Eye of Heaven by Marjorie M. Liu

[meganbmoore]

These things are addictive. I’m going to run out of my ready supply soon.

Iris McGillis is a lion tamer for a circus who is also a shapechanger. Blue Perrineau is an agent of Dirk & Steele with electric powers. Shortly after a near death experience, Blue’s very very corrupt father fakes his own death and then summons Blue home. Apparently Daniel, the half-brother Blue has never met, has run away from home, and if Blue doesn’t find him and bring him home, dear old dad will sell information about Dirk & Steele agents to people who would love to use them as lab rats.

Daniel ran away to the circus. Literally. I love that. Naturally, the circus is Iris’s circus, and Blue gets himself hired on as an electrician. Liu thinks about having a love triangle for about a chapter, then realizes it would be boring and cliché. She also thinks about having Blue and Daniel having “Daddy loves you best even though I hate him” moments, but decides that would be stupid and cliché too. I give her fake hugs for neatly avoiding tropes that annoy me.

I like Blue and Iris. Iris is a loner and wary, Blue is nice and patient. Both have angst, but it’s pretty well deserved angst. Daniel is also fun.

In this book, we have human and superhuman organ trafficking, evil parents, secret siblings, missing parents, spy moms, three psychic organizations, two non-psychic organizations (I think I have the numbers right) interested in psychics, confusion over which organization is psychic and which isn’t and who belongs to what organization, the return of the Consortium, and a resurgence from plots from previous books. And eye loss. Significant and dramatic eye loss.

Didn’t I compare Red Heart of Jade to Kaori Yuki manga or something?

And lots of action and great dialogue, as usual.

Still no female Dirk & Steele agents (though they do mention that Elena from Shadow Touch is almost an agent, which makes me happy, as she’s my favorite characterfrom the series so far), but lots of agents from previous books show up. Rictor also makes an emo cameo. Despite the clear grooming for his own book, I’m not sure I’d notice him if his name didn’t confuse me.

Comments

[shadawyn.livejournal.com]

I recall the heroine in the first book is a pseudo-agent, or related to the directors, or somesuch. DS is introduced, but not the main characters, except through the heroine. I love Del's (I tihnk it was) super-powers. :D It's just, like I said before, not the book I'd have people read when trying to hook them on the series. Definitely Shadow Touch for that.

Seems to have worked :)

I really need to get caught up on them, though... and the rest of my reading.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

They said she was the granddaughter of the directors. I actually would have started with the first book if I'd been able to find it locally.

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

Well these all sound totally like the sort of books I'd enjoy so I've ordered the first 3 to see :D

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I* highly approve of your reading them! And posting on them!

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

I shall make sure I do. Hopefully Fishpond wont take too long to get them and send them to me :D