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The Black Sun's Daughter #1
Unclean Spirits
In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can't always play by the rules.
Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn't quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers -- and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.
Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means -- magical or mundane -- so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life.
Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions -- Aubrey, Eric's devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities -- Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she'll have to learn the new rules fast -- or break them completely....
357 pages, Paperback
First published December 2, 2008
75 people are currently reading
5546 people want to read
About the author
M.L.N. Hanover
13 books404 followersMLN Hanover is a pseudonym for fantasy writer Daniel Abraham when he’s writing urban fantasy set in something very like our world. In addition to The Black Sun’s Daughter series, MLN Hanover has published several short stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 479 reviews
May 25, 2018
After finishing Unclean Spirits, I’d like to lament a few disappointments with a wishlist:
#1: I wish the characters had been developed, not just better, but at all.
#2: I wish the concept of the “unclean spirits” would’ve played a stronger, more direct role in the story.
#3: I wish the plot hadn’t been so simple.
#4: I wish all of the things I’ve come to love about this author had been represented in this novel.
Daniel Abraham (aka MLN Hanover, aka 1/2 of James S. A. Corey) has a pretty solid spot in my top authors list for his Long Price Quartet and Expanse series. I appreciate the subtle beauty of his writing, his interesting story ideas, and (most importantly), the rich characters he creates filled with so much depth they feel like real people (are you all sick of hearing me talk about Avasarala – aka my homegirl?). He’s literally my number one example for how to write amazing characters, so what happened here?
My disappointment in Unclean Spirits was a little more acute due to the lack of all of the essential components I’ve come to associate with this author. I’m actually kind of shocked that it was so sub-par of his usual standard. Minus the profanity, the delivery of this book read very much like a thin YA novel, lacking in any real substance or development (with an insta-lust on top of it all). It was practically a case study in telling vs showing where the characters would spring up feelings, convictions, and even magical talents without any groundwork to show the reader how they got to those points. Because of this I was never invested in the story – instead almost comatose with impartiality.
The concept of the book (revolving around parasitic “unclean spirits”) was an interesting one, and in fact my only positive takeaway from the book was the scientific discussion about the spirits vs earthen parasites. However, they didn’t play a significant role in the story other than on the periphery. I wanted to see some badass body-hopping and instead I got a big thug possessed by a spirit and lots of speculation and theory.
Overall, the book didn’t give me anything to sink my teeth into and had it been any other author I may have DNFed. It wasn’t the worst urban fantasy I’ve ever read, but it was far from the best.
Series status: I probably will not continue anytime soon (if at all). At least until I knock out the dozen or so other UFs on my TBR. I own this whole series, so we’ll see if it makes it past the next library purge. I admit to being mildly curious if all of the things I was missing develop later in the series because, despite my experience with this first book, I know the brilliance the author is capable of. We’ll see.
Recommendations: This would be a difficult one for me to recommend. If you’re thinking to read because you love the author (as I did), my inclination is to suggest you pass (on this one – everything else by him is superb). If you’re thinking to read this because you like urban fantasy, I wouldn’t say pass, but there are plethora of titles I’d hand you first.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.nikihawkes.com
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#1: I wish the characters had been developed, not just better, but at all.
#2: I wish the concept of the “unclean spirits” would’ve played a stronger, more direct role in the story.
#3: I wish the plot hadn’t been so simple.
#4: I wish all of the things I’ve come to love about this author had been represented in this novel.
Daniel Abraham (aka MLN Hanover, aka 1/2 of James S. A. Corey) has a pretty solid spot in my top authors list for his Long Price Quartet and Expanse series. I appreciate the subtle beauty of his writing, his interesting story ideas, and (most importantly), the rich characters he creates filled with so much depth they feel like real people (are you all sick of hearing me talk about Avasarala – aka my homegirl?). He’s literally my number one example for how to write amazing characters, so what happened here?
My disappointment in Unclean Spirits was a little more acute due to the lack of all of the essential components I’ve come to associate with this author. I’m actually kind of shocked that it was so sub-par of his usual standard. Minus the profanity, the delivery of this book read very much like a thin YA novel, lacking in any real substance or development (with an insta-lust on top of it all). It was practically a case study in telling vs showing where the characters would spring up feelings, convictions, and even magical talents without any groundwork to show the reader how they got to those points. Because of this I was never invested in the story – instead almost comatose with impartiality.
The concept of the book (revolving around parasitic “unclean spirits”) was an interesting one, and in fact my only positive takeaway from the book was the scientific discussion about the spirits vs earthen parasites. However, they didn’t play a significant role in the story other than on the periphery. I wanted to see some badass body-hopping and instead I got a big thug possessed by a spirit and lots of speculation and theory.
Overall, the book didn’t give me anything to sink my teeth into and had it been any other author I may have DNFed. It wasn’t the worst urban fantasy I’ve ever read, but it was far from the best.
Series status: I probably will not continue anytime soon (if at all). At least until I knock out the dozen or so other UFs on my TBR. I own this whole series, so we’ll see if it makes it past the next library purge. I admit to being mildly curious if all of the things I was missing develop later in the series because, despite my experience with this first book, I know the brilliance the author is capable of. We’ll see.
Recommendations: This would be a difficult one for me to recommend. If you’re thinking to read because you love the author (as I did), my inclination is to suggest you pass (on this one – everything else by him is superb). If you’re thinking to read this because you like urban fantasy, I wouldn’t say pass, but there are plethora of titles I’d hand you first.
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.nikihawkes.com
Other books you might like:
April 13, 2012
I don't read a lot of Urban Fantasy, but when I do, I read the Dresden Files.
Now, I read The Black Sun's Daughter as well.
(After putting this up, I realized that Stephen has a much better and awesomer review on this same concept. I didn't copy his [promise], but do check his out, that's the way to do it)
Unclean Spirits is the first of M.L.N. Hanover's Black Sun's Daughter series. As you may or may not know, M.L.N. Hanover is the pseudonym of the author Daniel Abraham (Abraham talks about his many pseudonyms here). I find he does a great job separating his different writing interests (Abraham - epic fantasy, Hanover - urban fantasy, Half of James S.A. Corey - science fiction) by using the whole pseudonym scheme, letting his readers know what they're in for.
Anyway, Unclean Spirits follows Jayné Heller, a twenty-something girl who inherits everything from her uncle, the black sheep of the family, who has recently died. Jayné quickly finds out that her uncle, Eric, was involved in not only some very dangerous, but highly unbelievable (i.e., supernatural) dealings, which she has now inherited as well.
Jayné quickly meets up with Aubrey, a male friend of Eric's whom she had thought was his lover, who later develops into a love interest. She also learns of of Eric's other friends who are immediately called in to help when she is attacked checking out her newly inherited condo. This after just meeting a walking dead guy (not quite zombie), another of Eric's "friends."
In this urban fantasy, the supernatural exists as demons who "ride" humans, essentially taking them over for their own, usually evil, purposes. Jayné finds out she has some type of power of her own, although I'm looking forward to finding out more about this. We only get a small glimpse in this installment.
Hanover/Abraham quickly dives you into the story, even introducing our main protagonist in a clever way - she arrives to find someone waiting with a sign - and helps us pronounce her often mispronounced name. We're then plunged into the thick of things quite speedily and yet completely logically - nothing happens just to provide more action.
Unclean Spirits is a hard book to put down, not only because of the seamless action and plot development, but because his prose is clever and compelling. It also helps that the print is quite large, the pages almost turn themselves.
Having known that Hanover is indeed a man, as I mentioned earlier, it was a bit odd at first reading about the thoughts of this first-person narrated female character, Jayné. I'm sorry if I ruin that for you here. Once I got into the swing of things, however, it's not bad at all and for a guy reading this, it worked well. I'm very curious to see what women think of this.
The one thing I didn't love, because honestly everything else was spot-on, was the love interest thing between Jayné and Aubrey. They're in a very intense situation, trying to keep themselves alive and probably many others, and yet they start to fancy each other. This, in itself, is quite normal and often used, but they even go so far as to go out on a date while they're trying to stay undercover. The complications that develop are great, but I as I said, I didn't love this part, but that means I didn't completely hate it either.
If you're an Urban Fantasy fan, Unclean Spirits is a series not to miss. If you're not an Urban Fantasy fan, maybe now's the time to become one. As the intro to this review says, I don't read a lot of Urban Fantasy, but I really enjoyed my time in Jayné's world. It's fun and full of action, lots of great characters and ideas and a pace that doesn't let up.
And just remember, stay tramp-stampy my friends.
