Review: Shadows before the Sun - Kelly Gay

Shadows Before the Sun

After filling out mountains of paperwork, Detective Charlie Madigan sets out for a death-defying trip into heavenly Elysia to rescue her partner Hank and bring the siren home. Of course, she doesn’t expect to leave behind an all out siren revolution or return home to find that jinn crime boss, Grigori Tennin, has begun a massive search for the divine being, Ahkneri. Tennin’s tactics set off a chain reaction that puts Charlie in the crosshairs of the shadowy creature known as Death and awakens Ahkneri from her long sleep. And when Vengeance rises, Atlanta will never be the same.

My thoughts:

I have waited and waited for this book. For those who read the previous book you know what I mean. The way it ended broke me and made me crave this one badly, and madly.

I finished the book in a day because I could not put it down. Charlie was going to Elysia to find Hank and those evil bitches who put him back in a hellish jail. Elysia is what heaven is supposed to be but in the Siren city heaven is not what I think of. But Charlie will get an ally, I can't say who, but someone comes.

Through out the whole book the only thing I could think of was Hank, Hank Hank! Sure I liked him before, but now, now I felt it. They need to be together, they must be together. But will they?

Most of the book takes place in Elysia and I liked that. It did give the book another tone and it was nice for a change. Just like we visited the hell world in the last book.

Where was I? Am I rambling again? I think so. There is just so much to say. I like the world. A world where humans found ways to visit "Hell" and "Heaven" and found out that monsters and Gods were really those beings from the other worlds visiting. A city in eternal darkness, and a main character who has been experimented upon. And therefore she has cool weird powers. And those powers come out to play again as she meets Death. And Death is not nice.

Another great book in the series and I want more. I love Charlie and Hank. Rex! And everyone else.

Conclusion:

Start this series now!

Cover:
Cool

Series: Charlie Madigan #4
Genre: urban fantasy
Pages: 335
Published: July 2012 by Pocket Books
Source: own

Review: The Hour of Dust and Ashes - Kelly Gay

Series: Charlie Madigan #3
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 324
Published: August 2011
Publisher: Pocket
Source: My own

To save her sister, she must stop a silent killer. . . .

Protecting Atlanta from the off-world criminals of Underground is tough enough, but now Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner, Hank, learn that the addicts of the offworld drug ash have begun taking their own lives. Ash makes humans the perfect vessels for possession, and something or someone is leading them to their deaths. Charlie is desperate to save her addicted sister, Bryn, from a similar fate. As New Year’s Eve approaches and time runs out, Charlie makes a deadly bargain with an ancient race of beings and embarks on a dangerous journey into hellish Charbydon with Hank and the Revenant Rex to save Bryn and make it back before it’s too late. Only, for one of them, coming home means facing a fate worse than death. . . .

My thoughts:

Omg, yes I have to start with a omg. This book has a nice little ending where the problems of the book are solved, but, the but is a big one. Then there is that one lose thread, that cliffhanger that makes me say that Kelly Gay is one evil woman, and please can I have book 4 now.

Atlanta is now covered in darkness after the events in book 2. Charlie is back and doing her job. Kick-ass as always,a  fiercely protective mother, and just nice. I like how she handled Rex, oh by the way, I am totally falling for Rex. I hope he stays just like that. A sweet guy. And now many would handle it like she did, when a spirit tookover her dead ex-husbands body.

Ok to the action, non stop, they are dealing with suicides (ash users), and since Bryn, Charlie's sister is on ash then she has to be guarded. Someone is pulling strings but who? She will also do something big to save her sister, and even go to hell. I must say I liked Charbydon, it sounds so scary and cool. But then that is "hell" should be like. So a lot of dangerous situations, monsters and that hint of romance. Yes I did not forget about that. Hank, her partner and Charlie has been sniffing around each other for a while now, and they still are. But the tensions are there and I just wish they do it already ;) But then he is just too good looking and can make a woman melt with the sound of his siren voice. I do get why she takes it slow. Oh Hank, damn, I am falling.

Then I am back at the end. I can't say anything but I want book 4 now because, because...well I can just say you would want it too. That book is going to be hell of a ride and I am pretty scared now what Kelly Gay will think of.

Conclusion:

A good book that had me reading and yes we all know what I thought about the end. I will need to buy that book at once when it comes out.

Rating:

Good

Cover:

Cool

Review: The Darkest Edge of Dawn - Kelly Gay

Charlie Madigan, 2

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 371
Published: August 2010

It takes a strong woman to keep the peace in a city of endless night. . . .

Deep beneath Underground, a cunning bid for power and revenge has begun—one that threatens to make Atlanta the new battleground in the ultimate confrontation between good and evil. The powers of hellish Charbydon have the upper hand after plunging the city into primordial night. And under the cover of darkness, a serial killer targets the most powerful Elysians in the city, the angelic Adonai. For Detective Charlie Madigan and her siren partner Hank, tracking deadly predators is all in a day’s work . . . but this case will test the limits of their strength and friendship as it draws them into a deadly world of power plays, ancient myths, explosive secrets, and a race against time that risks all that Charlie holds dear.

Plot:

There is a constant darkness over Atlanta, eternal night. Charlie is trying to understand her new powers, while hunting a serial killer, and dealing with her own life.

My thoughts:

I could go on and on how much I enjoyed this book, Kelly is an amazing author. She writes dark books, but still the book feels so light to read. I mean to save this book, since the next is out first in 8 months, but I could no longer fight it. I had to read it.

In this one she is dealing with the knowledge of what she had become, her sister is addicted to ash and sad, her ex is dead and a revenant has taken control over him and stays with them, and I do love Rex. Such a fun character. Then there is the hellhound in the backyard, such a  cutie. And her partner Hank, and oh now there is sexual tension between this that wants to explode. Nice, cos I needed some loving, but then he is a siren and that is what sirens do so she is confused.

Great plot as always, crazy angelic serial killer, that stalks her. More plans that has to do with Elysia and Charbydon, action, and just everything that made me unable to put this book down.

Great characters, and I love that it ends with an ending. Sure there is the big we promise more, but it does nto end with an cliffhanger. So I wont go crazy waiting for the next book, I will just go crazy cos I want it now because she is such a good writer.

Very happy with this book, it delivered just what I wanted and more.

Recommendation and final thoughts:

Yes, of course I recommend this series. It is a stay up late reading book. Just my kind of UF and I will be waiting for the next one and hoping that one rocks too. So go read it now.

Cover:

Very kick-ass.

Reason for reading:

They are awesome!

Review: The Better Part of Darkness - Kelly Gay

Charlie Madigan 1

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 394
Published: 2009

Atlanta: it's the promised city for the off-worlders, foreigners from the alternate dimensions of heaven-like Elysia and hell-like Charbydon. Some bring good works and miracles. And some bring unimaginable evil....

Charlie Madigan is a divorced mother of one, and a kick-ass cop trained to take down the toughest human and off-world criminals. She's recently returned from the dead after a brutal attack, an unexplained revival that has left her plagued by ruthless nightmares and random outbursts of strength that make doing her job for Atlanta P.D.'s Integration Task Force even harder. Since the Revelation, the criminal element in Underground Atlanta has grown, leaving Charlie and her partner Hank to keep the chaos to a dull roar. But now an insidious new danger is descending on her city with terrifying speed, threatening innocent lives: a deadly, off-world narcotic known as ash. Charlie is determined to uncover the source of ash before it targets another victim — but can she protect those she loves from a force more powerful than heaven and hell combined?

Plot:

It has been over 10 years since the big revelation, that there are two other dimensions, what we used to call heaven and hell. But things are not that easy and not everything is black and white. Charlie Madigan is a cop, and single mum. She works on a special task force together with her partner trying to keep the city clean because the off-worlders do not always play nice. She also died 8 months ago and something is wrong with her, but what? Someone is selling a bad drug to the people of Atlanta and she needs every help she can get to stop it.

My thoughts:

New favourite UF author :D Yes I really want to dive right into book 2 but will stop myself. I would just read it in a day in a crazy haze like I did with this one. It was just that good.

Charlie is one kick-ass woman, and kick-ass and UF is what I love. She is a tough cop, but she does have nightmares from her death, and she has a strange super strength. I was so very curious about what was up with her. She has a sexy partner (sadly no action there), an ex she has not forgiven and an itch to scratch. Sadly not a hint of romance, but ok I can deal with that, still I hope an interest comes along. There were some good maybes in this book, and I wonder if the author will go down one of those roads.

Good cast, her partner Hank, a siren, her sister Bryn who practices magic, her kid, some bad guys, aye the bad guys are always the best. they bring the tension, they are evil, and I liked one of them. not gonna tell who now ;)

There is magic, and all kinds of cool off-worlders, she kicks ass, and there is plenty of action. The book ends kind of nicely too. Now big cliffhanger that makes me scream in protest, but I do want to know what happens. Cos oh my the changes at the end! The next book will have a lot to deal with.

This book had me glued to it from start to finish. The punches kept on rolling and being as curious as I am I did not want to put it down. I needed to know what was up.

Final thoughts and recommendation.

Hell yeah, read it, this is one UF book you should have a look at. Excellent world building, great characters and a promise of such cool things to come. I would love to just start book 2 at once and just eat it up.

Reason for reading:

I did think it sounded good

Cover:

Is that a necklace she is wearing? Hm