1.0 out of 5 stars what is the target audience's age? July 24, 2010

This review is from: Cat's Claw (A Calliope Reaper-Jones Novel) (Kindle Edition)
I was lacking in reading material and decided to search my bookshelves for long forgotten authors. I located a book by Amber Benson that turned out to be book one of this series. I was immediately excited thinking I had a newly discovered series to follow. I did not reread book one. Thinking if I kept the book surely I must have d it. I purchased the next book in the series Cat's Claw. BIG MISTAKE!
To say Cat's Claw has pacing issues would be polite. Truth is it is excrutiatingly slow moving. Cali the protagonist spends pages upon pages whining about her misfortune, her heritage, her wardrobe, or lack of financial stability. She was shallow and easily manipulated. Cali proved time and again how uneducated she was in magic & ignorance pertaining to what her family's business entailed. This continuously placed her and others near her in danger and causes her to relay on other people's knowledge. Cali spent pages preaching to the reader about her independance & providing the reader examples of how independent she believed herself to be. Unbeknownst to Cali she repeatedly proved herself dead weight in a crises. The only reason I finished this book was so I could give a review.4 s Bunny 2,293 106

Started reading this on the plane on the way to (and from) The Florida Film Festival, where I saw Amber's new movie Drones and met her. She is AWESOME.

4-25 -- For those of you who were disappointed with Death's Daughter and didn't want to continue the series, I have to say, give it a chance (no pun intended).

The issues I had with Callie in the first book aren't completely gone, but she's grown so much during the seemingly short period between the first book and the second, she's not near as annoying as I found her in the first.

The story is also much more well planned out than the first. I had such difficulty on the first one following exactly what was happening, and with this one, I didn't get confused until the very end, and that was because I had too much excitement happen between reading the first chapters and the last. The lovely author herself screwed up my concentration.

I knew Who Dunnit pretty much from the beginning, but let's face it, Fantasy is not Mystery. Fantasy doesn't set out to fool you. So I don't expect as much from works of Fantasy as I do mysteries. And there were still a couple of "No way!" moments, which made it all the more worth it.

I think the series will only get better from here. Amber is obviously having fun with writing, and the more she writes, the better she knows her own characters, and the more they'll grow. So I'm not giving up on her yet. autographed owned read-in-102 s Morgan1,682 88

There was a lengthy delay in me finishing book #1 and starting this one, but as I mentioned in an update she does a good job catching things up without it seeming a backstory infodump.

My enjoyment did start to go down a bit with this one. It hadn't fallen off completely yet just lowered down a little.

I'm a big fan of all the mythology and Egyptian mythology and the world Benson has built around Calliope. Still not all that much of a fan of Calliope herself.fiction mythology-and-folklore paranormal1 Meghan573 66

Cat’s Claw is the second novel in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series by Amber Benson. Benson is mostly known for her acting abilities in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer playing the character Tara. The Calliope Reaper-Jones series tells the story of Calliope Reaper-Jones, Death’s daughter, and what her life is because of the job her father has. Things go wrong for Calliope more than they go right but through it all she figures it out step by step, to the best of her ability, and doing her best to not piss off anyone in power too much as she goes through it all. In Cat’s Claw, Calliope is thrown back into her families world of the paranormal and supernatural when she is forced to repay a debt that she owes. Taking her all around the world, she embarks on this journey to repay the debt she owes, with surprises along the way, Calliope is in for an adventure she might not have exactly been prepared for.

These novels are fun. I started off by saying that because not every book that readers read has to be serious literature or a novel that would be considered as the great American novel. I love this series because it is so much fun. It’s a well written Fantasy series that tells a story that while it might not need to be told it should be told. I love the fact that in these novels, Calliope has no idea what she is doing. It makes sense for a twenty something woman to be at this point in her life, it’s relatable. Something Benson does an amazing job with is making her story relatable in an unrelatable world. As a reader, I feel for Calliope because I can understand her emotions even when they’re taking place in situations that I would never be getting into.

Calliope has heart, she might not always make the right choices morally but she makes the right choices for herself and that’s something that I truly admire about the character. She knows herself well enough to know when something is the right choice for her. It’s not just Calliope though that makes these novels so interesting and exciting to read. The cast of characters that surround Calliope make the novel stand out as well. I adore Calliope’s inner circle of friends and companions that she has with her. They stand by her choices and by her faithfully, almost to a fault.

