Review: Dark Descendant by Jenna Black

Title: Dark Descendant
Author: Jenna Black
Series: Descendant #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: April 26, 2011
Publisher: Pocket
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Bought
Blurb:

Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can’t die. . . .

Crazy as it sounds, Nikki’s manhunting skills are literally god-given. She’s a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki’s new “friends” include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she’s a spy.

But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal battle of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she’ll surrender without a fight, the gods must be crazy. . .

I love reading books that have mythology in them, especially greek mythology so I was really excited when I finally got this book in the mail.

Usually heroines in urban fantasy series are powerful, they know what they want and they go after it. Nikki is not that kind of heroine, which made me like her a lot. She has been forced into the dangerous and cruel world of the descendants of the gods and she's trying to survive the best she can. I liked that she was smart and especially that she wasn't naive. She didn't trust anyone for the most part of the book but she also wasn't afraid to show that she cared about what happened to the people around her (she calls herself a bleeding heart).

It was surprising that there really wasn't a love interest for Nikki and I really hope that gets explored in the next book.

The other descendants were interesting but I would have liked to get to know them better or at least see what kind of abilities they got (we only really get to see three descendants in action).

As for the worlbuilding, there wasn't much of it and the bits we get aren't really expanded. I liked the mythology but I would have prefered to learn more about both clans of descendants and why they became what they are.

Anyway, this was a very satisfying and entertaining read with a unique type of heroine and I really can't wait to read the next one.


Memorable Lines:
One moment, I was staring down the barrel of my gun trying to work up the nerve to pull the trigger, the next, I wanted to fling the gun to the ground and tear off my clothes. I had only an instant to realize what was happening before I was under his spell, but that was enough.

Desperation gave me the will I needed, and my finger squeezed the trigger.

Next Book:
2. Untitled (2012)

Rating:

Interview: Jenna Black

First of all, I want to thank Jenna for being here today. This interview mainly has questions about her latest released book, Glimmerglass and the next book of the series, Shadowspell.


A runaway girl discovers she has the unique power to enter the Land of Faerie and bring back magic in this fabulous start to a hot new young adult series.

Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her mother, an alcoholic, shows up at her voice recital drunk, Dana decides she's had enough of playing the role of her mother's keeper, so she packs her bags and travels to see her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the magical world of Faerie intersect. Dana is a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds. She has always known that her father is a big-deal Fae, but what she doesn't realise is that she could be the key to his rise to power. When she arrives in Avalon, Dana finds herself a pawn in the game of magical politics. Avalon is a place where both magic and technology work, and humans and Fae coexist in something resembling peace. How can she change the winds of fate, find a boyfriend, and make new friends when she's not sure who, if anyone, can be trusted.

Read my review of the book HERE.

This interview contains a few Glimmerglass spoilers.


- Do you have a specific time & place for writing?

I have an office, which is where I do almost all my writing. My office is a converted bonus room over the garage, and it's decorated in a gothic/medieval theme that makes it a special place to be. I have a dedicated computer that I use just for writing--I've stripped off all the games and other software so there's nothing on it but Word and Wordperfect. The fewer temptations/distractions, the better.

Generally, I write in the morning and the early- to mid-afternoon. I tend to write in sixty-ninety minute bursts, fitting my promotional activities--such as wrangling my inbox, and Twitter, and Facebook, and my website--in between.

- What do you do when you need to disconnect?

That changes a lot over time. I've recently taken up knitting, which is becoming my favorite way to relax at the moment. However, I must admit that I don't "disconnect" as often as I ought to. When I worked a "normal" day job, I had hours when I was in the office at work, and hours when I wasn't, with a clear distinction between them. Now that I'm a full-time writer and work from home, anytime can be work time for me. For instance, I'm working on this interview while I'm sitting at the spa getting a pedicure. I'm pretty sure that defeats the purpose of coming to the spa in the first place, but a couple of delays have put me way behind on my work, so I had to lessen the guilt of taking the "time off" for a pedicure by getting some work done.

- Which have been your favourite books of this year?

I'm not fond of picking "favorites," especially since I'm bound to forget some of them, but a few of the ones I've really enjoyed this year are RADIANT SHADOWS by Melissa Marr, WHITE CAT by Holly Black, and LOVER MINE, by JR Ward.

- If you could hang out with one of your characters, which one would you pick?

I suppose the character from my YA books I'd most like to hang out with would be Finn. I like the strong, silent type--seeing as I'm on the quiet side myself--and I think he and I would get along well. Plus, he'd be easy on the eyes, and he has hidden depths.

- What are you working on right now?

Right now, I'm working on the third Faeriewalker book. But I rarely end up working on only one project at a time. I'm expecting to get an edit letter for DARK DESCENDANT, the first book of my new adult urban fantasy series (coming out in May of next year) any minute now. And knowing Murphy's Law, I'll probably get page proofs for SHADOWSPELL on the same day.

- Why did you decide to write a YA book?

