| Title | : | Serpent's Storm (Calliope Reaper-Jones, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0441020097 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780441020096 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Mass Market Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 309 |
| Publication | : | First published January 12, 2011 |
Serpent's Storm (Calliope Reaper-Jones, #3) Reviews
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Serpent’s Storm is the third book in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series by Amber Benson. Calliope is the reaper’s daughter. Yes, you read that correctly, she is death’s daughter. Callie might seem like she has her life under control, she has a new boyfriend and is trying to succeed in having that normal life that she desperately wants. She has been pretty successful too, that is until her older sister Thalia comes back into the picture. Thalia has made a deal with the devil that could put everything the Reaper-Jones family has worked so hard to achieve on the line. There is only one person who could go up against the devil, Thalia, and make sure her family keeps their business. Calliope thinks she can handle it all and go back to her normal life afterwards, but everything is never as easy as Calliope thinks it is.
After reading the second novel in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series, Cat’s Claw, I was a little cautious going into this one. The first two novels, while entertaining, were very formulaic which made it easy for me, as the reader, to sometimes see where things were going. I am pleased to say that this novel did not follow that same formulaic plot. Serpent’s Storm opens up with one damn good plot twist and it doesn’t let go after that. The twists and turns that this novel brings to the series are incredible. At times I wasn’t sure who to believe anymore including Calliope herself! This novel took everything that readers knew about the world and about the characters and threw it all on its head, I applaud Benson as a writer for having the courage to do that mid series.
Another thing that I love not just about this book but about the series in general is Calliope herself. Calliope is one of the greatest female main characters I have read in the Fantasy genre for the sole factor alone that she is stubborn and never changes who she is. There is something about a character who knows from the beginning who she is that is so refreshing. I personally find that, more often than not, authors believe that the main character has to go on a journey before they can truly find out who they are, they believe that the character’s journey leads them to who they are. This doesn’t always have to be the case and Benson proves that with Calliope. From day one, readers have known exactly who Calliope is and the type of person that she is, it is unshakable. No matter what situation Calliope might find herself in her morals, values, and identity are intact always. I love that! It makes every plot point and situation in each novel specific to Calliope.
Something that doesn’t get talked about enough when readers talk about the Calliope Reaper-Jones series is the world building that takes place throughout the novels but specifically in this one. Serpent’s Storm brought the world of Calliope Reaper-Jones to life in a certain way that the other two previous novels had not. What I mean by this is that before this novel, I thought I knew everything about the world and had seen everything in the world of Calliope Reaper- Jones, I was mistaken. Benson brings a whole new aspect to the world in this novel. With more at stake for the characters, there’s more at stake in the world of the characters too and Benson does a beautiful job of showing readers that.
Overall, Serpent’s Storm elevated the world of Calliope Reaper- Jones and brought it to a whole new level of fantasy that I was pleasantly surprised about. Serpent’s Storm made me excited to continue the series and to read the last two novels in the series. This series is truly for any reader who wants a down to earth, realistic even if that means stubborn, main female protagonist. I recommend this book and this series to readers who are looking for something refreshing in the Fantasy genre. -
Calliope Reaper-Jones’s life takes a turn for the grim in Serpent’s Storm, the third book in Amber Benson’s series about the daughter of Death. These books have always featured some serious content, and Serpent’s Storm still contains some humor, but overall this is the most serious CALLIOPE book so far.
The beginning is a little annoying, with Callie in full-on flippant mode, bored with her boyfriend Daniel for a rather obnoxious reason. It isn’t long, though, before Callie’s life is irrevocably shaken up. Benson yanks most of Callie’s “security blankets” away in a cascade of tragedies and betrayals. Callie now has to take on great responsibilities while trying to figure out who is on her side and who is a secret enemy.
The character relationships are heartwarming and sometimes heartbreaking; the tragic events in Serpent’s Storm hit both Callie and the reader pretty hard. In addition to the cast we know and love, Benson also introduces several new, quirky supporting characters and places them in the unique vistas we’ve come to expect from her.
The wrap-up of the main plot is satisfactory. Callie undergoes a large amount of growth, and develops into a stronger, more independent character who is ready for heavier responsibilities. The epilogue, though, is simply evil! It’s not a cliffhanger for the main plot, but it leaves a particular subplot hanging and readers longing for a happy resolution to that aspect of the story.
