Trick of the Light

I love a book that isn't what I thought it would be. I began reading this book expecting your standard urban-fantasy, something more along the lines of Thurman's "Cal Leandros" series (which I enjoy very much). By the last few chapters I was grinning from ear to ear because it wasn't all what I expected.

I enjoyed the character of Trixa. Every time I thought I had a bead on her she did something to change that. I couldn't quite pin her down and that made her fun to read about.

I also really enjoyed Zeke and Griffin, the demon-fighting partners Trixa first meets when they're teenagers running from foster care and the law. Their bond is similar to that of Cal and Niko (and that of so many other brothers who battle the supernatural) but, show more as with Trixa, there was something so natural and different about them and their relationship that I smiled all the way through the resolution of the book.

Great fun. I'm looking forward to more, and to the eventual and inevitable meeting of characters from this book and Thurman's other series. show less

As a heroine, Trixa Iktomi is firmly in the chaotic-neutral category and proud of it. She's mature, multi-layered and on a mission to avenge her brother's death. Among her band of shady heroes is the enigmatic Leo, who she's been deliberately-platonic friends with since they were kids; the emotionally troubled, psychotically cute demon hunters Zeke and Griffin, who Trixa took under her wing when they were homeless teens; and the smart-ass raven Lenore (Lenny).

In keeping with a chaotic heroine, the story (which is narrated by Trixa) and the dialog slip and slide in irregular bursts, a little forward, a little back, left, right, back to the center-point. While I enjoyed it, even the times I had to re-read to figure out what just happened, show more I could see that not being to everyone's taste stylistically.

The secondary characters and the plotting were smart and interesting. I'm not a huge fan of the Abrahamic angels vs demons thing, but the way it was handled was broad enough to include other traditions -- which made it more enjoyable for me, but I know this isn't going to be a selling point for all readers.

I figured out some of the twists in the story before the final reveal but not all of them -- I enjoyed that aspect of the story, all the hints that were dropped throughout. I also enjoyed the humor, which ranged from wry to goofy, like in this scene:

"The demon was right. You are bossy." Zeke transferred the disgruntled look from his weapon to me.

"I've babysat your scrawny asses for ten years. I've a right to be bossy," I retorted, shooing them toward the back office and the couch. "Now, go cuddle."

"Four years," Griffin muttered as he moved into the back and out of sight, but I heard the last words. "You're only four years older, Trixa. It hardly merits a salute."

"Cuddle?" Zeke looked after him, then back at me, a mildly panicked expression replacing the aggravation. "We have to cuddle? I'm pretty sure I don't want to cuddle."

I patted his cheek as I passed him on the stairs. "You never know until you try." I made sure I locked my bedroom door behind me in case a pissed-off and forcibly cuddled Griffin stormed up.


All in all, I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading more by Ms. Thurman. show less

Like so many others, I love Thurman's Cal Leandros series so I immediately ordered Trick of the Light. I wanted to see how she handles a female protagonist. Unfortunately, I wasn't impressed with Trixa. Honestly, I didn't like her. She seemed to be trying way too hard to be a bad a@@, and I had trouble getting invested in the revenge storyline. Cal was more sympathetic and outright interesting because he was an unwilling party to the hidden supernatural world, and he had a history and family that made him relatable. Secondary characters were given sufficient development. Readers don't know much about Trixa other than she loves red, she owns a bar and her brother was murdered by a demon. Trixa's main partner, Leo, says very little and is show more a complete mystery until the end, and Zeke and Griffin are one dimensional. Despite the implied quest of searching for the "Light of Life," there wasn't much going on in the book except for Trixa's numerous pissing contests with demons that should've been able to crush her like a bug. And the villains were cardboard cutouts.

The conclusion did have a couple big twists/surprises that I didn't anticipate - mainly because, as another reviewer pointed out, it was deux ex machina. None of these are uncommon issues in urban fantasy, and that may be why this was disappointing. Nightlife was very original, Trick of the Light felt like something I have read before.

However, there were some very good things going for the book. I loved how Thurman wove the story into the universe she already created with Cal Leandros. Trixa fights demons in Vegas, and the explanation for why we haven't seen them in NY is clever. Robin Goodfellow makes a cameo (with the potential for more in the future), we find out what Ishiah is (albeit indirectly) and the battle between "above and below" is unique in how it is executed within an urban fantasy setting. And though the ending was a bit of a cheat, I enjoyed the surprise anyway. I finally felt some enthusiasm for the characters. And with this improved understanding of who Trixa is, I think the next book has a better starting place to pull readers into her world.

Overall, this wasn't nearly as good as her other series, but I will read the next book before giving up on it. The author took a gamble by not giving Trixa more substance in order to make her more mysterious. I don't think it worked, but it also shouldn't be an issue for the next book. Thurman is an excellent writer. show less

That was a good one-I've enjoyed the Cal Leandros series by Thurman, but I think this Trickster series has the potential to steal away my loyalty a bit. I thought I'd figured it out and was feeling pretty smug and then she still managed to turn the tables on me. Good fun urban fantasy.

An interesting story somewhat muddied by a convoluted plot that seems to have moved around the place trying hard to confuse and lay red herrings to taste. It was interesting but it felt a bit like a first book and in some ways left me feeling a bit cold about some of the people involved. I don't think I really cared enough about the characters when things happened to some of them. I was taken by surprise by the twist at the end and it did improve my opinion of the book and make me want to hunt up the sequel, I'm not all that rushed about it.

Trixa Iktomi is a bar owner and demon hunter with a strange relationship with a demon and with a strange group of demon hunters. She's not sure about who is on her side and this complicates her show more life. She has a plan, though, and nothing is going to stop her from getting her revenge for her brother's death.

Readable but not impressive. show less

A urban fantasy with extreme strengths and weaknesses. I found the main character grew on me as I went along. At first I wasn't sure I'd be able to get through it as her voice grated on me so badly. I figured out one half of the Big! Sneaky! Plot! Twist! pretty early on. It's not like there weren't hints strewn all throughout. The other half did feel a little Deus Ex Machina, as another reviewer said, but since we have a sequel to see how it will play out with the characters in question I'm not as annoyed as I might be. The bad guys were boring. BTDT demons with nothing particularly outstanding about them. Eli in particular reminds me of Perry from Lilith Saintcrow's Jill Kismet.

I'll see what's what with the next one. If it's more of show more the same, I'm done. show less

I had a difficult time with this novel at the beginning. Author Rob Thurman seemed to be trying very hard to hint at what was coming but just made it more confusing. I did find myself enjoying it much more in the second half of the book as it started finally coming together with a little more focus.

It was an entertaining take on various mythologies and I will likely try the next in the series.