3.5 out of 5 Stars (Really liked it)
Now, I read The Black Sun's Daughter as well.
(After putting this up, I realized that Stephen has a much better and awesomer review on this same concept. I didn't copy his [promise], but do check his out, that's the way to do it)
Unclean Spirits is the first of M.L.N. Hanover's Black Sun's Daughter series. As you may or may not know, M.L.N. Hanover is the pseudonym of the author Daniel Abraham (Abraham talks about his many pseudonyms here). I find he does a great job separating his different writing interests (Abraham - epic fantasy, Hanover - urban fantasy, Half of James S.A. Corey - science fiction) by using the whole pseudonym scheme, letting his readers know what they're in for.
Anyway, Unclean Spirits follows Jayné Heller, a twenty-something girl who inherits everything from her uncle, the black sheep of the family, who has recently died. Jayné quickly finds out that her uncle, Eric, was involved in not only some very dangerous, but highly unbelievable (i.e., supernatural) dealings, which she has now inherited as well.
Jayné quickly meets up with Aubrey, a male friend of Eric's whom she had thought was his lover, who later develops into a love interest. She also learns of of Eric's other friends who are immediately called in to help when she is attacked checking out her newly inherited condo. This after just meeting a walking dead guy (not quite zombie), another of Eric's "friends."
In this urban fantasy, the supernatural exists as demons who "ride" humans, essentially taking them over for their own, usually evil, purposes. Jayné finds out she has some type of power of her own, although I'm looking forward to finding out more about this. We only get a small glimpse in this installment.
Hanover/Abraham quickly dives you into the story, even introducing our main protagonist in a clever way - she arrives to find someone waiting with a sign - and helps us pronounce her often mispronounced name. We're then plunged into the thick of things quite speedily and yet completely logically - nothing happens just to provide more action.
Unclean Spirits is a hard book to put down, not only because of the seamless action and plot development, but because his prose is clever and compelling. It also helps that the print is quite large, the pages almost turn themselves.
Having known that Hanover is indeed a man, as I mentioned earlier, it was a bit odd at first reading about the thoughts of this first-person narrated female character, Jayné. I'm sorry if I ruin that for you here. Once I got into the swing of things, however, it's not bad at all and for a guy reading this, it worked well. I'm very curious to see what women think of this.
The one thing I didn't love, because honestly everything else was spot-on, was the love interest thing between Jayné and Aubrey. They're in a very intense situation, trying to keep themselves alive and probably many others, and yet they start to fancy each other. This, in itself, is quite normal and often used, but they even go so far as to go out on a date while they're trying to stay undercover. The complications that develop are great, but I as I said, I didn't love this part, but that means I didn't completely hate it either.
If you're an Urban Fantasy fan, Unclean Spirits is a series not to miss. If you're not an Urban Fantasy fan, maybe now's the time to become one. As the intro to this review says, I don't read a lot of Urban Fantasy, but I really enjoyed my time in Jayné's world. It's fun and full of action, lots of great characters and ideas and a pace that doesn't let up.
And just remember, stay tramp-stampy my friends.
3.5 out of 5 Stars (Really liked it)
June 8, 2018
Urban fantasy is not the best genre for this author. I recently read The Dragons Path series by Daniel Abraham and loved it. Shortly afterwards, I discovered he had written this urban fantasy series and decided to give it a go. It was ok. The romance didn't really do it for me.
zz-hell-no
December 27, 2016"You aren't Jewish or Muslim or anything fucked up like that, are you?"
And the script the baddies seem to be covered in just happens to look like Arabic. Right.
...
The protagonist might not be but I am. What the fuck, man? I was actually liking the story.
And the script the baddies seem to be covered in just happens to look like Arabic. Right.
...
The protagonist might not be but I am. What the fuck, man? I was actually liking the story.
February 25, 2018
A very long winded book. The characters are fine, but never connected. The main character, Jayné, she was like a pointless blob that sometimes manifested skills - which is never explained. A lot of over explaining some things & nothing on others. Just boring. And worst romance ever.
Btw, the cover is a complete lie. Jayné is not that cool, never does magic, never uses a knife/sword.
Btw, the cover is a complete lie. Jayné is not that cool, never does magic, never uses a knife/sword.
February 17, 2017
3.5 stars
Finally an urban fantasy that isn't sexist as fuck and is self aware without letting go of the tropes that make this genre fun.
I should add thou that a weirdly racist (is it racist when it's against more then one religion? What is the word that covers prejudice that is a bit racist plus offensive to people of multiple faiths?) comment came out of nowhere was jarring, offensive and unnecessary. That dropped a star for me.
Otherwise it was a great UF book.
Edit: Having read the next one and a half books in the series I changed my mind about this one. The self awareness evaporates, the mc becomes a Mary Sue pitched against a (literally evil) mean girl and the romance remains completely sparkless.
Finally an urban fantasy that isn't sexist as fuck and is self aware without letting go of the tropes that make this genre fun.
I should add thou that a weirdly racist (is it racist when it's against more then one religion? What is the word that covers prejudice that is a bit racist plus offensive to people of multiple faiths?) comment came out of nowhere was jarring, offensive and unnecessary. That dropped a star for me.
Otherwise it was a great UF book.
Edit: Having read the next one and a half books in the series I changed my mind about this one. The self awareness evaporates, the mc becomes a Mary Sue pitched against a (literally evil) mean girl and the romance remains completely sparkless.
June 16, 2020
2020 Summer Clearance Special
What a pleasant surprise! I picked this book up at the used book store after attending a conference at which the author was a guest. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. It's almost unfortunate, as now I really want to read the remaining two volumes. Back to the bookstore, I guess.
I tend to prefer urban fantasy by female authors, but Hanover does a good job of writing a female main character. Jayne is a typical urban fantasy heroine. She has a mysterious relative who has made her the beneficiary of his will. As she assesses her new real estate, she discovers that her uncle had a whole side to him that she'd never guessed—he fought evil (and wasn't gay as she'd presumed). She herself has unusual skills, wants to continue her uncle's mission, and begins assembling a posse of friends to accomplish the seemingly impossible.
There's good action, as the inexperienced group fumble towards the goal. There's tension induced by the timing required and the inevitable personality conflicts. The reader wants them to prevail, but the author is constantly throwing doubt on the whole business.
Jayne isn't a complete Mary Sue, she makes major mistakes and has to recover from them. She does, however, fall awfully easily into the role of team leader. She does have enough sense to allow the specialists on her team to use their skills.
The only thing that made me truly roll my eyes was the cover art. Seriously, Cliff Nielsen? At no point in the book does Jayne wear leather pants. She's a jeans-and-t shirt girl. In addition, no woman worth her salt will go into battle in a Victoria's Secret bra. Maybe a sports bra. And lastly, the short sword in her right hand is being held awkwardly for fighting. She'd be far more likely to stab herself in the leg.
However I'm getting used to ignoring cover art. It is often misleading, tending towards embarrassing. I wouldn't be reluctant to be seen in public with this book, but I sure wouldn't flaunt it either.
To keep or re-sell? I'll keep it for the time being while I search for the next volume.
What a pleasant surprise! I picked this book up at the used book store after attending a conference at which the author was a guest. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. It's almost unfortunate, as now I really want to read the remaining two volumes. Back to the bookstore, I guess.
I tend to prefer urban fantasy by female authors, but Hanover does a good job of writing a female main character. Jayne is a typical urban fantasy heroine. She has a mysterious relative who has made her the beneficiary of his will. As she assesses her new real estate, she discovers that her uncle had a whole side to him that she'd never guessed—he fought evil (and wasn't gay as she'd presumed). She herself has unusual skills, wants to continue her uncle's mission, and begins assembling a posse of friends to accomplish the seemingly impossible.
There's good action, as the inexperienced group fumble towards the goal. There's tension induced by the timing required and the inevitable personality conflicts. The reader wants them to prevail, but the author is constantly throwing doubt on the whole business.
Jayne isn't a complete Mary Sue, she makes major mistakes and has to recover from them. She does, however, fall awfully easily into the role of team leader. She does have enough sense to allow the specialists on her team to use their skills.
The only thing that made me truly roll my eyes was the cover art. Seriously, Cliff Nielsen? At no point in the book does Jayne wear leather pants. She's a jeans-and-t shirt girl. In addition, no woman worth her salt will go into battle in a Victoria's Secret bra. Maybe a sports bra. And lastly, the short sword in her right hand is being held awkwardly for fighting. She'd be far more likely to stab herself in the leg.
