Roadkill (Cal Leandros)

Sometimes when a series reaches a certain point, it gets stale and repetitive. Boring, and even dry. But this is not the case at all with Rob Thurman's Cal Leandros series. Her writing style is as engaging as ever, as are the situations she throws our unlikely heroes into. Everyone else has already said it way better than I possibly could, so I will get down to the chase: buy this book. Hell, buy the whole series. When a friend recommended it to me a few years back, I was hooked, never to return from this dark, seductive (for all the right reasons: Robin Goodfellow, monsters, violence, and swearing) world. And, five books later, I am still hooked and can't wait for the next one to come out.

What a read and what a roller coaster of a ride for Roadkill. I didn't think anything could top the most recent in the series, Deathwish, but Rob Thurman has done it again. These last 2 Cal books have just taken the series to another level. Especially with the alternating point of views, Niko in Deathwish and Catcher in Roadkill. It adds such a level of depth that it's hard to describe. Anyone who appreciates good, hard, angst-ridden urban type supernatural reads, this series is a must. And with the glue that holds everything together, that incredible bond shared between the brothers, it's tested here like never before. One can only wonder what Rob Thurman might have in store next for Cal and Niko. Don't miss this book or this series. Once you start reading and fall into their world, you'll be hooked.

I didn't expect to be surprised by this 5th book in the Leandros brothers fantasy series by Rob thurman. Gosh, was I wrong! Not only were all the characters that I have grown to care for all there (Nik, Cal, Puck, Ish, Delila, etc), but there was much more to this story! As usual, there is an other-worldly, monstrous menace (in this case, an ancient "healer" who has been kept in a coffin for about 700 years and who, destroys through causing systems failures in the human body). The narrative voice switches with each chapter, so there is a different approach to the situation with each character. And Cal is just hilarious, as usual. I especially enjoyed his dealings with a very elderly, vicious lady. But, really, while the story was fun fantasy, as usual, it isn't what made this book special to me. I was blown away by the explication of family duty, friendship, fraternal love, etc. What do we owe one another? What debts to each other can we live with and not live with? What can we walk away from, or not? This was, to me, what the book was truly about, and I loved it. I truly enjoyed the new character of Catcher (trapped in permanent werewolf shape), and the villains were lots of fun, too. I hope any lover of fantasy is reading this series!

If you're a fan of sparkly vampires or damsels in distress, then pass right on by this product--- you'll find no bodice-ripping in the Cal Leandros series unless it's from a sexy-as-hell Asian werewolf ripping off her own clothes in preparation to dole out some gratuitous violence. Rob Thurman takes no prisoners with her brash, unapologetic writing style. While many fans (and critics) draw parallels between this book series and the cult show "Supernatural", the similarities end with the summation "Two brothers, one with evil genetics, battle the forces of darkness and deliver sassy one-liners while doing it". From that point on, Rob makes the concept her own. While most writers in this genre are male (the females tend to stray more into paranormal romance territory), Rob puts on her ass-kicking boots on the first page and never takes them off. You won't find frills, sentimental monologues, or cheesy admissions of love. What you WILL find are loving descriptions of Desert Eagles and assault knives, hilarious quips and sarcastic one-liners, and a great ensemble cast. Rob takes myths that have been turned into parodies and clichés in the genre and flips them on their heads; she draws from lesser-known mythologies and throws random monsters into the mix, and you will find zombies whose flesh melts off their skin when they attack, mummified cats who have a higher kill count than a gamer playing "Halo", and pucks that look like walking Trojan advertisements. You'll find a fully-human brother who can strangle someone to death with a tube sock, and a half-evil brother who can open portals to Hell at the mere thought. You'll also encounter kamikaze werewolves, pacifist werewolves, and an evil gypsy woman. Now pack as many of them into a vintage El Camino as you can, and put them on the trail of a healer who plans to unleash a plague upon all of humanity. Throw in a bag of Cheetos and you have "Roadkill", the latest in the badass Cal Leandros series. Scenes will make you laugh out loud, scenes will make you tear up a little bit. But most importantly, every single page will have you eagerly turning to the next. Take this ride that Rob Thurman's offering up; you won't regret it.

I'm a VERY picky reader, but I honestly love Rob Thurman's writing, so I'm biased. I enjoy very fast paced, character driven books and series, and she is so very good at that specifically that I have to give this one five stars. I've been waiting for this one to be released, and it was most definitely worth it. It's easy for authors to sort of slip as series go on, and I was very pleased to find that this was not the case with Roadkill. If anything, I feel like the characters and plot are getting stronger with each book, as I've enjoyed each more than the last. The author doesn't disregard character development in favor of plot, and we get a more intimate look at more characters here. I love that. It's particularly difficult to pull off switching narrators, and that always worries me every time. It's easy to get confused and lose sight of the plot line, but this just turned out great. The two characters had different voices, it was refreshing and really worked with the story. Her characters are always developing further, gaining more depth, but not to the point of over-complexity. Rob Thurman is just great at that in all her books. The other thing I was concerned about was a Doctor Who-esque antagonist. It's always one more Dalek who was found in grandma's basement or time traveled or materialized out of nowhere, and I was worried that this would be the case with the Auphe. It absolutely wasn't. The premise for the antagonist was interesting and much different than what I've been seeing in other urban supernatural novels. Again, surprised in a good way. I really hope this series continues, because there are SO many more avenues for the author to explore in the world and with the characters she's built. My only grievance is that the book wasn't longer, though I didn't feel like it was lacking in any way. I'm just greedy. I'm truly looking forward to seeing what she comes up with next. The Leandros brothers and crew get my vote!