Demon Hunts

This character just keeps getting more intriguing; she grows, and learns, and kicks some butt. I also really enjoy that although the author is focusing more on the relationships between the characters, the wider story never gets lost in the emotional mud. ( )

Walker still needs serious psychotherapy because she sure isn't giving up on anything on the emotional level. At this point she is going to have claw marks all over anything she does give up because it is going to have to yanked away from her. She still spends a lot of time and energy ruminating over what she has been bawling about in the the last 4 books like a calf separated from its mother too soon. The girl needs a serious self help meeting.

Making progress? Not hardly. A warrior? I'm so glad I wasn't drinking something right then, I would have choked on it. All we get are self humiliation and pity parties with a LOT of Wallowing. By the time I got to the first one in the first chapters I was saying "Yes you are a ..... up. Yes you did do it. Yes you are stupid. Yes...." I mean I was actually agreeing with every negative thing she said and very glad she gave up the baby. That shocked me and made me realize how bad this series and character really are. A flawed hero is a given but this child isn't flawed she's a blanking train wreck.

She really hasn't grown because if the same fears keep reappearing, she hasn't grown one bit. She is still floundering around trying to prove her worth to her self but her psychosis is keeping her from going anywhere.

I'm not sure if the writer either doesn't know how to grow a character or thinks this is normal but after 5 books, its pathetic. I mean we have a formula going:
Jo screws up.
Evil gets loose.
Jo finally after much thinking and wallowing and moaning realizes that Evil is loose.
Jo moans whines and complains about not having the tools for this [nevermind if she got off her tush and actually did something she WOULD have the tools for this].
Jo finally gets pushed in a corner and pulls up the big girl panties and does something and says basically I really have to learn about this but whines "I don't want to. I was forced into this." [um no you made a choice and sometimes the choice is between sucks and suckier. So man up matey. It was your choice.]
Then Jo goes off and does the same thing over again with no change until the next book where she starts the whole process over again.

By book 5 we should have had some motion ok besides whine moan and fight evil. The demons she need to face the most are what's in her that she has created by her choosing to perceive what happened to her in the past in the manner she has chosen to perceive it. She's got the perfect addictive personality and a bad avoidance issue among her neurosis. Instead of dealing straight on and pushing thru she would rather hang on to it and use it as excuse for not having a life.

She's a professional victim pretending in the series to be a hero. I was hoping for a strong female character like Rizzoli when I got this series. Instead, I get a neurotic, self absorbed, extremely damaged, egotist who screws up on a regular basis then has to spend the next book fixing what she did and not having enough brains to learn to use the tools given to her. Rizzoli would have just shot the suckers. In fact Rizzoli would have just shot Joanne and Isles would have helped.

Last book. Can't take this any more. I don't care if she ever grows up but if she gets eaten, let me know. I want to read that scene. And I don't think I am alone considering the way the total number of ratings are dropping at the top of each page. A whole lot are losing interest in the series. Maybe that is why the drastic change in the 7th book. Trying to draw back readers that are already sick of the whining. ( )

A cannibalistic serial killer is on the loose in Seattle, and Joanne Walker (the reluctant shaman) is using all in her power to track it down. The is the fifth book in The Walker Papers urban fantasy series offers a more mature Joanne, one is is starting to come to terms with her powers and is using the more wisely. It's been really great to see her progress and how she's grown over the arc of these books, and I'm looking forward to see where she goes from her and whether or not she can keep from giving into the dark side (so to speak). ( )

This was my favorite book in the series without a doubt, because I finally get to see Joanne in love! While it is not with her boss, Morrison, whom it is obvious she has an attraction to, it is still a very satisfying romance. Her bubbly happiness is quite enjoyable to read, and it does not get on my nerves despite how sickly sweet Joanne is in the descriptions. At times, her love interest really does seem like the perfect man, and I am thrilled that she gets to have this in the midst of the chaos of her shamanic lifestyle.
I think what keeps bringing me back to this series is that Joanne's narration is both unique and comical. She is refreshingly honest about herself and her quirks and abilities and keeps a running commentary behind the scenes, even as she solves supernatural-size problems while balancing a social life and a job as a detective. Even though I still understand very little of the role of a shaman and all of Joanne's world-jumping, there is something very likable about Joanne Walker.
The other half of Joanne's romance is a man that was assumed to be dead. Aside from the romance, I love that he shows up in this book, as I get to see more of what he can and cannot do and what his personality is really like. Plus, the tension between him and Morrison is quite interesting, as it brings to the forefront the chemistry between Morrison and Joanne and makes her admit to a few things about herself.
The wendigo is the "big bad" for this book, but the final battle ends differently than what I assumed. In a way, the wendigo teaches Joanne that some flaws are acceptable and even useful. I look forward to the next book, Spirit Dances. ( )

It’s been a while since I’ve read one of the Walker Papers, so long, in fact, that I only vaguely recall what’s been going on in Joanne’s life. Thankfully, C. E. Murphy does a nice job of reminding the reader about what’s happened.

This time around, Joanne’s fighting something a little bit different. Instead of gods or the walking dead, she’s fighting a cannibalistic serial killer, which was a nice change of pace. It’s an interesting plot device and ties in nicely with Joanne’s Native American roots, making it natural to segue into deeper discussions of why there’s all this trouble in Seattle, and what Joanne’s role is in the greater scheme of things. As much as I love the Big Bad aspect of these novels, it was great to see Joanne think about why she’s a shaman and what it means for her and the world. She’s come a long way – from naysayer to believer – and it’s wonderful to see her embracing her gifts and trying to learn more about what she is and what she’s supposed to be. In fact, Joanne’s growth is probably my favourite part of Demon Hunts, since she’s changed so much since Urban Shaman. I love it when authors let their characters grow and change and make mistakes and C. E. Murphy is one of the best there is at this, plus her work always has such a strong grounding in mythology.

I also like the will-they-won’t-they relationship that Joanne has with Captain Morrison. They totally spark but they’re at a point where they’re interested but not acting on said interest, for a variety of interest. Their tension is foregrounded in Demon Hunts thanks to the addition of a very special someone in Joanne’s life; it was fantastic to see her experience something more than mild flirtation or inadvertent entendres even though it leads to complications in other aspects of her life.

I have Spirit Dances sitting on my shelf right now and I think I may have to start reading it ASAP. The nice thing about delaying the reading of a book until the next one is out is that you get twice as much fun. Plus, I shouldn’t have as many problems remembering what’s been going on. :)

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