{i thought i had...then i didn't, then i did. then...i gave up trying to guess!
{**I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review** Cover It’s kind of a creepy cover isn’t it? I think it’s pretty cool though. I love the Nightshade Forensic FBI Files part. It looks really cool. Initial Thoughts Have you ever started a book and could immediately tell it was going to be good? That’s exactly how this book made me feel after reading the first paragraph. Maybe it’s the writing style or the author just made a really good impression, but I knew I was going to like this book. My New BFF I love Eleri so much! She’s really interesting to me because we get little peeks into her life but it’s just enough to keep me wanting more. She also has a great personality and it fits well with the personality of her partner. I also love how she seems really perfect until you really get to know her. It’s almost like getting to know an actual person, slow and steady. Nothing is pushed at you all at once. Even at the end after finding out she isn’t perfect, she’s still such a great character with so much personality that you can’t help but love her. My Crush I don’t know if I’d say Donovan is my crush or not. Maybe a little bit because he is also a great character. It was harder getting to know him because he’s much more reserved than Eleri. It’s actually Eleri that starts to figure stuff out about him instead of him telling anyone else. I think his personality goes great with Eleri’s. They aren’t completely opposite but they both see things in different ways and it helps them put the pieces of their case together. Writing Style At the very start of this book I could tell it was going to be quirky and fun just by the writing style. It’s well written but it also has so much personality in the writing. I found it was easy to read and the information really stuck in my head. I really loved that there was no romance in this book. Maybe there will be later on but realistically there’s no way the two characters would fall in love so quick. I’m really grateful that the author kept their relationship simple and realistic. Closing Thoughts I really, really loved this book. I could not put it down. The characters were great and both had different personalities. I really loved how subtle the supernatural parts were. We didn’t even know there was going to be supernatural aspects until a little ways into the book. It was like a mystery within a mystery! It was so much fun trying to figure out the supernatural parts but then trying to figure out the case they were working on too. I was never bored because I was constantly trying to figure everything out. This will not be the last book in this series that I read. I can’t wait to see where Eleri and Donovan go next!
{Eleri and Donovan are seamlessly developed within the tapestry of story that keeps you turning the pages. They possess a fascinating mix of strengths and weaknesses that make their harrowing march toward truth breathtaking and plausible. This author does a masterful job weaving complex forensic science and fanciful fringe science. The blurring of the line keeps you on the edge as you take on the mission. You will feel everything. This book pulls you in. The NightShade Forensic FBI Files could only be written by someone with solid forensic expertise and a love for the fringe from where all science emerges. Bravo A.J. Scudiere!
{Best series since Dragon Tattoo!
{She is on a par with Andrea Norton, Marilyn Zimmerman Bradley, Lois McMaster Bujold.
{Dead Tide was another fantastic book in the NightShade Forensic FBI Files series. It is a joy to experience the continued development of some of these main characters. It almost seems as though every time I believe I have them figured out, they develop a new quirk or a better understanding of themselves. The pace of the story was frenetic... I would recommend this story to all fans of Scudiere as well as all fans of action/ thriller stories with a strong forensics backing. They will certainly enjoy it.
{A.j. Scudiere is my favorite author. Her stories are imaginative, flawlessly written, and hard to put down. Book 9 of the nightshade series certainly fits. My regret is that book 10 has not been published yet and I've read all her other books already, some twice. This book and all of her books are highly recommended.
{I can't believe she's done it again. This is the third book by Scudiere that I've read/listened to the audiomovie and each one is so profoundly different and unique that it's amazing. There are a number of authors that I've read multiple books by and sometimes I can only read so many as they start to sound like the same story re-written with a little difference here or there. John Saul, who I read a lot of in my early teenage years, is a classic example of this writing style. Somehow Scudiere manages to write vastly different tales and each one is perfect and cherished in its own way. Truly a wonderful read, as are Scudiere's other books. I highly recommend you pick this up and read it for yourself. It will make you think and you will fall in love with the characters, the angel, the demon, and of course, Katherine.
{An excellent mystery with some very, very surprising twists.
{After having read three of her books, I'd say she's in the top five of my best writers list. I have a list of King, Grisham, Koontz...you know, those guys. They are the authors you know will deliver.