Double Cross

Rarely does a sequel out do the first in the series, but DOUBLE CROSS blew me away. I had an easier time relating to Justine, the story development was top notch, and the ending took my breath away. Not kind of the author to leave us hanging this way, I hope the next installment comes quickly!

Ok, this was the series everyone was raving about, and now I get it. Abigail and I are in agreement, read her review at All Things Urban Fantasy. ( )

Effing cliffhangers.

Review to come God damn it. ( )

Effing cliffhangers.

Review to come God damn it. ( )

First off: If you are tempted enough to read the reviews for DOUBLE CROSS, do yourself a favor. Stop. Buy the book. Read it. It’s awesome, better than the first. And you don’t want to spoil the surprise ending. I avoided most of the reviews but I still picked up a hint or two and it was enough for me to predict what would happen. Knocked me off my feet just the same, but I’d rather have had a blank slate.

Second…um. Wow. I liked the first book in the Disillusionist series quite a bit. I liked it, I remembered liking it, and yet I didn’t snap up the sequel until it had been out for months. I wasn’t sure why, either. I’d see the cover come up on Amazon’s recommended purchases list and browse past and think, “Huh, why am I not jumping on that? The first in the series was so good.”

I think I know why now. Carolyn Crane is too good. DOUBLE CROSS is perfectly paced, with just the right mix of big action and intense emotion and quiet spaces in between, but no matter what is actually happening in the story Justine’s narrative voice is so pitch-perfect that she had me feeling all jittery, like there was anxious little ants crawling underneath my skin. I was completely wrapped up in Justine’s head, in her paranoia and fears. This was wonderful because, man, what a reading experience – I felt connected to everything, I didn’t see a single twist or turn coming – but almost too intense.

I think I was a little afraid to jump back into the world, and for good reason – the ending here, especially, hit me like a great big sucker punch to the gut. I’m still reeling. But at the same time I’m absolutely dying to get my hands on the next book in the series to see what happens next.

I don’t think I can say anything else without avoiding spoilers. It looks like #3 in the series is coming out via Samhain rather than the original publisher, Spectra, which makes me wonder if Spectra didn’t have the faith that Carolyn Crane so clearly deserves. These books are a huge cut above the average urban fantasy and they deserve recognition and praise.

I'd love to discuss the surprise ending between spoiler tags, hint hint... ( )

Carolyn Crane, you saucy minx! You've done it again!This is the second installment of The Disillusionist Trilogy and, unbelievably, it is as fantastic as the first one!The romance was there, the psychological mind games were there and most of all, THE TWIST! I love her M. Night Shyamalan twists!Okay, so things that I didn't like so much:The cover.Tell me how a chick holding a funny shaped dagger THAT NEVER ACTUALLY APPEARS IN THE BOOK has any relation to this story! It's so misleading. People probably see this book and figure it for another factory-made paranormal romance with an ass-kicking heroine instead of what it really is.Some of the clues and Justine's hunches were, I felt, a little far fetched.There was a tiny little plot point that wasn't quite wrapped up but I won't mention it here because that would be a spoiler.Other than that it was great. Great characters, great writing, great plot and an excellent addition to this series.I absolutely can't wait for the third installment! ( )