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Temporal Armistice #2
The Shadow Collector
This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN:
B07GTGQQ93
Brooklyn thought nothing would ever surprise her again after learning her father is an extraplanar being―until the police ask her for help.
For most of her life, the cops have been a thorn in her side, always in the way of a good time. By seventeen, she’d spent more time in police cars than some rookies. With age comes (a little) restraint, and she’s managed to avoid getting in trouble for six whole years. Working for the Philadelphia Fire Department offers a sense of belonging and purpose she never had growing up, even if the whole ‘adulting’ thing sucks.
After responding to a fire call eerily similar to the one that claimed her childhood home, a local detective seeks her out. He’s hunting a serial killer who preys on the city’s homeless, taking the lives of those no one cares to see. Every victim’s body has so far been stolen from the morgue, frustrating the investigation to the point he’s willing to rely on a psychic―even a former delinquent.
Brooklyn senses a connection between the recent fire, the murders, and a mysteriously guilty little girl, but her respect for the law only goes so far.
Brooklyn thought nothing would ever surprise her again after learning her father is an extraplanar being―until the police ask her for help.
For most of her life, the cops have been a thorn in her side, always in the way of a good time. By seventeen, she’d spent more time in police cars than some rookies. With age comes (a little) restraint, and she’s managed to avoid getting in trouble for six whole years. Working for the Philadelphia Fire Department offers a sense of belonging and purpose she never had growing up, even if the whole ‘adulting’ thing sucks.
After responding to a fire call eerily similar to the one that claimed her childhood home, a local detective seeks her out. He’s hunting a serial killer who preys on the city’s homeless, taking the lives of those no one cares to see. Every victim’s body has so far been stolen from the morgue, frustrating the investigation to the point he’s willing to rely on a psychic―even a former delinquent.
Brooklyn senses a connection between the recent fire, the murders, and a mysteriously guilty little girl, but her respect for the law only goes so far.
231 pages, ebook
First published December 19, 2017
35 people are currently reading
194 people want to read
About the author
Matthew S. Cox
187 books265 followersBorn in a little town known as South Amboy NJ in 1973, Matthew has been creating science fiction and fantasy worlds for most of his reasoning life. Somewhere between fifteen to eighteen of them spent developing the world in which Division Zero, Virtual Immortality, and The Awakened Series take place. He has several other projects in the works as well as a collaborative science fiction endeavor with author Tony Healey.
Hobbies and Interests:
Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- deliberate), and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.
He is also fond of cats.
Hobbies and Interests:
Matthew is an avid gamer, a recovered WoW addict, Gamemaster for two custom systems (Chronicles of Eldrinaath [Fantasy] and Divergent Fates [Sci Fi], and a fan of anime, British humour (<- deliberate), and intellectual science fiction that questions the nature of reality, life, and what happens after it.
He is also fond of cats.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 3, 2018
The Shadow Collector (Temporal Armistice, #2) by Matthew S. Cox is a great fantasy that I just loved!!! The main character is a gal that has a father that is literal not of this dimension or world. So she figured this out in book one but it helps her in her job in this book as a fireman. She has some psychic abilities and she can sprout a tail, horns, fangs, claws, and wings! Yes, she looks like a demon but she is not. She uses this to help people. Her kind and another group of beings that look like angels are trying to kill her. They think she wants to destroy their worlds, they don't trust the hybrid. She just wants to be left alone.
Meanwhile, corpses are walking out of the morgue, and some one is trying to make zombies with magic! She has to use her psychic skills to help solve some cases. Never boring! Loved this book!!!
Meanwhile, corpses are walking out of the morgue, and some one is trying to make zombies with magic! She has to use her psychic skills to help solve some cases. Never boring! Loved this book!!!
August 21, 2018
I was provided an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Shadow Collector is the sequel to Nascent Shadow and is the second book is the Temporal Armistice series.
We meet Brooklyn again, with her temper and all her antics that made her fall for her in the first book.
