Ash’s review of Don’t Kill the Messenger by Eileen Rendahl
Urban Fantasy published by Berkley Trade 02 Mar 10
I was hoping for more from this book, but I am not giving up on this series just yet.
This is one of those times where I don’t really know what to say. Don’t Kill the Messenger is an average urban fantasy to me, nothing really stood out. The world is nothing new, but that wasn’t exactly a bad thing. I’m able to follow along without any trouble understanding what’s going on.
Melina doesn’t seem to be anything special. She is a forgettable character and I don’t really care about her either way. I find her boring and unremarkable as a heroine. There isn’t much of her being a messenger, which I want more of, and the action in the book is lacking up until the very end, and even that is a letdown.
Her love interest is not the guy I was hoping he would be, so that left me wanting more. The ending makes it seem like there is going to be romantic drama in the coming books, and I am getting tired of the whole ‘which guy will it be’ thing. I didn’t see any chemistry between Melina and Ted, so I didn’t get why they’re together.
It’s the rest of the characters that save this book from being completely dull. I want to find out more about them and the magical side of Melina’s world. So while it might not be the most exciting book, I did enjoy it for the most part. I do plan to read the next one, but I can’t say it’s one I am dying to read.
Grade: C
Summary:
Melina Markowitz is a Messenger, a go-between for paranormal forces and supernatural creatures. Problem is, when a girl’s a go-between, it’s hard not to get caught in the middle…
When ninjas steal an envelope from Melina, her search leads her to a Taoist temple in Old Sacramento, where the priests seem to practice Zen and the art of mayhem. Melina learns from the handsome ER doctor (and vampire) who gave her the envelope that it contained talismans created by the priests to control Chinese vampires, who are attacking gang members to spark a street war.
Although he may look more like a surfer than a cop, Ted Goodnight is dead serious about investigating the surge in gang violence. At every turn he runs into Melina, a very attractive-and very mysterious-young woman. Can Melina enlist his help to battle something he doesn’t even believe in without blowing her cover?
Read an excerpt here.
