Ode from a Superfan

Vicki Petterrson, how do I love thee. No?  Coming on too strong? Oh, but it's true. Vicki Pettersson's series was the first series that I found by myself, that wasn't recommended to me from someone else, and from the very first book I was hooked.  



After discovering Urban Fantasy a few years back thanks to my friend Carrie lending/forcing me to read Kim Harisson's Dead Witch Walking, the first book of the Hollows series, I knew I'd found the genre of books I'd been missing. After catching up on all the Hollow books at the time, I was left to decide what to read next.  I stumbled onto a few PNR series, Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark and JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, and I enjoyed them, but it just wasn't the same.  I wanted something more, something unlike anything else, something darker... grittier.  Then a sign came from heaven, in the form of a free book download from Amazon.  I read the premise of The Scent of Shadows, book 1 of the Zodiac series, and my spidey senses started tingling.  Then, not two days later, Kim Harisson's daily email mentioned a book, City of Souls, and lo and behold it was book 4 of the very same Zodiac series I had just read about. I thought it was a sign from the book gods. Now I realize it was just good PR, but that's beside the point.


So the next day I began book 1.  I was a goner.  I'd never read anything quite like it. The books weren't shiny tales with happy endings. They involved characters that were forced to become more than what they thought they could be. The books rocked my world. I felt empowered, I could literally feel my inner warrior rise to the surface and stretch out. 


I devoured the first four books and left the real world behind....  Then I came back to earth and became crazy fan. There were a few months there, a couple of years ago, where my friends and family had to tell me to shut the hell up already about this series.  I just couldn't get enough.  I found a chat room from VP's site where I would read people's thoughts and theories.  Yes. I became THAT kind of fan. 

I always assumed that the series was going to be 12 books, because there are 12 signs of the zodiac series, but leave it to Nat, aka wicked lil pixie, to crush my dreams. VP announced this Fall on WLP that her upcoming release, Neon Graveyard, was indeed going to be the series finale. I revolted.  I wasn't ready for it to be over.  6 books, what's that? That's not enough! I might have gone into a mild state of depression. My husband calls this my "dark period". But, let's move on.


After reading Neon Graveyard I can't help but feel happy that the series finished on this side of "winning".  And now I have to admit that maybe Pettersson knows what she's doing, and that to drag the series out much further might have led the series off course.  


Neon Graveyard, book 6 of the Zodiac series, finishes up things with Joanna as a mortal... well mostly.  She spends most of her time trying to get back into Midheaven to rescue Hunter, while taking down Solange. Back in Vegas, she's partnered up with the Greys to defeat the Tulpa and in-turn taking down Team Shadow. Oh yeah, and she still has to deal with Warren and her old pals, the warriors of the Light.  Each piece of the story you've been wanting to see, been waiting for some answers and possibly a resolution on, is addressed. But if you think for one second you know what to expect, you're wrong.  Pettersson has several surprises for you still.  The world-building will still amaze you with new rules, and many many shockers this time around.  


It's been a dark and twisty road, and as sad as I am to let this cast of superheroes go, I'm glad to know now where they ended up.   Thank you Ms. Pettersson.  Thank you!


-Your Superfan




*wanna know more of the reasons I loved Neon Graveyard?  Read my review over at Heroes and Heartbreakers*