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Deadtown #1
Deadtown
If you were undead, you'd be home by now...
They call it Deadtown: the city's quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders-but Victory Vaughn, Boston's only professional demon slayer, isn't exactly human.
They call it Deadtown: the city's quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders-but Victory Vaughn, Boston's only professional demon slayer, isn't exactly human.
326 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 29, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 319 reviews
October 4, 2015
What a romp! Vicky Vaughn is a demon-slayer, but by and large the demons she kills are those who attack humans in their dreams. The one demon she dreams of killing is the one that comes from the outside, the Hellion that killed her father and placed its mark on her.
Ever since a limited plague that left every living creature in one spot in Boston a zombie, or PA (Paranormal American), their rights have been a hot-button issue. Now, running for governor are two diametrically opposed candidates, one who wants to expand the few rights they have, and one who wants to eliminate them, leaving them vulnerable to scientific experimenters in places like New Hampshire, which doesn't protect PAs at all. Vicky has to deal one such crew of PA experimenters, who want someone of her family's rare bloodline, as well as a boyfriend who forgets she exists whenever the news is one (an attorney working for the liberal candidate and the rights of PAs), another very attractive police detective who is all too normal, and the possibility that a Hellion--THE Hellion--could become locked into Boston if the city's shield to keep demons out is repaired and the Hellion that's been summoned to the city is trapped inside.
Like I said, it's a romp. I don't normally go for zombie narratives, but now I have to track down the sequel!
Ever since a limited plague that left every living creature in one spot in Boston a zombie, or PA (Paranormal American), their rights have been a hot-button issue. Now, running for governor are two diametrically opposed candidates, one who wants to expand the few rights they have, and one who wants to eliminate them, leaving them vulnerable to scientific experimenters in places like New Hampshire, which doesn't protect PAs at all. Vicky has to deal one such crew of PA experimenters, who want someone of her family's rare bloodline, as well as a boyfriend who forgets she exists whenever the news is one (an attorney working for the liberal candidate and the rights of PAs), another very attractive police detective who is all too normal, and the possibility that a Hellion--THE Hellion--could become locked into Boston if the city's shield to keep demons out is repaired and the Hellion that's been summoned to the city is trapped inside.
Like I said, it's a romp. I don't normally go for zombie narratives, but now I have to track down the sequel!
February 13, 2017
Two rules I live by: Never admit to being a shapeshifter on a first, second, or third date with a human. And never, ever bring along a zombie apprentice wannabe on a demon kill.
This book pushed almost all my UF-Fangirl buttons. It even has an artful (non-cheesy) cover.
Demons? Check. Shifters? Check. Zombies? Check. Vampires? Check. Weird social system? Check. New creature invented for series? Check, several times.
Vicky Vaughn is a demon slayer, but not the Buffy-The-Vampire type. There are different forms of demons and they mainly attack people in their sleep, where Vicky battles them on a dreamscape setting. The town has been quarantined as the 'Deadzone' since the plague that hit and turned many alive into zombies. Vicky's boyfriend, Kane, is a werewolf who fights for the rights of all the paranormal. She lives with a roommate vampire. You can't get more paranormal than this story character-wise, or this plot.
Vicky herself is a shapeshifter, but not the Sam kind from Sookieverse. She can only shift three times per month, although it's not restricted to the three day lunar cycle.
How the author conceived the world fascinated me - the paranormal are not trusted and are cursed by various laws. Werewolves have to be locked up in compounds with gates, guns and guards for the three day lunar cycle. Vampires are cold and lethal but out in the open, perhaps against their will. There is a designated goon squad invented to police the supernatural, and not all cops on that team are pleased about it.
Vicky rocks as the main character - I'm tired of female protagonists with a chip on their shoulder the size of a boulder, who snap at everyone who comes near them, thinking they have to prove something every time they blink. She's reasonable so her sarcasm works, and she's compassionate so she's not a melodramatic pushover. She's the only one of her kind in the town (yay) but she isn't so bad ass it's unrealistic and eye rolling. She knows her stuff but she's still learning.
Juliette as the roommate vamp is...odd. As expected with the age old vamp types, they don't have much feeling or personality. They intrigue, however, in the small spaces they're shown. The zombies are like their former selves, reanimated corpses killed by the virus, subtly rotting. If they were injured when dying, they keep the ugly blemishes and dismemberments. Their personality is the same as before, so they aren't the mindless brain-eating monsters of typical lore. There is the issue of their appetite, though - they consume large quantities, and any blood in the area can send them in a mindless, blood-thirsty frenzy.
This book is fun because of the humor that works naturally through Holzner's appealing writing style, not hokey, complex enough with it's supernatural world building, and pacing is kept swift as Vicky has to battle several obstacles that shove themselves in her way. There's a mini love triangle potential, but it doesn't take away from the story or the characters themselves.
The only thing I didn't like was Tina, the apprentice. She's supposed to be funny on an annoying teenager style, but she got on my nerves and I hated her. Besides her screwing up the dreamscape fight, she then actually stole a sword and plays it off like it's not a big deal. Couldn't stand her, but have a feeling she'll be a series regular.
Already bought the rest of the series - can't wait to lose myself into more of this intriguing supernatural world.
As a series starter, it's almost drool-worthy.
May 31, 2022
There is a lot to like about this series and I mostly enjoyed the book but I just couldn't stand the self-absorbed main character.
What I did like (because it's always best to start out on a positive) was that the protagonist, a woman, was strong and capable and didn't need to be saved by men--she kept saving the men. I liked the variety if characters and that there were racial traits, like vampires generally didn't have a good sense of humor. It made it more real than all creatures were the same except for personality. I liked the world, and though it's been done before, the scenario brought up some interesting moral questions. Obviously someone who can think and reason and has independent thought is a person and should have rights. But what about when those rights infringe on the rights of others? The blood driven creatures in the book go nuts when presented with a small amount of blood, trying to eat the bleeder. If children of these creatures went to school with humans and a kid fell and scraped her knee on the playground, a common enough scenario, her life would be in danger. So whose rights come first?
I liked a lot of the characters, although Tina needed some serious disciplining. Juliet was wonderful, although her provenance was silly. I really liked both love interests but the barriers put up by the author to keep Vicky away were ridiculous, contrived, and transparent. I wanted more emotion and passion, more chemistry. The resolution was too easy as well.
The words flowed, the action was interesting, although I prefer a little more of the type where one person is in peril and the other is terrified for that person and fighting to save them both. There was mostly one on one stuff here.
What I didn't like was the protagonist Vicky.
She dresses like almost every other slutty UF heroine: leather "jeans," spiked boots, leather jacket. Not only is this stupid when fighting demons but it's also unoriginal not to mention tacky. She's also an idiot. She jumps to ridiculous conclusions that are of course wrong and they always revolve around her. She also fails to see clues so big my dog would notice.
But that pales next to the fact that she was the most self absorbed heroine I've ever read who isnt supposed to be an antihero. She doesn't care about anyone but herself and one character actually says that to her early on.
A couple of times she misses meeting with someone and it takes her a long time to even remember, she's just so in her own head. She never feels guilt for this and the other person always takes it way too well, even when they really needed her and she doesn't give them an excuse.
One of the best examples happens in the beginning:
I had more examples typed in but the iPhone app lost them and now I don't remember but here's one more big one:
This quote sums up her mentality:
"For me, ethics were a lot simpler. If you had a problem and you could afford my fee, I'd help you out. And if you were a demon and you came after me, I'd kill you." pg. 144
But in my mind the most heinous and egregious things she did was this which happened late in the book but I'm leaving out all specifics including names and scenarios:
So I give the plot, world building, character development, etc., 3.5 stars. I give the protagonist one star. I am going to read the next one because she did a tiny bit of growing and there's a lot of potential here but I really need her to get her head out of her a$$ and consider other people's needs.
What I did like (because it's always best to start out on a positive) was that the protagonist, a woman, was strong and capable and didn't need to be saved by men--she kept saving the men. I liked the variety if characters and that there were racial traits, like vampires generally didn't have a good sense of humor. It made it more real than all creatures were the same except for personality. I liked the world, and though it's been done before, the scenario brought up some interesting moral questions. Obviously someone who can think and reason and has independent thought is a person and should have rights. But what about when those rights infringe on the rights of others? The blood driven creatures in the book go nuts when presented with a small amount of blood, trying to eat the bleeder. If children of these creatures went to school with humans and a kid fell and scraped her knee on the playground, a common enough scenario, her life would be in danger. So whose rights come first?
I liked a lot of the characters, although Tina needed some serious disciplining. Juliet was wonderful, although her provenance was silly. I really liked both love interests but the barriers put up by the author to keep Vicky away were ridiculous, contrived, and transparent. I wanted more emotion and passion, more chemistry. The resolution was too easy as well.
The words flowed, the action was interesting, although I prefer a little more of the type where one person is in peril and the other is terrified for that person and fighting to save them both. There was mostly one on one stuff here.
What I didn't like was the protagonist Vicky.
She dresses like almost every other slutty UF heroine: leather "jeans," spiked boots, leather jacket. Not only is this stupid when fighting demons but it's also unoriginal not to mention tacky. She's also an idiot. She jumps to ridiculous conclusions that are of course wrong and they always revolve around her. She also fails to see clues so big my dog would notice.
But that pales next to the fact that she was the most self absorbed heroine I've ever read who isnt supposed to be an antihero. She doesn't care about anyone but herself and one character actually says that to her early on.
A couple of times she misses meeting with someone and it takes her a long time to even remember, she's just so in her own head. She never feels guilt for this and the other person always takes it way too well, even when they really needed her and she doesn't give them an excuse.
One of the best examples happens in the beginning:
I had more examples typed in but the iPhone app lost them and now I don't remember but here's one more big one:
This quote sums up her mentality:
"For me, ethics were a lot simpler. If you had a problem and you could afford my fee, I'd help you out. And if you were a demon and you came after me, I'd kill you." pg. 144
But in my mind the most heinous and egregious things she did was this which happened late in the book but I'm leaving out all specifics including names and scenarios:
So I give the plot, world building, character development, etc., 3.5 stars. I give the protagonist one star. I am going to read the next one because she did a tiny bit of growing and there's a lot of potential here but I really need her to get her head out of her a$$ and consider other people's needs.
