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The Order of Shadows #1
Dark City
My name’s Morgan Rook. I guess you could call me a Supernatural Detective, Undercover Agent, the guy that takes out the trash and cleans up the messes people want to ignore. Mostly, it means I take out nightmares, demons and werewolves. You know, the things that go bump in the night. We call them Nightkind.
Still, I’m ready to leave all that behind. Retire, find some sunny beach with pretty women, a few stiff drinks, and forget the Nightkind even exist.
Talk about wishful thinking. See, I have one last job—eliminate a rogue vampire, named Mr. Tudor. In this business there’s no such thing as a simple job. And when bodies start piling up at my own front door, my dreams of retirement fade. Because the clues are adding up to something big.
The missing piece of the puzzle… It’s me. How the hell do I fit into all this mess?
Still, I’m ready to leave all that behind. Retire, find some sunny beach with pretty women, a few stiff drinks, and forget the Nightkind even exist.
Talk about wishful thinking. See, I have one last job—eliminate a rogue vampire, named Mr. Tudor. In this business there’s no such thing as a simple job. And when bodies start piling up at my own front door, my dreams of retirement fade. Because the clues are adding up to something big.
The missing piece of the puzzle… It’s me. How the hell do I fit into all this mess?
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 24, 2016
653 people are currently reading
1067 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
February 9, 2022
Action Packed to the Hilt!
Backstory:
Morgan Rook is a supernatural detective that works for the Organization which is a secret society that cleans up messes made by supernatural entities. They send him out on undercover missions with the hopes that he can go in and check things out, but if it gets too complicated then he is suppose to call them and they have other agents to take care of things quietly, but Morgan is kind of a rebel and goes out on his own sometimes without calling the Organization.
This is one of those times as he wants to investigate on his own without the Organization as there is a vampire that is killing people and Morgan has been sent to just gather intel, but things do not always go as planned as he ends up in all kinds of trouble which leads him on a merry trip into the supernatural underworld. When one of his friends ends up dead is when Morgan steps outside of the law of the Organization so that he can track down whoever killed his friend.
That is about all I can give on a taste without giving away spoilers, so if you want to know more about this story then you will need to read the book!
Thoughts:
This was my first time reading this author, but I have owned this book for a couple of years. I am just now stepping into the series. I now own the rest of the books as I will be continuing to read the rest of the series as now I am hooked! The writing style is great and the author pulled me in to his world quick as once I became involved in the first few chapters things just started happening one right after the other.
Each chapter there was something happening with supernatural beings which include vampires, werewolves, and demons. The character, Morgan Rook, is a likeable character and he is also able to do magical sorcery as well along with having magical weapons for any situation that he finds himself in.
I loved this book so much that it will be going on my favorites shelf. What an amazing introduction into the world of this author and will be grabbing whatever else he has out there! Giving this book five Supernatural Sorcery stars!
For images/gifs of this review, please see my blog:
https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/...
Backstory:
Morgan Rook is a supernatural detective that works for the Organization which is a secret society that cleans up messes made by supernatural entities. They send him out on undercover missions with the hopes that he can go in and check things out, but if it gets too complicated then he is suppose to call them and they have other agents to take care of things quietly, but Morgan is kind of a rebel and goes out on his own sometimes without calling the Organization.
This is one of those times as he wants to investigate on his own without the Organization as there is a vampire that is killing people and Morgan has been sent to just gather intel, but things do not always go as planned as he ends up in all kinds of trouble which leads him on a merry trip into the supernatural underworld. When one of his friends ends up dead is when Morgan steps outside of the law of the Organization so that he can track down whoever killed his friend.
That is about all I can give on a taste without giving away spoilers, so if you want to know more about this story then you will need to read the book!
Thoughts:
This was my first time reading this author, but I have owned this book for a couple of years. I am just now stepping into the series. I now own the rest of the books as I will be continuing to read the rest of the series as now I am hooked! The writing style is great and the author pulled me in to his world quick as once I became involved in the first few chapters things just started happening one right after the other.
Each chapter there was something happening with supernatural beings which include vampires, werewolves, and demons. The character, Morgan Rook, is a likeable character and he is also able to do magical sorcery as well along with having magical weapons for any situation that he finds himself in.