If you’ve enjoyed the CALLIOPE REAPER-JONES books all along, you’ll like this one despite its darker tone; Callie goes through some changes but is still recognizably her endearing, snarky self. If you thought the first two books were a little too fluffy, Serpent’s Storm is just what you were looking for. There’s very little fashion talk, Callie becomes more mature, and the book explores some of the gloomier possibilities of a Death-themed series. -
**Synopsis** Calliope Reaper-Jones, Callie, or Death's Daughter, for short is like many other young woman that have come before her. She has set out to be different from her family, and try to make a living in the corporate world while also living in the uber expensive city of New York.
Callie works as an Executive Assistant to Hyacinth (Hy) Stewart, who is the VP of Sales for Home and Yard a company that supplies the Home Shopping Network. In previous installments, Hy has sent her out for some strange and bizarre foods. It’s also well established that Jarvis has a crush on her.
Of course, having a superhot boyfriend (Daniel, the Devil's protege) does make it all the more bearable; even if he isn't entirely human. Then, she starts to think things with Daniel have become stale and boring. Daniel has been trying to change the landscape of Hell, and wants to meet with God in order to ask for his/her assistance. Daniel knows that the Devil wants to challenge God for the leadership of Heaven, and will be in a better position to do so when his minion is in charge of Death Inc.
Now, Thalia, Callie’s older sister, and one who had tried to overthrow Death Inc. and her own father the Grim Reaper, has escaped from Purgatory and made a deal with the Devil to takeover of the Reaper family business.
**Review** Callie, at times, still acts like a petulant little child who has to have her way, or she hides in the corner and starts pouting, or comes up with snarky commentary to hide the fact that she’s absolutely positively a coward at heart, and has no clue as to what she is really doing with her life, as well as her destiny as Death’s replacement. Callie has no choice this time around in becoming Death, herself. .
Now Callie has received half of his power, since the other half still is split between her and Daniel, and she must try to save her younger sister Clio and her mother who are being held prisoner by Thalia and her minions.
In a brazen move, Marcel attacks Callie at her own office and someone close to Callie Later that fact is shown to be a lie, and she is working with someone else entirely to ensure that all of Death’s protegee’s are killed and a mystery person is installed in their place. Call it double betrayal if you like..
Thalia then blackmails Daniel into challenging Callie for the right to become death’s replacement. She wants him to kill her. He agrees after telling Thalia that he won’t hurt her. Thalia crosses her fingers, and promises. Men are so gullible when it comes to women, aren’t they?
Hyacinth and Callie then escape via helicopter and meet a character named Watatsumi (Sumi) who appears as a Japanese male, and shifts into a Purple Jellyfish. Sumi, also has a ulterior motive for wanting to help Callie, and gives her a diamond to use, swallow. Callie finds herself able to shift into a lock ness monster-like creature. The only problem is, the diamond also binds her to Sumi, something Jarvis, in a surprise return from being dead, advises her.
Callie meets someone she never knew existed before; Starr, who is a siren like her own mother. Starr is supposed to look out for Callie, but she releases her to go her own way. Callie never did call on her again, which she promised to do.
Callie and Jarvis, who is not really dead after-all because Callie is such an awful Death, travel to Heaven to meet up with God, who basically opens her eyes to the fact that she can do whatever she wants. She may not be perfect, but what mortal really is? After, Callie and Marcel promise a truce until she has the full power of Death behind her.
Another surprise takes Callie's breath away. If she utters the worlds, I Wish You Were Dead, the person literally drops dead. Something that kills 13 innocent mortals on the subway, as well as a Vargr, werewolf, who tries to attack her.
My favorite characters of the series, by far, is Runt and Cherebus. This time, they both agree to help Callie overthrow the devil by luring him away from Purgatory where he and Thalia are making an all out assault against the company. Callie also calls on the Harvesters, and Transporters to help her win the battle, which they do.
In the end, the diamond Callie swallowed is slowly killing her. Father McGee, who was the family lawyer, betrayed them to Marcel, giving him the opportunity to find his one and only weakness, as well as Thalia, who is killed, and Callie, who survives thanks to Daniel, Kali and Runt. McGee claims he did it because he was tired of aging, and wanted to be young again. Daniel then gives Callie the Cup of Jamshid, which gives her the power of Death fully.