However I'm getting used to ignoring cover art. It is often misleading, tending towards embarrassing. I wouldn't be reluctant to be seen in public with this book, but I sure wouldn't flaunt it either.
To keep or re-sell? I'll keep it for the time being while I search for the next volume.
May 13, 2018
DNF 50%
PNR is not my genre of choice. Going with Daniel Abraham the author of series I love such as Dagger & Coin, Long Price Quartet and The Expanse I figured this would be a chance to get into this subgenre of fantasy. Sadly it was awful. The writing wasn't what I've come to expect from him. I felt like he dumbed-down his writing for this genre which is sad. There was none of the story and character complexities. There was none of the empathy threaded into the journey.
Sadly one of my favorite authors threw out a stinker.
PNR is not my genre of choice. Going with Daniel Abraham the author of series I love such as Dagger & Coin, Long Price Quartet and The Expanse I figured this would be a chance to get into this subgenre of fantasy. Sadly it was awful. The writing wasn't what I've come to expect from him. I felt like he dumbed-down his writing for this genre which is sad. There was none of the story and character complexities. There was none of the empathy threaded into the journey.
Sadly one of my favorite authors threw out a stinker.
March 6, 2011
Didn't finish this one. It strikes me as just another attempt at the antihero, ain't I tough and nonconformist urban fantasy niche that is showing up now. I didn't care much about Jayne ( zha-nay not Jane) nor her adventures. Doesn't mean it won't suit you but I've got hundreds of books waiting to be read...and many that I'd rather read than this one. If it's your "cup-of-tea" as I've said before, enjoy. I'm old enough and have enough years behind me and few enough ahead that I don't make myself finish every book I start and that doesn't appeal now. This especially goes in the case of brain-candy. Hope you enjoy it...not for me.
Maybe I'll Like something else by this author later...or maybe not, we'll see. But this one goes back to the library.
Maybe I'll Like something else by this author later...or maybe not, we'll see. But this one goes back to the library.
December 15, 2016
What to say about this book...um, it has a cool cover? Here's the thing, if the overall plot of a book is weak but there is a yummy romance then usually the romance aspect can sustain my interest in a series. Conversely, if the romance is not all that but the plot and world building are top notch then I'm along for the ride. The problem for me with this book is that it fell short both counts, plot and romance.
As for plot, nothing really happened in this book. It was a group of people basically hanging around a house until the last twenty pages or so when the final showdown happened. The writer did manage to check off some cliches right out of the gate though. Heroine with unique name? Check. (Jayne - with an accent on the 'e' and pronounced zhuh-nay, yeah whatever. I pronounced it like regular old Jane in my head) Heroine inherits a vast fortune to make her monster stomping easier? Check. Heroine is suddenly gifted with super fighting skills that she's never had before? Check. That said, I did like Jayne overall.
The other issue regarding the plot is that we get told about the big bad but we never really see him or see him do anything really bad. He mostly exists off the page until the very end of the book. I never got a sense of who he was as a villain or why I should be rooting so hard for the good guys to take him out.
As for the romance aspect, I have to confess that I really enjoy the slow burn. Couples who are getting into bed in the first act rarely grab my interest. And so it is with Jayne and her love interest in the book. He's a nice enough guy, even if he does leave out some major information about his past, but I found the pairing lukewarm at best.
So, as a whole this was just a two star book for me. It's nothing that I would re-read. There are more books in this series and I might read the second book at some point to see if things pick up plot-wise and action-wise (since the romance angle is doing anything for me) but it won't be priority reading for me.
As for plot, nothing really happened in this book. It was a group of people basically hanging around a house until the last twenty pages or so when the final showdown happened. The writer did manage to check off some cliches right out of the gate though. Heroine with unique name? Check. (Jayne - with an accent on the 'e' and pronounced zhuh-nay, yeah whatever. I pronounced it like regular old Jane in my head) Heroine inherits a vast fortune to make her monster stomping easier? Check. Heroine is suddenly gifted with super fighting skills that she's never had before? Check. That said, I did like Jayne overall.
The other issue regarding the plot is that we get told about the big bad but we never really see him or see him do anything really bad. He mostly exists off the page until the very end of the book. I never got a sense of who he was as a villain or why I should be rooting so hard for the good guys to take him out.
As for the romance aspect, I have to confess that I really enjoy the slow burn. Couples who are getting into bed in the first act rarely grab my interest. And so it is with Jayne and her love interest in the book. He's a nice enough guy, even if he does leave out some major information about his past, but I found the pairing lukewarm at best.
So, as a whole this was just a two star book for me. It's nothing that I would re-read. There are more books in this series and I might read the second book at some point to see if things pick up plot-wise and action-wise (since the romance angle is doing anything for me) but it won't be priority reading for me.
September 26, 2010
One of the many many UF series out there, this one a tad less romancey than usual, i suspect that MLN Hanover is a guy by the way he writes. Mmmm...what I liked: really good dialogue. I thought the setup was a bit hard to buy I can overlook that, I guess the thing that bugged me most is that i didn't buy the romance at all. On PAPER it's really interesting actually (no spoilers, but the romance takes nonstandard twists that i hadn't seen before) but i guess i felt the secondary characters were pretty thin on being able to latch onto them, especially that romantic interest. I dunno, I will read the next one because i enjoyed the tone.
May 24, 2016
3.5 that I'm rounding up. I enjoyed Jayne and her ragamuffin band, and especially liked the twist on vampires, etc that Hanover gives us in the world building. Really the only thing I wasn't a huge fan of in this was the romance, but I suspect that will improve. Looking forward to the next one!
May 11, 2016
Yep. Four stars again :) It has its flaws but it also has some excellent action. I do love this series.
February 14, 2009
Jayné (Zha-nay) Heller is a twenty-two year old university drop-out, alienated from her upright, conservative family, and doesn't even know where she's going to sleep next month when she gets the call about her uncle, Eric. The black sheep of the family, he's dead and has left her everything: his numerous properties around the world, his vast fortune, his friends ... and his legacy. The fortune was hard enough for her to swallow, but when she learns that Eric was involved in a battle with evil wizards known as the Invisible College and their "demon ridden" leader, Randolph Coin, she's sceptical - until they come for her.
She soon learns all about it: spirits from another plane are brought into this world and take host bodies. They're called "riders" and they can be vampires, werewolves, demons of various sub-species, and undetectable unless you can use your spirit energy, your "qi", to see the world clearly.
With the help of gorgeous scientist Aubrey; former Jesuit priest and weapons expert Ex; magically empowered Buddhist Chogyi Jake; and a desiccated corpse-like man who was cursed by Coin, Midian, Jayné believes she has all the assistance she needs to complete Eric's plan to kill Coin.
Written under a pseudonym for sci-fi author Daniel Abraham, Unclean Spirits reads like the script of one of those TV shows that's so popular since Buffy, and with an uncomplicated plot to match. It's a fun ride but I'm big on character development and I didn't get all that much here.
Jayné is engaging enough and has pleasantly human responses to shock, fear, abject terror etc., but she also conveniently, suddenly has expert fighting skills and magical protection - I hazard a guess it has something to do with the unfinished tattoo on her back that she woke up with after a binge-drinking session when she was sixteen. She lacks the charisma of Kelley Armstrong's Elena Michaels, or the refreshing candour of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse, for instance, but we have caught her at the beginning of her story arc and subsequent growth, and already in the space of one book she's grown some. One of the nice things about her, actually, is how her flaws are subtly presented and you don't even notice them until someone else points them out. Which makes a lot of sense, since she's the narrator and sometimes we don't see ourselves the way others do.
The other characters were more thinly sketched, which speaks badly for Jayné's perceptiveness and interest in others: frankly, it makes a protagonist seem rather selfish.
I did have the niggling thought that, what with Aubrey, Ex, Chogyi Jake and a hefty dose of sexual tension, if this were an erotic kind of book it'd be quite the party. As it is, there's already a bit of a messy love triangle developing, since it's pretty clear that Ex has a big thing for Jayné and she's too distracted - or dense - to notice.
There were a few small inconsistencies or implausabilities that bothered me but they weren't huge, and I loved the fact that these people actually ate. I know, it's a small thing, but I've read so many urban fantasy or paranormal romance books where the characters just run on adrenaline for several days straight - yeah Christine Feehan I'm looking at you.
I do like what Hanover's done with a well-worn premise, combining demons with Invasion of the Body Snatches - though the tone and descriptions brings to mind Men In Black instead - with Midian providing the snarky humour. The fighting scenes were hard to follow but otherwise the writing was smooth and the pacing in particular was just right.
