Synopsis from Amazon:
Judah Black’s been assigned a new partner just in time to solve a grisly double homicide. Trying to navigate suddenly being the junior agent is bad enough. Figuring out who—or what—crushed a vampire and his prey to death before freezing them solid in the back room of a fae-owned nightclub might as well be impossible.
When one of the victims is identified as vampire royalty, vampire prince Crux Continelli declares a blood debt, vowing to punish the killer himself. But Crux’s brand of justice could spark violence between the fae and vampires.
Caught up in a struggle between two vampire factions, Judah races against time to bring a killer to justice before war breaks out. With her friends in the crosshairs, the stakes are even higher. If she fails this time, more than her job is on the line. Paint Rock and everyone she’s come to know and love could be next.>>>>>>>>>>>
My Review:
I'll
admit, it's been far too
long since I read a Judah Black novel.
Of
course, before this, I only read the one, Guilty By Association--but I
did read another E. A. Copen tale (Beasts of Babylon) and it was brilliant and spooky and
marvelous... but it wasn't Judah Black, and it only took cracking the
cover on this one and diving into the first couple chapters to remind
me how much I missed this enjoyable take on the whole "paranormal
investigator" (more like "defender of the supernatural",
actually!) type of novel.
The
beauty of sequels is that the really good
ones can make you feel
like you're picking up right where the last one left off, can give
you a whole new set of scenarios and challenges--and also take the
time to dive deeper into the characters to which you were only just
getting introduced the first time around. In the first book, we were
seeing a new person in crisis mode, a new environment with its fresh
set of rules, so there was a lot to take in, and even Judah herself
and her own past and her struggles might have gotten lost in the
allure of the new and exciting thrill ride that is those particular
scenarios at Paint Rock.
Now
that we've moved on into a second adventure, we are treated to more
and more of Judah's past--her pain, her regrets, the things that
stick with her through it all, the choices she made that led to the
circumstances under which we met her the first time around... Copen
presents it beautifully, with a raw vulnerability that has us coming
alongside Judah, rooting for her, empathizing with her in a very real
way. Some of it is obvious--especially when a past choice comes back
to haunt her and ties directly into the thing she's dealing with
now--but there are subtle moments, too... references to earlier
experiences that Judah carries with her, that extend far beyond the
bounds of the actual series itself. Paint Rock isn't just a
convenient fabricated backdrop for an exciting story featuring
werewolves, zombies, Fae, and vampires--it really feels more and more
like a real community, with its own unique rules, rhythms, and
overall vibe. It might not seem like much because it's not an entire
planet or nation like some fantasy concepts are wont to imagine--but
at the same time, Copen builds it well, so that it fits within the
real world, while becoming an honest-to-goodness location in its own
right.
Copen's
sequel does exactly what a sequel should do: build upon things that
were set out in the first novel, while also presenting a unique story
in its own right. It's because
there are things we
already know about the characters that we can delve deeper and
understand them more without a whole lot of extra explaining, or
taking things at face value--and the changes we see as the characters
have matured and evolved that lead us to be more thoroughly invested
in their struggles, and emotionally impacted when they start to
deteriorate. The sequel, too, paves the way for even more
possibilities of conflicts and struggles with adding in more
involvement with the Fae characters, namely an Irish-"sounding"
(at least, the way the lines are written kind of gives a certain "lilt"
to the mental voice I had running!) Elf character who shows promise
of being a recurring character in future books!
BLOOD
DEBT does
it all: hits the high marks, carries a well-rounded story, introduces
new characters to love and hate and everything-in-between, and
contributes to the ever-growing list of "What Makes Judah Black
So Freaking Awesome." I had my suspicions about the outcome
early on in the book--but that just means she played her cards and
laid out her clues just right, to lead us to the "correct"
conclusion, doesn't it? I still found the "twist" ending
immensely satisfying. Plus there's a sword duel between vampires at
one point, and that is definitely not
to
be missed!
I
give the book a solid *****5
STARS***** and
the series maintains its Upstream
Writer Certified Recommended endorsement.
The world of literature needs
more
vulnerable, insightful, loyal, and stalwart heroines like Judah
Black!
Further Reading: (Paranormal Investigations/Urban Fantasy Mysteries/Crime)
The Grave Reports--R. R. Virdi
-Grave Beginnings
-Grave Measures
-Grave Dealings
-Grave Beginnings
-Grave Measures
-Grave Dealings
Stories of Togas, Daggers And Magic--Assaph Mehr
-Murder in Absentia
-Murder in Absentia
The Runespells Series--Sarah Buhrman
-Too Wyrd
-Too Wyrd
Alexi Sokolsky: Hound of Eden--James Osiris Baldwin
-Burn Artist
-Blood Hound
-Burn Artist
-Blood Hound
Talented Series--Amy Hopkins
-A Drop of Dream
-A Dash of Fiend
-A Drop of Dream
-A Dash of Fiend
The LouisiAngel Series--C. L. Coffey
-Angel in Training
-Angel Eclipsed
-Angel Tormented
-Angel in Training
-Angel Eclipsed
-Angel Tormented
The Jill Andersen Series--J. D. Cunegan
-Bounty
-Blood Ties
-Behind the Badge
-Bounty
-Blood Ties
-Behind the Badge
The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow
-The Alcatraz Coup
-Jacq of Spades
-Queen of Diamonds
-The Alcatraz Coup
-Jacq of Spades
-Queen of Diamonds