Decent paranormal romance, exceeded my expectations. I liked how things often didn't go according to plan, and the book did a good job of portraying a sense of desperation, that the protagonist and her team were outmatched and outgunned by the bad guys. I liked the supporting cast, they felt like actual characters with their own flaws and motivations. I didn't care for the romantic subplot; though at least it didn't follow the standard formula. ( )

Action filled, some weak spots around the whole "guess what! The world is magic!" moment. Nothing groundbreaking here, nothing unique, but a solidly fun read. ( )

This is a very fun urban fantasy! I don’t know why it hasn’t been on my radar sooner. Jayné is an engaging character and I love how she (and us readers) are tossed into the middle of things when her uncle Eric passes away. She’s surprised to learn that she was his sole heir and that gives her a chance to restart her life. Yet there’s a glitch – Randolph Coin! Let the badass magic and hand-to-hand combat start!

It was great that this story didn’t follow the standard urban fantasy Book 1 formula. Jayné and crew plan, practice, and go forth to battle evil… and things go wrong. We still have half the book to go! What will happen next? I loved it – I couldn’t guess how things were going to fall out. The team is breaking up, no longer acting like a team, and totally disheartened by their failure. Jayné will either rise, bringing them together, or take her inheritance and restart her life in some other city.

The side characters are all very interesting too. There aren’t many female characters, so I would like to see a better balance. The immediate team that worked with Eric are all guys (Ex, Aubrey, Midian, Chogyi Jake). Later on, a wife/husband team joins the group since Jayné did them a solid favor early in the story. For me, Midian and Ex were the most interesting side characters because they obviously have pasts and are conflicted over them.

In this tale, our heroes combat Riders, which are malevolent spirits that hijack human bodies. They come in different flavors and a few are explained in this book. I expect more will be explained later in the series. I like that this sometimes makes their job harder as they will try to save the human by expelling the Rider. This isn’t always possible, which causes some moral indigestion for some of our heroes. I love these complications.

There’s a side romance that was just so-so for me. It added some drama to the story, but I don’t feel the plot needed more drama. After all, we were saving the world! That’s drama enough. All together, 4.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Suzy Jackson was perfect for this story. She nailed Jayné’s voice. Jackson had distinct voices for all the characters. There were a few times I felt her male character voices needed a little more masculinity, like for Chogyi Jake’s soft voice or for Aubrey in quieter moments. Most of the time, her male voices were just fine. There were no technical issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars. ( )

What do you do when the world you thought you knew turns out to be a load of proverbial BS? Jayné definitely knows how that feels. Starting with her Uncle Eric's mysterious death, it all spirals down from there. Family secrets anyone? I don't read a lot of Urban Fantasy normally, but I was willing to give Unclean Spirits a shot to step out of my box. Thank goodness I did! This book was everything I wanted it to be.

M.L.N. Hanover writes a character that is strong enough to face what comes, but still just flawed enough to be believable. Jayné isn't without her weak points. Love still affects her, as well as concern for her companions. She's just trying to get by the best she can. In fact, Jayné still isn't sure who her uncle was, or for that matter who she really is. I loved that she had the ability to go from normal to kick ass heroine in a matter of seconds when faced with danger. Unbelievable? Maybe a little, but this is fantasy! Jayné is my kind of woman!

There is just enough sizzle and motion to keep things interesting, as Jayné navigates her new upside down world. Her companions are just as well written and fascinating as she is, and that is a fact that I really fell in love with. Aubery, Chogyi Jake, Midian and Ex all have their own quirks and their own flaws. Each one of these characters is completely easy to become involved with. In fact, I read this book through nonstop because I absolutely had to find out what happened to them. Let's just say that this plot isn't just fast moving, it's like lightning. Strap yourself in.

For those of you who do read more of this genre, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what Hanover has offered up in this series. Sure there is your standard fare of vampires, demons and the like, but also a nice twist. These baddies don't just exist on their own. Oh no, they ride. Imagine being trapped inside your own body but unable to do anything at all of your own free will. Imagine if you will, a being that is hundreds of years old, bloodthirsty, and vengeful living inside your head. Anyone could be hosting a rider. Your mom. Your sister. Even your grandma. Welcome to Jayné's world.