It's a pretty straight-forward, black-and-white, good vs. evil set-up, but I appreciated and enjoyed the theological dilemmas and complicated positions of the main characters, which provided a bit of a balance. It's a very quick read, engaging and enjoyable, if you're not looking for anything more complicated or deep.
She soon learns all about it: spirits from another plane are brought into this world and take host bodies. They're called "riders" and they can be vampires, werewolves, demons of various sub-species, and undetectable unless you can use your spirit energy, your "qi", to see the world clearly.
With the help of gorgeous scientist Aubrey; former Jesuit priest and weapons expert Ex; magically empowered Buddhist Chogyi Jake; and a desiccated corpse-like man who was cursed by Coin, Midian, Jayné believes she has all the assistance she needs to complete Eric's plan to kill Coin.
Written under a pseudonym for sci-fi author Daniel Abraham, Unclean Spirits reads like the script of one of those TV shows that's so popular since Buffy, and with an uncomplicated plot to match. It's a fun ride but I'm big on character development and I didn't get all that much here.
Jayné is engaging enough and has pleasantly human responses to shock, fear, abject terror etc., but she also conveniently, suddenly has expert fighting skills and magical protection - I hazard a guess it has something to do with the unfinished tattoo on her back that she woke up with after a binge-drinking session when she was sixteen. She lacks the charisma of Kelley Armstrong's Elena Michaels, or the refreshing candour of Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse, for instance, but we have caught her at the beginning of her story arc and subsequent growth, and already in the space of one book she's grown some. One of the nice things about her, actually, is how her flaws are subtly presented and you don't even notice them until someone else points them out. Which makes a lot of sense, since she's the narrator and sometimes we don't see ourselves the way others do.
The other characters were more thinly sketched, which speaks badly for Jayné's perceptiveness and interest in others: frankly, it makes a protagonist seem rather selfish.
I did have the niggling thought that, what with Aubrey, Ex, Chogyi Jake and a hefty dose of sexual tension, if this were an erotic kind of book it'd be quite the party. As it is, there's already a bit of a messy love triangle developing, since it's pretty clear that Ex has a big thing for Jayné and she's too distracted - or dense - to notice.
There were a few small inconsistencies or implausabilities that bothered me but they weren't huge, and I loved the fact that these people actually ate. I know, it's a small thing, but I've read so many urban fantasy or paranormal romance books where the characters just run on adrenaline for several days straight - yeah Christine Feehan I'm looking at you.
I do like what Hanover's done with a well-worn premise, combining demons with Invasion of the Body Snatches - though the tone and descriptions brings to mind Men In Black instead - with Midian providing the snarky humour. The fighting scenes were hard to follow but otherwise the writing was smooth and the pacing in particular was just right.
It's a pretty straight-forward, black-and-white, good vs. evil set-up, but I appreciated and enjoyed the theological dilemmas and complicated positions of the main characters, which provided a bit of a balance. It's a very quick read, engaging and enjoyable, if you're not looking for anything more complicated or deep.
June 14, 2018
M. L. N. Hanover is Daniel Abraham's pen name, under which he writes urban fantasy.
Novel's protagonist, Jayné (pronounced zha-nay) Heller lacks a clear direction in life – she’s dropped out of college and doesn’t get on with her family. Her uncle Eric dies and, rather unexpectedly, leaves all his possessions to Jane. Suddenly, she finds herself with a lot of money and properties around the world. Sounds like a great place for a fresh start.
Unfortunately, the wealth comes with a price. It turns out that her uncle was fighting a secret battle against ‘riders’ – evil spirits that take over human bodies and control them. Jayne is supposed to continue his mission.
While I enjoy the idea of riders taking over human bodies, I find the book disappointing. It feels like a thin YA novel that doesn't deliver any meaningful characters development or interesting plot. Almost everything (feelings, superpowers) is told, not much is shown in a convincing way. Basically, it's a simplistic story focused on a team of good guys stopping the bad guys before it's too late.
Characters feel terribly flat. There's unbelievable and rushed insta-lust between Jayne and one of her team members. Frankly, it was the worst romance I've read in ages.
Jayne is, basically, a directionless and vulnerable drop-out. Some would call her a loser. But when Riders come she suddenly demolishes them with amazing fighting skills. Later on, when the adrenaline drops, she shakes and cries and does whatever a regular human being would do. I have nothing against super-powers; heck, I absolutely love them. Here, though, the author didn't even try to explain what happened. It seems the series is supposed to be ten books long. I assume many things will be revealed in sequels. That's cool. Or rather would be, if this book made me want to read more about zha-nay. It didn't.
I've heard great things about Daniel Abraham. From readers and reviewers I trust. Sadly, after finishing Unclean Spirits chances that I'll read any of his books in the near future are close to none.
Novel's protagonist, Jayné (pronounced zha-nay) Heller lacks a clear direction in life – she’s dropped out of college and doesn’t get on with her family. Her uncle Eric dies and, rather unexpectedly, leaves all his possessions to Jane. Suddenly, she finds herself with a lot of money and properties around the world. Sounds like a great place for a fresh start.
Unfortunately, the wealth comes with a price. It turns out that her uncle was fighting a secret battle against ‘riders’ – evil spirits that take over human bodies and control them. Jayne is supposed to continue his mission.
While I enjoy the idea of riders taking over human bodies, I find the book disappointing. It feels like a thin YA novel that doesn't deliver any meaningful characters development or interesting plot. Almost everything (feelings, superpowers) is told, not much is shown in a convincing way. Basically, it's a simplistic story focused on a team of good guys stopping the bad guys before it's too late.
Characters feel terribly flat. There's unbelievable and rushed insta-lust between Jayne and one of her team members. Frankly, it was the worst romance I've read in ages.
Jayne is, basically, a directionless and vulnerable drop-out. Some would call her a loser. But when Riders come she suddenly demolishes them with amazing fighting skills. Later on, when the adrenaline drops, she shakes and cries and does whatever a regular human being would do. I have nothing against super-powers; heck, I absolutely love them. Here, though, the author didn't even try to explain what happened. It seems the series is supposed to be ten books long. I assume many things will be revealed in sequels. That's cool. Or rather would be, if this book made me want to read more about zha-nay. It didn't.
I've heard great things about Daniel Abraham. From readers and reviewers I trust. Sadly, after finishing Unclean Spirits chances that I'll read any of his books in the near future are close to none.
May 7, 2016
A good introduction to this new series. I love me some Abraham so it's cool to see him in another genre. The guy can tell a damn story, that's for sure. Interesting world and beasties with a young female MC who obviously has some issues to work through
Wasn't much a fan of the "love story" but it didn't take up much time. And, honestly, Aubrey kinda seems like a douche. Much prefer Chogyi-Jake
Will be continuing on
Wasn't much a fan of the "love story" but it didn't take up much time. And, honestly, Aubrey kinda seems like a douche. Much prefer Chogyi-Jake
Will be continuing on
December 29, 2018
A large part of me didn't want to give this four stars. There was this asinine conversation
Yeah, so that really made me very very angry. But I also really enjoyed the rest of the book. There was action and gunfights, some awesome characters (yes, I'm totally in love with Chogyi-Jake), interesting mythology, and a whole hell of a lot of promise. I've already bought the second book.
I listened to the audiobook and although I feel that the narrator struggled with creating enough variety in the male voices (there were a lot of guys in this), she also sounded like a young woman in her early 20's, which the MC was. I plan on continuing with the audiobooks and I'm really excited to find an Urban Fantasy series that works for me. This hasn't happened in awhile.
Yeah, so that really made me very very angry. But I also really enjoyed the rest of the book. There was action and gunfights, some awesome characters (yes, I'm totally in love with Chogyi-Jake), interesting mythology, and a whole hell of a lot of promise. I've already bought the second book.
I listened to the audiobook and although I feel that the narrator struggled with creating enough variety in the male voices (there were a lot of guys in this), she also sounded like a young woman in her early 20's, which the MC was. I plan on continuing with the audiobooks and I'm really excited to find an Urban Fantasy series that works for me. This hasn't happened in awhile.
April 10, 2019
well audible, you tricked me! i thought this book was only 4 hrs long so i started playing it. 10 minutes left and i have no idea how they are going to wrap this up. -_- well they aren't. cause there's a whole part 2 i'm missing. i'm not going to finish this book. it wasn't bad, the characters were likable. the story was well paced but it just wasn't doing it for me. it could be bad timing, or just me but i don't think the first half is that bad.
