SWITCHBLADE GODDESS by Lucy A. Snyder

Publisher: Del Rey
Date published: December 2011
ISBN 9780345512116
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Valerie
Obtained by publisher


Jesse Shimmer gains magical powers while trying to save her lover, Cooper Marron. She travels to an underworld full of nightmarish adventures and although magical powers could seem to be really cool, she soon finds out that they just may be curses in disguise. She has a familiar, a ferret named Pal who goes with her through thick and thin. And, though she would really love to spend some moments of quietness with her man, her enemies will not let her rest. To top it all off, there is a demigoddess who wields a switch-blade coming after her. Jesse has to hope her new abilities will help her and that she can free the souls captured by the demigoddess and that her relationship with Cooper won’t be jeopardized.

Wow, this story was quite a ride. Almost more on the side of a horror story. It was quite gruesome in parts and dirty and gritty in others. I think I really need to read the first two books in this series SHOTGUN SORCERESS and SPELLBENT. I felt a little lost and couldn’t quite see where some of the characters were coming from. But, apart from that, I did enjoy this book. I’m a bit of a fan of the ‘different’ and ‘off-the-wall’ type of stories so this was right up my alley. I liked Pal, Jesse’s familiar. In this story he seemed to be really going through it, but was still quite humorous at times. There wasn’t much of Cooper in the story, though I could still relate to him and get a feel for his relationship with Jesse. I will for sure be checking out the other stories and re-reading this one to get the full picture. I could see that some readers may not like this type of story as it really is quite gory at times. But, if you enjoy a lot of action, a bit of horror, some humor to balance it out, then this could be for you.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

SHOTGUN SORCERESS by Lucy A. Snyder

Publisher: Ballantine Books-Delrey
Date published: October 2010
ISBN: 978-0345512109
Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Pam
Obtained by publisher


The heroine Jessie Shimmer is a complex character with a kick butt attitude. She’s blessed with supernatural gifts and has a very strange hand, which needs a glove to contain the fire. Her companion was a ferret in a previous book, but is now a large fury spider like monster named Pal.

Cooper Marron is Jessie’s lover, and she’s been to hell to rescue him. Making love has become risky as they set the bedroom alight while living with Mother Karen who wasn’t impressed. The house is full of refugees rescued from magical people who hadn’t treated them well.

Both are magical as is Cooper’s brother, The Wizard, who tags along as they try out magical portals while searching for the evil soul taker Miko. The soul harvester is also a sex seeker and makes people to do her dirty work.

The SHOTGUN SORCERESS is a very complex tale, but doesn’t stand alone very well. Many of the evil creatures have been brought forward, so it takes the reader a while to sort out what is happening. The main characters are oddly different which was what held this reviewer's attention.

The large cast of oddballs with strange names was very confusing, as was Jessie’s fire spitting arm. As the opera glove seemed to hold in the fire, it took all credibility away for me. There were also a lot of gory scenes in this tale as cars full of meat people were blown up. The characters seemed to spend a lot of time covered in blood and chopped up human parts, as if it was a normal occurrence. Along with experiencing other people's deaths, some hot sex and Jessie’s long lost father appearing in her mirror, I felt as if the nasty stuff was never ending.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.

SPELLBENT by Lucy A. Snyder

Book 1 in Jessie Shimmer Trilogy
Publisher: Ballantine Books/Del Ray
Date published: December 29th, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-345-51209-3
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Publisher


Jessie Shimmer was helping her boyfriend, Cooper Marron, with a simple spell when something goes horribly wrong. Cooper disappears; Jessie is facing something far worse than a simple thunderstorm but a demon that almost kills her. In the aftermath, branded an outlaw, Jessie races to figure what the heck is going on as she goes against the ruling mage, shadowy enemies and finds truths of a past that were kept secret from her. Can Jessie find Cooper before it’s too late and figure out what the heck is going on?

SPELLBENT is one wicked ride that takes you to the fields of Ohio, to the depths of Hell and back again. We’ve got demons, familiars, witches/mages, and more within the pages of this exciting debut and it is one wild ride from start to finish. Though it is a little graphic at times, the story moves smoothly and the characters begin to take shape as Ms. Snyder sets the stage for Jessie, Cooper and their friends. Tight writing, fast paced storyline and complex characters keep the reader glued to the pages as SPELLBENT races to its climatic finish. What really peaked my interest was the world building. Ms. Snyder delivers a magical place that seems so alive and real to me that it was a let-down to see it was all make believe. This is an author who knows her world and the people who populate it, be it human, witches or other paranormals. The twists and turns keep you glued to the pages and when Jessie’s secrets come out in the open she is shocked to find a life she never knew about or the truths that follow. Can she figure out what she is while trying to find her lost love, Cooper?

Meet Jessie Shimmer, she is having a love affair with her teacher, Cooper Marron, and trying to learn how tap into her supernatural powers. When she helps him with a fairly simple rainstorm spell, something goes horribly wrong and Cooper disappears. Now Jessie is in the fight of her life against the demon and trying to figure out what the heck happened. Branded an outlaw afterwards, Jessie is determined to find and rescue Cooper even if she has to go to Hell itself to bring him back. Jessie is a character I could see enjoying time with. Fun, independent and full of fire, she is the one person I can see calling for a night out on the town and the sparks fly between Cooper and Jessie with fierce abandon. The characters are very well rounded and interact well with secondary characters. The reader gets a sense of who these people are and the motivations behind them. It made reading SPELLBENT very enjoyable.

If you enjoy a wickedly fun urban fantasy, then grab SPELLBENT. It is one that will live on in your imagination even after the last page is read. I am looking forward to the next Jessie Shimmer book in the future and am eager to see what she faces next. Lucy A. Snyder is a “new to me” author and one that I am looking forward to exploring more of.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.