Bastard Reaction: Shadows Before the Sun by Kelly Gay

When you go to Hell and back, the very least you want as a reward is a piece of Heaven. Charlie just got her wish, and she's quickly finding out it's not all it's cracked up to be. Shadows Before the Sun is the fourth novel in the Charlie Madigan series by Kelly Gay, which has been one of my favorite urban fantasy series in the past few years. Previously we joined Charlie in the world of Charybdon, this time we're taking a trip to Elysia whether she's welcomed or not.

Leaving behind a fresh murder scene in the Druid King's territory, Charlie is all set to go in a diplomatic visit to bring Hank back from his home world of Elysia. That's when she gets a shocking report concerning Hank, making her visit inconsequential. Charlie not being one to play by the rules, and being someone of the skeptic persuasion, puts a plan in motion to find the truth of the situation.  She's now undertaking an undercover mission, accompanied by an unlikely ally, into the heavenly Elysia, just to be met with horrors beyond her imagination. While she dodges an ancient superpower set on killing her, she's purposed to find the truth of what has happened to Hank, and intends to put the appropriate parties in a world of hurting.

Shadows Before for the Sun is quite a dark book. I also found it to be the most pleasingly violent so far, particularly in the graphic department. Nothing gratuitous about it, but just genuine detailed brutality. This was most prevalent in a new narrative feature from Hank's point-of-view; the subject of excruciating torture.

This series is narrated from Charlie's first person view, but for the first time Kelly Gay decided to throw Hank into the mix, but his in third person. I thought it worked wonderful. I'd be wary of overusing this tactic in future installments, but for the time being it worked quite well particularly with the story that was being told.

It was quite a straightforward book. Not many twists we've come to expect. It also took quite a bit to develop. But it wasn't much of an issue, with time well spent with the awesome Rex bantering, and the surprise character of the Oracle who was featured through most of the book tagging along with Charlie. I don't know why I kept imagining both of them growing old together and starring in a Grumpy Old Men adaptation, grandma style.

Something I found interesting with this novel was its structure. It was perfectly framed with its first and last chapter, and the middle content was dominated with two main threads, and a third one which was left over for the next installment. A third one which I thought would share more significant time in this novel, so that surprised me. As it was, even though it's not a long book, it felt like you read two novels packed in one. It contained two climaxes, the second one coming by means of an extended aftermath portion in the novel. I don't know how this development will be received, as it was a bit tricky as far as pace and rhythm was concerned, but for all my cares it just meant that I was privy to some more exciting sequences.

One thing I'm a bit leery about is how the future interaction between Charlie and Hank will develop. Though at first I was hard set against it, I have to admit that I'm enjoying some of their time together. Hank really won me over in the second half of the previous book, and this one cemented my opinion of him and his role. That said, I think it can become a bit dull and somewhat tedious if all their interactions from now on will be laced with sexual banter and erotic lustful scenes. I really hope they find other topics to talk about going forward than how majestic Hank's joystick happens to be to go along with his orgasm inducing soundtrack in bed. I may just have to deal with it as I've done so far as there's plenty more here to hold my interest.

I also wonder how Charlie's progressing power will be handled. I tell you this much, I'm not a big fan of having powerful characters being constantly restrained from exerting that power other than through the use of their own judgement. I'm of a mind to think that we may be seeing a bit more of Charlie flexing her muscles in the future, and I'm curious of what antagonists will be placed in her way to balance things out.

Probably being in the minority here, actually I'm sure of it, but I still think that the first book was the best in the series. I guess I'm just a sucker for the political intrigue it featured, with all the behind the scenes maneuvering with us having a front seat to the action. The past few novels have felt like some sort of stage is being set, without putting all the parties together and us not being privy to anyone's hand. We get hints of possible motives here and there, and how war is imminent if certain things come to pass, but still haven't seen the ambitious grab for power that we were present for in that first book. But I'm being patient with it.

Keeping that in mind, despite the emotional roller-coaster that was this book, the ending felt like it had a promise of peace, of hope that things can just get better. The previous books all seem to have ended in some tense cliffhanger moments, while this time all was tranquil. My opinion? The stage has been finally set, and this is the peace before the storm, if we aren't simply in the eye of it already. The promise of more exciting things to come holding my interest.

Character interaction was at its best though through the novel, Rex stealing scenes whenever he's present. The Oracle made a great character to have sharing a good portion of the novel, so that was very much welcomed, and a new character has been introduced who is a wild card. He will keep things quite interesting. Nothing to say of how awesome Pen the Druid King is, so also looking forward to more of him.