I loved this book so much that it will be going on my favorites shelf. What an amazing introduction into the world of this author and will be grabbing whatever else he has out there! Giving this book five Supernatural Sorcery stars!
For images/gifs of this review, please see my blog:
https://booknookretreat.blogspot.com/...
March 15, 2018
Dark City
The Order of Shadows, Book 1
By: Kit Hallows
Narrated by: Shawn Compton
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
I thought this book was great. I loved the magic, the creatures, the action, suspense, characters, plot, and twists. It was never dull and I kept me interested. It kept me guessing and eager to figure things out. I definitely want to read or listen to the next book.
The narrator's voice was clear and kept the book flowing well. The emotions and moods were performed perfectly. Great job!
The Order of Shadows, Book 1
By: Kit Hallows
Narrated by: Shawn Compton
This is an audible book I requested and the review is voluntary.
I thought this book was great. I loved the magic, the creatures, the action, suspense, characters, plot, and twists. It was never dull and I kept me interested. It kept me guessing and eager to figure things out. I definitely want to read or listen to the next book.
The narrator's voice was clear and kept the book flowing well. The emotions and moods were performed perfectly. Great job!
November 5, 2018
Minor spoilers ahead okay, noice!
Ohhhhhhh Kit Hallows what have you done?
Okay so let's backtrack a little. If you've been looking at my reviews for a while now, you know that I've been on an Urban Fantasy Occult Detective binge lately. There's a few reasons for that.
1. I live in Japan and finding a library with English books where I live is impossible.
2. I'm on a limited budget, so buying paperbacks is a no-go.
3. See point 2 for same reason relating to expensive Ebooks.
So Dark City (ALA book 1 of the Morgan Rook series) caught my eye because of the way it was marketed; a darker more grim story set in a city of graveyards, gothic horror, secret organizations and nastiness. You know, something that isn't the fluffy geekified Harry Dresden wannabes we've been seeing come out of the woodwork for the past decade. I only have myself to blame.
I'll try to recap the story as best as I'm able. Morgan Rook lives in a nameless city where dark magic and creatures that go sploosh in the night are commonplace. Morgan works as a fixer for a group called the Organisation who handle supernatural cases. On a night when Morgan is dealing with a rogue vampire, he stumbles upon a corpse which leads him into a deeper story involving vengeance, old memories and..........something......I dunno, the plots as loose and uninvolved as your mum after a night on the town. I never really felt invested in the story as it just seemed like Morgan just traipses from one plot point to another with no real connection.
Which oh so smoothly (just like your mum's thighs) brings me to my next quibble. The characters or should I say character, because there are no other characters and if you tell any other names, you will go to Hell for lying (kidding, love you long time). Back in my Ian Dex #1 review I criticized the large roster of characters for being indistinct and uninteresting. Dark City has the opposite problem in that while the roster is smaller, the characters are just as indistinct. Hallows's method of introducing most of the characters is have them swoop in for a cameo, explain who they are, do their bit and disappear again. What's that? We have a succubus called Glory?! Oh wait....she's making Morgan horny....aaaaand she's gone again. Yay. It also especially galling because the dialogue is also terrible. None of the characters have anything distinctive to say and all have this weird stilted language that sounds like attempts at bad B-movie dialogue. When the resident scummy body snatcher who lives in a hovel, drinks like a fish and dresses like a dirty hobo uses words like 'tarry' unironically, you done double goofed son!
Now to be fair, not all the characters are one note, but of those whose presence is more refined, there's still not a lot to make them stand out. Tom is Morgan's friend but other than being a drunk, we're not given much emotional bond between the two. No sharing memories, no photos, no conversations about their lives. It's all so hollow. Later upon meeting the merc Hellwyn (seriously?!) Morgan develops an emotional bond with her, something of which motivates him to avenge her death. You knew this woman for about a day and you're swearing vengeance for her? There is no raised eyebrow high enough for me to buy that bullshit!
And on the note of Morgan himself, he's kind of....well....a knob. There's not really a nice way to say it. His motivations, his tactics, his decisions are all thuggish and simple. Someone tells him not to follow her. What does he do? He follows. His tactics for handling things are to shoot or slash until its dead. He throws himself into everything he does without a second thought of whether its smart or correct. I could accept it, if it lead to some character development or self reflection, but there's nothing to it. Even his motivations are one note and boring because again, we're never given the depth to explore his character. His wifey poo's dead? Where are the photos? The flashbacks? The events in their lives that cause him pain? We get nothing.
