Review - Dark Descendant by Jenna Black

SUMMARY: From the acclaimed author of the Morgan Kingsley, Exorcist books comes the gripping first novel in a new series about a private eye who discovers, to her surprise, that she’s an immortal huntress.

Nikki Glass can track down any man. But when her latest client turns out to be a true descendant of Hades, Nikki now discovers she can’t die. . . . Crazy as it sounds, Nikki’s manhunting skills are literally god-given. She’s a living, breathing descendant of Artemis who has stepped right into a trap set by the children of the gods. Nikki’s new “friends” include a descendant of Eros, who uses sex as a weapon; a descendant of Loki, whose tricks are no laughing matter; and a half-mad descendant of Kali who thinks she’s a spy. But most powerful of all are the Olympians, a rival clan of immortals seeking to destroy all Descendants who refuse to bow down to them. In the eternal battle of good god/bad god, Nikki would make a divine weapon. But if they think she’ll surrender without a fight, the gods must be crazy. . .

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9781451606799
• Publisher: Pocket Books
• Publication date: 4/26/2011
• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Pages: 336
• Series: Descendant Series, #1

First in a new series, this low-key urban fantasy offering introduces Nikki Glass a PI that stumbles upon a familiar theme - the hidden supernatural world - in this case immortal descendants of the various pantheons of gods. The book blurb really isn't reflective of the tone of the story which makes it sound kind of madcap. It isn't. It is however thoughtful exploring themes of friendship, anger and revenge. The immortals premise is well-thought out and fresh. Nikki is smart, level-headed and interesting. No edgy, quipping, leather clad, tramp stamped heroine here. It makes for an enjoyable read with some glimmers of potential romance in future installments. Some interesting explorations of what death means to an immortal. All around a solid debut in a promising new series.

One last comment regarding the writing style which thankfully is pretty much free of stock phrases and cliches EXCEPT for when Nikki reflects that she needs to put on her "big girl panties".  Not to pick on Jenna but all UF/Paranormal writers, please retire this horrible phrase which serves only to lower the tone.