Kelly Gay has written another solid installment in this Charlie Madigan saga. Shadows Before the Sun will surely be well received by fans of the series, and I think it'll be the favorite of the great majority reading it. Don't know what Gay has planned next for the series, hearing rumors of a book featuring the Druid King's story, but whichever way she takes us, I'll be quite eager to follow.

Buy Shadows Before the Sun from The Book Depository.

Please visit Kelly Gay's website for more information on this series and other projects.

Other reviews in the series:

• The Better Part of Darkness
• The Darkest Edge of Dawn
• The Hour of Dust and Ashes

Bastard Giveaway: Shadows Before the Sun by Kelly Gay

I've been a fan of the Charlie Madigan series by Kelly Gay, so a bit excited doing this giveaway for two copies of the latest in the series Shadows Before the Sun which was released yesterday July 31st. Here at Bastard Books, between Mihir and me, we've reviewed all the first three books in the series: The Better Part of Darkness, The Darkest Edge of Dawn, The Hour of Dust and Ashes. Hopefully I'll manage to review this fourth one soon.

Between life and death lies a chasm of pain beyond imagining. . . .

Elysia may be a heavenly off-world destination, but beyond it, in the siren city of Fiallan, the Circe have punished Charlie Madigan’s partner, Hank, into a torturous state between life and death. With all the proper legal channels cleared, Charlie heads to Elysia, not knowing what she’ll find, or if she’ll ever see the siren again . . . while at home, jinn crime boss Grigori Tennin has begun an all-out hunt for the divine being Ahkneri. Tennin’s tactics set off a chain reaction that puts Charlie in the crosshairs of the shadowy creature known as Death, and stirs Ahkneri from her long sleep—and if Vengeance awakes, Atlanta will never be the same.

Simon & Schuster - Shadows Before the Sun

Participants have to be 18 years of age or older to participate. Void where prohibited by law. Giveaway rules are subject to change. 

The giveaway is open for US residents only, and it will run from August 1, 2012 until 12:01am ET on August 14, 2012.

How to participate:

• Once logged in to the Rafflecopter, enter your email to officially enter the giveaway.
• One entry per person, or face disqualification.
• Entries accepted until 12:01am ET on August 14, 2012.
• 2 paperback copies of Shadows of the Sun, 1 for each winner.
• There'll be 2 winners total.
• Will have to confirm email to be considered a winner within 48 hours of August 14, 2012.
• Additional entries may be had by following the steps provided in the Rafflecopter instructions, and only by doing those steps. 
• Winners will be chosen by random selection using the Rafflecopter.

Good luck everyone! And it's been a year since starting the blog, so thanks everyone for sticking around. Hopefully I'll be around a year from now too.

Bastard Reaction: The Hour of Dust and Ashes by Kelly Gay

The Hour of Dust and Ashes is the third book in the Charlie Madigan series, you can read Mihir's Thoughts on the previous books here and here. I quickly became a fan of Kelly Gay after reading The Better Part of Darkness partly because I thought Charlie was simply a badass character and really enjoyed the political intrigue and procedural the book presented. Not only that, it was action packed, and Gay created a world in which actions have consequence, sometimes ruthless ones.

Though most enjoyed the sequel The Darkest Edge of Dawn more, I still think the first book was the better one particularly because the elements that brought me to the series in the first place were just better. What the second book did better though was improve in the interpersonal aspects and character interaction, but it was more of a thriller type of story, whereas I'm more of a mystery/suspense reader. Also, as Mihir illustrates in his review, there was indeed a scene which I found problematic. No surprise that it involved love drama aspects, but it was between two characters that I really felt would have been better if they didn't go there, and then the prospects of a possible love triangle, which I personally don't enjoy, but many do.

With these issues in mind, I was a bit nervous of what I might encounter in this third book, even though it certainly was one of my more anticipated urban fantasy books of the year. Right off the bat, most of my worries were put to rest as we get entangled in a fun action sequence which served as the launching pad of the book and many of its plot-lines. What ensues though is a slow development in which we find our protagonist, Charlie, introspecting on how she has gotten to this point, and ruminating on the event described above which had become problematic for me personally. And this went on for a good portion of the first half, of course also investigating the mystery at hand.

Then the second half came and it was awesome in my opinion. Still not all there for me action wise, but some really good plot directions I thought. More importantly though, some revelations come forward that made me do pretty much a 180° in regards to that problematic romantic plot-line I was obsessively worrying about. I'm sure the great majority had enjoyed that development, but for those who had not I think there's a good chance the second half will rectify it.

