Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Trick of the Light by Rob Thurman

Trick of the Light (Trickster, #1)

Trick of the Light is pretty good, if rather meandering at times. The pacing is quite quick, though the pace at which I read it probably drew out those meandering moments so it felt longer than it was. That's on me, though. I remember I really loved it on my first read. Trixa is probably my favorite of Thurman's female characters, though. So definite plus to that.

Trixa spends the entire book being jerked around by The Light and the factions that want it. She doesn't take an crap from any of them, though, which is fun. She also keeps her motivations out there, but her past close to her chest. For example: even her apparent age isn't revealed until the end. You can kind of guess, given the time frames mentioned, but yeah. Trixa's a fun mix of tough-as-nails and sensuality that's not toned down at all, which I appreciate. Completely no nonsense on both counts.

Thurman's world of angels and demons is well fleshed out. I like that both have "true forms" that don't resemble each other. Speaks to God cursing the demons with more "oomph" than just a slap on the wrist. There's also an actual explanation of the existence of peris at the end, though I won't say more than that. I liked the differences between Solomon and Eligos. Figures that demons would have as much range in personality as humans do. Oriphiel gives me some early-seasons Castiel vibes, even if he's way over what even Cas was at that point. Interesting that the angels chose to make their human forms resemble Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)... or even Pegasus (Yugi-oh).

I also won't spoil the twist -- that there is a twist is spoiled on the dang cover, don't come at me about it -- but I remember really loving it the first time. Second time, though, I think it suffers a bit from second-time-through syndrome. Couldn't exactly remember what happened or when, just that stuff did happen and I was waiting for it. It does include more lore-dumping, which I'm a sucker for, so there's that.

I really like Griffin and Zeke. They are very distinct from each other, as they should be. I came to the realization upon writing this review that what I have to say about Griffin and Zeke is too wrapped up in spoiler territory, so I won't go there. Suffice to say they fit together really nicely and I think they're cute.

Trick of the Light made a nice break from the honestly more dour Cal Leandros series. I'm trying to read these things in chronological order and Trickster definitely fits in the chronology but it's not official as to where... so publication order it is. Trick of the Light is also a really solid first book of a series. The world, though obviously already formed, is definitely different from what came before, with clear explanations as to why. I did really enjoy it, even if I didn't devour it like I did the first time.

Favorite Lines

"But there's no denying you've always liked the bad boys. Robin, for example, he couldn't keep it in his pants if an alligator was undoing the zipper." - Leo

"The dead should be dead... immediately. No hanging around snapping like ill-tempered, satanic Chihuahuas." - Trixa Iktomi

"If I want food of the damned, I'll just microwave a Hot Pocket." - Trixa Iktomi

"Excessive violence doesn't go well with the footy pajamas. It's a behavioral and fashion faux pas all rolled into one." - Eligos

"Mama said never hold a grudge against a man; hold his balls instead and yank them off. Saved the both of you time." - Trixa Iktomi

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