Spider's Revenge

Elemental Assassin, Book 5

By: Jennifer Estep

Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang

Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

"Old habits die hard for assassins. And I plan on murdering someone before the night is through.

"Killing used to be my regular gig, after all. Gin Blanco, aka the Spider, assassin-for-hire. And I was very, very good at it. Now, I'm ready to make the one hit that truly matters: Mab Monroe, the dangerous Fire elemental who murdered my family when I was 13. Oh, I don't think the mission will be easy, but turns out it's a bit more problematic than expected. The bitch knows I'm coming for her. So now I'm up against the army of lethal bounty hunters Mab hired to track me down. She also put a price on my baby sister's head. Keeping Bria safe is my first priority. Taking Mab out is a close second. Good thing I've got my powerful Ice and Stone magic - and my irresistible lover, Owen Grayson - to watch my back. This battle has been years in the making, and there's a good chance I won't survive. But if I'm going down, then Mab's coming with me...no matter what I have to do to make that happen."

Listen to more in the Elemental Assassin series.

©2011 Jennifer Estep (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

good story

She is quite over detailed with the back story but still worth she listen. great char. fun and exciting.

Revenge is not as sweet as you thought

What did you love best about Spider's Revenge?

The best part of this book is that it completes a story arc that was starting to get old and frustrating. The killing of the fire elemental who killed her family hopefully will allow the rest of the characters and Gin to move forward.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gin is a badass with the beginnings of feeling starting to reemerge with the finding of her sister and a new love. My favorite line from the book is, " bring it on bitch, I'm the spider."

Have you listened to any of Lauren Fortgang’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Lauren makes the characters come to life but keeps them separate by using her voice to her' sand the reader's advantage.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The final battle between Mab and Gin was intense but the dream state after with Gin talking with her mentor the "Tin-Man" who is also Flynn's dad who died in the first book. Even though it brought some answers it also brought some more questions too.

Any additional comments?

If you enjoy Urban fantasy you should enjoy this book and the rest in the series.

Great book!

I love the characters in this series! Finn, Jo Jo and Sophia are great. I like Gin, I wish she didn't doubt herself so much. She could still be bad ass and vulnerable but all the self doubt wears a little thin. This is a great series!

LilyElement Book Reviews - Spider's Revenge

Any additional comments?

Gin Blanco, aka The Spider, returns in book five of the Elemental Assassin series, Spider's Revenge. The main purpose of this book is going after the fire elemental, Mab Monroe. In the previous book, she was toying with Mab. I knew she would have to deal with her once and for all and it was going to be a big battle. I wasn't let down, the face off was years in the making. Mab was the one who murdered Gin's mother and sister when she was just a child. She also tortured Gin, and left her mark on her by burning a spider medallion into her hands.

Gin has a lot to lose if she doesn't manage to kill Mab. Since the beginning of the series, she has slowly been putting down roots and caring for people. Finally reconnecting with her long lost sister, Bria she can't afford to lose her now. Add in that Gin and Owen are moving to the next level, they're being honest and accepting each other for who they are. She can't afford to make any mistakes.

I really enjoyed Spider's Revenge. It was a pretty intense read, that had me wondering if Gin would be able to pull it off without getting herself killed in the process. I highly recommend the Elemental Assassin series, and I will be listening to the next audiobook in the very near future. If you're not a fan of audiobooks, I'd recommend trying out this series. I was never fond of audiobooks until I ran across this one.

Good series though tends to repeat some phrases

If you could sum up Spider's Revenge in three words, what would they be?

action packed

Would you recommend Spider's Revenge to your friends? Why or why not?

some, language can be an issue

Have you listened to any of Lauren Fortgang’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have listened to the first five books and they are all pretty equal.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

An assassins story with a twist.

Any additional comments?

The story captured my attention so much that I had to listen until the main villain was eliminated.

Awesome

Another great book in the series, they have got me hooked and I can't stop reading

Loved it

Another smash hit! Every title in this series has been amazing!! Keep it up!

Lots of review

I really like Gin and I want to hear what happens but she goes into so much introspection in the middle of conversations, fights, heck just everything that it’s kinda annoying since you just want her to get on with it.

A picture perfect ending that I won’t soon forget

*** MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS ***

The showdown between Mab Monroe and Gin Blanco has been a long time coming; five books worth in fact but Spider’s Revenge makes the wait worthwhile. Jennifer Estep doesn’t waste any time and jumps right into the thick of things, she then proceeds to keep readers on edge, biting their nails up until the final pages with several close calls but not to worry, the Spider always gets her man woman.

