- ISBN13: 9781439109656
- Condition: New
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Product Description
Atlanta: it’s the promised city for the off-worlders, foreigners from the alternate dimensions of heaven-like Elysia and hell-like Charbydon. Some bring good works and miracles. And some bring unimaginable evil….
Charlie Madigan is a divorced mother of one, and a kick-ass cop trained to take down the toughest human and off-world criminals. She’s recently returned from the dead after a brutal attack, an unexplained revival that has left her plagued by ruthless nightmares and random outbursts of strength that make doing her job for Atlanta P.D.’s Integration Task Force even harder. Since the Revelation, the criminal element in Underground Atlanta has grown, leaving Charlie and her partner Hank to keep the chaos to a dull roar. But now an insidious new danger is descending on her city with terrifying speed, threatening innocent lives: a deadly, off-world narcotic known as ash. Charlie is determined to uncover the source of ash before it targets another victim — but can she protect those she loves from a force more powerful than heaven and hell combined?
Lady Rogue (Escape Between The Pages) @ 1:27 am
The story starts off strong. Charlie Madigan arrives at her daughter’s school, after she overhears a call for paramedics being needed. (As a mother myself, I can relate to the urgency, to make sure that her daughter was alright and safe.) Once there, she discovers the body of her daughter’s friend/babysitter on the girl’s bathroom floor. The good news, she isn’t dead. The bad news, an underworld narcotic called, “ASH” appears to have reached the uptown schools. Charlie, along with her sexy Siren partner Hank, make it thier misson to get the drug and those who are behind the drug off the streets.
Charlie has the mentality, determination, and heart of a good cop. But she is too stubborn and self absorbed. There is too much emphasis on her self analyzing everything, it gets boring. Yeah…yeah….get on with it already. This happens many times throughout the book. What I do like, is Charlie being a divorced mother. It gives her crediablity and makes her a bit more likable. I also appreciate her not being able to push aside years of feelings for her ex-husband and the inner struggles that those feelings cause. Her relationship with her partner is refreshing as well, they genuinely care for each other. Their bickering interaction, is well done. I have come to the conclusion that they are both smartasses. Charlie’s and her daugher’s relationship is endearing. I do like that, at times, it seems like the daughter is taking care of the mother, than the other way around.
With exception of Hank and Emma, I feel the remaining characters lack depth, substance and are unnecessary. None are very engaging and feel as if they are just thrown in to fill up space. Those who do have a purpose, don’t have enough back story to make me find them believable.
Although, the character depth isn’t the greatest, the world building is cleverly done and perhaps the book’s strongest attribute. The world is not what it used to be, since the “discovery” of two other planes of existence. Kelly Gay’s universe has alot of potential, that has room to grow. I really dig the possible religious ramifications and the idea of a Heaven and Hell on Earth, and the mention of Legend, darkness, demons, angels, aliens, etc… It supports the unending struggle of good versus evil, thus giving it a strong base for a plot. If only, it is the main focus. Unfortunately, to many subplots and not enough main plot.
All in all, it is a good read, but not a great book. Turning the last page, I am left feeling unsatisfied. There are too many subplots still open, that leaves me without closure. Most of the characters lacked depth, substance and purpose. I did feel that the protagonist wasn’t so much ass kicking, but smart mouthed. That being said, as urban fantasies go, it didn’t suck. For me, it is probably a one time read.
P. Fox @ 4:19 am
I’m not sure what I think about this book. Gay did a good job of creating a believable world with different supernatural figures. Charlie is the kick-ass heroine, a police officer with supernatural talents that she doesn’t understand yet. I liked the plot making and the character development. So what is it I don’t like? I had a hard time keeping up with all the various characters. Someone would pop up who had obviously been introduced early, but several times I couldn’t remember who they were. I was also unsure of several characters’ motivation, especially someone (not giving a spoiler) who was supposed to be on the other side, but who wasn’t.
There were a lot of hanging events. I think I would have liked it better if the author had wrapped up a little more of the plots. So I guess I’ll give it a positive but not glowing rating. I’m not sure if I’ll read the next book.
