Thank the Goddess it's not a soppy romance with spells!!!

books:


	• The Iron Hunt (Hunter Kiss, Book 1) Marjorie M. Liu Ace, 2008 - 320 pages average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
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the premise is great, the execution questionable

The premise of THE IRON HUNT is great - ten thousand years ago a horde of demons was contained in a prison, and Wardens were created to police the earth and capture any escapees. But the Wardens were limited in number, and over the years escaped demons have killed every Warden but one: Maxine Kiss. What's worse, the prison itself is failing and Maxine has no hope of preventing the global annihilation that looms closer and closer on the horizon.

The supernatural twist is that Maxine has a motley crew of allies: little demons that accompany her like a ragtag army at night, but adhere to her skin during the day as tattoos and render her physically invulnerable. It's a pretty cool idea, and the dynamic between Maxine and her demon protectors is engaging.

There's a lot of good stuff going on with THE IRON HUNT - the problem is that Marjorie M. Liu's writing is somewhat overwrought. This is a sample of what I mean:

"Shadows shifted, stretching like mouths across the room, spreading and rising from the floor and walls in churning waves. Like oil running up walls, or the abyss of Oturu's cloak, full of pressed faces and twisted bodies. A breathing, aching darkness; a tsunami of soul cages; demons hurled and writhing. The apartment grew dark and closed, as suffocating as the Wasteland, and it was the wall of demons who made it so; entombing, consuming us."

It's beautiful, it's intense, it's vivid, and it's also constant. Every paragraph is stuffed to the gills with dramatic metaphors and dramatic imagery and dramatic tension. If she used this kind of language more infrequently, waiting for the right moment to pull out all the stops and wow us, I'd be a lot more impressed. Instead, I felt the writing actually interfered with my ability to follow the story and engage with the characters.

By the same token, I think that Liu made a mistake with THE IRON HUNT by turning the "mysterious" dial up to 11. Almost every character in the novel, other than Maxine, at some point taunts her with knowledge they cannot, or will not, share. Her little army of demons have made promises to keep quiet; her enemies have no interest in telling her what she doesn't know; while her more provisional allies seem to keep secrets just for the hell of it. A lot of the time the mystery is much bigger than the secret, which is easy to guess and fairly obvious; this has an unfortunate Wizard of Oz effect. In general, I feel like a little bit less mystery would have allowed for a lot more plot.

I'm on the fence about this book in the end. On the one hand, I really enjoy the premise and the characters. It's a smart book, and Liu is capable of really incredible writing. That's enough to make me curious about the series to come. On the other hand, if I get more of this overwrought language and atmosphere drenched in mysterious mystery this series will sink to the bottom of my list real fast.

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Thank the Goddess it's not a soppy romance with spells!!!

If you are looking for a soppy supernatural romance with a bitchy heroine and a alpha male love interest don't get this book! You, like some of the other reviewers, will be dissapointed.
I've read all of M. Liu's books and have always found her prose beautiful. This one took my breath away. I read it in one sitting. Unlike her other books, which bordered on romance, this one strays much more into the horror arena. The first person viewpoint is intense and startling. It's IS a little confusing, but it's meant to be. The reader must put the pieces together just like the heroine does. And this is no swooning heroine. She's not looking for a prince charming. She's got the world on her shoulders and demons at her back and she knows she'll win simply because she must. The description of the demons and other supernatural characters are guttural and poetic. Think more Dante's Inferno than Anita Blake.
If you're tired of bland prose and want something more etheral, more guttural. If you're tired of flighty heroines whose only determined quest is to sleep around. And if you're tired of heros who are full of the same annoying, macho blandness then you will like this book.
Be aware though... it's more epic poem than bodice ripper.
And that's a really good thing!

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Unusual New Tale

I just finished reading this book and it was totally unexpected in the plot and story. I'd been expecting something along the lines of her Dirk and Steele stories, but Max Kiss and the Iron Hunt are definitely not it.

The book starts alright then gets a little confusing and weird as you go along, when demons, Wardens and what nots get thrown into her path. One thing you begin to see as the plot progresses, that Max and her bloodline are not run of the mill.

There are hints of possible romances with three males but only Grant seems to hold much influence with Max even though it is not as evident or intense enough to indicate soulmate quality love.

You can tell the story is not stand alone,that this first book is just the beginning of a much more complicated story. I hope more is developed on who each character is in her next book, because this left me with a feeling of an unfinished story.

It's interesting, a little intense and not for those looking for a simple plot and a quick story. Expect more to come.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

First in a stunning new urban fantasy series from an author who ?NEVER CEASES TO AMAZE.? (BOOKLIST, STARRED REVIEW)

Demon hunter Maxine Kiss wears her armor as tattoos, which unwind from her body to take on forms of their own at night. They stand between her and her enemies, just as Maxine stands between humanity and the demons breaking out from behind the prison veils. It is a life lacking in love, reveling in death, until one moment?and one man? changes everything.