chez_jae | Entries tagged with series: cal leandros

While searching for another holiday story on my Kindle today, I came across Silver and Salt, an anthology written by Rob Thurman, which included a short story in the "Cal Leandros" verse. I took the time to read it, just because I'm missing Cal. The story was "A Grain of Salt", and it featured a 14-year old Cal living in Chicago and encountering a human monster.

When Cal sees a man talking up a little girl in the park he walks by each day, he warns the girl, Melanie, to stay away from the man. Cal didn't anticipate the predator would find out where Melanie lived, take her, and murder her. Cal is no hero, but there's a part of him that won't tolerate a kid killer in his territory. When Cal dangles himself as bait, the man takes the lure, and Cal teaches him a lesson. Days later, the killer is back and following Cal, seemingly intent on revenge for what Cal did to him. Cal is done playing, but in order to deal with this problem permanently, he'll need Niko's help. The trick is getting Nik's assistance without letting him in on what's really happening.

Let's get the complaint out of the way first: Once upon a time, Thurman seemed to indicate in this series that Niko was five years older than Cal. Eventually, she settled on Nik being four years older. Okay, whatever. When Cal was taken to Tumulus and returned two days later, he was, at best guess, two years older. Okay, so for the rest of the series, Niko was two years older than Cal. I was fine with that. However, in this story, Cal is said to be 14, yet he is thinking ahead to when Niko will be 18, which will be next year. That means in this story (which took place before Cal was snatched up by the Auphe) that there were three years between them. Guh. Get your shit together, Thurman.

That being said, this was an interesting tale and an intriguing look into young Cal's life on the run. Throughout the entire series, Cal has had a soft spot for little girls, although he'd deny it with his dying breath. This story contained an incredible twist that was very satisfying. I wish we'd seen more of Niko, but he helped in his own way, although he never knew it. Hee!

Favorite line: I'd tried to shove one extremely loud kid out of a bus window. It sucked that he was chunky and didn't fit.

Good enough to earn 4 stars for this story, but now I must live with knowing I'll never have any new Cal Leandros to read because Rob Thurman is an enormous gaping asshole.

cal

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Current Mood: sad
Current Music: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas"

Nevermore by Rob Thurman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I began reading Nevermore, the 10th and final(?) book in the "Cal Leandros" series by Rob Thurman, last night and I finished it tonight. Story is told wholly in Cal's first-person point of view.

When Cal gates out of the Ninth Circle to get the pizzas he forgot to buy for the celebration within, he gets to see his world end before his very eyes. The Vigil, who've been gunning for Cal since he outed himself as not-human, have made a final attempt on his life by ramming the bar with a truckload of explosives. Cal wasn't inside, but everyone he ever cared for was. Cal is about to eat his gun when he learns that Robin had one last trick up his sleeve. The Vigil have sent an assassin back in time to eliminate a younger, more vulnerable Cal. If Cal can go back and prevent that, he may also be able to prevent the tragedy that happened in his own time. To do so, however, he'll need his big brother's help, never mind that Niko is now six years younger than Cal is. He also must deal with his annoying younger self and a Robin who can't leave well enough alone when trickery may be involved.

It's up to Cal to convince Niko who he is and that he's telling the truth, fend off Robin's brand of help, locate and exterminate a supernatural assassin, deal with the fresh hell of seeing everyone he loves die in a fiery explosion, and oh yeah, refrain from killing himself in the process.

I knew going in that reading this would not be pleasant. Cal just wants to fucking die, but he's holding it together for Niko and Robin. His Niko and Robin, because the eight-years younger versions just aren't quite the same. It really reminded me of what Niko went through when Cal had his bout of amnesia in Blackout: it was Cal, but not quite his Cal. A lot of the book was consumed with flashbacks, not just of the events leading up to the explosion, but also of past lives. There was a lot of introspection and angsting on Cal's part, and the fact that he managed to cling to his sanity was amazing. Cal did manage to give Niko some serious shit about his sex life, which was epically hilarious. However, Cal spent the majority of the book hurting (physically, mentally, emotionally) and exhausted, and my heart ached for him. I knew the story would end on a cliffhanger, and hell yeah, I'm bitter. I'm bitter, because the author wrote the sequel to this, but she never published it. My understanding is, she pulled the ultimate fandom flounce and refused to publish until people bought more of her other series of books. Sooooo, does she know what it means to "cut off your nose to spite your face"? Because that's exactly what she did. Not only did her fans deserve better, but her characters did, too. Perhaps even more so. Robyn Thurman, you officially suck.