Donna Locklin @ 7:13 am
The Better Part of Darkness, told from Charlie Madigan’s point of view, was an exciting, fast-paced read for me. I finish this book in nearly one sitting. What kept me glued to the pages was how clues were dropped at just the right place, and the mystery just kept building. The pace of was perfect. The unique world and atmosphere of this book had the right combination of dark and gritty paranormal aspects.
The biggest attention grabber for me was the colorful personalities of the characters. From Hank, Charlie’s gorgeous off-world partner to Byrn, her eclectic sister who runs a herb shop in the Underground. Charlie, mother of a pre-teen, is a gusty heroine, who has heart. But she’s tough as nails when the situation calls for it and it’s called for many times. She presents everyone with a tough exterior and acts like she can handle whatever comes her way on her own, but on the inside she is always questioning herself. I could see Charlie as a real person.
The thing that can make a book really pop for me is when the bad guys are truly evil and vile. You get that kind of scary here. So when your reading a scene with the bad guys, your on the edge of your seat with worry and dread. More than once I was wondering how Charlie was going to save herself.
The ending left me feeling very satisfied but full of anticipation for the next book. This was a story that left me thinking about it long after I finished reading it. I will be picking up the next book in Charlie Madigan’s universe. This one is going down in my top 10 reads of this year.
Tez Miller @ 7:54 am
Detective Charlie Madigan of the Integration Task Force was resurrected from the dead. Though she has no memory of exactly how that happened, her nightmares may very well be inspired by real life occurrences. As a divorced mum of a pre-teen, Charlie is level-headed. However, tremendous anger whilst working leads her to kill, and a demotion to a desk job is imminent. But first she has investigate the manufacturing and distribution of the otherworldly drug ash, which has already damaged Charlie’s daughter’s baby-sitter.
Drug investigation and repressed memories are fascinating enough, but what tops them here is the intriguing world-building. Kelly Gay’s vision of Atlanta is richly imagined, and far more memorable than any other author’s attempts to immortalise this city. THE BETTER PART OF DARKNESS hosts some awesome characters I’m looking forward to encountering again: namely Hank and Rex, and on a lesser note Sian. Charlie faces some harsh truths, but she also manages to get the freaking job done. I’m eagerly awaiting information on the author’s next novel.
Kathy E. @ 7:58 am
This was a phenomenal start to a new dark urban fantasy! Detective Charlie Madigan of the Integration Task Force, was revived from the dead eight months ago, after having been savagely killed on the job by an “off-worlder…….
Thirteen years ago a scientist discovered Charbydon, a parallel world to earth. Charbydon is sectioned into two disgruntle civilizations, Charbydon and Elysia. Ever since the great revelation, “off-worlders” have been coming to earth in droves for citizenship. Atlanta’s underground has become home to countless powerful mythical beings, some looking for a peaceful new home, and some looking to dominate earth.
Ash, a highly deadly and addictive drug also makes its way onto earth’s soil. Once Ash is ingested, it’s only a matter of time before the user expires in a glorious haze of euphoria. The distribution of Ash touches Charlie’s life personally when her beloved daughter’s babysitter falls into an Ash induced coma.
The clock is ticking for Charlie to try and find an antidote. Unfortunately for Charlie, the dark-powers-that-be move devastating obstacles in her way to ensure her failure. For the first time in Charlie’s life she decides to lean on her friends and together they pool their earthly and other-worldly powers. During this time Charlie makes a strange discovery about herself and soon discovers that her resurrection from the grave wasn’t without a price………
This book is on my short list of highly anticipated new releases. This action-packed, police procedural fantasy was so original, interesting and fascinating; I completely devoured it and could hardly put it down. Charlie Madigan is a tough, smart and formidable heroine with twisted-humor that kicks butt and takes names. The dark world that Kelly Gay built is so dismal, bleak and mysterious it felt like danger lurked around every corner. I highly recommend this book to fellow dark urban fantasy readers and anxiously await the next book The Darkest Edge of Dawn due out 8/31/2010.
I also recommend:
Bitter Night: A Horngate Witches Book
Mark of the Demon
Dying Bites: The Bloodhound Files
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1)
On the Edge (The Edge, Book 1)