July 17, 2012
2.5 stars: Mediocre urban fantasy in a genre filled with other great offerings
Victory Vaughn, a shapeshifter and professional demon slayer, lives in an area known as Deadtown--Boston's quarantined section for shifters, vampires and zombies. The monsters have recently come out of the closet. Many 'Paranormal Americans' are fighting for their rights, including Vicky's on-and-off again boyfriend Alexander Kane, lawyer and werewolf. The fast paced plot includes demon-plagued clients, police consultations, family dramas, a suspicious research facility studying shifters, and an incredibly annoying and foolish zombie apprentice Tina.
The plot was a pretty good mix of action and suspense. The author's explanation on zombies and shifters was original. The author also did a good job with world building. She didn't make the mistake so many authors do with long boring 'data dumps' of explanation, but rather let the world build through dialogue and actions. I liked the backstory about the death of Vicky's father by the demon. The family interactions added depth to the story. While I was annoyed with her sister Gwen, I understood her viewpoints and thought the decisions she made seemed in keeping with her character. I enjoyed some elements of the leading female character Vicky--strong, a great fighter, and loyal--but several times felt she could have been smarter, for example when thugs tried to kidnap her she immediately wondered if Alex could have been behind it...what?!? What about the crazy research scientist or demon-calling sorcerer who is after her? That made no sense to me.
The lack of humorous dialogue is a big element missing in the series. When I think of some of my favorite UFs (e.g., Briggs' Mercy Thompson, Andrews' Kate Daniels, Chance's Dorina Basrab, Neill's Chicagoland Vampires), all of them have elements simliar to this one--strong leading lady, interesting UF plotlines, high action/suspense--but what they all have that this one doesn't is funny, snappy dialogue. Tina, the irritating zombie apprentice, I think was introduced to be a humorous side kick but she reminded me of Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars--a character that you just want to smack and certainly have no interest in reading about. She consistently made poor choices that put Vicky's life in danger. I didn't buy that Vicky would keep hanging around a 'too stupid to live' character.
Another thing that bugged me was the way the relationships were handled. The interactions with Alex, the supposed boyfriend (who seemed more like a 'friend with benefits' rather than a boyfriend) and mild flirting with Daniel, the detective, were flat. If an author is going to introduce potential romantic relationships, they need to be done well--make the reader feel something, i.e., romantic tension, conflict, etc. I didn't feel much of anything for these characters. There wasn't much to the interactions and the character development was weak. I missed the snappy dialogue that is typical in the genre between potential partners, e.g., Kate & Curran, Mercy & Adam, Merit & Ethan, etc.
Overall this was a mediocre urban fantasy. Other series I'd recommend over this one:
Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series by Patricia Briggs (Don't miss the anthology in On the Prowl,which is a prequel to Cry Wolf)
Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
World of Lupi series by Eileen Wilks
Sookie Sackhouse by Charlaine Harris
Cassandra Palmer and Dorina Basarab Dhampir series by Karen Chance (I like Dory better than Cassie, but from a timeline perspective Cassie comes first. Dory is a great kick b*tt character reminiscent of Kate Daniels.)
Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill
Fever series by KM Moning
Kara Gillian series by Diana Rowland
Jane True by Nicole Peeler
October Daye series by Seanan McGuire
Victory Vaughn, a shapeshifter and professional demon slayer, lives in an area known as Deadtown--Boston's quarantined section for shifters, vampires and zombies. The monsters have recently come out of the closet. Many 'Paranormal Americans' are fighting for their rights, including Vicky's on-and-off again boyfriend Alexander Kane, lawyer and werewolf. The fast paced plot includes demon-plagued clients, police consultations, family dramas, a suspicious research facility studying shifters, and an incredibly annoying and foolish zombie apprentice Tina.
The plot was a pretty good mix of action and suspense. The author's explanation on zombies and shifters was original. The author also did a good job with world building. She didn't make the mistake so many authors do with long boring 'data dumps' of explanation, but rather let the world build through dialogue and actions. I liked the backstory about the death of Vicky's father by the demon. The family interactions added depth to the story. While I was annoyed with her sister Gwen, I understood her viewpoints and thought the decisions she made seemed in keeping with her character. I enjoyed some elements of the leading female character Vicky--strong, a great fighter, and loyal--but several times felt she could have been smarter, for example when thugs tried to kidnap her she immediately wondered if Alex could have been behind it...what?!? What about the crazy research scientist or demon-calling sorcerer who is after her? That made no sense to me.
The lack of humorous dialogue is a big element missing in the series. When I think of some of my favorite UFs (e.g., Briggs' Mercy Thompson, Andrews' Kate Daniels, Chance's Dorina Basrab, Neill's Chicagoland Vampires), all of them have elements simliar to this one--strong leading lady, interesting UF plotlines, high action/suspense--but what they all have that this one doesn't is funny, snappy dialogue. Tina, the irritating zombie apprentice, I think was introduced to be a humorous side kick but she reminded me of Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars--a character that you just want to smack and certainly have no interest in reading about. She consistently made poor choices that put Vicky's life in danger. I didn't buy that Vicky would keep hanging around a 'too stupid to live' character.
Another thing that bugged me was the way the relationships were handled. The interactions with Alex, the supposed boyfriend (who seemed more like a 'friend with benefits' rather than a boyfriend) and mild flirting with Daniel, the detective, were flat. If an author is going to introduce potential romantic relationships, they need to be done well--make the reader feel something, i.e., romantic tension, conflict, etc. I didn't feel much of anything for these characters. There wasn't much to the interactions and the character development was weak. I missed the snappy dialogue that is typical in the genre between potential partners, e.g., Kate & Curran, Mercy & Adam, Merit & Ethan, etc.
Overall this was a mediocre urban fantasy. Other series I'd recommend over this one:
Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega series by Patricia Briggs (Don't miss the anthology in On the Prowl,which is a prequel to Cry Wolf)
Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews
World of Lupi series by Eileen Wilks
Sookie Sackhouse by Charlaine Harris
Cassandra Palmer and Dorina Basarab Dhampir series by Karen Chance (I like Dory better than Cassie, but from a timeline perspective Cassie comes first. Dory is a great kick b*tt character reminiscent of Kate Daniels.)
Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill
Fever series by KM Moning
Kara Gillian series by Diana Rowland
Jane True by Nicole Peeler
October Daye series by Seanan McGuire
February 22, 2011
***3.5***
I have been waffling back and forth all day on this book.
On the one hand, there was some fun stuff going on. This world is an exciting one, with some twists on old monsters (zombies and shapeshifters are a little bit different than we have seen them in other places) and an explosive framework as the relatively newly revealed "monsters" fight on the world stage for basic human rights. Things are touch-and-go for them right now. In some states (for example, New Hampshire) they have no rights at all - any human is free to kill them at any time, for any reason. They have less legal status than animals. A fairly horrific scientific group has set up shop in New Hampshire, where it happily rounds them up for experimentation / torture, and no one really bats an eye about it.
Massachusetts, the location of this book, is friendlier to them than most states. That's because of Deadtown. Because the PAs (Paranormal Americans) played a huge hand in helping the city handle the zombie catastrophe, they were rewarded with a sector of the city that they can call their own, and with a smattering of basic (very basic) rights. It is still a far cry from a good situation, but it is better than most, and it is a good start. In this book, they are on the eve of an election with one of the candidates running on a "get rid of all the monsters" platform.
So that's the world. As I said, I found it exciting. But beyond this, I had a lot of problems with the book.
I didn't find the heroine to be very likable.
Vicky was pretty TSTL. She barreled her way into some dumb situations. She was constantly making idiotic assumptions
I also had a major problem with her lack of interest in the world. Let me clarify that a little bit. Personally, I have a problem with people who refuse to participate in their government / society. Too many people just can't be bothered to even go vote, and then whine about "how can these horrible things be happening?!" I have no patience for that. I have even less for Vicky. She is part of a group of people that are in a very precarious position, as I described above. Her boyfriend is one of the big fighters for PA rights - he has devoted his life to trying to get laws passed that would allow PAs to survive in this world. But Vicky can't be bothered. She states over and over that she is not interested in politics. I am sorry. This is, to me, like a jewish person that can't be bothered to protest their treatment in Nazi Germany. We are talking about survival, here. If that can't motivate you to get off your lazy ass, then what will? I don't see why Kane stayed with her; were I him, I would have found her disgusting.
She's also tremendously whiny, loves to jump to conclusions (that are nearly always wrong), and just generally a dumbass.
Somebody please go all Left4Dead on Tina, please, for the love of sweet baby Jesus.
I can't stand her character. Teenaged zombie, who is repeatedly the worst kind of spoiled brat, and does things that make dangerous situations very much worse on MORE than one occasion in this book. And not one single time does she actually face consequences for her actions. Not once. In fact, in the end, she is actually rewarded for her worst, most selfish and dangerous action in the entire book. This only reinforces what I was saying about Vicky above: she's a fucking moron. It is really hard to root for a fucking moron. This is a fundamental flaw with the book. Vicky has agreed to take Tina as an apprentice. 99% of the people in the world that are capable of breathing without drooling on themselves could tell you that this is a bad idea. But Vicky is still planning to go ahead with it. And that, again, tells you a lot about Vicky.
For the record, I also hated: Vicky's sister Gwen (again, total dumbass), Juliet, the Goon Squad, Frank Lucado, Vicky's aunt Mab, and I am not sure what I think of the good detective Daniels. I also wasn't impressed with Kane early on, but wound up on his side, and once I realized what an asshole Vicky is, I realized that Kane was correct all along. It is really hard to get into a book when you think so poorly of most of the characters.
I am not sure why I plan to read the next one, but I do. I guess I just want to see what happens in the world. And I want to cheer for someone to chop Tina's head off.
*sigh*
I have been waffling back and forth all day on this book.
On the one hand, there was some fun stuff going on. This world is an exciting one, with some twists on old monsters (zombies and shapeshifters are a little bit different than we have seen them in other places) and an explosive framework as the relatively newly revealed "monsters" fight on the world stage for basic human rights. Things are touch-and-go for them right now. In some states (for example, New Hampshire) they have no rights at all - any human is free to kill them at any time, for any reason. They have less legal status than animals. A fairly horrific scientific group has set up shop in New Hampshire, where it happily rounds them up for experimentation / torture, and no one really bats an eye about it.
Massachusetts, the location of this book, is friendlier to them than most states. That's because of Deadtown. Because the PAs (Paranormal Americans) played a huge hand in helping the city handle the zombie catastrophe, they were rewarded with a sector of the city that they can call their own, and with a smattering of basic (very basic) rights. It is still a far cry from a good situation, but it is better than most, and it is a good start. In this book, they are on the eve of an election with one of the candidates running on a "get rid of all the monsters" platform.
