Urban Fantasy
DAW
February 7, 2017
320
[I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review]
Hungry Ghosts is a wonderful addition to the Eric Carter series by Stephen Blackmoore. The book follows Eric, who is a necromancer that is trying to avenge his sister’s death. The basic plot reveals several spoilers for books 1 and 2 in the series, so I will try to gloss over plot details. However, Eric is running ragged because of several factors, and his quest takes him from L.A. down through many parts of Mexico.
The book is very dark and at times violent and bloody. Eric is fighting tenaciously to survive, and has a devil-may-care attitude toward his enemies. However, rest assured that he is fighting for good and enjoy the rocky path that leads him to the climax.
I was fascinated by the weaving of several Aztec (Nahautl) gods and goddesses into the storyline. The names may be long and hard to pronounce, but the personalities of these characters jumped off the page. Most were menacing, and there were several hidden agendas. However, Eric blasts through the story with guns (and magic) blazing, in several instances to severe detriment to his health.
I particularly liked Eric’s interactions with Tabitha. She is a past love interest, and now serves to simultaneously help-yet-perhaps-hinder his goals. Again, avoiding spoilers to previous books, but the tension between Eric and Tabitha is emotional and serves to propel the reader through the storyline.
One highlight is a scene where Eric is forced to confront his past decisions and mistakes. He comes to terms with some of the tumult in his life, and the scene is quite powerful.
The end of the book is almost an epilogue, but serves as a catharsis for three-books-worth of pain, second-guessing, betrayal, mistakes, and loneliness. I greatly enjoyed the book (and the series thus far) and highly recommend it.