As a reader who doesn't often read Urban Fantasy, mostly because I haven't really been introduced to any of it until recently, I have to say that M.L.N. Hanover definitely blew me away! If this is what all UF contains, count me in. Epic battles, a kick ass heroine, smoking scenes and, of course, a rip roaring plot line that keeps you reading well into the night. My hat is off to the author. I'm looking forward to some more Jayné and soon! ( )

This was not at all what I expected. I went in thinking I was going to get a kick ass female and her posse. I expected kick ass fights with evil beings and magic. What I got... was a boring story consistin of hardly any magic and no ass kicking what so ever! I honestly had to force myself to finish this book...not a good sign. The main character was far from what I'd expected. She went from a poor girl to one with unsurmountable wealth and what does she do with it? NOTHING! Nothing fun or exciting. She jumps into bed with the first guy she sees and then cries and complains when that backfires. Actually everything she does seems to backfire. And there was hardly ANY real magic! NOthing fun! All in all a poor read. ( )

In which our heroine Jayné discovers her beloved black sheep uncle has left her a fortune, and inadvertently a new family and a mantle to take up if she wishes.

I've had this whole series for a couple of years, but somehow packed book 1 apart from the others, and then couldn't find it! So I never read it. Situation now remedied (it was in a box of books stashed in the back of the shoes and winter coats closet in the hall. Of course it was.)

I'm a little non-plussed. I feel like I shouldn't like it quite as much as I did, a "your fave is problematic" kind of feel. But I can't deny the fact it grabbed me, and I polished it off really quickly. Maybe writing a review will help me figure it out.

Plotwise it's very standard, even pedestrian. Imagine Grimm with a much younger girl lead instead of a cop, and 'riders' being spirits that take over bodies and are responsible for pretty much all our myths from vampires to werewolves, and that's about it. Except Jayné also lands on her feet by inheriting a huge fortune, houses all over the world, and a rag-tag bunch of friends and 'co-workers' from her uncle. Oh and a mysterious unexplained set of abilities/powers.

It actually sounds pretty lame: a bit pedestrian, 'seen it before' and with a Mary Sue of a heroine. But it just works. Even if I didn't already have the other four books (I hope I can find *that* box now) I'd probably look at picking them up.

Recommended for: UF fans who like the romance in the back seat, not driving the show.

Longer review @Booklikes ( )

I really liked Hanover's short story in [b:Down These Strange Streets|10559622|Down These Strange Streets|George R.R. Martin|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1311280365s/10559622.jpg|15466372], so I'm going to check out his books.

Good, solid urban fantasy here! I really enjoyed Jayne's character and the author's take on the paranormal was interesting. There were a few unexpected shocks (and I consider myself unshockable!) which made for a fun read. Looking forward to the next in the series. ( )

This is a very decent read especially for a first book in the series, BUT... what I found really hard to swallow is improbability of the decisions made by Jayne.

She is a poor student from a very strict religious family, who suddenly receives a huge fortune from her uncle, who's been estranged from the rest of the family as long as she can remember. She is absolutely normal, - no dangerous, adrenaline-ridden hobbies, no sharp shooting or martial arts or even cheerleading in her past.

So instead of taking her fortune and going far away in a warm tropical country she is suddenly deciding to join the team like a fifth wheel to go on a mission to kill a Rider with unlimited resources, who's been an archenemy of her uncle all his life and eventually killed him.

The team knows what they are doing, she doesn't. They have training, she doesn't. They ask her persistently to not join them, because she is inexperienced and nobody expects her to step into her uncle's shoes, but she gets really noble and jumps into the most dangerous situation you can possibly jump into right from the start.

WHY?

Would any sane person do it instead of supplying the resources and the money and saying adios amigos? I would do it. No need to put your life on the line when you can pay the professionals to do it, especially when you are not equipped for it and there are no reasons important enough for you to do it yourself. I don't get her motives.