In The Hour of Dust and Ashes we find ourselves with Charlie still trying to figure out how to help those she loves after the fallout of the first book and also dealing with threats due to events of the second book. She's still dealing with some relationship issues involving her ex, currently possessed by a Revenant, and her partner Hank with whom Charlie's relationship has become a bit strained and, if anything, confused. Through all of this, a couple who was addicted to Ash have committed suicide, and Charlie has been called to the case wondering if it was a result of depression (an Ash addiction consequence) or if they were possessed and forced to do so, which would become a murder investigation. The book is not so much of a "who done it" type of book, but more of trying to figure out what is actually happening and how to put a stop to it. And to do just that, Charlie will have to put her own life at risk by finding help of legendary creatures that seem intent in killing her in the process and go through Hell in the process.

Personally I would like to see a bit more focus on procedural and the political intrigue aspects, which has taken a bit of a back seat since the first book. Due to some events in The Hour of Dust and Ashes, I really think we'll see a return of some of that in the next book, particularly on the political intrigue aspects. I really think this was a transitioning book, a book of growing, and of defining. Charlie, while being as confused as ever, she is certainly growing as a person and finding more clarity on what she wants for herself and on how to get it. And, you know me, always will want more action. I also thought we didn't get to see much of Charybdon, so be prepared for that, but understandable with how events progressed once there.

One thing I really like though is that events that occur on previous books still matter as the series goes along. We saw some growth in the mother daughter relationship in the second book, and that's still present in the sequel, when many others would have fabricated other issues just to keep the dramatic friction in place, or ignore the improvement completely.

Several hanging plot-lines get a satisfactory conclusions, while new exciting ones have begun. The Hour of Dust and Ashes is a welcomed entry to the series, though I struggled through some of it, I think the author delivers on the payoff. I recommend this series with little reservation to urban fantasy fans, and to those casual urban fantasy readers, well I'll deal with you guys on a case by case basis. Still one of my favorite series in the genre at the moment.

Cover done once again by Chris McGrath, I think it's the best in the series yet. I mean, we got a Dennis Leary look-a-like playing Hank, what's not to like?

Kelly Gay has simply created a well balanced series that I'm sure the great majority of urban fantasy readers will find something to like here. I'm of a mind to think that the next book will be the best one yet, so hopefully the author delivers on that prospect; no pressure.

The Hour of Dust and Ashes was released recently on August 30, and you can buy yourself a copy from The Book Depository.

Make sure to visit Kelly Gay's site, and if you're a YA reader make sure to read her other series written under the name of Kelly Keaton.

Mihir's Thoughts: The Darkest Edge Of Dawn by Kelly Gay

After finishing The Better Part of Darkness, I was very much intrigued by the book and world created by Kelly Gay. I hadn’t enjoyed the main character of Charlie Madigan that much but it was still a good book, and with the plot ending the way it did, the sequel was of high priority for me.

The Darkest Edge of Dawn, second in the Charlie Madigan series, opens a couple of months after the climax of the first, and now there’s a visible change in the skies of Atlanta which has the local Charbydonian population ecstatic unlike the other two races co-existing with it. The book’s plot has Charlie and Hank finding a dead body in a warehouse, however the situation is reasonably complicated by two factors, (a) the body is of an Adonai, the Elysian nobles and (b) the warehouse belongs to Charybdonians. Thus with such an incendiary circumstance which also precludes any peaceful solution to the earlier situation due to which hate towards Charybdonians has increased, Hank and Charlie have to be at the top of their game to avoid any fallout between races. However, the situation becomes complicated when they discover the identity of the person murdered. Also thrown in to the plot mix is the introduction of a new race and a kickass character that I hope we get to see more of. Lastly, the murder is just the beginning of a chain of events which will put further strain between the extra-terrestrial races and the unwitting humans caught between them. Charlie and Hank also have to struggle to put things together and keep things between them on a sane level which due to their personalities; is always easier imagined than done.

The events occurring in the book directly lead on from the events of the previous book, characters who helped Charlie in the previous book haven’t come out from the confrontation unscathed and there’s a thread in this book which deals with those insinuations. I liked this aspect of the book as there’s continuity shown by the author. Secondly the plot of this book does again entertain the reader throughout as this time the author does explain a bit more about the worlds as well as the human interaction with the other races. There are quite some interesting explanations and discussions about a few topics in this book which I believe clue in the reader to the working of the magic & worlds within.

