Summary from Goodreads:
"From New York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub comes the first in a terrifying new series set in a small town with a sinister secret
The
razor's gleaming blade slices effortlessly through skin and tendon, and
he relishes the final anguished moments of his prey. There's only one
thing he prizes more: their long, silken strands of red hair. But these
women are merely stand-ins . . . a prelude to his ultimate victim.
Nestled
in New York's Hudson Valley, Mundy's Landing is famous for its
picturesque setting—and for a century-old string of gruesome unsolved
murders. Rowan returned to her hometown years ago, fleeing a momentary
mistake that could have destroyed her family. Life is good here.
Peaceful. Until an anonymous gift brings Rowan's fears to life again.
The
town's violent history was just the beginning. Soon everyone in Mundy's
Landing will know that the past cannot be forgotten or forgiven—not
until every sin has been paid for, in blood."
My Thoughts:
This book! Oh my goodness but this book had me on the edge of my seat for the entire time that I was reading it. I've read a lot of mysteries and thrillers this year but it has been awhile since I read one that focused on a serial killer (which always tends to creep me out more than other types of books). Let me tell you that I was creeped out by this book from almost the very first page. What made this book unique though is that there were actually parts of the book told through the eyes of the killer. We knew who he was to a certain extent although we didn't know why he was so focused on Rowan or why he was doing what he was doing. Those questions and the fact that Rowan didn't know what kind of danger she was really in ratcheted up the suspense level for me and made this book yet another one that I just didn't want to put down.
This book was both fast paced and intense which really helped to bump up my enjoyment level of this book. Told from multiple viewpoints, all of the different storylines helped even more to make this book a page turner for me. I cannot emphasize enough how hard it was for me to stop reading this one! And the way that the author tied them all up to make for a completely intense, heart-pounding.....wow! Just wow! I feel like I had figured out a few pieces to the ending but there were enough surprises left for me so I couldn't complain. I'm left completely excited to get my hands on the next book in this series? Oh my goodness- it is going to be a series! I cannot wait to see what happens next!
Overall, this was a book that I couldn't help but read as fast as I possibly could just because it was so intense. It was dark, creepy, and gave me the shivers multiple times but yet I didn't want to stop reading. This was the perfect time of year to read this book....I always crave thrillers when fall comes around. And this fit the bill perfectly! Easily recommended but with the warning...you might want to sleep with the lights on afterwards.
Bottom Line: A great read for this time of year!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this thanks to the publisher as part of a Pump Up Your Book tour.
Summary from Goodreads:
"Jocelynn Drake continues her successful urban fantasy series, Asylum Tales, with Demon’s Fury,
set in a world where elves, faeries, trolls, werewolves, and vampires
walk free among humanity.
Powerful warlock and tattoo artist
Gage has managed to escape the magical Ivory Towers who terrorize the
rest of humans and monsters – but at a price. Now he must join forces
with his nemesis Gideon to stop an unknown entity who is using old magic
to commit gruesome murders. And if that’s not keeping him busy enough,
an investigator recruits Gage to help her track a killer … who might be targeting tattoo artists."
My Thoughts:
I'm starting with my overall thoughts on this series as a whole because I read them back to back. I absolutely loved this unique urban fantasy series and am sad to see it end. It was a completely engrossing reading experience filled with twists, turns, and everything else that left me wanting more. Really. I want more. More Gage and his world filled with dark wizards and witches. More of the other supernatural creatures that inhabit his world and make it one of the most unique worlds that I've read about in urban fantasy. I'm a bit sad to not have more books to look forward to but it was overall an amazing reading experience and I would read these again in a heartbeat!
For me this was a really great way to tie up many of the different threads that the author created within the first two books. Gage is caught up yet again in way too many things and actually the summary I shared is meant just for the first part of this book. The book is broken into three separate sections but they all tie together so nicely that really it felt like just one book to me. I love how the author isn't afraid to really put Gage in situations that almost seem hopeless for anyone else. The reader is really given the chance to see what he is made of and I loved that we were shown different sides of the situation as Gage struggled to find the answers. There was a darker side to Gage in this book then we have seen but I really understood it after all that he has been through. He was ready and willing to fight for what he wanted and that really sums up his personality brilliantly.
Books like this are why I read and love urban fantasy so much! I flew through the pages of this one on my kindle and didn't want to put it down. In fact, I was avoiding putting it down as much as possible just so I could read one more page. The ending of this book was done really well in my opinion although I still think the author could write one more. Pretty please one more? I would love to see Gage's adventures continued myself. It was wrapped up pretty well but left open enough for the reader to decide on how a few things must have ended. I liked that even when I wanted more. Really that is what a book is supposed to in my opinion!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the series overall! I have lots more to say as I haven't yet shared my thoughts on the first two books but I will be doing that very soon. I just ran out of time on posting the reviews before this one. This is a series that is not to be missed for urban fantasy fans and I really, really recommend reading them back to back like I did. It really allowed for me to fully immerse myself in this dark and magical world that Drake has created. I just am sad that I won't be going back any time soon. Oh well, that is what rereads are for, right? Recommended but with the addition that you should really read this series in order. So start with Angel's Ink!
Bottom Line: A great and satisfying conclusion to this urban fantasy series. I'm sad to see it end!
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a Pump Up Your Blog book tour through Edelweiss. Thoughts are my own!
