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Livi Talbot #2
Odin's Spear
ALL’S FAIR IN SIBLING RIVALRY AND WAR.
After nearly losing her family and her life, Olivia Talbot is trying to leave the world of artifact hunting behind. But an adrenaline junkie unsuited for a 9 to 5 job can’t hide herself forever, especially when deadly operative Dale West comes knocking with off-book work for his covert organization.
It’ll be “easy”, West says—just a trip to the museum. But a deranged former solider is seeking to reunite the pieces of Gungnir—spear of the Norse god Odin—which is capable of starting war, and this job is much bigger than anyone has let on.
Followed by the dogged son of a tabloid mogul, competing with her archeologist older brother, and still struggling to trust West against her better judgement, Livi will venture into an ancient underwater city in the Mediterranean to stop the dawn of a new war. But the spear of a god has plans for them all, and power not even she might be able to withstand.
After nearly losing her family and her life, Olivia Talbot is trying to leave the world of artifact hunting behind. But an adrenaline junkie unsuited for a 9 to 5 job can’t hide herself forever, especially when deadly operative Dale West comes knocking with off-book work for his covert organization.
It’ll be “easy”, West says—just a trip to the museum. But a deranged former solider is seeking to reunite the pieces of Gungnir—spear of the Norse god Odin—which is capable of starting war, and this job is much bigger than anyone has let on.
Followed by the dogged son of a tabloid mogul, competing with her archeologist older brother, and still struggling to trust West against her better judgement, Livi will venture into an ancient underwater city in the Mediterranean to stop the dawn of a new war. But the spear of a god has plans for them all, and power not even she might be able to withstand.
ebook
Published February 1, 2017
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About the author
Skyla Dawn Cameron
58 books188 followersFriend Requests: I am really happy to accept new friends, however there is a challenge question. I realize it sounds bitchy, but I don't like author spam any more than any other reader. I ignore requests that don't respond to the challenge question (unless I *actually* know you in some capacity).
Please don't spam me with invitations to read your book. Thanks.
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Award-winning author Skyla Dawn Cameron has been writing approximately forever. Her early storytelling days were spent acting out strange horror/fairy tales with the help of her many dolls, and little has changed except that she now keeps those stories on paper. She signed her first book contract at age twenty-one for River, a unique werewolf tale, which was released to critical and reader praise alike and won her the 2007 EPPIE Award for Best Fantasy. She now has multiple series on the go to keep her busy, which is great for her attention deficit disorder.
Skyla lives in Southern Ontario where she dabbles in art, is an avid gamer, and watches Buffy reruns. She’s naturally brunette, occasionally a redhead, and currently blonde. If she ever becomes a grown-up, she wants to run her own pub, as well as become world dictator. You can visit her on the web at www.skyladawncameron.com for free fiction, book news, a community forum, and tons of other totally awesome stuff.
Info about the current series she's working on--which begins with Bloodlines--can be found at www.ZaraLain.com
Please don't spam me with invitations to read your book. Thanks.
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Award-winning author Skyla Dawn Cameron has been writing approximately forever. Her early storytelling days were spent acting out strange horror/fairy tales with the help of her many dolls, and little has changed except that she now keeps those stories on paper. She signed her first book contract at age twenty-one for River, a unique werewolf tale, which was released to critical and reader praise alike and won her the 2007 EPPIE Award for Best Fantasy. She now has multiple series on the go to keep her busy, which is great for her attention deficit disorder.
Skyla lives in Southern Ontario where she dabbles in art, is an avid gamer, and watches Buffy reruns. She’s naturally brunette, occasionally a redhead, and currently blonde. If she ever becomes a grown-up, she wants to run her own pub, as well as become world dictator. You can visit her on the web at www.skyladawncameron.com for free fiction, book news, a community forum, and tons of other totally awesome stuff.
Info about the current series she's working on--which begins with Bloodlines--can be found at www.ZaraLain.com
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
December 15, 2018
Setting:
Being an urban fantasy, the world this book takes place in is very nearly the world in which we all live. The only difference between the two is that some years prior to the events of this book there was an event called “the pulse.” In short, this strange magic ripple caused a bunch of magic stuff to basically wake up, imparting little bits of magic, in various forms, throughout the world.
