Bastard Giveaway: Winner Update for Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep

Here's the winner of the giveaway the signed copy of Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep, latest in the Elemental Assassin series:

Kristen Heyl

Thanks everyone who participated and congrats to Kristen. For those interested, I reviewed Widow's Web.

Bastard Reaction: Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep

What's next for Gin Bianco? I asked this before, and one book after we still remain with the same question, wondering where Jennifer Estep is taking this series next. It seems like for the time being the author is content with using the stage built in that initial arc and writing some standalone thrillers with a bigger focus on relationship developments. Widow's Web doesn't necessarily answer the question above, but by the end of the novel I can assure you there'll be a more pressing question looming as for the future of our favorite assassin.

Gin Bianco is still adjusting to life as a retired assassin, while people are still trying to make a name for themselves by taking her out, the Spider. Despite all that, she seems happy for once. She's surrounded herself with family and friends, and someone who loves her for who she is. Things quickly take a turn for the worst when an old acquaintance of the Graysons, and also of a crime boss who hires Gin with a hidden agenda to cater at one of his parties, comes to town with aspirations of taking back what is owed to her, including that with Gin holds dear.

Widow's Web was a bit different than all the previous novels in the Elemental Assassin series. It was more drama oriented than the novel's predecessors, and the action was more limited. It was surprising to find that this novel was one of my favorites in the series despite this. More surprising when you consider that most of the drama centered on relationship problems between Gin and Owen, and as some of you may know, it's not what I'm looking for when reading a novel. Yet, I found it to my liking. Estep created some great tension that lasted the length of the novel, which kept the pages turning.

The action was more of the manipulative sort. It's a new type of fight for Gin, who's used to cutting throats to solve her problems. With all that said, when there's action it's great as always. There's one particular scene that was quite awesome, quite eye-popping. Let's just say that The Legend of Korra would be wise to steal some of Estep's ideas for waterbenders. Worth mentioning that in the last few novels I've been noticing Gin relying on some powerful weapons to help her get an advantage over her more powerful enemies, or rather just noticing a tendency towards using them. I not sure I'm liking this development since part of what has made Gin great is her cunning use of her simple weapons combined with her fighting expertise, and later supported with her growing elemental powers. So I don't think we need to rely on the crutch of powerful weapons to get her out of jams. That said, it was interestingly used in this one, and maybe it's a one shot deal.

The book itself focused more on the Graysons' past, their untold history, their struggles of how they came to be as they are now. Some reveals are made about past friendships and enemies, and how they affect the present and the possible future. More importantly, the context of what all these revelations mean for Gin who's placed right in the thick of things and walking on eggshells as to be as supportive as possible with all those concerned. In typical Spider fashion, it'll be up to her to take it upon herself to make the difficult choices, and face the consequences with her head-up, whichever they may be.

I feel Estep is improving as a writer as I've stated previously. A well marked growth since Spider's Revenge. I still think that references to previous events in prior novels can be minimized even more. We're getting frequent releases, so events are still quite fresh and the story are easy to follow and characters easy to remember. Events are easily inferred otherwise. Nothing that I found bothersome though. The flashback sequences were much better balanced this time around, so I'm glad for that at least. But all around, I feel the best written of the bunch.

Plot-wise, nothing really surprised me as far a mystery and revelations went. Many of the things were well implied through the narrative before they came to pass. But I need to keep reminding myself, this story is not about the mystery, it's about the thrill and I'm glad that Gin is a smart character, so even when you recognize something, Gin's quick to point it out soon after. I think the most surprising things came with the decisions Estep took to shake things a bit on pretty much all aspects of Gin's relationships. She was getting a bit too comfy, so it was time to rock the boat a bit. There'll be some frustration for some readers regarding some characters, but I thought it was handled quite well.

Some new characters were introduced, or better some were re-introduced. They were great, fitting right in seamlessly with what has been established, and added new entertaining dynamics. Will be curious on their role going forward, particularly on how they'll influence Gin.

