I love reading books of all types, for the most part. Espionage, Women’s Fiction, Chick Lit, Historical, Business, Technical and many other types. So when I was sent a book about an assassin, I was willing to check it out. This book is the 10th in a long running series by an Urban Fantasy writer, which is not a genre I usually read so I was not sure what to expect.
The Spider by Jennifer Estep
Series: Elemental Assassin
Publisher: Pocket Books
December, 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1451689013
The Synopsis
Ten years ago. A blistering hot August night. I remember like it was yesterday. The night I, Gin Blanco, truly became the Spider. Killing people is what I do best, especially now that I’ve honed my Ice and Stone magic. But back then, I had yet to learn one very important rule: arrogance will get you, every single time.
This particular job seemed simple: murder a crooked building contractor with ties to ruthless Fire elemental Mab Monroe. My mentor, Fletcher Lane, had some misgivings, but I was certain that I had the situation under control . . . right up until I exposed my weaknesses to a merciless opponent who exploited every single one of them. There’s a reason assassins aren’t supposed to feel anything. Luckily, a knife to the heart can fix that problem, especially when I’m the one wielding it. . . .
My Thoughts:
I really tried to like this book but I just could not get into the whole urban fantasy theme. Honestly, the assassin part did not bother me, but I am not much of a fan of the magic and fantasy world. However, I did read a lot of this book even though I did skip through some parts I did not care for.
This book is somewhat of a prequel even though it is book #10 in the series. It starts in the present day and then brings in the back story of the main character, Gin. I was at a huge disadvantage as I have not read any of the other books, so reading about all of the other people, places and things that occurred in books 1-9 was disconcerting. I felt lost a lot.
The story is mainly about a contract that Gin received to assassinate a man who was abusing his daughter. Gin meets and falls for the older son of her target which gives an interesting twist to the storyline. There is plenty of action and the book flows very quickly. There is no down time in this one.
The writing is solid and the authors imagination is fired up to great levels. The author has a true knack for writing a nail biting and intriguing story that will leave you wanting to read more of the series. If you are into this style of novels, this is a series to check out. Here is more about the author….
About the Author
Jennifer Estep is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea. The novels Spider’s Bite, Web of Lies, Venom, Tangled Threads, Spider’s Revenge, By a Thread, Widow’s Web, Deadly Sting, Heart of Venom, The Spider, and the e-novellas Thread of Death, Parlor Tricks, and Kiss of Venom are the other titles in her Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. For more on Jennifer and her books, visit her at JenniferEstep.com and @Jennifer_Estep.
Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.
I do sometimes enjoy reading fantasy novels. I have read one of Jenifer Estep’s Spider novels and i did enjoy it, so I am curious about this one which is a prequel. Perhaps I shall see if my library carries it.
I do like stories about lady killers , lol, but I also am not much for fantasy. Maybe in a movie, or if sci-fy it would be different. I like the tough girl character and a lady assassin is about as tough as they get.
Hmmm…this sounds interesting…but different! I like to read a pretty wide genre of books. I think it would be difficult to pick up so far into a long series!