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A review by shelleyrae
Silver-Tongued Devil by Jaye Wells
3.0
It's awkward to review Silver Tongued Devil, the fourth book in the series without at least briefly referencing the events in the previous titles so if you haven't yet read them, and plan to, you might want to avoid this review...
With her grandmother dead, Cain thwarted, Maisie rescued and Sabina settling into the New York mage community with Adam you could be forgiven for expecting that this fourth installment would be lacking the action and urgency of the first three books. In some ways that is accurate, Silver Tongued Devil is more about internal conflict than raging battles. Sabina is struggling to reconcile her vampire and mage halves, and is uneasy about suppressing her natural instincts. She hopes the opportunity to investigate the brutal murders happening in the city, will satisfy her but instead she is distracted at having to work with both Slade and Adam, worried that Adam will figure out exactly what happened in New Orleans. With the added concern of the approaching Treaty signing, Sabina doesn't realise how badly her twin is suffering after the events in The Green-Eyed Demon and seems unable to reach out to her friends. With all this emotional angst, I didn't enjoy this installment quite as much as the first three. It's not only Sabina and Adam not getting along, Giguhl is feeling ignored and despite filling his time with roller derby and a budding relationship with a transgender fairy, his spark seems to be missing. Georgia and Mac's also make an appearance but their relationship is dissolving under the pressure of werewolf law so it's heartbreak all round. It is good to see emotional growth from the characters but I didn't think it was balanced well within the plot. It's not until about three quarters into the story that the action begins, though it has quite a kick. In a shocking finale, Sabina discovers she isn't as nearly as free from her past as she hoped and risks losing everything.
Silver-Tongued Devil is not the best example of this series but skipping over it would definitely leave a hole in the storyline, this isn't a series that can be picked up out of order. The conclusion certainly saved the book for me and left me eager to read the next, Blue-Blooded Vamp, due in June 2012, which will conclude the series.
With her grandmother dead, Cain thwarted, Maisie rescued and Sabina settling into the New York mage community with Adam you could be forgiven for expecting that this fourth installment would be lacking the action and urgency of the first three books. In some ways that is accurate, Silver Tongued Devil is more about internal conflict than raging battles. Sabina is struggling to reconcile her vampire and mage halves, and is uneasy about suppressing her natural instincts. She hopes the opportunity to investigate the brutal murders happening in the city, will satisfy her but instead she is distracted at having to work with both Slade and Adam, worried that Adam will figure out exactly what happened in New Orleans. With the added concern of the approaching Treaty signing, Sabina doesn't realise how badly her twin is suffering after the events in The Green-Eyed Demon and seems unable to reach out to her friends. With all this emotional angst, I didn't enjoy this installment quite as much as the first three. It's not only Sabina and Adam not getting along, Giguhl is feeling ignored and despite filling his time with roller derby and a budding relationship with a transgender fairy, his spark seems to be missing. Georgia and Mac's also make an appearance but their relationship is dissolving under the pressure of werewolf law so it's heartbreak all round. It is good to see emotional growth from the characters but I didn't think it was balanced well within the plot. It's not until about three quarters into the story that the action begins, though it has quite a kick. In a shocking finale, Sabina discovers she isn't as nearly as free from her past as she hoped and risks losing everything.
Silver-Tongued Devil is not the best example of this series but skipping over it would definitely leave a hole in the storyline, this isn't a series that can be picked up out of order. The conclusion certainly saved the book for me and left me eager to read the next, Blue-Blooded Vamp, due in June 2012, which will conclude the series.