Deathwish

Being old enough to be their mother (but hopefully more sympathetic than her), I shouldn't get so caught up with the Leandros brothers, but I absolutely love both of them. Thurman has done a beautiful job in this series: nothing is formula, nothing is predictable (except for the devotion of the brothers to one another, and Goodfellow's libido). She has built the characters of Cal and Niko so skillfully that they have become complex and real. I actually forget for a time that they aren't really living breathing guys trying to survive in the Big Apple. And although the intensity of the bond between them would normally seem unnatural or unbelievable, the author communicates the background for that relationship so effectively that the reader has no doubt that this is the only way these brothers could be. It's a beautiful relationship, it makes the reader believe in the reality of absolute, unconditional commitment. Plenty of action, good plot, and interesting supporting characters, especially Goodfellow and Delilah (I like George too, and I really wish Cal could get together with her, although Delilah is a lot of fun). Like at least one other reviewer, I'm not much impressed with Promise -- the only time she seems real is when Goodfellow is getting on her nerves. I read a lot, and have been tending towards urban fantasy lately. No author I've found is as skillful at it as Rob Thurman.

I so wish I'd discovered this series with book one. As it is I really have to go back and read the whole thing, because "Deathwish" is fantastic! Cal has more to deal with than any young man of twenty should have to face. He struggles with the Auphe side of his nature constantly. He knows his very presence puts anyone he cares about in danger. He loves his brother Nik even though the two of them are incredibly different, and he constantly fears what might happen to Nik because of him. To make matters worse, anyone who can tell or finds out that Cal is half-Auphe instantly distrusts him. It's enough to make anyone bitter, and Cal's pretty unstable to begin with. Nik is on a far more even keel than his brother; he's had to be. At the age of four their mother handed him baby Cal and told him it was his job to raise his brother. Ever since he realized that the Auphe were tracking Cal, however, he's trained himself to kill. Somehow he must keep Cal alive though murderous vampires, disgusting sea monsters, an immortal hunter, a vengeful mummy, a lecherous puck, and Auphe plans that are far, far worse than the torture they've already put Cal through. The panoply of characters surrounding the Leandros Brothers made the story truly come alive. Promise is an interesting vampire, someone who loves Nik yet occasionally has trouble relating to him. Robin, the lecherous puck, is a delightfully conflicted character. Everyone from the werewolf that occasionally shares Cal's bed to the mummified cat that adopts Robin to the force-of-nature hunting Promise's daughter turns out to be fascinating in his or her own right. The humor--whether crass or dark, snarky or hilarious--is right on target, and eminently quotable. The action is fast-paced and fascinating, and the plot twists are delicious. I tend to roll my eyes when I find out there's yet another series with vampires and werewolves in it, but this one definitely felt original and different. There's so much more in it, from mummies to revenants, giant sentient rats to Boggles, and the author makes them unusual and fun.

I'm going to agree with five-star reviewers: this book was excellent. It had all the action, wit, thriller and suspense that the first three had. The point-of-views alternate between the brothers, and that was interesting once I got use to it, so it works well with the story. It was different getting a peek at what Niko thinks and sees. Twists in the story that closed well in the end, it seems like other issues closed in this book as well, like the one with George. Not much of Robin this time, which is fine since he usually plays a big part in the others, so each character gets some attention and a shot at enticing the readers. Hope to see more of Delilah in the next one. Looking forward to the next installment and Ms. Thurman's new series out later this year (another strong female character we can all love..hopefully). All in all, great addition to a really interesting series. Five stars!!

In my opinion, Deathwish is the book of the month, the book of the year, and the book of the series thus far. To start with, the addition of Niko's POV in this book added unbelievable depth to both his and Cal's characters. If you loved the brothers before--and I know you did--then you'll begin to feel as if you hardly knew them before now. Flashes of their childhood are more prevalent in this book, giving you further insight into both their past and the way they are now. Another major attribute were the villians. As much as I liked Sawney Bean, Cerberus, and Darkling, they were always second fiddle to the Auphe, and in Deathwish, the Auphe are the major villain. Though that's not to say that there's a scarcity in new monsters--hell no. We've got mermaids, chupacabras, and mummified cats coming out of the wazoo. Deathwish has all of the action of the first three books, plus added suspense and angst that will keep you up to all hours of the morning, heart pounding, adrenaline racing, fingers almost ripping pages in anxiety to see what happens next. Happy reading.

Picking up right where "Madhouse" left off, the Auphe (evil hell dimension hopping/traveling monsters) are again a threat to our heroes, brothers Cal and Niko Leandros. If that wasn't enough to deal with, there's also ex-lovers, mysterious ancient cabals, family complications and an unknown assailant that has killed a client. Things get darker as Cal's Auphe heritage starts to rise to the surface to become more central to his personality. Can Cal fight his darker impulses and should he? "Deathwish" has all that snappy and snark-tastic dialogue that has become the author's trademark but we're also treated to something new. I love the first person perspective of Rob Thurman's novels but in "Deathwish' the narrative/perspective changes back and forth between Cal and Niko's view. We have a great opportunity to see how Cal's long suffering brother views him and the choices he's made in his life. This also has the benefit of adding more depth to Niko's character as we get more insight on what motivates him. "Deathwish" is a bit psychologically darker than previous novels as the alternating character perspective also allows us to see just how far and to what lengths the brothers are willing to go to protect each other, and the answer is...there are no limits.