Review: A Job From Hell by Jayde Scott

Book: A Job From Hell by Jayde Scott
Series: Ancient Legends #1
Pages: 424
Genre: Young Adult / Paranormal Romance
Buy A Copy: Amazon | Smashwords
Available Formats: Ebook / Paperback
Publication Date: May 1st, 2011
How Did I Get This Book: From Author for Review
Description: The moment Amber starts her new summer job in Scotland and sets eyes upon Aidan, her fate is sealed. Summoned by an ancient bond, she can never love another.
Lost in the woods one night, Amber enters Aidan's deadly world by chance when she unknowingly participates in a paranormal race, and promptly wins the first prize - a prize worth killing for. In a world of forbidden love, of ancient enemies, legends and rituals, nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. Amber's life will never be the same again, unless she searches the Otherworld for what everyone wants. But to do so, Amber must die.

A JOB FROM HELL is the stunning first book in the paranormal series, Ancient Legends.

 

The first two things that stood out to me with A Job From Hell were the characters (mainly the secondary ones) and the sheer amount of plot. It book isn’t choppy or drawn out - there is still an overall story arc that continues throughout the book, but believe me, a lot happens. 

I would definitely classify it as a page turner – it is one of those books that keeps you up half the night. The great thing about this book in particular, is that because the plotline is so packed full with action, you are rewarded for spending hours reading.  Every time you think you figure something out, the story progresses even more. It’s incredibly refreshing to see an author poor so much into the first book a series, instead of spreading it out over multiple books. 

Now, let’s talk about the vampires. Yes, I know, another vampire book. But before you disregard A Job From Hell, let’s talk about what other fantastic creatures and all around creepies are in this book. honestly, it’s like a melting pot of paranormal characters. There is a demi goddess, succubi, demons, a hell spawn (literally – she is the daughter of Lucifer), demons, Shadows (a cool/slightly creepy group of immortal warriors) and of course, some truly awesome vamps. What I am saying is that Scott brings an exciting mix of characters to the party and it makes for an interesting time.

I appreciated the fact that Scott tried to make Amber an informed heroine, who is conscious of the perks and faults of a relationship with a vampire, but at times her back-and-forth narrative got on my nerves. She is constantly toying with the concept of dating Aidan, should she or shouldn’t she? I enjoyed and appreciated that she didn’t just immediately fall to his feet, but the characters thoughts soon got repetitive. It got to the point that I didn’t care if she decided to be with him or not, I just wanted to her make a decision and stick with it.

The secondary characters were much more entertaining to me than Amber. Like I stated earlier, this book is full of different paranormal/supernatural creatures. My two favorites were probably Kieran (Aidan’s brother and a vampire) and Cass (Lucifer’s daughter). Both characters were extremely witty and well written. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed the two of them together. They are constantly bantering and bickering – honestly, they are just great. Cass is a complete spitfire and Kieran is a total wiseass. Which, happen to be two of my favorite character archetypes.

Basically, if you are looking for an action packed, exciting dynamic story, I would definitely checkout a Job From Hell. Honestly, if you are purchasing the ebook version, at 99 cents you cannot go wrong with this one. You are sure to get hours of entertainment out of this one.

 Favorite Quotes

"Great. You want me to steal from the local thug. What a delightful way to die."

"I rolled my eyes. I had just added jewel thief to my resume and almost got killed by some thug, and all my brother could think of was fancy umbrellas and tropical drinks on a beach."

"Cass had a few points but, really, a vampire? Who believed in such a myth? What was Cass suggesting anyway? That I grab my rosary and head for the nearest church begging for holy water? Line my door and windows with salt? Sleep with a wooden stake under my pillow? Hang garlic bulbs from my bedroom door? Why was I even considering these options?"

"Aidan said he'd never hurt me. Maybe he wouldn't do it on purpose, but vampires drink blood. Sooner or later, he'd want a midnight snack."

"The flicker of a girl appeared; a tiny shape with huge, brown eyes I would never mistake, not even in death."

"No, no. I get it. You had to do it." Kieran's eyes narrowed. "Believe it or not, I'm a sucker for romance. Two star-crossed lovers who don't fit in each other's world. Kind of like Romeo and Juliet - just with fangs."

"He simply had to be different and like me the way I was now that I'd fallen in love with him."