Title: Darkness Calls

Author: Marjorie M. Liu

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: June 30, 2009
Paperback: 320 pages

Stand alone or series: Book two in the Hunter Kiss series, following last year’s release of The Iron Hunt. There’s also a companion novella for the series titled “Hunter Kiss” in the Wild Thing anthology.

Why did I read this book: I loved The Iron Hunt, plain and simple, so when we were offered a review copy of Darkness Calls, I could not resist.

Summary: (MarjoieMLiu.com)
They are the obsidian shadows of my flesh – tattoos with minds, hearts, and dreams. By day, they protect me. But when night calls to them, they leave my body, dissolving into their true form – as demons…

Nomad born and bred, demon hunter Maxine Kiss has always relied upon herself to fight the darkness that surrounds her, the predators-human, zombie, and otherwise – who threaten the earth. But one man has penetrated her lonely life: Grant, the last of his kind. With music he is able to control any living creature…including demons. And now his life is in danger.

Haunted by the past, determined to change the future, Maxine soon understands that to save Grant, she has only one choice-to lose control, and release her own powers of darkness…

Review:

Maxine Kiss is a huntress; the latest in a long line of women sworn to protect humanity from demons that threaten her world. For generations, the women of the Kiss line have lived solitary lives, moving from town to town with only the “boys” for company – demons that live on the women’s skin by day as tattoos, ensuring that each Kiss woman is invincible, but leave their host’s flesh and come alive at night. Maxine has chosen to settle down temporarily in Seattle, largely because of her feelings for Grant, the compassionate man whom she has given her heart. Grant is one of the last of his kind, a lightbringer, gifted with the ability to see and manipulate people’s auras – and when a dark figure from his past shows up at his homeless shelter, beckoning him into a trap, Maxine and Grant are tested harshly, in terms of their power, and the lengths they will go to for each other.

As in its predecessor The Iron Hunt, heroine Maxine Kiss is back in top form here with Darkness Calls – with even higher stakes, this time around. Maxine has some soul searching to do in this book, in terms of her chosen life forsaking the tieless nomadic existence of her mother and choosing to follow her heart, even when it means embracing the darker power she fears to wield. Maxine’s inner narrative and growth as a character is admirable here as she comes to grips with her own bloodline (granddaughter of an avatar, Jack the “meddling man”), and what her burgeoning powers mean. More interesting, however, is what we learn about Grant in this book – his past as a priest and the special nature of his own singular powers. Ms. Liu pushes her characters past dangerous lines, and, as the title suggests, explores their own darker natures. The introduction of another avatar, the Skinner, who has come to notice Maxine after she destroyed Ashan in The Iron Hunt is a fearful twist and makes for a terrifying foe that these characters must face together.

One complaint that The Iron Hunt garnered in reviews across blogland concerned the writing style – and I will concede that Ms. Liu’s impressionist style in the Hunter Kiss novels inspires a love or hate reaction. I just happen to be one of those that love the clipped, almost poetic quality of Maxine’s narrative. For those that were turned off by the style in the first book, I would recommend giving Darkness Calls another chance as the tone is less confusingly abstract in this installment. Also, in comparison to the first novel this second book is much more action-centered and digs much more into characters and the dark implications of Maxine’s world – another compelling reason to give Darkness Calls a read for those who were disappointed with the pacing of the first novel.

For my part, I highly enjoyed this novel, more so than its predecessor, and certainly recommend it to fans of darker urban fantasy. There are some delicious plot threads left open at the end of this novel, and I cannot wait to see where Maxine, Grant, and the boys are in for next.

Notable Quotes/Parts: I loved a very dark scene when Maxine and Grant are off to meet the Skinner, walking through a twisted club:

I stared at him, torm. Still able to feel those hands at my throat, that knife slipping between my legs. Violent tendencies would not remain inside this club. Nor did it matter that most normal people would be unprepared for any kind of physical violence, regardless of whether their attacker was superenhanced, or not. It was not just innocent lives at stake. Eventually, inevitably, one of those cat-eyed men, or women covered in scales, would end up arrested or in a hospital. The physical differences would not go unnoticed.