Later, Callie, now Death, and Daniel, who has taken over Hell's responsibilities, go their seperate ways.
Final thoughts. At the end, after God tells her that she expected to make mistakes, Callie becomes a much more likeable, and stronger character to me. She does what needs to be done to save her sister, and mother, who later disappears to the sea after watching her husband beheaded by Marcel. I enjoy Kali, the Hindo Goddess, and Callie's best friend. With friends like Kali, Runt and Cerberus on your side, you cant go wrong. I'm wondering if there will be another book in this series, or was this intended to be a trilogy leading to Callie becoming the Grim Reaper. -
Having read the first 3 books, I have to say this is the one I enjoyed the least. It is still worth reading if you enjoyed the first two, but as far as I'm concerned, this is not up to the same level.
On Serpent's Storm we find a more grown up view of Calliope. We get some very raunchy scenes. Her emotional response was totally at odds with what was happening, and that broke the mood for me and made the character less real.
Also, and this is solely in comparison with the previously 2 books, I found the story weaker. Don't get me wrong, it is still better than most of what you find around, but with the exception of a couple chapter, it felt to me like the author was forcing things.
Overall, I enjoyed reading it, and I'm happy I bought it. However, I feel this book didn't meet its full potential. -
Either I was asleep when I read this book, or it was just truly not that great.
To be honest, I was a bit surprised at the (mostly) positive reviews I read --just trying to make sure I wasn't being a jerk in not liking it-- but then I started remembering everything that was just totally not okay with the book.
First of all, children can't read this book! I really enjoyed the first book in the series. I even recommended it to my best friend knowing she would like it too!
There is literally not a single person I know who I could recommend this one to, and that's a shame.
Plot-wise, I didn't actually even realize what was going on most of the time... (Maybe I'm too old for this kind of book?.. no.. I don't think that's it..) And I actually did fall asleep listening to it once. After a lot of drama that seemed inconsistent with Calliope's character, I admit I did check out a bit. There's also a completely, absolutely and totally inappropriate scene that is just shrugged off a bit and not addressed as the horrible thing it truly is.
Don't recommend and would have been better off not reading. And I'm sorry to say that Amber Benson, because you do a fantastic job narrating your books. :) Loved the other two. Definitely won't be reading any more. -
Ever get the feeling that an author is dragging a series on because readers want more, not because they had always planned to write more? That's how Serpent's Storm reads.
This isn't to say it's a bad book. The prose is still fun and snappy in that Buffy way. Calliope is still the fun and flailing heroine. The plot, however, did nothing for me, really. I felt like I'd read this book before within the first two, and that's probably why, unlike the others, it took me months of sporadic reading to bother finishing it. The second half was considerably better than the first half, though, so if you push through, that same, "Oooh, what's next?" feeling kicks in.
I suppose I expect better from Benson. -
My favorite book in the series is the first book,Callie has so much potential.I don't think I will read anymore of this series. Callie is a whiny selfish twenty-something.she ruined everything,I like the other characters,I even like the plot,but she is unbearable.
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Ok, seriously?!?!?!?! I read Death’s Daughter (book 1) and Cat’s Claw (book 2) and laughed my way through most of both. Not in a bad way. In a totally good way. Boy, was I in for an unexpected ride with Serpent’s Storm.
Sure, it had it’s funnies that we all love Callie for. There were a lot of those moments. However, Serpent’s Storm is a much more serious book than the previous two. Things for our girl Callie have reached a turning point and there’s no going back. She has to learn to deal with the problems and face them head-on. There is just no other option.
There are also some real tear-jerker moments in this book. Callie faces loss on a grand scale in the middle of the tornado that has become her life. Between Amber Benson’s writing and having grown to love Callie over the previous two books, the reader is forced to feel those emotions with her. My heart went out to this fictional character and I admit that I teared up pretty good at four separate points in this book.
Riddled with plot twists and turns, Serpent’s Storm is a fantastic glimpse into the life of Calliope Reaper-Jones. Right up until the very end, Callie’s future is uncertain and I was kept on the edge of my seat!
Great writing. Great plot lines. Great character composition. Great book. I loved it from beginning to end and I can not WAIT to read the fourth book in the series – How To Be Death (available on 2/28/2012). I was lucky enough to have received an advanced copy of it and will be posting a review for it on the release date.
