By a Thread (Elemental Assassin, #6)

by Jennifer Estep

The sixth book in the USA TODAY bestselling Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series featuring Gin Blanco, who by day owns a Tennessee BBQ joint, and by night is a tough female assassin known as the Spider.

I never thought I’d need a vacation from being an assassin….

My name is Gin Blanco, and I’m the assassin the Spider. All the Ashland’s lowlifes are gunning for me and trying to make a name for themselves by taking out the Spider. So I think it’s a good idea to get out of Ashland for a while until things cool down.

So I’m headed south to a swanky beach town, along with my baby sister, Bria, for a weekend of fun in the sun. But when an old friend of Bria’s is threatened by a powerful vampire with deadly elemental magic, it looks like I’ll have to dig my silverstone knives out of my suitcase after all. But this time, not even my own Ice and Stone power may be enough to save me from coming home in a pine box…

• ISBN10: 1451651783
• ISBN13: 9781451651782
• Publish Date: 28 February 2012
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Imprint: Pocket Books
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

I was worried about the plot of By a Thread in the beginning. Gin and Bria take off on a vacation to Bria's old hometown, where they learn that her best friend is being harassed by a big businessman who wants her restaurant. Sound familiar? It's the same basic plot as Web of Lies! Since Gin will do anything for her sister, and can't stand to see someone bullied, Gin offers her services to Callie. Pro bono, of course. Luckily, the plot similarities stop there. This job is a mess from the beginning, since everyone knows that Gin is (not so) secretly the Spider. And her opponent is a vampire, who can absorb elemental magic by drinking elemental blood. He might be even tougher than Mab Monroe.

I ended up really liking By a Thread, even though it started off with a sense of deja vu. Once it was clear that Gin couldn't use her usual tricks to take out the vampire, things got exciting and tense. She may be able to control two elements, but he can use all four if he has the right blood donors! While I'm definitely on Gin's side, it was nice to see her knocked down a notch, since she's starting to get a bit cocky.

There also a nice surprise in By a Thread: a blast from the past! Someone who has hurt Gin in previous books happens to be engaged to Callie, and is determined to help her his way. I was shocked and pleased by his presence! I had some high expectations for how this situation could play out and I was not disappointed! Well, I kind of was, since I wanted one thing to happen, but it didn't. But then again, I was glad that it didn't, since that would be a mess. But still, I loved this little side conflict.

In the end, By a Thread is another great addition to the series. It shows that just because Gin's greatest enemy is out the way, she's not safe. Everyone knows who she is, so she can't rely on her "human" identity to get her places anymore. Plus, it's obvious that she still has at least one major enemy that she needs to take out. I hope she gets him!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Hixxup]

These books are pretty addicting, however my only bitch about these books are that they are quite redundant in explaining things. Like in each book it explains this person in detail in each book, and then about the jewerly Bria where's and the drawings Gin has made. It's like ok it's the 6th book, I think we know all the details on each of these by now, or at least I hope we do. I generally skip through a good piece of the books because of that, because I get tired of reading the same thing over and over in each book. Otherwise this series is very enthralling to me, and I can't see to put them down.

[littleread1]

I love that Gin is able to put some personal issues behind her in this one. I was laughing and mentally high-fiving her all over the place. There have been a few people I wouldn't have minded punching in the stomach myself. *grins*

[Melanie]

I really enjoyed this book. Some of the repetitive sayings that have annoyed me in other books are not as prevalent in this book. It is good to see Gin out of Ashland. Bria had some issues, but pulls through in the end. It looks like the Finn and Bria thing is working out well. Gin and Owen are closer than ever. Great story.