I looked at Grant. “What do you think?” He surveyed the room, leaning hard on his cane: a man as out of place in that club, surrounded by those bodies, as a wolf might be in a cement block. I wished I could see through his eyes. I wished I knew with certainty the truth in the hearts around me.

“I think you have little choice in the matter,” he finally said, grim – and gave Jack a hard look. “I think you have to choose your battles.”

The first chapter (which is probably one of the best I have read in a while, in terms of pulling readers into a story) is available online HERE.

Additional Thoughts: If you missed it, leading up to the release of Darkness Calls, Marjorie Liu wrote a letter from Grant to his unborn (and yet conceived) daughter with Maxine. The letter was released in four parts online, at four separate websites. The letter in its totality however, can be found HERE at the publisher website.

Verdict: Every bit as engrossing as The Iron Hunt, Darkness Falls surpasses its predecessor in terms of plotting, characters, and writing style. A highly recommended read for fans of urban fantasy, and for Ms. Liu’s paranormal romance fans who have yet to take the plunge.

Rating: 7 Very Good

Reading Next: The French Mistress by Susan Holloway Scott

Ana here, to wish you all a Happy Sunday! What are you doing today? Me, I am fulfilling a childhood dream: I am going to see Bruce Springsteen today at Hyde Park! Hooray! I simply can not wait!

Before I leave though, a few bits and bobs to take care of:

Giveaways:

The 5 winners of the Namaah’s Kiss giveaway are:

Sarah M
Sarah Kay
Carol
Danielle
Kristen

The winner of the Don’t Tempt Me giveaway is:

Roxy!

Congratulations!!You know the drill: Please send your snail mail address to: contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com, and we will send you the books ASAP.

This week on The Book Smugglers:

On Monday, I will be reviewing Branded by Fire by Nalini Singh, her new exciting installment in the most excellent Psy/Changeling series.

On Tuesday Nalini Singh is our guest for the day, talking about Inspiration and Influences. This is when you get a chance to win a copy of Branded by Fire in a Flash Giveaway (because we just know how anxious you all are to read it – as you should be!)

On Wednesday, it’s Novella Day when Thea reviews two stories in the Strange Brew anthology: Seeing Eye by Patricia Briggs and Death Warmed Over by Rachel Caine

On Thursday , it’s Thea’s turn again with the review of Darkness Calls by Marjorie Liu. Word on the Book Smugglers’ grapevine is that it’s even better than the first in the series The Iron Hunt (which Thea really loved!)

Finally,on Friday I will be reviewing a book that first caught my attention because of its beautiful cover and after reading it, became one of my favorites of the year so far. It is the YA novel Eyes Like Stars by debut author Lisa Mantchev. While you wait for our review, just have a look at the book’s awesome website: Theatre Illuminata

Upcoming:

We have a Very Special Event upcoming! Our very own Young Adult Appreciation Month – from July 19th to August 16th, we will be talking about this genre that we love. This is a teaser of some of the books we will review:

Plus, a lot of interviews with authors such as Kelley Armstrong, Diana Peterfreund, Karen Mahoney, Lisa Mantchev and others plus guest posts by YA bloggers and YA editors, and of course, giveaways. We are super excited – what about you?

Other news:

Joel Sutherland , writer of Frozen Blood (reviewed by Thea here) is running a cool contest with loads of possible prizes on his blog to celebrate his nomination for the Bram Stoker award.

Kaaron Warren, author of Slights, the horror novel that Thea considers one of the best of the year, is doing a countdown for the release of the book. In Slights, a character writes a story within a story, in the margins of library books. Kaaron is counting down to the release by writing a bit about each book the character writes in (because of course, each book was not picked at random!) . Check it out here: Kaaron Warren’s Livejournal

And that’s it from us today,folks!

~Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

Title: Hunter Kiss

Author: Marjorie Liu

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Stand alone or series: Prequel to the Hunter Kiss series

Summary: “My mother used to say that the tale of the world is drawn in blood, blood in flesh, veins forking into destiny like the branches of the tree from which the apple hung and the serpent danced, trading whispers for the corruption of innocents. Good and evil, knowledge and choice. And there, at the root of history, the world tumbled down….”

