1 Jul 2014

TALL, DARK AND DEAD.

TALL, DARK AND DEAD by TATE HALLAWAY.

SOURCE: Ex-library stock.

THE BOOK {According to the back cover}: 'The line between magic and sanity is very thin. That's part of why I, Garnet Lacey, quit cold turkey. Never touch the stuff. No Exceptions.'

Trouble is magic is so addictive, especially when you've got inner goddesses like Lilith to contend with. And it doesn't stop there for Garnet; if you are going to run an occult bookstore then you've got to expect customers like Sebastian Von Traum, with his piercing brown eyes, sexy accent, killer body and total lack of an aura; which means he's dead...

Trouble can be so hard to resist, and what with Vatican witch hunters, long lost vampire exes and a boyfriend with an ex-wife who is literally stirring in her grave, Garnet Lacey has trouble enough for anyone.

FIRST SENTENCE {First House}: What's the best way to keep Vatican Witch hunters off your scent?

MEMORABLE MOMENT {Page 142}: "Why are there always cats?" Leader Guy muttered between curses. "Why don't these people ever have goldfish familiars?"

MY THOUGHTS: The first book the Garnet Lacey series. Now a witch on the run, whilst Garnet's past as a member of a coven murdered by (well, that would be telling) is pretty much explained - eventually - like a jig-saw with pieces missing there were holes in the story making the whole novel feel as if it were part two in a series already begun.

A series with huge potential (and who knows perhaps the rest of the books in the set will live up to this) but I'm afraid for me Tall, Dark and Dead was full of promising ideas left unexplored, bad guys who were hardly bad and a heroine who, well, 'the Goddess within her' aside, was more whiny than 'kick-ass'.

Part supernatural/urban chick lit/fantasy (call it what you will), part thriller, part love story, sorry, make that, lust story. With its witches, vampires, poltergeist, dhampyr, cat with an unusual allergy, and, in the case of Sebastian's wife, something I'm still not sure of, this could have been a unique and quirky read and yet for me the only vaguely compelling thing was the exploration of the different kinds of 'being', of whether Sebastian was a vampire (albeit a seemingly different kind of vampire), a zombie, a golem, a highly magical necromancer or simply a 'witch of some high degree'.


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9 comments:

Kelly said...

I don't think this is one I'll read, especially since it's the beginning of a series. Still...I do love that first line from the back cover.

Brian Joseph said...

Sounds like this was full of fanciful concepts all jumbled up. Such a mix can be a very fun. Too bad that this one did not work.

Underdeveloped concepts and characters in a book can be so frustrating,

Mary (Bookfan) said...

Probably not for me but I know many readers enjoy paranormal themes. Sorry this wasn't a winner for you.

Sherry Ellis said...

It sounds like if the characters were vamped up a little bit, it would be a good book.

Cherie Reich said...

Thanks for the review! It sounds like the story had a lot of potential.

Literary Feline said...

You've got me curious about it. It sounds like the author wasn't quite able to pull it off, but I'm intrigued enough to want to try it myself. Maybe the series gets better. Hopefully.

Lindsay said...

It sounds from the synopsis like it could have been a lot of fun, shame it didn't quite work out. Thanks for the review Tracy.

Yvonne @ Fiction Books Reviews said...

Hi Tracy,

This storyline just doesn't appeal to me at all, I'm afraid .... Not even the mention of the occult bookstore, with its dead customers!

Not being a cat lover though, I can quite easily agree with Leader Guy's 'memorable moment' thoughts.

Sorry this one didn't grab you, better luck next time!

Yvonne

The Bookworm said...

It sounds like it has potential. Maybe the rest in the series are better.