Blood Oranges

A Siobhan Quinn Novel

By: Kathleen Tierney

Narrated by: Amber Benson

My name's Quinn. If you buy into my reputation, I'm the most notorious demon hunter in New England. But rumors of my badassery have been slightly exaggerated. Instead of having kung-fu skills and a closet full of medieval weapons, I'm an ex-junkie with a talent for being in the wrong place at the right time. Or the right place at the wrong time. Or…whatever. Wanted for crimes against inhumanity I (mostly) didn't commit, I was nearly a midnight snack for a werewolf until I was "saved" by a vampire calling itself the Bride of Quiet. Already cursed by a werewolf bite, the vamp took a pint out of me too. So now…now, well, you wouldn't think it could get worse, but you'd be dead wrong.

©2013 Caitlín R. Kiernan (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

somewhat unusual

not a style or genre I am accustomed to. an interesting story though the presentation is somewhat scattered as is the thinking of the storyteller.

Perfect narrator, great story

What did you love best about Blood Oranges?

Amber Benson is the perfect narrator for the lead character. The story is really good too. I like that this character has a past and isn't your typical hero.

What other book might you compare Blood Oranges to and why?

Being that she is a demon hunter, you could compare it to several other series, except Quinn is such a different character from most of the other tough female lead characters. Her past makes her stand out.

Which character – as performed by Amber Benson – was your favorite?

Quinn, Amber Benson is the perfect voice for her.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Quinn's past and how she just can't get a break.

Any additional comments?

The book is not sugar coated. Quinn's life is not a happy one, she's had a really tough life, but it makes her the person she is and has made her capable of dealing with everything that gets thrown at her, and that's a lot...

Serious but Fun

What did you love best about Blood Oranges?

The lead Character of course

What other book might you compare Blood Oranges to and why?

Blood lines series where Vampires are a little witty.

Which character – as performed by Amber Benson – was your favorite?

The lead character

Any additional comments?

WE need number 3 to finish it.

Just a fantastically fun read!

Any additional comments?

Even though I say it every time I review a book from one of my three favorite, contemporary authors, I'm going to say it again: Caitlin R. Kiernan is one of my favorite authors. I had high hopes starting the book and I was not disappointed. Kiernan, writing as Kathleen Tierney, maintains that punch you in the gut feeling, her characters are real, complex, and three-dimensional, even as she steps up her pace to make room for more action in her dark, urban (and edgy!) fantasy. Just a fantastically fun read!

Great Narration, Subpar Book

I was a big Caitlin Kiernan fan way back when and to this day Silk remains one of my all-time favorite books. When I heard about Blood Oranges and read reviews declaring it a great read, I was excited to delve into Ms. Kiernan's urban fantasy world under the name Kathleen Tierney. If only Blood Oranges was as good as I had hoped.

Blood Oranges was dark, gritty, had somewhat creative mythology, and was brilliantly narrated (by the fangtabulous Amber Benson) but those are the only positive things I can say about it. It's hard to root for an urban fantasy "heroine" with zero redeeming qualities and it's even harder to enjoy said book when you don't like most of the secondary characters. FYI, you can give a junkie redeeming qualities. Stacia Kane certainly did it with Chess in her impressive and under-appreciated Downside Ghosts series.

Siobhan Quinn was nothing more than a foul mouthed (I do not have an issue with language, I'm just describing her and making a point), irritating, recently turned girl who replaced one addiction for another. I thought I'd grow to like her but I just didn't. Like I said, Quinn had no redeeming qualities whatsoever and she did not really grow as a character throughout the book.

I give the narration of Blood Oranges 5 stars and will admit that it's the only reason I stuck with the book. Hearing Amber Benson read lines and/or paragraphs about Buffy the Vampire Slayer was beyond awesome and had my inner fangirl squeeing like a freak. For those not in the know, Amber Benson played the witch, Tara, on Buffy. The book itself, was little more than a 2 star read for me. It was just okay. Unless I run out of things to read, I won't be continuing on with the Siobhan Quinn series no matter how much I loved the narration.