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How soon does it ship: Normal ship time within one day
Type of bind: Kindle Edition
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
Format: Kindle Book
Label: HarperCollins e-books
Manufacturer: HarperCollins e-books
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 464
Printing Date: February 27, 2007
Publishing house: HarperCollins e-books
Release Date: February 27, 2007
Sale Popularity Level: 18349
Studio: HarperCollins e-books
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Product Description:
When she was sixteen, Joanna Archer was brutally assaulted and left to die in the Nevada desert. By rights, she should be dead. Now a photographer by day, she prowls a different Las Vegas after sunset -- a grim, secret Sin City where Light battles Shadow -- seeking answers to whom or what she really is . . . and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.
But . . . the nightmare is just beginning . . . for the demons are hunting . . . Joanna . . . and . . . the powerful shadows want her . . . for their own . . .
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Rated by buyers -
I didn't know much about this from the back cover, but it looked interesting. The story is about Joanna Archer, daughter to a millionaire in Las Vegas. When she was 16, she was raped, strangled, and left for dead. Now, she takes martial arts classes and wanders alone at night for her attacker.
She starts by having a date that gets nasty, then her father that really doesn't care for her tells her that she is not his daughter and all of her inheritance goes to her sister Olivia. As she is at her sister's apartment, going over what happened on her birthday, one of Olivia'a boyfriends shows up to get his things. Unfortunately, he is a demon trying to kill Joanna. Joanna kills him first, but not until after Olivia is thrown out a window.
Joanna then learns that she is a symbol of the Zodiac. One of the strongest and dangerous people. She is transformed so the Shadows don't find her and kill her while trying to fit in and learn from the Light.
I think that this is a good start to the series. I did feel that there were some areas that seemed to drag, but not too badly. I do have to say that I was getting a little irritated at the Light people because they were not going out of their way to help Joanna or anything, but that is part of the story. I would recommend this to anyone that likes the paranormal stories.
Rated by buyers -
I love that this book is different from the typical paranormal romance coming out recently. The idea of super heroes and parallel universes is great and refreshingly unique. I enjoyed reading about a heroine coming into her power, embracing both the dark and light inside of her. The only small problem is that the beginning of the book is a little slow and a bit depressing. I hope the rest of the series continues along the lines of finding more zodiac signs and training new people, yet I doubt it will happen, it seems like you have to wait for the young trainees to grow up before any other signs can be added. I definitely recommend this book, this is a great new series unlike any of the paranormal romance books I have read recently.
Rated by buyers -
The Scent of Shadows is the First Sign of the Zodiac; the very first book in Petterson's Zodiac series. This book exceeded my expectations. I was braced for yet another paranormal series featuring an angsty heroine; but what I got was so much more than that. This book is something both men and women would greatly enjoy; it is much more of a super hero story than a paranormal romance.
Joanna Archer is an heiress. Her father Xavier Archer is a Las Vegas tycoon who owns a number of casinos in Las Vegas. Joanna's sister, Olivia, is more your typical playboy bunny type of heiress, while Joanna is kind of the grey sheep in the family. In her early teens Joanna suffered a devastating attack that left her different, more brooding than her fun loving sister Olivia. Joanna turned to photography; taking pictures of the dark side of Las Vegas. Then the day before her 25th birthday she was attacked on a blind date, only to be rescued by her childhood sweetheart Ben - now a cop. What Joanna didn't know was that the streets of Las Vegas were not what they seemed to be, and on her 25th birthday she would undergo a change that she had never imaged.
This is a well-written, fast-paced book. What I really liked though is the complexity and creativity of the Zodiac troop and their alternate realities. This book left behind many typical paranormal series subjects and took me somewhat unexpectedly into the realm of comic book heroes. With the Zodiac troop zipping in and out of alternate realities there was a little sci-fi in here too. The Zodiac fighters of both the Light and Dark troops are intriguing; their powers very superhero-like and also very varied. The comic books that serve as their newspapers are creative, comical, and intriguing. The epic struggle of Light and Dark in a city constantly balanced on the edge of sin is compelling. Joanna is a complicated character, as are many of the characters presented to us in the Zodiac troop.
The major story arc is nicely resolved; but a large number of side stories are left unresolved, leaving me yearning for the subsequent book.
I did have a couple issues with this book. The very first is that it *is* complicated. The set-up is a bit confusing, although to Petterson's credit the idea behind the Zodiac troop is complicated, creative, and something very new to her readers. So, I expected the set-up to take a bit of time for me to be comfortable with; I am happy to say by the end of the book I did understand it and ceased to feel slightly confused. My other complaint with the book would be that the characters superhero powers are not well defined. I am still not quite sure I understand what Joanna's power is, I am not quite sure I understand what the other characters powers are either. Maybe Petterson wants the unveiling of their powers to be deliberate and purposeful, or maybe she just did a poor job of conveying them in the story...time will tell which it is.
