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Spider's Bite
- Elemental Assassin, Book 1
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
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Spider's Bite
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Editor reviews
The first installment in Jennifer Estep's new Elemental Assassin series, Spider's Bite introduces us to Ashland, a southern city in the Appalachians where you're as likely to run across a good barbeque joint as you are a vampire hooker on the corner. It's a gritty film noir-ish world with lots of back alleys, hit squads, and corrupt cops behind most every badge. The main character is Gin Blanco, or Gin to her friends, but in some circles she's known only as Spider the assassin. However, in the secretive world of Ashland, she and her cohorts seem to be just as trustworthy and honorable as the next guy — but are they? Everyone in this town has an angle, a history — and it seems most have blood on their hands.
Actress Lauren Fortgang does a fascinating balancing act voicing Gin. There's ample southern lilt and sly naughty charm to bring the material to life, and there is considerable music and imagery to be mined here in the writing. Yet her voice has enough bite and gravel to ground our no-nonsense morally ambiguous anti-heroine. The challenge for any good book in the urban fantasy genre is the paradox of making wildly fantastical worlds believable. Estep manages to take Ashland — this world of troubled souls, dwarfs, giants, and vampires, as well as human elementals who can tap into the very forces of nature — and make it all seem part of the everyday grind. With Spider's Bite you feel as if you could really walk these streets, but you'd also immediately feel the dirt on your skin and the hairs rising on the back of your neck as you hear noises in the shadows. Fortgang completes the task, making Gin a very believable character, somehow part embittered hard-ass, part loyal friend, and vulnerable lost soul on occasion.
The book takes a cue from its main character. It is patient, carefully spinning a web of atmospheric settings and carefully observed characters — then like a spider it jumps into action from the dark. Ashland is a tricky place and you can never judge anyone by appearances, especially Gin, and it seems there's a long line of those who have died underestimating her. One should be wary, though, of any sexy southern charmer who can not only summon razor-sharp ice daggers from thin air, but also control the very bricks in walls, rocks, and stones, and the very ground beneath her. —Cleo Creech
Summary
They call me the Spider. I'm the most feared assassin in the South -- when I'm not busy at the Pork Pit cooking up the best barbecue in Ashland. As a Stone elemental, I can hear everything from the whispers of the gravel beneath my feet to the vibrations of the soaring Appalachian Mountains above me. My Ice magic also comes in handy for making the occasional knife. But I don't use my powers on the job unless I absolutely have to. Call it professional pride.
Now that a ruthless Air elemental has double-crossed me and killed my handler, I'm out for revenge. And I'll exterminate anyone who gets in my way -- good or bad. I may look hot, but I'm still one of the bad guys. Which is why I'm in trouble, since irresistibly rugged Detective Donovan Caine has agreed to help me. The last thing this coldhearted killer needs when I'm battling a magic more powerful than my own is a sexy distraction... especially when Donovan wants me dead just as much as the enemy.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Helen Candlin
- 24-03-16
worth persisting with
Took a bit to get into but glad i am persevered as I enjoyed it in the end.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 12-12-13
An intresting world with gripping characters
Any additional comments?
An interesting world with vivid and in depth characters that you become attached too very quickly as you get pulled into there lives full of assassins, elemental mages and intrigue. The city of Ashland makes sin city seem like a vacation spot, all in all well worth a listen for anyone who likes the modern fantasy genre.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
- Niall
- 11-10-12
Not really elemental, but not a bad story.
I quite enjoyed this one, but there were just a few things which irked.
First, Gin is the "elemental assassin" of the series title, but does very little elemental anything. I was kind of sold on the opening, where Gin kills a target with skill and ingenuity; that seems to head off down hill pretty quickly.
The potential attraction to a handsome, straight-laced detective made me cringe. So stereotypical it hurt. Seriously, pick a less obvious bad romance target.
I did get kind of grabbed by the potential back plot reveal at the end, though if it was meant to be a surprise, no sorry.
Not bad. I may try another.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- J
- 18-06-16
Fair
Only fair story just passable and done before, but narration very good, which helped a lot.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Krazy Kat Lady
- 21-05-22
Terrific start
What a great start to a new urban fantasy series!
The characters were well fleshed out and the author made me care about what happened to them. I also liked the fact that while the end of the book has left the door open for the next in the series, the plot of this novel reached a satisfactory conclusion. The narrator also did a great job of bringing the story to life, and I was never confused about who was speaking. I'll definitely be listening to the next one.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 04-07-14
Good But Not Fabulous
If you could sum up Spider's Bite in three words, what would they be?
Interesting - a world where humans, elementals, giants and dwarves all live in reasonable harmony
Predicable - I am an Urban Fantasy reader and so found the end very predicable, especially the final ten minutes where she set-up the next book
Unusual - different lead character as she is an assassin.
Who was your favorite character and why?
I liked Gin but I loved the way Donovan stood by his principles.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No - could have but I was not so enthralled that I needed to listen all the time.
Any additional comments?
I will keep by eyes open for her next book but I wont be devastated if I don't read it immediately.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Googie64
- 01-03-18
An enjoyable begining
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has a fresh take on many of the supernatural genre. I can't wait to get started on the next.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Dean
- 04-06-12
WHAT A BOOK!!!
So I've just finished listening to this book; Spider's Bite: Elemental Assassin, Book 1, by Jennifer Estep.
And I've got to say... WHAT LISTEN/READ! Each assassination is more graphical than the last, the character development is really well illustrated and the narration is spot on!! Hats off to Lauren Fortgang, who really brought these mesmerizing characters to life, and very well done to Jennifer Estep for creating such an awesome city/world / novel!
This is a world of vampires and mages (elementals) and rogue assassins. The spine-chilling conclusion to this fantastic novel has definately left me eager to spend my next credit chip on the sequel.
DEFINATELY WORTH LISTENING TO!!
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Farnham_red
- 18-05-20
Decent - has potential
I had been meaning to try this series for some time so when it appeared in the 2 for3 series deal I finally got round to trying it
Even though our heroine is a cold blooded assassin I found her to be likeable enough - the secondary characters also seem fine so it was an easy enough book to listen to.
I thought the Narration by Lauren Fortgang was very good - I think she got Gin perfectly - male voices could be a bit better but I think she added to rather than detracted from the book.
The plot is fairly predicable and no great surprises along the way but it kept my interest and I wanted to keep going to the end once I got into it. I will be interested to see how the plot develops over the coming books - there was certainly enough in this one to make me plan to download the next in a few books time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Rebel
- 12-11-16
surprisingly good
Brash, gory and unrepentant. Loved it. Another strong, intelligent lead female. Can't wait to read more
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