J.K WalkerCritiques

Jazz is overwhelmed with the number of jobs and duties she now has to hold together and is really looking forward to a simple break with Logan – let everyone else handle the chaos for a while.

But people are dying again, there’s a deeply terrifyingly personal enemy that she thought had long since been defeated lurking around. The werewolf pack is chafing under the leadership of a wereleopard. The police and the press both are watching her after the dramatic revelation on television. There’s far too much work for a much deserved holiday

And then one of her best friends is possessed and they find an ancient and truly terrifying evil has moved to town…

At the end of the last book I said there was too much packed into the space, too many plot lines left untouched and in need of development (especially since they were so awesome and I was very interested in learning what happened next). This book did an excellent job of unpacking a lot of that narrative, expanding it and going into the full consequences of several of the major elements that were only briefly covered before.

One of the main ones was Jazz becoming the new Alpha of the werewolf pack – it seemed like a huge shift and one that happened far too easily given her newness as a shapeshifter and the fact she wasn’t a werewolf. Naturally there are consequences to that and that takes up a hefty chunk of the book as she has to deal with the fallout from that.

Then there’s the whole revelation of the supernatural world to humanity at large – and Jazz being the centre of that and the difficulties and fall out that cases; from both the fearful and the curious.

Less deep but still in need of addressing was how, in the last book, she basically called out the alpha of the werecats and challenged his authority. Again, it was an action that had consequences that had to be followed up, even to a small degree. Then there was Logan becoming a vampire and even Jazz’s actual friendship with Victoria.

I even like how Jazz is having some ongoing health issues from previous injuries. Often Urban Fantasy characters can be mangled beyond all measure but next book, except (maybe) some easily hidden and non-mobility related scars, are completely fine.

I haven’t mentioned the main plot much because I think it’s secondary to the themes that were explored while the plot continued – and the development of Jazz and her friends. Not only did it give us time to look at all these issues that were left hanging but it was also a chance to re-analyse Jazz and the way she lives.

Jazz handles everything in town. Everything – and it’s too much. I’ve said before that the books really present how frazzled Jazz is having to handle everything. In addition she has a really great relationship with her frineds – she respects them, she loves them, she has a lot of friends and they’re capable and have skills and powers of their own. This is a nice break from a lot of Urban fantasy protagonists who either a) have friends who only exist to serve them or b) have friends who exist only to be imperilled on a semi-regular basis. It’s because of this that Jazz can be confronted with not having to defend her friends all the time, that she doesn’t have to handle everything, her friends can help or handle their own problems. She isn’t alone and doesn’t have to play lone ranger. It also nicely challenges the whole meme of “I can’t stand to see my friends in danger” – well, all those friends have to see you in danger on a semi-regular basis so deal with it.

Because of that theme it makes Jazz needing rescue and even Jazz being so vulnerable and even traumatised in this book something that fits. This isn’t a classic super-damsel being knocked off her perch, this is a character trying to handle everything and not being able to – this is a character who has other strong people around her and doesn’t need to take it all on herself.

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With a werewolf gang moving into the area and starting a war with the local werecats, a new supernatural drug hitting the streets that makes people preternaturally strong and nearly immune to pain and injury, several disappearing vampires and a new werecougar who really needs Jazz to show her the ropes – everything seems to be happening at once for Jazz. It’s overwhelming, it’s non-stop and it threatens the supernatural in the city from several angles

Not least because of supernaturally-aware government agents showing up – and news of the supernatural finally being leaked to the world at large

This book has an immensely fast paced, action packed storyline. It pulls in all the characters we’ve seen before and faces off against threats from all sides that hit so many of them personally.

It has some really well written fight scenes, just designed to get the blood pumping with excitement - which is hard to do in print and few authors manage to pull it off. We have an involved, complicated and multi-faceted investigation without dead zones, without it being too linear, without it being simplistic or obscure. We also have multiple storylines, each with complex, real threads, each of which demand Jazz’s attention, each of which are vitally important and show how overwhelmed she is – but at the same time they all manage to come together excellently.

And through it all we have Jazz, with her awesome (and predominantly female) friends, intelligent and skilled without unnecessary “chosen one” elements. A keen sense of duty that is really sold (even if she does go over the top, it’s really well portrayed as I mentioned in my review of Hollow Eyes –her sense of duty is her sense of responsibility, her sense of professionalism and her way of proving herself.

It also continues with its diversity, with Jazz having 2 lesbian friends (albeit in more background roles since the earlier books but they’re still awesome with some excellent unique skills on Rachel’s part – and there’s some mention of homophobia Rachel faces from her family), being half-Chinese herself and having Japanese, Latino, Native American and Black characters all as important connections, friends and actors in the supernatural world and close to Jazz. We do have some elements that continue the shakiness – like the prevalence of Latino gang members (but they’re not demonised for it or presented as having just one aspect to their personalities) and an evil-voodoo practitioner (but we also have a voodoo practitioner who isn’t evil as well) but in general the main problem is simply having so many characters and not the time and the space to give them all screen time – especially since this book was very narrow to Jazz even while it involved everyone.

That’s a recipe for a lot of awesome. But there’s an issue. A big one

There’s a lot that happens that isn’t explored to the degree I’d expect it to – or doesn’t have the same kind of impact I’d expect it to. This is going to be hard to write about without spoiling so I’m going to do a lot of dancing around the subjects.

Like Jazz suffers a severe loss in this book – but she kind of rolls with it. Yes she grieves but she keeps moving and doesn’t suffer the magnitude of loss I’d expect. I think part of the reason why it’s so jarring to me is that Jazz’s muted reaction also kind of mirrored my own. I don’t think we’ve truly been shown how much these people mean to Jazz, I don’t think the relationships have been properly established or the characters fully developed enough for the loss to be felt. When Jazz didn’t seem to feel the loss that deeply, it only emphasised how little the lost mattered to me in the story’s context. I considered it a distraction.

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avid died when a serial killer came to his home. His pregnant wife survived the attack

Now he’s a ghost and driven by his desperate devotion to her to follow her, watch her and do whatever he can to protect her. It’s a compulsion that grows the longer he is dead

A compulsion that is not only unhealthy – but can lead a ghost down a very dark path.

In the first book of this series that was a fun,interesting, helpful character who helped Jasmine assimilate into thesupernatural world, David.

He was a werewolf and he pretty much defeated most of the werewolf tropes we’ve come to know and loathe. He was kind, he was patient, he was funny, he was wonderfully loving to his wife, Angel, and generally had all the hallmarks of being a pretty decent character and an excellent counterpoint to the werewolf Alpha who was a much more “traditional” werewolf depiction.

He was also one of Jasmine’s friends – one of the things these books have been so good at showing is Jasmine’s friendship with the other characters, actually spending social time together and doing silly things like bad movie nights. It’s one thing I’ve always liked

And he died.

It was sad and disappointing and really showed how excellently the character had been developed that I missed David. The character deserved more than to be killed off for pathos

And so we have this book. David the ghost whose desperate love and devotion to Angel forces him to haunt her. It’s powerful, loving and tragic – as the overwhelming love and protection David feels for Angel drives him to make her more and more unsettling and dangerous to her

Not only is that haunting and powerful, it’s also a wonderful subversion of the genre where this kind of stalky-obsessive love is too often presented as the pinnacle of affection and devotion. This book is clear – it isn’t healthy and it isn’t good for either party.

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Jazz is embracing her role as the supernatural’s trouble shooter – and the city’s homeless population being preyed upon definitely counts as a problem for her to fix. Finding out who is responsible and making them stop definitely adds a complication to the holiday season.

A complicated situation that isn’t made any easier by a berserker arriving in town determined to force one of her friends to fight – and he’s willing to target Jazz to force AJ into the ring.

I don’t know how much time has passed between this book and the first in the series, it doesn’t expressly say and it doesn’t need to. The development of the characters alone has created the sense of time without having to expressly spell it out – it’s very neatly done.