That being said I think this book is much better than the Anna Strong Chronicles or the Mercy Thompson series. It is not quite as good as Kim Harrion's series. It is more on par with the Dante Valentine books. I hope that the future books can continue to elaborate on this story; I also hope that Joanna doesn't fall into the pit of darkness that Dante Valentine did and continues to show the Light in her character.
karissabooks.blogspot.com
Rated by buyers -
Although I really liked it, I found this book a bit unsettling. This is because whenever I think of 'Superheros' in an adult story, I'm thinking it HAS TO be campy, fun and/or superficial.
But while having 'campy' elements, this had some very gritty and hardcore moments -- totally NOT what I was expecting, and I had a hard time reconciling the two. I would be laughing at a funny, light part and the subsequent moment someone would be getting seriously tortured.
I also had a hard time understanding how they could have 'normal' jobs working amongst their enemies during the 'day' and then come out at night as superheros and fight without anyone ever noticed the resemblence between the 'day' and 'night' persona. (Except for Joanna nobody else seems to wear a mask.)
So you'd think after giving this mixed review I would also give it a low rating -- but I'm surprised to say this is not the case. Even with the areas I had problems with, it was well written, the story line unique, the heroine self-sufficient and likable and most important -- I couldn't put it down! Even while reading a part that made me scratch my head I kept on reading until I finished the book and bought the rest in the series.
Rated by buyers 
-
The Sagittarius, or the Archer, in the Zodiac is a symbol of individual prowess, fire as well as uncivilized behavior and temper. And encompasses a dual relation between things, especially being both Light and Shadow, and not becoming consumed by either. This fits Joanna Archer to a tee. And it should, since that is not only her Sign, but her birthright. Born to a mother of the Light and a father, the Tulpa, who is the hellfire leader of the Shadow Zodiac side, Joanna isn't just special: she's destiny and fate itself. And choosing the Light side isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Not when she's expected to kill the Tulpa, while trying to wrestle with her abandonment issues about her mother who's still alive and hiding, and of course, save the world one kick and punch at a time.
With a troubled past of rape in the cool sands near Las Vegas continue to haunt her, and the listless questioning existence following the brutal attack, Joanna is left wondering what her purpose is in life as her 25th birthday comes looming after her. It isn't the only thing after her either. For Shadow agents (of comic cheesiness) have scented her out, and want nothing but to destroy the sign and portent that could destroy the Shadow Zodiac side entirely.
But it's not going to be that easy. For Joanna or the Light side. Because Joanna is a tough chick who doesn't take crap from anyone and lets nothing get to her. Huh-huh.
Is Scent of Shadows creative and different? Yeah, I'd say so. But that's where the positives end. Joanna's heartbreaking entry into the 'dark' and self-immolation is clichéd and dragged out unnecessarily, and fights the actual premise of the story as she resists her fate as well as glossing over the important things in her life as she is morphed into someting else entirley. She more or less leaves her old life behind, without much consideration or emotional repercussions. I didn't buy it, at all.
Her romance with her one and only flame, Ben Traina, while at one point was very sweet and tender, never came off as important or dramatic as it was touted to be. Maybe it gets important later in the series...Here, it fell pretty flat, pretty darn quick. This is the same with all the relationships in this book, mostly mechanical, standardized character arches and dull interactions that show no personality and little development. There is no emotional hook, and considering a major element to the book centers on Joanna impersonating her dead sister to get to dear old dad, it was left wanting.
The writing is meandering and marginally okay, the character's are awkward and forgettable, the plot choppy, and not very consistent. And it's all very noticeable--in about 500 pages. The buildup is slow, parts of it painfully boring, punctured with a few bits of action that was just oaky. There was so much introspection, it makes you want to throw the book across the room in frustration, because the story, the plot, the characters go nowhere, with scenes the author thought was 'cool'--hence the comic book element done bad. I had to FORCE myself to read the whole thing because the idea was different and a nice change from the other clichéd fantasy/urban/sci-fi/supernatural books out there. Instead, by the halfway mark, you'll wonder: why, oh why, are you torturing yourself?
And by the end. I just sighed and shook my head. What a waste of my time. But this book seems to have gotten a lot of positive reviews, so maybe I missed something, that magic that just wasn't there for me at all. But no, I think not. I'm not even enticed to read the second one, to see if it's better or if it'll get better. But to each their own, and may the force be with you. God knows, you'll need it.
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