Now, let's examine the illogical premise behind the story:( Meandering Middlings on Time Travel + Spoilers for the Series )

The only author I ever saw handle time-travel well was Dean Koontz in Lightning, in which it was only possible to travel into the future as it was not yet set. That makes far more sense than traveling back in time.

This story was an emotional minefield. Am I sorry I read it? Yes and no. I'm going to soothe my pique and my psyche by clinging to my belief that the events in Thurman's short story, "Impossible Monsters", took place after Everwar, the unpublished 11th book in the series. That being the case, I can then presume Cal saved the day. Hell, he told Ishiah in that story, "I saved the world, saved your life, saved everyone you ever knew or will know." Bet you didn't think of that either, when you wrote/published "Impossible Monsters", did you, Rob Thurman? Hah! That sucking sound coming from Indiana is still you, though.

( Favorite lines )

This one had my feelings all over the place: angst, genuine laughter, despair, hope, and yeah, some teeth-grinding anger at the author for the shabby way she left her characters hanging while she held them hostage (and continues to do so, it seems) in an effort to force readers to buy her other books. That's okay. Have your titty tantrum, bitch. We have fanfic. Hah!

I'll be generous and give this a four.

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Current Mood: cynical

I bought an anthology called Shadowed Souls because it contained a short story by Rob Thurman in her "Cal Leandros" series. I read the story, 'Impossible Monsters' last night. Since it was a short, I'm not counting it among my books read, but I did want to review it.

The story was told in Cal's first-person point of view, as is much of the series. Here we have Cal thinking back about a human predator he encountered when he was a teen, as he's hunting the man down to eliminate him. The only other familiar character the reader encounters is Ishiah. I was disappointed that Niko only put in an appearance in Cal's memories, and Robin not at all.

I was so excited to have something new in the Cal verse to read, even just a short story, that I bought that entire book. Unfortunately, I found the story disappointing. Cal's "voice" seemed...off, almost as if someone other than Thurman wrote the story. Cal seemed colder, his trademark snarky sense of humor was all but missing, and he was utterly vicious in meting out what he perceived to be justice. Now, Cal is a killer, through and through, but he doesn't typically torture anyone or anything. He tortured this guy, and I didn't like it.

I've read the entire series through #9 - Downfall, and I thought that Rafferty had "re-set" Cal so that he was back to being half-and-half (half human, half Auphe). The caveat being Cal would be able to Gate, and his eyes would still turn red from time to time, but in this story, he still had his Auphe teeth. I may have missed something by shying away from reading the 10th (and final) book in the series, but I'm still bitter that what was MEANT to be the final book in the series was never published. I'm reluctant to read Nevermore, knowing it ends without any overall resolution. Le sigh. However, this short story was copyrighted in 2016, while Nevermore was published in 2015. Dare I hope that means Thurman wrote 'Impossible Monsters' after she'd written Everwar (the unpublished 11th book)? Hmmm...

Favorite line: Sometimes it worked and sometimes it failed. Other times it failed spectacularly.

Again, this didn't seem like the Cal I've come to know and love, and I was disheartened reading the story. Giving it two stars. I may read the rest of the stories in the book some day, but not today.

cal

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Current Mood: disappointed

Downfall by Rob Thurman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Over the course of approximately 24 hours, I read Downfall, which is the 9th installment in Rob Thurman's "Cal Leandros" series. This time, the story is told in the alternating, first-person points of view of both Cal and Robin. Getting Robin's take on things was interesting and eye-opening.

