Heart of Venom
Ratings15
Average rating3.9
I wasn't too impressed with this latest book in the Elemental Assassin series. The dialogue, particularly that of the antagonists, was laughably cliché. The constant sound effects (crack! crack! crack! every time someone shot a gun) were distracting and annoying. Gin's strategy, especially at the end, didn't make any sense; actually, a lot about the final showdown defied logic.
I remember really liking this series, so either the earlier books didn't have these issues or I didn't notice them since I wasn't reading with the intent to rate and review. Or it could be that the series is too long running and like so many others, should have ended before reaching this point.
Overall, it was still enjoyable, but just barely, so I give it 2.5 stars.
Sophia, the goth dwarf who is the head cook at the Pork Pit, has been a bit of a puzzle throughout the Elemental Assassin series. How did she come to have the body disposal skills she uses to help Gin? Has she always been so diametrically opposed to her oh-so-feminine sister, JoJo? And what is the full story behind the trauma that ruined her voice? This book answers those questions.
We also get a little movement in the will-they-or-won't-they-reunite story of Gin and Owen, as well as a tiny bit of movement in the bigger story arc concerning Mab Monroe's heir. Thankfully, Finn is largely absent this time around. I find his whining about his clothes, cars, hair, etc. to be insufferable and cannot imagine what Bria sees in him, but there you go.
I feel like I should mention that this book gets brutal. I mean, if you've followed Gin Blanco this far, you aren't expecting flowers and rainbows, but I had to out this one down a couple of times. The details got to me. The descriptions were just too much, and the depravity of the villains was just too far out there. There haven't exactly been any shades of gray with previous bad guys, but I fully expected these to be roasting babies for dinner or some such.
It just occurred to me that I don't recall encountering any queer characters in this series. Or in any of Estep's other work. I've read several Bigtime novels, one or two of the Mythos Academy books, and everything she's published in this series, and everybody seems to be straight. Am I forgetting Something? How can an entire universe be heterosexual? Anybody?