I didn't exactly decide to write a YA book--it just sort of happened that way. I came up with the idea of the city of Avalon as the one place the mortal world and Faerie intersect. At first, my plan was to write a paranormal romance series set in this world, but when I sat down to brainstorm plot ideas, nothing really leapt out at me. I then decided the world might be better suited to an urban fantasy story, but again, when I was in the brainstorming phase, I couldn't come up with anything I was truly excited to write about. Then the idea of writing about a teen girl running away from her alcoholic mother came to me, and suddenly the plot ideas came fast and furious. Something about Dana's character really leapt out at me and made me excited to write her story. And that's how I ended up writing YA.

- When is going to be the release date of Shadowspell?

SHADOWSPELL goes on sale on January 4, 2011.

- What can you tell us about it?

Dana gets a new adversary in the Erlking, who is the leader of the Wild Hunt (at least, of my version of the Wild Hunt). There's a lot of different mythology surrounding the Wild Hunt, which is sometimes associated with Faerie and sometimes not, but as with most of the mythology I have used for this series, I have taken a lot of liberties. My Wild Hunt is a group of supernatural huntsmen who work as the Faerie Queens' assassins. The Erlking and his Hunt may have come to Avalon to kill Dana, but it seems he might want something else entirely from Dana. And Dana's father may know more about the Erlking's goals than he's telling.

- Is Dana going to warm up to her father?

Yes and no. Their relationship is never going to be an easy one, because they came from such different worlds and have such different world views. Add the fact that she now has to deal with a parent who actually wields his parental authority, and they're bound to butt heads.

- One of my favourite characters was Keane. Are we going to find out more about him in the future?

Keane plays an important role in SHADOWSPELL, so yes, you'll definitely learn more about him.

- Also, is there a possible love triangle between Dana, Ethan and Keane?

It's possible. You never know. ;-)

- Are Dana's powers going to be explored in the next book?

Dana's attempts to learn about and control her magic--while keeping her abilities secret from everyone--is one of the major plot elements in SHADOWSPELL.


You can learn more about the author in her website: http://www.jennablack.com

Review: Glimmerglass by Jenna Black

Title: Glimmerglass
Author: Jenna Black
Series: Faeriewalker #1
Genre: YA
Release Date: May 25th, 2010
Blurb:

Dana Hathaway doesn't know it yet, but she's in big trouble. When her alcoholic mom shows up at her voice recital drunk, again, Dana decides she's had enough and runs away to find her mysterious father in Avalon: the only place on Earth where the regular, everyday world and the captivating, magical world of Faerie intersect. But from the moment Dana sets foot in Avalon, everything goes wrong, for it turns out she isn't just an ordinary teenage girl- she's a Faeriewalker, a rare individual who can travel between both worlds, and the only person who can bring magic into the human world and technology into Faerie.

Soon, Dana finds herself tangled up in a cutthroat game of Fae politics. Someone's trying to kill her, and everyone seems to want something from her, from her newfound friends and family to Ethan, the hot Fae guy Dana figures she'll never have a chance with… ... until she does. Caught between two worlds, Dana isn't sure where she'll ever fit in and who can be trusted, not to mention if her world will ever be normal again….

I've never been a big fan of faeries, but I read the blurb of this book and it sounded good, so I decided to give it a go. I'm so glad I did.

I liked Dana from the start. After all the problems her mother has given her, she kept going until she couldn't take it anymore, and even then, she worried about her mother. She's used to being the responsible person in her family, but when she arrives at Avalon, everything changes.

Her aunt locks her up, her father is in jail and 2 teens kidnap her from her aunt's cell. She has always been unnoticed, but suddenly everyone in Avalon wants something from her. When she realizes that Ethan, one of the teen fae that kidnapped/rescued her has been lying to her, she takes charge and decides to go with her father.

Seamus, Dana's father, is cold and manipulative, but it seems like he always tells her the truth (even though sometimes it isn't the whole truth). It was nice that they were awkward with each other and didn't know what to do with one another. I can't wait to see how the relationship evolves in future books.

I didn't much like Ethan. I could sense there was something fishy about him since the beginning, and even though he redeems himself, I don't trust him.
Kimber is Ethan's younger sister and the one who helped him kidnap Dana. She puts up a tough facade, but deep down she has a lot of insecurities. She was one of my favourite characters, and also one of the few friends Dana has. I loved seeing how competitive the siblings were with each other.

My favourite characters were without a doubt Finn, Dana's bodyguard and Keane, Dana's young trainer. Both of them are mysterious, lethal and have a good side hidden. I much prefer Keane as a love interest for Dana than Ethan. I guess there could be a love triangle at the horizon.

All in all, this was a great start of a series that has made me change my attitude toward faerie themed books. I can't wait to read what happens next.


Memorable Lines:

"Any chance you could give me a little breathing room?" I asked him as we left a silversmith's store. I'd have love to have taken more time looking at the jewelry, but Finn had made the shopkeeper so visible nervous I decided the only decent thing to do was get out.
Finn shook his head.
I frowned up at him. "Do you talk?" Maybe that was on the blunt side, but I was getting tired of his strong, silent-type act.
One corner of him mouth twitched, like he was suppressing a smile. "Only when necessary," he answered.


Next Book:
Shadowspell - 2011


Rating: