The concept of the series was good, but the characters were really disappointing. There were so many times were I just wanted to toss the books aside because the main character, Dante, was just over emotional to the point of stupidity. Some characters can still be good or decent characters by being emotionally over bearing in some situations, but in these particular novels, Dante as an emotional unstable human/demon/bounty hunter didn't work in the least bit. She was constantly making just down right senseless choices based solely on the fact that Eve, the head of the rebellion, wore the face of Dante's dead lover. How she didn't know she was being used by Eve is beyond me because there was a snippet of conversation that Dante actually overheard Eve stated that she would read the magi journals to Dante to get her to be compliant to her cause. Dante started off as a somewhat strong character and just fell from there, flitting back and forth between being that strong character to an over vexed fool. And her distrust issue just got more annoying as the pages went on. Japhrimel, Dante's demon lover, was less of an irritating character but he flitted back and forth between being an abusive boyfriend to the shoulder to cry on just seemed bipolar at points. Overall, the idea was good, the characters on the other hand were terribly written. Honestly, the only reason I finished the series was in hopes that someone would finally kill Dante. 13 s Rina28

Woah...just woah. I don't know what to write. I really didn't expect most of the things that happend. And especially the end. It's so raw and heartwrenching, and you literally feel exactly what the protagonist feels. It leaves you with the same empty numbness, Dante feels. And there are not many authors, who are able to pull something this off.

Also a plus: it's not your typical Urban Fantasy story with lots of clichées and meaningless romance (not that I enjoy those storys too, from time to time). It's the story itself that matters here and the characters and their development. Their feelings, their hopes, their despair, their pain and their relationships/friendship.

The whole series is so amazingly written. I really, really love it.
The only thing that gets on your nerves sometimes, is the constant repeating of some phrases. But it's nothing really worth mentioning.

All in all, if you some solid story with fights, horror, surprises, honor, betrayel, friendship, bonds, and lots more, you should read it.favorites read-again11 s Nancy534 12 Read

I must've d it because I read the whole thing. But I don't know why. I think the moral of the story is "If Lucifer comes knocking on your door, turn the lights out and hide, just when you run out of Halloween candy" The story itself was very good and interesting, but the characters were annoying. I d Gabe, Eddie and Jace, although he was a bit of an ass, but redeemed himself. Our Heroine Dante was a self centered, whiny, pain in the butt. I know she had a issues in school and woo-woo-woo, but give me break! And Japh was an overprotective futuristic version of a hillbilly wife beater. Dante should've chopped his head off with her katana when she had the chance. Lucifer was a little wishy-washy as well, especially for the ruler of Hell. I didn't mind the futuristic setting, but I didn't the made up words to make things from "now" sound they were new whiz bang future things. I said, the story was good, and I think that's what kept me hanging in there, because you never know what's really going on. Mostly because Japh won't tell Dante. If she'd have chopped his head off, we wouldn't have the problem, now would we?7 s Mari113 19

Do people actually realize how much of urban fantasy has your typical kick-butt heroine that is a "damaged surviver, that wins against impossible odds using a tougher then nails attitude and combat skills" ? Around ninety percent. Buffy is probably to blame, but Buffy was special. She was goofy, and imperfect, and needed people. She was also very willing to NOT hurt someone. If she had a chance to not fight she always took it. At heart Buffy wasn't about being a very strong female. It was about sacrifice. Buffy was willing to lay down her extremely young life for the good of others. THAT was why she drew others to her. That selflessness.
Not so with the twenty million Buffy imitators that glare at me from the book jackets of the entire urban fantasy section in a book store. There they are, with their tough girl pouts, holding up weapons, wearing jeans, leather pants and bustiers. On every cover it tells me how THIS kick butt heroine is unique, but none of them are. ditto Dante Valentine. She is an angry, mistrusting harridan, who pretty much defines the words "more brawn then brains" NO THANKS. I just don't think I can even relate to people that d this book series. 5 s Patrícia1,014 112

BOOK 1: Working for the Devil
Rating: 3.5 stars

I was pleasantly surprised by this first book in the Dante Valentine series. I bought this five book omnibus because the price was good and the series was completed. I really thought it would be a standard urban fantasy, and in many aspects it is. But... the setting is slightly different, as it's the future and there are plasguns and holo-vids. The world-building reminded me a lot of the "Downside Ghosts" series by Stacia Kane (or maybe it's the other way around since the Dante Valentine series is older?) which is a plus, of course, since I love Downside Ghosts. I was also surprised that I d Dante so much since I was convinced she would be a very stereotypical character... again, in a few ways she is, but there is also something appealing in her.