Cat’s Claw and the first novel in the series Death’s Daughter are both fast paced reads. Readers could easily sit down one afternoon, if they have nothing else to do, and finish one of the novels which is something that I really enjoy about the novels as well. Benson does an amazing job bringing her characters and her world to life, I highly recommend not only this book but this series for anyone for enjoys fun, Fantasy reads.
favorite-books favorites read-in-20151 Donna167 24

Calliope “Calli” Reaper-Jones is trying to live a normal life in New York City, that includes a boring cubby job and hunting for the next sale at Barney’s, all of which Calli is perfectly content with. But Calli also happens to be daughter of the president at Death, Inc., who is also known as the Grim Reaper, and she’s next in line for the job.

Cerebus, the three headed hellhound that guards the gates to Hell, has called in the debt that Calli owes him. Now, in order for Calli to keep Runt, her hellhound friend, and pay her debt off, Calli has to find an architect from the times of Ancient Egypt and return him to Cerebus. The catch, she only has 24 hours to find the lost architect or not only will she lose Runt, she’ll end up with a fate far worse.

Calli bumbles and stumbles her way around the world and the underworld in her search for the architect but that’s part of Calli’s charm. And this time around Calli is more willing to embrace her supernatural side and is even looking forward to honing a few magical skills that could end up being a perk in the long run. I definitely d the growth I saw in Calli’s personality and attitude, while keeping her sarcastic humor intact.

Cat’s Claws was a fun, snappy read to the tune of a chick-lit writing style, set in a colorful supernatural world. It’s a charming mesh of several myths with an unconventional modern day twist that hosts a cast of quirky, likable and diverse characters. This series is starting to show a lot of potential.2010-read urban-fantasy1 James522

So, the writing did get a smidge better from the first book, and now that some of the characters are world are defined, it was easier to get into, but I'm still not very fond of it. It still reads a teen book. Maybe it's supposed to. Benson writes that immortals age up until around 18-20, and then stop right around there. Regardless of how many more years Calliope's got on her, she certainly still acts a teenager. Worse, actually, than most of the teens I know but about on par with what you get from television shows.

Another thing that bugs me is the lack of a feeling of series... Just a few short weeks after her sister kidnapped her father and attempted to destroy the immortality of her entire family, no one seems to be bothered or affected by that. The only consequence of the events of the first book appear to be that Calliope has the hots for a guy. Even the rest of the family is rather ho-hum about the previous book's events. Her parents are concerned enough to send a magic trainer to Calliope, but not a shrink? Stuff this just contributes to the idea that this is a YA book, and not an adult book.fantasy fantasy-series read-in-20101 Rochelle103 11

The fact that this book got published is an insult to all authors and readers who have come before. The tone is snide, selfish, snobbish, and rude. The complete and total massacre of the English language should shame the writer and the editor. This book was so bad that I threw it away instead of selling it to a used bookstore as no one else should be traumatized by it.

" I mean, I hadn’t had a real date in, well … It was so pathetic an expanse of time that I didn’t even want to talk about it." --Yes, yes. Anyone who doesn't date is PATHETIC.

RE: her best friend - tedious. (What a great friend)

This is the most mind bogglingly stupid thing I've ever seen a writer put in a book, hands down. "I say it was a he, but that was only a hypothesis. I just could not imagine any self-respecting female - monster or not - ever getting as pudgy as this thing was." DOT DOT DOT. WTF is that doing in there? IN A YOUNG ADULT NOVEL!!!??? Jesus Christ.


