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Monday, January 30, 2012

Sheep Review: Deadtown by Nancy Holzner

They call it Deadtown: the city's quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders-but Victory Vaughn, Boston's only professional demon slayer, isn't exactly human.
Vicky’s demanding job keeping the city safe from all manner of monsters is one reason her relationship with workaholic lawyer (and werewolf) Alexander Kane is in constant limbo. Throw in a foolhardy zombie apprentice, a mysterious demon-plagued client, and a suspicious research facility that’s taken an unwelcome interest in her family, and Vicky’s love life has as much of a pulse as Deadtown’s citizens.
But now Vicky’s got bigger things to worry about. The Hellion who murdered her father ten years ago has somehow broken through Boston’s magical protections. The Hellion is a ruthless force of destruction with a personal grudge against Vicky, and she’s the only one who can stop the demon before it destroys the city and everyone in it.

*my thoughts of Urban Fantasy* 
I finally got to read a book from my “pleasure” pile, these are the books I don’t have to review, just ones I want to read or are part of series I have been following. Deadtown is the first book in Nancy Holzner's Deadtown Series and it represents everything I love about the Urban Fantasy genre. UF is usually written from the first person POV of a strong heroine. It is about the character’s relationships with family, friends, co-workers and lovers and how she navigates the world the author has created. With UF you are also in it for the long haul, each book will have some closure of certain conflicts but the characters are continually growing and dealing with the consequences of their previous actions. There is romance in UF but it's not the be-all-end-all of the book, it's just another facet of the heroine you get to watch develop. And I love a romance that slowly builds anticipation because you know eventually that slow boil will explode and it will be so worth the wait.

*Review*
Holzner has created what we call an open world in Deadtown, her paranormal world isn’t hidden from the human world. Five years ago the so-called monsters such as werewolves and vampires decided they didn’t want to have to hide from the “norms” anymore. They wanted to be legally recognized as Paranormal Americans (PAs). Then two years later a fluke virus turned everyone in a several block area of Boston into a zombie. They were still the same people, just stronger, greener, spongier, and the smell of blood could send them into a feeding frenzy. As a result, by law all PA’s had to live in this area known as Deadtown.

Victory Vaughn is a demon slayer, she's paid to exterminate people’s inner demons that invade their dreams (can you imagine a Harpy eating your entrails every night?). She is also a shapeshifter who is kind of dating Alexander Kane, werewolf, lawyer and leader of the PA movement. And let us not forget her teenage-zombie wannabe-slayer apprentice, Tina. The author slips us flawlessly into Vicki’s world without the information dump that you can sometimes run across with world building. I love the many layers to this story: Vicki and her politically ambitious lover Kane seem to have opposing goals, meanwhile there is a sorcerer who is trying to destroy and take over the world using a Hellion (demon) that is intimately linked to Vicki’s past and her need for vengeance. Vicki also has a darkness in her she must fight constantly to keep under control or she could end up hurting innocent people. To top it off there is a human detective that gives her stomach butterflies whenever he is around her (this would be the simmering romance <G>). She has to play role model for a teenage zombie, “teenager” being the operative word here (if you have a teenager, you know what I am talking about), try to have a relationship with her sister who wants nothing to do with their heritage. Oh and let’s not forget the evil doctor who wants to do experiments with shapeshifter blood.

There isn’t a lot of action in this book, mostly we are learning who Vicki is and the fascinating world the author has created, but she does some kick ass demon slaying and has the flaming sword of the Archangel Michael. The story has a great balance of dark elements and humor. I recommend this to anyone wanting to try UF or who already enjoys it. I look forward to the next two books in this series Hellforged and Bloodstone.


4 Flaming Sheep!







Sharon Stogner
writer & marketing



Check out Nancy Holzner online


7 comments:

  1. This sounds really good! I am adding it to my TBR. I hadn't heard of it before. I was first drawn in by the cover, that is superb. And there seems to be a lot of different facets to this. Definitely going to try to read this soon! :)

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  2. Great review, Sharon! I really LOVE this series, they just get better and better with each one. I look forward to what you think about Hellforged and Bloodstone. *Kane*

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    1. I've already have them on my shelf! I am looking forward to them too:) Thanks for stopping by the blog :)

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  3. I have been wanting to read this one for a while. After reading your review, I can tell I definitely need to get on it.

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  4. Been eyeballing this one everytime I go to B&N, may have to pick it up when I stop by tomorrow

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  5. the cool reply thingy isn't working... so

    @ Ashley- I don't think you will be disappointed, if you like UF this is your kind of book.

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