I guess you can say that clueless klutz is not my favourite type of hero. Apart from that, the book reads well, and I expect that the next few books in the series will be much better than Unclean Spirits. ( )

A fascinating book filled with magic and demons with an underlying more serious strain of what it means to do the right thing. Jayne's doubts and internal struggles make her a more compelling heroine. ( )

Ok read. Nothing compelling or fantastic. The characters are very flat. Not worth following the series. ( )

Rating: 3.5 stars. Above average, but nothing special... ( )

When I finished reading Unclean Spirits, I found myself staring at the cursor on my computer screen, not sure about what to say about this series. I certainly am not overwhelmed by the story, but the book sorts of leaves you with a blank feeling.

It begins with Eric Alexander Heller, sitting in a dive bar attempting to hire a few low lives to do a job. He seems to have a sort of special sight that allows him to determine if someone is really human or, nosferatu or loupine. Apparently, these creatures implant themselves in human bodies, and the owner of the body is forcibly removed or exterminated. Yep, a sort of new take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He agrees to go with the men to another location, but quickly realizes that they are not who they originally appeared to be, and ends up dead.

Eric's niece Jayne, pronounced zha-nay (a point of which we are reminded about ad nauseum) arrives in Denver to settle his estate. She is met at the airport by Aubrey, who is a friend of her uncle. We learn that Eric was never close to her parents, but that he always took time to be there for Jayne. Out of the blue, Jayne says to Aubrey, "I just want you to know, "it's okay with me that he was gay." Aubrey is shocked and tells her that he did not know that, and Jayne rethinks her assumptions. It seems that she believed that Eric was gay because he did not get along with her religiously conservative parents. For a major part of this story, almost every time Jayne brings up Eric it is to inform the listener that he is gay. It's like being hit over the head with a battering ram at times.

Read More ( )

have I read too many novels of this sort? Am I just getting bored with them? I asked myself this several times & I don't think so. The writing just wasn't that good & the heroine wasn't very believable or well done. I wouldn't have minded if she or anyone else died.

The basic idea wasn't bad, a different take on the whole vampire/werewolf thing. Riders, spirits from another dimension, take over human bodies & make the bad guys. Her uncle fights them. She does now too. She suddenly can fight really well, with no explanation. The magic is pretty poorly done as well.

There could be some hope for the next book, but I'm not in a rush to read it. If it falls into my lap, I'll give it 50 pages. If the writing hasn't improved drastically, I won't finish it, though. ( )

3.5 stars ( )

The tone of this book was very tactical, Jayne moves through events like a stone skipping across a pond. Sometimes I liked how details were dropped into the story without elaboration (the circumstances of her break up, connecting the dots about her tattoo), other times it made her seem like a caricature more than a character. The ultimate plot reminded me of a bounty hunter reality TV show crossed with a paranormal Batman theme. It was touching watch Jayne find relationships with her uncle's old crew, though the romance side of things didn't seem particularly heartfelt (perhaps purposefully). Over all, good enough to have me looking for the next book in the series, but not a favorite in it's own right.

Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex. ( )

Review to follow

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Review to follow

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Jayne's life turns upside down when her long lost uncle names her as the sole inheritor to his wealth, estates, and supernatural enemies.

The reason I loved this book as much as I did was because of the main character. Jayne was the perfect combination of smart, tough, and vulnerable. I also felt a strong kinship because her upbringing and subsequent life choices were so similar to my own (minus the rich uncle who hunted demons, lol). I loved Jayne's progression from deadbeat dropout to woman with a purpose and a strong band of friends to support her. Although I wasn't as impressed with Aubrey, her love interest, the romance touched me.

I also liked that the heroine didn't start the book knowing about the demons or magic. The way Jayne went from disbelief to acceptance felt very natural to me. Also, the plot was interesting, but not overly complex, making the book easy to follow.

If I had any complaints, it was that - at times - the style was overly narrative ("I did this and then I saw this and then I felt this way). But beyond that, this was definitely a five-star read. ( )

Summary from Goodreads:

"In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can't always play by the rules.

Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn't quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers -- and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College."