So that's the world. As I said, I found it exciting. But beyond this, I had a lot of problems with the book.
I didn't find the heroine to be very likable.
Vicky was pretty TSTL. She barreled her way into some dumb situations. She was constantly making idiotic assumptions
I also had a major problem with her lack of interest in the world. Let me clarify that a little bit. Personally, I have a problem with people who refuse to participate in their government / society. Too many people just can't be bothered to even go vote, and then whine about "how can these horrible things be happening?!" I have no patience for that. I have even less for Vicky. She is part of a group of people that are in a very precarious position, as I described above. Her boyfriend is one of the big fighters for PA rights - he has devoted his life to trying to get laws passed that would allow PAs to survive in this world. But Vicky can't be bothered. She states over and over that she is not interested in politics. I am sorry. This is, to me, like a jewish person that can't be bothered to protest their treatment in Nazi Germany. We are talking about survival, here. If that can't motivate you to get off your lazy ass, then what will? I don't see why Kane stayed with her; were I him, I would have found her disgusting.
She's also tremendously whiny, loves to jump to conclusions (that are nearly always wrong), and just generally a dumbass.
Somebody please go all Left4Dead on Tina, please, for the love of sweet baby Jesus.
I can't stand her character. Teenaged zombie, who is repeatedly the worst kind of spoiled brat, and does things that make dangerous situations very much worse on MORE than one occasion in this book. And not one single time does she actually face consequences for her actions. Not once. In fact, in the end, she is actually rewarded for her worst, most selfish and dangerous action in the entire book. This only reinforces what I was saying about Vicky above: she's a fucking moron. It is really hard to root for a fucking moron. This is a fundamental flaw with the book. Vicky has agreed to take Tina as an apprentice. 99% of the people in the world that are capable of breathing without drooling on themselves could tell you that this is a bad idea. But Vicky is still planning to go ahead with it. And that, again, tells you a lot about Vicky.
For the record, I also hated: Vicky's sister Gwen (again, total dumbass), Juliet, the Goon Squad, Frank Lucado, Vicky's aunt Mab, and I am not sure what I think of the good detective Daniels. I also wasn't impressed with Kane early on, but wound up on his side, and once I realized what an asshole Vicky is, I realized that Kane was correct all along. It is really hard to get into a book when you think so poorly of most of the characters.
I am not sure why I plan to read the next one, but I do. I guess I just want to see what happens in the world. And I want to cheer for someone to chop Tina's head off.
*sigh*
March 17, 2016
2.5 stars
Deadtown is an area of Boston where paranormals live. That includes zombies, witches, werewolves, vampires, and Victory Vaughn, the lone shapeshifter. Politically there is a lot of strife regarding paranormals. Depending on the state they have little to no rights, but they are fighting for them. Victory wasn’t involved in the political aspect of things; she was just a demon hunter/killer.
What I liked:
-Victory didn’t need anyone else to save her. She was completely capable of doing it on her own.
-Using zombies was different. They’re not common in UF.
-The hellion demon a.k.a. The Destroyer and it’s connection to Victory’s family.
-The demons invaded dreams. It was kind of weird but unique.
Unfortunately there was a lot I didn’t like. Some things were really predictable. I figured out instantly who it was that tried to kidnap Victory. Only one person was a viable suspect for being the one who brought the Destroyer to Boston. I was hoping I’d be surprised at the end, that there would be some kind of a twist, but it didn’t happen.
The worst thing about this book was the characters. It’s not a good sign when the characters I liked (and I use the word liked loosely here) the most were the Destroyer and Victory’s niece. Victory was a kick ass woman, but that was the only thing appealing about her. She didn’t have close ties to anybody. None of the people in her life treated her with any kind of respect, but she kept them around anyway, which didn’t make much sense. Being a shifter definitely had some benefits but when she turned into an animal or whatever she lost her human ability of higher thought. The whole shifting thing didn’t seem like the coolest ability to have. Victory wasn’t smart. When some creeps tried to kidnap her and throw her in a van, the person she suspected was her kind of sort of boyfriend Kane. WTH was up with that? The dude was a jerk, but he wasn’t evil. And if something like that happens and the person you suspect is the guy you’re screwing, it’s time to end it because there are some serious trust issues. She was self absorbed. Granted she had a lot going on but several times she forgot or ignored her friends. In the end it made sense that these people treated her the way they did because she didn’t treat them any better.
Kane wasn’t really a boyfriend. It was more of a friends with benefits type of situation. They were both self absorbed and workaholics, so it worked for them. It was obvious deep down they didn’t get each other. At least neither of them had illusions that their relationship was more than it was, and it was refreshing. Shit like that happens IRL, but those type of relationships are rarely depicted in UF. The romance was a minor subplot, but it was a love triangle. Victory was seeing Kane but was interested in another guy. The guy Daniel was more appealing than Kane, but Victory didn’t have chemistry with either of them.
Tina the teenage twit was a zombie. Why even introduce zombies into a story when the only one with significant page time was obnoxious, annoying, and dumb as hell? Several things she did put Victory’s life and potentially other people’s in danger, and Tina didn’t give a shit. Nothing would give me more pleasure than her death, but I have the feeling she’ll be around for the long run. There were some other characters I didn’t like, but they’re not even worth mentioning. I wanted to like this book, but it was damn hard to when none of these characters were appealing. I haven’t entirely ruled out reading the next book, but I won’t be rushing out to do it anytime soon.
Deadtown is an area of Boston where paranormals live. That includes zombies, witches, werewolves, vampires, and Victory Vaughn, the lone shapeshifter. Politically there is a lot of strife regarding paranormals. Depending on the state they have little to no rights, but they are fighting for them. Victory wasn’t involved in the political aspect of things; she was just a demon hunter/killer.
What I liked:
-Victory didn’t need anyone else to save her. She was completely capable of doing it on her own.
-Using zombies was different. They’re not common in UF.
-The hellion demon a.k.a. The Destroyer and it’s connection to Victory’s family.
-The demons invaded dreams. It was kind of weird but unique.
Unfortunately there was a lot I didn’t like. Some things were really predictable. I figured out instantly who it was that tried to kidnap Victory. Only one person was a viable suspect for being the one who brought the Destroyer to Boston. I was hoping I’d be surprised at the end, that there would be some kind of a twist, but it didn’t happen.
The worst thing about this book was the characters. It’s not a good sign when the characters I liked (and I use the word liked loosely here) the most were the Destroyer and Victory’s niece. Victory was a kick ass woman, but that was the only thing appealing about her. She didn’t have close ties to anybody. None of the people in her life treated her with any kind of respect, but she kept them around anyway, which didn’t make much sense. Being a shifter definitely had some benefits but when she turned into an animal or whatever she lost her human ability of higher thought. The whole shifting thing didn’t seem like the coolest ability to have. Victory wasn’t smart. When some creeps tried to kidnap her and throw her in a van, the person she suspected was her kind of sort of boyfriend Kane. WTH was up with that? The dude was a jerk, but he wasn’t evil. And if something like that happens and the person you suspect is the guy you’re screwing, it’s time to end it because there are some serious trust issues. She was self absorbed. Granted she had a lot going on but several times she forgot or ignored her friends. In the end it made sense that these people treated her the way they did because she didn’t treat them any better.
Kane wasn’t really a boyfriend. It was more of a friends with benefits type of situation. They were both self absorbed and workaholics, so it worked for them. It was obvious deep down they didn’t get each other. At least neither of them had illusions that their relationship was more than it was, and it was refreshing. Shit like that happens IRL, but those type of relationships are rarely depicted in UF. The romance was a minor subplot, but it was a love triangle. Victory was seeing Kane but was interested in another guy. The guy Daniel was more appealing than Kane, but Victory didn’t have chemistry with either of them.
Tina the teenage twit was a zombie. Why even introduce zombies into a story when the only one with significant page time was obnoxious, annoying, and dumb as hell? Several things she did put Victory’s life and potentially other people’s in danger, and Tina didn’t give a shit. Nothing would give me more pleasure than her death, but I have the feeling she’ll be around for the long run. There were some other characters I didn’t like, but they’re not even worth mentioning. I wanted to like this book, but it was damn hard to when none of these characters were appealing. I haven’t entirely ruled out reading the next book, but I won’t be rushing out to do it anytime soon.
February 24, 2018
It was fine. Vicky has a lot of personal drama going on, which I didn't enjoy reading. It distracted from the rest of the book. Also, hate Tina, the zombie. So meh.
March 7, 2016
I haven't read anything with zombies in it and I'm interested to see where the series goes. It was a solid first in series book.
February 24, 2010
Wow... all the elements were there and yet, it just didn't get there for me. Don't get me wrong, it was okay, but I think it had the potential to be so much better. I thought the concept was really intriguing, this shifter named Victory Vaughn lives in Deadtown which is the place where all paranormals have to live. Yes, paranormals are public knowledge but not really accepted. There's a lot of racism, or uhh specism? lol, going on, and paranormals are constantly being attacked and called monsters. Etc.. Victory is a shifter who has abilities to dream walk and kill demons. Very cool. But the battle scenes are really not that interesting. So there's one point against it. There are two men vying for Victory's attention, also, not interesting. Then there's the big bad villain who wasn't really scary, and the ending sort of had me saying.. "huh? that's it".
So, all in all, it was mediocre. I'm not sure I'll bother with the next book. Maybe I'll wait to see reviews from friends to tell me the second book is any better.
So, all in all, it was mediocre. I'm not sure I'll bother with the next book. Maybe I'll wait to see reviews from friends to tell me the second book is any better.
February 10, 2016
I always look for relationships - and I enjoyed the relationship between Vicky and her sister and nieces and nephews. Not sure how I feel about Kane (didn't feel like I got to know him actually well enough?) or the detective (whose name totally escapes me now . . . ) and I don't like that it seems to be headed into a love triangle but I don't think it actually does.
Juliet was an interesting character. I would love to see more interaction between her and Vicky. She just made me laugh.
The only real downside to me was the politics. I think the political posturing so resembled what seems to be going on in this country right now, it made things a bit uncomfortable for me. Made me think how I think people should be treated and what should be done about things. This was a bit unsettling for me because I am not totally convinced some things are even practical. BUT, it made me think too much about it, and I read this type of book to ESCAPE today's political climate (which always serves to raise my blood pressure . . . ) I think it shows a well written book that makes me think, though. I just didn't want to think. %)
I gave it 4 stars
Juliet was an interesting character. I would love to see more interaction between her and Vicky. She just made me laugh.
