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Release-Day Review: Snared by Jennifer Estep (Elemental Assassin #16)

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Snared by Jennifer Estep // VBCSnared (Elemental Assassin #16)
Jennifer Estep
Published: April 25, 2017 (Pocket Books)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Reviewed by: Amy

Rating (out of 5): 4 stars

Note: While this review will be spoiler free, it will reference previous events in the series. If you haven’t started this series yet, check out VBC’s review of book 1 Spider’s Bite.

Snared begins with Gin still in hot pursuit of any and all information she can dig up on the mysterious Circle and its members. Particularly who is the head honcho of the organization. Gin knows that whoever is the leader of the Circle is the same person who ordered her mother’s death all those years ago, which, resulted in not only her mother’s death, but her oldest sister’s death as well.

So far Gin has only managed to figure out information on a few key players in the group, but when she is approached to help find a missing girl, everything else is put on hold.

As Gin tries to unravel the mysterious disappearance, clues start coming to light that point to a potential serial killer, and as the clock starts ticking, Gin just may find herself as the next one caught in the killer’s web.

I really liked the departure that Snared takes in that it’s more of a typical mystery—regardless that it’s pretty easy to figure it out by the end. But, if you’re a long-time reader of the series, you’ll know that usually Gin know who her target is at the beginning (or close to) of the book.

In solving the whodunit aspect of the story, Gin, and readers, learn some very interesting things along the way. I was most impressed this time with the history that we learn about, mainly regarding Hugh Tucker, one of the known members of the Circle. The things we learn about him make the flashback sequences something I really looked forward to, and equally make me look forward to any future interactions with him. He’s a bit of a different antagonist than what we’ve seen before in this series, and Snared definitely paints him as a potential wildcard.

Going along with the non-stereotypical “villain” idea Snared also expands upon the notion that not all of Ashland’s underground crime bosses are bad people. The missing girl’s sister, the one who came to Gin for help, is crime boss Jade Jamison. I liked seeing that not all bosses are going to require Gin to kick their ass at some point in the series. There’s the “shades of gray” aspect popping up that this entire series is based on with, you know, Gin being an assassin and all, and it was nice to see it in regard to someone who wasn’t Gin.

Another thing that Snared did was show us a lot of growth on Gin’s part with her powers. I don’t think I remember her using her power so much in one book before without completely tapping herself out afterward. Wielding two elemental powers is rare, so it’s nice to see Gin flexing the obvious badassery that she has—I just kind of wish it didn’t feel like it came out of the blue. I would have appreciated actually seeing her try to work on and hone her strength instead of feeling like it was suddenly there.

Overall, I enjoyed this outing for The Spider. I think the Circle is going to continue to prove to be a thorn in Gin’s side, and I can’t wait to see what comes up next.

Sexual content: sex

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