Lilith Saintcrow came into my life with her "Jill Kismet" series (which I'll be reviewing soon). Then I went and read her YA series, "Strange Angels", which she writes as Lili St. Crow. I really enjoyed her writing and decided to give this series a chance. Since the series was already over, I felt it would be nice to go through beginning, middle and ending in one reading, without having to wait months for each book. You guys probably know what I mean, right?
From GoodReads:
"Necromance-for-hire Dante Valentine is choosy about her jobs. Hot-tempered and with nerves of steel, she can raise the dead like nobody’s business. But one rainy Monday morning, everything goes straight to Hell.
The Devil hires Dante to eliminate a renegade demon: Vardimal Santino. In return, he will let her live. It’s an offer she can’t refuse.
There’s just one catch. How do you kill something that can’t die?"
Well, Dante's world is a very different from our own and the same at the same time. Her story takes place around 600 years in the future, where the "awakening" has happened. The "awakening" was when the world was finally clued in to the existence of Psions, who are humans with psychic talents, such as: Necromances, Shamans, Skinlin and so on..
After the "awakening", people were also aware of the existence of Vamps, Shifters and Demons. As well as the Devil, who is the main villain throughout the whole series.
Dante is a necromance, one of the best in the world, and she is also a bounty hunter that goes after psions that use their talents for crimes. She has had a harsh past, abandoned by her parents for being an "abomination", raised in a psions school and abused by the headmaster and lost people she loved at an early age. Dante is a broken woman in many ways, people that love her might be able to glue her together, but she is still broken and pieces just keep falling off.
Her world is a world of a very dark past and present. Psions are viewed as abomination by some normals and as a constant danger by others. They were treated as such right after the "awakening" and confined to Death Camps. This cruel period of time is reminiscent of the "Holocaust" and it is as usual, a very disturbing image to be had.
Besides the dark, there is also the technological aspect of the world. There are hovers, slicboards, Holograms and much more. Lilith has created a very interesting world and plenty lovable for any "Back to the Future" fan out there :P
Each book was a struggle on itself. Dante goes through unimaginable obstacles and difficulties and watching her was heartbreaking at times.
There is a love story in the series and it is a very unsual one. That story brought many questions in my head. The first one was: Is this Love or Obsession? - Because it is pretty hard to see the line between those two, it got extremely blurred a lot of the time.
I went through the first 3 books pretty quickly, however the 4th and 5th were a huge struggle for me. Despite liking Dante, she pissed me off many of times, by making a huge deal out of a situation and then getting over it easier than I would. Meaning that whenever she was over it, I wasn't and that made it hard for me to relate to the rest of it. The secondary characters are very interesting and many times much more likable than Dante. I cried for her, whenever she got even more broken and that made me connected to her.
Dante's story is full of betrayals, doubts, darkness, faith, lack of faith, pain, love, hurt and fighting. She a tough and dark character that I felt was interesting to follow, though she did get tiring at times.
I recommend this series if you are a Lilith Saintcrow fan and if you are ready for a read that not at all light.
My Rating:
The Dante Valentine Series:
(in the order they should be read)
Next I will review Strange Angels by Lilith's alter ego Lili St. Crow
Thanks for tuning in and see you soon!
Listening to: Michael Buble - Haven't met you yet
i really like ur review but i would never read this :P
I agree with your review. I had the same struggle. These first books were great but series got darker and darker from there on. It made me cry so much and it made me mad. Dante's decisions were so infuriating sometimes. And yes, is that really love? I kind of liked him at the beginning than I had to struggle too but Dante made such a big deal out of things that were just not soo bad. That's the way he is and she never really accepted that. I hope this is still coherent. Not so easy to comment when MiL sits beside me and talks non stop in German. *sigh*
Great review, lady! So, am I adding this to my TBR even though you only gave it three lovies?! Yes, yes I am... I could go for something that isn't too light. I need some darkness in my life ;]
Great review, but somehow L. Saintcrow is not my thing, I had her on my wishlist but I always bought other books instead, but I do need to change genres more, lately I have only read contemporary and historical, I am craving for something darker.
Thanks 4 the Love guys :)
@Marissa
I can understand that. She is the kind of author I wouldn't recommend to anyone, specially this series.
:)
I did read 'Working for the Devil', but was kind of jolted by the fact that it ended on a real bum note, and didn't really have an interest to read on.
I also read her YA book 'Strange Angels', but wasn't overly impressed. I think I'm really picky about my YA reads: it's hard to measure up to the likes of Melissa Marr, Rachel Caine & Richelle Mead. I'll probably read the 2nd book when it comes out though.
I can understand not feeling like continuing with it...
I liked her YA series and Im reading the 2nd book now... im reviewing bk1 tomorrow :)
though I do like Richelle Mead and Rachel Caine's books better :)