Monday, December 23, 2013

Review: The Spider

THE SPIDER
Elemental Assassin #10
Jennifer Estep
Adult Urban Fantasy
400 pages
Pocket Books
Available December 24th
Source: e-ARC from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Amazon)
How did I end up in a career where I always have blood on my hands? Well, let me tell you a story about an assassin who thought she could do no wrong. . . .

Ten years ago. A blistering hot August night. I remember like it was yesterday. The night I, Gin Blanco, truly became the Spider. Killing people is what I do best, especially now that I’ve honed my Ice and Stone magic. But back then, I had yet to learn one very important rule: arrogance will get you, every single time.

This particular job seemed simple: murder a crooked building contractor with ties to ruthless Fire elemental Mab Monroe. My mentor, Fletcher Lane, had some misgivings, but I was certain that I had the situation under control . . . right up until I exposed my weaknesses to a merciless opponent who exploited every single one of them. There’s a reason assassins aren’t supposed to feel anything. Luckily, a knife to the heart can fix that problem, especially when I’m the one wielding it. . . .

MY THOUGHTS
The Spider is a somewhat unusual installment in the Elemental Assassin series given that it's the tenth book yet also a prequel to all of the books we've read thus far, allowing fans of the series a never before seen glimpse at Gin as she's getting her bearings as an assassin while at the same time giving newcomers to the series a perfect introduction. This newest installment does revert back to the somewhat repetitive nature the last couple books had finally moved past, reminding longtime readers of things they are well aware of nine times over, but as always, even with that niggle Ms. Estep thoroughly entertains with a piece of Gin's life previously unknown to us. The real treat comes in the form of Fletcher Lane, a man we lost early on in the very first book and have felt the absence of in each book since, but in this story he's alive and well and beautifully caring despite what he's training Gin to do, and we can't help but revel in every minute we're granted with him knowing when it's over we'll be faced with his loss all over again.

The younger version of Gin we get in this book is surprisingly different from the Gin we've come to know and love, our expectation that she would be the exact same woman ten years prior of course slightly delusional once we've had time to think on it, and our initial shock quickly gives way to curiosity as we begin to catalog all the ways she differs from The Spider with whom we're so familiar. Over the course of this series we've learned to implicitly trust Gin, perhaps at times questioning the always-fatal solution she suggests to various problems, but we've unequivocally known that those she targets deserve their fate and then some; many of the villains she's faced monsters that haunt us long after we've finished reading. In this story though we find ourselves a bit off-kilter, Gin's willingness to so quickly believe what a file tells her is the truth causing nerves to roil in our guts and unease to shiver down our spines, something that's completely foreign to us in this context and utterly fascinating at the same time.

Gin has always been someone who inspires confidence in us as readers, our faith that she knows what she's doing unwavering as she proceeds to teach the nightmares that plague Ashland's streets, businesses or government officials lessons that will lead them straight to their graves. There's no doubt in our minds in The Spider however that it's Gin who will be learning a lesson; a rather brutal one that finally gives us some insight as to why she's so very susceptible to emotional hurt, particularly from members of the opposite sex. While we ache for this younger Gin, wanting nothing more than to scream ourselves hoarse telling her to open her eyes–that The Spider we know would never be satisfied with face-value and would dig and dig and dig until she found everything there was to know before acting–we find ourselves both riveted and resigned, knowing Gin has go this one the hard way in order to be the woman we meet later in her life.

It's nothing short of gratifying in the concluding chapters to watch as the Gin we recognize emerges from the young woman we didn't, the price for the change in her extraordinarily high, but paid for in full in wounds visible and not. Overall, The Spider is a deeply satisfying addition to this series for both new fans and old, Ms. Estep handing us a piece of Gin we never knew we were missing but now can't imagine continuing her story without.

Rating: 4/5

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

33 comments:

  1. *blinks* I need to get my butt in gear and catch up with this series, Jenny!

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    1. I know, it got to 10 books fast didn't it? Love this series so much though, one of my all-time favorites:)

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  2. So sad, everyone else than I loves this series

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  3. I have never heard of this series and I cannot believe that. I mean how could I miss assassins, when after Throne of Glass I got so fascinated with them. This series sounds so good and I'd love to read it. Great review, Jenny :)

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    1. LOVE this series Tanja! I can't recommend it enough. Gin is a badass, but also vulnerable and I love that combination of characteristics:)

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  4. 10 books? Woah! I've heard so much about this series and about the main character, I should probably get to it one of these days. It sounds so interesting. I think that it's interesting that you get to know how the Gin you have grown to love emerged from this younger version. I would most definitely enjoy seeing that character development.
    Lovely review, Jenny.

