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Etched in Bone
by
Adrian Phoenix
dark fantasy in a paperback edition that was published by Pocket Books on February 22, 2011 and has 382 pages.
Explore it on Goodreads or Amazon
Other books by this author which I have reviewed include A Rush of Wings, In the Blood, Beneath the Skin, Black Dust Mambo, Black Heart Loa, On Midnight Wings
Fourth in The Maker’s Song dark urban fantasy series based in New Orleans and revolving around Dante Prejean Baptiste, a born Vampire, a True Blood, and a Maker/Unmaker.
The Story
Phoenix did not play fair on this one! She started with the end and then left me racing through the story desperate to know what happened. After that initial chapter of total panic, we revisited Gehenna for a more in-depth look at Dante’s confrontation and rescue and the next two days of setting us up for On Midnight Wings due in 2012. Revenge. Regroup. Betrayal.
My Take
The concept of a government-sanctioned experimental program is bad enough but what was done to Dante Prejean Baptiste, turning him into a tortured young soul with the heart of a poet and the Gothic look of a rocker is just heartbreaking. Now, it’s only former FBI-agent, Heather Wallace’s touch and the bond they share that recalls Dante from the nightmare of his past.
I just love the bird-flippin’ interaction between Dante and his close friends. His rejection of authority makes my heart sing. And the pain Dante suffers and his friends try to help alleviate makes my soul cry.
Do not assume that this brief glimpse into Dante and Heather’s life is without activity! Lord, there is so much action, I reckon the characters need to rest up until 2012! I hate having to wait! I want Dante’s pain to stop…but only in a good way…and I’m afraid of what his future holds.
The Characters
Dante Prejean Baptiste was born with the potential to Create or Destroy.
Heather is an FBI agent.
From the beginning, Dante has been tortured and brainwashed to kill by a black ops experiment sponsored by the government. The intention to breed sociopaths, set them loose on society, and record what happened.
The Cover and Title
The cover finally reflects Heather accurately even if she is in borrowed leather pants and a tank top. Simone’s. I’m not sure if the gun she’s pointing at us—and who can blame Heather for her lack of trust! —is her own gun or the one Lucien got for her.
The title is confusing as I can’t think of what was Etched in Bone except for the lying and betrayals.
