Early Review – Deadly Sting (Elemental Assassin, Book 8) by Jennifer Estep (3.5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Size: 384 pages
Publisher: Pocket Books
Release Date: March 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-1451688993
Stand Alone or Series: 8th book in the Elemental Assassins series
Source: ARC through Edelweiss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This is the 8th book in the Elemental Assassin series. It was a decent book in this series, but again was a contained mystery of sorts rather than the start to a new story arc. It was a good enough read, but at times felt more like a novella than a book. The ninth book in the series is scheduled for a September 2013 release and will be titled Heart of Venom. Last I read Estep is contracted for 10 books in this series.

Gin is still on the outs with Owen following the events of the last book. Gin and Finn go to attend an auction of Mab’s treasures, when they arrive Gin finds out that a giant by the name of Clementine is trying to steal the whole lot. Somehow all of this ties back to Mab. Gin has to stop Clementine if she is going to save her friends and the city.

I was surprised that the whole plot revolved around the art/jewels being stolen at this auction of Mab’s. The story was so concise and straightforward it seemed almost more suitable to a novella. Initially I was thinking that this would be an introduction to a larger story and I was surprised when it wasn’t.

Gin has grown a lot as a character. She is learning to accept having people in her life that she cares about and who care about her. She doesn’t really gain any new powers in this book, but it focused on learning to exercise her current powers with more intricacy and finesse.

I enjoyed reading about all of the other characters as well. I continue to be annoyed at Owen for his childishness; he has really taken a step back as a character for me. Finn and Bria continue to be wonderful characters in this series.

There really isn’t anything new in this book that we haven’t seen in previous Elemental Assassin books. While it is a decent read I was surprised that there wasn’t a bit more to the story.

So while I enjoyed reading this book, there wasn’t a lot here that really excited me. It was very similar to previous books…except with less story. Additionally Estep continues to do a bit too much recapping in this book, this is something that she has done in previous Elemental Assassin books as well.

Overall this was a decent read, but in my opinion the weakest book in this series so far. There isn’t much to this story and it is more of a contained mystery than the start of something new and wonderful. I was left feeling like maybe this series is running out of steam. Gin is a great character and I enjoyed reading about her, but Owen remains pretty obnoxious. I guess I would recommend to fans of the series, but just don’t expect too much from this book. This series as a whole is highly recommended to fans of action packed urban fantasy.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 150+ Reading Challenge
– Paranormal Reading Challenge