The only real downside to me was the politics. I think the political posturing so resembled what seems to be going on in this country right now, it made things a bit uncomfortable for me. Made me think how I think people should be treated and what should be done about things. This was a bit unsettling for me because I am not totally convinced some things are even practical. BUT, it made me think too much about it, and I read this type of book to ESCAPE today's political climate (which always serves to raise my blood pressure . . . ) I think it shows a well written book that makes me think, though. I just didn't want to think. %)
I gave it 4 stars
October 29, 2016
I would of DNF'd this if I wasn't reading this for a challenge. I wish I was good at writing reviews, especially rant reviews, because this one deserves it. The only reason I am giving this 2 stars instead of 1, is that the world building was well done. I really did not care for the MC, Vicky. She does more talking than anything else. Definitely more than fighting. Her interaction with the men in this story was so clunky and she had no chemistry with them. I am also so over women fighting in leather pants and stiletto boots. I could really go on and on about things that annoyed me, but I am out of steam. Needless to say I will not be continuing with this series.
2016 MacHalo Challenge: book with non-human characters
2016 MacHalo Challenge: book with non-human characters
August 15, 2024
I read Nancy Holzner's short story 'The End Of Eternity' in the 'Apocalyptic' anthology and decided to look for more of her work. I checked out her novels and bought 'Deadtown' when I read the opening paragraph:
“TWO RULES I LIVE BY: NEVER ADMIT TO BEING A shapeshifter on a first, second, or third date with a human. And never, ever bring along a zombie apprentice wannabe on a demon kill.”
'Deadtown' is the first book in a six-book series starring Victory Vaughn, a Cerddorion (Welsh shapeshifters) and the only professional demonslayer in an alternative Boston where everyone is aware of the existence of vampires, werewolves and zombies but most people don't believe they should have any rights.
The opening of 'Deadtown' was fast, slick and original, I slipped straight into the story and was hungry to learn more about Victory and her world. I loved the idea of a section of Boston being quarantined as a Disaster Enclosure Area (DED) because of a zombie plague and then becoming known as Deadtown, where all the non-humans are made to live.
I was surprised and pleased when, six chapters in, the pace changed as we slipped back into Victory's childhood and started to learn how she became who she is. It was good to know that there was going to be more to the story than sass, flash and supernaturals. Victory's motives for killing demons are personal. Her family has been feuding with a lethal Hellion demon for generations and Victory is determined to be the one to kill it.
I liked that, rather than having academic discussion about the politics of rights for supernaturals, Nancy Holzner made the impact personal by showing law enforcement's indifference when Victory's young neice, who may or may not be classified as human when she reaches puberty, is threatened.
I liked the originality and the depth of the lore in 'Deadtown'. There's a lot of detail on the types of demons that Victory slays. Most of them are dream demons, Eidolons, Drudes and Harpies. I loved the Harpies. Truly fearsome, loathsome things, who live to torment. The zombies in 'Deadtown' are also quite different from the 'Walking Dead' variety because they have a very different origin. One of my favourite characters is Tina, a teen zombie who begs to become Victory's apprentice. Tina is a lot of fun and teaching her is a great means of passing on demonology details without the need for ugly infodumps.
The plot was pleasingly complicated, with links to Victory's clients, her family, her (vampire) roommate and the two males in her life, a werewolf lawyer specialising in legal rights for supernaturals and a detective investigating bizarre deaths that seem to be caused by a Hellion demon. The last quarter of the book was tense and exciting. There was so much going on and so little time left that I worried I was heading for a cliffhanger ending but the plot was cleverer than that and delivered an unexpected but satisfying ending.
I'm hooked now. I don't know how I missed this series when it came out back in 2009 but I've already set about remedying the ommission, book two, 'Hellforged' is already in my TBR pile.
“TWO RULES I LIVE BY: NEVER ADMIT TO BEING A shapeshifter on a first, second, or third date with a human. And never, ever bring along a zombie apprentice wannabe on a demon kill.”
'Deadtown' is the first book in a six-book series starring Victory Vaughn, a Cerddorion (Welsh shapeshifters) and the only professional demonslayer in an alternative Boston where everyone is aware of the existence of vampires, werewolves and zombies but most people don't believe they should have any rights.
The opening of 'Deadtown' was fast, slick and original, I slipped straight into the story and was hungry to learn more about Victory and her world. I loved the idea of a section of Boston being quarantined as a Disaster Enclosure Area (DED) because of a zombie plague and then becoming known as Deadtown, where all the non-humans are made to live.
I was surprised and pleased when, six chapters in, the pace changed as we slipped back into Victory's childhood and started to learn how she became who she is. It was good to know that there was going to be more to the story than sass, flash and supernaturals. Victory's motives for killing demons are personal. Her family has been feuding with a lethal Hellion demon for generations and Victory is determined to be the one to kill it.
I liked that, rather than having academic discussion about the politics of rights for supernaturals, Nancy Holzner made the impact personal by showing law enforcement's indifference when Victory's young neice, who may or may not be classified as human when she reaches puberty, is threatened.
I liked the originality and the depth of the lore in 'Deadtown'. There's a lot of detail on the types of demons that Victory slays. Most of them are dream demons, Eidolons, Drudes and Harpies. I loved the Harpies. Truly fearsome, loathsome things, who live to torment. The zombies in 'Deadtown' are also quite different from the 'Walking Dead' variety because they have a very different origin. One of my favourite characters is Tina, a teen zombie who begs to become Victory's apprentice. Tina is a lot of fun and teaching her is a great means of passing on demonology details without the need for ugly infodumps.
The plot was pleasingly complicated, with links to Victory's clients, her family, her (vampire) roommate and the two males in her life, a werewolf lawyer specialising in legal rights for supernaturals and a detective investigating bizarre deaths that seem to be caused by a Hellion demon. The last quarter of the book was tense and exciting. There was so much going on and so little time left that I worried I was heading for a cliffhanger ending but the plot was cleverer than that and delivered an unexpected but satisfying ending.
I'm hooked now. I don't know how I missed this series when it came out back in 2009 but I've already set about remedying the ommission, book two, 'Hellforged' is already in my TBR pile.
February 12, 2010
Nancy Holzner's debut urban fantasy is filled with great ideas. Unfortunately, there are too many of them and they are all lacking oomph.
The lead character is Victory Vaughn, a demon slayer and shape shifter. She's got some bad-assery going on (who on earth owns so many pairs of leather jeans?), but thankfully she's not overwhelmingly stubborn. She is, however, prone to bouts of stupidity. Actually, poor judgement might be a better way of phrasing it. Still, she's decent and forthright and I can respect that.
Vicky lives in Deadtown, an area of Boston where by law all Paranormal Americans (PAs) must reside. Her neighbors include vampires, werewolves and zombies, all of whom have limited rights within their designated area and practically no rights outside of it.
The most compelling aspects of the story are those dealing with PA liberties, an evil biotech firm, and Vicky's shifting. The background: Five years before this book takes place, paranormals went public. Two years after that, the zombies arrived as a result of a mysterious plague.
Since the paranormal integration is relatively new, there are plenty of civil liberties battles to be waged. As you can imagine, lots of folks don't take kindly to having "monsters" openly sharing the city with them. Vicky's sometime boyfriend, a werewolf attorney, is on the front lines trying to get norms to recognise the "monsters" as valuable members of society. We're given examples of the discrimination and fear PAs face; it's a realistic aspect that is sorely underplayed. Holzner should have elaborated since the struggle for PA rights would in itself make a good story.
Being legal non-entities, or close to it, makes the PAs vulnerable to those who would study them. Enter the evil biotech firm and the bitchy researcher who heads it. Dr. Gravett poses a genuine threat. She traipses around with a glint in her eye, sparked by scientific interest and the potential for big bucks. The physical and psychological damage her fervor could cause to PAs is horrifying. Unfortunately, Holzner once again banishes a promising detail to the realm of the subplot, robbing it of the gravity it deserves.
Another fascinating aspect revolves around Vicky's shifting ability. Many writers in the genre imbue a shifted character's mind with human thought processes. Not so with Holzner. As Vicky enters her shift, her tone, world-view, and thoughts change in accordance to the shape she takes on. Shifted Vicky thinks like an animal, with just the slightest trace of humanity left behind. It's like a distant, barely-heard murmuring. Like hearing your name called so softly from the next room that you're not completely sure you truly heard it. These were the best moments in the book. They made me sit up and take notice. They clearly showed Vicky's status as other, while those little twinges of human instinct acted as reassurance that somewhere deep down she probably retains the capacity for compassion. I wouldn't mind reading more of this unique portrayal.
So what was wrong with Deadtown?
It felt like a whole heap of almost. Despite the intriguing take on politics and the fresh twist on zombies, the book lacked that rush of adrenaline so necessary in good urban fantasy. She also chose the wrong villain. With all of the above going on--offering plenty of avenues for horror and conflict--did we really need an uber-demon in the mix?
The fight scenes were brief and mediocre. The relationships were devoid of passion. The obstacles weren't so hard to leap over. And finally, the Big Bad was defeated by happy accident rather than skill or cunning. All together, it made me wonder what's so special about Vicky? Sure, she's a nice gal who lives in a wicked neighbourhood, but she's got no personal spice! No oomph! Without that, I have no urge to follow her on her escapades.
This may be a case of FBS--but when the second book comes around, I'll let someone else be the literary guinea pig.
The lead character is Victory Vaughn, a demon slayer and shape shifter. She's got some bad-assery going on (who on earth owns so many pairs of leather jeans?), but thankfully she's not overwhelmingly stubborn. She is, however, prone to bouts of stupidity. Actually, poor judgement might be a better way of phrasing it. Still, she's decent and forthright and I can respect that.
Vicky lives in Deadtown, an area of Boston where by law all Paranormal Americans (PAs) must reside. Her neighbors include vampires, werewolves and zombies, all of whom have limited rights within their designated area and practically no rights outside of it.
The most compelling aspects of the story are those dealing with PA liberties, an evil biotech firm, and Vicky's shifting. The background: Five years before this book takes place, paranormals went public. Two years after that, the zombies arrived as a result of a mysterious plague.
Since the paranormal integration is relatively new, there are plenty of civil liberties battles to be waged. As you can imagine, lots of folks don't take kindly to having "monsters" openly sharing the city with them. Vicky's sometime boyfriend, a werewolf attorney, is on the front lines trying to get norms to recognise the "monsters" as valuable members of society. We're given examples of the discrimination and fear PAs face; it's a realistic aspect that is sorely underplayed. Holzner should have elaborated since the struggle for PA rights would in itself make a good story.