Cal and Niko Leandros have met and outmatched every awful thing that life and the Auphe have thrown at them...except for Grimm--another half-Auphe who wants Cal to join in play time. At the moment, however, Cal is unable to gate, thanks to his battle with Spring-Heeled Jack. It may make him less Auphe on the inside, but on the outside he is becoming more and more Auphe. Cal's hair is turning white, his eyes are becoming red, and he's even gaining some of the natural weapons of the Auphe. Unfortunately, it's not only Grimm who's coming after Cal. The Vigil, a group of humans who want to make very sure that the rest of humanity has no idea that monsters exist, has decided that Cal is an out-of-control liability. They are now gunning for him, literally. Things seem pretty bleak, but Robin Goodfellow, the ultimate Trickster, is determined not to lose Cal and Niko at so young an age this time around, no matter how many bribes, cons, and tricks it takes. If he also has to con and trick the Leandros brothers to accomplish that, so be it. What they don't know won't hurt them, but it may save their lives.

Most of this book was bleak. Cal is horrified by the physical changes he's undergoing, mainly because he doesn't want Niko to recoil from him. Robin is pulling out all the stops, and throughout the narrative, he is thinking about Cal and Niko's past lives and how he failed to save them time after time. Niko is alarmed by the changes in Cal, but he's determined to stick with him no matter what. As for Grimm, he has some tricks of his own up his sleeve, but even he may be no match for Robin Goodfellow--born of the First.

There was a lot to like about this story:( Spoilers )

There was also a lot I didn't like about this story:( Spoilers )

( Favorite Lines )

Overall, it was as enjoyable and engrossing as the others in the series, but I was dismayed that Niko almost faded into the background. Some things seemed forced, including the tidy ending. It read like it should have been the end of the series. Now I am faced with a dilemma: There is a final book the author published. Note I said "published". She wrote two more, but only published the first of them. It's my understanding that one ends on a hell of a cliffie. *wibbles*

I hate to do it, but I'm giving this book a mere, average rating: 3 stars.

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Current Mood: indifferent

Slashback by Rob Thurman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Since I didn't have to work today (government holiday, for the win!) I used my day off to read Slashback, which is the 8th book in Rob Thurman's "Cal Leandros" series. Lest you think I didn't read any Cal books last month, hah! I spent most of October skim-reading the previous seven. Again. Yes, I am addicted. Moving on...

Before Cal and Niko made monster killing their livelihood, they were nearly victims of a human monster--a serial killer. They survived that encounter, but the killer didn't. What they didn't know was the man had been the protege of a malevolent, supernatural killer, the legendary Spring-Heeled Jack. Now Jack has arrived in NYC, and he is gunning for the Leandros brothers. It takes awhile before Niko, Cal, and Robin figure out this current killer is the same as the one of yore, and even longer to realize they locked horns with him once before, if only via his underling. In the meantime, they are trying to flush their quarry out, with disastrous results. It's going to take a combination of grits, guns, and guts to put this monster down, and the Leandros brothers may also need the help of the angels...if angels actually exist.

Whew, okay. "Fast-paced" doesn't begin to cover it. The story is told in alternating povs again, but this time, Niko's point of view is from twelve years ago, when he was fifteen and Cal eleven. It's the recounting of their encounter with the serial killer. Cal's pov is from the present, as he and Nik and Robin seek to identify and eliminate Jack. In spite of the subject matter (and the fact that Cal and Niko got their asses handed to them more than once) this was probably the most humorous book in the series. I lost count of how many times I said aloud, "Poor Niko!" and then laughed. You couldn't help but feel sorry for a teenage Nik having to deal with a snotty, sarcastic, snarky tween brother. Promise was not as prevalent in this story, but when she was, she tweaked Cal's tail but good, which, while hilarious, seemed somewhat out of character for her. Ishiah was more prevalent, and we finally learn his true nature (and that of all peris).

