Benedict, Lyn: Ghosts & Echoes
Ghosts & Echoes (2010)
Written by: Lyn Benedict
Genre: Urban/Dark Fantasy
Pages: 362 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book Two of Shadows Inquiries
Why I Read It: I'll be honest, I wasn't in love with Benedict's debut, largely in part due to the heroine, who rubbed me the wrong way. Despite that, Benedict had some great world-building and offers urban fantasy readers something many are desperately hungry for: a dark fantasy over paranormal romance. I decided to pick up the sequel because I couldn't resist the cover (more on that in a minute), because the author is really nice and we chat on LJ and via email, and also, now that I knew what to expect from the heroine, I hoped I could enjoy the story more. After all, I wasn't overly enamored of Margaret Ronald and Seanan McGuire's urban fantasy debuts, but I kept going, and I have to say, I've been pleased. I hoped that Benedict's follow up would work the same magic on me, especially since book three will be released in April.
The premise: ganked from the author's website: Sylvie is back from vacation, and all she wants out of life right now is for the Magicus Mundi to leave her alone for a bit. No dead things, no mayhem, no life-and-death struggles. Just because Sylvie managed to take some time off doesn't mean that the Magicus Mundi has to follow her example, though, and it's been piling things up on her doorstep while she was away.
Still, she can pick and choose her cases, right? Solving a string of burglaries sounds perfect--mind-numbingly boring and mundane. Until you throw in Sylvie's missing sister, a generous helping of necromancy, and a Chicago cop possessed by a disturbingly familiar spirit.
As the Rolling Stones sang, "You can't always get what you want."
Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. I imply things, but I spoil nothing. But I don't recommend reading this review unless you've read the first book, so come back once you're all caught up! If you ARE all caught up, read away!
Excuse me, but I need to have a hissy fit for just a minute:
Will all of you freaking writers get out of my goddamn head and let me keep an idea for once? PLEASE?
*coughs*
Okay, that's better. A little, anyway.
The reason for this hissy fit is because on page 24, I knew exactly what was going on. I mean, I knew because Benedict gave me enough clues to remind me of an urban fantasy story I'm wanting to write (hmm, maybe I should edit that sentence to writing instead of wanting to?), and because of that reminder, I wasn't at all surprised to learn the source of Wright's possession. Damn it! That's not the author's fault, but it's so frustrating when you have an idea you love and you think will make a splash but then see something super-similar in an already published book.
For the record: what Benedict does here is still different than the craziness I have plotted, but still. I'm pissy. :)
But while Benedict gets a pass for my prediction of Wright, she doesn't get a pass for my prediction of Zoe, whose involvement in the overall story became pretty obvious, pretty fast. Part of the problem was the lack of actual suspects and the fact that it didn't seem likely that the seemingly three separate storylines (magical burglaries, Wright's possession, and Sylvie baby-sitting her sister) wouldn't be related at all.
The good news: Benedict knows how predictable her storylines are, at least in terms of Zoe, and gives us the reveal pretty quickly. Sure, it takes Sylvie a little bit of time to really come to grips with her sister's involvement, but not so long I want to reach through the book and throttle her for ignoring the obvious.
Ah, Sylvie. It really did help coming to this book knowing she rubs me the wrong way, because once her anti-social, isolating behavior started showing its ugly head, I understood her a little better and I knew that eventually, she'd wear down. I was right, and that was good. I can tolerate Sylvie a lot better after this book, and part of it's because we see her go through some serious emotional hell, courtesy of Wright and Zoe. Great stuff all around, and I was even more thrilled by how Sylvie's (and by extension, Zoe's) magical heritage really managed to save the day. This is really starting to fascinate me, and has me hooked to read the next book.
Another fantastic plus for this installment is the focus on dark fantasy over paranormal romance. There's a wee bit of angst, sure, due to the nature of Wright's story, but that doesn't take over the plot. Instead we're focused on the dark stuff, the dark magic and severed body parts and soul-sucking, body-stealing ghosts. I loved how the robbery subplot played out and loved learning what the endgame was, because of all things I did see coming, I sure as hell didn't see that coming, and that was great.
Sylvie really shows some growth in this book, and that's something that really appeals to me. I like how her story with Wright is resolved, but clearly not over, and I like how her story with her sister is resolved, but clearly not over. While the start felt a little slow (long chapters that in story time didn't take long at all), the book was incredibly hard to put down and very rewarding by the end.
My Rating
Must Read: it's almost always a good sign when I start reading a book and forget to mark pages or take notes, because that means I'm engaged and the critical part of my brain isn't activated. That doesn't mean the book is perfect or flawless: the beginning feels a wee bit slow, but it's not detrimentally so by any means, as there's plenty of action. On the urban fantasy spectrum, it leans on the side of dark fantasy over paranormal romance, and those of you tired of seeing vampires and werewolves and zombies and fairies taking the spotlight in the genre will do well to check out this series. Should you check out the first book, Sins & Shadows, before tackling this one? You'd be better off, because the events of the first book really illuminates the motivations behind Ghosts & Echoes, especially in terms of Sylvie's character, who I liked much better this go around, probably because she's so humanized this time. I will say that this is a series that's really aimed for readers who want dark in their urban fantasy. Sylvie's world is not only dark and full of dark magic, but Sylvie herself is an angry character, and it's fascinating to watch her struggle with herself and others, even as she's trying to make the right decision. It's not a series for everyone, but I'm glad I gave this second book a go, because I'm definitely on board now for book three, Gods & Monsters.
Buy or Borrow: I wouldn't pick this up at all until you've got Sins & Shadows under your belt, and if you're more of a paranormal romance fan, I recommend borrowing this series first to see if it's your cup of tea. Those readers who are fans of dark fantasy probably won't go wrong buying this book, but that said, Sylvie's not an easy character to like, so make sure you sample. :)
Cover Commentary: I adore this cover, which is saying something, since I hated the first one so much (largely in part due to the bangs. Sorry, it's semi-irrational and semi-personal childhood bang tragedy). But this just works so well! The coloring, which fits right in with the Miami, FL setting, and the stance and even the bangs, which don't bug me at all! I think it's the windblown effect. Yep, that's it. At any rate, I adore this cover, and it's largely the reason I couldn't resist this book.
Next up: Metatropolis edited by John Scalzi