Especially with Jasmine. Jazz has transitioned excellent from the first book to her new role as the Council’s trouble shooter. She didn’t ask for it. She may not even like it – but she does take it seriously and I like that. Sure it wasn’t a role she sought out but she recognises it as a role that’s important and a role that comes with a lot of responsibility. Linked into that is her own strength and confidence and desire to prove herself. Does this mean she always makes great decisions? No, she’s driven to solve the problem in the book and she’s determined to do it herself with relatively little help. But, unlike so many reckless Urban Fantasy characters, Jazz actually sells this. She’s driven to solve this because it’s her job, her responsibility and through that her place in the supernatural community. More, it’s her role given by the leaders of that community very quickly because they respected her abilities. She can’t let someone else take it over without implying they were wrong (even if any sensible person would and the Council won’t hold it against her). There’s this ongoing message from Jazz that started in the last short story – this is her job, she takes it seriously and this is what she has to do. Not because she’s the chosen one or the only one with the special woo-woo or anything else (in fact, there are moments where it’s expressly made clear Jazz isn’t the strongest of them all, not even close) – but it’s her job, her role, her responsibility. It’s not pride, or not pride in the arrogant sense or over-confidence – it’s responsibility and duty that drive Jazz as well as a deep well of compassion.

I also like that she’s a female character, in this genre, who is most strongly defined by her female friends. She has a close circle of excellent, close female friends she relies on, she spends time with (and that’s social time – not just “hey I need something, come help”) that is growing if anything. They’re a far more dominant and powerful part of her life than her male friends and even than her love interest (who still needs to drop the awful Cajun accent).

Other good development comes from Mitchell, the hard-ass werewolf leader who is always so abrasive and controlling. I initially thought we were looking at a wannabe dictator but he has a lot more nuance than that. Yes he’s controlling and arrogant, but he also legitimately cares about the community – all the supernaturals – quite possibly more so than any other leader. In fact, he may be the only leader who can or who wants to take point and help the community as a whole – the head witch we haven’t seen much of, head vampire Victoria is doing her level best not to be the Supreme Queen of the area, which is hard because she’s the biggest, baddest thing in town. The werecats are few in number and too independent. Who else but Mitchell can lead? Like Jazz, responsibility seems to drive him. It’s really nice to see that develop alongside her – and alongside Victoria who seems mixed between being friendly and terrifying and in a really awesome

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Rachel has finally and reluctantly been coaxed out of her quiet, happy solitude for a Hallowe’en -party – thanks to Tammy’s determined insistence.

It looks like they may be right – Cassie, Angel, Tammy and Jazz definitely know how to have fun

Then zombies ruin everything. And zombies and frat houses do not mix.

This book was immense fun with a lot of humour and some really great movie references and geeky references. It’s references like this that really build these four women as friends because you can feel the movie nights behind it, the constant back and forth, the long comfort with each other; and poor Rachel’s out-of-placeness simply because she’s way more geeky than them. But they are happy to engage with her geekiness and her geekiness doesn’t mean they’re all less intelligent than she.

It’s awesome interaction and excellent character building. It would have been great if they’d been out camping together or performing an onerous but non-stressful task or any number of other scenarios

It doesn’t work during a zombie outbreak. Especially not one that relies on a lot of powerful pathos to sell scenes of self-sacrifice, the greater good and the intense caring between the four and especially Rachel for Tammy.

It’s hard to put scenes of loss, of terror, of horror in a book where characters are joking and giggling during; not even black humour. It was great, fun, silly humour – and it didn’t work for me. We had excellent humour and excellent horror with a side order of powerful grief and put them all together it was like the most delicious pizza covered in the most decadent ice cream. Separately I’d be in heaven. Together, it tastes really weird and is kind of soggy and cold.

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Frat House of the Dead is a great little novella which follows up on the happenings of Glacial Eyes (Book One of Salt Lake After Dark). If you have a previous edition of Frat House, you can download the new, edited version from your Kindle Library.

Glacial Eyes was one of my favorite series beginnings of the year. It was a requested review by the author, and I am tremendously grateful I acquiesced to the request, as it quickly earned J. K. Walker a spot on my "must buy immediately upon publication" list.

In Frat House, Jazz and her girlfriends attend a Halloween party - a party which will prove to be a lot more than they expected.

The story lines that make GE so good are included in this book, but we also learn a bit more about the ladies, especially Tammy, Jazz's best friend, and Rachel the Technowitch. One of the things I really like about Frat House of the Dead is how J. K. weaves in a strong thread of humour through the story while not losing it's edge. A feat that is missing in much of the Urban Fantasy books published today.

The book is clever, fast paced, and gives you a good overview of the female characters of the Salt Lake After Dark series. If you are considering the series, check out the novella. I have no doubt you will be as enthralled by the series as I am!

I just finished beta reading J. K. Walker’s “Sanguine Eyes.” It is in beta right now, so not out yet, but I was entirely impressed by J. K.’s latest edition of the “Salt Lake After Dark” series.