But I was disappointed in this book. I found the plot somewhat lacking. It took me a long time to really get into the story.
All in all, it was agreeable but nothing was actually happening until half the book…
The characters were great though, side and main alike.
Still, I hope there are more books in this series and I plan to read them all.
The Shadow Collector is the sequel to Nascent Shadow and is the second book is the Temporal Armistice series.
We meet Brooklyn again, with her temper and all her antics that made her fall for her in the first book.
But I was disappointed in this book. I found the plot somewhat lacking. It took me a long time to really get into the story.
All in all, it was agreeable but nothing was actually happening until half the book…
The characters were great though, side and main alike.
Still, I hope there are more books in this series and I plan to read them all.
August 17, 2020
What is cracking fun charming
It’s easy to write her first book harder to write the second - and the author does a great job here the protagonist is still charming and fun and slightly homicidal, the cute kid is even cuter, and the overall discovery process towards the end of the world is going well – a fun snappy read
It’s easy to write her first book harder to write the second - and the author does a great job here the protagonist is still charming and fun and slightly homicidal, the cute kid is even cuter, and the overall discovery process towards the end of the world is going well – a fun snappy read
March 21, 2021
This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it much more. It had been awhile since I read book 1 so I kind of had to refresh a bit. I like how Brooklyn's character has grown. Sometimes when you read books the characters can fall flat and get boring and never learn anything. She's got some unique abilities and her Father is literally out of this world so there's that. This time around she's been summoned to help the police who she's not always been kosher with. Hopefully she can help with the serial killer case before you konw...she becomes a suspect herself! She's a fun character to read and as always the authors stories are engaging and keeps me reading. I recommend reading these in order.
March 21, 2021
Another great book in the Temporal Armistice series. Brooklyn is still working as a firefighter but now there are even stranger happenings going on and she has been asked to help figuring why bodies are missing from the morgue. Even worse she is learning that they sorta not dead but being used by another for reasons unknown at the time. Matthew Cox brings us another book that makes us feel as if we are right along the characters, feelings as they do, whether it be worrying about a little girl, and also feelings for a young man. So many things going on that Brooklyn has to stay on her toes. This book is never boring the excitement always keep a person watching to see what happens next. Great book, and now it's on to the next in the series
December 23, 2017
Brooklyn's fun!
I have thoroughly enjoyed the plot in the series and am looking forward to more books. Brooklyn, the main character, is so much fun to get to know. I hope the author continues with a third book.. My curiosity is aroused and I definitely want to know more. The quality of the writing is high. None of those irritating grammatical errors or misspellings here... Fast and fun to read, I recommend the series.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the plot in the series and am looking forward to more books. Brooklyn, the main character, is so much fun to get to know. I hope the author continues with a third book.. My curiosity is aroused and I definitely want to know more. The quality of the writing is high. None of those irritating grammatical errors or misspellings here... Fast and fun to read, I recommend the series.
July 15, 2018
Enjoyed this
I enjoyed this series very much. Just enough romance to keep it light and a good story line. I love magic stories
I enjoyed this series very much. Just enough romance to keep it light and a good story line. I love magic stories
December 25, 2023
Cox blends our fear-lust reaction to power with our tendency to treat anything as normal if it is common enough to produce urban fantasy where the magical is fully integrated yet not without mystery.
This novel is the second in the Temporal Armistice series. Reading past this point might trigger painful foresights of the plot of the previous novel.
After the initial turmoils of discovering that her father is a powerful being from another realm rather than a deadbeat and that she’s inherited both some of his powers and a side in an ancient metaphysical war, Brooklyn has found enough stability that her biggest issue is whether to accept a permanent job with the Fire Marshal’s office. Until, that is, a police officer seeks out her help in a serial-murder case and her latest call out bears both startling similarities to the fire that destroyed her childhood home and a possible connection to the serial murders.
