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Elkie Bernstein Trilogy #3
Fool If You Think It's Over
As far as Elkie's concerned, it's all over and her happy ending is just around the corner.
She's on her way back to Wales having freed Ben from the clutches of the controlling Dr Olsen and ensured that Dave, her ex-everything, will never be in a position to kill again. She's even managed to find herself a (somewhat unwilling) father figure in Conn, the one werewolf in the world who seems to have his shit together. All she has to do is say "thank you" to the Valemon, a company so at odds with Olsen they were willing to support her, then get on a plane for home.
Easy, right?
She's on her way back to Wales having freed Ben from the clutches of the controlling Dr Olsen and ensured that Dave, her ex-everything, will never be in a position to kill again. She's even managed to find herself a (somewhat unwilling) father figure in Conn, the one werewolf in the world who seems to have his shit together. All she has to do is say "thank you" to the Valemon, a company so at odds with Olsen they were willing to support her, then get on a plane for home.
Easy, right?
242 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2017
1 person want to read
About the author
Jo M. Thomas
25 books16 followersJo M Thomas is a speculative fiction author and editor who has had a number of novels, anthologies and short stories published.
Some of my work has been published under Jo Thomas but other Jo Thomases are available.
Some of my work has been published under Jo Thomas but other Jo Thomases are available.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 17, 2018
I'm not gonna lie, this book gave me a serious emotional hangover. I couldn't pick up another book for a long time because of how this one ended. And I mean that in a good way.
When we got introduced to Roar and his beliefs about the magic provided by faith in the old Norse gods, I was worried that this world was going to go over the top with the fantastical elements. Fortunately, this does not happen. Yes, we get a lot more magic, but it is world developing instead of world changing, if that makes sense. Because we only get Elkie's perspective, and she is more of a skeptic, we get a more controlled inclusion of these elements.
What surprised me was Elkie's strong return to violence. Yes, self-defense was the primary reason, but with the new elements of the world it ended up taking a bit more of a sinister turn. Fortunately Elkie is still the kind of person who doesn't forget she is human and she is affected by this as much as I was, if not more. She's not a mindless killing machine. She's a human who's reaching her breaking point. It ended up making me feel even more sorry for her.
While this wasn't as humorous as the previous books, I still found it to be a fitting end to the trilogy. The kind of ending that makes you realize just how much you enjoyed having a character in your life and how much you wanted to keep reading about them. This trilogy as a whole was a wonderful adventure and a testament to one's ability to find contentment with their lot and the strength to keep moving. I am so glad to have read this trilogy and this book helped me realize that even more.
When we got introduced to Roar and his beliefs about the magic provided by faith in the old Norse gods, I was worried that this world was going to go over the top with the fantastical elements. Fortunately, this does not happen. Yes, we get a lot more magic, but it is world developing instead of world changing, if that makes sense. Because we only get Elkie's perspective, and she is more of a skeptic, we get a more controlled inclusion of these elements.
What surprised me was Elkie's strong return to violence. Yes, self-defense was the primary reason, but with the new elements of the world it ended up taking a bit more of a sinister turn. Fortunately Elkie is still the kind of person who doesn't forget she is human and she is affected by this as much as I was, if not more. She's not a mindless killing machine. She's a human who's reaching her breaking point. It ended up making me feel even more sorry for her.
While this wasn't as humorous as the previous books, I still found it to be a fitting end to the trilogy. The kind of ending that makes you realize just how much you enjoyed having a character in your life and how much you wanted to keep reading about them. This trilogy as a whole was a wonderful adventure and a testament to one's ability to find contentment with their lot and the strength to keep moving. I am so glad to have read this trilogy and this book helped me realize that even more.
January 3, 2017
The book finishes off Elkie’s journey to Norway, and completes the story that started when she got attacked by a werewolf – and won. Killing werewolves wasn’t meant to become a habit, but 25 of them later, it was sort of a Thing…and then it was a case of tracking down the person responsible. Unfortunately, that wasn’t just a single person involved, and Elkie got dragged into a political minefield. Plus there’s an ex-boyfriend, a reluctant father-figure, two sisters and a manipulative sort-of-ex to figure out…
Without spoilering too much there’s a second organisation that can (probably) turn into animals (I don’t really know enough about Norse mythology to know where some of the details and ideas come from)…and they don’t like Olsen. They do like Elkie. She’s not entirely keen on this but manages to learn a few things which, from a reader’s perspective, were incredibly helpful to the story but I admit I didn’t entirely understand. I need to go re-read my mythology now!
Anyway; Ben’s still a slimy little weasel (although I always think that’s a bit unfair to weasels), Conn’s still unsure and annoyed, and the wolfpack is just trying to navigate their place in the world. Elkie’s mullish, belligerant, chin-out stubborn and loyal to a fault. The plot nicely ties up the ends from the previous two books: the ending was unexpected, and I admit I was a little disappointed by it. I’d have liked Elkie to be a bit more proactive, have more of a…but that’s spoilers. It was a good ending, regardless.
So, overall? I liked the first one; amusing, witty, fast-paced. The second and third both get detailed and political, and – particularly in this last one – the motivations can sometimes be hard to figure out. In general, enjoyable and worth reading if you’ve read the previous two, just to finish the series – but 25 Ways To Kill A Werewolf is definitely my stand-out win.
ARC copy from Fox Spirits, but review definitely my own opinion.
Without spoilering too much there’s a second organisation that can (probably) turn into animals (I don’t really know enough about Norse mythology to know where some of the details and ideas come from)…and they don’t like Olsen. They do like Elkie. She’s not entirely keen on this but manages to learn a few things which, from a reader’s perspective, were incredibly helpful to the story but I admit I didn’t entirely understand. I need to go re-read my mythology now!
Anyway; Ben’s still a slimy little weasel (although I always think that’s a bit unfair to weasels), Conn’s still unsure and annoyed, and the wolfpack is just trying to navigate their place in the world. Elkie’s mullish, belligerant, chin-out stubborn and loyal to a fault. The plot nicely ties up the ends from the previous two books: the ending was unexpected, and I admit I was a little disappointed by it. I’d have liked Elkie to be a bit more proactive, have more of a…but that’s spoilers. It was a good ending, regardless.
So, overall? I liked the first one; amusing, witty, fast-paced. The second and third both get detailed and political, and – particularly in this last one – the motivations can sometimes be hard to figure out. In general, enjoyable and worth reading if you’ve read the previous two, just to finish the series – but 25 Ways To Kill A Werewolf is definitely my stand-out win.
ARC copy from Fox Spirits, but review definitely my own opinion.
December 25, 2017
The 3rd and final (I think) Elkie Bernstein book caps off the story that started with 25 Ways to Kill a Werewolf.
Just like the previous books in the series, this was a page turner. It followed on immediately after the events of book 2 and almost all of the action takes place in rural Wales.
There's a closure of sorts here, but still quite a few unanswered questions. But readers will still find the novel satisfying.
This book felt a lot darker than the first two books.
Definitely read this series If you're a fan of paranormal/urban fantasy but want to try something different.
Just like the previous books in the series, this was a page turner. It followed on immediately after the events of book 2 and almost all of the action takes place in rural Wales.
There's a closure of sorts here, but still quite a few unanswered questions. But readers will still find the novel satisfying.
This book felt a lot darker than the first two books.
Definitely read this series If you're a fan of paranormal/urban fantasy but want to try something different.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews