Spider's Bite

Elemental Assassin, Book 1

By: Jennifer Estep

Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang

Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin in the South -- when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.

Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way -- good or bad. I may look hot, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I'm battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction... especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.

©2010 Jennifer Estep (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Fortgang’s captivating drawl sketches Finn’s flirty, genteel arrogance and Caine’s horrified disapproval of her. Fortgang portrays Gin’s well-hidden emotions as well as her habitual analysis of combat probabilities. The capable narration ensures that Gin comes across as an intriguing mix of battle-weary assassin, sorceress, and affectionate homebody. Fortgang also delivers the book’s wry humor with subtle elegance." ( AudioFile)

Very Enjoyable Read!

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

I loved this book. It is a nice, tight story with what were to me extremely interesting characters. Gin is a wonder, she is bright, witty, and so so deadly. I'd marry her if she were real! lol. All in all a good book to curl up with if you enjoy suspense, light humor, vampires and magic users. While Lauren's performance is good, at points during the narrative her voice begins to grate on me, but that is a very small thing. Read this and you will read the whole series, I guarantee you.

For My Family

Where does Spider's Bite rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have only ever listened to one before - ad this one is comparable.

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

Skinwalker by Faith Hunter. Faith actually recommended the Gin Blanco series and I have read interviews between Jane Yellowrock and Gin Blanco. I wanted to listen to this story after I read it and I am not disappointed.

Which character – as performed by Lauren Fortgang – was your favorite?

Gin Blanco - she is snarky and appears to be self-assured, with a hint of self-doubt. Ms. Fortgang did a fabulous job with all the voices.

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

Come to me said the spider to the fly.

Gin! What a fantastic leading lady

Bought on Audible
Read for Group: BBA on Goodreads

What I Loved: Gin! What a fantastic leading lady. She is tough yet vulnerable, has hobbies (cooking, taking classes), has friends (Fin, JoJo, Sophia), and has a kick ass ability that she does not overuse. I think that last thing was the most surprising but delightfully refreshing trait of all. I really loved her from the get-go and that is unusual for me in UF! She was just very well rounded and you could relate to her.

What I Liked: I really liked that I didn't quite parse out the whole story in advance. It is always fun when you can follow a case along and piece together things as the character does. I saw a few things coming but most of it was a mystery. The story played out in a very well paced way.

Complaints: None

Audio Specific Review: The story was narrated by Lauren Fortgang and she does an excellent job. There were only a few voices that I thought were a little off but overall it was a fantastic job.

Why I gave it a 3.75: This was a fantastic beginning to an Urban Fantasy novel. I usually don't get sucked in so quickly in UF but I am really looking forward to listening to the rest of the series.

Who I would recommend this too: Urban Fantasy Fans

Pretty good story line

I liked the heroine, she is a pretty tough character, not sure I will follow the series tho...the writer has a tendancy to mmmmm alot.

Ok, but not really my taste.

Very strong female point of view. I had an issue with the 4 "main" Elements being fire,air,stone and ice. water was a "lesser". This felt wrong to me every time I heard it. A fair amount of blood gore and sex "fantasies". The actress has a slight southern twang which helps add to the narration. I didn't care for the fight scenes, but most of the story seemed to be centered in Gin‘s emotions and thoughts than in anything else. All in all, it wasn't a bad story, just not my cup of tea.

Wow

Holy crap new favorite series right here. The first book get it and go. Doesn't disappoint one bit

For the love of your ears listen to the sample!

The story was OK and for some, ladies I am looking at you here, this mix of romance novel, light urban fantasy, and mystery is totally their bag. However, I couldn't stand the constant whistling sound the narrator makes on every other "S" sound and soft "C". This title may become the first in my library to have the dubious honor of not being finished.

Slow start but finished up nicely.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes, it helps the day go by faster and it's a good listen.

What about Lauren Fortgang’s performance did you like?

Lauren's performance was good, she gave a different voice for each character.

Was Spider's Bite worth the listening time?

It was worth the time like I said before it starts slow but the second half of the book makes up for it.

Any additional comments?

You have an idea of who did it but you don't know the how and little of the why?

Overall not a bad book

Would you listen to Spider's Bite again? Why?

Maybe if I was catching up for a new book coming out.

What about Lauren Fortgang’s performance did you like?

She did a good job. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the book if I had read it.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not particularly but I definitely wanted to finish it.

Any additional comments?

I think the book would have been a lot more enjoyable if the author toned down the foul language. She uses profanity quite frequently and in some cases its just not necessary. I still purchased the second book but I really hope the profanity decreases rather then increases.

Not for real fantasy readers

When I saw "Elemental Assassins" I thought I knew what to expect. Unfortunately, this is more of a paranormal sex obsession with a story line secondary to the internal dialogue about sex, who to have sex with, who she really wants to have sex with, who are the prostitutes and how did they get that way, what kind of sex obsessions do the male characters have, etc.....

Also, the "kitchen sink" setting of the story, with elementals, vampires, giants, dwarfs, and various other monsters living and cross-breeding in a Southern town with no background was not a hallmark of a professional in the genre.

A few other points about this story;

The four elements are Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, not Stone, Air, Fire, and Ice. That cued me in to the fact that this was a sex story placed in a fantasy setting, not really a contemporary fantasy novel.

The use of an interest in cooking was a very good way to humanize the protagonist, If the use of the elemental power had been better developed with rules more clearly aligned to the properly named four elements and the ratio of cooking to sex obsession had been reversed, it would have been a much better book.

If you want to see the world of elemental magic handled by a master (mistress), read the Elemental Masters series by Mercedes Lackey. I'll give the rest of this series a pass.