Overall, I d this first book. It was a good introduction to the series and the characters and world-building make it interesting enough. Sure, the world needs more explaining but there are four more books.

Book 2: Dead Man Rising
Rating: 3 stars

WARNING: SPOILERS for book 1
In this second book of the Dante Valentine series we are treated to more development of the world although many parts aren't very well explained still. Dante is now a little more than human after what happened to her in the first book and she is dealing with Japhrimel's death by throwing herself into work. But when her friend Gabe asks for her help in an awful murder investigation Dante may just have to revisit her past.

This book was less impressive than the first. It was useful because we got to know more about the world and more about Dante's past but the mystery was pretty simple and there wasn't a lot of suspense. I think the whole thing with Japhrimel was pretty obvious too. This book is clearly meant to develop the characters and little more. That said I didn't particularly where Dante is going as a character, but oh well. I'd also to know more about Anubis and the other gods.

Overall a nice UF read but nothing special.

Book 3: The Devil's Right Hand
Rating: 2 stars

WARNING: Spoilers and Rant ahead
Really? With a fully developed world filled with supernaturals and psionic humans and still so much to discover we're back to 'Hell's denizens'? Really?

Book 3 sounded a lot book 1, except there is no resolution, there's less action, the mystery plot is almost nonexistent, Japhrimel is an idiot and Dante is an even bigger idiot (and a whiner). Oh there are explosions and stuff, but there's not much development in terms of story (seems the last three books are the same big story arc) and there were tons of things that could have been explored but weren't. All Dante does in this book is to whine, cry and feel cheated because her boyfriend is abusive but she luuurves him so! But she is independent! But she also luuurves him so! Woes, the hurt. It hurts.

In the middle of all the angst (Japhrimel really is a bastard in this book, to give Dante some credit), there is some story about the Prince of Hell wreaking havoc in everyone's life. What annoyed me is that Dante doesn't evolve as a character. In most urban fantasy books heroines either develop the skills to fight stronger foes or try against all odds; not Dante. She just goes on and on about how demons are stronger and she could never ever hope to fight them and she's so lucky Japh is so big and strong and can protect her.

Basically the characters in this book were mostly awfully annoying and boring. Dante alternates between damsel in distress and though 'I-don't-need-no-man' chick and Japhrimel's possessiveness towards his 'woman' and general treatment of her was frankly revolting. So it's getting difficult to Dante, Japhrimel outlived his usefulness and nothing much happens.
We get it, demons are strong. What about writing about the other supernaturals in your world Ms Saintcrow? Diversity makes a UF series thrive, me thinks. I don't think it's going to happen since the series is finished, but it's still a pity. There is much that could be done with this series world which still is the series' best feature.

BOOKS 4 & 5: Saint City Sinners & To Hell and Back

These books are part one and two of the "epic" (not so much) conclusion of the Dante Valentine series. In book 3, Lucifer decided to randomly appoint Dante as his 'right-hand' (read: assassin and/or catcher of rebellious demons), the post held before by Dante's Fallen (read: boyfriend) Japhrimel. At the same time Gabe, Dante's Necromance friend calls her with a request to return to Saint City and help her with an investigation. Chaos (and I mean it, it's plot! chaos) ensues.

The pacing of both books is frenetic and because book 5 is a direct continuation I decided to review them both. They are too similar in plot style and character development, really.

A lot goes on in these books, but mostly it's in Dante's head. She pulls an "Anita Blake" on the readers and spends most of these last two books deciding if she can or can't trust Japhrimel, who is (still) a bastard. So it's kind of a valid question, but Dante is pretty weak willed and it's annoying. Japhrimel with his "trust me and don't ask questions, just do as I say" speech is also annoying; I mean he could have learned, right? His 'beloved' is always telling him that way won't work with her.

