For the first time, the full origin story of Gin Blanco’s transformation into the fearsome assassin known as the Spider–book ten in the red-hot Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series. How did I end up in a career where I always have blood on my hands? Well, let me tell you a story about an assassin who thought she could do no wrong. . . . Ten years ago. A blistering hot August night. I … blistering hot August night. I remember like it was yesterday. The night I, Gin Blanco, truly became the Spider. Killing people is what I do best, especially now that I’ve honed my Ice and Stone magic. But back then, I had yet to learn one very important rule: arrogance will get you, every single time.
This particular job seemed simple: murder a crooked building contractor with ties to ruthless Fire elemental Mab Monroe. My mentor, Fletcher Lane, had some misgivings, but I was certain that I had the situation under control . . . right up until I exposed my weaknesses to a merciless opponent who exploited every single one of them. There’s a reason assassins aren’t supposed to feel anything. Luckily, a knife to the heart can fix that problem, especially when I’m the one wielding it. . . .
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The Spider is book ten in the Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep.
This is by far one of my favorite series. Each and every installment gives me something new to fall in love with. Estep just keeps delivering on each and every installment!
Now, you can read this novel without every reading any of the other books in the series. The Spider takes the reader back 10-years to the begging. It’s the start of Gin’s career as the assassin known as the Spider.
I loved seeing Gin interact with Fletcher. Throughout this series we’ve seen flashbacks for Fletcher, but this time we get to have him front and center in her life.
The author does throw in many little easter eggs; events and characters that we meet and see throughout the Elemental Assassin series that fans will just die with excitement and love. I loved that we get to see so many characters from the past. It was so fun to see their path’s cross; a meet here, a moment their, but at the time you don’t know what life has in store for them and how their paths will cross again later in life.
The plot for was novel is suspenseful. The whole story is set 10-years in the past ending with the present day. Gin pretty much makes all the mistakes and does all the things Fletcher taught her not to ignore on her very first job. So, by the end of this novel she has the much-needed closure on all those events that took place back then.
The Spider was an outstanding novel. I don’t know where the author is going to go next, but I’m looking forward to seeing where things go from here.
Rated: 5 Stars
This was quite a trip. If you’ve read any of my reviews on this series, you’ll know that I’m a fan. So when I read the blurb for this installment and found we were going to be taking a trip down memory lane to one of Gin’s first assassin assignments, I was hooked.
So a quick rundown on the series. Gin Blanco is a retired assassin, The Spider, with control over a couple elements… stone and ice. During the day, she runs a BBQ joint and at night she is either helping out friends by taking on some pro-bono assassin jobs, or just trying to stay alive since at this point in the series (book ten) she’s no longer anonymous. The twist for The Spider is that she takes the reader back to the beginning.
I really liked seeing this more insecure side of Gin. She’s not as strong an elemental in this flashback and that makes what she does even more impressive. But she’s also still hurting from her family’s death (obviously it’s more fresh in this jump 10 years in the past) and while she’s been practically adopted into Fletcher and Finn’s family, she’s still aching for love. All this makes her more vulnerable than the Gin we’ve come to know and love.
The plot isn’t terribly complicated, but it’s more a coming of age story. Gin learns an important lesson about herself and how she’s going to have to live if she’s going to continue down her career path. The bad guys of course are insanely evil and you can’t help but root for Gin to come out on top.
Yes, there are some flaws. There is still a lot of repetition (the 5 knife thing stands out), and a few times I got tired of emotional rehashing that Gin kept going through. But in the end, I enjoyed this book and look forward to future books in the series.
My review originally posted at Romancing the Book.
Omg so awesome. Love the body count. =)
Read anything by this author. ‘Nuff said!
A thrill ride through an earlier time in “The Spider’s” career. A time when she believed her own hype, acting rashly, and arrogant and learning tough lessons along the way! Broken hearts, risked lives, manipulation, revenge, and brushes with people who would become important in her in the life she lives now.
Book 10, The Spider, recounts a tale of an early kill of Gin’s that has haunted her for 10 years. The story includes a gentleman interest, construction, greed, domestic abuse, murder, & roses. The characters are likable and relatable. My only dissatisfier is that it felt like the Author used the story as a filler; that the history shoulda have been earlier in the series. It does close the loop on a few minor cliffhangers and it was an entertaining read, just didn’t progress the series further.