As with Cox’s previous work (both in this series and others), the balance of metaphysics and pacing is highly skilled. Readers avid to know more about a world that exists as a neutral zone between not-exactly angels and not-actually demons are presented with plenty to satisfy their desire for depth; but readers who enjoy a thriller filled with reversals and action are not forced to sit through long expositions of the formation of realms and social nuances of umpteen races.
Cox’s understanding of balance is equally evident in the various threads that make up the narrative. The new issues of what happened to set a block on fire leaving only one girl safe from the flames and why the bodies of a specific murderer’s victims are disappearing from the morgue interweave with Brooklyn’s attempts to not be considered a freak and to avoid getting further entangled in the machinations of those who think she is the key to ending an ancient stalemate.
This shifting from one plot arc to another provides both contrast to keep each challenge fresher and makes each challenge more complex with the implausibility of nothing ever going right.
There are also the little asides and ironic details usual to Cox’s work scattered throughout, offering further entertainment without distracting.
Brooklyn remains a highly sympathetic character. Her greater control over what she can do provides a theoretically easier solution to many problems, but her desire to be seen as part of society rather than as a useful but possibly dangerous outsider limits her ability to simply deal with problems. This balance between mystical nature and social desire is paralleled by new challenges from both her new relationship and the young girl next door whose life she saved.
The supporting cast are equally complex. From the young abuse survivor who feels no conflict between seeing Brooklyn as a demon she summoned to kill people and seeing Brooklyn as a source of cuddles and sandwiches, to the fire chief who lives in a world where magic is mundane but maintains wilful ignorance of Brooklyn’s powers, the characters display the same dynamic tensions that real people do.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel greatly. I recommend it to readers seeking urban fantasy that balances depth with pace.
I received a free copy from the publisher with a request for a fair review.
This novel is the second in the Temporal Armistice series. Reading past this point might trigger painful foresights of the plot of the previous novel.
After the initial turmoils of discovering that her father is a powerful being from another realm rather than a deadbeat and that she’s inherited both some of his powers and a side in an ancient metaphysical war, Brooklyn has found enough stability that her biggest issue is whether to accept a permanent job with the Fire Marshal’s office. Until, that is, a police officer seeks out her help in a serial-murder case and her latest call out bears both startling similarities to the fire that destroyed her childhood home and a possible connection to the serial murders.
As with Cox’s previous work (both in this series and others), the balance of metaphysics and pacing is highly skilled. Readers avid to know more about a world that exists as a neutral zone between not-exactly angels and not-actually demons are presented with plenty to satisfy their desire for depth; but readers who enjoy a thriller filled with reversals and action are not forced to sit through long expositions of the formation of realms and social nuances of umpteen races.
Cox’s understanding of balance is equally evident in the various threads that make up the narrative. The new issues of what happened to set a block on fire leaving only one girl safe from the flames and why the bodies of a specific murderer’s victims are disappearing from the morgue interweave with Brooklyn’s attempts to not be considered a freak and to avoid getting further entangled in the machinations of those who think she is the key to ending an ancient stalemate.
This shifting from one plot arc to another provides both contrast to keep each challenge fresher and makes each challenge more complex with the implausibility of nothing ever going right.
There are also the little asides and ironic details usual to Cox’s work scattered throughout, offering further entertainment without distracting.
Brooklyn remains a highly sympathetic character. Her greater control over what she can do provides a theoretically easier solution to many problems, but her desire to be seen as part of society rather than as a useful but possibly dangerous outsider limits her ability to simply deal with problems. This balance between mystical nature and social desire is paralleled by new challenges from both her new relationship and the young girl next door whose life she saved.
The supporting cast are equally complex. From the young abuse survivor who feels no conflict between seeing Brooklyn as a demon she summoned to kill people and seeing Brooklyn as a source of cuddles and sandwiches, to the fire chief who lives in a world where magic is mundane but maintains wilful ignorance of Brooklyn’s powers, the characters display the same dynamic tensions that real people do.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel greatly. I recommend it to readers seeking urban fantasy that balances depth with pace.
I received a free copy from the publisher with a request for a fair review.
July 21, 2018
Full review to come!