February 1, 2012
Unclean Spirits by M. L. N. Hanover, a pen name for one of my favorite authors Daniel Abraham, is the first in urban fantasy series the Black Sun's Daughter. While I didn't have any major trouble reading Unclean Spirits it is a far cry from other works by Abraham. It stands head and shoulders above other urban fantasy books I've read, and its excellent pacing and smooth prose makes Unclean Spirits a quick read.
Unclean Spirits opens with the troubled 22 year-old Jayné Heller arriving in Denver as the inheritor of her uncle's estate. Of course there was more, much more, to her uncle than Jayné ever expected and she soon finds herself dealing with the sinister Randolph Coin; the same man who orchestrated her uncle's death. Turns out Eric and those he knew dealt with some of the nasty things that jump into our world from elsewhere. It isn't long before Jayné takes up her uncle's quest; mostly in the name of vengeance for the man who helped her throughout her life.
Jayné makes for an interesting lead particularly because, at the start of the novel, there is nothing spectacular about her. She is our straight-woman. Just an average college aged youth trying to get her life together. Jayné's early characterization allows Hanover to build on her personality slowly revealing a surprisingly steely core. Jayné's normalcy is contrasted nicely by the people she soon finds herself surrounded by. The cursed undead gourmand Midian, an ex-Jesuit named Ex, a buddhist with magic powers named Chogyi Jake, and a parasitologist named Aubrey. Of those it is the last that we are first introduced and who is immediately (and rightfully) pegged as the novel's love interest. Smart, kind, and impossibly attractive my knee-jerk reaction to Aubrey was an eye-roll and a sigh. Thankfully my exasperation at this obvious role was somewhat alleviated by events later in the novel. I think the origin behind the relationship between Eric and Aubrey is fascinating it was a bit too tantalizing for me and I would have loved to see the invading spirit as parasites angle explored a bit more fully here.
Midian serves as a fun historical go-to and works quite nicely for a bit of comic relief. With Eric being dead Midian serves as our only real source of information on who Randolph Coin is and what his Invisible College is all about. Hanover pulls a nice twist with regards to this and really changes how view the information Midian was doling out earlier in the novel. Ex serves a more problematic role and his relationship with Jayné isn't explored too deeply however, there are enough hints that he could be an interesting source of tension in future volumes. Chogyi Jake serves as Jayné's spiritual advisor through her crash course in the world of the supernatural. He serves as an excellent sort of baseline calm throughout the chaos of the novel.
Hanover makes a nice start with the characters in Unclean Spirits, but less so when it comes to the setting of Denver. When it comes to fantasy, particularly urban fantasy, sense of place is particularly important to me as a reader. The titular “urban” shouldn't just imply a modern city setting. Rather I'm of the opinion that the setting of an urban fantasy should be just as important as its story and characters. Dresden's Chicago is an important part of that series just as de Lint's Newford is essential to his novels and short stories; absent of those settings neither works quite as well. Unclean Spirits does not have the same strong link between characters and setting. Given that in Unclean Spirits, Jayné has just arrived in Denver I hope that as the Black Sun's Daughter series develops that link between character and place develops.
Unclean Spirits is a strong start to a series. Hanover's effortless pacing and deft characterization, even if he swerves towards cliché a bit, makes for an easy and exciting read. While novel didn't completely blow me away neither did it manage to turn me away; given that urban fantasy isn't my favorite sub-genre that is a pretty good thing. Given my experience with Daniel Abraham's other work I'm willing to give this series another shot and I'll definitely be checking in to see how Jayné develops across future volumes.
Unclean Spirits opens with the troubled 22 year-old Jayné Heller arriving in Denver as the inheritor of her uncle's estate. Of course there was more, much more, to her uncle than Jayné ever expected and she soon finds herself dealing with the sinister Randolph Coin; the same man who orchestrated her uncle's death. Turns out Eric and those he knew dealt with some of the nasty things that jump into our world from elsewhere. It isn't long before Jayné takes up her uncle's quest; mostly in the name of vengeance for the man who helped her throughout her life.
Jayné makes for an interesting lead particularly because, at the start of the novel, there is nothing spectacular about her. She is our straight-woman. Just an average college aged youth trying to get her life together. Jayné's early characterization allows Hanover to build on her personality slowly revealing a surprisingly steely core. Jayné's normalcy is contrasted nicely by the people she soon finds herself surrounded by. The cursed undead gourmand Midian, an ex-Jesuit named Ex, a buddhist with magic powers named Chogyi Jake, and a parasitologist named Aubrey. Of those it is the last that we are first introduced and who is immediately (and rightfully) pegged as the novel's love interest. Smart, kind, and impossibly attractive my knee-jerk reaction to Aubrey was an eye-roll and a sigh. Thankfully my exasperation at this obvious role was somewhat alleviated by events later in the novel. I think the origin behind the relationship between Eric and Aubrey is fascinating it was a bit too tantalizing for me and I would have loved to see the invading spirit as parasites angle explored a bit more fully here.
Midian serves as a fun historical go-to and works quite nicely for a bit of comic relief. With Eric being dead Midian serves as our only real source of information on who Randolph Coin is and what his Invisible College is all about. Hanover pulls a nice twist with regards to this and really changes how view the information Midian was doling out earlier in the novel. Ex serves a more problematic role and his relationship with Jayné isn't explored too deeply however, there are enough hints that he could be an interesting source of tension in future volumes. Chogyi Jake serves as Jayné's spiritual advisor through her crash course in the world of the supernatural. He serves as an excellent sort of baseline calm throughout the chaos of the novel.
Hanover makes a nice start with the characters in Unclean Spirits, but less so when it comes to the setting of Denver. When it comes to fantasy, particularly urban fantasy, sense of place is particularly important to me as a reader. The titular “urban” shouldn't just imply a modern city setting. Rather I'm of the opinion that the setting of an urban fantasy should be just as important as its story and characters. Dresden's Chicago is an important part of that series just as de Lint's Newford is essential to his novels and short stories; absent of those settings neither works quite as well. Unclean Spirits does not have the same strong link between characters and setting. Given that in Unclean Spirits, Jayné has just arrived in Denver I hope that as the Black Sun's Daughter series develops that link between character and place develops.
Unclean Spirits is a strong start to a series. Hanover's effortless pacing and deft characterization, even if he swerves towards cliché a bit, makes for an easy and exciting read. While novel didn't completely blow me away neither did it manage to turn me away; given that urban fantasy isn't my favorite sub-genre that is a pretty good thing. Given my experience with Daniel Abraham's other work I'm willing to give this series another shot and I'll definitely be checking in to see how Jayné develops across future volumes.
December 1, 2015
2.5 stars. It's hard to believe that this author is really Daniel Abraham. I just read the first four books of his Dagger and Coin series, which were great, and the first two of the Long Price Quartet, which were good, and while they could be a bit slow paced at times, they did not have the many issues that this had. And of course The Expanse books, co-written with Ty Franck, are great too.
It was weird because it had a lot of potential. The main character, Jayné, had a good backstory. She broke off from her religiously fundamentalist family to go to a non-religious college. Her uncle Eric, the black sheep of the family, has always looked out for her and left her as the sole heir in his will, a fact that she was totally unaware of. Since for some unspecified reason now has no friends and just dropped out of college days before her twenty-third birthday, she's hoping to inherit enough money for first and last month's rent on an apartment, and is shocked to find out she's stinking rich. And to stumble into his dangerous shadow life.
My aggravation with the book started with the name. What's the point of giving your character a name that no one pronounces correctly? Jayné = Zha-nay, not Jane. It was annoying to constantly, repeatedly read about who said it right and who said it wrong, and the book was too long as it was. I'm sorry that it's the name of a friend of his, and it's a cool name, just not a good name for a character in a book.
Then we got into her sudden and never explained amazing fighting skills. She should have been mewling and whining in fear but she was throwing stools and jumping and rolling over countertops and landing on her fingertips and the balls of bed feat, and creatively fighting back with any implement that came to hand. OK, sure. Because Uncle Eric did something to protect her, as best her new friends can figure out. The suddenly perfect heroine is my least favorite thing in urban fantasy. It's lazy storytelling. At least she wasn't suddenly a perfect shot too. Though that seemed inconsistent.
And the characterization was so shallow. I get that this woman was a very sheltered kid, but she'd been away from home for four or five years by the time this started, she's on equal footing with how I or most of my friends were at that age. The immaturity she showed with the insta-love stupidity in this book was incredibly irritating. That she thought that she was in love with a guy within days of meeting him, without ever having a conversation with him except about magic or paracites. And he seemed to be in love with her too, It played out a tiny bit as the book went on, but overall it was one of the shallowest plots I've ever seen in that respect. There were so many points in the book where it felt like Abraham/Hanover was running down a checklist of what he thought urban fantasy was supposed to have in it and just sticking it in there, check, check, check, the romance being the worst example of it.