I think I'll leave it at that as talking about the book further will telegraph too much of what went on through the novel. I'd like to point out though that I'd like to see this series take next logical step in developing a storyline that goes beyond the relationship drama and the self-contained stories. This is a rich world, full of possibilities, and there's room for something fresh to really take this series to a new level. The villain this time around was a good one, quite the psycho which served the purpose as both a powerful enemy and someone who managed to change the status quo in Gin's personal life. Even so, I would like to get the impression that something bigger is at foot, but we'll see.

Once again Jennifer Estep has delivered an entertaining installment in the Elemental Assassin series. Widow's Web, while still having the good action sequences, delivered on the strongest interpersonal plot so far in the series. I'm sure that fans of the series will be pleased with this installment and will anticipate the next one eagerly; Deadly Sting is up next.

Buy Widow's Web from The Book Depository.

For a chance to win a signed copy of Widow's Web, please enter this giveaway. It also has an excerpt from Chapter 3.

Please visit Jennifer Estep's website for more information and short stories set in the Elemental Assassin universe.

Excerpt & Giveaway: Widow's Web by Jennifer Estep

Followers of the blog know I'm a big fan of Jennifer Estep's Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. I've shared my thoughts multiple times, including reviewed Spider's Revenge and recently By a Thread. Today we have the author on the blog sharing with us an excerpt from the recently released Widow's Web and also a giveaway for a signed copy of the same.

The excerpt is from chapter 3. And I must admit at first I thought it was odd that this excerpt was being shared on this blog considering where my reading tastes lie, but after reading the novel, I'm glad to be sharing this portion since this is the precursor to where the setup of the novel starts to picks up. For the record, really enjoyed Widow's Web, here's my review, and for the time being, hope you enjoy the excerpt below:

Excerpt from Chapter 3 of Jennifer Estep's Widow's Web:

So we focused on our menus and ordered dessert—a classic New York cheesecake with strawberry topping for Owen and a decadent black cherry and chocolate parfait for me. I ate my parfait slowly, letting the light, airy layers of cherries and chocolate melt on my tongue and savoring every sweet bite. All the while, though, I wondered if I could possibly lure McAllister into one of the restaurant bathrooms and cut his throat with the knife in my evening bag. A pleasant daydream on my part, since McAllister would never go anywhere willingly with me, but the lawyer’s days were numbered—even if he didn’t realize it yet.

All through dessert, I kept one eye on McAllister, but he seemed determined to ignore me. Judging by the way he kept checking his expensive watch, the slick lawyer was waiting for someone—and whoever it was looked like he or she was late. Aw, I just hated that for him.

I’d just put my spoon down and pushed away my empty dessert dish when a series of hushed whispers rippled through the restaurant, as though everyone was trying very hard not to talk about someone and failing miserably. I looked out across the room, wondering who or what the fuss was about.

And that’s when I saw her.

There were plenty of beautiful women in the restaurant, the belles of the underworld, the society pages, and all the social circles in between, all of them decked out in the finest evening gowns and jewels they or their husbands’ money could buy. But this woman was in a class by herself. She was simply that stunning—the kind of woman who looks almost too beautiful to be real.

She was tall and willowy with sun-kissed skin and golden hair that rippled halfway down in her back in soft, silky waves. A slinky, sequined, sky-blue gown clung to her curves in all the right places, the slits in the top and the bottom showing off the generous swell of her breasts and the long, lean lines of her legs. A silverstone cuff bracelet flashed on her right wrist. Some sort of design was etched into the metal, but I couldn’t tell what it was from here.  

Every head in the room turned to watch her, and a small, satisfied smile played across her rosy lips. Whoever she was, she knew exactly how stunning she was and enjoyed the attention.

The woman stopped at McAllister’s table, which surprised me, since she definitely looked out of his league. The lawyer jumped to his feet, and the woman coolly offered him her hand, which he shook with all the enthusiasm of a shyster sidling up to his next victim. The two of them exchanged what seemed to be a polite greeting, although I couldn’t hear the exact words over the clatter of the dishes and the continued whispers of the other diners.