Why did I read this book: Thea’s amazing review of The Iron Hunt, the first full lenght novel in the series, left my mouth watering.

Review:

After Thea’s review of The Iron Hunt (which she loved), I realised that I had the Novella that introduces the series in the Wild Thing anthology. I decided to give it a go. And I loved it.

It has everything I could hope for in a book. A captivating narrative voice (in first person), a very interesting world where demons co-inhabit with humans and a sweet and heart warming romance. (Even though this series is Urban Fantasy, the romantic element is at the core of this prequel).

Maxine Kiss (and my appreciation for the book starts right there, what an amazing name for a protagonist) is a Hunter. Her job is to protect humans from Demons that escaped their prison in another dimension. Being a Hunter is a position that passes down the line from mother to daughter. When the mother dies (usually in a violent fashion), the daughter will inherit the occupation and….. the boys. The boys are demons that during daytime become the tattoos that cover her body from neck to toes -they are her armor, protecting her and making her nearly invulnerable. At night, they are awake and become separate beings – Zee, Aaz, Raw, Dek, and Mal.

After the death of her mother, Maxine had become her own woman, the boys are her only family, her only friends, and she has no roots, no house: she drifts. She has only her mission. She knows her destiny is one day to die violently and if she ever has a daughter, her death may come sooner rather than later. The boys will always be concerned about their own survival first and foremost and the minute they feel she is becoming old or weak, they will move to the daughter leaving the mother vulnerable to being killed by any of the demons out to get her. Still, she loves the boys: hating them is like hating herself.

As far as premises go this is one of the most interesting I have read of late. From the first paragraphs of the short story, I am gripped.

The story opens and Maxine is having some time off, enjoying an afternoon at the market. She soon realizes that she is surrounded by zombies – not zombies like George Romero’s zombies, these are demon parasites that take hold of a human body and control them from inside. The scene is eerie, Maxine is very conscious of the zombies around but strangely, all of them are watching this man across the street. He is human. But there is something about him. He looks around and somehow, he knows about the zombies, which is impossible, since usually humans know nothing of them. Then he stares at her.

“he stares as though startled , as though he knows me, as though there is a line of history between us – a lifeline- and I can not look away. I cannot blink. I am falling, falling, but the ground is firm beneath my feet and my knees are strong and I know it is all in my head – only there – but I cannot help myself, because all that matters are his eyes. His eyes are so warm. “

All of a sudden, everything gets into motion, the zombies spring into action, they are going to get the man, and she must stop them. She throws her self at him, the bullet that is intended for him bounces off her body and she saves his life. It is too much, he sees too much. They have to go they have to run, the police is coming and the sun is setting and she can’t let him go, because she has to know who he is and why the zombies want to kill him and how come he knows about the zombies in the first place, he is too much of a wild card. And he is not scared of what he sees – he is not scared of her.

There is an immediate connection between them that does not feel too much too soon. It feels right to them, as it feels right to me as a reader. Her choice of being with him is probably a choice that will be her doom; Hunters always end up having daughters no matter the amount of protection and their daughter always get their places. It is part of the magic that makes her what she is – the boys will not be cheated of their future. She puts this prospect to Grant and he just accepts it. There is no going back; it’s been one day since they met, but these two? They belong together. There is a deep trust, a loving relationship that goes beyond petty conflicts and beyond mere sexual attraction (although it is there) . Maxine and Grant just ARE, and together they have the strength to carry on and face whatever is coming their way. He is now, along with her boys, family.

And when she learns what is it that makes him special, that makes him such a prize for the demons, her beliefs in what she does suffer a great blow. I was in doubt whether to spoil about Grant’s gift or not and decided on the latter. Part of the fun in the novel is to go along in their journey, to enjoy their conversations, to learn about them as they do about each other and to follow them until the climax of the story when we learn that there is a bigger evil coming and that the veils that separate the demonic dimensions from our world are breaking apart. There is a powerful action sequence that raises more questions than answers and which sets the motion for the remainder of the series, beginning with The Iron Hunt.