Since all this emotional angst is unresolved, much of the books is a collection of Dante's anguished inner ramblings. And then something really bad happens to our heroine and she's left near madness (really, everything happens to Dante. Too much!). So we get to read what's happening through her fractured mind. And maybe that's why the plot seemed so thin, convoluted and really random sometimes. Everyone's plotting and there are plots within plots or so the author would have us believe but in the end it's all very simple: there's a rebellion and since Dante is the 'right-hand' she's being used by everyone. And everyone gets this but her (of course if she did get it, the book would be a lot shorter). It's kind of... annoying?

Overall, I thought the author was just giving us the same old storylines she gave us in books one and two; there was nothing innovative in the last three books and the main characters were pretty aggravating with their attitudes. The plot was thin although the writing was meant to make the reader think it was complex.
Saintcrow did create a passably original and engrossing world and you can tell she had the history of it all figured out, but she only explored a tiny part of it. I'd love to read more about the world although maybe not through Dante. It's a pity the author focused so much on one race of supernaturals when there were so many others to know about. And we never got to understand more about Jado or Abracadabra or the gods.
A nice futuristic urban fantasy series that could have been so much better. The world-building is good but while the main character starts out ok, she turns into an exasperating whiner who can do little by herself. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.Show full review2009-to-2019 l-english sci-fi-lite ...more4 s mlady_rebecca2,293 105

When?

A 1285 page book - an omnibus of five different novels. When did I find out when the novel took place? In the author's afterward. Page 1278.

By the slaughtering of place names, culture names, and religious names, I knew it took place in "the future", but I was guessing 50-100 years. It was 600.

Where?

Back to the slaughtered place names. As a result of fragmented "that kinda sounds " names, I didn't really have a sense of where we were in the world for most of the book. Talking about the Pyramids of Giza was Charleston Heston seeing the Statue of Liberty at the end of "Planet of the Apes". Only not in a good way. In a "so this isn't really a made up world?" sort of way.

(The difference being "Planet of the Apes" felt an entirely alien world, until that last twist. This world didn't give a single impression. One moment it felt "other". The next moment it was our future. The moment after that it felt an entirely new world with "cheated" Earth- geography. standing on quick sand.)

World building?

The author spent a great deal of time with her back story - all the events that occurred between our present and the beginning of book 1. Some of it was repeated so often it felt it was being pounded into my head. Other passages that made me glaze over. Basically, she gave us too much world building, presented in a way where I just didn't give a damn.

What did I walk away with? There was a 70 day war, an unknown number of years in the past, which pulled psions and preternaturals into the forefront of society. But said same war caused massive nuclear fallout level destruction. Other than that, you had your anti-grav vehicles and your video phones. Big fucking deal.

By the way, preference wise, I don't consider post-apocalyptic fantasy to be equivalent to urban fantasy, which was what I was expecting. So I felt a bit mislead in that. I was looking for a contemporary (or slightly in the future) version of our world. A world that is almost our world, except that there are preternatural creatures of some type, either in or out of the metaphorical closet. This was an open world, by the way.

SPOILERS after this point.

Who?

The characters. At the end of the journey, I really didn't the "hero" or "heroine". The only characters I walked away liking were all dead - Jase, Gabe, and Eddie. Japh came across as a bit of a dick. Major abusive boyfriend material. And Dante? Almost schizophrenic. Love him. He's my only shelter in the world. Next moment ... Hate him. Must run away. Should I try to kill him? Hey, jumping off this building seems preferable to spending another moment with him. And this wasn't just love to hate or hate to love, it was a fucking sine wave.

What?

Plot? Given this was a compendium of five different stand alone novels, I should walk away with the sense of five different journeys completed. Not so much. I d the "chill" story line ("chill" is a street drug), and Eddie finding a cure, even if it cost him his life. And I kinda d the original search for a serial killer who turned out to be a demon. But what was the rest? Are we working for the devil, or trying to kill him? Is the devil's spawn, aka Eve, a better alternative or just a lesser known evil?

I ended most of the individual books feeling dissatisfied, and I ended the omnibus feeling the same way.

