littleread1
Written on Sep 17, 2015
The next thrilling book in Jennifer Estep’s New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling Elemental Assassin series—“an extraordinary series.…One of the most intriguing heroines in the genre” (Romantic Times Book Reviews).
Keep your friends close but your enemies within stabbing distance.
One important lesson I’ve learned in the assassination business is that to be the best you have to roll with the punches. Now that I’m queen of Ashland’s underworld—by default, not by choice—a lot more punches are being thrown my way. But I suppose that’s the price of victory for taking down some of the underworld’s top dogs. Good thing I have my Ice and Stone magic to help me survive my volatile new position. Just when I think things are finally settling down, someone tries to murder me during a hush-hush underworld meeting. But the real surprise is how strangely familiar my shadowy assailant seems to be.
My job is to maintain order among killers, crooks, and thieves, and soon I’m embroiled in a bloody game where the ability to keep secrets could be the greatest superpower of all. My enemies have all sharpened their knives and laid their traps, waiting for me to fall. But this Spider weaves her own webs of death…
- ISBN10 1501105175
- ISBN13 9781501105173
- Publish Date 28 July 2015
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Simon & Schuster
- Format Paperback (US Mass Market)
- Pages 400
- Language English
Reviews
Melanie
Written on Jul 30, 2015
Oh, how I just love this series. It just keeps getting better and better. Everytime that Ms. Estep takes you to a point that you think will be the end of the series or the overall story arc, she picks the story right back and sends Gin down another path that keeps the stories fresh and fun. You think that Gin has beat the big bad villain and that there is nothing left for her to do, but yet trouble still finds her in completely new ways.
In this story, Gin is now the reluctant leader of the Ashland underworld. This only increases the number of targets on her back. The only thing that is really different in her life is that she now has the play mediator between the other lowly underworld bosses and help them resolve their disputes. Watching her deal with these idiots is quite the hoot. I don’t envy her in the least.
The villain in this book is a metal elemental, which is a new thing for Gin to fight. Yes, Owen is a metal elemental, but she has never had to fight him and this villain is so much stronger than Owen. He also has some pretty neat tricks up his sleeve to help him win pretty much any battle. Trying to find a location to battle him where there is no metal is the best place to win, but that is much easier said than done.
We get to spend time with all of the favorite characters we’ve come to love. Yes, lots of time with Owen, Sophia, JoJo, Philip and no Elemental Assassins story is complete without Finn. I also loved having Silvo in the mix trying to manage Gin as she tries to manage the underworld. Even better, Silvo and Finn are constantly trying to one up each other. We even get to flashback and learn more about the closet softy, Fletcher Lane.
This was a great addition to the Elemental Assassins series. There is everything you’ve come to expect in a great Gin tale in Spider’s Trap. There is a wonderfully choreographed fight scene. There is some romance between Owen and Gin. The snarkiness between all the characters. The wonderful food that is listed, I swear makes me gain weight just reading it. Jennifer Estep’s ability to get this story exciting and fresh thirteen books in proves she is one of the masters in the urban fantasy genre.
Narration
Lauren Fortgang is a wonderful narrator who really nails the Southern voices of Gin and the gang. She handles everything from Sophia’s grunts, JoJo’s Southern Belle to Finn’s smug and suave Southern gentleman. Every character has a very unique voice and tone. I can always tell who is speaking. She is great at adding the excitement to the fight scenes and emotion to the more romantic scenes. She wonderful with the sexy scenes. She has converted this to an audio only series for me.
Angie
Written on May 28, 2015
Gin is now head of the Ashland Underworld, but it's not really a title that she wants. There have been a few attacks on her life by other crime bosses, but that's not anything new. The real problem is having to listen to others talk and whine about their illegal businesses and territory rights. Gin does not care! And in Spider's Trap, her first meeting goes very, very wrong when a fake waiter plants a bomb. But oddly enough, Gin wasn't the target, but we all know how she feels responsible for others, so she's vowed to track down this bomber and take them out.
I was a bit nervous about what direction this series would take now that Gin has taken care of her lifelong revenge, but Spider's Trap was another exciting edition! Even though she's now the big boss, Gin still takes on assassination jobs to help those around her. But the metal elemental she's up against isn't just strong. He's clever as heck, and knows how to use his magic in interesting ways to keep Gin on her toes. Their battles are a bit long winded, and many, since Gin seems to be evenly matched. We all know Gin will pull through with some lucky strike, but her opponent does have some good tricks up his sleeves.
Spider's Trap also seems to set up a new overarching plot. Maybe? Someone directed this elemental to Ashland, and at the end Gin finally finds out who it is. This could get very, very interesting, since this person has connections in the city. I can't imagine what they're end game is, but I'm excited to find out!
Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.