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    1. Right? That's a lot of books, and this series never disappoints for me! It was really fun to see a different Gin even though my heart hurt for her, it just made the woman I knew in the previous books make all the more sense:)

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  5. *applauds* Ten books in a series? That deserves a standing ovation.

    You know me, Jenny, I'm not so into adult paranormal romances, but if I were, you're my go-to girl for suggestions. <3

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    1. It's urban fantasy, I promise! There's romance in it, but it's not the focus. The focus is Gin's extreme badassery:)

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  6. I think it's interesting that although this is the tenth book in the series, it's a prequel to all the other books. It seems much harder to write a book like this but Estep clearly succeeds. Is Gin reflecting about herself or something in this one, Jenny?

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    1. Yes, it's set up in flashback format, she's telling this story to her boyfriend Owen:) After 9 books of knowing Gin, it was really fascinating to see a different version of her!

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  7. I LOVE how different Gin is. She's younger, less experienced, less hard (though she thinks she's such a badass). It was hard to see her fall in love and make bad choices but such a great story!

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    1. It was definitely hard, but I agree completely, SO GOOD! I just wanted to yell at her though and make her see what she was willfully ignoring. I couldn't blame her though, she saw what she desperately wanted to see instead of what was there and I think we've all done that a time or two:)

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  8. the tenth and a prequel to the series and she pulled it off...that is awesome and unusual. Of course this series is on my wishlist and I own books one through four..yeah..epic fail here!

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    1. Agreed! Jennifer is a go-to author for me always, I love her books:)

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  9. I find it incredible that this is the 10th book in the series, and it's still getting a 4-star rating from you. That MUST mean the author has some serious story-crafting prowess! One of these days, mark my words, I will try this series :) Great review, Jenny!

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    1. YES! I think what helps is the story is setup as a series of stand-alones for the most part. Yes, you get to know all the characters better if you read from the beginning, but the plot of each one is its own. There's almost always a new villain Gin's pitted against, so the series never gets old for me:)

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  10. This is one of those series I have been dying to try and just need to jump in and do it!

    Wonderful review Jenny. I hope you have a fabulous Christmas!!

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    1. Love it so much Ali! And a Merry Christmas to you as well!

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  11. I love this series and can't wait to read this installment. And I have you to thank for getting me hooked on it!

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    1. A series is always better when you have someone to share it with:)

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  12. Yep, my review goes up tomorrow. I thought this one was well done and I was also yelling at the young Gin to "get it"! :) It makes total sense to me that she is impatient and willful at this time of her life and that it took such a painful lesson to make her patient. Oh my heart bled for her too! Enjoyed this book and your review!

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    1. YES MELISSA! It was hard for me to keep my mouth shut while reading, I was all OPEN YOUR EYES GIN!!! I loved it though:)

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  13. Every time I read about this series - mostly on your blog - I bash myself again for not reading it yet. I have a feeling this is something I'd really enjoy so I'll have to start it soon for sure. Great review, Jenny!

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    1. I think it just keeps getting better Keertana! The more I know about Gin, the more I fall in love with her, so she becomes more and more important to me with each book:)

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  14. I so need to start this series. In fact, I need to catch up on a whole bunch of series. Maybe next year will be my year of catching up. Great review Jenny!

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    1. Same here Savy. There are so many I want to get to!

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  15. This is one series I promised to read in 2014 and I can't wait! I hope you have a wonderful holiday. I will see you back in 2014!

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    1. Oh I so hope you read it Heidi! One of my favorites for sure:)

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  16. I've only read Estep's other YA series and I didn't fell in love with it. I've never read a series with so many books and I honestly don't see myself sticking with it, or maybe it's just because I haven't found one in which I enjoy all the books. Not really sure what's going on with this book but I'm glad you're still enjoying the series, Jenny!

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    1. I'm a series girl through and through, I read them almost exclusively and once I find one I love, I see it through to the bitter end. Though this series isn't bitter for me at all, I think it gets better and better:) There are some series out there with 20+ books in them and I have to admit to being intimidated by those. I started this series when there was just the one book out, I think it's easier to keep up with a series than to commit to one that already has 10 books in it!

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  17. "This newest installment does revert back to the somewhat repetitive nature the last couple books had finally moved past, reminding longtime readers of things they are well aware of nine times over" -- HAHA! That is one of the few things that really bugs me about this series. There'd be way more action and stuff happening if it wasn't for the constant reminders. Yes, agreed. The Gin we know doesn't jump into situations lightly and always thinks 5 steps ahead so it'd be kind of weird to spend time with this "new" Gin. I'm so happy that you loved this book. I don't know if I'll read it, but I sure am intrigued after reading your review. So glad that you brought me to this series. Happy holidays, love! x

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