I loved this story. For all its intricate world building, Marjorie Liu’s beautiful writing I am beginning to truly admire and above all, as the romantic reader that I am, for the love that grows between Grant and Maxine.

Verdict: Highly recommended. According to Thea, you do not need to read the short story to be able to understand The Iron Hunt but then you would be missing on Grant and Maxine’s beginnings.

Rating: 7. Very Good.

Title: The Iron Hunt

Author: Marjorie M. Liu

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Stand alone or series: First novel in the Hunter Kiss series (although preceded by the novella “Hunter Kiss”)

Why did I read this book: Ana had just finished reading The Wild Road by this author and could not stop raving about her writing. So, when I saw that she had a new urban fantasy release out, I had to give it a try.

Summary: (from amazon.com)
Demon hunter Maxine Kiss wears her armor as tattoos, which unwind from her body to take on forms of their own at night. They stand between her and her enemies, just as Maxine stands between humanity and the demons breaking out from behind the prison veils. It is a life lacking in love, reveling in death, until one moment—and one man— changes everything.

Review:

Wow. Ana and I can have different opinions sometimes, but if The Iron Hunt is any indicator of Ms. Liu’s writing, then count me in. I loved this strange, poetic, darkly beautiful book.

“When I was eight, my mother lost me to zombies in a one-card draw.”

And so begins the story of Maxine Kiss. She is the the last of her kind, daughter to Jolene Kiss. She learns everything she has ever needed from Jolene–to fight, to protect, and most of all to trust no one except her small family of her mother and “the boys”. And one day, when Maxine is still a young woman, she inherits the role as Hunter when the Boys become hers, and her mother’s brains are blown out in front of her by a zombie. During the day, the Boys are Maxine’s tattoos, covering every inch of her body beneath her face. They are her armor–from sunrise to sunset, while the Boys slumber, she is invincible. By night, the Boys awaken, and peel themselves from the Hunter’s body. They are little demons, eaters of iron and steel, and Maxine’s only trusted family. They are silent except for Zee, who speaks in riddles.

Many years ago, demons walked the earth and roamed the universe. Other beings were able to capture these demons though, and hold them behind the veil, in a prison of air and dimension. Hunters were given the job of vanquishing any escaped demons, and to protect humans from their kind. The Kiss bloodline has held this duty for generations, passing responsibility from mother to daughter, until Maxine.

Human detectives come looking for her. A man has been murdered, and on his body he held a scrap of paper with the name “Maxine Kiss” written upon its surface–which in of itself is enough to alarm her and her lover, since she almost always uses an alias. Maxine sets off to find out who this murdered man is, and finds that he was a private investigator, sent by persons unknown to check up on her. In her search, she finds a young homeless boy who witnessed the murder, and later with the detective’s belongings a photograph of her grandmother and a smiling man.

Meanwhile, demons are making themselves known. Blood Mama and her zombies seek out Maxine. The veil is failing, and something sinister has slipped through. And, there is something dangerous about Maxine–something that even the zombies who saw her as a young child urged Jolene to kill, and try for another daughter. Bearing a new demon’s mark, Maxine struggles to unravel the secrets and bargains of her family, and control the stirring darkness within.

This was my first book by Marjorie M. Liu, and despite Ana’s high praise, I did not know what to expect. I was taken aback by this beautiful, completely unique book. I loved The Iron Hunt. From the characters, to the plot, to Ms. Liu’s beautiful, poetic prose, I am completely 100% sold.