There were good things too. Like despite her "magical fighting skills," she was still afraid, in fact all of the men were afraid too, that was refreshing. So many books have the heroes just barreling through the dangers without thinking. Some of the descriptions were terrific, very vivid or creative. But then every woman in the book was in a white or cream shirt and gray slacks, so there you go.
It was too long, and should have been streamlined. There were tons of eye-rolling moments. The romance was the worst I've read in ages. The woman was shallow and incredibly stereotypical urban-fantasy heroine. I found it confusing, I wasn't sure what Abraham/Hanover was trying to do with the book. It didn't feel like this was an author who was driven to write an urban fantasy book, it felt like this was an author who wanted to make money writing an urban fantasy series. He withheld too much, hinted at too much without telling enough that would have given reading this book more of a feeling of satisfaction. But...it did have some good things. The concept of the Riders has potential. Some of the characters (Choygi Jake) were good. Jayné had some emotional growth during the book. Overall, it wasn't terrible, but it was disappointing and sub-par. Since I already reserved and received the second book from the library, I'll probably give it a try and see if it's any better than this one.
It was weird because it had a lot of potential. The main character, Jayné, had a good backstory. She broke off from her religiously fundamentalist family to go to a non-religious college. Her uncle Eric, the black sheep of the family, has always looked out for her and left her as the sole heir in his will, a fact that she was totally unaware of. Since for some unspecified reason now has no friends and just dropped out of college days before her twenty-third birthday, she's hoping to inherit enough money for first and last month's rent on an apartment, and is shocked to find out she's stinking rich. And to stumble into his dangerous shadow life.
My aggravation with the book started with the name. What's the point of giving your character a name that no one pronounces correctly? Jayné = Zha-nay, not Jane. It was annoying to constantly, repeatedly read about who said it right and who said it wrong, and the book was too long as it was. I'm sorry that it's the name of a friend of his, and it's a cool name, just not a good name for a character in a book.
Then we got into her sudden and never explained amazing fighting skills. She should have been mewling and whining in fear but she was throwing stools and jumping and rolling over countertops and landing on her fingertips and the balls of bed feat, and creatively fighting back with any implement that came to hand. OK, sure. Because Uncle Eric did something to protect her, as best her new friends can figure out. The suddenly perfect heroine is my least favorite thing in urban fantasy. It's lazy storytelling. At least she wasn't suddenly a perfect shot too. Though that seemed inconsistent.
And the characterization was so shallow. I get that this woman was a very sheltered kid, but she'd been away from home for four or five years by the time this started, she's on equal footing with how I or most of my friends were at that age. The immaturity she showed with the insta-love stupidity in this book was incredibly irritating. That she thought that she was in love with a guy within days of meeting him, without ever having a conversation with him except about magic or paracites. And he seemed to be in love with her too, It played out a tiny bit as the book went on, but overall it was one of the shallowest plots I've ever seen in that respect. There were so many points in the book where it felt like Abraham/Hanover was running down a checklist of what he thought urban fantasy was supposed to have in it and just sticking it in there, check, check, check, the romance being the worst example of it.
There were good things too. Like despite her "magical fighting skills," she was still afraid, in fact all of the men were afraid too, that was refreshing. So many books have the heroes just barreling through the dangers without thinking. Some of the descriptions were terrific, very vivid or creative. But then every woman in the book was in a white or cream shirt and gray slacks, so there you go.
It was too long, and should have been streamlined. There were tons of eye-rolling moments. The romance was the worst I've read in ages. The woman was shallow and incredibly stereotypical urban-fantasy heroine. I found it confusing, I wasn't sure what Abraham/Hanover was trying to do with the book. It didn't feel like this was an author who was driven to write an urban fantasy book, it felt like this was an author who wanted to make money writing an urban fantasy series. He withheld too much, hinted at too much without telling enough that would have given reading this book more of a feeling of satisfaction. But...it did have some good things. The concept of the Riders has potential. Some of the characters (Choygi Jake) were good. Jayné had some emotional growth during the book. Overall, it wasn't terrible, but it was disappointing and sub-par. Since I already reserved and received the second book from the library, I'll probably give it a try and see if it's any better than this one.
November 14, 2011
Unclean Spirits puts a new twist on the standard urban fantasy fare. Yes, it's got vampires, lycans, and demons of a fashion, but the ideology is different. Here, otherworldly spirits can transcend out of their own world into ours and latch on a human. They become "riders" --taking over their host's body and wreaking havoc.
Jayné knows nothing about riders or magic. But when her Uncle Eric dies, she inherits his home and his money; his secret life is an unexpected part of the deal. Eric fought the riders. When he died, he was trying to take down the leader of a powerful group of the creatures, Randolph Coin. Jayné gets a crash course in reality as she begins to meet Eric's associates. And it's only a matter of time before she takes up her uncle's mantle and seeks revenge on his killer.
Jayné may not know everything about her uncle's world, but she is not totally naive. She manages to take a lot of shocking information in stride. She has to let go of her old life and embrace her new one, which takes strength. And while the whole shtick about the pronunciation of her name (zha-NAY) got a little old, I found that I liked her. She grows a lot over the course of the book.
I also enjoyed the secondary cast of characters. While Jayné makes a little love-connection with one man, I get the feeling that her true intended is going to be someone else entirely (yes, Ex, I am talking about you.) There is a tiny bit of sex - enough that it wasn't left out entirely, but I probably would have enjoyed a bit more. And speaking of supporting characters... I really ended up kind of fascinated with the vampire Midian and I wonder what the future holds for him.
I liked this book. And I liked the ending. There is good resolution, but the door is opened wide for future installments. I still don't get the series title "Black Sun's Daughter," but maybe that will be explained in the coming books. A little more than 4 stars.
*Copy provided by Pocket Books for review
Jayné knows nothing about riders or magic. But when her Uncle Eric dies, she inherits his home and his money; his secret life is an unexpected part of the deal. Eric fought the riders. When he died, he was trying to take down the leader of a powerful group of the creatures, Randolph Coin. Jayné gets a crash course in reality as she begins to meet Eric's associates. And it's only a matter of time before she takes up her uncle's mantle and seeks revenge on his killer.
Jayné may not know everything about her uncle's world, but she is not totally naive. She manages to take a lot of shocking information in stride. She has to let go of her old life and embrace her new one, which takes strength. And while the whole shtick about the pronunciation of her name (zha-NAY) got a little old, I found that I liked her. She grows a lot over the course of the book.
I also enjoyed the secondary cast of characters. While Jayné makes a little love-connection with one man, I get the feeling that her true intended is going to be someone else entirely (yes, Ex, I am talking about you.) There is a tiny bit of sex - enough that it wasn't left out entirely, but I probably would have enjoyed a bit more. And speaking of supporting characters... I really ended up kind of fascinated with the vampire Midian and I wonder what the future holds for him.
I liked this book. And I liked the ending. There is good resolution, but the door is opened wide for future installments. I still don't get the series title "Black Sun's Daughter," but maybe that will be explained in the coming books. A little more than 4 stars.
*Copy provided by Pocket Books for review
July 23, 2015
I couldn't finish it. And I'm still in my rereading slump. *sarcastic cheer* It was just too predictable (the plot has been used before), and the author had extremely strong opinions that she pretty much shoved in your face. Now I'm going to go reread "The Kiss of Deception" and count the days until I get enough money to buy the sequel. :)
Want to read
February 13, 2025This cover is kind of awful - and I didn't know Daniel Abraham wrote UF. Guess I have to check it out now.
April 26, 2025
I had seen a lot of mixed reviews of this book which I had already bought so I wasn't sure what to expect. I must admit that I really enjoyed it!
Jayne arrives in Denver as heir to her Uncle Eric's estate, the only family member who never disowned him. Now she has become very rich, with lots of properties and storage units to look through. Eric was also up to his eyes in magic a demons, a talent he may have passed to Jayne. Now Eric's team want to continue with his plan to stop evil Randolph Coin, Eric's murderer but have only seven days to plan it.
