PLEASE NOTE: THIS REVIEW IS BEING REPOSTED HERE AS IT WAS MISSING FROM A PAST BLOG MIGRATION. THIS POST IS NOT NEW.
New Orleans was nearly the death of Jeremiah Hunt, between a too-close brush with the FBI and a chilling, soul-searing journey through the realm of the dead that culminated with a do-or-die confrontation with Death himself.
But when he performs an arcane ritual to reclaim the soul of the magically gifted, beautiful woman who once saved him, he must flee the law once again, to Los Angeles, city of angels, a temporary sanctuary. In L.A., he has to contend with Carlos Fuentes, who sees in Hunt a means to obtain the mystical key that would open the gates of Hell. Fuentes knows Hunt’s weakness–his loyalty to the woman he loves, and to another “gifted” friend–and uses the real threat of torturing them as a way to get Hunt to help complete his dread quest.
Hunt has learned a lot since his life was irrevocably hijacked by fate months ago. But when his friends are threatened by the supernatural predator known as the Preacher, Hunt knows that all his new-found experience and ability will go for naught unless he can keep both the Preacher and Fuentes at bay long enough for him to somehow find a way to free his friends from mortal peril.
If you haven’t read the Jeremiah Hunt series yet, WHY HAVEN’T YOU READ THE JEREMIAH HUNT SERIES YET?!?!?!?!
This is a series that I started out with as a review request I received from Tor Books. Being one of my favorite publishers of urban fantasy, I decided to give King of the Dead (Hunt #2) a shot and they were nice enough to supply me with a copy of Eyes to See (Hunt #1) so I could get caught up. I was instantly hooked. Imagine how psyched I was when the author asked me to give a beta read to Watcher of the Dark (Jeremiah Hunt #3)!
Well, it just rocked. Cover to cover.
I have mentioned in my other reviews of this series that the biggest thing I like about this book is the lack of focus on any sort of romantic story line. Of course, there’s a little bit here and there but it is VERY minimal. The Jeremiah Hunt series is one of the few urban fantasy series that I can say is genuinely urban fantasy, through and through. Any guy could pick up these books and they would love them, I assure you.
A major draw to this series is the dark humor laced throughout the stories and Watcher of the Dark was no different. The book takes off right out of the gate with hardcore action. Hunt is in the midst of a dangerous situation he doesn’t entirely understand and humor is most definitely his go-to coping mechanism. And I love it! It’s not quite self-deprecating, but it treads lightly somewhere between dark humor and all-out sarcasm. I never know what is going to come out of his mouth, but it is always clever. Reading this character is so much fun! He’s half in and half out of the supernatural world and yet he still has a healthy fear of the things that go bump in the night. Combine that with the type of humor he has and you have a wickedly entertaining character!
One of my pet peeves in reading series books is bad rehashing—the retelling of the info from the previous books in the series so you can understand what is going on in the current book. Something that really stood out to me about this book is the rehashing is all done while all the action is going on at the very beginning. I was fed all the info I needed from the previous installments and I didn’t even realize it was happening until it was all over! The rehashing was blended perfectly with the new story.
I am a big fan of following series because it’s like watching episodes of your favorite show. I love that the series will have an overall story arc but each book has a story arc of its own. The first book was all about getting to know Hunt and learning about his abilities right alongside him. The second book takes him on a totally new adventure, but still keeps the big story arc going. Watcher of the Dark’s story arc was completely unique and yet you feel that you are in the same world as the previous books. We are introduced to a new big bad to deal with, and he’s a totally new type of villain for Hunt to have to deal with. That’s another thing!! The new big bad. My favorite villains are always the ones that are smart/clever and refined. The reader knows the villain is dangerous but also ends up kind of liking him. It’s like a collector’s sword – beautiful to look at, admirable in its own way, but could cut your arm off just as easily as a ratty old chainsaw. That is totally the big bad in Watcher of the Dark.
I don’t want to go too far into detail because I hate/won’t post spoilers but I can tell you that there are a few unexpected twists to Watcher of the Dark that you won’t see coming at all! This was a book that kept me turning pages to the very end and left me DYING to know where the story is going to go next.
My favorite quote from Watcher of the Dark is a dorky one and I just don’t care because it made me laugh my ass off:
“I wasn’t worried; my Googlefu was strong.”
Overall, I am giving Watcher of the Dark a solid 5 stars. If you haven’t read this series yet, you need to start. For lovers of true urban fantasy, this whole series is a must have in your collection. Speaking technically, Joseph Nassise has figured out the formula. He’s got great storylines with perfect pacing, flawless character development, everything flows well, no continuity issues, it’s a balanced mixture of humor/fantasy/suspense….he’s got it all! Go. Read. LOVE.
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(This review was previously published as an early review with the blessing of the author.)
EYES TO SEE – Jeremiah Hunt #1
Amazon | Click here to see Jena’s Review
KING OF THE DEAD – Jeremiah Hunt #2
Amazon | Click here to see Jena’s Review
WATCHER OF THE DARK – Jeremiah Hunt #3
Amazon | Click here to see Jena’s Review
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