I give Serpent’s Storm 5 very well deserved stars! Really. A fantastic read all around! -
No sophomore slump here... I don't know if there's even a term for the third book being much worse than the first two.
The tone and the content was just so much different from the first two books, and Callie was the worst. THE WORST. If she'd been like this in the first two books, I never would have gotten to book #3. I wouldn't even have finished book #1.
I'm just so disappointed. I wasn't head over heels with the first two books, but I'd definitely enjoyed them and the world the author created.
The whole thing with Callie and Daniel was just awful. And at the end with her excuses that it wasn't her fault she cheated, and how she kept thinking about how she loooooved him. UGH. Just no. You don't love him. We knew that in the first ding dang chapter. You were super over him and thought that the only good thing about your relationship was the sex and everything else was boring. You barely like him, so you certainly don't love him.
It seems from the reviews that things improve? Or maybe just people who felt this way about book #3 stopped reading after this point.
Right now, I think I'll be taking a break from the series. Might be back later, but right now it doesn't feel like it. -
It took me a bit to get into it (though Spring Break Vacation didn't help, nor did having read the first two a while back...) but once I did this flew by.
Great work with the characters, quite a few unexpected twists and turns (though perhaps I should have seen a few of them LOL)
Now it's a question of whether I'll finish the 4th before the 5th gets here in the mail. -
If Buffy were R-rated, it would read like this series -
The third book in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series, SERPENT'S STORM certainly packs a punch. While Callie's experiencing…well, shall we say, the bliss of coupledom with her hot and very naked man, her psycho sister, Thalia, escapes from Purgatory and heads out to wreak havoc with the Devil at her side.
So, Callie trots off to work, totally unaware that her entire life is about to transform. Normal? That's just not gonna happen for poor Callie, no matter how much she may want an average life. Death's Daughter's life is about to change completely—starting with several rather shocking deaths.
Amber Benson certainly enjoys putting her characters through Hell (and Purgatory and Heaven). Callie doesn't have time to recover from one blow when another knocks her upside the head and sends her reeling. Unfortunately, she doesn't take the proactive approach, and I really wish she would. It's understandable that she doesn't want to get too involved in her father's business; it is all about death and running Purgatory, after all, and she'd love nothing more than to be normal. But she has more of a duck-and-cover attitude rather than stepping up and learning about her powers, her father's job as Death, and all the intricacies of this paranormal life she's a reluctant part of. Really, there were so many times I just wanted to shake her and tell her to stop acting like such a wimpy, airheaded girl.
Daniel (Callie's hot and naked man) pretty much disappears for much of the book, leaving Callie in the lurch. She really could have used his help and his knowledge. Of course, it's not really his fault but still. So I guess it's no wonder Callie's intrigued by this new, scruffy guy who shows up while she's running around trying to save Purgatory from Thalia and the Devil. But even if this dude is cute in a Seattle-Grunge-Scene-in-the-80's way, doesn't she see how skanky he is? (See, this goes back to my belief that she's an airhead.) Stick with Daniel, girl. He's a good guy who's trying to turn his life around, and he really, really likes her. Maybe even loves her.
Despite Callie's general cluelessness, she's an awesome character who can really kick butt when she has to. I'm looking forward to see her grow and mature as a character. She's already made some huge steps forward in this story (she still has a ways to go but I have faith) and, with all that she has to do after what happened (Gah! I want to talk about everything that happened but I can't or I'll wind up giving the plot away. Just go read it so you know what I'm talking about.), she'd better learn all that she can quickly so she's ready.
SERPENT'S STORM puts its characters through the paces and drags the reader along for a crazy ride. I look forward to seeing how much abuse Callie can take in the next installment of this series.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
This review was originally posted on
Book Binge by Mary. -
I am not sure why I continue to read this series. Maybe I have hope that it will get better because it has such an interesting concept about Death and the entire Afterlife being run as a corporation. Maybe, because of skimming the reviews, the consensus has been that the series does get better.
Amber Benson has two more books to prove those reviewers right. Serpent's Storm started off well in its prologue. I believe that it was third person perspective instead of Callie's. The gist of it is that Callie's duplicitious older sister, Thalia, makes a pact with the Devil. She is from her cell in Purgatory in order for her to take over Death Inc. and for the Devil to take over the Kingdom of Heaven.