Other things I enjoyed...( Spoiler Alert! )

Characterizations were stellar, the narrative was pell-mell-er (hee!), fight scenes were exciting and violent, there was the humor interwoven to balance it out, and the emotions were heartening and heart-wrenching all at once. Niko has always taken care of Cal, but now Cal is stepping up more and more to take care of Niko, and he doesn't care if that means letting his inner-Auphe off the leash. The only thing that allows him to rein it in at all is his love for Niko.

( Favorite lines )

Engrossing, entertaining, emotional, exceptional! Five stars!

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Current Mood: happy

Doubletake by Rob Thurman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I took Friday off work, just for the hell of it, and I spent most of the day reading Doubletake, which is the 7th part of Rob Thurman's "Cal Leandros" series. Main character, of course, is our favorite snarky half-Auphe, Caliban "Cal" Leandros. Note that I mentioned he's our favorite; this becomes important later. Foreshadowing!

Family is a bitch, and no one knows that better than Cal. He's one-half of a monster so horrific that all other supernaturals live(d) in fear of it. This time around, however, it's his brother, Niko, who is feeling the familial pain when his previously absent father shows up, needing a big favor. Cal takes an immediate dislike to Emilian Kalakos, but he steps aside to let Niko handle the situation as he sees fit. In the meantime, Robin Goodfellow, the puck of legend and a friend to Cal and Niko, has his own family issues to deal with. The entirety of his race is descending on NYC for their once-in-a-millennium reunion. The gathering is called, appropriately enough, the Panic. Every other non-human has the sense to leave town, which means that Robin has only Cal and Niko to call on in order to serve as bartenders/security for the Panic.

The Panic and Kalakos would be enough of a headache, but Cal is also confronted by family--another half-Auphe who is keenly interested in seeing which of them is the better monster. Cal must play along to keep his family and friends safe, even if it means shedding more of his own humanity to do so.

Let me just say this upfront: Enough. I am growing weary of the Auphe. Cal (and the readers) deserve respite. In book 1, the Auphe were destroyed. In book 2, oh hey, some of them managed to survive. In book 4, the rest of the Auphe were destroyed. Yay! In book 6, Cal learns there are other halfbreeds, so he finds them, caged and insane, and delivers a quick coup de grace. Phew! Now, here we are in book 7, and, oh no, there's another evil half-Auphe out there. Better yet, he's found the perfect source of "broodmares", and he's amassing his own, diluted Auphe army. *head desk*

That's not the only thing that bothered me; my Logic Brain kicked in once again to ruin a good story. ( Here be Spoilers )

I wish authors wouldn't forget their own plot devices or, as may be the case, simply choose to ignore what they'd laid out in earlier books. It would be like JK Rowling having Harry Potter Apparating in and out of Hogwarts, even though she'd earlier specified no one could do such a thing. I dunno. Not happy about the never-fucking-ending saga of the Auphe.

Okay. All of that aside, I did enjoy the book. How could I not? It's Cal and Niko and Robin! Again, I would have loved to get some of this in Niko's point of view. He was keeping it together rather well but for a marked increase in cursing. Even Cal was impressed. Ha ha! We learned more about Robin, and it was funny to find out that he'd foisted three of his mummified cats off on Promise...and that Promise was unable to evict them from her penthouse because they were too fast for her to catch. LOL! Cal and Niko are still as devoted to one another as ever, maybe even more so in the face of family neither one ever wanted to meet. The plot caromed along at a frenzied pace, and there were some stunning twists and surprises.

( Favorite lines )

This was as exciting, entertaining, and enthralling as every other book in the series, but I'm knocking one star off (Auphe?) for the lather-rinse-repeat of Cal's heritage coming to bite him in the ass. AGAIN. Four stars.

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Current Mood: cheerful

Blackout by Rob Thurman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I spent my day off knocking back Blackout, which is book # 6 in the Cal Leandros series by Rob Thurman. I'd been a tad reluctant to read it, because I knew it involved Cal losing his memory, and I have to say, ye olde "amnesia trope" is one I do not care for. At all.