That is where I stopped, 9 pages in. Save yourself from this crap and go read anything else.don-t-read1 Amber163 19

I love this series. The main character, Calliope, is so well written. She's strong, she's smart-but-not-too-smart, she's flawed but she knows it, she'd do anything to protect the folk she loves. She screws up hugely, but she always fixes it. I think she's a fabulous, realistic character. Plot-wise, I didn't love this book quite as much as the first one, Death's Daughter. I still loved it, though, and I am really hoping there is a 3rd book in the series.supernatural-action-mystery1 Erin Mcmahon472 20

This is the second book in the series and it was amazing. I love the way Amber Benson writes. The world she created about death and the business end of it. Not to mention all the great characters. Callie gets herself into so serious scrapes from making a deal with Cerebrus to the Jeckel brothers and then Bast wow!! this is a great series I'm ready for the next one :)books-i-own1 Jess1,504 101

I tried but I just couldn't finish it. Maybe I'll try again at another time. But I just couldn't take Callie. What a pain in the ass.2010 abandoned1 Matt64 3

I would rather let someone fart in my mouth than have to ever read this again.1 Rusty Bentley20 2

Full disclosure: Amber Benson and I are best friends*. Despite our closeness, trust that this is an objective review of Cat's Claw, the second in the Calliope Reaper-Jones saga. For context, I read the first one and d it. My biggest issue with the first one was the protagonist, Calliope. I just didn't relate to her at all, and I thought the way she constantly got distracted by boys and fashion were silly at best. With this book, that aspect was either toned down quite a bit, or I didn't notice it as much. In either case, it made Calliope much more endearing, and I enjoyed this book very much.

Amber's writing in this series is really outstanding in two aspects for me:

1) Calliope's voice. The first two books are written in first person from Calliope's point of view, and her narration always entertains. I really her voice -- the variance from opinionated to expert to self-doubting to self-loathing to compassionate to nurturing... great stuff!

2) The mythology. I won't spoil anything, but the way that mythologies from different cultures are incorporated and played with is VERY well done. You don't have to be a mythology buff to it, but if you're into mythology, it's a must-read for that reason alone. I found myself more than once juxtaposing a character in the story with how that character was normally described and smiling at the tweaks.

I alternated between reading the kindle version while sitting and listening to the audible version while driving. The audible version is read by the author. The audiobook was top notch from production value (simple, seamless, well-balance audio for the win!) to the performance. Amber is, of course, a household name**, but her voicing of the characters here was well worth the extra happy buck. The synchronization between the kindle and audible was perfect as well, which is a first for me.

I highly recommend this book. It certainly impressed me enough to gladly get the next in the series. If this style of urban fantasy isn't for you, that's OK -- Amber has written several other series and stand-alone books. I encourage you to check out The Seven Whistlers instead. Happy reading!

* A slight exaggeration -- I met her once, and she was really nice.

** For Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans.read-2017 Ma406 1 follower

Nach dem ersten Band wollte ich unbedingt wissen, wie die Geschichte zwischen Callie und Daniel weitergeht - und wie die JENSEITS GmbH so tickt. Da dieses Buch nicht mehr im Handel erhältlich ist und auch bei der Bücherei nicht verfügbar war, habe ich es mir gebraucht besorgt, denn ich wollte unbedingt weiterlesen. Da die Handlung aufbauend ist, sollte unbedingt der erste Band zuerst gelesen werden.

Der erste Band hat mich überzeugt und ich wollte tiefer in die jenseitige Welt mit ihren alten Mythen und Callie eintauchen - was der zweite Band auch versprach, sollte es doch um Zerberus Gefallen und um die Suche nach Daniel gehen.

Der Klappentext spoilert mehr als die Hälfte der Handlung - wer das Buch lesen möchte, sollte vom Klappentext lieber die Finger lassen und selber in die Geschichte eintauchen.

Im zweiten Band bin ich nicht auf meine Kosten gekommen - denn weder der Tod selbst noch überwiegend Daniel kommen in diesem Werk vor - dafür aber geben sich die alten ägyptischen Gottheiten in diesem Band die Klinke in die Hand - und Zerberus scheint da auch irgendwie seine Pfoten mit im Spiel zu haben.

Auch diese Geschichte ist wieder witzig und locker erzählt, jedoch nicht das, was ich mir erwartet habe. Da auch 6 Jahre nach dem Erscheinen des Buches kein Nachfolgeroman erschienen ist, finde ich es schade, dass für mich so viele Fragen am Ende des Lesens offen bleiben, da für mich die Handlung noch nicht richtig abgeschlossen ist und auch noch mindestens ein Gefallen aussteht.