Even though she was talking to McAllister, the woman was well aware of the stir she’d created. In fact, she encouraged it, slyly glancing at one diner, then the next to judge how eagerly they were ogling her. She even went so far as to subtly pose this way and turn that way to show off all her ample assets. A hip curve here, a subtle show of leg there, a faint pout of her lips. It was quite a show, better than a movie star preening for the cameras.

Finally, her eyes met mine. When she saw that I was merely curious and not completely enraptured by her, the woman’s gaze went past me. But that same small, satisfied smile curved her lips again. Instead of taking the chair McAllister had pulled out for her, she headed in my direction.

BIO INFO:

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times bestselling author. Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. Widow’s Web, the seventh book, was released on Aug. 21. Visit www.jenniferestep.com for excerpts and more information about her books.

Bastard Reaction: By a Thread by Jennifer Estep

What's next for Gin Bianco? The previous installment, Spider's Revenge, ended an arc that could have been series ending. Author Jennifer Estep decided to extend the series, and we're left wondering in what direction the Elemental Assassin series will be going next. By a Thread, the sixth novel in the series, doesn't really answer those questions yet, but it seemed to me that it was the perfect installment that will work as a bridge for what's to come next.

Gin has retired from her Spider duties. At least that's what she's been telling herself for a while now. She's trying to live as normal a life as she can, running the Pork Pit diner. Of course, with the occasional asshat trying to make a name for himself by attempting to kill the infamous Spider and failing at it. It's decided she's going on a vacation with her sister Bria, and they go visit the town where she grew up. They're both forced to face the truth about their relationship, and some of the lingering resentment that they may feel towards each other. Add to that some of the jealousy overwhelming Gin as she sees Bria interacting with some of her best friends, ruining what was supposed to be a promising vacation between sisters. Luckily for Gin, some unsavory people start muscling in on Bria's friends and an old acquiescence makes a return to the scene. What's a vacation without Gin doing what she does best: make people dead.

I've been a big fan of this series, so it was with some trepidation that I began reading By a Thread. I've been of the opinion that in order for this series to move forward, Estep had to finish the arc that began with Spider's Bite and find new story-lines to follow. That done, the author finds herself in a tricky cross-road as the rest of the series will depend on the setup that may be found in By a Thread. What we found instead was a novel that looked to close any loose ends from the previous quintet, while giving options of where to go next without committing to any.

Critics of Estep's writing should be glad to know that I found this novel to be the best written in the series since Spider's Bite from a technical standpoint. Maybe it was due to circumstances, but it was apparent to me that Estep has improved her craft. I think it was mostly evident on how repetition and recapping was very much minimized compared to the previous installments and, to a degree, non-existent. The novel simply read and flowed better to me.

One thing I'd point out though is that I think the series could use less flashbacks. Many of the times they really don't add anything new, and much of what is introduced can be inferred. I still like some of them though as they expand on the mythology already presented and gives our characters more depth, but for books like these that aren't long, I think shorter and less frequent flashbacks would be for the better.

Story-wise, I don't think this installment was as strong as the previous ones. I think that's to be expected and something I easily accepted as a necessity as we transition to the next portion of the series, also considering the climactic event in the previous novel. The main of it was that a lot of time was spent adjusting to the new situation and new locations, and we were well into the novel when the book specific predicament began to develop. One of the consequences of this was that once we are faced with the adversaries, we're pretty much close to the climax and the conclusion of the novel, and I was left wanting a bit more of it. On the other hand there was more focus than before on Gin and Bria's relationship, which was the main catalyst of the story this time around, when it was usually mostly about Gin and the case she was working on. So on that regard, this novel was stronger than the previous ones as far as interpersonal relationships and the drama that accompanied it.

Not to be missed was the usual abundance of kickass scenes. Gin is such a pleasure to have as a narrator when action is about, and Estep didn't disappoint on this regard. I'd like to mention that there was one particular scene that was just disturbingly amazing, and it involved just a little bit of bloodsucking. One of the best I've read of that particular nature.

