Review: Blade Song by J.C. Daniels

Book: Blade Song by J.C. Daniels
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Buy A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Available Formats: Ebook

Publication Date: August 1st, 2012

Where Did I Get This Book: For Review, From Netgalley
First Sentence: "My sword arm is mighty. I will not falter. I will not fail. My aim is true. My heart is strong."
Description: Kit Colbana—half breed, assassin, thief, jack of all trades—has a new job: track down the missing ward of one of the local alpha shapeshifters. It should be a piece of cake.

So why is she so nervous? It probably has something to do with the insanity that happens when you deal with shifters—especially sexy ones who come bearing promises of easy jobs and easier money.

Or maybe it’s all the other missing kids that Kit discovers while working the case, or the way her gut keeps screaming she’s gotten in over her head. Or maybe it’s because if she fails—she’s dead.

If she can stay just one step ahead, she should be okay. Maybe she’ll even live long to collect her fee…

So, Blade Song. I honestly don't even know where to begin. I have so many thoughts flying around in my head that I am struggling with putting it into words. But for you, I will do my best. First of all let me say, that  I literally could not put this down. I declined an invitation to go to my favorite Chinese restaurant to finish Blade Song. If that doesn't tell you how awesome it was, then I don't know what will.

It has a lot of elements that Urban Fantasy readers are familiar with; werewolves, witches, vampires and a strong heroine who welds a sword. Sure, it's been done before. I'll bet you can name 10 books right now that contain these elements. But for some reason, this did not bother me. Guys, Blade Song was just that good.

Let's begin with Kit. Kit is our resident badass. She is half-aneira, which is an ancient race of assassins. Kit has had a extremely difficult life and it has made her into beautifully flawed character... which makes her easy to rally behind. You care about her and want to see her succeed. She's a determined little thing that simply refuses to fail. I love that quality in a heroine. But what I really love about our dearest Kit is that she is smart. She is well aware of her shortcomings and thinks before she acts. She knows that she isn't as strong as some of the creatures she goes up against and she keeps her head.

With that being said, I felt like Kit's personality faltered at times; she would sort of go in and out of character. The main occurrence that stood out in my mind is when she was considering a future with Damon. Daniels built Kit up as this woman who needed to be independent. She had been badly damaged in the past and she drew strength from being on her own. That's why it really surprised me when she was fully willing to dive headfirst into a commitment. It just did not seem to fit with her character. I'm not saying that I did not want her to, it just felt off to me.

Speaking of Damon, lord have mercy, do I ever have a fangirl crush on this werecat. I'll be honest, when he was first introduced, I was not a fan. He comes of as, well let's face it, an asshole. He's pushy, demanding and even gets a bit physical with Kit. However, as his story unfolds and things progress, his character does a complete 180. You begin to understand Damon and he becomes much more appealing. 

But, there was one thing that really rubbed me the wrong way. It may seem silly and I certainly didn't hold it against his character, but his pet name for Kit irritated me immensely. Every time called Kit "baby girl" I felt like rolling my eyes. Why on earth did he call her that? Nothing about her is babyish. "Kitten" I get - he's a cat shifter, her name is Kit... I can roll with that. But baby girl? No.

Okay, moving on. The story centers around the job that the werecats have hired Kit to do - find the Alpha's missing nephew. I do not want to divulge too much information regarding the mystery, but I will let you this - it was AWESOME. It's a story full of adventure, magic, mystery and of course.. violence. What is an Urban Fantasy without a little ass-kicking, right? The pacing is perfect - it's not rushed, but it doesn't drag either. All things considered, I adored Blade Song. It's dark, gritty and all out exciting. I has a few minor hiccups with the story, but nothing serious. I will be eagerly anticipating a sequel!

It was a seductive thing, full of promise. Full of warmth and wonder and lies.

I'll be damned if I act like a mouse, you overgrown tomcat.

"I'm part of the package, kitten. Your bodyguard, babysitter and tattle-tale, all rolled into one." Flashing his teeth at me, he added, "Aren't you pleased?"

In the back of my mind, some part of me thought: Pretty... And I immediately wanted to punch myself.

Keeping my voice level, I shook my  head. Mustn't enrage the antisocial monster standing five feet away.

But of course, instead of saying something honest like Yes, bitch, it hurts, Damon just shrugged.

I wasn't human enough to die easily.

I didn't move for probably ten more minutes. I wasn't sure if I could. If I moved, I just might shatter.

"Child, you suffer from an excess of great stupidity or great bravery. I'm not sure which."

"I just sliced and diced a Burmese python while you were busy growling at the universe, fuzz bucket."