Flesh Circus

On of my favorite authors and characters, great book, highly recommend it. Looking forward to more in the series, another I recommend reading in order, makes a lot more sense.

I LOVE Saintcrow's books, and can't wait for the next one-but I couldn't wrap my brain around this book, because I kept flashing back to Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes . While Lili has Jill Kismet, kick-behind Hunter and a lot more fire power in the middle of the desert, vs Bradbury's midwest 13 year old boys-they have a lot in common. Mr. Dark's Carnival also traps people by granting their deepest darkest wish and they both finish in a thunder storm. I also kept skimming through the scenes waiting for something to happen. There was a lot of description that got said over and over and over. If you are a fan of flat out awesome heroines, I'd definitely recommend this book, in sequence. But I just don't feel it is the best of the series so far.

Run by evil hellbreed and their human Trader partners, the Cirque de Charnu (Circus of Flesh) uses flashy trappings and promises of pleasure to lure suicidal humans to their deaths ... or worse. Under an ancient agreement between the Cirque and the hunters -- humans who protect their fellows from supernatural evil -- there will be no interference with the Cirque as long as it only consumes those who come to it voluntarily. The Cirque guarantees its good behavior with a hostage whose life will be forfeit if the Cirque steps out of line. The Cirque has returned to Santa Luz after an absence of nearly a century, and though hunter Jill Kismet is none too happy to receive it, she knows the rules. Sanctuary minder Galina remembers that something bad happened the last time the Cirque was in town, but she can't recall what it was or who was involved. When someone or something attacks the hostage, threatening to throw the Cirque into dangerous chaos, Jill is reluctantly forced to defend the Cirque and track down the attacker. At the same time, a rash of non-demonic possessions, zombie attacks, and gruesome murders alerts Jill that one or more practitioners of "voodoo" are running amok in her town. Could there be a connection between the events of the past, the voodoo of the present, and the attacks on the Cirque? FLESH CIRCUS follows the same formula as the previous books in this series, mixing supernatural creatures, violent action, noirish private-eye cliches, gross-out humor, romantic tension, repetition (she describes her werecougar boyfriend Saul as Native American beefcake at least three times), and a bunch of seemingly unrelated narrative threads that get tied up in a neat little bow at the end. This novel improves on REDEMPTION ALLEY by being more coherent and more inventive. On the other hand, it does very little with the rich possibilities of a hell-tainted circus. Worse, the use of voodoo (and the interest of the loa--the non-demonic voodoo spirits) are entirely unmotivated; why voodoo and not, say, kabbalah or mundane old black magic? In the end, it's a typical book in the series, likely to appeal to anyone who enjoyed the earlier volumes.

Flesh Circus continues the saga of Jill Kismet hunter of Santa Luz. Saul is back from the rez' after his mother's death and Jill must contend with her own feelings of inferiority over her relationship with Saul and Saul's conflicted feelings of being wanted/needed in Jill's busy life. On top of the upheaval in her personal life, Jill must contend with the presence of the Cirque de Charnu. The circus has come to town and Jill must allow them into the city due to a long held pack between hellbreed and hunters. Soon problems arise when some the the circus members start turning up dead. The ring leader believes Jill has something to do with the killngs and vows revenge. She must find out who or what is behind the murders at the circus along with who is creating zombies around town. Jill must also deal with Percy again and keep one step ahead of his plans for bringing her back into his grasp. I really liked the story here. It is nice to see characters that don't always have a "happily ever after". It makes them more realistic if they have flaws and doubts. The relationship between Saul and Jill is one of the best parts of this series. Jill is a great protagonist. She is strong, smart and bold in her dealing with the hellbreed and other worldly entities that she fights, but she is also a flawed, complex character that readers can relate to on more than a cookie cutter super hero way. Saintcrow is a great story teller and I recommend all of her books including the Dante Valentine series, the Watchers series and the Demon's Librarian.

The Cirque de Charnu comes to Santa Luz although Jill Kismet would prevent them entry, but the compact these Hellspawn refuges live under does not give her that latitude. Still the hunter reminds the Ringmaster and the others of the sufferance rules of engagement and demands her hostage whom she rings. However, someone is even less tolerant than Jill and is killing the performers. Although sympathetic with the killer, Jill investigates fearing the murderer may be one of her colleagues. The hunter also struggles with exorcisms linked to voodoo practitioners who are dying following the rites they perform. Zombie hordes are flocking to the city so between the Cirque and its death toll, the voodoo mage and its death toll, and the zombie needed death toll; Jill has no time for a rest. The fourth Kismet Noir fantasy thriller (see Night Shift, Hunter's Prayer, and Redemption Alley) is loaded with action and starring a kick butt heroine who from the opening scene until the final climax is donkey kicking seemingly every character in sight. Jill makes the tale as she is a hardboiled noir with a soft inside but not when it comes to protecting Santa Luz; in this case from the memories of the past causing havoc on the present. Harriet Klausner