Jennifer Estep has once again written a solid installment in the Elemental Assassin series. By a Thread being a novel that worked as a great aftermath to the previous arc, having Gin faced with some of the lingering demons that still threaten the semblance of peace she has been striving to create for herself and those she cares about. Demons that prevent her from moving forward to live the life she wants, but thinks she doesn't deserve. Old wounds keep her restrained, and she's also faced with new concerns she doesn't know how to handle, and they test the small amount of good she has going for herself. As the novel is aptly named, relationships, life, and mental health all are hanging for dear life "by a thread". It's up to Gin to become resolute and make peace with herself to have a fighting chance to tackle her current predicaments.

By a Thread takes on a journey of self-exploration now that Gin has lost her compass, what she thought to be her life's goal as she struggles to cope and to keep what's left in her life. It's a novel that intends to remedy and heal, and if it fails, Gin's journey would have been for naught. At least in her eyes. Regardless of how it all played out, the stage has been set, and we get a satisfactory conclusion to the story so far as I'm sure many will get a kick out she goes about solving some of those lingering problems. We're ready to move forward. It's time to join Gin in her new adventures, and very much looking forward to what's coming next. It starts with Widow's Web coming out soon, and I've already reserved my copy.

Buy By a Thread from The Book Depository.

Please visit Jennifer Estep's website for more information and short stories set in the Elemental Assassin universe.

Bastard Giveaway: Tangled Threads, Spider's Revenge, and By a Thread by Jennifer Estep

Great giveaway for some novels from one of my favorite urban fantasy series, Elemental Assassin. The giveaway is for signed copies of the three most recent novels, Tangled Threads, Spider's Revenge, and the soon to be released By a Thread. So thanks to the awesome Jennifer Estep, author of these novels, for making this possible.

My name is Gin, and I kill people.

They call me the Spider. I’m the most feared assassin in the South — when I’m not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don’t use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.

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 mailing addresses only, and it will run from February 13, 2012 until 11:59pm ET on February 24, 2012.

How to participate:

• To enter the giveaway, just place a comment in this post letting me know you wish to participate.
• One entry per person, or face disqualification.
• Make sure to provide an email address to which I can contact you.
• Entries accepted until 11:59pm ET on February 24, 2012.
• Winners will be chosen by random sorting entries, and then using a random number generator.
• There will be 1 winner total, who will get one signed copy of all 3 titles.
• Will have to confirm email to be considered a winner within a week after February 24, 2012.

Additional entries may be had by doing the following:

• Follow me on my blog publicly so that you appear on Google Friend Connect.
• Follow me on twitter, @BastardBooks. Make sure to provide your twitter username in your entry.

If you do the steps above, and only by doing those steps, you'd end up with the possibility of 3 total entries:
+1 Comment Entry
+1 Google Friend Connect (Mention your GFC username)
+1 Twitter Follower (Mention your twitter username)

Thanks, and good luck!

If you have problems commenting to enter, feel free to email me at bastardgiveaway @ gmail with the proper information of entry (name, GFC, and/or Twitter nicknames).

Bastard Reaction: Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep

The Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep has been one my more entertaining series in the past year, Spider's Revenge being the fifth book in the series. A book which promises to be the culmination of the arc which had begun in the first installment, so very much looked forward to by fans of the series. Gin Bianco is back, and someone is getting his throat slit.

Estep delivers once again on an action packed violent ride, my main reason for reading the series. Gin Bianco is simply a kickass character, and has a blunt narrating style very much to my liking. I like how she sees the world, and how ruthless she can be when needed. If someone is a threat, and needs to "get dead", there's no hesitation; a quick stab to the heart and a cut throat for good measure is standard practice. In Spider's Revenge we see a more vulnerable Gin, as she deals with various failures of her life and how she has to adapt to push forward to do what needs doing.