A few days ago I was reading about literary versus genre writing, and the audience expectations for genre. I think this book failed to meet the expectations of fantasy, of any sub-genre. The overall arch was unseating the devil, but it was put forth that he might just have been the lesser evil. So what was the point?

We started with a fucked up world -- ended with a fucked up world. Started with a fucked up narrator -- ended with a schizophrenic (fucked up) narrator. The genuine good guys all died. We didn't gain any ground at all.

Fantasy is supposed to be escapist. It's supposed to be a vacation from reality where we slay someone else's dragons (metaphorical or otherwise). We're supposed to come out of it feeling we accomplished something, even if we're a bit worse for wear.

Why?

That's the question, isn't it. What was the purpose of that arduous journey. I have no idea.

Don't the writing style. I won't be reading anything else by this author. In fact, I'm amazed I finished the whole omnibus.

Very disappointed.2011 characters__demons_or_angels characters__necromancers_or_reapers ...more4 s Lisa116 1 follower

I really wanted to this series, and I finished it, hoping against hope that there would be redemption at the end.

There wasn't.

Spoilers follow:

The character of Dante Valentine is supposed to be a tough as nails Necromancer. After book 1 she turns from this promising start into a woman trapped in a physically and emotionally abusive relationship who is apparently unable to communicate a single thought in her head. She is transformed from a hero into a beast that operates solely on instinct, with one abuse after another heaped on her book after book. This character turned my stomach. What is so very disappointing is that the world itself is a wonderful cyberpunk/fantasy dystopia. I would have love to play in it, but instead found myself cringing from chapter to chapter. This series moves from a potentially awesome urban fantasy into the worst aspects of grimdark.



3 s MaryB841 90

Kick butt heroine, dark fantasy--completely awesome!3 s * Kazzy * -aka Stryker-170 40

Working for the devil - I thought this started out a bit slow and took a few chapters to get going, but obviously the author has to set the scene etc. I find that some of the reading is a bit heavy going as there are a lot of phrases and words the author uses pertaining to the world she has created for the story, but she does not always explain what the things are! It is, however a very imaginative work, and something very different to the paranormal stuff I have read before. As for the characters, Dante is well kick-arse material, clearly can look after herself, but she seems to have a hard nature about her, maybe she will soften as the story progresses? As for Jace, I just love him, he is so sweet and will do anything for Dante, who in my opinion is a bit of a bitch to him at times. Won't give too much away but I was really sad at bits of Jace's story and what happens with him.

Dead man rising - I thought the storyline to this episode was excellent. Very well written, and the author pulled together what is essentially quite a tricky plot, that provides a lot of back-story to Dante's childhood experiences. I'm not sure what I make of the outcome where Japh is concerned, but maybe this will be explained a bit more in the next book. There are so many questions I want answered and I hope the author is eventually gonna tell us and not make us wait right to the last part of the last book to find out!

Devils Right Hand - well, the action has certainly picked up even more in this third part of the omnibus! So many fights, skirmishes, explosions and fires there are too many to comment on, but it certainly provides excitement and suspense, and well wot about the twists that have been very cleverly written in, eg; the androgeny, and Villalobos especially. Although I'm enjoying the series, I can't help being frustrated about how the two main characters just can't seem to have a finished conversation! Dante is always thinking loadsa stuff, but often never actually tells Japh how she feels, and I just feel kicking her up the butt and making her tell him! And Japh is just as bad, whenever Dante asks him a question he rarly gives her a straight answer, or any answer at all, god knows how Dante must feel cos as a reader I'm just pulling my hair out wanting to know so many things that he could easily tell us and bloody won't ugh!! At times I find Japh really endearing and other times I think why on earth is Dante still with him and putting up with his, often out of order, behaviour! I can't believe that after 3 books we still don't really know what hedeira means, or the consequences this entails for Dante, other than she seems to be 'owned' by Japh! Come on put us out of our misery and give a bit away huh!

