ARC Review: Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett

Banishing the Dark by Jenn Bennett
Previous review: Binding the Shadows
Series: Arcadia Bell #4
Release Date: May 27th, 2014
Publisher: Pocket
Source: Net Galley
Pre-Order: Amazon | Book Depository

Goodreads Summary

Complicated does not begin to describe Arcadia Bell's life right now: unnatural magical power, another brush with death, and a murderous mother who's not only overbearing but determined to take permanent possession of Cady's body. Forced to delve deep into the mystery surrounding her own birth, Cady must uncover which evil spell her parents cast during her conception…and how to reverse it. Fast. As she and her lover Lon embark on a dangerous journey through her magical past, Lon's teenage son Jupe sneaks off for his own investigation. Each family secret they uncover is darker than the last, and Cady, who has worn many identities—Moonchild, mage, fugitive—is about to add one more to the list.

Note: This review may or may not be incoherent. Do not blame me. Blame the fact that I just finished one of my favorite series.

It is kind of hard to believe that one of my favorite urban fantasy series has finally come to an end. I was late to the party but for the past year I’ve loved and re-read this series and become a huge fan of the author and it’s so sad to let a series you loved finally go.

This series is perfect, you have great characters, a great supporting cast, great romance and entertaining plots. This book was no different, however this time around we were also introduced to Jupe’s POV.

Cady and Lon never fail to amaze me. They are such strong and wonderful characters. You just cannot help but like them. They both have their moments but at the same time they are just so lovable. They both have insecurities but it’s been so much fun watching them grow over the course of 4 books. From being too scared to say those 3 words to finally admitting them. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express how much I love the two.

Their romance is still as wonderful as ever. There was a twist at the beginning that initially brought things down for me. I wasn’t completely sure it would work out well and I was too scared that I would end up raging instead of enjoying the romance between one of my favorite couples but I shouldn’t have worried. Jenn has it covered. She pulled it off and I loved their romance this time around as well. Lon is a little withdrawn in this book but he has his reasons and I kind of love how he is giving her room.  He gives her the space she needs but at the same time he is so supportive. Not that that’s a new thing. There are things he doesn’t agree with, wishes there was another way but he doesn’t stop Cady because he respects her as a person even though all his instincts are screaming at him to shove her inside a closet and protect her to the best of his ability.

One of the drawbacks of this novel for me was Jupe’s POV. I know many people have been looking forward to this and I am pretty sure it’s me and not his POV that makes it difficult for me to enjoy reading those bits. For the past three books I’ve observed Jupe from an ‘adult’ point of view so I think of him as the ‘cute little kid’ (and he is indeed adorable) but the change to his POV kind of just makes it hard for me to see him as a kid and forces me to see him as a teenager. Which just makes things a little awkward for my brain. With that said, I still adored Jupe in this novel.

Priya; however, not so much. I felt like Priya took advantage of Jupe’s need to be an adult to manipulate him into doing something that could cause him harm and so I wasn’t Priya’s biggest fan in this book.

The plot was strong in this one. Jenn did not disappoint with the finale. I was on the edge of my seat eagerly awaiting the final showdown. Emotions ran high. There was action and there were also amazing paranormal bits.

The epilogue, predictably, did not work for me. Epilogues are not my thing and I can only think of one off the top of my head that I actually loved to death. I always find them to be too HEA and it just reinforces the fact that the series has come to an end and these characters that you’ve come to love will no longer have amazing adventures.

Writing this review is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do this week (and believe me, my week has been hellish). It’s so impossibly hard to say good bye and you know what, I’ll do it with a smile on my face knowing that I wasn’t let down and that Jenn didn’t disappoint me.

This is a series I will recommend to everyone until well the end of time because Cady and Lon are full of win and everyone should get to appreciate their brilliance. 

Q & A with Jenn Bennett author of the Arcadia Bell Series

Today we are going to be interviewing Jenn Bennett, the author of the Arcadia Bell series, on the blog. The latest book in the series just came out last month (check out my review here) and I took this opportunity to ask Jenn a couple of questions. 

Where did you get the idea for the series?

Thanks so much for having me on your blog! I’m not really sure where I got the idea for the series. I mean, sure, I could tell you bits and pieces about what inspired the world-building or the setup. But when it comes down to it, my series isn’t about a Tiki bar owner or Earthbound demons or occult magic or weird supernatural mysteries. It’s about a girl in her mid-twenties who’s had a tough (and strange) life and is trying to build a new one. And a man who’s doing his best to raise a teenage son alone. And a teenage son who’s lost his mother. It’s about all these people, the connections they make, and how brave they have to be to hang on to those connections during times when it would be easier to walk away.

Which character did you have the most fun writing about?

Jupe Butler, the teenage son. He’s vivacious and curious, and he has no filter, so he gets to say what other characters—and the reader—might be thinking.

Which character can you most relate to?