I’ve been dishing out nothing but the highest of praise for the Elemental Assassin series ever since I read the first book back in September and this fifth installment will be no different. Aside from a few minor annoyances, namely Estep’s need to constantly recap characters’ and previous books’ happenings, Spider’s Revenge met all of my expectations and then some. Readers get to see a more fallible side to the fearless assassin which is to be expected when everything she holds dear is on the line. Emotions equal mistakes and in this installment we see Blanco’s infamous patience slip on several occasions. Granted, it must be hard to not get twitchy when you have your arch nemesis in your crossbow scope but it was interesting to see Gin’s calm demeanor crack.

For me, the gravy of these books have been Estep’s riveting first person POV writing style and the non-stop action; never in a million years did I ever expect to find myself balling my eyes out but I did. Twice. The first instance was when all of Gin’s friends rallied around her and adamantly refused to let her take on Mab alone. Blanco selfishly helped all of these people and when the going gets tough, they have her back. I loved watching the realization dawn on her that she’s no longer alone in her corner; it brought tears to my eyes. It really did. The second instance was her near death encounter with her mentor, Fletcher Lane. Even though this character has been deceased since Spider’s Bite, he’s been a constant presence in Gin’s life and I was overjoyed that she got the chance to ask him all of her burning questions. What I wouldn’t give for the same chance.

This novel really felt like a conclusion but thankfully it’s not; I don’t think that I’ll be ready to say goodbye to Gin Blanco anytime soon. The main and secondary plot lines come full circle is a neat symmetrical way including ending the book the same way that it all began. Many truths are unveiled including the facts about Sophia and her mangled voice. This tidbit alone makes this novel a worthwhile read in my opinion. Well that and the fact that Gin finally owns up to her feelings for Owen Grayson. Spider’s Revenge is a picture perfect ending that I won’t soon forget. I’m beyond anxious to begin the next chapter in Gin’s life, By a Thread.

Somebody just shoot Mab now!

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature.

Spider’s Revenge is the fifth book in Jennifer Estep’s ELEMENTAL ASSASSIN series. You probably shouldn’t be coming to this book without reading the previous four books, so I’ll assume you’ve done that already if you’re reading my review. If not, beware of spoilers for the previous books.

In Spider’s Revenge, Gin Blanco finally decides it’s time to kill Mab Monroe, the evil Fire Elemental who destroyed Gin’s family decades ago and is now the crime boss of Ashland Tennessee. I’ve been complaining for a while now that Estep is dragging the plot out by making Gin have to deal with one of Mab’s cronies or minions in each book rather than just taking the shortcut of going after Mab herself. It seems to me that there have been two main plots going on: the first (ostensibly) is Gin’s desire to get revenge on Mab. The second is Gin’s developing personal life which includes new relationships with her boyfriend Owen Grayson and her long-lost sister Bria Coolidge (who Gin thought was dead) and her still-smoldering-under-the-surface feelings for Donovan Caine, the detective who dumped her. This pussyfooting around about Mab felt, to me, like an excuse to put the Mab Plot on hold while Estep focused on Gin’s relationships. Now that Gin’s personal life has stabilized, Estep is ready for her to confront Mab directly. Finally.

Gin keeps telling us she’s the best assassin in the city, but she has a lot of what seems like unnecessary trouble with Mab. Her plots to kill Mab are so complicated and convoluted and there were several times during Spider’s Revenge that I yelled out loud “WOULD SOMEONE JUST TAKE OUT A GUN AND SHOOT MAB NOW?” But no, they have to have an elemental duel and Gin is usually armed only with short (silverstone) knives, so she has to get close enough to stab her enemy. Can she kill Mab this time? I won’t tell…

There are two main faults with this series. One is that the plot just doesn’t ring true in so many ways. It’s not only Gin’s behavior (e.g. cooking a huge Southern breakfast for her friends while Bria is being tortured and needs to be rescued), but also her enemies and their minions (who are all of the over-the-top evil puppy-killing variety), and the Ashland police. Characters seem to do things the difficult way just because it makes a better story and they lack and/or forget they have devices such as cell phones and guns that could help them get things done more efficiently. As for the police, they hardly do anything and nobody ever calls them for help (such as when their own boss has been captured and will probably be killed). All these things are so difficult to believe, which means that I can’t get lost in the story.
The second fault is, as I keep mentioning, the constant reminders about what’s happened in the past, who people are, what they look like, etc. Much of this uses the same words each time such as when two people look at each other and it’s “violet on grey” (their eye colors). Who could forget that Gin has “chocolate locks” and that Finn’s has “walnut curls” and that Bria’s cheeks are rosy? There’s a formula Estep uses to describe a character each time they show up which seems, if not lazy, then at least unimaginative.

Despite all that, I find that I still want to know what happens to Gin and her friends and even though I get annoyed by the “sloppy, sloppy, sloppy” plot and have to skim past the reminders and rehashes, I keep reading. I think that’s because the audio version I’m listening to is fairly entertaining. Lauren Fortgang does a great job with Estep’s characters. She makes me like Gin; I’m not sure I’d like her if I read her in my own voice. I’m still interested in seeing where Estep goes next with this series.