Tuesday, April 25, 2017

ARC Review & Author Interview: Snared by Jennifer Estep

Series:     Elemental Assassin #16
Pub. Date:April 25, 2017
Publisher:Pocket Books
Length:400 pages
Source:NetGalley

Gin Blanco is one of my favorite heroines in urban fantasy. She is a kickass assassin and crime lord (kinda), but she also is altruistic with a huge heart. Even though her main talent is killing people, Gin uses that power for good and is taking out all the big bads and nasties around Ashland. I love the dynamic between her cold and calculating side mixed with her vulnerability and love for her family and friends. And I am in absolute LUST over her cooking... LUST I tell you. I can't read one of these books without having some serious cravings for barbecue, mac & cheese, and good southern comfort food.

As we hit the 16th installment of the Elemental Assassin series, it's hard to believe that it has only been one year since the death of Gin's mentor and father-figure, Fletcher. So much has happened over that time and Gin and friends have really been put through the ringer.  From Mab Monroe to Dierdre Shaw, Gin has had an endless line of enemies to battle, sometimes barely winning by the skin of her teeth and sometimes, like in the case of Fletcher, suffering great losses.

The story arc regarding that mysterious entity, The Circle, is heating back up in Snared. Gin has finally started to discover the identities of the Circle members, and she is wasting no time taking her investigation up close and personal. But when a friend comes to her regarding a missing girl, Gin's altruistic side comes to the fore and she puts aside her own investigation and starts looking for the missing girl. This investigation shows that Ashland has even more secrets than Gin was aware of, and it will take her down a dark and dangerous path of discovery. Of course you can expect help from the gang... Silvio, Finn, Owen and Bria with minor assistance from JoJo and Sophia.

There wasn't a huge big nasty in this installment - not like Mab Monroe - but the villain was twisted and dangerous all the same. What I found most interesting was the additional secrets that were uncovered about Eira Snow and the questionable motives of Hugh Tucker. I am very interested to see how this situation plays out as Gin's hunting of The Circle continues.  I have a feeling this is going to be the last big story arc of the series, which makes me sad because I will be sad to see Gin retire.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book which I received from the publisher, Pocket Books.


About the Author

Jennifer Estep is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author prowling the streets of her imagination in search of her next fantasy idea.

Jennifer writes the Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series for Pocket Books. Snared, #16 in the series, will be released April 25th.


Jennifer also writes the Mythos Academy young adult urban fantasy series. She is also the author of the Black Blade young adult urban fantasy series and the Bigtime paranormal romance series.

For more information on Jennifer and her books, visit www.jenniferestep.com or follow Jennifer on FacebookGoodreads, and Twitter.



Author Interview

Bambi: Your fans love the concept of the runes in the Elemental Assassin series. What led you to this concept... and what would your rune be if you had one?
JE: Thanks! I appreciate that.

I’ve always enjoyed reading about and seeing runes, crests, maps, and symbols for characters, kingdoms, and other things, especially in fantasy books, movies, and TV shows. So I thought that it would be fun to come up with my own runes for Gin Blanco and some of the other characters in my Elemental Assassin series.

Well, as an author, my rune would probably have to be a book. LOL.
Bambi: The Elemental Assassin books always make me extremely hungry. So tell us, are you a good cook and do you make any of the mouthwatering dishes from the Pork Pit?
JE: I have a big sweet tooth, so I like to bake and make desserts, although I don’t do it all that much simply because I don’t have the time.

I don’t have recipes for everything that Gin makes in the books. Many of the dishes (like Fletcher’s secret barbecue sauce) exist only in my imagination or are just things that I think would sound good to eat. I just like writing about food.
Bambi: Do you have any more novellas from the POV of secondary characters in the works?
JE: I am hoping to write some more novellas from the various secondary characters’ points of view, although I don’t have any novellas scheduled as of right now.
I have quite a few secondary characters – Bria, Phillip/Eva, Roslyn/Xavier, and Lorelei/Mallory Parker, etc. I think it would be fun to do novellas from all of their POVs.
Ideally, I’d like to write at least one novella from every secondary character’s (or secondary couple’s) POV, but I don’t know that I’ll have time for that. My writing schedule is already full going into 2018, so we’ll see what happens.
Bambi: If you could give your younger/less experienced self writing advice, what would it be?
JE: I would give my younger self the same advice that I give other folks—to just have fun with my writing. No one is going to write your book for you, and if you’re not having fun, then it’s going to show in the finished book. So I would tell myself to just enjoy the process as much as possible.
Bambi: Tell us one thing about you that would surprise your readers.
JE: I’m a big TV fan. I love watching all the fantasy and superhero shows like Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, Agents of SHIELD, Once Upon a Time, and many more.

Happy reading, everyone!

Giveaway

Elemental Assassin

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