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review 2017-05-22 16:00
Twenty-Two (Assassins #11.5) by Toni Aleo
Twenty-Two (Assassins Series Book 12) - Toni Aleo

I adored Toni Aleo’s TWENTY-TWO. We heard Lucas Brooks’ and Fallon Parker’s story in the second book of the Assassins series, TRYING TO SCORE. I love that Toni Aleo revisited Lucas’ life towards the end of his career in book 11.5, TWENTY-TWO. I also appreciated, the glimpse of his son, Aiden’s life, as well as the other Assassin’s and their families. Like the other books in the Assassin’s series, this story takes place in Nashville. It is suitable for adults.

 

I have always liked Lucas. He is one of my favorite Assassins. I don’t think I am alone in that regard. He is a dynamic character that you cannot help but respect. Lucas faces several issues in this story. He has to make life-altering decisions. I think it is wonderful how Fallon supports him. Those two have come a long way. They truly love each other. They have a terrific family, their own and their extended Assassin’s clan.

 

I enjoyed the insight into the difficult situations Elli must deal with as the team owner. She is a good friend to the team, but she is still their boss. It is a delicate balance.

 

I think the progression into Lucas’s son; Aiden’s life was perfect. I love that he is being recruited by Bellevue. That is the perfect transition to the Bellevue Bullies series. I’m hoping we are going to hear his story.

 

TWENTY-TWO had a perfect ending. Toni Aleo is an amazing writer. She has done a fantastic job keeping this series fresh and relevant. I always look forward to reading her books. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

 

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review 2016-05-27 00:00
A Whisper of Southern Lights (The Assassins Series)
A Whisper of Southern Lights (The Assassins Series) - Tim Lebbon 3 - 3.5 stars

I couldn't put this down, but the ending killed me. I felt cheated and let down, and darn it, I liked a character who died, pointlessly. ugh!
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review 2016-05-08 01:38
Review: A Whisper of Southern Lights by Tim Lebbon
A Whisper of Southern Lights (The Assassins Series) - Tim Lebbon

Although I was not a big fan of Lebbon's previous two installments in his Assassin's series -- "Dead Man's Hand" and "Pieces of Hate," collected together in the recent Tor novella, Pieces of Hate (reviewed here) -- there were enough interesting ideas in Pieces of Hate to keep me curious enough to see what comes next. Maybe it was because I had enough of the background story, or perhaps because I went in expecting there to be zilch in the way of resolution regarding Gabriel and his battles against the entity known as Temple, but I found A Whisper of Southern Lights to be much more satisfying.

 

Gabriel and Temple are basically immortals, and their personal battles have allowed Lebbon to play in some interesting settings. We've gotten a weird western and a bit of high seas pirating adventure, and now Lebbon takes us to Singapore circa World War II (personal note: Lebbon teases an Antarctic expedition as another setting in their worldwide struggles through time, and I'd pay good money to read that story, because I'm just a sucker for stories set in that region). Both Gabriel and Temple are hunting for a man named Jack Sykes, which never bodes well for the dude unwittingly falling into the middle of their bloody, violence-fueled triangles.

 

I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful vacation in Singapore a while ago, so I had no trouble imagining the sweaty treks through the rain forest, and war-time is always an interesting period to explore some supernatural shenanigans. I dug those elements the most here. I fell in love almost immediately with Singapore, and hope to go back one of these day. Books set in this region at least provide enough of a mental sojourn until I can physically head there again. It's also a bit of a reminder that I need to seek out more Singaporean literature... Yeah, I know, I'm digressing here.

 

A Whisper of Southern Lights is a short novella, which makes for a brisk read. Lebbon gives us enough sketches of life on the front lines in the Pacific Theater, but I wouldn't have minded more details. Gabriel's relationship with Temple has always been one of the strongest elements of this series, and that remains true here, as well. The ending felt a little bit rushed, but there's a marvelously macabre display where our characters confront one another before the requisite cliffhanger.

 

Yeah, another cliffhanger and little in the way of resolution. The last line of the book, though, does actually have me antsy for another entry, so kudos to the author! I feel much more invested in this series after this particular entry than I did with Pieces of Hate.

 

[Note: I received an advanced review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]

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review 2016-04-22 00:00
Pieces of Hate (The Assassins Series)
Pieces of Hate (The Assassins Series) - Tim Lebbon DNF - I read up to 40% and just wasn't feeling it. I usually enjoy Tim Lebbon's books, too, but this just didn't work for me
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review 2016-04-07 02:20
Review: Pieces of Hate by Tim Lebbon
Pieces of Hate (The Assassins Series) - Tim Lebbon

Pieces of Hate collects two Tim Lebbon stories revolving around the assassin Gabriel - "Dead Man's Hand" and "Pieces of Hate." Gabriel is on the hunt for Temple, who slaughtered his family, and it provides the basis for two equally interesting settings with one serving as a de facto western (albeit a weird western) and the other a good old-fashioned pirate story, respectively.

 

I won't say more about Gabriel, his mission, or Temple because, really, why spoil the fun of those discoveries? There's some interesting history between these two figures, and if you've read the book description you already know the gist of it.

 

Frankly, I'm a bit torn on this book. It's filled with good ideas and interesting locales, which I liked a lot, but the execution just didn't jibe with me.

 

In "Dead Man's Hand," we join Gabriel in the infamous Wild West town of Deadwood. This one's a first-person POV narrated by a man named Doug who discovers a bloodied-up Gabriel in his shop. Doug's personal history isn't exactly one that would mark him as an adventurer, and he's about as interesting as the timber walkways lining the fledgling community's horseshit covered streets. Gabriel and Temple are, of course, the most interesting aspects of this story, but with Doug serving as a filter most of that gets watered down. Doug, you see, doesn't know what the hell is going on and can't really tell us anything meaning. Lebbon teases us with hints of a much better story than what is actually delivered by hapless Doug. We get all kinds of mystery and intrigue, but zilch in the way of answers and resolution. Thanks for nothing, Doug.

 

"Pieces of Hate" is the more interesting of the two, because PIRATES! This story is a close third-person account with a much stronger focus on Gabriel than the introductory story, and contains a bulk of the meat missing from "Dead Man's Hand." Unfortunately, it's equally frustrating in its resolution, and those hoping for an epic showdown between these sworn enemies will be disappointed. While there's some nice swashbuckling elements, I would have preferred a stronger finale for my time investment.

 

As a collection, Pieces of Hate provides two stories that are well written, but which lack a satisfying resolution. I guess the end of the second story offers a slim glimmer of hope that maybe a third story will come out to put a pin in all this with a decent finale. I might even be swayed to read it. Lebbon has some great ideas here, but none that are fully realized.

 

[Note: I received a copy of this title from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.]

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