Characters:
Livi: Olivia Talbot was, at one time in her life, something of a rich socialite living carefree off of daddy's money. After getting pregnant out of wedlock and refusing to give up the child, Livi is disowned by her dad and forced to manage things in her own. She has found a modest lifestyle for herself as a treasure hunter.
West: Dale West is a… human? Maybe. He might be a human. At the very least, he looks like a human, ya know when ever he doesn't look like a white tiger because he can shape shift, in part or in whole, into one. He also has strength and resilience not found among us petty mortals. We further learn he is in possession of at least one more superhuman ability which wasn't mentioned in the first book. I guess that ability want relevant then?
Plot:
This book follows very shortly after the last one dropped off. Livi is back home and nearly recovered from her wounds when West shows up offering a job. It's totally not dangerous at all. Just come to a nearby museum and look at some rocks. The sigils on these ancient Norse rocks will supposedly tell the location of the broken pieces of Odin's spear. Did I mention that there might be a psychopath trying to find all the pieces first and use the spear to start world war three? Because well, there might be. By which I mean there totally is. The museum thing is, of course, not as easy as it sounds and shortly thereafter Livi is on the way to Spain in search of an old shipwreck where the last piece of the spear should be.
My Thoughts:
The book does have a little bit of a slow start. There are a number of other things that happen before we get to the first real action scene in the museum. Once things do start rolling though, there is rarely a pause until the end.
West is used as something of a cure all for problems. Wherever a dangerous monster shows up West fights it off. When there is difficulty in getting through the terrain to the supposed location of the artifact, West either directly or by hiring workers, clears the path. West can seemingly do it all. It leads to a slightly strange situation in which West feels more like the hero than our protagonist and Livi it's just sort of, along for the ride.
At one point, our heroine even wonders exactly what purpose she has on their current mission. West is something of a demigod with his cadre of abilities and honestly, could likely have done everything on his own, arguably even faster as he wouldn't have had to save Livi's life repeatedly. There is one scene relatively early on in which Livi saves West, but it feels like West should have been able to get himself out of that situation and it was thrown in just so that Livi could claim she did something useful and West couple demonstrate another ability of his. She does little else of use.
Aside from my above gripes, the book is enjoyable. It's fun to watch totally-not-Lara-Croft-we-promise, go traipsing around ancient ruins looking for lost artifacts.
Being an urban fantasy, the world this book takes place in is very nearly the world in which we all live. The only difference between the two is that some years prior to the events of this book there was an event called “the pulse.” In short, this strange magic ripple caused a bunch of magic stuff to basically wake up, imparting little bits of magic, in various forms, throughout the world.
Characters:
Livi: Olivia Talbot was, at one time in her life, something of a rich socialite living carefree off of daddy's money. After getting pregnant out of wedlock and refusing to give up the child, Livi is disowned by her dad and forced to manage things in her own. She has found a modest lifestyle for herself as a treasure hunter.
West: Dale West is a… human? Maybe. He might be a human. At the very least, he looks like a human, ya know when ever he doesn't look like a white tiger because he can shape shift, in part or in whole, into one. He also has strength and resilience not found among us petty mortals. We further learn he is in possession of at least one more superhuman ability which wasn't mentioned in the first book. I guess that ability want relevant then?
Plot:
This book follows very shortly after the last one dropped off. Livi is back home and nearly recovered from her wounds when West shows up offering a job. It's totally not dangerous at all. Just come to a nearby museum and look at some rocks. The sigils on these ancient Norse rocks will supposedly tell the location of the broken pieces of Odin's spear. Did I mention that there might be a psychopath trying to find all the pieces first and use the spear to start world war three? Because well, there might be. By which I mean there totally is. The museum thing is, of course, not as easy as it sounds and shortly thereafter Livi is on the way to Spain in search of an old shipwreck where the last piece of the spear should be.
My Thoughts:
The book does have a little bit of a slow start. There are a number of other things that happen before we get to the first real action scene in the museum. Once things do start rolling though, there is rarely a pause until the end.
