<em>Slashback</em> by Rob Thurman

Posted by Kings River Life March 15, 2013

Slashback by Rob Thurman

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Jesus Ibarra

Check out details on how to win a copy of this book at the end of this review.

Rob Thurman’s fantastically entertaining series starring the Leandros brothers, Cal and Niko, returns with another great story that answers some questions you didn’t know you had, and gives us a ton more character development for the brothers.

Picking up some time after the last book, Cal's now increasingly erratic behavior (even for him) is worrying Niko and the rest of their friends. But aside from those problems, a new supernatural killer has hit the big apple and is targeting the brothers for something they did twelve years ago. Known as Spring Heeled Jack, this killer likes to skin his victims and he's looking to take revenge on our favorite monster hunters for an apprentice he lost many years ago.

Image source: Roc

And this means flashbacks! Although I am not the biggest fan of flashbacks in general, they were used really well here. We got to see what a young Niko and Cal were like, and also see how much they have changed from when they were just teens living with their gypsy mother. Although after reading the book, we can see Cal hasn’t really changed much. The plot is so straightforward that we are left with pretty much a ton of character development and some new insight to the brother’s lives.

The relationship between Cal and Niko is once again front and center with each brother fighting to protect each other not just from the monsters, but also from themselves. They really complement each other in every way, and this book finally explains why. I won’t spoil the reveal but it answers something that has been bugging me since the beginning in the series. Why would Robin Goodfellow, who is so old (and stayed that way by being smart) hang around a human and a human hybrid? This is a recurring question I ask myself, especially in any story where the main characters have a powerful ally, and that relationship seems to only benefit the main character. I was impressed by Rob Thurman’s willingness to answer this question with an awesome explanation. Aside from that, we got a little more world building as the origin of one of the more highlighted supernatural species is also revealed.

This was such a great novel and an excellent addition to this series, that I have absolutely no complaints about it--go get it now!

To enter to win a copy of Slashback, simply email KRL at life@kingsriverlife[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Storm”, or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 23, 2013. U.S. residents only.

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