My Thoughts:

Unclean Spirits was a satisfactory beginning to this urban fantasy series with a unique and entertaining world. And although I thought that this book was a solid read, I did have a few issues with it. Let's start off with the positive first and what I enjoyed. The storyline and world building in this book were very unique which was one of the best things about this book. The author created an unusual world where vampires and demons used human bodies to live and were called "riders". Jayne is kinda thrown into this world which makes it interesting as we get to learn about the world (and all of these supernatural things) right along with her. She gets caught up in the struggle against the riders and their leader after her beloved uncle dies.

Jayne was an interesting main character. She came across as very realistic as she struggled to come to terms with all of the changes in her life. And unfortunately she doesn't really have anyone that can give her all of the answers even though she does develop a group of allies that she works with. I really liked the different characters that made up Jayne's inner group. They were all unique and with their own stories...I hope that we get to continue to learn more about them in future books. And although I liked Jayne's character, I struggled with her indecisiveness at times as well as her lack of confidence in herself. There were times that I just wanted her to be more assertive and ready for whatever was going to thrown at her next. This could just be my preference when it comes to female urban fantasy heroines...I fully admit it. But her character did affect my enjoyment of the book at certain points. That being said, I am eager to continue on with the series. I feel like the ending of the book helped to show a stronger, more confident side to Jayne, and I'm hopeful that it will carry on as the books progress. Plus, I'm curious to see what will happen next!

Overall, this wasn't my favorite beginning to an urban fantasy series but I did enjoy it. I really enjoyed the world that the author created as it was nice and dark while still being original. I will definitely be picking up book two in this series. Recommended.

Bottom Line: An enjoyable read but with a few flaws.

Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. My thoughts are my own :) ( )

Disappointing. The characters were hard to like or keep one's interest and the plot was formulaic and derivative. Not recommended. ( )

Solid work in the "urban fantasy" genre, much better than average for that type of novel. ( )

Our main character is thrown into a world she never imagined when her Uncle is murdered and she travels to attend to his affairs. Jayne thought she knew her Uncle, at least as well as she could with her father forbidding her to see or talk to him, but she really had no clue about him. Thrown into a world of 'Riders', demons or spirits who possess people, Jayne begins to come into her own. With the help of her Uncle's friends, she begins her journey into learning about this world. I felt the book was a little wordy at times, but overall I enjoyed it and look forward to the second book in the series. I am really curious about Jayne's abilites and 'mojo' and where/when/how it was acquired. ( )

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales

Quick & Dirty: A unique world with interesting and likable characters.

Opening Sentence: It was raining in Denver the night Eric Heller died.

The Review:

Unclean Spirits is the first book in M.L.N. Hanover’s series, The Black Sun’s Daughter. M.L.N. Hanover is just one of the pseudonyms for science fiction/fantasy author, Daniel Abraham.

Jayne Heller’s uncle dies and leaves her with a fortune and his unbelievable work as a paranormal hunter. She is thrown into this chaotic life, hunting riders and she takes it all in and keeps on going. We see her struggle and make monumental mistakes and that makes her a more believable and approachable character. She falls in with a rag tag group that band together to complete her uncle’s last quest and to get revenge for his death. We watch her grow into a stronger person as she learns to stand up and take control. I look forward to seeing her and her group come into their own as the series progresses.

I was really excited to read Unclean Spirits, from the description it sounded like it would be a great read. I was disappointed that I had such a hard time becoming invested in the story and I literality had to make myself continue reading in the beginning. Something was just off. There was plenty of action and fighting but it wasn’t believable to me. Hanover didn’t take the time to hash out and explain the magical aspects of the fights, they just happen, leaving me feeling disconnected. There was too much explanation of the mundane tasks such as eating and showering and it seemed that this was being used to create filler space around the repetitious planning the group did (don’t get me wrong it was nice to see some mundane tasks since we usually don’t get this but there is a certain point when you want to say enough already). I think that this time could have been better utilized by explaining more how the characters learned and used these magical powers. I am glad that I kept plugging along because toward the end of the book I was finally drawn in and didn’t want to put the book down.