And that for me was what Dark City sadly was; a big pile of nothing. Nothing new. Nothing interesting. Nothing unique. Nothing here of substance or interest. I had to push myself to get through this. If a story is doing that to me, I can't recommend it. I'm not even angry. I'm just disappointed. I was hoping for at least a popcorn read and got the kernels stuck in my throat instead.
Ohhhhhhh Kit Hallows what have you done?
Okay so let's backtrack a little. If you've been looking at my reviews for a while now, you know that I've been on an Urban Fantasy Occult Detective binge lately. There's a few reasons for that.
1. I live in Japan and finding a library with English books where I live is impossible.
2. I'm on a limited budget, so buying paperbacks is a no-go.
3. See point 2 for same reason relating to expensive Ebooks.
So Dark City (ALA book 1 of the Morgan Rook series) caught my eye because of the way it was marketed; a darker more grim story set in a city of graveyards, gothic horror, secret organizations and nastiness. You know, something that isn't the fluffy geekified Harry Dresden wannabes we've been seeing come out of the woodwork for the past decade. I only have myself to blame.
I'll try to recap the story as best as I'm able. Morgan Rook lives in a nameless city where dark magic and creatures that go sploosh in the night are commonplace. Morgan works as a fixer for a group called the Organisation who handle supernatural cases. On a night when Morgan is dealing with a rogue vampire, he stumbles upon a corpse which leads him into a deeper story involving vengeance, old memories and..........something......I dunno, the plots as loose and uninvolved as your mum after a night on the town. I never really felt invested in the story as it just seemed like Morgan just traipses from one plot point to another with no real connection.
Which oh so smoothly (just like your mum's thighs) brings me to my next quibble. The characters or should I say character, because there are no other characters and if you tell any other names, you will go to Hell for lying (kidding, love you long time). Back in my Ian Dex #1 review I criticized the large roster of characters for being indistinct and uninteresting. Dark City has the opposite problem in that while the roster is smaller, the characters are just as indistinct. Hallows's method of introducing most of the characters is have them swoop in for a cameo, explain who they are, do their bit and disappear again. What's that? We have a succubus called Glory?! Oh wait....she's making Morgan horny....aaaaand she's gone again. Yay. It also especially galling because the dialogue is also terrible. None of the characters have anything distinctive to say and all have this weird stilted language that sounds like attempts at bad B-movie dialogue. When the resident scummy body snatcher who lives in a hovel, drinks like a fish and dresses like a dirty hobo uses words like 'tarry' unironically, you done double goofed son!
Now to be fair, not all the characters are one note, but of those whose presence is more refined, there's still not a lot to make them stand out. Tom is Morgan's friend but other than being a drunk, we're not given much emotional bond between the two. No sharing memories, no photos, no conversations about their lives. It's all so hollow. Later upon meeting the merc Hellwyn (seriously?!) Morgan develops an emotional bond with her, something of which motivates him to avenge her death. You knew this woman for about a day and you're swearing vengeance for her? There is no raised eyebrow high enough for me to buy that bullshit!
And on the note of Morgan himself, he's kind of....well....a knob. There's not really a nice way to say it. His motivations, his tactics, his decisions are all thuggish and simple. Someone tells him not to follow her. What does he do? He follows. His tactics for handling things are to shoot or slash until its dead. He throws himself into everything he does without a second thought of whether its smart or correct. I could accept it, if it lead to some character development or self reflection, but there's nothing to it. Even his motivations are one note and boring because again, we're never given the depth to explore his character. His wifey poo's dead? Where are the photos? The flashbacks? The events in their lives that cause him pain? We get nothing.
And that for me was what Dark City sadly was; a big pile of nothing. Nothing new. Nothing interesting. Nothing unique. Nothing here of substance or interest. I had to push myself to get through this. If a story is doing that to me, I can't recommend it. I'm not even angry. I'm just disappointed. I was hoping for at least a popcorn read and got the kernels stuck in my throat instead.
October 14, 2016
A good read.
Read
November 9, 2018DNF
Want to read
November 15, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/15/2019)! 🎁
February 17, 2017
Poor story telling, unevenly paced, and info dumps about world building, instead of building the world around the character organically.
