REVIEW: Shotgun Sorceress by Lucy A. Snyder

Shotgun Sorceress by Lucy A. Snyder
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book 2 picked up where book 1 ended, with our heroes recovering from book 1’s shitstorm. I liked that it took a while before book 2’s shitstorm erupted because our heroes deserved their rest. And they deserved to have some of their issues resolved.

It would have broken my heart if Cooper’s kid brothers had to go through another tragedy. One satanic affair is one too many, and I hate it when kids are embroiled. So, I was very glad to see things were improving for Cooper’s family. I was also very glad that the conflict with the local Governing Circle resolved peacefully and unexpectedly neatly. Huzzah! Finally, a government leader who knows what’s what and has an ethical backbone. However, the Virtii, inviolable elemental spirits of judgement, were still on Jessie’s ass. But two out of three ain’t bad.

That said, I was disappointed how the conflict with the Virtii was completely sidelined. While our heroes had more immediate concerns once they got trapped in Texas, it didn’t excuse them from making the Virtii one of their priorities. All they did was run and hide. Instead, it should have been run, hide, and (at some point in downtime) brainstorm some ideas on how to deal with the Virtii for the long term. Our heroes were very lucky the Virtii didn’t intrude again in Texas to make sure our heroes would meet their ends, instead of gambling on Miko to do it for them.

+ the romance

Jessie and Cooper’s sexytimes caught me by surprise because it’s uncommon for urban fantasies to be this explicit, but I didn’t mind. I thought it was good that Jessie and Cooper had a healthy sexual relationship, and wow, did Jessie have a libido. It was refreshing to see a woman as the pursuer and not someone paranormal who needed sex for sustenance.

The scenes allowed me to learn more about their relationship, which left me concerned because our horny duo were damaged characters. The series held a great chance for a wheelbarrow full of romance drama. For the most part, the romance drama didn’t happen. Key word: for the most part. There was a misunderstanding towards the end, but to be fair, our characters were being played by the villain.

+ my least favorite part

My least favorite part of the book was when Miko, book 2’s villain of the week, kicked our heroes’ ass. The demigoddess of death could mind control people and liked to wield sex as a weapon. To remind, our heroes were damaged characters so it was easy to predict how things were going to go. This series really knew how to put out effective villains. To my relief, our heroes were capable and were not greatly injured as my pessimistic side feared, but the rape scenes were more than I could bare.

What was egregious was the ending. The conflict with Miko was left hanging. The ending wasn’t an ending of a book; it was an ending of a chapter.

+ my favorite part

My favorite part of the book was when Jessie practiced her newfound abilities from book 1. She was quick to recognize the side effects, quick to determine she had a little demonic possession going on, and quick to put her abilities to battle despite those obstacles. Most importantly, she didn’t refuse help when it mattered. For instance, she asked her familiar, Palimpsest, to watch over her when she spiritually visited her hellement.

I also liked how Jessie adapted to the new development of her blood family. I was worried the issue would fester because the lack of family is what caused her to be damaged. There were too many issues that could have sent the heroine deep into emo-land, but thankfully, the heroine kept her feet on the ground.

Conclusion

I rate Shotgun Sorceress 3-stars for I liked it. Alas, I do not recommend the series. I finished book 3, the final book of the series, and it was not good.

Review of book 3: Switchblade Goddess

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Book Description

BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE

For Jessie Shimmer, everything changed when she went to hell and back to save her lover, Cooper Marron. After tangling with supernatural forces and killing an untouchable spirit lord, Jessie finds herself gifted—or perhaps cursed—with dark powers. And when she and Cooper make love, her pleasure throes light the whole house on fire. What is a sorceress to do?

Jessie is about to find out. The circumstances of her birth, the mystery of a father she never knew, and the help of a cuddly ferret turned fearsome monster have made Jessie not just an outlaw from mundane society, but an accidental revolutionary in the magic realm. Encountering portals stitched into thin air and a fiercely sexy soul harvester, Jessie rushes headlong among enemies, horrors, wonders, and lovers into a place of self-discovery—or destruction.

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