Fazit: So habe ich das nicht erwartet, und offen bleibt mir auch zu viel. Schade! Jena GregoireAuthor 17 books108

Cat’s Claw is the second book in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series by Amber Benson….and what a follow up it is!! Amber Benson has done a fantastic job once again! Cat’s Claw follows Callie on a new adventure that leads her all over the globe. Still as sassy and fashion forward as ever, Callie is now trying to solve a mystery that has her own destiny on the line.

One of my favorite things about this book was for a totally personal reason. As the synopsis says, Callie ends up in Las Vegas for part of this book. The cool thing is, she ends up at the Luxor Hotel & Casino and I was just there in August 2011. Having been there in person myself, I could totally see everything she describes, including the funky elevator they have that they call an Inclinator.

Overall, this book is fantastic! It’s a great follow up to Death’s Daughter and ends with one hell of a cliff hanger. I cant wait to read Serpent’s Storm to see where this goes!! For those of you who have read or will be reading this series, dont forget that the 4th installment in the series, How To Be Death, also comes out 2/28/2012.

I give Cat’s Claw 5 stars! Hands down one of the most fun series I have ever read! Great job Ms. Benson!audible urban-fantasy Emma33 1 follower

I had read Death's Daughter a while before picking up this one and honestly could not remember at all what had happened which did not help. I find the lead character so unable and just not very realistic, she is constantly on about designer clothing she bought but also how she can't afford it and has no money at all to even eat, then next page she's getting enough money out of a cash machine for a trip to Las Vegas, it just doesn't work. Also, the whole Daniel storyline is so boring and disingenuous, they have zero connection. The redeeming quality of this book is that it did keep me hooked, however the ending felt very rushed and poorly explained. Jenn4,381 69

DNF. I read the first one of these forever ago. I didn't remember particularly liking it, but I saw it recommended somewhere, so I picked up the second one. Luckily at the used book store I work at, so I only paid a $1 for it.

Was the "heroine" this awful in the first one? Because if she was, I must have been way more tolerant then. She's just awful. I DNF this one at around 70 pages. There's too much out there to read to spend my time on something I hate. Now on to some super fluff to cleanse the palette. dnf Michelle547

A nice complex plot, a protagonist who isn't such a spaz this time around, and Ancient Egypt - bonus points for getting the facts, the people and the deities correct! I just about flipped when I heard Senenmut's name and when CRJ went through the weighing of the heart ceremony with the Jackal Brothers. She even used "hieroglyphs" correctly.to-do-with-ancient-egypt BradleyAuthor 4 books2,492

Pretty good story. Solid plot. Might read more of this series. =) Shanna_redwind395 17

I books where the main character gathers friends wherever they go because they treat people fairly and with kindness. This book gave me that.contemporary-fantasy Alison (Lady Coffin) S1,165 38

Fun readfloab-game-of-thrones grim-reaper-death Linda308 2

*****science-fiction Heather76

Eh. Couldn't get into it. Kitt270 39

Calliope Reaper-Jones is the Grim Reaper's daughter and she's having a bad weekend. She works at House and Yard as the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Sales. Her boss, Hyacinth Stewart, is still pissed over Calliope's forced absence to save her dad, Death-Ceo and President of Death, INC., after he was kidnapped a month ago. Hy's so upset in fact, she's introduced Callie to the term "over-worked" making Calliope extremely tired, but she's not at all surprised by the punishment.

On her way home Thursday evening she get's a bizarre phone call (which is incredibly strange considering her phone's turned off) by a strange woman asking for cupcakes and tea. Later that night, that very same strange woman appears in her kitchen at her very small New York apartment with her extremely rude Minx, Muna. Madame Papillon has been requested by Calliope's parents to give magic lessons to her. You might remember Madame Calliope from being the very same aura reader that saved her mother from the slow descent when she was a child. So, after some amount of time of coaxing, she finally agrees upon the magic lessons. Though, while Madame Papillon's there she notices an issue with Calliope's aura. It's strange, almost her soul is intertwined with anthers. Calliope's first thought is to her lost love, Daniel-ex Devil's Protege, to which she did some coalescing with in Hell, saving her from a poisoned Madori Sour during her search of the three tasks from the Board.

