All Things Wicked (Dark Mission #3) Karina Cooper
Published: Jan. 31, 2012 (Avon)
Purchase at: Book Depository, B&N or Amazon
Rating (out of 5): 5 stars
Note: While this review is free of spoilers for All Things Wicked it makes references to people and places from the prior two novels. If you’re new to the series, please read our review ofBlood of the Wicked.
The more I read the Dark Mission series, the more apparent is is: Karina Cooper does paranormal romance/urban fantasy crossover right. In the third book All Things Wicked we’re brought back into the bowels of Old Seattle. The dilapidated and crumbling buildings. The damp and the cold. The dark secrets buried amid the earthquake ruins a city just built over.
It’s dirty, violent and cut-throat for Caleb. He suffers the scars from burning the majority of the Coven of the Unbinding back in Blood of the Wicked. It’s been a year, he’s avoided the other witches. A year since he lost his gift. A year with Juliet’s sister’s memories. And then the one girl he promised to save — Juliet — shows up wanting to kill him, to turn him in to as a traitor. This is a man who wants to be punished. He’s aware of the horrible acts he’s committed and promises keep him from telling anyone his real motivations. He thinks it better that others hate him, than be allowed to bring destruction to more lives.
Basically, he’s an egotistical asshole who wants to take care of everyone but does it in the most asinine ways purposefully making others angry. He’s that guy. I’m sure if you remember Caleb from the earlier book, you’re thinking: “This guy is the hero? WTH, Karina?” Within 50 pages I was sold. Tortured soul types work for me, and honestly Juliet needs it. She’s lost, too.
Both want to feel in control and purposefully push the other’s buttons just to get the emotional reaction. Their relationship isn’t built on trust, but mutual prodding. And that’s the big hurdle for the two to cross in order to reach a happily ever after. Getting inside your significant other’s head is difficult if they won’t communicate. Imagine if that person flat-out lied. Caleb has no problem saying he just wants Juliet’s body. Telling her this even when his mind is calling her his Juliet. Life-and-death stakes force these two to move forward and forge a real relationship instead of one built on how others perceive them.
The hero/heroine character development in this one gutted me. I flitted from “I will punch you, Caleb” to “kiss him! Kiss him!” to “You asshole” to “Really, Juliet? You’re the smart one.” back to “Kiss him! Kiss him!” It’s not a straight line to love. It’s painful and complicated and oh so worth it. (And angry sex is hot. We all know it.)
Big secrets including details on the Coven of the Unbinding, Jessie, Juliet, the Mission, even Matilda are revealed in this one. Not everything can stay buried in that trench.
I give credit to any author who can make a murderer into a hero. Cooper does this beautifully in All Things Wicked while staying true to her characters. It’s certainly my favorite of the three Dark Mission novels, and a must-buy.
Sexual content: Sex scenes, including a borderline dubious consent scene
We’re gearing up for two fun things right now, readers: group read goodness and Character Love Letters. The former is rather straightforward. Next week we’re talking Street Magic and I need you to vote in the Feb. group read poll soon. The latter is made up of awesomeness, full details are coming, but you can get some insight into just what this Character Love Letters thing is right now.
Fantasy time-wasters quizzes
This week I spotted two fun quizzes for paranormal fans. First, the Guardian put together a quiz on literary dragons. I’m the person who took gothic lit and mythology classes in college, so I enjoyed it quite a bit. Expect questions on Tolkien, Narnia and Harry Potter, too.
The second tests your knowledge of kickass urban fantasy heroines from books, TV and movies. They’ve quoted favorites and it is your job to recognize classic lines like: “If the apocalypse comes, beep me.” and “This feels a little bit like what a vampire bar would look like if it were a ride at Disney World.”
I was born and raised in Alaska, and have been an avid vampire fiction reader since around age nine. I always wondered why vampire stories were set in Europe or New Orleans or Las Vegas. Why would these creatures limit themselves to places where the sun was out ten or twelve hours a day?
This thought was most persistent in the winter, when I woke in the dark, went to school/work in the dark, and came home in the dark. And yet, other than the movie 30 Days of Night and a recent, rather strange vampire-themed cruise (which came up in the summer, mind you), I haven’t seen this idea explored.
So I wrote Don’t Bite the Messenger. Set in Anchorage, Alaska, where I sometimes race through the streets at two a.m. (for research purposes, officer!), Messenger takes place a few years in the future. Vampires, who are known in this world, have been invited into the state with open arms. Why? Because the economy still sucks and vampires, for all their unsavory characteristics, can use their heightened senses to scout out natural resources. Gold. Oil. Gemstones. All the things that make an economy go boom in a good way. When the money’s flowing, the powers that be are more than willing to look the other way when the odd dry corpse pops up.
We’re pretty excited to talk about the January group read Street Magic by Caitlin Kittredge. The starting discussion questions are already up over at the VBC Goodreads group, but the real chat is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Jan. 31. This means you have one week to finish reading the first Black London novel. Feel free to read our spoiler-free review for motivation.
In the meantime, we’ve got to make some decisions! What would you like to read in February? We’ve narrowed the list down to six titles like usual — three adult, three YA — and now it’s time for you to pick your favorite. Select the book that’s been sitting on your to-read pile for too long or just something new and exciting. Either way, we’ll announce the winner next week. (Poll after the jump)
Street Magic (Black London #1) Caitlin Kittredge
Published: 2009 (St. Martin’s)
Purchase at: Book Depository, B&N or Amazon
Rating (out of 5): 3.5 stars
Pete has spent 12 years convincing herself magic doesn’t exist. She saw her crush killed by something. Everyone told her Jack was dead, magic and ghosts don’t exist and she focused on facts. Years later she’s a Detective Inspector for Scotland Yard and she excels at her job.
Children are going missing in London. A tip comes in about where to find the first missing girl, alive, and Pete’s forced to play it out. The only problem? The tip comes from Jack. He’s angry with her and she’s baffled that he’s even alive. He’s not a ghost, mid you.
Magic is involved in kidnapping of the kids, and Pete needs help. Mage Jack gets wrangled into helping Pete get missing kids back from the Black. Only he’s been using heroin for the last 12 years to dampen his magic. In addition to being able to work magic, he also sees the dead. And they’re loud. His only way to cope has been a needle. Being a cop, Pete forces the guy to go cold turkey while she deals with his being alive, him antagonizing her and the realization that magic is real.
There’s excellent foreshadowing and a creative plot in Street Magic. The dynamic between Pete and Jack is gripping. At times it’s witty, others visceral, but always emotional. Caitlin Kittredge creates such a dynamic world with more questions than answers, which can only allow her Black London series to explode.
It took me longer than expected to read Street Magic (about a week). I enjoyed the book and the characters, but I’ll admit the British slang slowed my reading. It works perfectly within the world, just a learning curve for the first bit of the book. It was worth taking the time, though.
Thank you for joining me today! And thank you, Chelsea, for welcoming me to Vampire Book Club and helping me celebrate the release of Night Reigns, the second book in my Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series!
If you’ve read Darkness Dawns, you may have already guessed that I’m a big fan of romances that feature lovers who begin as friends. In Darkness Dawns, Sarah (a music theory professor) rescues a wounded man she finds staked to the ground practically in her backyard and finds herself thrust into a war that erupts between immortals and vampires. The Immortal Guardian she rescues, Roland, is determined to protect her from his enemies . . . and not just because she intrigues him and makes his heart beat faster. The two spend nearly every minute together as they work to identity and battle the Immortal Guardians’ new foe. Does the physical attraction Sarah and Roland feel for each other grow and develop? Absolutely. But so does the friendship they find, deepening into love and adding more flare to the fire, as they learn about each other in the quieter moments. They share likes and dislikes. They confide in each other their troubling pasts. And they joke with and tease each other, delighting in the laughter and smiles they evoke despite the dark enemy intent on killing them.
It’s been a busy week at VBC HQ, so we’ll jump right into the news after reminding you to enter our giveaways for a signed copy of Lothaire and a copy of Cinder.
First taste of Iced
Karen Marie Moning has officially started teasing her Fever series spinoff Iced. The short teaser posted this week is good. I have been fretting over this novel, because the protagonist is Dani O’Malley — the irritating young sidhe seer from the Fever series. I didn’t like Dani narrating portions of the latter Fever novels, but this excerpt is, well, enticing. Be warned, it does have a spoiler for Shadowfever.
George R.R. Martin and Bernard Cornwell talk fantasy
Look, we’re not going to be sitting down with George R.R. Martin anytime soon, but we can glimpse into his world by reading this great discussion between him and another creative kingpin Bernard Cornwell. The two talk fantasy and historical fiction, and it’s excellent.
Jess Haines finally gets a badass cover
I was thrilled to see the cover art for Jess Haines’ next H&W Investigations novel, Stalking the Others. None of the prior artwork properly conveyed the urban fantasy goodness inside, or Shiarra’s overt awesomeness. That has changed.
The Wood Queen teasers
Need a taste of Karen Mahoney’s The Wood Queen? She’s posted three teasers — one from Xan, one from Navin and one from Donna — on her blog. Also there are pictures for the characters. Xan looks like he needs a hug.
With the release of Molly Harper’s Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors (which hits stores Feb. 28), the publisher has decided to release a portion of Jane Jameson’s private wedding planner. Readers are asked not to share this information, especially with Jane’s mama.
Jane Jameson’s To-Do List before the wedding
- Establish a “password” with Iris, the wedding planner, so Mama can’t make any more changes without my approval. Tiny yellow-clad bridesmaid figurines standing sentry around the bottom layer of the cake? Really, Mama? Not cool.
- Get my own sparkly “emergency flask” of vodka like Iris’s. Without it, I wouldn’t have survived wedding dress shopping.
- Talk Mama out of the “memorial display” for Grandma Ruthie. Considering she’s haunting my house like some geriatric version of that evil little girl from The Ring, a photo collage at the reception will only encourage her.
- Block out one night each week where Gabriel and I do not allow work, friends, Jamie, ghostly relatives, living relatives, death threats, wedding planning or the general weirdness of our lives to intrude on date night.
- Remind Ophelia that a “plus one” is acceptable- a “plus twenty-three” is not.
Today I’m over at Heroes & Heartbreakers trying to figure out why we love seeing protective heroes slay the bad guys in front of the heroine. In addition to talking about those heroes in novels, I may reference Sons of Anarchy heavily. If you watch, you understand.
There are certain things that when you explain aloud sound awful. For example, think of explaining the plot of The Hunger Games to a friend: It’s an exhilarating read with a great message—oh and children are forced to fight to the death on reality TV. It sounds painful to experience (and maybe it is a little), but the book is phenomenal.
I bring this up because I know how it’s going to sound when I admit this, but having a bad guy murdered by the hero in a book? Hot. Having him commit said act of slayage on the heroine’s behalf? Hotter.
What if Cinderella was a cyborg? That question caused Melissa Meyer to write Cinder, and it’s getting rave reviews. (Plus, the cover art is gorgeous and makes me want to go buy some new red shoes.) Take a gander at the book trailer below. Afterward, if you’re all “I need this book!” enter our giveaway. We have one copy of Cinder for a VBC reader with a U.S. or Canadian mailing address. Contest is open through Jan. 28.
All Things Wicked (Dark Mission #3)
I was born and raised in Alaska, and have been an avid vampire fiction reader since around age nine. I always wondered why vampire stories were set in Europe or New Orleans or Las Vegas. Why would these creatures limit themselves to places where the sun was out ten or twelve hours a day?
Street Magic (Black London #1)
Thank you for joining me today! And thank you, Chelsea, for welcoming me to Vampire Book Club and helping me celebrate the release of Night Reigns, the second book in my Immortal Guardians paranormal romance series!
It’s been a busy week at VBC HQ, so we’ll jump right into the news after reminding you to enter our giveaways for a 
With the release of Molly Harper’s 
(which hits stores Feb. 28), the publisher has decided to release a portion of Jane Jameson’s private wedding planner. Readers are asked not to share this information, especially with Jane’s mama.
Join the Discussion