Young billionaire Sebastian Montero has hunted killers for seven hundred years, the murder of his baby brother still haunting his dreams. After a teenage girl is ritually butchered, Sebastian joins the LAPD in their search for the man known as “The Voodoo Killer.”When Sebastian is nearly strangled by malevolent spirits invading his home, he realizes his target is a man with formidable magical … magical powers. But he doesn’t know just how dangerous the Voodoo Killer has become.
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Started off interesting and then got really weird. It’s a good storyline behind it though. This book is definitely an acquired taste so it won’t be for everyone. However, I really enjoyed reading this one and look forward to reading the next one.
I found this book hard to get into. It’s written in the first person which is not my favorite and the writing seemed a little off in the beginning, but got better as it went on. The book starts with a really graphic scene, subsequent scenes are less so. We learn about Sebastian’s life in bits and pieces, but his early life wasn’t terribly interesting despite giving us his motivation. A lot of potential secondary characters are brought up, but not well used. He’s worked with a team of two cops in the past and appears to team up with them again, but one just disappears from the story line. His dealings with the other one are a bit haphazard and don’t ring true. Another thing that doesn’t ring true is his relationship with Alinea. Supposedly, they love each other but she holds his leash like he’s a puppy. He gets nothing out of the relationship except bad experiences at her “club”. He accepts the horrible things she does, but why given his memories of his youth? He also needs to stay low profile yet he drives a Maserati (which no one seems to have noticed when he peels out after a confrontation with the bad guy) and chugs a couple bottles of booze in front of witnesses in a public event where his peculiarities get noticed. ?!?
The character and world have potential, but the author needs to work on developing the characters and making them and their relationships more realistic. I was interested enough in finishing the book (it was listed as 217 pages, but they were short pages) and I would consider starting book 2 (if I got it for free like this one from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review) to see if the story telling gets better.
2.5 out of 5 stars
Brace yourself. This book starts off with a bang! When a young girl is found murdered in a ritualistic fashion, Sebastion Montero requests to be part of the case investigating to discover the killer. The lead officers on the case want to keep things as under wraps as possible, but when a second body appears in the same manner, word gets out. Sebastian is determined to use his vast resources to help discover the mastermind behind these cruel deaths, but he will also be putting himself and his secret at risk. The Voodoo Killer is not someone to be taken lightly, and it won’t be long before he begins to show them just who exactly it is that they are dealing with.
To Kill a Sorcerer by Greg Mongrain is an engaging paranormal mystery novel. This is the first book that I have read by this author and I enjoyed it overall. Sebastian is an interesting character. While this story has vampires in it, we are quickly clued in that this is not what he is. Sebastian is something more. But he is in love with a vampire by the name of Aliena. Sebastian does his best to humor her and to do the things that she likes to do. He, himself, engages in assisting the LAPD with certain crimes of where he feels that his talents and resources will be put to good use. Also, in some cases, he applies his own sense of justice when it comes to the criminal. The story has engaging moments that will grab you and pull you in, and then there are moments that are honestly…just dull. When Sebastian is engaging with the police, investigating the crime scenes and looking for answers I’m pulled in. I’m eager to learn where they are going to go next to find answers and I want to know if they will even find the answers they seek. This story is full of intriguing moments with Sebastian especially when he is alone. I appreciate the fact that the author gives us flashbacks to when Sebastian was a child and some of his memories.
I’m glad to say that I found few errors to speak of in this book, so there is little in that form to speak of. I do have some things that I didn’t like about the story. Some of the elements the author chooses to write the story are hard to believe. Aliena was born back in the 17th century and chooses to go on a trip to Paris. All this is fine on the surface. My issue is this, back then young single women were not allowed to go anywhere without a chaperone. So how is that she was able to do all of this? It doesn’t make sense. Plus, she’s over 300 years old and never been with a man despite being insanely gorgeous and being pursued by men all her life? It destroys some of the elements of the story for me. Because then it just seems to be done this way to fit with what it is the killer looks for, and that is just too convenient for me. I also wanted to know more about the history of Aliena and Marcus. What is the real deal between them? The romantic element between Aliena and Sebastian at times seems strung along. She knows he’s interested, but I feel like she’s just playing with him for the most part.
Overall I truly enjoyed this story. The paranormal and supernatural elements the author writes this book are thoroughly engaging and pulled me in. I found some elements of the story implausible, but I can’t and won’t say so that I don’t reveal any spoilers. All in all, I think that the author has created an engaging story. There is suspense, some thrills, a hint of romance and lots of danger.
I am rating this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. This story has a few hiccups but nothing to the extent that I couldn’t get through it and to the end. I look forward to reading more about Montero in the future.