Hanover created and brought to life a very intriguing and unique world. It is a superb setting for an urban fantasy with a new twist to what most have become used to as common paranormal creatures. It was because of this premise that I stuck with the book. In his world the paranormal creatures are riders, spiritual parasites that cross over from an abstract world that is parallel to the real one, to possess people. There are a variety of different riders, which include vampires, werewolves and demons. All of which have some degree of magical powers.

It is clear that Hanover spent a lot of time planning and developing such an elaborate world but he did not seem to put as much effort into the characters. They all seemed kind of flat. I liked them all well enough, but a connection was just missing. I knew Jayne and Aubrey had chemistry only because I was told that they did, I never actually felt it. I loved Midian with his quick and sarcastic humor. It would have been nice to know more about the characters, to feel more connected to them.

I am happy that I stuck it out and completed Unclean Spirits. The beginning was slow but the ending pulled it together and made it a worthwhile read. I see so much potential with the story line, characters and the unique premise of the world that I am looking forward to reading Darker Angels.

Notable Scene:

What the fuck was he sitting next to?

As casually as he could, he brought a hand to his mouth. He crushed the fresh sage and peppermint leaves in the cuff and breathed in the scent. His mind clicked into trance, the aroma acting as trigger. His eyes felt like they’d been washed clean. Everything around him was intensely real, the edges sharp, the textures vibrant. He could hear the individual raindrops striking the car. He felt each fiber of his shirt pressing against his skin. And the glamour fell away from the others. The ink of their markings seemed to well up from inside them like blood from a cut. The driver was entirely bald, labyrinthine tattoos rising from his collar and crawling up over his ears. The two beside Eric were just as marked, their faces covered with symbols and sigils.

It had been a setup from the start. The contact, the face-down at the bar, the creosote breath. There were no gangbangers. No loupine.

One of them glanced at Eric.

“He knows,” the guard said.

The big sonofabitch in the front was still a big sonofabitch. He turned, looking over his shoulder. His lips were black, his eyes set in a tangle of something half Arabic script, half spiderweb.

“Mr. Heller,” he said, as if they were meeting for the first time. His voice was low as tires against asphalt. With his senses scraped raw by the cantrip, Eric could feel the man’s breath on his skin.

“This isn’t what you boys think it is,” Eric said.

We know what you’ve been doing, Mr. Heller,” the other man said. “It stops tonight. It stops now.”

With a despairing cry, Eric went for his gun.

The Black Sun’s Daughter Series:

1. Unclean Spirits

2. Darker Angels

3. Vicious Grace

4. Killing Rites

FTC Advisory: Pocket Books provided me with a copy of Unclean Spirits. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site. ( )

M.L.N. Hanover is an alias for Daniel Abraham. And I was surprised by that it was a guy, but I'm not sure why. This year (as many years) DH and I gave each other books for Christmas. They all looked good, and covered the wide gambit of my tastes. This one I was really unsure about though, but he was so excited about it, I agree to read it first. After all, not so long ago he picked me a book that got me out of a reading funk, so maybe he did know my tastes pretty well. So, I finished the pile of reviews I had to catch-up on from last year, and dove in. It was exciting. Then it was confusing. Then it was intriguing. Then it kept me from sleeping because I was a little scared. Then I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about it. And I just plain just couldn't stop turning pages. Jaynes character is the underdog. And pretty much has the maturity and mentality of a college student. And she takes you from her old life to her new one in a believable manner. The money, and the responsibility. She starts to meet people from her uncle Eric's world. And they are all 'characters' to themselves. Aubrey, Ex, Jake and Midian, all bring something to the table she needs, both emotionally and fighting the Invisible College. There was one moment when I about threw the book across the room, with a scream to wake the dead in rage (and I probably would of if it wasn't 1 am, and I was up way to late reading. Again.). I felt tricked. But, the pull of the book at that point brought me back, and I found that it was justified and explained, even if I still didn't love it. With that said, I was 7 pages from being done when DH came home today. He was handed money and immediately sent out the door for the sequel, so I could start it right away. Will it hold up to the first? Time will tell, but right now, I am REALLY hoping so... ( )