Callie and the former Devil's protegé and her current boyfriend, Daniel are called to battle over the title of C.E.O. of Death after the current one is killed. Along the way, Callie loses a friend, gains an adversary, and faces an enemy from the past.
Calliope Reaper-Jones is a horrible character. Just terrible! She's vapid, shallow, idiotic, and incredibly sex-crazed. It was like the publishers told Benson she needed more sex scenes and she gave it to them ten-fold. Did they at least further the story? Nope. Just killed some trees.
I mentioned above that the prologue was interesting. That's because it wasn't told from Callie's point of view. It made me think that maybe I might respond more favorably to the books if I didn't have front row seats to Callie's incoherent, selfish, and whiny thoughts.
I also hated the ending. A lot was going on but it never felt exciting. It was also anticlimatic. Is that really how Thalia is going to be taken out? Seriously? I felt that this was originally supposed to be a trilogy so it tried to have a no holds barred feeling to it. Some characters died, some were revealed to have ulterior motives, etc. I never fully invested in them to care about these developments.
The one thing that puzzles me is that I cannot believe how many good reviews Serpent's Storm has gotten. -
In the third installment about the daughter of Death from Amber Benson Calliope Reaper-Jones is really put through the ringer. Readers not familiar with the earlier books will feel lost in Serpent’s Storm, as it is severely lacking in structure and logical direction, but for those who look forward to seeing what Callie is up to next, they’ll enjoy this next adventure.
Things certainly heat up right from the start as the book opens with a pretty graphic sex scene between Callie and her hunk she can’t get enough of, Daniel. But after that brief moment of happiness, a silly argument ensues, and things quickly go downhill as she learns of some very troubling news that, if true, will completely change her life. Not knowing where to really go next, Calli finds herself going from bad to worse real fast, as those she thought she could trust and love turn against her. Plus her sister who she thought safely behind unbreakable bars is now somehow free.
Serpent’s Storm lacks a coherent plot, jumping from place to place without apparent reason, as the reader continues to wonder what exactly is going on and why; Calliope Reaper-Jones’s eccentricities become unbearable at times. This may have something to with the series originally planned as a trilogy and then getting extended with more books; nevertheless, readers will see a development in Callie from her early days in Death’s Daughter, as Benson looks to kick everything up a notch. At the end of Serpent’s Storm, readers will be left wondering where Callie will be going next.
Originally written on April 10, 2011 ©Alex C. Telander.
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BookBanter -
By far, the best written book of the series so far. It still wasn't all that good.
In my reviews of the other two books of this series, I couldn't figure out if this was targetted at a YA audience, or an adult audience. Well, Ms. Benson cleared that up pretty quick in the first chapter. Definitely too steamy for the younger audience.
The pantheon of gods (all below God, of course) is still a mishmash of everyone. In this one, we have a Japanese sea dragon/god (Watatsumi) teaming up with a Valkyrie and a regular mortal who has a captured Siren. I really can't imagine how these various entities would come together, and it's never explained, so I don't think the author could either.
There is some positive movement in the series. Characters die, there's permanent change in the main character by the end of the book, and as mentioned before, the writing as a whole was better. But the story is still too jumbled, with lots of things happening and no clear explanation as to why. -
Calliope never dreamed that she’d be back to square one after finally reaching Cloud 9 with a decent guy, but her older sister has escaped from prison and bent on destroying the family business. This time, however, her sister means business – and this time Calliope has to make the hardest decision in her life. Is taking over Death Inc. worth losing the one man she has grown to love? Will she be able to save her sister from her evil ways? Who knows, but for Callie, it is do or die – and she’d rather not die.
This was the book that caught my eye at the library – and I hunted the 1st two books to properly begin the series. Which was a good call on my part since serpent's storm really takes us back to the beginning in a way, but with darker and heart-breaking undertones. Calliope definitely matures in this 3rd installment – no longer able to rely on others to do all the work for her, left with only her intuition and resolve to not let her sister and the Devil win. While there was romantic tension, I was not sold on the relationship between Callie and Daniel to care all too much of whether they sank or swam. Amber Benson has such an interesting world that keeps on expanding and improving that I hope that we get to see where Callie goes from here. -
The third book in the Calliope Reaper-Jones novels gives me everything I could possibly be looking for in an urban fantasy novel. There's hot sex intermingled with emotional bindings, confusing relationship and potentially painful outcomes. A main character who, while immortal still has to evolve from being a chicken about getting her butt whooped to becoming as bad-ass as she can be and saving everyone. There are supporting characters that you grow attached to and finally there is action. My personal favorite aspect of this series is how hard Cal tries to be the "Sex in the City" type of woman, yet keeps getting dragged back into the thick of things. In other words, the model of the reluctant heroine. (Pun only a little bit intended.)