May 23, 2019
I had to like this book the ending was pretty epic. Loved the interaction between Brook and the cops that was pretty humorous.
April 3, 2021
Brooklyn may have only just discovered who she is and learned about what other people believe she is fated for. But it's not taken long for her abilities to come in handy at her job as a firefighter as well as helping the cops with any magical cases.
The irony isn't lost on Brooklyn. As a kid and teenager she always hated the police because they seemed to ruin her fun and pick her up. But now as an adult some friendly cops from her past are coming to ask for her help.
When Brooklyn is asked for help from 2 different detectives, she soon finds the connection between both cases. Someone is targeting the homeless and killing them. But the most odd thing about the cases is that the dead for some reason are being stolen from the morgue.
I got 1 word for you...
ZOMBIES!!
The cases Brooklyn finds herself working seem to get more strange.
This series is actually one I find myself laughing at quite a bit because Brooklyn's sense of humor is just too much!
The irony isn't lost on Brooklyn. As a kid and teenager she always hated the police because they seemed to ruin her fun and pick her up. But now as an adult some friendly cops from her past are coming to ask for her help.
When Brooklyn is asked for help from 2 different detectives, she soon finds the connection between both cases. Someone is targeting the homeless and killing them. But the most odd thing about the cases is that the dead for some reason are being stolen from the morgue.
I got 1 word for you...
ZOMBIES!!
The cases Brooklyn finds herself working seem to get more strange.
This series is actually one I find myself laughing at quite a bit because Brooklyn's sense of humor is just too much!
July 24, 2019
Disappearing Victims?
This series must be read in order. The first book is "Nascent Shadow". This is the second book. I can't wait to read "The Gate To Oblivion"!I
Brooklyn has come to accept her nature. Well half nature. Knowing her father has made a lot of the understanding come easier than if she would have had to figure it all out herself. The little neighbor girl Ashley has a permanent place in her her life and actually understands what she is on some level and just accepts her as she is. When the bodies of a serial killer's victims are disappearing from the morgue Brooklyn is asked to assist in the investigation. Can she help the police? Or should she just stick to putting out fires like a good little firefighter? Being fireproof has its perks. Too bad it doesn't fix everything! Can she lead a semi normal life as a half *demon*?
This series must be read in order. The first book is "Nascent Shadow". This is the second book. I can't wait to read "The Gate To Oblivion"!I
Brooklyn has come to accept her nature. Well half nature. Knowing her father has made a lot of the understanding come easier than if she would have had to figure it all out herself. The little neighbor girl Ashley has a permanent place in her her life and actually understands what she is on some level and just accepts her as she is. When the bodies of a serial killer's victims are disappearing from the morgue Brooklyn is asked to assist in the investigation. Can she help the police? Or should she just stick to putting out fires like a good little firefighter? Being fireproof has its perks. Too bad it doesn't fix everything! Can she lead a semi normal life as a half *demon*?
March 18, 2021
Brooklyn now knows that her father is from another plane. She's always thought of the police as a pest, but she was a bad girl growing up. Now a serial killer is on the loose, and a detective is looking for her. Can she figure out who's responsible before she's suspected?
March 21, 2021
Shadow Collector
The sassy entertaining half demon is back to kick some butt. It took me a little awhile to get into this story. I really enjoyed the first but this one didn’t quite catch me like the last one did.
The sassy entertaining half demon is back to kick some butt. It took me a little awhile to get into this story. I really enjoyed the first but this one didn’t quite catch me like the last one did.
March 30, 2021
This is a great second book in a series that I have become a fan of. We learn more with each book and I enjoy the author's writing. I am really happy that I found this series. I loved this book and I highly recommend this as a great UF read!
April 1, 2021
this was another great book in this series! now that she thinks things are going back to normal. a detective stops by needing her help to solve a case. only this time it could end costing her life! read to find out what happens.
April 3, 2021
Wow can't believe it, my mind is totally blown. Really great story, getting book three to read next.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews