Jennifer Rardin (1965–2010)

And now I have Queen stuck in my head and I'm having flashbacks to the skating rink.

To the subject at hand: a great read! I was very uncertain about this book at the start; the plot about the body armour is just too sci-fi for me (that's where 1/2 star went). But the bulk of the story doesn't involve the body armour directly; it's a story about Jaz's redemption, Vayl's unrequited attachment to her (so far) and the Scooby Gang they acquired in the last book (and I mean Scooby Gang in the most complimentary way possible).

I think, overall, the actual structure the plot is built around is shaky at best. The plot is clear: they have to retrieve the armour. But the bad-guy/doomsday portion of the plot had me rolling my eyes a tiny, little bit. I chalk this up to personal preference: I lean towards preferring subtle machinations; these are more grandiose. Think James Bond with supernatural beings. But Bergman's gadgets? Very cool.

I mentioned this in my review of the first book, but I think it warrants a repeat: reports of the author committing suicide have completely altered the way I read her books, whether they are true or not. I can't help but read Jaz's struggles with death and separation as coming more directly from the voice of the author. The story is fun, funny, and entertaining, but there's a depth there now due to my altered perceptions going into the book that would have likely sailed clear over my head otherwise. Call me shallow, but I don't read books about vampires and CIA assassins expecting to have deeper themes leave a lasting impression on me after I've closed the cover.

I have book 3 on my pile and I'll be looking forward to starting it.

(This was a buddy read with Degrees of Affection and I thank her very much for motivating me to finally pick up this series!)… (mais)