Title: Blood
and Silver
Author: James
R Tuck
Series: Deacon
Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter #2
Genre: Dark
Urban Fantasy
Publisher:
Kensington Publishing
Release
Date: August 7th 2012
Format: eBook/Paperback
Source: ARC from Author
Contact James
Rating: 5 Bad Boys – Absolutely Loved It
Reviewer: Kat
Deacon Chalk
normally has no trouble telling innocent victims from real monsters. So protecting
an abused pregnant were-dog is a no-brainer...until a vicious lycanthrope
leader and his brotherhood target Deacon, other shape-shifters, and any humans
in their way. Suddenly, Deacon is outnumbered, outgunned, and unsure who - or
what - to trust. The only edge he has left is a weapon hungry for his soul and
his most savage impulses. And using it will exact a price even this
hell-raising hunter fears to pay...
My Thoughts
Strap
yourselves in my lovelies for another wild ride. Deacon’s eye is twitching and
that’s never a good thing. For the monsters that is. Things are going to get
dead.
In Blood and Silver, the author puts a
unique spin on the world of were-animals. Some are good; some are bad. Some want peace; others don’t. They’re at war
and made the mistake of bringing it to Deacon’s town.
Since
this is a series about hunting monsters, you can expect some scary and
disturbing creatures. Very cool ones too actually! Even though Charlotte (the were-spider) is one
of the good guys, she creeps me the f*** out. I have a serious fear of spiders. But since she’s
one of the good guys, I can deal.
This
novel is a little darker and more violent than the last. Some scenes aren’t for
the faint at heart. But that is the world of monsters the author has created
for us.
Deacon
Chalk: The Occult Bounty Hunter series is quickly moving its way up my list of
favorite Urban Fantasy series. The stories are rich with excitement and have a nice
balance of character development and action. The author’s voice is unique,
novels are well structured and I’m entertained from beginning to end.
About the Story
In Blood and Silver, Deacon finds himself in the middle of a war between the Were
species. In Deacon’s world (otherwise known as Deaconverse), there are not only
werewolves and all the cool weres we normally read about. There’s everything
from were-lions to were-sharks to were-rabbits, with a clear division between
predators and prey. Just the same as in the actual animal kingdom.
The
leader of the ‘predator’ weres wants to bring peace among all the weres; however,
there is always the villain that doesn’t want peace. They like being the
predator and having control over the ‘prey’ weres. And they want to keep it
that way. So a battle over what regime will reign ensues. This battle finds its
way into Deacon’s city and he inadvertently becomes embroiled in their
war. And so the adventure begins.
About the Characters
If you
follow me at all, you know I rave about my man Deacon. A lot. Why do I love this character so much? Well,
besides all the obvious reasons (hot as hell, incredibly cool, a genuinely
caring person with a heart of gold), he’s the tortured and tormented hero that
we all love to read about. He struggles to deal with a sad and tragic past that
never leaves his mind. He became a hunter of monsters to avenge the deaths of
his wife and kids who were killed in a ritualistic slaying a few years
back. Now, given an opportunity for love,
he’s full of inner conflict thinking he’s being unfaithful to his wife and
since he lives in a very dangerous world, he doesn’t want to put anyone else at
risk.
He
bravely takes on any type of baddie that is out to hurt humans or his friends. He’s
tough as nails and kills these monsters without remorse. At times, actually, he seems to have a bit of
a death wish. He misses his family so much that he considered taking his own
life to be with them. But that is not an option for him because he’s religious
and fears he won’t meet them in the afterlife if he does. He hopes he will meet something big and bad
enough to do the job for him someday.
The
supporting characters are all great and have their own stories to tell. This
novel focuses more on Deacon. Which is a
good thing. He’s grown a lot in this novel and he’s discovering a lot more
about himself.
About the Writing
What
strikes me most about the writing in this novel is the author’s use of
description. Tuck has an exceptional ability to recount events and depict scenery
paying a lot of attention to detail. Not
to the point that its long and drawn out like some novels but smartly done with
carefully chosen words. A testament to
the skill of a very proficient writer.
Here
are a couple of my favorite examples of great description and commentary in this novel. The
first one describing a werewolf Deacon is meeting for the first time…
“Thick,
silver-shot hair flowed into a beard that gnarled its way down to a massive
chest. Long yellow canines showed through his smile. Black eyes stared out at
me under overgrown gray eyebrows. A scar pulled one side of his face up, the
skin taut over his cheek and forehead. His hands sat on top of each other like
washed-up driftwood. Brown liver spots covered their backs. The knuckles were
swollen twice as big as the finger bones with arthritis. He was a grizzled old
Were, still dangerous despite his age.
Maybe even more so because of it.”
I mean, a beard that gnarled it way and hands like driftwood …I've never read anything like it. Brilliant!
And the other is describing a scene where the women in his life comforted each other…
And the other is describing a scene where the women in his life comforted each other…
“The
three women huddled, drawing strength from each other. Larson and I were left
out by virtue of our gender, so we sat quietly, reverent in the presence of
something we could never fully understand…Women already come equipped with a
core of steel-fiber strength, depths of resolve a man cannot comprehend. It’s
not the dynamic strength men have, all power and show. It’s a strength of
endurance, fortitude. It is the strength that allows women to conceive life and
to carry that life until the day it can stand on its own. These three women
were now one, a three-strand cord not easily broken."
Beautifully written!
Beautifully written!
Blood and Silver is a fast paced novel with tons
of action and thus a fast read. But not too fast or too much action that we
miss out on character’s feelings and emotions.
Perfect pacing. We get to see
more of the inner workings of Deacon this time as this novel seems to be a tad
more character-driven than the last. There are some characters that could be
more developed, however, I’m sure as the series progresses; we will see more of
their stories.
In Book
#1, major characters got hurt. The author keeps it real in this regard. In the
world these human monster-hunters live in, its bound to happen. Its sad and
unpleasant but it adds to the reality of the story. In Book #2 there’s more of
the same. What’s brilliant is that the author uses the character’s ability to continue
on with an intestinal fortitude that is inspiring to say the least as another
theme for the story. At least that’s how I thought about it. Yet another reason
why I enjoy this series so much.
Bottom Line
Overall, this series is quickly becoming one of my favorites. The
author delivers another action packed adventure for Deacon and his band of
monster hunters that’s
both character-driven and action-filled. The author’s voice is unique, the
novel is well structured and I was entertained from beginning to end. If you are into Dark Urban Fantasy with badass heroes, monsters
and a good vs. evil theme, you will enjoy reading this series. I highly recommend adding this one to your To
Be Read list.
Happy Reading!!
5 Bad Boys – Absolutely
Loved It!!!!
Coming
August 7th… Pre-order Blood and Silver Now…
Dang were spiders?! Creepy indeed. The cover guy looks like a WWE star. I'm taking an interlude with UF but I'll earmark this for when the mood strikes again. Fab review
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