Deadtown by N. Holzner

When I first saw the cover for Nancy Holzner’s Deadtown, I was intrigued. I saw this great cover with lots of promise, and I have to say, it definitely delivered.

They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders — but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…

Vicky’s demanding job keeping the city safe from all manner of monsters is one reason her relationship with workaholic lawyer (and werewolf) Alexander Kane is in constant limbo. Throw in a foolhardy zombie apprentice, a mysterious demon-plagued client, and a suspicious research facility that’s taken an unwelcome interest in her family, and Vicky’s love life has as much of a pulse as Deadtown’s citizens.

But now Vicky’s got bigger things to worry about. The Hellion who murdered her father ten years ago has somehow broken through Boston’s magical protections. The Hellion is a ruthless force of destruction with a personal grudge against Vicky, and she’s the only one who can stop the demon before it destroys the city and everyone in it.

I so totally read Deadtown in one day. I was suppose to be cleaning, but after just one chapter, I was hooked.  We’re given a great new premise involving various supernaturals and the way society reacts to them is intriguing.  They are curious of them, and yet, really don’t trust them.  This fact is obvious since all the supernaturals are relegated to the area known as Deadtown and really have no civil rights at all.  Plus, the way Deadtown was established, the area of the city that experienced a mysterious plague that turned all of its victims into zombies, is unique and I’m wondering if we’ll see the origins of the plague at a later date.

I do like the main character of Vicky.  She has her family issues, but she doesn’t let them rule her life.  She visits when she is able and she tries to be as supportive as she can.  However, when her family is threaten, she is there for them in an instant.  As for her love life, there really isn’t one.  She does have relations with a certain sexy werewolf lawyer, but whenever Kane was on the page, he always had an agenda and it really didn’t seem like he had much time for Vicky.  I would have liked to seen the two of them together more, but the way Deadtown ended, I have a feeling their relationship is going to get interesting.

As for the plot, considering the public climate regarding the supernaturals, I should’ve guessed as to who the villain was, but it wasn’t obvious.  You really don’t get any clues as to who the Big Bad is or what s/he were after until the end and then it becomes head-meet-desk obvious.  The plot had a lot of great scenes that really drew me in and I couldn’t help to see what would happen next.  In fact, every part of the plot only went to further develop Vicky and I became more attached to her because of this.

Overall, I really really enjoyed Deadtown and I can’t wait for the sequel to come out.  I have a feeling it is going to be fabulous and take the whole political agenda to a whole new level.  The one thing I will say, I don’t think any series has really focused on the politics of the supernaturals within such an urban setting and I kind of like the idea of seeing this.  Granted, there isn’t a lot of it, but there is far more than a lot of other series I can think of.  Definitely go buy this book and check it out.  The cover is gorgeous and the story will be such a great ride.  Who knows, you may get sucked in like I did.

Also reviewed by:
Genre Go Round Reviews
Smokin’ Hot Books
Strictly Reviews
Sara’s Urban Fantasy Blog
Lurv a la Mode