Product Description
Equal parts Light and Shadow, Joanna Archer must fulfill a destiny she never wanted. Once a photographer and heiress to a casino fortune, she is now dedicated to the cause of good . . . but susceptible to the seductions of evil.
A deadly virus is descending on Las Vegas—a terrifying plague unleashed by the powerful overlord of Zodiac’s dark side: Joanna’s father. Chaos and panic grip Sin City as agents of Light fall prey to the terrifying epidemic. Death reigns supreme—and Joanna stands at dead center of an epic and terrible war long foretold, the last hope of a damned world.
But first she must somehow conquer the malevolence that grows all around her . . . and within.
R. Kyle @ 12:49 am
When I reviewed “Scent of Shadows” the first in Vicki Pettersson’s new series about the Zodiac, I saw potential, but felt that first novel needed more editorial and consideration of the world elements before its debut. “Scent of Shadows” just didn’t quite live up to its press. I sincerely hoped that Ms. Pettersson’s writing would mature as she continued to develop her novels.
I probably should have wished for a winning lottery ticket at the same time, because clearly that was my day to get what I wished for. “Taste of Night” fulfills the promise I hoped for in “Scent of Shadows” and then some.
“Taste of Night” continues the story of Joanna Archer, a young Las Vegas woman who discovered in “Scent of Shadows” that she wasn’t her father, billionaire Xavier Archer’s, daughter–and she wasn’t quite human. Just after that, her younger sister, Olivia, plunges to her death from her highrise apartment in a vicious attack on the two sisters. Joanna wakens in a private hospital wearing her sister Olivia’s face and body. She learns that hrough her maternal line, Joanna was destined to become the Archer, a superhero representing the sign of Sagittarius in Light Zodiac Troop 175, which is charged with preserving good in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also learns that her real father is the Tulpa, a created man who leads the Shadows–the dark Zodiac troop in opposition to the Light. This makes Joanna the “Kairos” the first ’sign’ of the Zodiac, a being equally of light and shadow who will bring balance to the elements.
Without the somewhat cumbersome burden of first book setup, “Taste” takes off with fireworks–deadly ones, to be precise. The second sign of the Zodiac is plague. The Tulpa has released a sexually transmitted plague on the humans of Las Vegas via one of the biggest fireworks shows the city’s had. In a matter of hours, pairs of dead bodies are being reported all over the city. The couples are generally hideously burned on their mouths and genital regions.
It’s up to Joanna and the Light team to discover the source of the plague and the antidote before it kills off the humans in Las Vegas. But, Joanna faces her own private battles. Regan, an agent of the Shadow is trying to recruit her to her father’s team–and providing some valuable information on the plague and her sworn enemy Joaquin, a member of the Shadow troop, in exchange. Unlike her troop leader, Joanna believes the Light should not just seek balance, but work to conquer the shadows–and her first order of business in doing that is killing Joaquin, but will Joanna risk the lives of her whole troop to do this?
And what about Joanna’s great love, Ben Traina? Will she be able to let him go and go on with her life in her sister’s skin?
“Taste” is head and shoulders above “Scent” in plot and pacing. Pettersson keeps the pages turning and doesn’t bog the reader down with worldbuilding.
Pettersson’s characters are developing life. Joanna is a strong protagonist, whose beliefs and personal desires sometimes collide. She’s growing as she makes tough decisions. The other superheroes from her troop are also beginning to be more than just paper tigers. It’s a pleasure to see how their lives and personalities unfold.
The plot is also more interesting and less convoluted than the first book. “Taste” is a fantasy with bits of mystery successfully embedded. The directness and swift movement of the plot make “Taste” much harder to put down than “Scent.” Like me, you may find yourself reading it in one sitting, so reserve some time before you get started.
One negative is that the plague itself probably would not stand up to the scrutiny of an epidemiologist, but the twist is definitely one worthy of “Sin City.”
Worldbuilding, key to any good fantasy, is also much stronger in “Taste.” I’m particularly fascinated by Pettersson’s notion that comic books are the actual history of superheroes’ lives. Joanna’s interactions with the denizens of a comic book store are some of the best in the book.
It appears that “Taste” is not getting the kind of media push that “Scent” received. My one marker is the place that the book holds in the new books rack at my local bookstore. Some of you may not know that these spaces are purchased by the publishers in the major chains and the closer to eye-level and center, the better. “Taste” was on one of the lower rows. I’m hoping that the initial push for “Scent” will carry the book in momentum. The third sign of the Zodiac promises to be even stronger than the the first two.
One thing to note, “Taste” is definitely on the fantasy end of the fantasy-paranormal romance spectrum. While there is sexual content in this book, it is not treated in the same manner as a paranormal romance would be.
Real Reader @ 2:02 am
I bought the first and second book in this series on the strength of previous reviews. “The Scent of Shadows” was a 4 star book for originality and pacing, a better read than this second in the series. With the second book, Ms. Pettersson seems to be running out of steam already. Her premise wears mighty thin as the supposedly brilliant and dedicated enemies of “the light” can’t figure out the amazingly obvious artifice of “the Archer’s” fake identity. And we’re treated to a seemingly endless cycle of repetitive actions and last minute rescues of her heroine. How many times can the same thing happen in one book?
Having said that, I didn’t hate the book; it’s a decent light read, but I’m not sure I’d pick up the third installment.
appifany @ 4:27 am
I have read both of the books in this series. Now, let me tell you. The first book began with some promise. I truly enjoyed the idea of “super heroes” working in Las Vegas against the forces of evil. Hoorah! I realize that becoming a super hero must be hard work especially when you are “special” and are thus the odd one out and doesn’t really fit in anywhere blah blah blah. The point? I liked the first book.
Then I read the second book. It started off all right and had some interesting plot twists and turns. Now, I am not going to divulge any of the plot, but if you could bottle misery and put it in a book, this would be the book! Nothing good EVER happens to this girl. NOTHING. EVER. Her life spirals into a black abyss from which she never emerges. Things just get worse and worse and WORSE if possible. There really aren’t any laughs in the book, just serious abject unhappiness and misery for our heroine. Honestly. I was depressed by the time I finished it and vowed not to read the next book in the series.
The end.
J. Hulet @ 5:14 am
The author had one of the best ideas for a paranormal storyline that I have read recently. She really, really came up with a great idea. It’s interesting and she has good supporting cast and villains. So, why two stars? The writing of the main character is just pathetic. By the time that I was drug through one too many iterations of her moaning and moping for the “love of her life” I just couldn’t stand it any longer.
Now, this may be good stuff for the Romance crowd and if that works for you then enjoy the books. I just can’t stand someone who is so strong and defiant about why she can’t be controlled by anything continually mope over some guy who she hadn’t seen in years and then is suddenly in flames over after a brief visit. Weak minded drivel that belittles the intellect of an otherwise tolerable main character.
R. green @ 6:11 am
If you want to know what Paris Hilton would be like as a super hero read this book. I read the previous book and loved it but in this book Jo has turned into a air head. She is constantly being saved from some mess she’s gotten into.I certainly wouldn’t want to be a an innocent by stander around her because innocents are dropping like flies. What type of super hero is she? What really bugged me about this book was she never follows through with or defended her plans. She was just a bubble head through out the book. I will still buy the next book everyone makes mistakes. Buy the book because you’ll need it to follow the storyline in future books.