Want to read
June 22, 2019DigitalBookSpot
December 7, 2016
Unlimited Gen
In a sea of mediocrity, Dark City stands out as a gen reflecting its' dark light over the sea that is Kindle Unlimited. If you like Dark Urban Fiction where the author really allows you to get a feel for who the characters are then this book is for you. Minor critique: the author does repeat salient plot points a bit too much as though afraid we will forget what we have read. Trust in the impact of your writing, we will remember what you wrote.
In a sea of mediocrity, Dark City stands out as a gen reflecting its' dark light over the sea that is Kindle Unlimited. If you like Dark Urban Fiction where the author really allows you to get a feel for who the characters are then this book is for you. Minor critique: the author does repeat salient plot points a bit too much as though afraid we will forget what we have read. Trust in the impact of your writing, we will remember what you wrote.
December 6, 2016
Great read
This urban fantasy was packed with creativity. The main character comes to understand that he is not human after all. Lots of action and some unfinished business that will need to be dealt with in the sequel. Looking forward to the next book.
Kit is a talented author.
This urban fantasy was packed with creativity. The main character comes to understand that he is not human after all. Lots of action and some unfinished business that will need to be dealt with in the sequel. Looking forward to the next book.
Kit is a talented author.
January 5, 2017
Well thought out
Honestly? Morgan Rook made me angry. Not in I hate the character sort of way but in the stubborn guy I want to smack upside the head way. What I most enjoyed was the character was believable. I get that parts of the character aren't (as in some of the magic). But the personality is completely believable.
Honestly? Morgan Rook made me angry. Not in I hate the character sort of way but in the stubborn guy I want to smack upside the head way. What I most enjoyed was the character was believable. I get that parts of the character aren't (as in some of the magic). But the personality is completely believable.
January 31, 2017
Interesting and Action-filled
A well-done new entry in the genre, and well worth reading. Good characters with depth and stories of their own, with room for the stories to grow everywhere. The action is very good, although it muddies the plot occasionally. Overall though it's a very nice opening book, well-written and delightfully well-edited. Try it out.
A well-done new entry in the genre, and well worth reading. Good characters with depth and stories of their own, with room for the stories to grow everywhere. The action is very good, although it muddies the plot occasionally. Overall though it's a very nice opening book, well-written and delightfully well-edited. Try it out.
October 15, 2016
Nice Start
Kit my be an old hand, but this is the first time I have read any of it, and it was a great story. Gritty, bruised,duty, and drive are the adjectives that jump to my mind. Can't wait for the next installment.
Shannon
Kit my be an old hand, but this is the first time I have read any of it, and it was a great story. Gritty, bruised,duty, and drive are the adjectives that jump to my mind. Can't wait for the next installment.
Shannon
November 20, 2016
Great start to the season
I was thinking that this was going to be a formula style fantasy, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was mistaken. Great characters and decent plot lines make this a new series potential.
I was thinking that this was going to be a formula style fantasy, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was mistaken. Great characters and decent plot lines make this a new series potential.
November 28, 2016
Dark, gritty and with plenty of mystique, Kit Hallows weaves a wonderful tale for his protagonist Rook.
Only gripe I have with the book was that I felt it was a bit short; it seemed to get over a little too quick.
Only gripe I have with the book was that I felt it was a bit short; it seemed to get over a little too quick.
October 8, 2016
This is great dark urban fantasy with plenty of magick, mayhem, and magickal mayhem! Looking forward to reading more from this author.
October 18, 2016
Captivating
It's a great book filled with action, good character development and an enticing world and lore, and I highly recommend it.
It's a great book filled with action, good character development and an enticing world and lore, and I highly recommend it.
April 9, 2018
This is my review of the audio version as posted on Audible:
This is my first book by Kit Hallows and I will definitely come for more...
This is one of those books that after reading the blurb you think you know what will happen and then discover that there are a few surprises on the way...:)
Well, it starts out quite schematically and predictably - a paranormal PI, Morgan Rook, has to rid the world of a foul rogue vampire while at the same time trying to find out the whereabouts of an evil witch who killed his beloved. But then a set of cruel murders happening all around the town changes everything and the job becomes much more personal for Morgan... And this is where the plot is getting more mysterious and twisted, with some quite unexpected plotlines... It's also where it starts posing a lot of questions and while we get answers to some of them, not all secrets are unraveled and the book leaves us with a serious cliffhanger - that's why I deducted 1 star from my rating (I really hate cliffhangers - I like my books to have a certain satisfying closure...)