When Cal wakes up alone on a beach, surrounded by the dead bodies of monsters, he has no idea where he is nor who he is. From the evidence surrounding him (and the weapons he's carrying), he can tell he's a monster hunter, but beyond that...nada. Cal hoofs it into town and does his best to assimilate as he tries to remember. Four days later, a man claiming to be his brother comes for him and takes Cal back to NYC. There, Cal learns that he and his brother are both monster hunters, which suits him just fine. Monsters are evil and need to be killed, right? In the meantime, some of the monsters he encounters seem confused by him, leading Cal to believe that people are keeping secrets from him. What Cal doesn't yet realize is that the biggest secret is his own monster heritage, and that it may be the only thing that can save the city when a would-be goddess arrives to drain the local Wolves and vampires.

As mentioned, I really don't like amnesia as a plot-device. It's far too soap-opera-y. However, the author made it work in this book. We get to see what Cal might have been like, had he been born fully human. Worse, Niko gets to see what Cal would have been like, and it leads to him making some less-than-honorable decisions where Cal is concerned. While Nik is desperate to have his brother back, he's also reluctant to burst this new Cal's happy little bubble. Of course, Niko's machinations are no match for Cal's Auphe half, which begins to reassert itself as time goes on. The story did have some humor in it, from Cal getting drunk (which he never would have done in his right mind) and singing with Robin in a bar, to him dragging Niko next door to the bar and insisting his brother get a tattoo. Niko, bless him, allowed it, although he nixed Cal's first suggestion of a "Bros before Hos" tat. Ha ha! A fun, fast read that managed to be melancholy and uplifting both.

( Favorite lines )

Now, this is certainly an instance where I would have loved to get some of the story in Niko's point of view. I felt bad for him, dealing with a Cal who wasn't quite his Cal, but I don't think it excused what he did to keep his brother happy and Auphe-free. I would have liked to get his reasoning, first-hand. Again, not a fan of amnesia-trope, but it certainly made for a different story in this series. Five stars.

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Current Mood: calm

Roadkill by Rob Thurman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I cracked and picked up Roadkill on Friday evening and finished it this morning. It's the fifth book in Rob Thurman's "Cal Leandros" urban fantasy series. Once again told in alternating first-person points of view, although this time, aside from Cal, there were some chapters written in Catcher's pov. Catcher is the werewolf cousin of healer Rafferty and he is stuck in his wolf form.

Cal is horrified and dismayed when his brother Niko agrees to meet with the Rom queen whose machinations nearly got Nik killed once before. It seems Abelia Roo needs a favor--someone has stolen a coffin from her clan, one that contains an anti-healer who makes the Pestilence version of the Four Horsemen seem like a mutton-bustin' toddler. Reluctantly, the brothers take the case, but it involves hitting the road to track down the thief who stole Suyolak, coffin and all. Coming along for the ride: Robin (whose main squeeze, Ishiah, wants him to try monogamy for a change), Salome (Robin's lethal, mummified cat), Delilah (Cal's main squeeze, who may or may not be planning to kill him), healer Rafferty (who saved Cal's life when Niko tried to kill him), and Catcher (Rafferty's all-wolf cousin). Only Promise (Niko's main squeeze) seems to have had the sense to sit this one out.

On a race against the clock, Cal and company are desperately trying to catch up to Suyolak. The seals on the coffin are failing, unleashing death and destruction in his wake. There are also some monsters to deal with along the way, not the least of which is Cal himself. The ease with which he can now open gates and travel through them is bringing his Auphe half to the fore, and as far as Cal is concerned, it feels good.

Mercy. Okay. To begin with, I can safely say this has been my least favorite book in the series so far. Fight scenes were not as prevalent, and I didn't like seeing Cal go off the rails. At his lowest point, he seriously contemplated killing his brother--the only person in the world he loves and trusts. I suppose that's what addiction can do to you, however, and Cal was definitely getting addicted to the high of being (half)Auphe. Catcher's pov seemed an odd choice, but it helped to get his perspective on his situation. He knew he was losing his human self to the wolf and that Rafferty couldn't fix him. In a way, it mirrored Cal's descent into his demonic half. This time, I really would have liked to get Niko's pov. What torture it must have been for him to see and feel Cal slipping through his fingers--the brother he's spent nearly his entire life protecting. It was a melancholy and at times depressing read. Rafferty was wallowing in self-recrimination as he blamed himself for Catcher's state, Robin was wallowing in woe as he sought to remain faithful to Ish, Niko was growing despondent as he watched Cal unravel, Catcher was fighting to hang on to his humanity for Rafferty, not for himself, while Cal (and Delilah to some extent) watched the world burn. I think only Salome had a good time.

( Favorite lines )

This one earns a four. Don't get me wrong, I loved it; I just didn't enjoy it as much as the others in the series.

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Current Mood: hot
Current Music: Live Coverage: Tracking Ida

Deathwish by Rob Thurman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Knocked back Deathwish in one day. It's the 4th book in Rob Thurman's "Cal Leandros" urban fantasy series. This time, Cal shared the 'main character' spotlight with his brother, Niko. The story was told in first-person point of view, but it alternated between them. It was...odd. Interesting, but odd. I'd wished, after reading the first book, that we could have seen some of this from Niko's pov, but the reality was...odd. In Cal's eyes, Niko is an infallible hero, and that comes through when he's telling a story. But Niko is far less kind to himself, although I enjoyed his unwavering faith in Cal.

Niko's vampire girlfriend, Promise, introduces the brothers to another vampire, Seamus, who wants to hire them to find out who's been following him. It should be a simple enough job, but things get complicated when Promise's daughter, Cherish, bursts onto the scene bringing her own drama with her. Worse yet, Niko had no idea Promise had a daughter, and truth and trust are incredibly important to him. Compounding the problem is that Cherish's brand of drama involves a pissed off immortal who wants to kill her. When Seamus turns up dead (as in, missing his head dead), it seems that Niko and Cal can concentrate on pulling Cherish's chestnuts out of the fire. The only problem is, Cal's other family is back, and they are hellbent on revenge. They have plans for Cal, but first they want him to suffer through seeing everyone he loves die, and they'll stop at nothing to accomplish their goal.

Hoo, boy. This one was one helluva rollercoaster ride. Cal and Niko got so little downtime that I was exhausted just from reading about it. The alternating povs was a tad jarring, but it was refreshing in its way. It was touching to learn just how utterly devoted Cal and Niko are to one another. We've always known it, from the first book, but seeing things from Niko's perspective was sobering and uplifting at the same time. Certain scenes had my stomach in absolute knots. Fortunately, there was plenty of Robin screen time to add some humor. In addition to Robin, we got to see more of Ishiah and finally learn why the two of them were at one another's throat so often. *cough*UST*cough* Unfortunately, that sort of popped my little Robin/Niko bubble, but so be it; I can always dream. :D

Fight scenes were frequent and violent, and both Cal and Niko were badly injured at times. There were some astonishing twists and sweet retribution, and maybe (hopefully) an end to Cal's endless torment. Characters were magnificent, from the heroes to the villains and everyone in between. Amazing story!

( Favorite lines )

Well, that was fun, but I think I'm going to actually try to read something a little more lite to cleanse my palate. That's the plan, at least. We'll see how successful I am. Oh, and yes, this one gets 5 stars! As if you had to ask...

cal

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Current Mood: drained
Current Music: Live Coverage: Tracking Henri

Madhouse by Rob Thurman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Not even a week went by, and I cracked and gobbled up book three in the "Cal Leandros" urban fantasy series, by Rob Thurman. This one was appropriately titled Madhouse. As in the previous books, this is told in first-person point of view from our favorite snarky half-Auphe.

When vampire Promise brings a potential case to Cal and Niko's attention, none of them could have foreseen the nightmare they would be stepping into. An exhibit featuring serial killers at the Met is short one killer when the infamous cannibal, Sawney Beane, is resurrected from his ashes and escapes into the city. With all of New York for a hunting ground, pickings are great for a monster of Sawney's caliber. Niko and Cal hadn't meant to get in so deep, but there's no one better qualified in the city than they are to take care of the problem. Sawney, however, is only one of their problems. Cal's newfound ability to create gates is exacting a heavy toll, someone is out to kill Robin Goodfellow, Cal is still angsting over Georgina, and there's that matter of his pesky virginity. The brothers have one another's back, and this time, they have Robin's too. Cal is making friends, and he doesn't like it.

Holy shit, what a punch to the gut this one was. More gory and violent than the first two books (if you can imagine), more fraught with emotion (to Caliban's immense horror), and just...wow. I knocked this back in two evenings. Could have done it in one if I'd wanted to short myself about two hours of sleep. I refrained. We get to see more of Robin and Promise, along with an interesting character from Robin's past. Niko is his usual Zen ninja self, and poor Cal is just so flawed and damaged, but he keeps on keepin' on. The author could have almost split the two main plot points into two separate books (More Cal books? Yes please!), but each helped move the story along. I am proud of myself for figuring out who was behind Robin's misfortunes, long before even brainiac Niko did, although he provided the clue. Sawney was a force of nature, and poor Cal and Niko kept getting their asses handed to them each time they tried to take him on. If ever any mad monster needed to be eliminated, it was Sawney. Guh.

Favorite lines:
♦ Niko Leandros: As brothers went, he was a good one, despite a horrifying obsession with health food, meditation, and things generally not revolving around pizza and beer. But we all have our crosses to bear. Mine was to be smacked when I wasn't with the program and his was to be over-educated, as self-aware as the Dalai Lama, and to keep my ass alive. Poor bastard.
♦ "I keep telling you, if you'd go with the whole trophy boyfriend thing, life would be a lot easier."
Is it wrong that when Cal said that, I thought at first he meant Niko should take on Robin as a boyfriend...only to realize he meant Niko should set himself up as Promise's trophy boyfriend? Damn it, Cal. You're letting me down, here.
♦ Niko was a teacher's assistant at NYU (pity the kid who walked in late to one of his classes - decapitation is a big deterrent for tardiness).
( Cutting the rest, because yes, I quoted the whole damned book )

This was my least favorite of the series I've read thus far. Don't get me wrong; it was magnificent, but rife with angst. My heart broke for Cal. Still awarding this one five stars.

cal

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Current Mood: tired

Moonshine by Rob Thurman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After reading Nightlife by Rob Thurman and becoming wholly obsessed with it, I went to Amazon and snapped up the other nine books in the "Cal Leandros" series. All at once. I had to have them. Once I received the second book in the series I was like Gollum from LotR: "My precious!" I then dived face-first into Moonshine and knocked it back in two nights. And believe me, the thought flitted through my mind to call in sick the following day just so I could read it cover to cover as soon as my precious was in my hot little hands. I refrained. Barely.

Moonshine picks up a few months after Nightlife. Having defeated the Auphe, Cal and his ninja-like brother, Niko, have gone into business for themselves as bodyguards/detectives/jacks of all trades for the supernatural element in New York. The vampire, Promise, has signed on as a financial backer and third partner, while Robin, the puck, has maintained a friendship with the brothers. A lucrative assignment lands in their laps when a werewolf crime lord wants proof that a rival is trying to undercut him so that he's justified in taking his rival out. What should have been a simple job for a lot of money becomes extremely complicated when Cal and Niko learn they've been set up. They are caught up in the midst of double-and-triple crosses, and at the heart of it is an arcane object that someone covets very badly...enough to abduct Georgina, the young psychic who owns more of Cal's heart than he wants to allow. Cal will stop at nothing to save George, even if he must embrace his dark side to do so.

