Review - Shadows Before the Sun (Charlie Madigan, Book 4) by Kelly Gay (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 352 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: July 31st, 2012
ISBN: 978-1451625486
Stand Alone or Series: 4th book in the Charlie Madigan series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars

This is the fourth book in the Charlie Madigan series and it was one of the best books in the series yet. We learn a ton about Hank and his history and Charlie takes a trip to Elysia.

When Charlie hears of Hank’s supposed death she immediately makes plans to set out to Elysia to try and track him down. To her surprise she is accompanied by the Oracle. In addition to this she is being hunted by Ahkneri (Death itself) whenever she tries to use her powers. Added to this is a mysterious attack in the Druid’s Grove that the Lord of Druids wants Charlie to solve and quickly.

Absolutely stunning addition to this series. The majority of the story focuses on Charlie going on a quest to save Hank. Her quest to save Hank uncovers some amazing secrets along the way . She learns how to control her powers and faces off with Death itself. Charlie has grown a lot as a character in this series, she is finally getting her powers under control and learning how to use them. With the disappearance of Hank, Charlie is forced to face some truths about her feelings for him.

The addition of the Oracle, Sandra, to the story is awesome. Sandra is a fun character and adds a lot of dimension to the story. The things that happen between her, Charlie, and Hank in this book leave room for some interesting developments in future books.

As for Hank we learn a ton about him in this book and a lot of it isn’t pretty. There are scenes in here that are so heartbreaking involving Hank and the changes he goes through as the story progresses are hard to deal with. It gives his character even more depth and has me eager to see what will happen next to him.

As with previous books the plot was fast-paced and action-packed. Gay’s writing style is easy to read and very consistent; I really enjoy reading her books. This book has an excellent balance of story, world-development, character growth, and action. Some of the larger plot points that have been left hanging are wrapped up here as well.

Overall I loved this book. I read it pretty much in one day. There are so many great things going on in this series; great world-building, a great plot, wonderful character growth and awesome action scenes. This book has everything you could want in a great urban fantasy. This series just keeps getting better and is highly recommended to fans of urban fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - The Hour of Dust and Ashes (Charlie Madigan, Book 3) by Kelly Gay (4.5/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 336 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: August 30th, 2011
ISBN: 978-1451625472
Stand Alone or Series: 3rd book in the Charlie Madigan series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This was the third book in the Charlie Madigan series by Gay. It was an excellent addition to the series and I really enjoyed reading it. There was a lot more character development in this novel and a bit less action, but it still made for a wonderful story.

Something is making Ash victims commit suicide. No one knows if they are being possessed or if it is just part of the Ash addiction, but Charlie is very worried about her sister Bryn who was accidentally exposed to Ash during the big battle in the first book. In order to figure out what's going on Charlie is forced to make a deal with some Charbydon creatures and has to venture into Hell itself. Not all is lost though; she has Hank and Rex at her side and will hopefully solve the mystery of her sister's Ash addiction before it is too late.

Charlie grows more as a character in this book than in any other previous book in this series. In fact more page space is dedicated to character/character interaction than the previous books and this leads to less action but a lot of growth in the characters we already know and love. Charlie has to take on a lot of responsibility in this book and she is finally learning how to handle that responsibility. She also grows a lot emotionally as she deals with her daughter, her possessed sister, and her partner in crime, Hank. I liked her more in this book than I have in the previous books.

The best character of the book though is Hank. We learn a ton about Hank's mysterious past and it was a lot of fun to read about. The tension between Hank and Charlie is wonderfully done in this book; there were parts where you couldn't have pried this book out of my hands...I just had to know what would happen next.

I continue to love the interesting world building and also love watching Charlie grow into her new powers. We get to meet some new types of creatures and get to watch Em's Hellhound in his natural environment.

There wasn't as much action, but I still found the book incredibly engaging. The book does end with a horrible cliffhanger and I am dying to find out what is going to happen in book 4, Shadows Before the Sun.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It is one of the strongest in this series. I continue to love this world. I also loved how much the characters grew and changed throughout this book. Hank is by far one of my favorite characters and learning his mysterious past was awesome. Can't wait to see what happens next. Recommended for fans of urban fantasy; especially for those who like complex world-building in their urban fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge

Review - The Darkest Edge of Dawn (Charlie Madigan, Book 2) by Kelly Gay (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 384 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: August 31, 2010
ISBN: 978-1439110041
Stand Alone or Series: 2nd book in the Charlie Madigan series
Source: Borrowed from Library
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the second book in the Charlie Madigan series. The third book is already released and is titled, The Hour of Dust and Ashes. The fourth book will be titled, Shadows Before the Sun, and is scheduled for a July 2012 release. I enjoyed this book; it is a solid urban fantasy and was a good addition to the Charlie Madigan series.