The definite strength of the story is the main character - he reminded me a bit of those silent guys that Clint Eastwood so often portrayed in his movies; they act, not talk, and they keep their secrets to themselves... but you can rely on their persistence in achieving the goal they set for themselves... There is also a whole set of other interesting characters, some of them appearing for only a short time and still being quite memorable in their ambiguity (they will probably return in sequels to the book).
What I find to be a small weakness of the book is the uneven pace of the story; there were some parts that I wished had been a little shorter/quicker as they slowed down the plot too much for me. But overall it's a fast-paced book with a lot of action going on and some mysteries left for further development in future installments... I can honestly recommend it to the fans of the genre.
As for the narration by Shawn Compton, it's very good. The pace is right and there is no irritating overacting. The voices of the female characters are good enough not to strain your ears and the male voices are very well done, indeed (especially Morgan's and his boss's):) Generally, it's a very nice interpretation of the book.
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
This is my first book by Kit Hallows and I will definitely come for more...
This is one of those books that after reading the blurb you think you know what will happen and then discover that there are a few surprises on the way...:)
Well, it starts out quite schematically and predictably - a paranormal PI, Morgan Rook, has to rid the world of a foul rogue vampire while at the same time trying to find out the whereabouts of an evil witch who killed his beloved. But then a set of cruel murders happening all around the town changes everything and the job becomes much more personal for Morgan... And this is where the plot is getting more mysterious and twisted, with some quite unexpected plotlines... It's also where it starts posing a lot of questions and while we get answers to some of them, not all secrets are unraveled and the book leaves us with a serious cliffhanger - that's why I deducted 1 star from my rating (I really hate cliffhangers - I like my books to have a certain satisfying closure...)
The definite strength of the story is the main character - he reminded me a bit of those silent guys that Clint Eastwood so often portrayed in his movies; they act, not talk, and they keep their secrets to themselves... but you can rely on their persistence in achieving the goal they set for themselves... There is also a whole set of other interesting characters, some of them appearing for only a short time and still being quite memorable in their ambiguity (they will probably return in sequels to the book).
What I find to be a small weakness of the book is the uneven pace of the story; there were some parts that I wished had been a little shorter/quicker as they slowed down the plot too much for me. But overall it's a fast-paced book with a lot of action going on and some mysteries left for further development in future installments... I can honestly recommend it to the fans of the genre.
As for the narration by Shawn Compton, it's very good. The pace is right and there is no irritating overacting. The voices of the female characters are good enough not to strain your ears and the male voices are very well done, indeed (especially Morgan's and his boss's):) Generally, it's a very nice interpretation of the book.
DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
April 13, 2021
Oh, thank god; I've read a pile of bad fantasy recently. This one starts well, with an interesting conceit of a magic trap that freezes him and gives us a view into his past. Nicely done.
Morgan Rook is driven to find the person who killed his lover; but meanwhile bad things are happening in his city and he has a kind of job working for an organisation - The Organization - that clears up magical messes before the non magic people notice something weird happened. Morgan has a cop contact who calls him when an event that fits in his ambit happens. And he has a ghoul friend with a hearse who does literal clean ups.
An intriguing use of magic to grant him some useful skills; he can suck energy from crystals and use it to open locks, follow people, or watch a kind of replay of what happened in a place, in this case a murder.
bwahaha
He has a long form arc of revenge, plus, by the end of this title, a need to find out who he is and where he really came from; hooks for the rest of the series.
My brain asked why all the members of a secret organisation hid in the same damn country and in the same damn city; these are the questions it asks ME, so welcome to the club. It's the Hunger Games world building of what the heck is happening in the rest of the world, you know? Hey, do you think the US is coming to the Olympics? nah, they've got some weird child murder thing going on...
4 stars
Morgan Rook is driven to find the person who killed his lover; but meanwhile bad things are happening in his city and he has a kind of job working for an organisation - The Organization - that clears up magical messes before the non magic people notice something weird happened. Morgan has a cop contact who calls him when an event that fits in his ambit happens. And he has a ghoul friend with a hearse who does literal clean ups.