For a special treat, consider trying the method I did for reading it a second time. I purchased the book on audio. As an actor, Amber Benson brings each character to life through the use of her voice as much as with her writing. Going through about a third of my books each year in audio, I can't resist a good narrator, and she ranks right up there with my favorites. -
I enjoyed the storyline of this latest book in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series, by Amber Benson, much more than I did Cat's Claw. I liked the family history revelation, as well as, the changing dynamics of Cali's life to push Cali out of her sit down and weep mode.
In Serpent's Storm, Cali experiences loss, swallows a jewel with magical powers, and hunts down her sister who escaped from prison. Cali begins to realize that despite her yearnings to leave the supernatural world behind, she can't, and in fact, it has been invading her so called "normal" life in NYC all along. Cali begins to come into her own in Serpent's Storm, taking responsibility, fighting evil, and defeating the bad guys- sometimes. I wasn't a fan of the "heroine can't make a relationship work" theme, because I'm tired of that as a "plot twist" in general. But I'm willing to see how Cali's love life turns out in upcoming books.
I did enjoyed reading this book and was really glad I stuck with the series. I like the it is a quick, fun read, that turns a bit dark at the series progresses. I will definitely keep with it and read any future books in the series. -
Callie has two adventures under her supernatural belt. She has a secure job, a family that she loves, and friends she can trust or so she thinks. Everything was dandy until she was late to work one day. Callie thought her boss was going to kill her for being late. That’s when the trouble began. One of Death’s associates tries to warn Callie of trouble that has been happening in the spiritual realm. After a series of events in the bathroom, Callie escapes her workplace and ends up on a subway. There she meets one of many characters who want her dead. The other passengers on the subway car end up dead. It seems like there is a trail of death no matter where Callie goes. When it seemed like no one she knew could help her, she went to look for help from the hands of people she never met before. Without any guidance, she didn’t know whether she was closer to victory or loss. Callie can only be certain of either by keeping on pressing forward and hoping for the best outcome.
http://leisurereadingblog.wordpress.c... -
I try to avoid reading Urban Fantasies later in the series when I can help it because it's usually a huge leap of faith by beginning so late. The book either drags me into its universe and I enjoy it, or I am left feeling severely disappointed and guilty.
But sometimes, the writing simply does not work for me. After reading the first third of SERPENT'S STORM, I'd finally had enough with Calliope. Her personality grated on my nerves, and she came off as a whiny child I had no interest in learning more about. Instead of feeling invested, or even sympathetic, I grew agitated and restless. (Though to be fair, I suppose it doesn't help that I judged her too much based on her issue with Daniel at the beginning of the book.)
Another issue I had was the storyline. It just didn't draw me in after a while. So, because of a heroine I did not like, and a plot that did not work for me, I'm afraid I will be DNFing this book. -
Having read and enjoyed the first two books in this series I was looking forward to reading this book. I enjoy Callie's sense of humor and her magical family. And while I knew the book had been out for awhile I didn't get the chance to grab it until recently. Now I'm finished with the book I still enjoyed the series. Though something did throw me for a bit of a loop.
I'll admit the sudden direction change with the more mature rated scenes surprised me. Not that I think there's anything wrong with it. It's just the last two books didn't quite have that level of raunchiness in the whole of them that this book had. That isn't to say of course every scene has to do with sex. Only a couple of scenes and their fairly short. This isn't a Laurell K. Hamilton book (Not that there's anything wrong with those books if you enjoy what their about.).
For the rest of the review and rating, please visit me at Musekicker's Reading Place. -
I have absolutely loved reading the Calliope Reaper-Jones series. Amber Benson has used aspects from the supernatural, mystical, religious and mythical. Serpent's Storm is the third novel of the series and over the three books, Calliope and her friends have travelled to hell, purgatory and heaven.
The dynamics between the characters are beautifully written. Calliope's struggle between leading a normal life and her far from conventional family is consistent throughout. Her relationship with her evil sister Thalia is complex, and will she be able to save her and the families supernatural business Death Inc. In each book Calliope has grown from strength to strength and I do hope there will be a fourth book, because I'm sure there's more adventure ahead.
In my opinion.. Death's Daughter, Cat's Claw and Serpent's Storm are definite page turners.
No Spoilers Intended -
Calliope'nin üçüncü kitabı.
Üzüntüyle söylemekteyim ki bu seri benim için bitmiştir. Buffy The Vampire Slayer'ın Tara'sının yazdığı bu seriye son bir şans daha vermiştim ama maalesef pek tatmin edici olmadı. Seride beni kendine çeken bir şey yok. kurgu güzel denebilir, anlatım güzel ama sorun şu ki karakterleri pek sevemedim, karakterin aşkına inanamadım eh böyle de olunca seriye devam etmenin bir anlamı yok sanırım.
Bu kitapta Calliope'nin babası ölüyor ve Calliope artık resmen Ölüm olmak zorunda aksi olursa hem dünya hemde öbür dünya tehlikeye girer. Şeytan ise Calliope'ye karşı Daniel'i başa getirmeye çalışıyor, Calliope'nin kız kardeşi gene olayların içinde. Büyük bir savaş var ve savaşı sadece ölüm durdurabilir. Rakibi olan Daniel'i öldürerek. Şansda bu ki Calliope en sonunda Daniel'e aşık olduğunu anlamıştı. Peki kim bu Frank? -
3.5 stars
Slightly better again than the last one. I think this is down to me liking the MC more - she still whines and bursts into tears too much for my taste (and over really stupid petty things too) but she shows a lot more resourcefulness and gumption too. I've spent three books with Calliope now and I have come to like her a bit. This episode sees Callie tapped to takeover for her father due to ... circumstances I won't go into. Callie is kissing her attempt at a human life good bye and learning that there's a lot more to being Death than she thought. Highlights include learning more about Callie's family and Callie swimming around in a sea serpent form. Some very random sex scenes throne in, one of which won't make you like her very much btw. Overall though, this was fun. Not quite 4 stars but nothing wrong with it. -
The third book in Amber Benson's trilogy is the strongest. In this installment, Callie's sister Thalia escapes from purgatory and sets out w/ the devil to get her revenge.
The thing Callie starts to figure out in this book is that she can't escape the supernatural world, as much as she'd like to, it's a part of her and she really has to start dealing. She really starts to come into her own in this book, and while she still annoys me, she's growing on me.
A lot happens in this book, death, destruction, God and the Devil, Heaven and Hell, and all the characters we've met in the past re-emerge, plus the addition of a lot of new ones. The plot is intricate and involved, but the ending is satisfying (at least I found it to be). Benson is really coming into her own with this novel. -
I love this series, and I love anything Amber Benson-related, because it's always brilliant! This book delivers the same, lovable, enjoyable quirkiness of the other Calliope Reaper-Jones novels. I just have one complaint. Callie's tryst with Frank seems completely random, and if some kind of seducing magic was involved, it was not explained properly. It read as the excuse for splitting up Callie and Daniel. I know they had problems, but this just seemed random and extreme. But I have high hopes that it will at least be somewhat resolved in later books in the series! Or who knows, maybe she'll find a new love interest?
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I enjoyed what I found to be the darkest volume in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series to date. Callie's life has turned upside down and now she needs to follow her own instincts because she's the only one who can save her family. Callie has to grow up a lot in a short amount of time, but I think she comes out better for it. Follow Callie as she endeavors to learn who is truly on her side and copes with the betrayals that the power struggle brings. I highly recommend this series and this book in particular!
Calliope Reaper-Jones series: Death's Daughter (1), Cat's Claw (2), Serpent's Storm (3), How to be Death (4) -
I'm was very pleased with this (what I assume is the, but not necessarily) conclusion to the Calliope Reaper-Jones series. I've always had this sort of love/hate with Callie. I dislike her a lot in the beginning of each book, but like 3 chapters in I'm rooting for her full-force again. This book was no exception, except that she shook herself back together quicker, and hopefully she won't backslide again.
I think that Ms Benson has some great ideas, and characters, and I was really glad to spend time with them again. Thanks Amber!