Charlie is struggling to learn to control her new powers and is learning to live in a city covered in darkness. The war between Charbydon and Elysians/Humans is tipping toward Charbydon's favor because of the all encompassing darkness. Charlie is drawn into more conflict when she finds that a serial killer is on the loose and killing high level Elysians. Her and her siren partner Hank; have to figure out what is going on. This may not be a simple matter of a serial killer on the loose; it may be a battle for the city itself.

This was an excellent novel; I really enjoy the complex world in this series. You basically have three alternate worlds or realities: Charbydon (hell-like), Elysium (heaven-like) and Earth (stuck between the two).

I liked Charlie better as a heroine in this novel than in the first one. Charlie is tough, but she does a pretty good job balancing taking care of her daughter with her job as an investigator and her complicated home life. At times though she is a bit too stereotypical of all the other urban fantasy heroines out there.

Hank really comes into his own in this novel; he adds humor but also serves not only as Charlie's friend and co-worker, but also as a solid source of her support for her. Charlie's daughter, Emma, continues to steal the show at points in this book...Emma is just a fabulous character and is developing interesting powers of her own.

Rex, the Revenant that has possessed Charlie's husband's body, is also a surprisingly wonderful character. He is the one who helps Charlie keep her home life together and he has surprising depth. So basically all of the characters are interesting to read about and add a lot to the story.

The plot is very well put together; I love how these books all starts with something seemingly simple...like a serial killer and then gets more and more complex until the whole city is at stake.

The book ends well with the major story wrapped up but more left for future books. The book is very easy to read, very well written, and incredibly engaging. I had trouble putting it down and really enjoyed reading it.

Overall this was a solid addition to the Charlie Madigan series. There is some excellent world-building and I enjoy the complexity of the world presented here. I really enjoyed all of the characters as well. I like how these stories start with one simple investigation and then building into something epic.

The only thing I didn't love about this novel was that Charlie is a bit too much of a stereotypical urban fantasy heroine. Still, she is growing on me and I am starting to enjoy her as a character. I would definitely recommend this series to urban fantasy fans out there. I also recommend the Kate Daniels series by Ilona Andrews, the Elemental Assassin series by Esterp, and The Disillusionists Trilogy by Carolyn Crane.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 150+ Books Reading Challenge
- TBR Pile Reading Challenge

Review - The Better Part of Darkness (Charlie Madigan, Book 1) by Kelly Gay (4/5 stars)

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 394 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: November 24, 2009
ISBN: 978-1439109656
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Charlie Madigan series
Source: Swapped through Paperbackswap.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

This is the first book in the Charlie Madigan series. I had been wanting to read this series a while since I am such a big urban fantasy fan. While this book wasn't exceptional, it was a solid urban fantasy with an interesting world. It was a fun read and I am glad I read it.

Charlie works for the police hunting down otherworldly beings. She is also a divorced mother of a pre-teen named Emma. When one of her daughter's friends is put into a coma by the strange drug known only as Ash; Charlie is determined to find out what Ash is and hunt down its source. Previously Charlie had died and was brought back to life under mysterious circumstances, as a result of this Charlie has been having horrible nightmares and developing strange powers.

There were some things I really loved about this book. I love the world-building. The idea of two parallel realities outside of our own, one representing heaven and one hell, was an interesting one and intriguing. I also loved how Charlie started manifesting strange powers and had to learn how to control them; her powers were interesting...if not all that well explained. I also loved that Charlie had a daughter to consider. To often in urban fantasy the main kick-butt woman is single and childless...it is just easier for an author to not have to deal with a child in the story. I liked the element of reality this added to the story.

I also had some problems with the story. Charlie is very much your kick-butt heroine-developing-strange-super-powers that I see over and over in urban fantasy. She didn't have a lot to distinguish her from many other urban fantasy heroines. Charlies also had a very serious problem with rushing into situations without thinking. The secondary characters would even stop and say "Charlie you need to step back and think about this"...still she would repeatedly charge ahead despite the consequences. I am hoping that in the next installment Charlie matures a bit and starts thinking before she acts.

That being said the secondary characters more than made up for Charlie. Charlie's sister Bryn is a powerful witch that I am dying to know more about. We also meet Aaron, a powerful and mysterious mage, who was an awesome character. Additionally we meet Rex, a demon spirit, who has quite a bit of depth for a demon. Even Emma, Charlie's daughter, is plucky and packs a lot of punch to her personality.

The story was engaging and fast paced. There were some excellent action scenes. The plot was well done; with a small objective that is concluded by the end of the book and a larger plot that will continue into the next book. This book is pretty much straight urban fantasy, not much romance at all.

Overall I enjoyed this story. The world is intriguing and creative, I loved watching Charlie gain her powers, and also really enjoyed a lot of the secondary characters. Charlie herself was kind of cookie cutter kick-butt charge-ahead urban fantasy heroine, but her support staff more than made up for that. I am hoping that Charlie will grow some as a character in future books and look forward to reading the next book in this series, The Darkest Edge of Dawn.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- Horror and Urban Fantasy Challenge
- 100+ Reading Challenge