I finally found a book about a librarian and it wasn't a great story. It really wasn't that well written. It had a few good scenes but the world building wasn't there and the characters were kind of flat and the banter was very off. I also didn't enjoy reading everybody's thoughts and the point of view was all over the place. I did finish it because I wanted to see how things turn out but I probably could have skipped most of it. ( )

So! Librarians, secret books, demon hunters, mysterious order protecting us poor little humans, a little romance; everything about this story sounds awesome, right? Well, not quite. It’s good but never quite makes the leap into amazing. Chess is a likeable protagonist, she’s smart (a librarian!), she’s feisty (but not that absurd-feisty that too many UF lady-protagonists tend towards), she’s pretty brave, she’s independent. Although sometimes she’s a little too independent for someone who’s only killed one demon and who now has a certified demon-hunter at her beck and call.

Ryan sounds super foxy and he’s definitely a good guy to have in your corner, what with the super strength and healing abilities, but I am not a fan of the mate-instinct that we got to deal with when Ryan’s POV was at the forefront. I got a little tired of the but she’s so pretty and she smells so nice! This must be Twue Wuv! Also, things could be a little scary from his perspective because he was fighting his instincts (read: major boner) all the time. And he goes from “You give me a boner” to “I love you forever” really damn quickly.

On the other hand, the romance was almost totally undeveloped on Chess’ side, because she spent most of the book going “Fuck, demons! This is scary, run, no, fight, wait, I have a knife!” and passing out and only very occasionally “That Ryan guy is a little scary, but he’s kinda good looking”.

There isn’t much in the way of world-building since it’s basically just real world demons but there’s enough to make it convincing. It’s a bit of a shame because Lilith Saintcrow is a master world-builder (seriously, the world-building aspect of her Dante Valentine series is mind-blowing).

I would have liked it better if there were a couple of follow-ups (or even just one) because the epilogue was kind of ridiculous. It reads like a first entry in a series, right up until the epilogue, where things get wrapped way too neatly, but it’s a stand-alone. It’s kind of hard to categorize too, since it’s PNR from Ryan’s POV and UF from Chess’ POV. It was at least worth the 7 bucks I paid. ( )

"She’s probably just lonely and unhappy, really. But dammit, nobody insults Mark Twain on my watch." ( )

This standalone reads as part of a series but it isn’t. The local librarian is hunting down demons that are chowing down on some kids. With no training other than kickboxing and the magic from books she found in a secret room in the basement of her local library she is doing a decent job of hunting them down that it attracts the attention of the Order. The duo from the Order come looking for the magic user and find out what is going on in town. Lots of personality clashes and fights with the demons trying to take over her town. Lots of chemistry between the leads and also lots of culture clashing since Orion is part demon and he is fighting part of his natural responses to her. A fun quick light read and I wish there was more to the universe. ( )

Chess is a demon hunting librarian. I don't know what else I need to say to express the fun I had reading this book.

While at work in the library Chess finds a secret stash of demon hunting equipment and lore. She also realizes that the reason children are disappearing is because they're being eaten by a demon. Once she knows that and realizes she has the means to help, she can't ignore things. One of my favorite tropes is that of what "normal" people do when they encounter the supernatural, so this was right up my alley.

While hunting she meets Ryan, a half-demon member of an order of demon hunters. Even though she's a hunter now, Chess is unaware of many parts of the supernatural world and doesn't know anything about him, his order, or that his primary function is as the rather disposable sidekick of his partner. And to top all this off, Chess is some sort of magical superspecial being, the kind that hasn't been around in a very long time.

The book has romance, betrayals, and tough decisions that need to be made. I liked it a great deal and would read a sequel. ( )