07 June, 2012

Review - Darker Angels (Black Sun's Daughter #2) by M.L.N. Hanover

(source: www.scifiguy.ca)

Welcome to Urban Fantasy School

Here you will learn:

1) How to create a super cool, but smart-alecy heroine.

  • Also, learn to make a geeky hero/heroine seem cool.

2) How to create the best trampstamp (and incorporate it into the story seamlessly).

(very manly)

3) How to add a love interest to add just the right amount of sexy...if you didn't get enough with that trampstamp.

4) How to pose for the cover. In fact, if you want to specialize, author Jim C. Hines' has a masters program.


5) How to end all threads but possibly one. Gotta keep 'em coming back...for at least 20 more books!

6) Third person, second person, omniscience? Never heard of them, and you won't need them either!

Also, check out out our college of one-liners! All we do is listen to this guy every day.



Review:

It wouldn't really be UF if it didn't have the components mentioned above would it? I think we can all admit that there's a certain formula to Urban Fantasy and I'm not even saying that's a bad thing. What I am saying, however, is that it's one of the reasons I'm not completely sold on it either, for the same reason I'm not sold on crime procedurals on TV.

I tend to prefer my fantasy of the epic style (which does NOT involve anything formulaic), but like I said in my review for the first book in this series, when I do read Urban Fantasy, this series has been perfect for that itch.

Darker Angels [US] [UK] [Kindle] is book two in MLN Hanover/Daniel Abraham's Urban Fantasy series, The Black Sun's Daughter. While I make fun (because it's so very easy), this series is a great one. This book takes up right after Unclean Spirits, where Jayné Heller and her crew of demon-fighters are busier than ever checking out all the properties Jayné inherited from her deceased uncle, Eric. They quickly get a job that leads them to New Orleans where the interesting concept of demons "riding" humans (essentially taking them over) is applied to the voodoo located in that area.

Being located in New Orleans, the author does an amazing job setting the seen of the city post-Katrina. Not that I have any experience in Louisiana, Hanover/Abraham presents the plight of the city's inhabitants after the destruction in a very real way while portraying the action and adventure that are actually the focus of the story. It was not only impressive, but I felt it helped me understand what people have had to go through since that time.

Jayné is a great urban fantasy heroine, smart but actually very unlike the list above in that she doesn't bat you over the head with one-liners that honestly get a tad old (I'm looking at you Harry). She's vulnerable and lacks confidence in herself, which I think is something we call all relate to. And most importantly, she's very real. On top of that, it's really hard not to like her. Darker Angels is definitely worth your time.

3.5 out of 5 Stars (Recommended)

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher

3 comments:

Melissa (My World...in words and pages) said...

This is as far as I've been able to get. Only because of time and review books. I have the next two here on the shelf to get to. I like this series as a fun easy UF read. Glad to see you liked it as well.

Bryce L. said...

Hi Melissa, it's been too long. I've been a bit selfish lately, studying for the bar is taking over my life.

But yes, great series. I'm taking a bit of a UF break, I can only take so much of that same organization at a time. It works, obviously, it just starts to drive me nuts after too many. :D

Unknown said...

Yeah, that's exactly why I haven't gone back to UF after reading two series in that subgenre. The formula gets old fast. It is kind of funny... you'd think that since it's fantasy people would get more creative with it! If anyone's looking for some "urban fantasy" that's not formulaic, check out Thieftaker by D.B. Jackson. I have't gotten around to reading it yet, but the premise sounds creative at least!