I read the short story in Wild Thing story and liked it. To be honest, it reminded me a lot of a comic I used to read called The Darkness. The premise of the character is very similar. His power only worked at night and little demons who were the source of his power would come out and help and protect him. The Darkness power was passed from father to son. Once the demons left the father for the kid the father usually died. There were a lot of differences, the main character in The Darkness was a mafia hitman and the story was much darker but I won’t lie I kept thinking that Maxine is Jackie except a woman.

Wow, I just bought my husband a PS3 game called Darkness. The set-up is very similar to how you described. Who knew it was based off a comic? Learn something interesting every day.

Start from the very beginning, Tiger Eye, the first of the Dirk and Steele series, and perhaps her most romance-y book. I love Marjorie’s writing voice and enjoyed the D and S series as well as her new urban fantasy.

My reader baggage comes from comic books.

It’s stuff like that which distracted me the most because I spent more time wondering if I seeing things that weren’t there than enjoying the actual story. My reader baggage, let me show you it.

Jia: See . . . that’s the difference between being a professional reader like you and being an amateur like me. [grin] I just read for the hell of it. If it isn’t working for me, I skip ahead, put it down or give it away. Guilt-free reading!

These days, I save my reader baggage for non-fiction and contracts. Oh, and cookbooks. You should see me trying to decipher recipes. Arghhhhh!

I enjoyed seeing another take on The Iron Hunt. Thanks!

I found Tracker far more interesting than Grant and thought there was some promising sexual tension between Maxine and Tracker:

I talked about this with Jane and we came to the conclusion that, unless all the conventions are going to be flaunted, there will be something developing between Maxine and Tracker. I agree that he’s a more interesting character than Grant.

The only part I really didn’t care for was Chapter 15, that period when Maxine was in the Labyrinth. I found it draggy and pointless.

With the prior reference to Enkidu, I actually wondered if Maxine’s time in the Labyrinth was actually a reference to the descent of Inanna? It was obviously a chthonic ritual of remaking and rebirth regardless but still, I wasn’t entirely sure. It’s stuff like that which distracted me the most because I spent more time wondering if I seeing things that weren’t there than enjoying the actual story. My reader baggage, let me show you it.

I’ve never read Liu before, but I received an ARC for The Iron Hunt from a good friend.

I enjoyed the book. I’m wondering if it was because I’d never read Liu before and because I was expecting an urban fantasy, not a romance.

I agree there was no sexual tension between Maxine and Grant, but since I wasn’t expecting a romance, I wasn’t disappointed. I found Tracker far more interesting than Grant and thought there was some promising sexual tension between Maxine and Tracker:

I careened down the stairs into the apartment–but halfway there, a strong arm reached out of thin air and grabbed me.

Tracker. He melted close, pinning me to the wall, and pressed his mouth against my ear . . . [He] smelled like the desert at sunset, hot and full of shadows . . .

I tried to push myself past Tracker. He refused to budge. I peered into his eyes. His breath was warm on my face. I shoved him again, but he was immovable.

“What?” I asked him–but all I received was a contemplative stare that felt, unnervingly, like an attempt to memorize my face. As though a goodbye was coming soon. As though he might not see me again.

The only part I really didn’t care for was Chapter 15, that period when Maxine was in the Labyrinth. I found it draggy and pointless.

I thought the book’s premise was imaginative and Liu’s language frequently lyrical. I’m looking forward to the book’s sequel.

I admit, at parts I thought, that the predecessors sounded totally badass. The idea of her mother shooting while pregnant, her grandmother, all the way back to the first hunter it gave me all sorts of lovely ideas. My only hope would be that Liu delves into them further, I got the feeling that Maxine doesn’t know much about her background on purpose because there was a concerted effort to minimize the knowledge passed on to future generations. This of course allows us to learn it with her, and I see a deep well of… stuff.

Jia, in specific response to your comment that Maxine seemed flat, I felt like she was beginning to blossom towards the end of the book, then it stopped.

Jane does send me the bulk of the UF books but then we run into the problem with my pickiness. And I harbor no illusions. I know I’m picky. And contrary to our reputation as Mean Girls, we really do try to read books we think we’ll like. But I’ll do my best.

Shanna: I think there will be many readers who love the prose, just as I think there will be many readers who find it impenetrable. I can definitely tell it was a deliberate choice on Liu’s part. This was not a case of the writer not knowing what they were doing. She knew. So I suspect this will become a polarizing book where readers will either really dislike it or really love it, with few in between.

From an objective standpoint, I admire that because it tells me the writer committed 100% to their vision. I vastly prefer that over a book where I wonder if the author is writing half-heartedly. It’s just a shame that in this case, I didn’t fall within the audience that loves the author’s vision because truthfully, I really, really wanted to. Can’t win them all.

Will I read the sequel?? Yes, I will. I have hope.

…the writing itself is so striking and lyrical that at times I felt I was reading poetry that had somehow shed its skin and morphed into prose.

It seems as my tastes are pretty much equal to yours so I always read your reviews of urban fantasy with interest. It so happened I just picked up this book but haven’t dived into it yet. The first part will annoy me just like it did you. Even that short bit you posted “felt” exhausting.

And she’s not kick-ass? Since I’ve already purchased the book, I’ll give it a try but I’m sorry to hear the two main characters are boring and bland.

Thanks for your reviews! Read more urban fantasy! :D

Unfortunately, it’s only available in Mobi format, so I’ll have to get it from the library.