West is used as something of a cure all for problems. Wherever a dangerous monster shows up West fights it off. When there is difficulty in getting through the terrain to the supposed location of the artifact, West either directly or by hiring workers, clears the path. West can seemingly do it all. It leads to a slightly strange situation in which West feels more like the hero than our protagonist and Livi it's just sort of, along for the ride.
At one point, our heroine even wonders exactly what purpose she has on their current mission. West is something of a demigod with his cadre of abilities and honestly, could likely have done everything on his own, arguably even faster as he wouldn't have had to save Livi's life repeatedly. There is one scene relatively early on in which Livi saves West, but it feels like West should have been able to get himself out of that situation and it was thrown in just so that Livi could claim she did something useful and West couple demonstrate another ability of his. She does little else of use.
Aside from my above gripes, the book is enjoyable. It's fun to watch totally-not-Lara-Croft-we-promise, go traipsing around ancient ruins looking for lost artifacts.
June 2, 2020
I loved Odin's Spear as much as I loved Solomon's Seal. The characters I adore are back and continue to grow wonderfully.
The interactions between Livi and West are delightful. They're the exact kind of snarky yet still in sync pair that I enjoy reading. The characters Skyla Dawn Cameron writes actually feel like real people. Their conversations flow naturally without feeling forced in any way. Even the characters meant to be crappy people are written properly. There is one character (no names so I don't spoil!) that I cannot stand. I couldn't pinpoint why other than they fact that they just seemed like an asshole. Sure enough, they definitely were! They were actually an even worse person than I expected. I love that she can write this way. The response I have towards the characters is what I'd experience with a real person. It makes the story easier to get into and stay.
I will give the warning for anyone that there's part of this where a garbage character believes no doesn't actually mean no. It ends with Livi being safe, but be warned it's in there.
The interactions between Livi and West are delightful. They're the exact kind of snarky yet still in sync pair that I enjoy reading. The characters Skyla Dawn Cameron writes actually feel like real people. Their conversations flow naturally without feeling forced in any way. Even the characters meant to be crappy people are written properly. There is one character (no names so I don't spoil!) that I cannot stand. I couldn't pinpoint why other than they fact that they just seemed like an asshole. Sure enough, they definitely were! They were actually an even worse person than I expected. I love that she can write this way. The response I have towards the characters is what I'd experience with a real person. It makes the story easier to get into and stay.
I will give the warning for anyone that there's part of this where a garbage character believes no doesn't actually mean no. It ends with Livi being safe, but be warned it's in there.
December 10, 2017
Another really solid book in the series. I really liked the character development that really played out in this book. I appreciated the ending with a minor character that really showed that Livi could suck it up and admit she was wrong. That was so important to me because her behaviour toward this character in the previous book made me think less of her (to be honest).
I really enjoy the adventure aspect of the story. Livi isn't supernatural; she's just kick ass and smart.
Sexual violence warning:
I really enjoy the adventure aspect of the story. Livi isn't supernatural; she's just kick ass and smart.
Sexual violence warning:
October 29, 2018
Another great Livi Talbot adventure
August 5, 2024
Solid 4.5
March 12, 2017
Holy shit, Skyla Dawn Cameron. That was so wow. I cannot properly words. I had to get up and walk around for several minutes just to be able to type this. My eyes are still all O.O and I'm all verklempt. How do I address the depth of the storytelling and characters? I'm just flailing and really excited for number three.
August 26, 2021
This series is SO FUN!
July 30, 2020
Skyla Dawn Cameron’s Odin’s Spear (Livi Talbot) (Volume 2) is the sequel to book one, Solomon’s Seal. This is another wonderful combination of urban fantasy, thriller, adventure, and horror–a combination that hits exactly the right spot for me.