An intriguing use of magic to grant him some useful skills; he can suck energy from crystals and use it to open locks, follow people, or watch a kind of replay of what happened in a place, in this case a murder.
The other message was spam from a Gothic dating site that had somehow got my details, which was uncanny given my penchant for wearing black and listening to Nick Cave and The Cure.
bwahaha
He has a long form arc of revenge, plus, by the end of this title, a need to find out who he is and where he really came from; hooks for the rest of the series.
My brain asked why all the members of a secret organisation hid in the same damn country and in the same damn city; these are the questions it asks ME, so welcome to the club. It's the Hunger Games world building of what the heck is happening in the rest of the world, you know? Hey, do you think the US is coming to the Olympics? nah, they've got some weird child murder thing going on...
4 stars
November 6, 2017
3.5 stars.
This was an enjoyable read filled with descriptive narrative and wonderfully-written imagery. Other people have commented on the pacing, and I agree that the first ~1/3 of the book is a bit slow. There's a lot of matter-of-fact world-building that is interesting but sometimes too dense. The action does pick up halfway through, and the different facets of this world keeps the reader drawn in.
It also feels like the reader has jumped into the second book of a series. You find out the protagonist's wife has been killed, with no further information, and that he must now kill ____ to avenge her. Throughout the book, Rook's revenge motives feel almost repetitive at times. He gets sidelined avenging his wife's killer by now having to avenge a friend's killer. Without enough backstory, I couldn't connect to his motivations or really care if he finds and kills these people.
There is enough material for me to want to keep reading this series. I feel like the ending is a cliff-hanger in a good way. There's a lot of room to discover more about Rook. However, I hope that the next book will delve more into his relationship with his wife and her death.
I received a copy of this book in a GoodReads Giveaway.
This was an enjoyable read filled with descriptive narrative and wonderfully-written imagery. Other people have commented on the pacing, and I agree that the first ~1/3 of the book is a bit slow. There's a lot of matter-of-fact world-building that is interesting but sometimes too dense. The action does pick up halfway through, and the different facets of this world keeps the reader drawn in.
It also feels like the reader has jumped into the second book of a series. You find out the protagonist's wife has been killed, with no further information, and that he must now kill ____ to avenge her. Throughout the book, Rook's revenge motives feel almost repetitive at times. He gets sidelined avenging his wife's killer by now having to avenge a friend's killer. Without enough backstory, I couldn't connect to his motivations or really care if he finds and kills these people.
There is enough material for me to want to keep reading this series. I feel like the ending is a cliff-hanger in a good way. There's a lot of room to discover more about Rook. However, I hope that the next book will delve more into his relationship with his wife and her death.
I received a copy of this book in a GoodReads Giveaway.
November 12, 2020
Pourquoi 2 étoiles ? parce que d'abord je serais incapable d'écrire un livre et donc je respecte un auteur et ensuite que malgré le peu d'intérêt et de crédibilité, je suis arrivé au bout !
Donc si vous aimez lire ce type d'histoire où l'action prime sur tout et seul le point de vue du narrateur importe, vous trouverez peut être votre compte même si les ennemis du côté obscur sont à peine décrits et peu futés (mon point de vue) et tombent comme feuilles mortes autour de Morgan
J'aurais peut-être tenté un 2e opus si l'auteur n'avait pas exécuté rapidement 2 des personnages les plus intéressants (Tom et Hellwyn)
Why 2 stars? first I would be unable to write a book and therefore I respect the author and second, despite the lack of interest and credibility, I have reached the end of the book !
So if you like to read this sort of story where action takes precedence over everything and only the narrator's point of view matters, you might find what you want here, even if the dark side enemies are barely described and not very smart (my point of view) and fall like dead leaves around Morgan
Out of boredom, I might have tried a 2nd opus if the author hadn't quickly killed 2 of the most interesting characters (Tom and Hellwyn)
Donc si vous aimez lire ce type d'histoire où l'action prime sur tout et seul le point de vue du narrateur importe, vous trouverez peut être votre compte même si les ennemis du côté obscur sont à peine décrits et peu futés (mon point de vue) et tombent comme feuilles mortes autour de Morgan
J'aurais peut-être tenté un 2e opus si l'auteur n'avait pas exécuté rapidement 2 des personnages les plus intéressants (Tom et Hellwyn)
Why 2 stars? first I would be unable to write a book and therefore I respect the author and second, despite the lack of interest and credibility, I have reached the end of the book !