I very much liked the characters in this book. Jayne had the right level of doubt about the stories she was told but seeing a talking corpse and being attacked, she is willing to believe anything. I'm glad we didn't have the carry on of taking half a book to convince her of the truth. She suffers from fear and insecurity which made her more of a real character to me and the way she flies off the handle over Aubrey's secret was a reasonable reaction given the circumstances. She also takes time to find her courage and her skills, which I also liked instead of just being kickass from day one. I liked Aubrey the scientist, Midian the living corpse, the magic Buddhist Chogyi Jake and former priest Ex who deals now in weapons but still has a moral compass. The group dynamic is excellent and I loved the planning sessions that the team went through to get Coin. The introduction of Kim was also good and added a bit more interest to the group, especially her history with Aubrey and Eric.
Jayne and Aubrey bond on a trip to help a woman whose dog told her to call Eric for help. A demon has possessed her boyfriend, whose own soul is hiding in the family dog. This first field trip together almost ends in disaster and shows Jayne how much she has to learn in the short time before the attack. It also starts the romance between them. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I'm not a fan of urban fantasy romances but this one does not dominate the plot and I think it works nicely. It is more about the emotional side of the relationship and the chemistry that develops between them.
The attack on Coin is the big piece of action, with everyone having to do their part in order for it to succeed. I thought that the way it was written was excellent, as Jayne battles with her fear to do her part, knowing that this man killed her uncle. I can understand her terror and suddenly things are starting to go wrong, endangering the lives of her team. Coin is in the driving seat now and the hunters have become the hunted, hiding in Eric's house to stay safe. Another plan is needed but this time can Jayne follow through and do what needs to be done? The team are starting to fall apart and views are mixed about whether or not to go ahead. The element of planning the second attack was just as interesting to me as the first attempt, and the tension is continually being ramped up.
I'm not going to say much else about the plot. It was full of action, tension, emotion and fear, driven by the well developed characters. The bad guys are bad, the good guys are flawed and have their issues to deal with. Jayne is battling her own morals over her relationship with Aubrey. The action was exciting but it was the tension of the plot as they sneaked around doing their planning, spying and hiding that I really enjoyed. I found it well written and fast paced, with no time to get bored. Even the science bits didn't go over my head as they usually do!
I recommend this to fans of urban fantasy and paranormal. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what comes next!
2nd read dated April 2025
Seeing a few of the flaws in the book this time round. Nothing major, just niggles about Jayne's impulsive behaviour & mistakes-rushing off on a date while the bad guys are hunting the city for you, the dumbness of taking on the dog case....I've downgraded the book to 4 stars as I still enjoyed the overall story & characters.
Jayne arrives in Denver as heir to her Uncle Eric's estate, the only family member who never disowned him. Now she has become very rich, with lots of properties and storage units to look through. Eric was also up to his eyes in magic a demons, a talent he may have passed to Jayne. Now Eric's team want to continue with his plan to stop evil Randolph Coin, Eric's murderer but have only seven days to plan it.
I very much liked the characters in this book. Jayne had the right level of doubt about the stories she was told but seeing a talking corpse and being attacked, she is willing to believe anything. I'm glad we didn't have the carry on of taking half a book to convince her of the truth. She suffers from fear and insecurity which made her more of a real character to me and the way she flies off the handle over Aubrey's secret was a reasonable reaction given the circumstances. She also takes time to find her courage and her skills, which I also liked instead of just being kickass from day one. I liked Aubrey the scientist, Midian the living corpse, the magic Buddhist Chogyi Jake and former priest Ex who deals now in weapons but still has a moral compass. The group dynamic is excellent and I loved the planning sessions that the team went through to get Coin. The introduction of Kim was also good and added a bit more interest to the group, especially her history with Aubrey and Eric.
Jayne and Aubrey bond on a trip to help a woman whose dog told her to call Eric for help. A demon has possessed her boyfriend, whose own soul is hiding in the family dog. This first field trip together almost ends in disaster and shows Jayne how much she has to learn in the short time before the attack. It also starts the romance between them. Anyone who reads my reviews knows that I'm not a fan of urban fantasy romances but this one does not dominate the plot and I think it works nicely. It is more about the emotional side of the relationship and the chemistry that develops between them.
The attack on Coin is the big piece of action, with everyone having to do their part in order for it to succeed. I thought that the way it was written was excellent, as Jayne battles with her fear to do her part, knowing that this man killed her uncle. I can understand her terror and suddenly things are starting to go wrong, endangering the lives of her team. Coin is in the driving seat now and the hunters have become the hunted, hiding in Eric's house to stay safe. Another plan is needed but this time can Jayne follow through and do what needs to be done? The team are starting to fall apart and views are mixed about whether or not to go ahead. The element of planning the second attack was just as interesting to me as the first attempt, and the tension is continually being ramped up.
I'm not going to say much else about the plot. It was full of action, tension, emotion and fear, driven by the well developed characters. The bad guys are bad, the good guys are flawed and have their issues to deal with. Jayne is battling her own morals over her relationship with Aubrey. The action was exciting but it was the tension of the plot as they sneaked around doing their planning, spying and hiding that I really enjoyed. I found it well written and fast paced, with no time to get bored. Even the science bits didn't go over my head as they usually do!
I recommend this to fans of urban fantasy and paranormal. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what comes next!
2nd read dated April 2025
Seeing a few of the flaws in the book this time round. Nothing major, just niggles about Jayne's impulsive behaviour & mistakes-rushing off on a date while the bad guys are hunting the city for you, the dumbness of taking on the dog case....I've downgraded the book to 4 stars as I still enjoyed the overall story & characters.
December 7, 2018
3.5 stars
Strong and engaging start, less so in the second half of the book, but it was entertaining enough.
Strong and engaging start, less so in the second half of the book, but it was entertaining enough.
October 17, 2010
Jayne Heller, pronounced Zha-nay, is a college dropout and still recovering from her upbringing in a strict Christian family. She rebelled from her upbringing by attending a secular college and partaking in all the expected vices like drinking beer and sleeping with her boyfriend. But then the money ran out and she realized she couldn’t identify with her peers. While trying to figure out the next step, she found out her favorite uncle had been murdered and had left her everything: money, real estate and a connection to an evil wizard.
Initially I was torn between two and three stars on this book because on one hand, the story was fairly unique in comparison to other books in the urban fantasy genre and the story is heavily influenced with spiritualism and energy flow, which in theory should be right up my alley. Riders, or evil spirits, take possession of human beings and do the bidding of a group of wizards known as the Invisible College.
But on the other hand, I was alternately confused and bored throughout the entire story. Characterization was weak so I was unable to care about any of these people. And I never really figured out the riders. I mean, they’re body-snatching evil spirits—is there more to understand? I’m not sure. But I have this nagging feeling that there was a disconnection between who or what the bad guys were and my comprehension of the story.
I’ll try to explain. Different spirits have different names. Some of them are like vampires but they aren’t. And some of them can have wolf attributes, but they aren’t exactly werewolves. And then there are other sorts of spirits that can have combined features that make them extra-super scary and violent. Or something??
And then the good guys can call on magic that was never entirely explained to offset the damage caused by the riders. One of the characters is a former Jesuit priest and another is a self-styled Buddhist, so maybe my lack of knowledge in these areas adds to my confusion?
Urgh. I think that might classify as a failed attempt at an explanation, but see what I mean? Color me C-O-N-F-U-S-E-D.
So ultimately, I settled on two stars. I never came to care for the characters. I never completely understood what was going on. And body snatchers freak me the fuck out.
Initially I was torn between two and three stars on this book because on one hand, the story was fairly unique in comparison to other books in the urban fantasy genre and the story is heavily influenced with spiritualism and energy flow, which in theory should be right up my alley. Riders, or evil spirits, take possession of human beings and do the bidding of a group of wizards known as the Invisible College.
But on the other hand, I was alternately confused and bored throughout the entire story. Characterization was weak so I was unable to care about any of these people. And I never really figured out the riders. I mean, they’re body-snatching evil spirits—is there more to understand? I’m not sure. But I have this nagging feeling that there was a disconnection between who or what the bad guys were and my comprehension of the story.
I’ll try to explain. Different spirits have different names. Some of them are like vampires but they aren’t. And some of them can have wolf attributes, but they aren’t exactly werewolves. And then there are other sorts of spirits that can have combined features that make them extra-super scary and violent. Or something??
And then the good guys can call on magic that was never entirely explained to offset the damage caused by the riders. One of the characters is a former Jesuit priest and another is a self-styled Buddhist, so maybe my lack of knowledge in these areas adds to my confusion?
Urgh. I think that might classify as a failed attempt at an explanation, but see what I mean? Color me C-O-N-F-U-S-E-D.
So ultimately, I settled on two stars. I never came to care for the characters. I never completely understood what was going on. And body snatchers freak me the fuck out.
