An amazing follow up to the Iron Hunt! Although I must admit I was left with a lot of questions but it was a very captivating read.

Took me a while to get into this and it's definitely a novel that takes some ideas from the past and moves things on but also adds things that will resolve later. Interesting.

I really like the idea behind this book: the main character premise is that her maternal line has been tied to five demons who inhabit her skin as tattoos during the day and at night peel off. What a cool idea! But Liu's writing style just isn't that great. In the 80s/90s this would have been fabulous, but urban science fiction has come a long way since then. It's still a good read, but not something you should run out and find if you aren't a fan of the genera already.

Second in the Hunter Kiss urban fantasy series.

My Take
Wow. There are so many seemingly unconnected actions occurring that, in very complicated ways, are very connected. While Darkness Calls is an intricate story in its own right, it primarily sets up future issues while filling the reader in on a whole lotta background of all the parties involved. Very illuminating.

If you have read the first book you need to read this one.

The beginning of the book gives a lot of review with the new happenings to catch you up with the time from reading book one and the release of book two. There is a lot here to get you back up to speed in that break time frame, however for me it was a little slow since I had just finished the first book with all the happenings fresh in my mind. But, when the book picks up on its own path and goes... It goes!

You do get your share of action with Maxine along with the love her and Grant share. But most of all you start to get the story behind Jack and a few other key characters (you have to read to see who and what it is - it is worth it!). The history with Jack and many of the characters, including Maxines' heritage, is amazing and really opens the world up to so much more possibilities. I love the style Marjorie has used to tell the stories through-out the book. You start to see that through the labyrinth their is a large world and lots of great mystery behind the different creatures you are introduced to. You even get to see the connection between all the creatures that is intreging. Then there is an interesting take on where humans came from in accordance to the ancient beings.

I have loved the world and mystery in the Labyrinth. I would love to learn more of the Labyrinth and the magics it holds. After reading this book with the great character building we are still waiting for the veil to fail, and there are a few other troubles that could come Maxines way for the next few books to come.

Filled with more action scenes and magic, this was even better than the previous book. For the most part, I found the story more engaging and understood certain character motivations better. That said, it was a little hard to follow at times, especially near the end. There was one particular fate a villain faced that made no sense to me, even when I re-read it.

But I still had a lot of fun reading it, and came back mostly because I love the characters so much, and the lore is way more unique and fleshed out for both Maxine and Grant. It was even more intense and emotional when we learned about Jack's involvement. All is not what it seems!

I still loved the characters, and it was awesome to watch Maxine slip into her dark power, just as it was awesome to see Grant struggle with his own abilities and identity. The villains were super creepy and I loved how Maxine's boys reacted to keep her safe.

I'm still having a great time with this series, its characters and magic, and the writing style. I accidentally read the back blurb for the third book, and now I NEED to know what will happen next!

Wasn't bad but this series has failed to grab me. Preferred the first book.

I read Darkness Calls right after I finished Iron Hunt, with both installments fresh in my head, I have to say that I enjoyed this entry into the Hunter Kiss canon a bit more than the previous one.

Like most first novels in a series, Iron Hunt was burdened with the task of laying all of the groundwork. Combined with all of the riddles, this made the first novel more talk than action. This is remedied the second time around. The characters encounter new struggles, both external and internal. In the face of said dangers, Maxine and her boyfriend, Grant, both discover new strengths and knowledge about themselves that leads to great character development...

...To continue reading this review, click here to visit my blog, Undercover Book Lover.

The more I get into this series, the more I am amazed at the world Liu has created, layered onto ours. Looking forward to reading the next book!

Great read. I was a little confused at the beginning, because I couldn't remember The Iron Hunt anymore. But slowly I remembered parts of the story and at the end it all came together. I do have to admit, that Liu's books are always a little hard for me to read. She sometimes has very hard to follow storystrings that only slowly and mostly at the end of the string unravel enough for me to grasp them. Nevertheless, she writes heartstopping stories with characters that shout out to be heard and finally get what they deserve.