So if you like to read this sort of story where action takes precedence over everything and only the narrator's point of view matters, you might find what you want here, even if the dark side enemies are barely described and not very smart (my point of view) and fall like dead leaves around Morgan
Out of boredom, I might have tried a 2nd opus if the author hadn't quickly killed 2 of the most interesting characters (Tom and Hellwyn)
November 27, 2019
At times it almost seems like there's practically a template for some urban fantasy characters and this book checks off a lot of items on such a list, you have the somewhat downtrodden, snarky main hero with supernatural powers, nominally in the role of a private detective, add in the mysterious or unknown past and the author could end up with a very familiar book if they didn't handle these elements well enough.
Luckily, the author takes these familiar themes and adds more than enough to the main character and a varied supporting cast to comfortably move beyond the familiar, producing a strong and entertaining story with interesting world-building for any subsequent instalments in this series.
On the whole the narrator does a good job with this book, but could have perhaps injected a bit more life into their delivery to further enhance the characters.
Overall, a strong first book in this series and I will be interested to see how it progresses.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
Luckily, the author takes these familiar themes and adds more than enough to the main character and a varied supporting cast to comfortably move beyond the familiar, producing a strong and entertaining story with interesting world-building for any subsequent instalments in this series.
On the whole the narrator does a good job with this book, but could have perhaps injected a bit more life into their delivery to further enhance the characters.
Overall, a strong first book in this series and I will be interested to see how it progresses.
[Note - I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.]
March 9, 2018
I received the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It reminds me of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. Morgan Rook is a ..... bounty hunter a demons, I guess you'd say. He works for The Organization. He knows very little about his employers, but that doesn't seem to bother him. His past is somewhat murky, having been adopted from an asylum.
Morgan, besides working for the Organization, is also searching for Elsbeth Winter, a woman who killed Willow, the love of Morgan's wife. He gets caught up in a series of murders that the Organization doesn't really want him to poke his nose into. This leads to him learning more about himself and about a mentor from his past, Tom.
The story was well writing, descriptive, and flowed easily. I enjoyed Shawn Compton's voice narrating this. There were a few ups and downs with the recording, but those were minor and very few.
I'd be interested in reading/listening to more by Kit Hallows
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It reminds me of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. Morgan Rook is a ..... bounty hunter a demons, I guess you'd say. He works for The Organization. He knows very little about his employers, but that doesn't seem to bother him. His past is somewhat murky, having been adopted from an asylum.
Morgan, besides working for the Organization, is also searching for Elsbeth Winter, a woman who killed Willow, the love of Morgan's wife. He gets caught up in a series of murders that the Organization doesn't really want him to poke his nose into. This leads to him learning more about himself and about a mentor from his past, Tom.
The story was well writing, descriptive, and flowed easily. I enjoyed Shawn Compton's voice narrating this. There were a few ups and downs with the recording, but those were minor and very few.
I'd be interested in reading/listening to more by Kit Hallows
April 9, 2018
My review is for the audiobook format.
Action, weapons, and supernatural creatures! Oh my!
The only improvement I recommend for Dark City is that it be longer! Morgan Rook, our supernatural detective, is himself still uncovering details of his parentage and early life in this first book, so I'm looking to future installments to provide more insight into Rook's character, taking us readers on a journey of discovery alongside his character. Lots of action, weaponry, and paranormal creatures kept me interested and curious about what strange thing would happen next. I'm sure the series will be great judging by how good this first book was!
Shawn Compton gives a fantastic narrative performance with plenty of energy and enthusiasm in each character he portrayed. Looking forward to the next book in the series!
I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge. My review is unbiased and the opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.
Action, weapons, and supernatural creatures! Oh my!
The only improvement I recommend for Dark City is that it be longer! Morgan Rook, our supernatural detective, is himself still uncovering details of his parentage and early life in this first book, so I'm looking to future installments to provide more insight into Rook's character, taking us readers on a journey of discovery alongside his character. Lots of action, weaponry, and paranormal creatures kept me interested and curious about what strange thing would happen next. I'm sure the series will be great judging by how good this first book was!