Being legal non-entities, or close to it, makes the PAs vulnerable to those who would study them. Enter the evil biotech firm and the bitchy researcher who heads it. Dr. Gravett poses a genuine threat. She traipses around with a glint in her eye, sparked by scientific interest and the potential for big bucks. The physical and psychological damage her fervor could cause to PAs is horrifying. Unfortunately, Holzner once again banishes a promising detail to the realm of the subplot, robbing it of the gravity it deserves.
Another fascinating aspect revolves around Vicky's shifting ability. Many writers in the genre imbue a shifted character's mind with human thought processes. Not so with Holzner. As Vicky enters her shift, her tone, world-view, and thoughts change in accordance to the shape she takes on. Shifted Vicky thinks like an animal, with just the slightest trace of humanity left behind. It's like a distant, barely-heard murmuring. Like hearing your name called so softly from the next room that you're not completely sure you truly heard it. These were the best moments in the book. They made me sit up and take notice. They clearly showed Vicky's status as other, while those little twinges of human instinct acted as reassurance that somewhere deep down she probably retains the capacity for compassion. I wouldn't mind reading more of this unique portrayal.
So what was wrong with Deadtown?
It felt like a whole heap of almost. Despite the intriguing take on politics and the fresh twist on zombies, the book lacked that rush of adrenaline so necessary in good urban fantasy. She also chose the wrong villain. With all of the above going on--offering plenty of avenues for horror and conflict--did we really need an uber-demon in the mix?
The fight scenes were brief and mediocre. The relationships were devoid of passion. The obstacles weren't so hard to leap over. And finally, the Big Bad was defeated by happy accident rather than skill or cunning. All together, it made me wonder what's so special about Vicky? Sure, she's a nice gal who lives in a wicked neighbourhood, but she's got no personal spice! No oomph! Without that, I have no urge to follow her on her escapades.
This may be a case of FBS--but when the second book comes around, I'll let someone else be the literary guinea pig.
January 6, 2010
When FanLit interviewed Nancy Holzner last month, I thought she sounded so nice, and her debut, Deadtown, sounded awesome. While shopping that night at my local Wal-Mart, I noticed Deadtown on the shelf, so, naturally, into my cart it went, and I started reading as soon as I got home.
After a mysterious plague strikes Boston, its fallout area becomes known as Deadtown. Deadtown residents are controlled by the state of Massachusetts — they have few rights and must carry identifying papers when they move about the various zones. Paranormals are segregated, creating a racially tense atmosphere that underlies the whole story.
Deadtown’s lead character is a deceptively dynamic female shapeshifter named Victory Vaughn (Vicky). Through her welsh ancestry and hard work, Vicky became a demon hunter for hire. She gets wrapped up in a series of events that has Boston’s human and non-human communities in danger. Lots of action, political intrigue, and sleuthing are required from Vicky in order to try to save the city and its people.
There is a wide cast of supporting characters in Deadtown, and they range from typical to downright awesome. Holzner’s take on demons is a fun mix of literal interpretations of abstract concepts and actual demons you’d find in typical fantasy. For example, Hellions are demons who feed off violence and destruction and can be summoned and bound by sorcerers in the typical fantasy fashion. But then there are the Eidolons — demons that manifest from an individual’s feelings of guilt. They are self-created, but not any less real than the Hellions are. It’s a cool way of imagining demons. The zombies in Deadtown are also great; Vicky’s zombie sidekick/trainee, Tina, chews gum, wears midriff-baring t-shirts, and possesses an inhuman amount of strength. Holzner regularly takes a known urban fantasy device and twists it in her unique way. Vampires, werewolves, and witches are all spun creatively. I look forward to seeing what kind of characters Ms. Holzner brings into a sequel.
Deadtown is also well-written. Holzner uses a straightforward storytelling approach that I like and is quite common in urban fantasy. I think the plot pacing was somewhat unbalanced, as I felt a little rushed during the last 1/4 of the book. I reached a point in the story where I was getting concerned that I was not going to get a satisfying ending. I kept thinking there is no way she’s going to wrap this up in the amount of pages left. The story however did get wrapped up, and ultimately I was satisfied with how Holzner pulled it all together.
I became a fan of urban fantasy when I ran out of Jim Butcher’s THE DRESDEN FILES books. My search for substitutes has brought me to discover several authors in that same vein who I particularly like: Patricia Briggs, Simon R. Green, and now Nancy Holzner. That’s lofty company for a debut fantasy writer, but Deadtown holds up quite well against the best in the genre. It’s really an exceptional start of a new series. I’ll be eagerly waiting for the sequel.
See this review and others at www.fantasyliterature.com
After a mysterious plague strikes Boston, its fallout area becomes known as Deadtown. Deadtown residents are controlled by the state of Massachusetts — they have few rights and must carry identifying papers when they move about the various zones. Paranormals are segregated, creating a racially tense atmosphere that underlies the whole story.
Deadtown’s lead character is a deceptively dynamic female shapeshifter named Victory Vaughn (Vicky). Through her welsh ancestry and hard work, Vicky became a demon hunter for hire. She gets wrapped up in a series of events that has Boston’s human and non-human communities in danger. Lots of action, political intrigue, and sleuthing are required from Vicky in order to try to save the city and its people.
There is a wide cast of supporting characters in Deadtown, and they range from typical to downright awesome. Holzner’s take on demons is a fun mix of literal interpretations of abstract concepts and actual demons you’d find in typical fantasy. For example, Hellions are demons who feed off violence and destruction and can be summoned and bound by sorcerers in the typical fantasy fashion. But then there are the Eidolons — demons that manifest from an individual’s feelings of guilt. They are self-created, but not any less real than the Hellions are. It’s a cool way of imagining demons. The zombies in Deadtown are also great; Vicky’s zombie sidekick/trainee, Tina, chews gum, wears midriff-baring t-shirts, and possesses an inhuman amount of strength. Holzner regularly takes a known urban fantasy device and twists it in her unique way. Vampires, werewolves, and witches are all spun creatively. I look forward to seeing what kind of characters Ms. Holzner brings into a sequel.
Deadtown is also well-written. Holzner uses a straightforward storytelling approach that I like and is quite common in urban fantasy. I think the plot pacing was somewhat unbalanced, as I felt a little rushed during the last 1/4 of the book. I reached a point in the story where I was getting concerned that I was not going to get a satisfying ending. I kept thinking there is no way she’s going to wrap this up in the amount of pages left. The story however did get wrapped up, and ultimately I was satisfied with how Holzner pulled it all together.
I became a fan of urban fantasy when I ran out of Jim Butcher’s THE DRESDEN FILES books. My search for substitutes has brought me to discover several authors in that same vein who I particularly like: Patricia Briggs, Simon R. Green, and now Nancy Holzner. That’s lofty company for a debut fantasy writer, but Deadtown holds up quite well against the best in the genre. It’s really an exceptional start of a new series. I’ll be eagerly waiting for the sequel.
See this review and others at www.fantasyliterature.com
September 13, 2016
Nancy’s Holzner’s Deadtown is not just another tale about a sexy demon fighter in leather pants (although the cover does feature pretty cool cover art of our hunter in leather pants, brandishing a smoking semi-automatic rifle and a flaming sword).
While it ticks all the usual boxes – zombies, vampires, werewolves, bad ass demons, witches, sorcerers et al – it also has a social conscience.
Like the vampires in Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series and the mutants of the X-men, the assortment of paranormals in Holzner’s world are struggling for equal rights.
Ever since a virus turned a large chunk of the city’s population into zombies (or “previously deceased humans” as they’re known in politically correct circles), life in Boston has changed dramatically. The zombies, and the paranormals who emerged to deal with them when the humans could not, are now quarantined in a part of Boston nicknamed Deadtown, where only those with permits are allowed to leave – and even then under strict conditions.
Among them is Vicky, a shape-shifter, who makes a living hunting demons. She shares an apartment with a centuries old vampire, occasionally goes bump in the night with a white collar werewolf, and is shadowed by an annoying teenage zombie who wants to be a slayer.
She also has a creepy geneticist trying to turn her into a lab experiment, a sister ashamed of their shape-shifting bloodline, and a nasty hellion out for her blood. It’s a complicated and occasionally frustrating life.
Almost as frustrating are the politics the paranormals’ presence has created, which have a habit of interfering with Vicky’s love life. Her workaholic werewolf’s role as a lawyer/paranormal rights activist has turned him into a political animal (the scariest beast around…), and an upcoming election has him fully pre-occupied.
Deadtown has enough action, wit and snappy dialogue to stand out from the crowd and Holzner has created a world that’s cleverly and logically constructed, complete with politics and social agendas.
The author is already busy working on a sequel, and given the warm reception this book has already received online, there’s clearly an eager audience waiting for the next instalment.
(I had to order this in specially at my local bookstore, so let’s hope Deadtown gets the exposure it deserves here in Australia.)
While it ticks all the usual boxes – zombies, vampires, werewolves, bad ass demons, witches, sorcerers et al – it also has a social conscience.
Like the vampires in Charlaine Harris’ Sookie Stackhouse series and the mutants of the X-men, the assortment of paranormals in Holzner’s world are struggling for equal rights.
Ever since a virus turned a large chunk of the city’s population into zombies (or “previously deceased humans” as they’re known in politically correct circles), life in Boston has changed dramatically. The zombies, and the paranormals who emerged to deal with them when the humans could not, are now quarantined in a part of Boston nicknamed Deadtown, where only those with permits are allowed to leave – and even then under strict conditions.
Among them is Vicky, a shape-shifter, who makes a living hunting demons. She shares an apartment with a centuries old vampire, occasionally goes bump in the night with a white collar werewolf, and is shadowed by an annoying teenage zombie who wants to be a slayer.
She also has a creepy geneticist trying to turn her into a lab experiment, a sister ashamed of their shape-shifting bloodline, and a nasty hellion out for her blood. It’s a complicated and occasionally frustrating life.
Almost as frustrating are the politics the paranormals’ presence has created, which have a habit of interfering with Vicky’s love life. Her workaholic werewolf’s role as a lawyer/paranormal rights activist has turned him into a political animal (the scariest beast around…), and an upcoming election has him fully pre-occupied.
Deadtown has enough action, wit and snappy dialogue to stand out from the crowd and Holzner has created a world that’s cleverly and logically constructed, complete with politics and social agendas.
The author is already busy working on a sequel, and given the warm reception this book has already received online, there’s clearly an eager audience waiting for the next instalment.