In a post-Pulse world, elements of magic have returned. Some people had dormant genes activated (perhaps? No one really understands), like Dale West, who can turn into a giant white tiger. Various artifacts also turned out to have power, and some of them are downright dangerous. Martin Talbot hunts some of these down for museums, while his sister Livi hunts them down for private buyers. The PTI, which employs West and wants to employ Livi, is the department of Pulse Threat Investigation. Richard Moss is a tabloid reporter who will not back down from trying to get a date with Livi, no matter how hard she tries to push him away. Livi’s daughter Em was kidnapped in the previous book, along with Livi’s disabled roommate, Pru. Livi is trying hard not to dive back into her dangerous profession, because she believes it would be irresponsible after nearly losing Em and Pru. But the truth is, she’s an adrenaline junkie. So when the PTI wants help finding the three parts of Odin’s Spear–preferably before a half-mad rogue agent finds them–she reluctantly agrees to help. Adding a bit of extra angst is the fact that Livi’s wealthy father, who disowned her when she got pregnant out of wedlock, has died–and gone out of his way to make sure neither she nor her daughter will see a penny of his money.
The background scenery is fantastic. There’s a museum full of artifacts, a trip to Spain, underwater wreck diving, undersea caving… it never gets boring! Livi at first decides not to go to Spain, then after a bizarre encounter with one part of the Spear, she decides she’ll do it after all. Only she’s going to take along Richard Moss, who has a business opportunity for her–he’ll get to take lots of photographs of her doing dangerous stuff, and she’ll become a highly-sought-after treasure hunter after she gets a handful of articles in his new, not-so-tabloid news magazine.
Also: hostile fungus.
Liv is having trouble with parenting. She’s quick to get irritated, something that’s understandable under the circumstances but also something that she shouldn’t take out on her daughter. I like that she’s an imperfect parent, and that she’s willing to listen to Pru’s advice and try to take it. I also like that Pru is perfectly willing to call Livi out when she thinks Livi isn’t living up to being a decent mother or friend. Martin, for his part, thinks that the PTI had an interest in their whole family and may have murdered their father, and Livi agrees to poke into things and find out. There’s also some interesting stuff going on in the relationship between Livi and Denny, who has kinda-sorta been acting as Em’s father, even though he isn’t really.
As always Livi and West have an appreciation/hate relationship. She digs into his background, which you know won’t end well. She and he butt heads often over the Spear and occasionally over other elements of the mission. On the other hand, they also save each other’s lives a few times and Em likes him. I can’t wait to start book three!
[NOTE: Spoiler warning AND content warning: If you don’t need trigger warnings when you read books, skip this spoiler.]
In a post-Pulse world, elements of magic have returned. Some people had dormant genes activated (perhaps? No one really understands), like Dale West, who can turn into a giant white tiger. Various artifacts also turned out to have power, and some of them are downright dangerous. Martin Talbot hunts some of these down for museums, while his sister Livi hunts them down for private buyers. The PTI, which employs West and wants to employ Livi, is the department of Pulse Threat Investigation. Richard Moss is a tabloid reporter who will not back down from trying to get a date with Livi, no matter how hard she tries to push him away. Livi’s daughter Em was kidnapped in the previous book, along with Livi’s disabled roommate, Pru. Livi is trying hard not to dive back into her dangerous profession, because she believes it would be irresponsible after nearly losing Em and Pru. But the truth is, she’s an adrenaline junkie. So when the PTI wants help finding the three parts of Odin’s Spear–preferably before a half-mad rogue agent finds them–she reluctantly agrees to help. Adding a bit of extra angst is the fact that Livi’s wealthy father, who disowned her when she got pregnant out of wedlock, has died–and gone out of his way to make sure neither she nor her daughter will see a penny of his money.
The background scenery is fantastic. There’s a museum full of artifacts, a trip to Spain, underwater wreck diving, undersea caving… it never gets boring! Livi at first decides not to go to Spain, then after a bizarre encounter with one part of the Spear, she decides she’ll do it after all. Only she’s going to take along Richard Moss, who has a business opportunity for her–he’ll get to take lots of photographs of her doing dangerous stuff, and she’ll become a highly-sought-after treasure hunter after she gets a handful of articles in his new, not-so-tabloid news magazine.
Also: hostile fungus.
