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.

Enjoyable

Overall I like the story, but it has a lot of flashback. Though as a man I will say that as much as I like the smut it is a bit awkward seeing as the book is in the main characters perspective.

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.

A bit long winded.

A pretty good story, but I have to admit that the authors tendency to really draw out certain scenes or actions gets annoying after a while. Also she has a lot of catch phrases that she uses over and over in her books. Gets a bit tedious at times.

Each Book Stands Alone

As a result of some minor irritating repetition each book could stand alone as it's own story meaning, if a reader pulled one book out of the center of the group they would have a complete story without having to read all of them. Of course reading(or listening to) all of them gives much better character development.

The four star rating is due mainly to the repetitiveness when reading/listening to the whole series. Overall this was a great story.

Love It!

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

Surprises, Intense, Awesome

What other book might you compare Spider's Revenge to and why?

I'm new to fiction books. After experiencing this series, I think I've wasted too much time on nonfiction.

What about Lauren Fortgang’s performance did you like?

Her variety of voices.

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

Not an extreme reaction. Just positive.

Great series

EA review


 The Elemental Assassin books are great.  very engaging with interesting strong characters and good story lines.  a perfect mix of fantasy, action and romance. And I love having a series with a strong, add kicking female as the lead character

Quite a rush

What did you love best about Spider's Revenge?

What is not to love? Jennifer Estep has created a great cast of characters, developed a really cool world for them, and allows great action scenes to unfold.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Spider's Revenge?

I don't want to give anything away, but there are some really great moments between Gin and Owen.

What about Lauren Fortgang’s performance did you like?

I think that she does a fantastic job of capturing Gin's personality with her narration.

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

What tangled webs are weaved

One of the best so far

I think this is the best book of the series so far. It draws you in and will not let you go. This is a must listen for anyone who likes the spider series. I cannot wait for the next book.

Great story and listen!

Would you consider the audio edition of Spider's Revenge to be better than the print version?

I love paper, it speaks to my soul. However, when I don't have the time for my favorite books in print, audio is a very close second. I have only one of this series in print. Both versions are equally enjoyable. I think I prefer this series on audio though because I don't want stop the story and if I was reading I would have to mark my page & put the book down. With Audible I am able to listen & keep up with the story to the very last second. It is great!

What other book might you compare Spider's Revenge to and why?

this series compares to Kim Harrison's The Hollows series. Both are full of action and magic and all kinds of things that make the story more than interesting.

What does Lauren Fortgang bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

I really love Lauren's accent and I feel like I'm listening to a true Southerner telling me about last night's adventures. She's the finishing touch to a great story!

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

Not sure about a movie tag line. I'd have to think about that. There are so many juicy possibilities, I mean the title is pretty good by itself.

Any additional comments?

A great series for anyone who likes a strong female lead and lots of page turning action that makes it hard to stop listening. Throw in just enough supernatural to make things really interesting and you've got one of the best series out right now.