Deadly Sting (Elemental Assassin, #8)

by Jennifer Estep

The eighth hotly anticipated book in the Elemental Assassin series by New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Estep: it's Gin Blanco's party-and you'll cry if she wants you to.

Red is definitely my color. Good thing, because in my line of work, I end up wearing it a lot.

Most people shy away from blood, but for an assassin like me- Gin Blanco, aka the Spider-it's just part of the job. Still, it would be nice to get a night off, especially when I'm attending the biggest gala event of the summer at Briartop, Ashland's fanciest art museum. But it's just not meant to be. For this exhibition of my late nemesis's priceless possessions is not only the place to be seen, but the place to be robbed and taken hostage at gunpoint as well. No sooner did I get my champagne than a bunch of the unluckiest thieves ever burst into the museum and started looting the place.

Unlucky why? Because I brought along a couple of knives in addition to my killer dress. Add these to my Ice and Stone magic, and nothing makes me happier than showing the bad guys why red really is my color.

• ISBN10: 1451688997
• ISBN13: 9781451688993
• Publish Date: 26 March 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Pocket Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Deadly Sting has put this series back on track! It's totally different than the previous books, and I liked that. Finn has talked Gin into accompanying him to a gala showcasing the late Mab's art collection and jewelry. While there, the giants on duty hold the guests hostage, but they've forgotten one in the bathroom. As the only person free to roam, it's up to Gin to rescue all of the guests and find out what these giants are really up to.

What I liked best about Deadly Sting was that it takes place over the course of one night! I love books like this! Instead of being approached by someone for a job, and taking time to plan, Gin is forced to think on her feet and execute all of her kills in the moment. This definitely breaks the formula that the previous books had been following, which was nice. It was one action packed and bloody night at the museum!

I really liked that there's next to no repetition this time! We're stuck in the moment with Gin as she sneaks through halls and gardens. There's not much distraction from that. Of course, she does have to mention how Mab murdered her family for the billionth time, but she was at an exhibit for the woman's collection, so I'll let that slide. Deadly Sting also has a nice surprise at the end. Gin is finally able to get her revenge on someone else, and it's not what I was expecting from her at all. It was quite genius.

I think Deadly Sting may be my favorite of the series, even though it's not like the other books. It was fun and exciting, and a very quick read. I could not put it down! The extremely short timeline worked really well, since it didn't allow Gin to make her usual dumb mistakes, or have someone else make a dumb decision that interferes with her work.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[littleread1]

Good but I really don't like the references to Mab's funeral - which I didn't read, because it must be in a novella - it's just a pet peeve of mine to put something major in a novella. But otherwise a good story. Different from the others, so it changed things up and kept you on your toes.