess of Death and 1/2 time equalizer, protecting orginary humans from supernatural predators. She's on a personal quest to do better. Such a great and enteraining story.There are 3 main battles with monsters, each one harder than the last and leading her to the next one. Marla is a brusque character who makes no apologies. She's decisive and impatient. She understands her strengths as well as her weaknesses. When she makes a mistake, she owns it and uses it as a learning experience instead of beating herself up. I just love her approach to life. She's always moving forward.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This installment of the Marla Mason saga was more of the same, which is perhaps both good and bad. I generally enjoy Pratt's writing, and the dialogue in the series is usually a lot of fun. However, I think I'm ready for him to branch out into new territory, and exercise those not modest writing talents on some new characters and new situations.

Marla has become a god at this point, and it's hard to feel sympathy for a god who -- generally speaking -- cannot die. In a way, for me I think it's a bit like the old Dungeons and Dragons days, when I got more enjoyment out of playing low- or mid-level characters than high-level ones. The more power the characters have, the more extreme the challenges have to be, making it hard for us mere mortals to really relate to what is happening.

Lastly, my Kindle edition had a few too many misspellings and grammar hiccups: things that should have been caught by some combination of automated spell-checker and a halfway decent proofreading phase.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest in the Marla Mason urban fantasy series, it kicks off where the series left off, with Marla now as the Bride of Death, aka the title character. She's human, kind of, while she walks the earth, and the story involves her adventures walking the earth kung fu style looking to fight monsters.

It's nothing profound; just popcorn fantasy, but it's fun. If you like urban fantasy go pick up blood engines and start there. The characters are reasonably well developed for this kind of thing, and the plotlines make at least internal sense. Its very competently written, which makes it better than about 95% of the genre.

[Leonardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked the story..

In the first book i felt she was a badass who just took care of her town because she gained power from it, but did not really care. she was totally a magical mafia boss. in books 2-4 she changed, coming to be a heartfelt ruler who hided behind surliness. in those books she was defined by her attachment to Felport and its welfare.

this book was fun, full of jokes, insights, moments of realization for the main character, etc... but having Marla free of responsibilities, roaming the country looking for monster to kill, feels like a whole new character, with not a lot of focus or direction. maybe that is how the author sees her right now.

[Virginia Aikens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting Developments

While I continue to enjoy this series, this book is very different from the others. I could see it working as a stand alone that might tantalize a new reader into picking up the rest of the series.

It was almost more like a series of related short stories, and I didn't adore the transition into journal mode. One of the things I've always liked about this series are the rich side characters and they were definitely lacking in this entry in the series. The only real side character with a lot of page time was also the one I find mostly annoying rather than compelling. I'm hoping for better with the next installment.

[John Devenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read all the Marla Mason novels but I have read many of the short stories. I came to this book as a supporter of the Kickstarter which funded it and enjoyed it very much . I now intend to go back and read the previous novels as well as any future ones.
Marla is a very engaging character and the book is full of humour and drama in equal amounts. There are many interesting and entertaining supporting characters some of whom appear in
other novels in the series while others die horrible and gruesome deaths.
All in all a fun read.

[Deanna Stanley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Marla Mason book yet! I actually giggled through it!

Marla wakes up from being dead with the words "Do Better" tattooed on her arm. SO off she goes to hunt monsters - because what else is she to do? Unfortunately she bits off more than she can chew...

If book five was HARD to read, book 7 show that Marla is not only redeemable, but is someone you can root for. I look forward to seeing her grow.

[Jonathan Lupa · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I enjoy these books, but rationally, there is a lot of deus ex involved which feels rather clumsy, and some of the plot is a bit childish. If you take them as character portraits, they are fairly enjoyable though, and I generally recommend them for light escapist reading. I admit to being very sympathetic to the main characters world view, which is probably what has always attracted me to this series.

[Gnomepartay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was not sure what to expect with this sudden change to first-person. I had gotten used to the style and tone of the other Marla Mason books and was worried this change would really effect the feel of the book. I found that after the first few pages I got used to the new style and stopped noticing it. It feels like a usual Marla Mason book. It is still hard for me to get used to books not set in Felport but that's a personal problem.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice addition to the Marla Mason series. The nice thing about this series is there never seems to be a status quo as the character and location where the stories take place seem to change. Fun read, and I like the non nonsense take no sh** character. A fun read. The biggest difference in this now that these are self published e-books is you'll find a few more missed edits.

[Roy DeRousse · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read partway through but discovered that I had no interest in continuing. Mara as goddess doesn't interesting me. Nichole as an occasional, non-primary character was interesting. Don't think that I can handle head-only Nichole as a companion. I don't like the whole, "I don't remember what happened" setup.

I've enjoyed the series so far, but wasn't thrilled with the last book either.

[Topher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marla is back, despite how the last book ended, and trying to make the most of her time. She's got a new tattoo to remind her of her goals, though it isn't always clear which "her" is the one with the goal.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to get too caught up in the plot as everything is orchestrated Marla herself (and thus waiting for her to stop handicapping herself isn't all that compelling). Love the mythology and the dialog, though, no one writes monster killing and repartee like Pratt.

[Alpha · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I didn't like the POV at first, it grew on me and I didn't mind it as much by the end. Overall, not as exciting as previous books, perhaps since Marla is now the bride of death.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably more a 4 1/2...

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a long-time reader of Marla Mason's adventures, I find this new direction quite entertaining. Huzzah, etc.

[Tom DeWitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved It!!

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look at the cover art. Remember the other Marla Mason novel you've read. You're going to love it. Enough said.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marla gets ever more interesting. I really want a better peek at The Bride.