The book did contain a few elements that I thought could be a bit problematic for some readers. One is that it seems like some facts became a bit repetitive and redundant through the narrative, and also maybe a bit too much recapping of previous events. In my opinion, more trust to the reader should be granted. On the other hand, the book does grant a great opportunity for new readers to jump on the series. But, I think it could have been better balanced. Also, one has to give some allowances that many of these facts get repeated because we're inside the narrators head, we're dealing with her emotions often in this book, so it at times might become disingenuous if some of these things weren't mentioned with some regularity. It does set the right atmosphere, particularly during portions of introspection. At the same time, this is a very easy series to follow and quite straightforward in many regards. So it's all about finding the right balance. Though these issues didn't hamper my reading much, I thought they should be mentioned.

The above issues aside, still a very cool read for me. There's little down time, always on the move, and plenty of fun moments. One of my favorite things of the book is when Gin is talking with people who she has to hide her identity from for whatever reason. Though not a fan of heroes hiding their identities, I like being in Gin's POV as she feigns weakness or misleads people, just plenty of fun for me particularly with how Gin depicts the scene. Looking for more of that when possible in future installments.

As mentioned before, Spider's Revenge indeed closes the arc which began on the first book of the series. Those readers that hesitate on starting a series because they don't know when it'll finish, at least know that Spider's Revenge provides a very good stopping point as pretty much all main plot-lines get a satisfactory resolution, and we also got plenty of backstory on some of our side characters. So for all intents and purposes, after reading this book you'll feel like you've read a series to it's totality. I for one am glad that the arc is finished and not dragged longer than needed. I'm looking for a fresh start in the series, and very much looking forward to what comes next.

Spider's Revenge is another solid entry in the urban fantasy scene and the Elemental Assassin series. While not a perfect novel, it does serve it's purpose and it gave me the satisfaction read I was looking for. Violent and gritty at times, as expected from a revenge tale, it's also a book about making peace with one's self, acceptance, and sacrifice. So I recommend the book with little hesitation, it should be welcomed by new readers of the series and fans of the series alike. And at the chance that it doesn't work for you, it should at least give you a satisfactory finality and know that the book's narrative is a page turner. Regardless, I'm looking forward to more Jennifer Estep novels, including the next installment By a Thread.

Buy Spider's Revenge at The Book Depository.

Please visit Jennifer Estep's website for more information on the series and her other books, also for information on short stories, some of them free.

Bastard Giveaway: Falling into Books Blog Hop

Welcome to my second Bastard Giveaway which is currently part of the Falling into Books Blog Hop, and I think I have a very good one for you guys. It'll have at least something for everyone, and will be dividing the giveaway between US and non-US mailing addresses (as not all prizes will be available for outside of the US). Entries will be accepted from Monday September 26 until 11:59pm ET on Friday September 30, 2011.

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

In the meantime, here's what will be offered:

Signed copy for Spider's Revenge by Jennifer Estep. Book comes out on September 27, and it's one of my most anticipated urban fantasy books this year. Latest in the Elemental Assassin series, and it promises to be the best one of the series so far.

Here's a small promo I did for the series a couple of weeks ago, for those that are not familiar with the book or series.

My personal copy of My Life as a White Trash Zombie by Diana Rowland. Quite a big fan of the author, first with her Kara Gillian series, and now with her White Trash Zombie series. Quite the fun book, highly recommended to pretty much everyone who reads urban fantasy.

Here's my review of the book I did last month, it even has proof of the copy I have for the giveaway.

Everyone who participates on this giveaway will get an e-copy of Resurrection by Tim Marquitz. It's the second book of the Demon Squad series. It stands amongst my top 5 favorite urban fantasy series, and climbing. In addition to this, winners will be able to get an e-book of any of Tim Marquitz's works of the winners' choosing. Info on books on his site.

Here's a review I did for Resurrection recently. Also, for those interested there's free ebook available for his dark epic fantasy book Dawn of War on Smashworld.

E-copy of Afterlife by Naomi Clark. Just read it over the weekend and enjoyed it quite a bit, so hopefully more people will give this book a chance, and if not this book, then the author as I think she has plenty to offer. Here's my review.