Lastly there’s the action sequences and the plot twists which are spread evenly over the story, the reader can be sure that the author has done her best to keep the reader unsettled within the pages by having certain emotional, physical, and psychological events occurring. Charlie’s character is better etched out in this outing. I had some issues with the main POV character, which I had noted in the previous book review, however there’s some changes within her which made me this book a bit easier to read and showcases some opportunity for character growth in the future books. The book also has another great cover by Chris McGrath which adds to the positives for the book.

There were a couple of things which offered bumps in the reading experience namely, I wasn't completely sold on Charlie’s character yet , she still acts overtly headstrong to be a completely sympathetic character, however she’s quickly learning that there are things occurring within her world which she has no clue about, and she will have to swallow her pride and take help whenever and wherever she can. There’s also a pivotal event occurring in this book which feels completely off, in the sense it occurs between two main characters and seems more of a plot device than actual character intent/interaction. I must stress that while it did not detract much from the book’s enjoyment, it just seemed to occur for future plot reasons and this was off-kilter with the situation in hand.

Overall I am still liking this series very much, it does have its minor fallacies and can go in unexpected directions sometimes, but overall the good points outweigh the other side completely. I’m now eager to dive into the third book, The Hour of Dust and Ashes, which will be reviewed by B. over here, and which will also have the reader happen upon the world of Charybdon for the first time; something which I very much look forward to.

Mihir's Thoughts: The Better Part Of Darkness by Kelly Gay

While I have been reading a lot in the fantasy and thriller genres, in urban fantasy I often find myself looking to a couple of reader buddies to be my guiding lights. One such series was the Charlie Madigan “Darkness” series; Bastard has always praised it for its action, world building, and the authorial ruthlessness with characters. So while Bastard reviews the third book The Hour of Dust and Ashes. I’ll be reviewing the first two books here.

The first book The Better Part of Darkness opens the world of Charlie Madigan amidst the city of Atlanta to the reader. It is a world wherein our world now shares its status with two other worlds “Elysia” & “Charybdon”. These other worlds were discovered nearly thirteen years ago, and since then Earth has been awakened to the presence of extra-terrestrial entities from both worlds. The story opens directly with Charlie who’s an officer with ITF, the new task force formed with humans and Elysian beings. There has been a recent increase in drug cases and this new drug called “Ash” is causing its users to lose their lives or get addicted to it forever. Charlie and her partner Hank, who also happens to be a Siren, are given this case as the victim has ties to Charlie. The story setup is typically within the realms of most UF procedurals and similarly we are shown a person whose family life isn’t the best, and she focuses on her job as well as her child as a means to living a normalized life.

The story then speeds on to its eventual climax with several twists inserted to keep the reader hooked all the way till the end. The author has done a very good job with characterization, the main character cast lead by Charlie is very varied and the reader is shown many sides to each one. But the biggest plus point in my view was the world which was showcased in the books. The author has inserted various mythical races and given the background of the two parallel worlds of Elysia and Charybdon, there’s a lot of potential for further exploration. I’ll be looking forward to see how the author shapes the world of Atlanta and how much of the other worlds she unveils.

The protagonist Charlie Madigan is a much complex character; on one hand her background as a mother is juxtaposed against the brutal reality of her job which has her dealing with danger at almost every turn. She nevertheless tries to keep both her personal and professional lives separate however events conspire to bring the twine together. These events will lead the readers to have a vein of sympathy for her; however I as a reader didn’t enjoy her viewpoint as much as I thought I would. The author has given Charlie a much deeper background than the rest considering she’s the protagonist and this is the first book. For me her character seemed a bit too hard and unforgiving. There’s visible trauma and pain in her life despite the person Charlie is, it just came across as a bit selfish, unforgiving and unfortunately hard-headed. This turned me off the book a bit however kudos to the author for writing such a brisk plot and keeping the story interesting through out. Even though I wasn't exactly enjoying Charlie’s viewpoint, I was riveted by the story and her struggles. There’s a mystery to this story which is explored via Charlie and the climax is a big one which does its part to satisfy the reader and demand that they remain for the sequel as well.

The story ends with a certain conclusion which can be partially guessed at, but here the authorial ruthlessness makes the first appearance and we are shown how this world operates. The ending while satisfying does make one curious to read the sequel as some threads are left for further explorations. The biggest negative in this book for me was the lack of explanations about the twin worlds of Elysia & Charybdon, the discovery is alluded to, but not specifically explained. The changes it brings to our world are again described very briefly; I would have liked to know more about the world as well. But all these points can countered by the fact that this is the first book and UF books rarely get to be WOT or ASOIAF sized ones. I’m hoping that the author does get around to explaining more about the worlds in the later books as I’ll be heartily looking to the next volume in the Charlie Madigan series.