Madhouse by Rob Thurman

[meganbmoore]

Madhouse is the third book in Rob Thurman's urban fantasy series about Cal and Nico Leandros, half brothers who have spent their lives on the run from the demonic race Cal's father belonged to, the Auphe.  After various trials  and tribulations, Cal and Niko thought they'd wiped the Auphe out for good, and settled down in NYC, opening a supernatural investigations service, having acquired several friends along the way.  Namely, Robin Goodfellow, a gleefully omnisexual puck, Promise, Niko's lawyer girlfriend who's also a vampire, and George, a young psychic Cal is in love with, but with whom he's taking the "push away for own good" thing to strangleworthy levels.

This time around, they learn that someone has stolen the bones of Sawney Beane, a cannibal( so leged says, in reality, a Redcap) who killed over a thousand people 500 years ago, and has resurrected him and set him loose on the city.  Even better, someone is siccing ancient Babylonian monsters on Robin, and Robin won't say why.  Ishiah, a member of a race many believe to be angels who runs the bar Cal works part time at, and who's an "old acquaintance" of Robin's also knows, but won't say unless Robin gives him the OK.

This book felt a lot darker than the first two, and went a few places I wasn't sure it'd go, especially in terms of gory descriptions, including a victim's-eye-view of Sawney literally taking a bite out of someone.  Granted, SOMETHING along those lines is expected when the plot revolves around the resurrection of a man-eater, but I never quite expected Thurman to go as far as she did.

This review says most of what I'd want to say better than I could, so just go read it. I think I love this series more with each book, but I do have two problems with this installmant.

1.  The reasons Robin was being hunted.  Yes, Robin is one of the main characters, and a "good guy," but the way it played out, the only thing he was really guilty of was poor judgement and lying.  The woman didn't tell him she didn't want sex, or that her husband disapproved, he wasn't directly responsible for her death, and the tragedies that befell the tribe that he was blamed for had nothing to do with him, it was just bad timing. 

2.  I get why Cal doesn't want to get involved with George.  Dangerous lifestyle, potential of rampaging monster kiddies, etc.  But, the way he's dealing with it?  I'm sorry, but he seems to be well on his way to becoming a manslut.  And mansluts?  I'm sorry, but no, not attractive, I especially dislike the "I'm a manslut because of my angst" approach, because it always feels like it's being put forth as something to make the character appealing.  Make them a slut because they're a slut, instead of as an excuse for angst.  It doesn't annoy me near as much.  (Very much at all, really, because then it's usually something you like the character in spite of, as opposed to something that's meant to add to the appeal.)

I also don't like that it seems to be leading to a setup of Delilah(who I like quite a bit) being the "bad girl" to George's "good girl."  I like Delilah.  I like George.  I like Cal/George.  I do NOT want a Delilah/Cal/George triangle where Delilah is the "bad girl" Cal's sleeping around with because she's "safe" while George is the "good girl" he pines for but can't go near "for her own good."

Uhm...my opinion on "triangles for angst" is kinda well documented...

The ending also makes me somewhat afraid that George will soon be the "dead true love no one can ever replace."

Comments

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Re: #1
Yeah, I was kind of "That's IT?!" when we found out why Robin was being hunted. It just didn't seem proportional for a multi-century blood feud.

Re: #2
You also hit the nail as to why Cal/Delilah bothers me. I like Delilah a lot, actually probably better than George, but I think Cal should be with George. And while I appreciate that Delilah isn't the stereotypical "bad" girl, she's being treated as the stereotypical bad girl because the main character is angsting up a storm.

And man, if George ends up the girl in the refrigerator, I just might cry.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

#1 was "that's it? THAT'S what you didn't want to tell them because you were too ashamed and thought they'd hate you? THAT???" This will sound really, really bad, but I almost wish Thurman hadn't tried so hard to not make it sound like rape, so it least there'd be SOMETHING.

#2...yeah, if I hadn't been having so many kneejerk reactions to that whole bit, I'd probably be crazy about Delilah, and i do like her a lot, but...everything there is pointing to the stereotypical bad girl in his world vs good girl who isn't triangle, and that never goes well. A lot of the time(usually) the one in that world is the better option, but cal NEEDS someone the exact opposite of him and everything in his life. As much as I like Delilah, that's the worst possible thing for him because they're too alike in too many ways.

But the ending? With Cal having JUST left George? And the way things ended there? I think I see a regrigerator BUT REALLY REALLY WANT TO HAVE MORE FAITH THAN THAT!!!