(I had to order this in specially at my local bookstore, so let’s hope Deadtown gets the exposure it deserves here in Australia.)
February 20, 2011
I don't like zombies. It's rare that I read a story with zombies in it. Deadtown by Ms. Holzner was surprisingly good. In her world, zombies are not as bad as you think. Still, Tina, one of the zombies annoyed me greatly and I can only hope she gets killed in the next book.
Ms. Holzner creates a world where the paranormal exists and are persecuted. This is not so different than any other book, yet her take on it is interesting. I liked how each character in the book possess flaws. Some of the more annoying ones, like Victory's sister Gwen, I probably could have done with out. I did like how Ms. Holzner allows bad things to happen when people make bad decisions. I felt justification and vindication for the most part when people made bad choices despite warnings and then were negatively impacted by them. I still think Gwen's choices should have resulted in death. That would have made me happy. Gwen self loathing should cause to lose all her children.
As for the main character, Vicky, she has too good of a heart and it appears she is no different than many other females . . . she had Daddy issues. Except these Daddy issues aren't want you would think they would be. The guilt she carries for her father's death is right and I hope she is tortured by it for a very long time. I really have no sympathy for Vicky. Nor do I particularly like her. Most of the time, I wanted to slap her upside the head.
I did enjoy this book enough that I'd like to read the second on. Be forewarned, this book is filled with less than likable cast of characters. You might find yourself rooting for each one to die because they are too stupid to life.
Ms. Holzner creates a world where the paranormal exists and are persecuted. This is not so different than any other book, yet her take on it is interesting. I liked how each character in the book possess flaws. Some of the more annoying ones, like Victory's sister Gwen, I probably could have done with out. I did like how Ms. Holzner allows bad things to happen when people make bad decisions. I felt justification and vindication for the most part when people made bad choices despite warnings and then were negatively impacted by them. I still think Gwen's choices should have resulted in death. That would have made me happy. Gwen self loathing should cause to lose all her children.
As for the main character, Vicky, she has too good of a heart and it appears she is no different than many other females . . . she had Daddy issues. Except these Daddy issues aren't want you would think they would be. The guilt she carries for her father's death is right and I hope she is tortured by it for a very long time. I really have no sympathy for Vicky. Nor do I particularly like her. Most of the time, I wanted to slap her upside the head.
I did enjoy this book enough that I'd like to read the second on. Be forewarned, this book is filled with less than likable cast of characters. You might find yourself rooting for each one to die because they are too stupid to life.
January 6, 2010
Victory Vaughn is the only professional demon exterminator in Boston. When people have demon issues, she is the one they call. Vicky herself is Cerridorion, someone who is able to shift into any animal three times a month – with a catch – if she bears children, she will no longer carry the ability to shift. Her sister, Gwen, gave up her abilities and the two come to blows during the book deciding what is the better route to take.
Vicky is not alone in her supernatural abilities though. She is kept in company by werewolves and vampires, just to name a few. The supernaturals started coming out of the closet after a mutated virus hit Boston out of nowhere. Every human in the entire city died in a matter of seconds. The only ones not affected – vamps, wolves and Vicky. Suddenly, the humans needed the supernaturals to help the devastated city, and the nickname “Deadtown” was created. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, three days later, zombies began to rise.
Even though the supernaturals become known to the public, they still don’t have equal rights. The movement is led by the good looking werewolf, Alexander Kane, who, as Vicky says is her “companion.” They are not super serious but they hang out on occasion, and by hanging out I mean they do dinner and the fun stuff afterwards.
Vicky has a personal demon of her own, one that killed her father and one that she carries part of around with her. The demon, called The Destroyer, is not satisfied and after killing one of Vicky’s clients shortly after leaving his house, she knows he is back. With the help of Daniel Costello, a Boston police officer, she is determined to keep the city safe while battling her own demon – and feelings for a very cute blue-eyed police officer.
Deadtown sets up the kind of urban fantasy world I like – the supernaturals are out to the public, and now we get to see how they are accepted. I love to read about the political struggles and the behind the scenes fights that ensue. The supernaturals are by no means close to getting equal rights much to the dismay of Kane who is very invested in their cause. He has his agenda and for most of the book he uses Vicky to further that agenda. The reader never gets to see his romantic side or why Vicky would be attracted to him, except for his good looks – he is 31 with silver hair, quite a fox! I don’t think she wants anything necessarily serious or more than what she has, but I can’t even see why she wants that.
Besides the political upheaval, Vicky is battling an extremely dangerous Hellion, one that cooked her father from the inside out when she was younger. The Hellion is being controlled by a sorcerer, and Vicky must figure out who is in charge before the Hellion can assemble an army to invade Boston. Daniel is investigating the murder of her client, who Vicky is sure The Destroyer killed. Daniel has that smile and good nature that gives Vicky the butterflies in her stomach. The book stands great as it is, but I think it could have been even better with more romantic tension between these two.
My favorite aspect of the book is Vicky. There are many instances of men trying to bully her around, even Kane, and she does not give in. She stands up for what she believes in and never falls under peer pressure, and I find that quite admirable in this heroine. Losing her father to The Destroyer, has greatly affected her life, and she lives everyday trying to honor her father in some way. As she says:
Nothing would make me give him up. Nothing. Not even Kane, so devoted to his cause that he’d sacrifice anything for it. I wondered if that included me.
She is smart, she has patience (which is a must since she has a zomibe intern) and she is determined to live her life her way.
This is Nancy Holzner’s debut in urban fantasy and it is a strong, welcome addition to the genre. Deadtown is a very solid start to what I hope are many adventures to come with Vicky.
Vicky is not alone in her supernatural abilities though. She is kept in company by werewolves and vampires, just to name a few. The supernaturals started coming out of the closet after a mutated virus hit Boston out of nowhere. Every human in the entire city died in a matter of seconds. The only ones not affected – vamps, wolves and Vicky. Suddenly, the humans needed the supernaturals to help the devastated city, and the nickname “Deadtown” was created. As if that wasn’t enough to deal with, three days later, zombies began to rise.
Even though the supernaturals become known to the public, they still don’t have equal rights. The movement is led by the good looking werewolf, Alexander Kane, who, as Vicky says is her “companion.” They are not super serious but they hang out on occasion, and by hanging out I mean they do dinner and the fun stuff afterwards.
Vicky has a personal demon of her own, one that killed her father and one that she carries part of around with her. The demon, called The Destroyer, is not satisfied and after killing one of Vicky’s clients shortly after leaving his house, she knows he is back. With the help of Daniel Costello, a Boston police officer, she is determined to keep the city safe while battling her own demon – and feelings for a very cute blue-eyed police officer.
Deadtown sets up the kind of urban fantasy world I like – the supernaturals are out to the public, and now we get to see how they are accepted. I love to read about the political struggles and the behind the scenes fights that ensue. The supernaturals are by no means close to getting equal rights much to the dismay of Kane who is very invested in their cause. He has his agenda and for most of the book he uses Vicky to further that agenda. The reader never gets to see his romantic side or why Vicky would be attracted to him, except for his good looks – he is 31 with silver hair, quite a fox! I don’t think she wants anything necessarily serious or more than what she has, but I can’t even see why she wants that.
Besides the political upheaval, Vicky is battling an extremely dangerous Hellion, one that cooked her father from the inside out when she was younger. The Hellion is being controlled by a sorcerer, and Vicky must figure out who is in charge before the Hellion can assemble an army to invade Boston. Daniel is investigating the murder of her client, who Vicky is sure The Destroyer killed. Daniel has that smile and good nature that gives Vicky the butterflies in her stomach. The book stands great as it is, but I think it could have been even better with more romantic tension between these two.
My favorite aspect of the book is Vicky. There are many instances of men trying to bully her around, even Kane, and she does not give in. She stands up for what she believes in and never falls under peer pressure, and I find that quite admirable in this heroine. Losing her father to The Destroyer, has greatly affected her life, and she lives everyday trying to honor her father in some way. As she says:
Nothing would make me give him up. Nothing. Not even Kane, so devoted to his cause that he’d sacrifice anything for it. I wondered if that included me.
She is smart, she has patience (which is a must since she has a zomibe intern) and she is determined to live her life her way.
This is Nancy Holzner’s debut in urban fantasy and it is a strong, welcome addition to the genre. Deadtown is a very solid start to what I hope are many adventures to come with Vicky.
December 15, 2009
Review courtesy of AllThingsUrbanFantasy.blogspot.com
*Deadtown releases on December 29th* Victory Vaughn is a shapeshifting professional demon hunter living in Boston's mandatory ‘paranormal reservation’ known as Deadtown. In Deadtown, things that go bump in the night (werewolves, vampires etc.) have always been around but the world at large has only just learned of their existence. And the coming out process has been anything but smooth. Zombies, or Previously Deceased Humans, are a different story. A few years ago a plague hit Boston instantly killing a couple hundred thousand people and then reanimating them a la Night of the Living Dead (except without all the mindless “Brains! Must eat brains!” mantra). The initial happiness of the living having their loved ones back from the dead didn't last long. Blood red eyes, green/gray flesh in varying levels of decay, and a tendency to go a bit stereotypically zombie around fresh blood will put a damper on even the most open-minded human. The result? Deadtown was created, the only legal place for the non-human monsters, or Paranormal Americans, to reside.
It would be easy to devote this whole review to the fantastic world-building of Deadtown (but don’t worry, I won’t). I will only add how easily the treatment of Deadtown’s Paranormal Americans compares with our own past treatment of Native Americans, Japanese Americans, and African Americans during different periods of our country’s history.
The main plot begins when Vicky is forcibly dragged from her bed by Boston's Human-Paranormal Joint Task Force, aka the Goon Squad, to answer questions about the death of one of her former clients who was fried in his own skin, a method Vicky is intimately familiar with. The Hellion responsible has impossibly broken through the magical shield protecting the city and Vicky knows that time is running out. If she doesn’t kill the demon soon, Boston will be destroyed. Meanwhile there is a criminally aggressive research facility trying to study shapeshifters, willingly or otherwise, and a pivotal election is just days away, and if the wrong candidate wins, it will be open season on PA’s.
For those of us who like a dash of romance, Deadtown doesn't disappoint. Vicky has not one but two men vying for her affections. Her sometimes boyfriend Kane, is a werewolf lawyer single-minded in his fight to gain equal rights for all PA's, and Daniel Costello, the homicide detective in charge of the murder of Vicky's former client. Suffice it to say these two don't get along. The romantic elements of this story never overwhelm the main plot of the book, they are similarly subtle like the Mercy Thompson series, but they do add another level of depth and humanity to Vicky.