The Iron Hunt is actually book 2 of the Hunter Kiss stories–it is preceded by the novella “Hunter Kiss” in the anthology Wild Thing. I had no idea about the preceding story and had not read “Hunter Kiss”, but I didn’t have too any trouble getting into the book. From the opening line of this story, I was fully immersed in Maxine Kiss’s world. Marjorie M. Liu does not ‘data dump’, nor does she take unnecessary asides to explain things point-blank to the reader. Instead, the voice of Maxine Kiss, with all her disjointed thoughts and emotions completely dominate the story from beginning to end. I cannot begin to describe how refreshing this is to me, as a reader of urban fantasy and speculative fiction. Instead of having a lengthy history of the Kiss family line or be subjected to a universe history lesson, this information–about the Boys, the Wardens and Hunters, the demons–is gradually revealed, bit by tantalizing bit. The end result is a slow burning read that challenges, but trusts in its readers to be intelligent enough to come to these discoveries and inferences by themselves. For example, starting the book, Maxine talks about her family: mother, her, and the boys. But she also mentions she’s an only child, the lone daughter Kiss. Then, with a jolt we learn that the boys aren’t unseen pets or little brothers–they are demons that live and peel off the Hunter Kiss’s skin…and that by Maxine living and growing older, it is a death sentence for any mother Hunter, as the boys will eventually leave the mother for her daughter.

The intricate plot also had me breathless–this is the first full novel of a planned series, and the story packs a nice punch by providing some answers and yet leaving enough loose ends to keep readers hungry for more (I want to leave the plot specifics as bare-bones as possible, so as not to spoil the experience for anyone else). As most first installments go, The Iron Hunt gives us a good long look at Maxine and an introduction to many of the key players in her story. We meet her lover, Grant, who also possesses an important power of his own. There is the Meddling Man, Sarai, Blood Mama, Tracker, and the mysterious demon Oturu. And, of course, there are the Boys themselves–Zee, Aaz, Raw, Dek, and Mal. Of all the characters, we get to know Maxine the most intimately. As new players emerge and clues are shown to Maxine about her past and her family history, her thoughts depict the sharp edge of her loneliness. Her reactions to other characters–the benevolent old man who might be her grandfather, her memories of her mother and grandmother, her compassion and inability to go it solo as other Hunters have done before her–only emphasize this loneliness, and give Maxine color and depth as a character.

Beyond just the characters and the compelling plot, the world building in The Iron Hunt is superb–Ms. Liu manages to blend different cultures and mythologies into a concoction that is wholly her own. The most closely and explicitly linked myths, however, are that of Gilgamesh and the Labyrinth. When Maxine meets the enigmatic–and dangerous–Tracker, she learns his name is Enkidu. Though he is more slave than sidekick to his master, the character is a untamed, human, though ancient too. The Labyrinth also figures prominently into the story–Maxine’s journey and endless time wandering its passages mimics the hero’s journey of death and rebirth–banished to eternal dark and chased by an unseen force, Maxine makes her way through the labyrinth and the cold sweet tasting river there to return to her own world anew. There are also avatars–Gods made flesh–other worlds, unicorns and wolves. This wonderfully strange combination of myths and legends hooked me from the start, and has me eager for more.

Notable Quotes/Parts: I cannot do this book justice without commenting on Marjorie M. Liu’s writing. Her prose has been described as lyrical, poetic, and beautiful. All of these assessments are fair, in my own opinion. I loved the initially choppy and uncertain staccato of Maxine Kiss’s narration, melding later into flowing, coursing description and dialogue, haunting and wonderful at the same time.

She finally looked at me. She had never met my eyes. Her gaze was black as a shark, black as a doll, black as oil rich from rock, slick and hot, and the ageless intelligence of her gaze coated me in a miasma filled with such forebodings I could hardly think straight.

“I am an Avatar,” she whispered. “I am what rests beneath the skin.”

Additional Thoughts: Be forewarned, this is not a paranormal romance. There is little romance at all in the story, besides the implied deep trust and partnership Maxine has with her lover, Grant. I love the ease and quietness of this relationship–there is no sexual tension or petty misunderstanding between them; they know they are there for each other and do not question that. The character of Grant, and his role in this world and influence on Maxine–especially considering his powerful gift–is yet another part of the Hunter Kiss novels I cannot wait to read more of.

Verdict: Isn’t it obvious by now? I loved this book, and eagerly await the next installment. In the meantime, I’ll try some of Marjorie M. Liu’s other works.

Rating: 8 Excellent

Reading Next: “Thicker Than Blood” (in the First Blood anthology) by Meljean Brook