Shawn Compton gives a fantastic narrative performance with plenty of energy and enthusiasm in each character he portrayed. Looking forward to the next book in the series!
I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge. My review is unbiased and the opinions expressed herein are 100% my own.
March 31, 2018
Like the Dresden Files only much, much darker. Morgan Rook is part detective, part executioner, part human and a man with a grudge to settle. The story begins with Rook investigating the ritual murder of a magic user and looking for the woman who killed a woman who was close to him. By the end of the story, there are a whole lot more dead bodies, some collateral damage and others left behind by Morgan himself, and he's added another name to his "hunt them down and kill them" list.
Fast action, dark magic, monsters that will haunt your nightmares and a very mysterious and enigmatic hero who should be good material for a whole lot more good stories, which made me very glad to note that Dark City is listed as Book One of the series.
I heartily recommend this one to fans of the dark fantasy detective genre.
Fast action, dark magic, monsters that will haunt your nightmares and a very mysterious and enigmatic hero who should be good material for a whole lot more good stories, which made me very glad to note that Dark City is listed as Book One of the series.
I heartily recommend this one to fans of the dark fantasy detective genre.
November 23, 2021
Dark City by Kit Hallows is Book 1 in The Order of Shadows series. This is a well written, has great world building, and the characters well developed and interesting. Morgan Rook (MC) has no memory before he was 10 when he awoke in an asylum. He is a supernatural detective who takes out the trash (bad guys) while looking for the witch who killed his girlfriend (the love of his life). The author's descriptive style builds a picture in your mind and keeps you reading to the end and wanting more. Take this awesome ride, you won't be sorry you did. Shawn Compton is an excellent narrator. He brings Morgan Rook to life. Received an audiobook ARC and this is my voluntary review.
March 20, 2018
Overall 4 stars Narrator 5 stars - My review is based on the Audiobook: Morgan Rook's story is definitely worth reading. I found Dark City to be quite original. It was fast paced with great characters and an interesting world and story line. The author does a great job laying the groundwork for the series in this first book. The narrator is fantastic bringing the characters and story to life with easy to understand and distinguishable voices. I look forward to more in this series.
July 15, 2018
Links to his hidden past?
Great read. Things are going bump in the night with a vengence. Why are things getting worse? All he wants is the killer of his girlfriend? However his path frequently crosses into uncharted territory and he finds himself drawn into a fight with an unknown mastermind. Why does he not remember anything before he was 10? Does he have magic? Brilliant ride through a dark plot to kill off people that seem to have links to his past. Where will the path lead him?
Great read. Things are going bump in the night with a vengence. Why are things getting worse? All he wants is the killer of his girlfriend? However his path frequently crosses into uncharted territory and he finds himself drawn into a fight with an unknown mastermind. Why does he not remember anything before he was 10? Does he have magic? Brilliant ride through a dark plot to kill off people that seem to have links to his past. Where will the path lead him?
June 23, 2023
Good first book in the series
What is are you ? Morgan is asked that question more than once as he fights evil supernatural beings for The Organization. He fights different creatures such as zombies, vampires and a variety of others. Morgan is likeable. He sets out to avenge the murder of a friend. I am interested to see if there is a magical connection between Morgan and all the cats who visit him in his apartment. I will be reading more of this series
What is are you ? Morgan is asked that question more than once as he fights evil supernatural beings for The Organization. He fights different creatures such as zombies, vampires and a variety of others. Morgan is likeable. He sets out to avenge the murder of a friend. I am interested to see if there is a magical connection between Morgan and all the cats who visit him in his apartment. I will be reading more of this series
January 8, 2018
Morgan Rook is a keeper.
I like the mystery shrouded past of Took. Dark City sets the stage for many great directions and a super rich mythology. What hopeless romantic can resist the tale of struggling hero, with seemingly no friend's and no where to turn?
Very good book and stage setter. Looking forward to more Morgan Took.
I like the mystery shrouded past of Took. Dark City sets the stage for many great directions and a super rich mythology. What hopeless romantic can resist the tale of struggling hero, with seemingly no friend's and no where to turn?
Very good book and stage setter. Looking forward to more Morgan Took.
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