Bitten by Books
Just as its predecessor did, Grave Matters, the excellent second installment in the engrossing Night Owls series, grabs attention from its opening scene. Elly, still getting used to living with her not-exactly-legally-adoptive brother, Cavale, gets a visit from a young girl who lives down the street. Cinda explains that a ghost has been haunting she and her father, and she wants to hire Elly and Cavale to get rid of it. Intrigued by the girl’s story, Elly agrees to help her, and upon arriving at the house, has to deal with an unusual ghost in the basement, one with a sigil she does not recognize drawn on his skin. After dispatching the ghost, Elly picks up some of the ectoplasm for Cavale to analyze.
While Elly’s experience seems strange, when Chaz, the Renfield and best friend of Val, the vampire owner of the bookstore, Night Owls, has a run-in with a similar ghost at the home of a murdered colleague, one that appears to be searching through the books for something in particular, everyone begins to suspect that a necromancer may be at work. In addition to tracking down the person raising the dead, Elly and Cavale must come to terms with the past and their present, while Val discovers the trials and tribulations of “parenthood” with the newly-created vampire, Justin, and Chaz seeks to hone his fighting skills to increase his usefulness to the others.
Roy excels at creating a ragtag group comprised of supernatural beings with human emotions and tendencies, and humans who employ uncanny abilities yet have difficulties with their emotions. The reader experiences this terrific and engaging cast of characters coming to grips with having to work together, realizing they depend upon each other, first out of necessity, but then discovering they actually admire and care about one another.
The author deftly handles the perspective shifts between Elly, Cavale, Chaz, and Val, making their respective voices come alive on the page. As the four of them get to know the other players in the tale, they also come to understand themselves a bit better in the process. This growth and development serves to buttress the plot, action, and world-building in such a way that results in a story much more intriguing than just a cool entry into the urban fantasy field. This reviewer eagerly awaits book three.
Book Stats:
- Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
- Publisher: Ace (February 24, 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0425272494
- ISBN-13: 978-0425272497
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Books in the Night Owls series in the order they should be read:
Night Owls
Grave Matters
Review Overview
Overall Rating
Total
Summary : Roy excels at creating a ragtag group comprised of supernatural beings with human emotions and tendencies, and humans who employ uncanny abilities yet have difficulties with their emotions. The reader experiences this terrific and engaging cast of characters coming to grips with having to work together, realizing they depend upon each other, first out of necessity, but then discovering they actually admire and care about one another.