St. City Sinners - continued loads of action throughout this episode, and a few interesting twists and turns that I hadn't anticipated! I think the whole series has been quote 'deep' at times, but felt this particular book was very deep and dark, with lots of Dante's feelings being revealed and explained. She is a very complicated, confused, difficult character at times, but it is quite refreshing to have a female lead that doesn't just 'bow-down' and give in to her love, as so many of them do in other books I have read. It's nice to see they both have to work at the relationship, and that it's not a bed of roses, which perhaps makes it that bit more realistic, and proves that some things never change, even 600 years into the future lol!!

To Hell and Back - this last installment was exciting in places, with continued action and brought together some of what was actually going on in the big plot and counter-plot, however I still didn't feel we actually got any real answers from Japh and Dante, and would have d that explored and explained more. Apart from that being a bit disappointing and frustrating, the series overall was action packed, exciting, (confusing at times), but extremely creative and unique. Well worth the read if you fancy something a bit different .my-kindle-books2 s Caroline368 3

Read this years ago and decided to do it again.
Just as good.
Dante is a bit of an anti-hero, she kicks ass and takes no prisoners. She's got a strong moral code, but has deep childhood issues. Her life is not simple and her love life is worse.
Japh is brilliant and scary, but at his core wants the best for Dante, but he's a demon after all.

Most of the time I am firmly on Dante's side, but sometimes I wan to kick her in the ass too.
The intrigues are fabulous, the players interesting, evil, scary. And the world building is very interesting.2 s James79



These books were interesting but my God, could Dante whine any more?! And Japhrimel just doing whatever he wants and forcing her along for the ride was irritating. Grow a backbone, woman!! The books were interesting but not really worth reading more then once. More developement of the psions and maybe a different, non-demon bad guy would have been nice. It was basically the same story over and over again. Blech.2 s Michelle David2,239 12

Dark and amazing

I read all five books in one giant gulp. You jump in and Dante grabs your heart and doesn’t let go. I cried for her pain and just had to know what happened next2 s Katheyer1,557 21

Dante Valentine is already a classical archetype in Urban/Dark Fantasy, and the very first one in a whole new generation of strong heroines that (fortunately) populate UF today.

Dante Valentine, necromancer and bounty hunter, lives a couple of centuries ahead in future we may not understand but would undoubtedly recognize as a strong possibility. Dante, a strong psi who grew up in Rigger Hall, the governmental institution for psions , has more of less successfully put her past behind, certifying as a Necromancer and working as a paranormal bounty hunter, but her life would change with a knock in the door, literally! Opening the door to Japhrimel, an envoy of Hell “requesting” a meeting with his master (and yes that would be the Devil himself) can ruin your day; in Dante’s case will permanently change her life for the worst, to the best and back again.

Lilith Saintcrow has crafted a believable dystopian/dark fantasy world, populated by psions that have to be accredited and tattooed by the Hegemony in accordance to the Parapsychic Act that should protect them from exploitation but does nothing to stop the hate/fear. Necromancers are the rarest of all non-human races (Necromancers, Skilins, Sedayens, Shamans, Ceremonial and Magi); and Dante herself is the one with the highest psi-level, which made her stay in Rigger Hall a living nightmare, whose aftermath stills creeps her thoughts. Saintcrow constructed back-history adds credibility without overwhelming the action, with some “Hegemony documentation” and a final Glossary.

Dante Valentine’s journey to self-redemption begins with an audience with Lucifer and ends five books later, after a final confrontations with her own very real nightmares returned to life.

This compilation includes all five book in the series

#1 Working for the Devil
“My working relationship with Lucifer began on a rainy Monday”
As the second-in-command to the Devil himself knocks on Dante Valentine’s door requesting an audience with the Prince of Hell himself, Dante would never have suspected how her life would be changed forever. As a bounty hunter Dante is used to difficult tasks, nevertheless Lucifer assignment would put her into a journey that crosses her own nightmarish past. Tierce Japhimel (the devil second-in-command) sway Dante’s resolution as a force of “supernature” (pun intended)

#2 Dead Man Rising
Dante’s working relationship with Lucifer is an ongoing process. When Lucifer calls-in again looking for the missing Japhrimel, Dante has to multitask: deal with her own transformation into Japh’s ‘hedaira’ (would help if she has an inkling what it’s suppose to mean), mourn the death of Japh while having to find him and return him to Lucifer (yes! I know… believe it makes perfect sense in the end
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