Deadtown is a welcome addition to the urban fantasy landscape. Nancy imbues an emotional aspect into her debut that resonates with our own past prejudices and fears and forces us to evaluate our beliefs about this unreal world in a very real way. There is a lot of great action, social commentary, and a dash of romance in Deadtown. The world building, borrowing heavily from Welsh mythology, is fresh and complex. Vicky is instantly likable and realistically tough yet vulnerable. And I can't wait to read more. *Deadtown releases on December 29th*
Sexual Content:
None
*Deadtown releases on December 29th* Victory Vaughn is a shapeshifting professional demon hunter living in Boston's mandatory ‘paranormal reservation’ known as Deadtown. In Deadtown, things that go bump in the night (werewolves, vampires etc.) have always been around but the world at large has only just learned of their existence. And the coming out process has been anything but smooth. Zombies, or Previously Deceased Humans, are a different story. A few years ago a plague hit Boston instantly killing a couple hundred thousand people and then reanimating them a la Night of the Living Dead (except without all the mindless “Brains! Must eat brains!” mantra). The initial happiness of the living having their loved ones back from the dead didn't last long. Blood red eyes, green/gray flesh in varying levels of decay, and a tendency to go a bit stereotypically zombie around fresh blood will put a damper on even the most open-minded human. The result? Deadtown was created, the only legal place for the non-human monsters, or Paranormal Americans, to reside.
It would be easy to devote this whole review to the fantastic world-building of Deadtown (but don’t worry, I won’t). I will only add how easily the treatment of Deadtown’s Paranormal Americans compares with our own past treatment of Native Americans, Japanese Americans, and African Americans during different periods of our country’s history.
The main plot begins when Vicky is forcibly dragged from her bed by Boston's Human-Paranormal Joint Task Force, aka the Goon Squad, to answer questions about the death of one of her former clients who was fried in his own skin, a method Vicky is intimately familiar with. The Hellion responsible has impossibly broken through the magical shield protecting the city and Vicky knows that time is running out. If she doesn’t kill the demon soon, Boston will be destroyed. Meanwhile there is a criminally aggressive research facility trying to study shapeshifters, willingly or otherwise, and a pivotal election is just days away, and if the wrong candidate wins, it will be open season on PA’s.
For those of us who like a dash of romance, Deadtown doesn't disappoint. Vicky has not one but two men vying for her affections. Her sometimes boyfriend Kane, is a werewolf lawyer single-minded in his fight to gain equal rights for all PA's, and Daniel Costello, the homicide detective in charge of the murder of Vicky's former client. Suffice it to say these two don't get along. The romantic elements of this story never overwhelm the main plot of the book, they are similarly subtle like the Mercy Thompson series, but they do add another level of depth and humanity to Vicky.
Deadtown is a welcome addition to the urban fantasy landscape. Nancy imbues an emotional aspect into her debut that resonates with our own past prejudices and fears and forces us to evaluate our beliefs about this unreal world in a very real way. There is a lot of great action, social commentary, and a dash of romance in Deadtown. The world building, borrowing heavily from Welsh mythology, is fresh and complex. Vicky is instantly likable and realistically tough yet vulnerable. And I can't wait to read more. *Deadtown releases on December 29th*
Sexual Content:
None
October 3, 2011
Fans of Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series and Chole Neill’s Chicagoland Vampires series will want to check out Deadtown by Nancy Holzner. It has the same type of feel to it, the heroine, Victory Vaughn, is snarky and kick ass. Oh and she’s a shifter that has a kind-of-sort-of boyfriend that’s a werewolf. Her roommate is a vamp, Juliet, like as in Romeo and Juliet. She has a teenage zombie as a sidekick and she just happens to hunt demons.
After a mutated plaque hit Boston, it turned some of the populace into zombies. Now a large part of Boston is called Deadtown and all non-humans are forced to live within that area. The non-humans are seen as monsters and don’t have the same rights that the humans have.
That’s where Vicky’s current smuggle bunny (um, werewolf) Kane comes in. Kane is a lawyer that is working towards getting the monsters civil rights. Vicky and Kane are both workaholics and Vicky thought that’s what make them a great couple. Until she meets a human cop named Daniel. I smell a love triangle.
A demon from Vicky’s past shows up in Deadtown while she is working a job. She spends the bulk of the book trying to find a way to kill the demon while juggling her personal life with two gorgeous men after her and she has some family issues as well.
Deadtown is Holzner’s first novel but it doesn’t show. She does an excellent job creating a magnificent heroine with a world that has great secondary characters. If you like a strong and independent heroine then you will love Vicky.
The only thing that I didn’t like about Deadtown….no smut. But I can over look that. ;)
I highly recommend Deadtown by Nancy Holzner to Urban Fantasy fans. I’m currently reading the second book, Hellforged and I have the third book on my shelf so that I can start it ASAP. Holzner has become an author to stalk, I mean to follow. She is now on my “must read” list.
After a mutated plaque hit Boston, it turned some of the populace into zombies. Now a large part of Boston is called Deadtown and all non-humans are forced to live within that area. The non-humans are seen as monsters and don’t have the same rights that the humans have.
That’s where Vicky’s current smuggle bunny (um, werewolf) Kane comes in. Kane is a lawyer that is working towards getting the monsters civil rights. Vicky and Kane are both workaholics and Vicky thought that’s what make them a great couple. Until she meets a human cop named Daniel. I smell a love triangle.
A demon from Vicky’s past shows up in Deadtown while she is working a job. She spends the bulk of the book trying to find a way to kill the demon while juggling her personal life with two gorgeous men after her and she has some family issues as well.
Deadtown is Holzner’s first novel but it doesn’t show. She does an excellent job creating a magnificent heroine with a world that has great secondary characters. If you like a strong and independent heroine then you will love Vicky.
The only thing that I didn’t like about Deadtown….no smut. But I can over look that. ;)
I highly recommend Deadtown by Nancy Holzner to Urban Fantasy fans. I’m currently reading the second book, Hellforged and I have the third book on my shelf so that I can start it ASAP. Holzner has become an author to stalk, I mean to follow. She is now on my “must read” list.
December 23, 2009
Zombies in pink skirts? Yes, please. After reading this line I knew I was going to like this book. Usually zombies are undead monsters that like to feed on human flesh *eye roll*, where’s the personality?! In Deadtown zombies are like any other undead/inhuman residents in the old quarantined section of the city. Vicky has the unfortunate pleasure of taking on an immature, pink skirt wearing zombie, Tina – as an intern. Zombies are civilized just be careful not to prick your human finger in front of one. They still thirst for human flesh and will jump over tables to eat you. Write it on a sticky note people!
A demon killing mercenary for hire, Victory helps humans rid the monsters in their nightmares. Bitten by a demon Hellion years ago after one murdered her father, she can sense when one is near and this Hellion is out for her blood. Vicky’s isn’t a zombie nor is she a wolf, she’s a shape shifter whose werewolf boyfriend wants her to stay as a wolf. Towards the end she can turn into something a whole lot freakier. You’ll have to read the book to find out… and I cannot be bribed!
Although there isn’t any romance, I didn’t really miss it *eyes wide* I swear. Vicky’s on and off again relationship with equal right’s lawyer Kane is interesting and when officer Daniel and his sexy blue eyes comes into the picture even better.
This was a fast paced read with plenty of action, some giggles, and a heroine written just the way I like ‘em. Smart, Sassy, and isn’t afraid to kick some ass!
A demon killing mercenary for hire, Victory helps humans rid the monsters in their nightmares. Bitten by a demon Hellion years ago after one murdered her father, she can sense when one is near and this Hellion is out for her blood. Vicky’s isn’t a zombie nor is she a wolf, she’s a shape shifter whose werewolf boyfriend wants her to stay as a wolf. Towards the end she can turn into something a whole lot freakier. You’ll have to read the book to find out… and I cannot be bribed!
Although there isn’t any romance, I didn’t really miss it *eyes wide* I swear. Vicky’s on and off again relationship with equal right’s lawyer Kane is interesting and when officer Daniel and his sexy blue eyes comes into the picture even better.
This was a fast paced read with plenty of action, some giggles, and a heroine written just the way I like ‘em. Smart, Sassy, and isn’t afraid to kick some ass!
August 8, 2012
This is another book that I bought because I liked the cover and the title. I went in with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The heroine was decent though some of the secondary characters can do with a little more fleshing out but I suspect that that will come with time. There are indications that a love triangle may be in the works, which I'm not thrilled about, but one of the men is human so I'm not likely to favor him much. If I wanted to read about regular men I'd read regular fiction and not UF, lol. But what really interested me about this book is the world building. The author sets her story in Boston and backfills it with tense politics, with a splash of Welsh mythology and folklore. Paranormal creatures in this world, while out to the public, don't carry any legal rights at all in certain parts of the world. In this Boston, all paranormals are required to live in Designated Area 1, or Deadtown, and there are checkpoints leading into and out of it - think of customs checkpoints when you leave one country for another - so it's interesting to see the effects of race relations. The author also presents a new take on zombies. All in all, I enjoyed the story and will definitely read more in the series.
September 8, 2015
Basic Plot: Victory Vaughn, Cerddorian (Welsh shapeshifter) and demon slayer, finds herself chasing down her family's archnemesis demon and fighting against popular prejudice against the "monsters" of Boston society.
There was a lot packed into what was really a relatively short book, so I'll attempt to summarize. The world that Holzner created seems pretty typical- modern-day USA, the monsters have always been here, but are now "out" due to a plague that turned a portion of Boston's population into zombies. It is unclear why all of the supernaturals are now "out" instead of just zombies, or how a plague in just one city led to the whole country being involved, so those are some plot holes that need addressing at some point by the author.
Victory Vaughn is a born-and-raised shifter and demon slayer. She's tough, practical and smart, and loves her family very much. The teenage zombie helping her at the beginning kind of pops up just to cause annoyance to Victory and a red herring in the plot. The love triangle of the book, actually pretty much ALL of the romantic aspects of the book, felt pretty forced. There's the werewolf sort-of boyfriend and the cute human cop who comes along. I just wasn't feeling it with either of them.
This brings me to my next point- This is a pretty decent urban fantasy, but it feels like somebody told poor Holzer that she HAD to have some romance in her book to get it to sell. Frankly, I think the whole book would have been better if the relationship bits had been left out. At one point, the poor cop gets totally forgotten and abandoned in ANOTHER STATE. Come on, seriously? Just let it go if it isn't working. The family aspects were good between Vicky and her sister's family. The idea that such a close-knit family would hardly even mention their alive mom in Florida, though, leaves me again confused. She's barely even mentioned, though Victory's DEAD father is mentioned at least once or twice a chapter.
