I've heard Lilith Saintcrow mentioned in paranormal/urban fantasy circles for a while, and always with something close to awe. Since I'm working my way through a batch of new-to-me writers in this genre, I picked up her latest--Night Shift, the first in the Jill Kismet series--and gave it a whirl.
Short story: Wow.
Long story: Ms. Saintcrow is an accomplished writer, blending vivid, sensory descriptions with non-stop action and heart-tugging emotional conflicts. Her world-building is nearly flawless and there's enough meat in the story to keep even a gobble-a-book-a-day reader like me busy for a while. I was completely entranced and am adding Ms.Saintcrow to my list of must-read authors.
The few details that didn't quite work for me were basically more of a style preference, with the exception that I never learned the name of the city Jill protects. That bothered me because, description or no, I wanted a clear idea of where I was.
What I truly loved was Ms. Saintcrow's portrayal of Jill as working on the side of God while she fought awful aberrations spewed onto earth by the denizens of hell. It's rare to find an urban fantasy where faith in God is portrayed as good, and Jill's struggle to believe and rely on God while questioning if the actions she had to take would keep her from heaven added depth and emotion to a character I already loved.
I also enjoyed how Ms. Saintcrow's world swallowed me whole within the first chapter and never hit a false note. I can't wait to get my hands on book two!
Verdict: A must read for all urban fantasy/paranormal fans
I haven't read her stuff yet either, but I was looking for a new author to enjoy and if you like her, I probably will too.
ReplyDeleteIs this her first novel or does she have a backlist to read through if I like her?
I'm working on her Dante Valentine series.
ReplyDeleteHer blog is pretty awesome, too: www.lilithsaintcrow.com/journal
Book reviews. I voted for taht one. Cool.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've read her either so I'll have to check her out.
Mayberry - She has a nice solid backlist for us newbies to enjoy. I'll be working my way through it soon.
ReplyDeleteKerry - Yay! I'll have to check out her blog.
Anon - As always (well, as usual...oh, fine...SURPRISINGLY), I live to please.
Yes! I love Lilith Saintcrows books. It's action, action, action and really cool weird stuff going on.
ReplyDeleteI adore her books. LS made it onto the small list of authors I'll buy without question.
ReplyDeleteThe Dante Valentine series is one of my all-time favorites and though I haven't picked up the Jill Kismet series yet I'm sure it's just as good.
I did snag her newest book - Steelflower, but I haven't cracked it open yet. It's more fantasy-ish than UF from my understanding.
Katy
Katy - I didn't realize this wasn't her latest. Nice. I'll look forward to reading that one too!
ReplyDeleteAlso, if anyone wants to try before they buy, she recently posted a free serial novel here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/selene
(I feel like such a pimp.)