In addition to Afterlife, winners will be able to pick an additional e-book by Naomi Clark of their choice. I recommend Demonized novella, a loose sequel to Afterlife, but it's not for everyone. A very twisted and graphic psycho thriller, and it can get quite sick at times. Awesome. More info on her site.


For US mailing addresses:

• Once again I mention that all participants will receive an e-copy of Resurrection by Tim Marquitz.
• First winner will have his or her choice between My Life as a White Trash Zombie and Spider's Revenge.
• Second winner will get the remaining book between My Life as a White Trash Zombie and Spider's Revenge.
• Eight more winners will be chosen.
• All ten winners will get an e-book of choice by Tim Marquitz.
• All ten winners will get Afterlife and an e-book of choice by Naomi Clark.

For non-US mailing addresses:

• Once again I mention that all participants will receive an e-copy of Resurrection by Tim Marquitz.
• Ten winners will be chosen.
• All ten winners will get an e-book of choice by Tim Marquitz
• All ten winners will get Afterlife and an e-book of choice by Naomi Clark.

How to participate:

• Participants have to be 18 years of age or older to participate.
• To enter the giveaway, just place a comment in this post.
• On your entry, state if you're a US or non-US mailing address.
• One entry per person, or face disqualification.
• Make sure to provide an email address to which I can contact you.
• Entries accepted until 11:59pm ET Friday September 30, 2011
• Winners will be chosen by random sorting entries, and then using a random number generator.
• Will have to confirm email to be considered a winner within a week after September 30,  2011.

Additional entries may be had by doing the following:

• Follow me on my blog publicly so that you appear on Google Friend Connect.
• Follow me on twitter, @BastardBooks. Make sure to provide your twitter username in your entry.

If you do the steps above, and only by doing those steps, you'd end up with the possibility of 3 total entries:
+1 Comment Entry
+1 Google Friend Connect (Mention your GFC username)
+1 Twitter Follower (Mention your twitter username)

Even though you don't get an additional entry, consider subscribing to my Facebook Bastard Books page.

And please remember to visit other destinations in the Falling into Books Blog Hop for more cool giveaways & Melissa (My World... in words and pages) also has a good giveaway going on, so please visit her.

Void where prohibited by law. Giveaway rules are subject to change. 

Bastard Promotion: Elemental Assassin by Jennifer Estep

Jennifer Estep came to my attention, through Mihir, with her Elemental Assassin series and its series debut Spider's Bite early last year 2010. Since then, three more books have been published in the series, and the fifth one, Spider's Revenge, due to be published later this month.

Aside from a few narrating quirks of the main character and a few love drama objections I had in the first two books, this has been one of my favorite urban fantasy series I've read. More of a straight forward thriller revenge tale, but with high action and violence quotient, which works very well for me. Gin is a "former" assassin for hire, who's very loyal and not afraid to make unethical or immoral choices in the hopes of setting right a wrong; often delivering justice by slitting someone's throat. She's also a great cook, and I've been tempted to try making some of the sandwiches she has described; but I've been lazy.

Fans of the series should be happy to know that Spider's Revenge will mark the culmination of the revenge arc which began with the first book. But that's not the end of the series as Estep has been contracted to write more books in the Elemental Assassin world. Which is very much welcomed to me as it'll be interesting and refreshing to see where Gin goes next after what promises to be a bloodbath, assuming she survives.

Cover for the sixth book, due out in February 28, 2012, By a Thread has been revealed :

For those curious about the series, you have until September 19 to buy an ebook version of the first book in the series, Spider's Bite, from Simon & Schuster, Barnes & Noble, or Amazon for just $1.99.

Books in the Elemental Assassin series:

Spider's Bite
Web of Lies
Venom
Tangled Threads
Spider's Revenge
By a Thread

The series also has a ton of short stories, many of them available for free. Visit here to get info on them or simply read them.

Make sure to visit Jennifer Estep's site and blog to keep up to date with the series and also inform yourself of other projects she's working on.