Death’s Daughter, by Amber Benson, is the beginning of a new urban fantasy series.
Calliope Reaper-Jones tried her best to be a normal twenty-something living in New York, hoping to make it in the fashion world. But when her father’s assistant shows up, he tells Callie that her father and sister have been kidnapped. Then, she’s told that she must take her father’s place while trying to find out who’s responsible for his disappearance. But her father is Death himself. And Callie wants nothing to do with the job.
Written by the actress who played Tara on Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series, this is her first solo novel. Callie is a spirited and fashion-focused young woman. In typical urban fantasy fashion, the novel is narrated by her, though Callie is a bit more naïve and not quite as courageous as most urban fantasy heroines. But I think this just adds to her charm and uniqueness. My one complaint is that she used the word “not” sarcastically twice. This was out-of-date two weeks after the Saturday Night Live skit, and for some reason grates on my nerves to no end. But sometimes I nitpick.
Callie must complete three tasks in order to temporarily take her father’s place. And she has to face fantastical characters such as a hell hound, the Devil’s protégé, former god and goddesses, not to mention find out who’s behind the kidnappings. With no lack of suspects, Callie is definitely in over her head.
Death’s Daughter was one of the most fun and exciting urban fantasies I’ve read lately. With non-stop action and surprises, I ignored everything else to keep reading. Urban fantasy fans are sure to enjoy this light-hearted and humorous new novel.
I totally agree about the “not” problem. It really irritated me and stunk of trying too hard. But it was a fun book nevertheless.
Thanks for the great review, Angela. Of course, I now have to decide whether or not I’m going to break my self-imposed ‘no new books’ ban.
cjh
It was a fun book. I look foward to the others. Read it, CJ!
Love & blessings
Richard
The book seems interesting, but I’m finding it hard to get past the horrendous book cover. It’s a photoshop disaster.
The book seems interesting, but I’m finding it hard to get past the horrendous book cover. It’s a photoshop disaster.
I can’t deal with the use of “not” way more than I can deal with the use of “fantastical.” It’s as bad as “irregardless.” Fantastic doesn’t just mean “awesome.”