April 29, 2012
Daniel Abraham under yet another pseudonym. Typical urban fantasy setup -- attractive and disaffected girl in her twenties inherits untold wealth when her estranged uncle dies, and also his supernatural fight with creepy demon thingies.
I always react a little . . . complicatedly to men writing female POV urban fantasy. And by "always" I mean here and for Tim Pratt, the only other example that springs to mind. These guys write books that actively respond to all the bitching I do about urban fantasy written by women -- need better worldbuilding, less bad sex, tell me more about the cool magic -- and it obscurely pisses me off. That it's happening, that I'm categorizing it that way, etc. A lot of women's urban fantasy is pretty crappy, but it's hugely popular, and in the same way I try not to judge the romance field, I don't want to judge urban fantasy as inferior just because it's a women's literature. Women like things! That's okay! And then these guys come along and write stuff that is higher quality in many respects, and it pisses me off that my brain takes their stuff more seriously without passing go. Like it's more urban fantasy and less paranormal romance just by having a dude's name on the cover, and like that's automatically a good thing. Complicated, like I said, and I don't really know what to do with it.
(Though I find it obscurely pleasing that the guys tend not to do hugely well with the female POV urban fantasy, in a market sense).
Anyway. File this one under 'wanted to like more than I actually did.' It's doing some amusing things. The heroine has the requisite ridiculous name (Jayne pronounced Zha-nay, doncha know), but everyone spends the entire book mispronouncing it. Ha. And she also has a lovely habit of calling men on their patronizing bullshit, including an excellent "I already walked away from my real daddy, what the fuck do you think I need you for" speech. But . . . eh. The romance is irritating, the plot straightforward and uninspired, the characters relatively static. Nothing to see here.
Daniel Abraham is a better writer than this. Hell, James S.A. Corey is a better writer than this.
I always react a little . . . complicatedly to men writing female POV urban fantasy. And by "always" I mean here and for Tim Pratt, the only other example that springs to mind. These guys write books that actively respond to all the bitching I do about urban fantasy written by women -- need better worldbuilding, less bad sex, tell me more about the cool magic -- and it obscurely pisses me off. That it's happening, that I'm categorizing it that way, etc. A lot of women's urban fantasy is pretty crappy, but it's hugely popular, and in the same way I try not to judge the romance field, I don't want to judge urban fantasy as inferior just because it's a women's literature. Women like things! That's okay! And then these guys come along and write stuff that is higher quality in many respects, and it pisses me off that my brain takes their stuff more seriously without passing go. Like it's more urban fantasy and less paranormal romance just by having a dude's name on the cover, and like that's automatically a good thing. Complicated, like I said, and I don't really know what to do with it.
(Though I find it obscurely pleasing that the guys tend not to do hugely well with the female POV urban fantasy, in a market sense).
Anyway. File this one under 'wanted to like more than I actually did.' It's doing some amusing things. The heroine has the requisite ridiculous name (Jayne pronounced Zha-nay, doncha know), but everyone spends the entire book mispronouncing it. Ha. And she also has a lovely habit of calling men on their patronizing bullshit, including an excellent "I already walked away from my real daddy, what the fuck do you think I need you for" speech. But . . . eh. The romance is irritating, the plot straightforward and uninspired, the characters relatively static. Nothing to see here.
Daniel Abraham is a better writer than this. Hell, James S.A. Corey is a better writer than this.
August 26, 2016
When I finished reading Unclean Spirits, I found myself staring at the cursor on my computer screen, not sure about what to say about this series. I certainly am not overwhelmed by the story, but the book sorts of leaves you with a blank feeling.
It begins with Eric Alexander Heller, sitting in a dive bar attempting to hire a few low lives to do a job. He seems to have a sort of special sight that allows him to determine if someone is really human or, nosferatu or loupine. Apparently, these creatures implant themselves in human bodies, and the owner of the body is forcibly removed or exterminated. Yep, a sort of new take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He agrees to go with the men to another location, but quickly realizes that they are not who they originally appeared to be, and ends up dead.
Eric's niece Jayne, pronounced zha-nay (a point of which we are reminded about ad nauseum) arrives in Denver to settle his estate. She is met at the airport by Aubrey, who is a friend of her uncle. We learn that Eric was never close to her parents, but that he always took time to be there for Jayne. Out of the blue, Jayne says to Aubrey, "I just want you to know, "it's okay with me that he was gay." Aubrey is shocked and tells her that he did not know that, and Jayne rethinks her assumptions. It seems that she believed that Eric was gay because he did not get along with her religiously conservative parents. For a major part of this story, almost every time Jayne brings up Eric it is to inform the listener that he is gay. It's like being hit over the head with a battering ram at times.
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It begins with Eric Alexander Heller, sitting in a dive bar attempting to hire a few low lives to do a job. He seems to have a sort of special sight that allows him to determine if someone is really human or, nosferatu or loupine. Apparently, these creatures implant themselves in human bodies, and the owner of the body is forcibly removed or exterminated. Yep, a sort of new take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He agrees to go with the men to another location, but quickly realizes that they are not who they originally appeared to be, and ends up dead.
Eric's niece Jayne, pronounced zha-nay (a point of which we are reminded about ad nauseum) arrives in Denver to settle his estate. She is met at the airport by Aubrey, who is a friend of her uncle. We learn that Eric was never close to her parents, but that he always took time to be there for Jayne. Out of the blue, Jayne says to Aubrey, "I just want you to know, "it's okay with me that he was gay." Aubrey is shocked and tells her that he did not know that, and Jayne rethinks her assumptions. It seems that she believed that Eric was gay because he did not get along with her religiously conservative parents. For a major part of this story, almost every time Jayne brings up Eric it is to inform the listener that he is gay. It's like being hit over the head with a battering ram at times.
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October 23, 2009
I love it when you pick up a book with no expectations and are blown away by it. This book did that to me. It's a contemporary/urban fantasy set in Denver, and it's one of the best series intros I've read in a long time.
Jayne Heller inherited everything from her uncle, Eric Heller, when she was only 23. Along with money and property, she also chose to claim his life's work as a part of that inheritance - hunting down evil beings called riders that take over human bodies (vampires, weres, other demons that possess humans). She doesn't know what she's doing, but she has some talent, and she hooks up with some people who had assisted Eric in the past to try to take down the demon who killed Eric.
There are hints at romance along the way, but this story is mostly a drama, not too heavy on the action. The part that made this such a wonderful book, in my opinion, was the emotional resonance I felt with Jayne. Her thoughts and feelings seemed so real! Bravada be damned, this woman feels fear and insecurity in entirely appropriate ways. When she makes mistakes, you understand why. The character development feels effortless - very early on, I cared about the characters in this book.
Jayne Heller inherited everything from her uncle, Eric Heller, when she was only 23. Along with money and property, she also chose to claim his life's work as a part of that inheritance - hunting down evil beings called riders that take over human bodies (vampires, weres, other demons that possess humans). She doesn't know what she's doing, but she has some talent, and she hooks up with some people who had assisted Eric in the past to try to take down the demon who killed Eric.
There are hints at romance along the way, but this story is mostly a drama, not too heavy on the action. The part that made this such a wonderful book, in my opinion, was the emotional resonance I felt with Jayne. Her thoughts and feelings seemed so real! Bravada be damned, this woman feels fear and insecurity in entirely appropriate ways. When she makes mistakes, you understand why. The character development feels effortless - very early on, I cared about the characters in this book.
October 23, 2014
have I read too many novels of this sort? Am I just getting bored with them? I asked myself this several times & I don't think so. The writing just wasn't that good & the heroine wasn't very believable or well done. I wouldn't have minded if she or anyone else died.
The basic idea wasn't bad, a different take on the whole vampire/werewolf thing. Riders, spirits from another dimension, take over human bodies & make the bad guys. Her uncle fights them. She does now too. She suddenly can fight really well, with no explanation. The magic is pretty poorly done as well.
There could be some hope for the next book, but I'm not in a rush to read it. If it falls into my lap, I'll give it 50 pages. If the writing hasn't improved drastically, I won't finish it, though.
The basic idea wasn't bad, a different take on the whole vampire/werewolf thing. Riders, spirits from another dimension, take over human bodies & make the bad guys. Her uncle fights them. She does now too. She suddenly can fight really well, with no explanation. The magic is pretty poorly done as well.
There could be some hope for the next book, but I'm not in a rush to read it. If it falls into my lap, I'll give it 50 pages. If the writing hasn't improved drastically, I won't finish it, though.
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