This series, set in Salt Lake City, Utah, begins with “Glacial Eyes (Salt Lake After Dark).”[bc:Glacial Eyes|13077781|Glacial Eyes (Salt Lake After Dark, #1)|J.K. Walker|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1321653296s/13077781.jpg|18244891] Jasmine Bedeau’s life has suddenly become quite, shall we say, interesting. The kind of interesting that is like that old Chinese curse: Shall you live in interesting times. And her interesting is more than she ever could have imagined. From my review:

Waking up naked in the woods is no laughing matter. Neither is finding out that everything you thought you knew about reality suddenly needs to be swept out the door with the dust bunnies. Suddenly witches and warlocks and were (oh, my!) are no longer the creatures of fantasy. Waking up to discover you are the newest member of the furry set is a bit more than Jazz can handle at first. Well, that and the fact that she now has boobs. Nice boobs. Way bigger boobs. And what is this thing with the six-pack abs all of a sudden?

Yep, things are changing for Jazz.

After such a fine beginning, I am always hesitant to see how well the second installment lives up to the first. In this case, I was far from disappointed. Hollow Eyes: Salt Lake After Dark (Volume 2) [bc:Hollow Eyes|17321969|Hollow Eyes (Salt Lake After Dark #2)|J.K. Walker|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1359985131s/17321969.jpg|24019026] more than lived up to the promise of its predecessor. Things are changing for Jazz, in some good ways, and in some very bad. From my review:

. . . as if it isn’t bad enough that orphan Jasmine Bedeau, struggling student, suddenly discovers she is different from everyone else. No, now she’s a troubleshooter for the local supernatural council. Oy. Zombies and werewolves and monsters, oh, my . . .

The third book more than lives up to the second, impressing me with the writers ability to continue the growth and development of all of the characters in the series. Jazz is growing, sometimes too quickly for her peace of mind,and it isn’t always easy, but her growth is believable within the setting. It was a hard-to-put-down read that more than left me looking forward to the next. In the authors words, “Book three, Sanguine Eyes, is loosely scheduled for release this summer.”

I would recommend you find, and enjoy, the first two books in the series. You will find yourself looking forward with great anticipation to Sanguine Eyes. Mr. Walker is a bright new star in the firmament of Urban Fantasy, and anyone who cares to reach for the stars should absolutely reach for these books.

Hollow Eyes: Salt Lake After Dark (Volume 2) by J. K. Walker

Yet another great read! 4.5 stars Looking for that elusive 5 with Sanguine Eyes, coming out soon!

As if it isn't bad enough that orphan Jasmine Bedeau, struggling student, suddenly discovers she is different from everyone else. No, now she's "The Troubleshooter" for the local supernatural council. Oy. Zombies and werewolves and monsters, oh, my . . .

The second of the “Salt Lake After Dark” series, “Hollow Eyes” continues the exceptional story line begun by J.K. Walker with “Glacial Eyes”. In GE, Walker introduced us to what should have been 'just another Urban Fantasy supernatural girl' who turned out to be much more than a stereotype. With the overabundance of young, hip supernatural girl characters on the Urban Fantasy scene, Walker introduced us to a character I just couldn't help liking.

In GE, Jazz found out that she is way different than the other college kids out there. Now, she is The Troubleshooter, and trouble is definitely coming her way. And with bodies piling up, strange critters sneaking around, and a monster-sized werebear hard on her heels, well, “Why can’t anything be easy?” I asked, staring at the cloudy, gray sky. “I don’t get paid enough for this shit. Hell, you really should get paid something before spouting clichés.”

I absolutely loved this second book in the series. Walker continues a level of creativity I find greatly enticing, most clearly shown in her development of a ghoul culture that is unlike anything I have read before. The book is gruesome in places, but gruesome in the most wonderful Urban Fantasy tradition. Jazz is kick-butt, but she is still realistic as a young woman having to adjust to her whole life being turned upside down and dumped into a world she never knew existed. And who can't love a girl who can fix her own car engine? Sexy, right?

The story line is clear and well developed, the world building is even and realistic. In a world where DNA analysis is now everyday, keeping a supernatural community secret is a lot harder than it used to be. And Jazz has her hands full making sure that it keeps its secrets. I can hardly wait to read “Sanguine Eyes,” coming out soon!