Book 34, 2023
Black Howl by Christina Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I had half a chapter left in my work book; therefore I brought it home to finish it. The book was Black Howl, which is the third installment in Christina Henry's "Black Wings" series of urban fantasy. The protagonist is Madeline "Maddy" Black--Agent of Death, half-human, descended of Lucifer.
Maddy's job as an Agent of Death is to usher souls to the afterlife. When she begins encountering damaged ghosts, however, it becomes clear that someone is tampering with souls. It's something Maddy needs to look into, but she has other things on her plate. When the local werewolf alpha is kidnapped, along with the pack's cubs, Maddy is tasked with rescuing them. Things become even more dicey when her father's side of the family try to force her into the fold. Maddy is having none of it, but she knows that no one makes an enemy quite like family.
I read the first book in this series, once upon a time, but I didn't recall very much about it. The author did a so-so job of bringing me up to speed. While I wasn't completely lost, some things and nuances still escaped me. Maddy is an admirable character, brave and loyal to those who deserve her loyalty. The pace was non-stop, which was almost a draw back. It was exciting, yes, but most of the narrative was taken up with confrontations and bloody battles. Once again, we have a bad-ass heroine who requires saving more often than not. In Maddy's defense, however, most of those occasions were because she gave it her all in battle and burned herself out. There were some amusing quips throughout the story, but for the most part is was not humorous. Too many losses and too much death.
Favorite lines:
♦ "I resent the implication that I'm Three-Stooging my way through life."
♦ "This might be the dumbest thing we have ever done in a long line of dumb things."
♦ "We don't have time. I'd like to go home to my cat tonight."
Breath line:
♦ I exhaled the breath I hadn't realized I was holding.
The story was compelling, but I didn't really enjoy it. I would have liked fewer battles and more plot. Nevertheless, it was a solid read, and it's getting four stars.