The major conflict of the story was pretty complex, with lots of twists and turns, which did keep my interest. The pacing was solid and I never really felt like it got too slow. That said, it did take me quite awhile to get into the story and with the number of plot holes/character problems the author is going to seriously have to up her game if I will continue this series past the second book. I will try book #2, but I have some reservations.
There was a lot packed into what was really a relatively short book, so I'll attempt to summarize. The world that Holzner created seems pretty typical- modern-day USA, the monsters have always been here, but are now "out" due to a plague that turned a portion of Boston's population into zombies. It is unclear why all of the supernaturals are now "out" instead of just zombies, or how a plague in just one city led to the whole country being involved, so those are some plot holes that need addressing at some point by the author.
Victory Vaughn is a born-and-raised shifter and demon slayer. She's tough, practical and smart, and loves her family very much. The teenage zombie helping her at the beginning kind of pops up just to cause annoyance to Victory and a red herring in the plot. The love triangle of the book, actually pretty much ALL of the romantic aspects of the book, felt pretty forced. There's the werewolf sort-of boyfriend and the cute human cop who comes along. I just wasn't feeling it with either of them.
This brings me to my next point- This is a pretty decent urban fantasy, but it feels like somebody told poor Holzer that she HAD to have some romance in her book to get it to sell. Frankly, I think the whole book would have been better if the relationship bits had been left out. At one point, the poor cop gets totally forgotten and abandoned in ANOTHER STATE. Come on, seriously? Just let it go if it isn't working. The family aspects were good between Vicky and her sister's family. The idea that such a close-knit family would hardly even mention their alive mom in Florida, though, leaves me again confused. She's barely even mentioned, though Victory's DEAD father is mentioned at least once or twice a chapter.
The major conflict of the story was pretty complex, with lots of twists and turns, which did keep my interest. The pacing was solid and I never really felt like it got too slow. That said, it did take me quite awhile to get into the story and with the number of plot holes/character problems the author is going to seriously have to up her game if I will continue this series past the second book. I will try book #2, but I have some reservations.
April 17, 2012
i think i would of rated it higher but i cant seem to get into a reading mood lately so i keep getting distracted or forgetting what i just read which makes it really hard to be entertained by a book.
i had only had 1 or two problems with the book that i can think of a the moment.
the 1st being how conflicting the book could be, one moment Vicky could pick a man up over her head and toss him like he's candy or something but she couldnt jump a high fence?? if she that strong in her arms and back she should be strong enough to propel herself up.... also i hate it when people dig there head in the sand on important things, it always turns around and kicks them in the butt then they spend ages complaining about it/feeling guilty - hopefully this wont happen in the next book.
onto the things i liked....
i loved the "world", what with the zone just for PA (monsters/paranormal americans) its horible for the PA's but it certainly makes for an interesting story and im sure the PA's feel like they can be themselves more within the borders.
the zombies were great, i liked the way there green with spongy skin that fall off over time or when they get damaged. and the plague was a great idea, i wander if we'll find out more about it later on??
this Daniel guy seems alright, while i liked Kane i dont think he was the best fit for Vicky, but he might surprise us in the next book. i also liked Frank, im hoping he'll pop up in future books (not as a romantic opportunity just for some laughs).
im not sure how i feel about the ending with the demon. im positive thats gonna come back to bite Vicky in the ass.
hmmm well thats all i can think of at the moment, hopefully i'll like the next book even more :)
i had only had 1 or two problems with the book that i can think of a the moment.
the 1st being how conflicting the book could be, one moment Vicky could pick a man up over her head and toss him like he's candy or something but she couldnt jump a high fence?? if she that strong in her arms and back she should be strong enough to propel herself up.... also i hate it when people dig there head in the sand on important things, it always turns around and kicks them in the butt then they spend ages complaining about it/feeling guilty - hopefully this wont happen in the next book.
onto the things i liked....
i loved the "world", what with the zone just for PA (monsters/paranormal americans) its horible for the PA's but it certainly makes for an interesting story and im sure the PA's feel like they can be themselves more within the borders.
the zombies were great, i liked the way there green with spongy skin that fall off over time or when they get damaged. and the plague was a great idea, i wander if we'll find out more about it later on??
this Daniel guy seems alright, while i liked Kane i dont think he was the best fit for Vicky, but he might surprise us in the next book. i also liked Frank, im hoping he'll pop up in future books (not as a romantic opportunity just for some laughs).
im not sure how i feel about the ending with the demon. im positive thats gonna come back to bite Vicky in the ass.
hmmm well thats all i can think of at the moment, hopefully i'll like the next book even more :)
February 5, 2015
I have been searching quite a while for a new paranormal series. This has been on my TBR list for a long time. How long? Since before it came out. Yes. That long. But in my virtual TBR pile it sat. And sat. Gathering virtual dust. This year there were a few big releases I had waited for. And after finishing those, I was left right back where I started. I wanted a new, fun, spunky paranormal series to start. So, I went through my list. I kept turning this one away and I can't really tell you why. Maybe at the time, it wasn't right for me. But now, I finally did and I'm glad. The wait was worth it. I highly enjoyed this and the characters and I spent my time glued to my kindle screen as I frantically swiped through the pages.
Vicky is a fun character. She's got a backbone and she's sassy. She also has an interesting job. Eradicating Demons from peoples dreamscapes. Huh, I hadn't read that yet. Throw in a typical teenage zombie and it's a party! Plus, it doesn't hurt she has a hot werewolf boyfriend.
The world building was a bit slow, but I liked that I wasn't bogged down with overly worded descriptions and back stories to bore me to death. It was enough to get the idea and to keep me interested, but not to take away from the plot of the book. Although, we do have almost the typical mindset of the people. Humans are human, not vampires, werewolves, zombies and whatnot. Hatred for those who aren't strictly human.
I'm glad I waited for this one and I'm glad I finally found that fun and new paranormal series to start. It was worth the wait and I'm excited I can dive right into the second book (and the next few) right away. See! Sometimes patience (aka picky reader) does pay off!
Vicky is a fun character. She's got a backbone and she's sassy. She also has an interesting job. Eradicating Demons from peoples dreamscapes. Huh, I hadn't read that yet. Throw in a typical teenage zombie and it's a party! Plus, it doesn't hurt she has a hot werewolf boyfriend.
The world building was a bit slow, but I liked that I wasn't bogged down with overly worded descriptions and back stories to bore me to death. It was enough to get the idea and to keep me interested, but not to take away from the plot of the book. Although, we do have almost the typical mindset of the people. Humans are human, not vampires, werewolves, zombies and whatnot. Hatred for those who aren't strictly human.
I'm glad I waited for this one and I'm glad I finally found that fun and new paranormal series to start. It was worth the wait and I'm excited I can dive right into the second book (and the next few) right away. See! Sometimes patience (aka picky reader) does pay off!
August 11, 2015
Our heroine, Victory "Vicky" Vaughn is a shapeshifter who can shift into any sentient being. She is also a demon exterminator who hires herself out to hunt dream demons which is surprisingly a lucrative business. She is sort of dating Alexander Kane, a werewolf lawyer though he's more a friend with benefits than a boyfriend. They have a mostly platonic relationship because they both work crazy hours and only see each other 2-3 times per month. Honestly there is zero chemistry between the two so it was difficult to get into the relationship at all. Vicky also is flirting with a cop, Daniel Costello. So how into Kane is she really? There was much more chemistry with Daniel but still not enough to warrant a relationship tag.
The thing this book lacked was snappy dialogue that is a requirement in UF novels. This one had none. There wasn't even a cool sidekick. Juliet, her vampire roommate was boring and only a peripheral character. And Julie, a teenage zombie, was just annoying and basically doing things that put Vicky in danger. Neither was remotely funny or entertaining.
All in all an okay start to the Deadtown series but not a series I'll waste anymore time on since there are vastly more entertaining UF series out there.
The thing this book lacked was snappy dialogue that is a requirement in UF novels. This one had none. There wasn't even a cool sidekick. Juliet, her vampire roommate was boring and only a peripheral character. And Julie, a teenage zombie, was just annoying and basically doing things that put Vicky in danger. Neither was remotely funny or entertaining.
All in all an okay start to the Deadtown series but not a series I'll waste anymore time on since there are vastly more entertaining UF series out there.
July 10, 2011
The world building I thought was really interesting in Deadtown. Nothing out of the ordinary for urban fantasy but definitely different enough to keep my interest. However I just could not get interested in the characters. There's an annoying teeny bopper zombie girl who keeps bothering the main character for lessons, a pompous werewolf lawyer boyfriend that didn't seem like he had believable chemistry with the lead character, a vampire roommate whom I couldn't care less, and several other side characters that didn't impress me. I kind of thought the main character was interesting until I got frustrated with her for putting up with the ridiculous side characters. It actually was okay for the first half I just really lost interest during the second half. I wanted to the story to build into something more but never really did for me.
January 2, 2011
I've heard a lot about this debut author and wanted to check it out. Deadtown was somewhere between ok and good in my rating system. It isn't a great book but I can see the potential for a great story and really good future stories. Nancy Holzner has a smooth flowing, easy to read style of writing. Unfortunately, no one element really hooked me. The characters were ok, the world building was interesting but not compelling, the love interest was alluded to but pretty much absent. It was a bit ho-hum. But, the demon that Vicky spends most of the book trying to vanquish is kind of interesting and I am invested enough to check out the next book in the series if I see it at the library.
February 15, 2010
I thought the premise of this book sounded really great. Sat down to read and go to about page 50 and realized there was just something there that made it not quite hold my interest, so I put the book down to read another. When I got back to this one I read another 20 pages and realized that I didn't really care what happened in the book, so I gave it up. In the end this book just isn't for me.
February 28, 2011
This book reminds me a little of early Laurell K Hamilton. Strong female protagonist who slays demons for a living. Paranormals have come out of the closet, but are discriminated against by norms (normal people)- and have no rights at all in some states. There is the usual evildoer bound to destroy the city/world,some love interests (but nothing cloying) and family, but overall quite enjoyable.
April 26, 2014
How can you not like the book that starts with the phrase "And then there were zombies" ?
The book was unique and a very good read. It was fun. I look forward to reading the next one.
The book was unique and a very good read. It was fun. I look forward to reading the next one.
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