Calliope travels back home to Sea Verge, her family's large estate in New Port, Rhode-Island, in search of a certain faun and Executive Assistant to her dad, Jarvis. She needs to get to the Hall of Records in Purgatory to find out more on Daniel's death and what better way than asking Death's assistant? Except when she finally catches up to Jarvis, he has more bad news. It seems sometime ago he dropped off a shiny red envelope to Calliope consisting of summons from Cerberus, the guardian of the North Gate in to Hell, which in turn, not knowing or caring what it was, Calliope threw away. Though, with fate finally being on her side, it has landed Calliope at Sea Verge with only forty five minutes to spare to get her to the meeting on time. Clio, Calliope's sister, fears Cerberus wants his daughter back, but Calliope knows the real truth behind the summoning. Cerberous is calling in his favor for letting her take his darling daughter, Runt. After arriving in Hell, Calliope learns quickly that Cerberus's "favor" will be no small feet. He wants her to find a man that was due at his gates thousand of years ago, Senenmut the architect of the Egyptian Pyramids. Calliope agrees to the terms of the favor and her journey to finding the lost Senenmut finally begins.

Cat's Claw is in the same fashion as the first, very light and a quick read. Calliope's maturing a little more and starting see things differently. I think she's starting to understand that not everything is about her, that maybe-even as much as she wants it to-she'll never get away from the underworld with her having Death as her father. She's learning the true value of friendship, though, fer addiction to clothing hasn't faded, she's just to broke now to afford anything she really wants. What I didn't about Cat's Claw was Calliope's confessed love for Daniel. If you remember back to the time they spent actually together in Death's Daughter, you'll realize it doesn't amount to much. And while I can still be completely shocked by his decision at the end of Death's Daughter, I don't think their relationship can be amounted to much more than and lust. I wish more of connection was established between the two. The story in Cat's Claw was really clever and, the first, really fast paced. The new villain, Bast-The Queen of Cats, was of course my favorite. How deliciously evil and well thought out her nefarious plans were. I really enjoyed Cat's Claw and thought it was a good edition to the Calliope Reaper-Jones series.read-2010 urban-fantasy Dawson30 13

Growth and evolution are the primary driving factors in the life of a human being. No matter how hard we try, we can’t help but change as people over time. Our experiences shape us, and that fundamental truth underlies this entire book.

Calliope, in Cat’s Claw, has grown from the girl she was in Death’s Daughter. She’s garnered a bit of fame from her exploits in the previous books and isn’t really sure how she feels about it (Food for Thought: is this a bit of the author’s experience coming through in her characters?). She’s also begun to see her family in a new light. I’m reminded of that time around your early to mid-twenties when you begin to realize that those people who stick by you (whatever you may have thought of them before) probably care about you more than you realize and it wouldn’t hurt to be nicer to them.

Lastly, she begins another quest and some of the epic-ness this trilogy will cover peeks out from behind the curtain, prepping for taking center stage (I imagine, in the third and final book). In this book, Calliope is left largely to her own devices to find a missing soul for Cerberus (who’s called in his favor), try to help Daniel who’s shade has been stolen by a cat who turns out to be the Goddess Bast, figure out what’s going on with Jarvis and Clio who’ve begun behaving oddly, and somehow try to get some time with Daniel and spit out the fact that she’s, y’know, in love with him. In between, there are twists, turns, betrayals, deaths, and several men for Calliope to drool over.

Whew. If that sounds a roller-coaster ride then you really are getting a feel for what it’s reading this book. It’s a great adventure, and a fun read, with overtones of even more greatness to come.

You see, in the same way Calliope has grown, Ms. Benson has grown as an author as well (or has made a choice to step up her game in this book, one of the two). Cat’s Claw is the beginning of the epic feeling of this story. Sea Verge begins to take on some of the mythic qualities that the home of Death should embody. Calliope begins to discover that she perhaps has more power than she imagined. The afterlife has some real life breathed into it (sorry, I can’t resist a good pun…) and we really start to sense how it looks and feels. Back stories are slowly revealed and characters besides Calliope get fleshed out (Jarvis and Clio especially).

The only nit-pick I’d have about this book actually relates to how the trilogy has been structured. I’ll be honest, if some of this vastness of the story Ms. Benson intended to tell had been made felt in the first book, it ly would have drawn in more readers, because this one is a far more enjoyable read. I remember hearing somewhere that the original idea was to write one long book, and I suspect that when it was changed to be a trilogy not too much thought was put into how it would need to be restructured to accommodate multiple releases. Sometimes, growth and change can be messy to handle.

Regardless, this book was really a great read and am waiting anxiously for the final book. Can’t wait!

Some of my favorite tid-bits from Cat’s Claw:

"Whenever I went to Hell, I always left bloodier than I had come."

"Death 101, or How Does That Persnickety Afterlife Work?"

"…that mankind was all the same on the inside, no matter how different they seemed on the outside."This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review Timothy Brannan23 3

The second Death's Daughter book is out and Callie is back!

Calliope Reaper-Jones is the eponymous Death's Daughter in Amber Benson's second book of the series, Cat's Claw. the first one, Callie is tossed into another adventure. This time not to save her dad and potential immortality, but return on all the favors book one cost her. Starting with returning the adorable little hell hound Runt (Griselda) to Hell, or rather the North Gate where Runt's father, Cerberus, needs Callie to do something for him.

Callie rushes of to Purgatory to find the soul of a long dead Egyptian architect, that has somehow fallen off the radar. In the mean-time she has to deal with the shade of her former-not-quite-lover Daniel, aka the Former Protégé of the Devil, some weird aura-expert that seems to know what Callie's immortal unique kill is, and a mess of angry Egyptian gods.

I won't go into all the detail here, that would be ruining it for everyone, but there are twists and turns and trips to Hell, Purgatory and Vegas.

Let's instead talk about the author and her creation.

Amber Benson is the creator of this tale, but I would not be surprised if there wasn't a tiny Callie in her brain screaming at her telling to write. And how to write. And when. And how much.
Callie is a wreck, but thankfully Ms. Benson is not. This book is much better than the first one and the tale is very fun. I really did not want to put it down once I started. People have accused Callie as being too fashion conscious and maybe even a little shallow. Well that is how she is supposed to be. It's all a façade. Callie doesn't want to be immortal or the Scion of Death, or anything. She wants to be a New Yorker. She wants nice shoes and maybe a nice bag to go with them. A hot guy would be nice too. Trouble is Callie wants "Sex in the City" and she is stuck with "Dante's Inferno".

I think Amber does a fantastic job here of showing the superficial Callie and the REAL Callie that lies just beneath. If Callie was a vapid, air head she would have died in the first book; immortal or not. But she isn't.

Now that we have the second book in hand we can see what we have in store. This is a modern Divine Comedy. Dante, our first tale was in Hell and our second in Purgatory. There are also many references to Dante's magnum opus here too.

We get to know Callie a bit more here too. There is less focus on the secondary characters and more on her. This is good, but I did miss seeing the scenes with her sister, Clio. I d the introduction of Callie's magic; the girl has some power and I hope we get to see it in the next book.

Just it took me a while to Kim Harrison's Rachel Morgan, it took me a bit to Calliope Reaper-Jones, but now I do. I see through the façade to the real Callie now. I can't wait till she sees it too!

If you modern-supernatural-horror/chick-lit books and are not afraid to pick up some new terms (I did have to look up what Manolos are and how much they cost...yikes!) this is an fun read. Jessica83 30

Couldn't finish it. Not a fan of the main character, was just too superficial with little growth. It all got so annoying, overwhelmed the plot Ash591 116

This is more of a 2.5 review.

This time Calliope Reaper-Jones a.k.a Death's Daughter is all over the map including a Target in Las Vegas, Ancient Egypt, Purgatory, and Hell in Cat's Claw, the second in the CRJ series. Callie gets a visit from a noted aura specialist and her Minx telling her that something is very hinky with her aura. Turns out, because of their freaky soul merging, Callie is still connected to the deceased Daniel, the former Devil's Protege, whom may not be all that dead.

To make matters worse, Callie is summoned to Hell by Cerberus to discuss the matter of Giselda or Runt as she is affectionately called. Now Callie doesn't want to give Runt up so she and Cerberus make a deal: if she can locate a certain soul named Senenmut within 24 hours she can keep Runt. If Callie fails, not only does she forfeit Runt but her own freedom as she would become the new Guardian of the North Gate of Hell.