Liv is having trouble with parenting. She’s quick to get irritated, something that’s understandable under the circumstances but also something that she shouldn’t take out on her daughter. I like that she’s an imperfect parent, and that she’s willing to listen to Pru’s advice and try to take it. I also like that Pru is perfectly willing to call Livi out when she thinks Livi isn’t living up to being a decent mother or friend. Martin, for his part, thinks that the PTI had an interest in their whole family and may have murdered their father, and Livi agrees to poke into things and find out. There’s also some interesting stuff going on in the relationship between Livi and Denny, who has kinda-sorta been acting as Em’s father, even though he isn’t really.
As always Livi and West have an appreciation/hate relationship. She digs into his background, which you know won’t end well. She and he butt heads often over the Spear and occasionally over other elements of the mission. On the other hand, they also save each other’s lives a few times and Em likes him. I can’t wait to start book three!
[NOTE: Spoiler warning AND content warning: If you don’t need trigger warnings when you read books, skip this spoiler.]
June 30, 2025
There are things out this book (and series) that I love. The characters are wonderful, the writing is good and the fantasy element is perfect. Then there are things I don't like so much - the middle of the book is endless action, and I can't envisage how the physics of it work (in this case they dive into a cave and then there is air and I didn't understand). Just as in the previous book, endless running and fighting and monsters, and then back to the good bits. Because Skyla writes so well, I'm going to try one of her other books / series, before deciding if I'm going to continue with this one, although I really want to see Livi and her found family continue to grow and develop.
September 4, 2018
Book 2 of the Livi Talbot series doesn't disappoint -- we get a fun, action-fueled adventure, this time tracking down what may be Odin's spear. If you haven't read Livi yet, go snag Solomon's Seal and read it first, then jump right into this. You'll want to follow it with Livi's Eve, a short story, and then Ashford's Ghost, a novella...and if book 3 isn't out yet by the time you finish those, you can come sit by me while we anxiously await more Livi, more snark, more fun.
July 1, 2021
I enjoyed the adventure and the treasure hunting, and the tension in Livi's scenes with West, but I also really enjoyed the slower scenes with side characters such as her brother Martin, or Denny. I also thought the tense scene with Dick was handled well.
September 25, 2017
Completely addictive - I read it in one sitting, disregarding everything else I was supposed to accomplish today. Livi Talbot is the female, way more interesting and complex version of Indiana Jones.
May 23, 2020
This series just keeps getting better
I love the Livi series. The story is so good you can’t put it down until you get to the end.
I love the Livi series. The story is so good you can’t put it down until you get to the end.
August 22, 2024
Why is it always the books that suffer?
March 13, 2017
War is hell.
In Odin's Spear, which starts shortly after its predecessor ended, Livi Talbot is at war in many fronts at the same time: her strained relationships with her father and brother, her concern over her daughter and best friend, her frustrating dealings with Dick and Denny, and not least of all with Dale West and his shadowy organization.
As the book unfolds, Livi learns how to deal with each battle in its own way, in turns attacking, retreating, regrouping, and brokering peace at various points. Some of the fighting is more physical than the rest - and not only where you'd expect it - but through it all we're right there with her as Livi struggles to keep everything together.
Solomon's Seal was our introduction to Livi and company, and Odin's Spear does not disappoint in diving deeper into her world and the multitude of challenges she regularly faces. If the first book left you wanting more, then do not hesitate to pick up this sequel.
In Odin's Spear, which starts shortly after its predecessor ended, Livi Talbot is at war in many fronts at the same time: her strained relationships with her father and brother, her concern over her daughter and best friend, her frustrating dealings with Dick and Denny, and not least of all with Dale West and his shadowy organization.
As the book unfolds, Livi learns how to deal with each battle in its own way, in turns attacking, retreating, regrouping, and brokering peace at various points. Some of the fighting is more physical than the rest - and not only where you'd expect it - but through it all we're right there with her as Livi struggles to keep everything together.
Solomon's Seal was our introduction to Livi and company, and Odin's Spear does not disappoint in diving deeper into her world and the multitude of challenges she regularly faces. If the first book left you wanting more, then do not hesitate to pick up this sequel.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews