Title: Don't Kill The Messenger
Author: Eileen Rendahl
Series: Messenger #1
Publisher: Ace
Publication date: 28 Feb 2012
Format: Paperback | 336 pages
Genre: Adult | Urban Fantasy
Melina Markowitz is a Messenger, a go-between for the paranormal forces and supernatural creatures that move unseen among 'normal' human beings. Problem is, when a girl's an intermediary, it's hard not to get caught in the middle…
If Melina doesn't deliver, the stakes are life and death. So when ninjas steal an envelope from her, she must find it at all costs. It contains talismans created by Taoist priests to control the kiang shi - Chinese vampires unearthed from tombs beneath the Bok Kai Temple - who are attacking rival gang members in an attempt to spark a street war.
He may look more like a surfer than a cop but Ted Goodnight is dead serious about investigating the surge in gang violence, only he doesn't believe in the supernatural. It's up to Melina to change his mind - without blowing her cover…
My thoughts:
I'm a big fan of urban fantasy so I was very excited when I came round to reading this. In the more enjoyable reads, there's a whole lot of world building involved where I can get lost on the best of days. Then there's a ton of great characters that make me wish they were real and we could have big hangouts where we share the latest gossip. Who needs real friends right?
Unfortunately though, Don't Kill The Messenger fell short on quite a few things. It became a little bit of a chore to sit and read it after a while. I didn't find it a bad read necessarily, it was still an okay read, but it fell short of the mark to make it one of those books I can keep coming back to.
What it came down to, for me, was the characters. I couldn't take Melina seriously half the time. I really liked her at first - she had the whole hard done by attitude but she still did what she had to in order to get by. She seemed really mature, working three jobs, avoiding things that go bump in the night and giving an all round great impression. But when it came down to her making decisions that would essentially affect every character in the story, she had the common sense of a teenager. Even a teenager is pushing it to be honest.
I also don't understand what point in the story vampires and werewolves became her best friends. It was yet another case of me getting the wrong impression. I was excited by the prospect of reading a book where the vampires and other creatures typical to this type of read were not of the friendly and 'I'm a normal person I just happen to feed on arteries or turn into a big cuddly dog' variety. That all changed though when they turned into the 'I'm a normal person I just happen to feed on arteries or turn into a big cuddly dog' variety. I had none of the feel of spine tingly goosebumps I usually associate with urban fantasy reads.
The plot wasn't anything special. There were no twists that pulled me further into the story, nor were there characters in mortal peril to make me anxious for their wellbeing. It was okay - the gangs and the police aspect of the plot was a little cliched for my liking but there was plenty of action to keep me going.
What I did like about this book was the general idea of it. I really loved the idea of a Messenger going between vampires and werewolves e.t.c. It made a lot of sense and I thought it had so much potential. It wasn't really developed until the plot got underway, so that was a little disappointing, but I enjoyed that aspect of the story. Especially the imp with the flute - that was really funny.
Overall, I thought this book was okay. If you're new to the urban fantasy genre, I definitely wouldn't recommend starting off with this book but as usual, this is just my opinion, you may really enjoy this read.
My rating: 5/10
Eileen Rendahl:
Messenger:
- Don't Kill The Messenger
- Dead on Delivery
- Dead Letter Day
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