Wowzers, this book didn't let up. Since Niko is fully human, he was unable to move in the same circles that Cal could; thus, we got to see Cal shouldering more of the load. We also got to see much more of Promise (although I am sticking to my guns with the assertion that Robin is a better match for Niko, hah!), and we were introduced to new creatures. The author had a different take on werewolves, which was at turns refreshing, interesting, and repulsive. Fight scenes were violent and gory, and the tension throughout the book kept me on tenterhooks. It was a struggle not to cheat by flipping to the back! Characterizations were incredibly well-done, even extending to the minor ones (I was especially in awe of the complexity of Flay's character), and the author's world-building is top-notch. What really makes these books shine for me, however, is the relationship between Cal and Niko. Not only would they kill for one another, but each of them would die for the other, no questions asked. Cal's narrative voice is snarky and sarcastic, and provided some humor in what was otherwise a hell on wheels type of story. Love it!

Favorite lines:
* Poor bastard, he'd missed his ride to the Island of Misfit Toys.
* "Honk. Honk," Niko said with the utmost gravity. Picture it if you will. One of the most lethal fighters in the tristate area, a man who in the game of kill-or-be-killed was solidly king of the former category, and he was honking. Honking. Jesus.
* I could slay monsters with the best of them, but cooking usually managed to turn the tables on me in culinary smackdowns that left the kitchen unusable for days.
* Imminent death and destruction were no excuse for a wasted mind, he would say. Really, he would actually say that.
( The rest under a cut, because I wanted to quote the entire book )

In summation, a gut-wrenching, heart-tugging read, and I need to refrain from grabbing the next one in the series. Five stars!

cal

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Current Mood: indescribable
Current Music: Ghost Adventures

Nightlife by Rob Thurman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I brought my office book home last night to finish it. The book was Nightlife by Rob Thurman, and it's the first in the "Cal Leandros" urban fantasy series. The story is told in first-person pov by Cal...for the most part. Foreshadowing, dun dun dun!

Monsters live among us, and Cal would know. He is one. His mother was human, but his father was the stuff of nightmares. For the past four years, Cal and his older brother, Niko, have been on the run, trying to stay a step ahead of the monsters who will stop at nothing to reclaim Cal. Unfortunately, they can only run for so long, and Cal's past catches up to him in New York, where he learns he alone holds the key for an ancient, demonic race to take over the world. Cal has no intention of assisting them, but the choice is wrested from him when he is possessed by a male banshee, called the Darkling, who is working in conjunction with the Auphe to unleash hell on earth. Niko, however, will stop at nothing to get Cal back.

This book has been languishing on my shelf for about 15 years. There were times I almost purged it along with other books to be donated, but for some reason I hung onto it. Wow, am I glad I kept it! Reading it was a bit of a departure for me. I love urban fantasy, but I typically read about female protagonists. While it took me awhile to get into this (not helping that I only had about 20 minutes during my lunch hours to read it at all), once the story reeled me in, it had me utterly hooked. It wasn't enjoyable in the sense that a fun read is, but it was so compelling that I had to force myself not to drag it home sooner to finish.

Cal is a typical surly, lazy teenager who enjoys pestering Niko and twanging Nik's last nerve. Cal may have been the main character, but Niko could have starred as the hero in any other story. Although they are only half-brothers, he has been taking care of Cal most of his life. Niko is a warrior, proficient at martial arts and an accomplished swordsman. He's sacrificed everything for Cal and seems to think nothing of it. I would have loved to have read some of this in his point of view. The only allies the brothers have is a pretty young psychic (whom Cal admires), a lovely vampire (whom Niko admires), and Robin Goodfellow, the pan or puck of legend that Cal and Niko meet while shopping for a used car. He turned out to be the most staunch ally they had.

The lone low-point for me was ( Spoiler! )

Favorite lines:
♦ Niko was such a Boy Scout, albeit one with a lethal turn and a Merit Badge in deadly weapons.
♦ "You know all good little ninjas should be in bed, visions of homicidal sugarplums dancing in their heads."
♦ I didn't comment on the large knife he slid under his pillow. We all have our security blankets in this world. Some are just sharper than others.
( More under the cut )

The story was fast-paced, heart-stopping, violent and glorious. I regret that I didn't read it sooner, and you can bet I'll be snapping up the other books in the series. Five stars!

( Ship-middling under the cut; don't bother if you're not into shipping )

cal

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