Venom: An Elemental Assassin Book (Elemental Assassin, #3)

by Jennifer Estep

What kind of assassin works pro bono?

It’s hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family. Which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most. To the public, I’m Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland’s best barbecue joint. To my friends, I’m the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker—Mab’s right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists. At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I’ll take my chances. Then there’s Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland’s finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I’m a cold-blooded killer . . . who is about to save her life.

• ISBN10: 1439155453
• ISBN13: 9781439155455
• Publish Date: 28 September 2010
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Pocket Books
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Berls]

4.5 stars.
I've enjoyed all the Elemental Assassin books so far, but Venom is a turning point for me. So many of the layers that the first couple books spent laying are finally coming to fruition and I'm so excited to see where it will go. So don't be surprised if you see quite a bit of this series in the next few weeks :)

Full review to follow.

[Angie]

Venom is one intense, non-stop action read! Gin is still trying to enjoy her retirement, but when a friend is clearly in need of her services, she just can't sit by idly. Especially when the target in question comes after her, and works for her number one enemy. Meanwhile, Gin also has to deal with the new detective in town, who is more tangled in this mess than she knows. Not that Gin is going to be the one to clue her in, but she will do anything in her power to protect the cop.

The plot of the previous book was disappointing, but Venom's most definitely is not. Maybe because the job is more personal for Gin so I became more invested in it? I don't know, but I couldn't put it down. The situation goes from bad to worse as more people become connected to this mess that is Gin versus Mab Monroe (although Mab doesn't know who she's up against). There were times where I forgot to breathe and actually started nibbling my nails (not hard enough to bite!). It was all just really intense and I felt more of an emotional connection with Gin than I had before.

The romance in Venom is also pretty good. I wasn't sure how to feel about Owen in Web of Lies, but now I like him. I think he's a better fit for Gin than Donovan ever was, but they don't have that same level of attraction. It's still early, so I'm sure that will come soon, but I kind of missed the intense "grey on gold" stares between Gin and Donovan. But we do get to know Owen better in one book than we did with Donovan in two, and I'm liking what I've learned so far. He's an interesting guy.

I loved how Venom really put the bigger, overarching plot in the foreground. Gin's side jobs have brought her closer to this moment, but now the war with Mab is starting. I did find it a bit unbelievable that Mab still has no clue who she's dealing with, especially after that epic display at the end, but I'm sure she'll learn soon enough. Same for Detective Coolidge. I want her to know sooo bad!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Hixxup]

Ok so these books just keep getting better and better as you go. Ok with the last book, Donovan Caine had left, good riddance to him. But now there is a new Detective in town, who goes by the name Bria Coolidge, some interesting things are at foot with this lady. Can't tell you would ruin some important aspects of the book. Well because of things that had happened in the last book, Roselyn the vampire now has Elliot Slater- Mab Monroe's number one enforcer, he had started stalking Roselyn because of Gin, so GIn and Finn had decided to get rid of Slater once and for all, and have Roselyn rid of him, before she gets hurt or killed. Owen became a good character in this book, he is so sexy hehe. Well one thing I didn't like about this book is how Gin kept blaming herself for Roselyn's predicament, and well even though she was partially at fault Roselyn didn't help matters either near the end of the book. However, this book had created new friendships, and a big WHAMMY for Mab Monroe and her circle. Will be very interesting how the series plays out now.

[Amanda]

Original review: http://onabookbender.com/2011/12/16/review-venom-by-jennifer-estep/

I think it’s well-known that I am a big fan of knowing secrets and getting my questions answered. I don’t like it when my characters hold out on me. We get a hint of Gin’s past in Spider’s Bite, and are teased further in Web of Lies, but everything we’ve learned culminates in Venom. Where Gin has always been careful not to draw Mab’s ire previously, the situation changes in Venom. Getting my answers and having the Mab story arc furthered (with a boom) went a long way in my enjoyment of the third Elemental Assassin book.

But it is the characters that keep me coming back for more and really shine in this series. I love Gin, the hard-ass assassin with a heart. As the series progresses, Gin has opened up to become more than just a successful killer with the patience of a saint — or a spider. And yes, we got to see more Owen, who is definitely a much MUCH better fit for Gin. We see it before Gin does. Thankfully Owen doesn’t know when to quit. Finn is fun. Sophia is…intriguing. Thus far into the series, she has been relatively enigmatic, though Gin has hinted repeatedly that there is much more to Sophia than meets the eye. We learn a few very interesting bits of information about Sophia in Venom, and I suspect we’ll learn even more in Tangled Threads.

The stories that Jennifer Estep weaves are fantastic. The descriptions and explanations get us inside Gin’s head and experience and see the world the same way that she does. My only complaint is the repetitiveness of some descriptions of characters, and how they are used almost verbatim between books. Characters’ eye colors, Finn’s chicory coffee, silverstone knives, Mab’s runes, etc. I’m choosing to attribute this repetitiveness to the fact that I’m reading the books back to back, though I can see how it can very easily get irritating.

[Melanie]

I do enjoy the story, but some of the writing style drives me crazy. There are several phrases that are repeated frequently. Donovan Caine was not even in this book and he still annoyed me. I keep reading these books because even though there are a few things that drive me crazy, it is a great series with some great characters. I love Gin, Finn, Sophia and even Owen. I really do not feel much about JoJo, she is not as defined as well as the others. I am not sure what I think about Bria yet.