I wasn't a fan of Death's Daughter. However, Cat's Claw, in some instances, was much better. There was a lot more exposition of the mythology of Callie's supernatural world and I loved it! It was all very fascinating about immortality, Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. Also, I d the Immortal Conspiracy that came about.

Even though it really reminded me of the film, The Mummy Returns, I d the whole Ancient Egypt-Past Life-Time Travel storyline. It was interesting. Benson did a good job of not focusing in Callie's horrid qualities too much. The whining, the boy craziness, and immaturity was bought down considerably in Cat's Claw. There were times when I even d Callie and thought she was funny.

What I really didn't was Callie's realization that she was in love Daniel. Since when, honey? It came out of nowhere and it pissed me off. I could understand liking him but loving him? Nope, not buying it.

I do hope as the series goes on, Callie becomes a much capable and stronger individual. It's pretty obvious that she will become the next CEO of Death, Inc but I am not seeing a leader just yet. She is still a hot mess.why-did-i-read-this Natasja286 9

Calliope “Calli” Reaper-Jones is happy with her normal life, especially when she has an unusual family. She happens to be the daughter of the president of Death Inc., also known as Death and she is next in line for the job and she is not looking forward to that.

Calli has a debt with the three-headed hellhound Cerebus and the time has come for him to collect that debt she owns him. Calli has to find the soul of this architect from the times of Ancient Egypt and return him to Cerebus in order for her to keep Runt, her hellhound pup.

Of course there is a catch, she has 24 hours to find this lost soul or she’ll face a lot worse that losing her favourite pup.

Cat’s Claw by Amber Benson is the second novel in her Calliope Reader-Jones Series and another great novel. Just the first novel I found myself being lured into the world and didn’t want to leave it until I turned the last page.

In the first novel Calli was a spoiled woman, who desperately wanted a normal life with a boring job and only thinking about clothes and other non-important things in her life. Being away from her weird family was a bonus for her. I think being the daughter of Death gives her the right to act that way, a spoiled woman, but I have to be honest I love the change in Calli in this book. She still has that unusual personality and attitude we saw in the first novel, but her priorities has changed. You could say she finally grew up after the first novel and was willing to embrace her supernatural side.

Beside her favour to Cerebus, which is to find that missing soul of this architect, she also helps Daniels whose shade has been stolen by a cat. Not to mention figure out where she stands in her relationship with Daniel, does she love him or not?

I have to say Cat’s Claw is well written and has some kind of humour in it, which I love. I can only say that I’m looking forward to the next novel and see in what kind of trouble Calli will be in then.
Heather FinleyAuthor 10 books20

I loved this book. It quickly became a new favorite. First off, it is hysterically funny. I laughed out loud so many times. The part that was super dramatic only to find out that the girl was at Target cracked me up. When I saw Amber Benson talk on a panel at SDCC, I had tears streaming down by face I was laughing so hard. The other people on the panel could barely hold it together they were laughing so hard too. It is easy to see her personality shine through in this book.

Benson's writing is super vivid as well. Normally I hate books that slip too much into the alt-universes but these ones are stark in a way that they are still interesting but extremely easy to put myself in. I that a lot. The characters as well are easy to picture. I thought the main character was definitely Amber herself. Clio made me think of Miley Cyrus post hair cut. Jarvis made me think of the fawn from Narnia.

The way this story tied together was excellent. There was a lot of things that I wondered about during the book and when they were resolved there was that ah-ha moment. Not all writers have the ability to sprinkle in things that grab the reader's attention without outright stating that they are important to the story. in a mystery book when the protagonist picks up something and thinks, hmm this is odd, then it ends up being a key to the story. I don't mind books that do that but I think Benson is talented at getting the reader to wonder about things all on their own.

Another reason I really loved this book was Bast and the whole Egyptian thing. I took my fair share of history classes and I loved the way different elements were weaved into this story. Bast is my personal favorite Goddess because, well honestly I'm a crazy cat lady.

This was definitely a great book to end my 60 book goal for 2012. Can't wait to read the rest of the series. favorite paranormal urban-fantasy Sunil961 144

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