Hmm. Probably Jupe’s father (and Arcadia’s demon boyfriend) Lon? He’s a photographer, and background is painting/art. And though I might not be empathic like he is, I’m pretty sensitive to other people around me.

Do you have any other series or books planned? 

I have a new series coming from Penguin in 2014 called Roaring Twenties. It’s paranormal romance that takes place in 1920s San Francisco. The first book is BITTER SPIRITS, and it’s about a bootlegger who turns to a spirit medium for help when he becomes hexed and haunted. There are ghosts. A little magic. A mystery in Chinatown. Foggy San Francisco. Witty characters. And lots of swoon-y romance!

Why did you choose to break our hearts like you did with that ending (Binding the Shadows)?

If your heart was broken, I’m happy—not because I want to make you suffer, but because I want to make you feel. Good books take you to great emotional heights: wonder, excitement, joy, heartbreak, and thrills. If you care about the characters, and if the story is good, you’ll feel all those things right alongside them. And what could be better than that? Are you worried for Arcadia? You should be. Her life is in danger and her world has just been rocked. She is worthy of your emotion. At least, I happen to think so. 

Is Crossing the Aethyr going to be the last Arcadia Bell book?

Yes, and maybe? It will be the last book in this phase of Arcadia’s life, and all the things hanging from book #3 will be answered. But whether I decide to write the next phase of her life…I’m not sure yet. I’m working on new projects, and I’d rather leave this story and these characters in a good place than stretch out something just to fill books. These characters are too important to me. I want them to get the story they deserve, and I want to leave on a high note. At least for now.

Can you tell us something about Crossing the Aethyr to make us feel better?

The story mostly centers on a road trip taken by Arcadia and Lon. Lots of one-on-one time for the two of them. There’s also a secondary intertwining storyline in which Jupe gets chapters from his POV for the very first time. (Watch out, people!) He meets a brand new character, someone who changes his life. I absolutely adore this character and hope you will, too. And at the end of the book, you’ll get to see a glimpse into the future. It’s probably the most romantic of all four books, and it made me cry a lot of happy tears to write it. Hey, maybe you’ll even shed a few yourself when you read it. I definitely think it’s worth both the wait and all the heartbreak, as most really good things are. 

Thank you so much for joining us on the blog today Jenn! I think I feel a lot better about the ending to Binding the Shadows now and am more excited than afraid to read Crossing the Aethyr.

Binding the Shadows by Jenn Bennett

Title: Binding the Shadows

Author: Jenn Bennett

Series: Arcadia Bell #3

Publisher: Pocket Books

Release Date: 28th May, 2013

Buy: Amazon

Goodreads Summary

Renegade mage and bartender Arcadia Bell has had a rough year, but now the door to her already unstable world is unhinging. When a citywide crime wave erupts, Cady's demon-friendly tiki bar is robbed by Earthbounds wielding surreal demonic abilities that just flat-out shouldn't exist. With the help of her devilishly delicious boyfriend, Lon Butler, Cady sets out to find the people who wronged her—but her targets aren't the only ones experiencing unnatural metamorphoses. Can Cady track down the monsters responsible before the monster inside herdestroys everything—and everyone—she loves? If she survives this adventure, one thing is certain: it's last call for life as she knows it.

I only found the Arcadia Bell series this year so I didn’t have a particularly long wait to this one but it seemed like a painfully long wait to me anyway.

I spent a good deal of time this year exploring the Urban Fantasy genre, and its suffice to say that while there are some good books, a lot of them are so similar it’s like reading the same story again and again. This, however, wasn’t the case with the Arcadia Bell series which is now one of my favorites.

I think the strong point of this series isn’t the unique concept but the strong relationships between the characters and strong characters in general. They just make the book so much more fun to read but this book was a lot more serious than it was fun.

The book starts with Jupe’s grandmother and aunt coming into town and them not liking her but things get worse when Lon’s ex-wife comes to town. On top of that there is a drug going around that amplifies knacks, and Lon and Cady are put on the case.

Cady is a lot more sensitive in this one (we find out why later) and she is slightly insecure as well. It didn’t bother me as much as it would have had it been anyone else, but Cady is a strong character and everyone is allowed to have insecurities as long as they don’t become setbacks.

I’ll admit to thinking there wasn’t enough Jupe in this one. He was there, but the reason I love him is because he always lightens things up but there just weren’t a lot of funny/light things going on in this one.

I think out of the three books this one has the most interesting plot because this time around things are getting a lot more dangerous as more secrets about Cady are revealed.

The only thing I didn’t like (besides there not being enough Jupe), that I am sure everyone who has read the book will agree on, was that cliffhanger. At first I didn’t even know that that was all. I was sitting there trying to make sense of what had just happened and kept on re-reading the ending for some sort of clue. It just broke my heart once I wrapped my head around it.

Right now all I can think of is how I’ll survive the wait to the next book. It’s going to take a year to come out and with that cliffhanger… it’s not going to be easy. At all.