Widow’s Web (Elemental Assassin #7)

There was something I felt that was missing from this series and I really couldnt put my finger on it until this book. I like it was that I felt most of time the characters were 2 dimensional. There is a problem.lets go kill the people causing it. Ohyou just showed up covered in blood and probably killed some people, thats fine Ill just clean you up and accept it as it. It was like there were only the emotions on the surface for most of the characters and nothing was really very complex. Until now.

Most of the other books fell just a little flat for me like a picture drawn in 2D. Until this book where I felt like Gin and Owen especially became 3D characters and incredibly more detailed and interesting.

Normally I dont love the addition of emotional angst to my assassin story. BUT in this case Ill let it pass because the plot needed it to make sense and it made the villain a lot more interesting.

Owen has been perfect up until now. Perfectly understanding, Perfectly patient, perfectly giving, perfectperfectperfect. Honestly I was a little bored with him. Gin runs off and almost get herself killed he is there for her. Gin runs off and does something maybe a little stupid Owen totally understands doesnt get mad and just hugs her. Gin talks with her former booty call guy Donovan to hash out her feeling and he is completely patient understanding and not even really upset.You get my point right.

Owen has a slightly skewed morality. He is completely fine with Gins extracurricular activities and since he has feelings for her he is totally accepting. But what happens when someone he used to love comes into the picture and she also has some deadly skills and Owen is completely accepting of her too??? How well does our assassin handle that?

Salina was Owens first love and he was going to marry her until she disappeared. Owen lived with that guilt for 15 years so his instinct is to do everything he can to make up for it and protect that woman now.

Gin has never really had a real romantic relationship and so this is all a struggle for her. Plus is doesnt help that Salina is a manipulative BeOtCh and is just out to steal her man. Also, she might be slightly crazy and is killing everyone she deems an enemy or threat. Guess who made it onto that list. Yep Ginshe finds all the crazy people.

Still I really liked the plot of this one. It was intense in places and I worried how Gin and Salina going up against each other was going to affect her relationship with Owen. How Gins tendency to do whatever she wants and not caring about what others said or think was going to play when it didnt really line up with what the man she loves wanted.

Finally there was some depth to the characters and the major plot point wasnt some raping, sadistic bastard. Finally Gins relationship wasnt all roses and sunshine all the time. Finally there was the something more I was looking for.

I’ve followed this series from the start. I have truly enjoyed it, and have readily accepted how easily Gin Blanco seems, somewhere early on in each book, gets caught up in some silly dilemma that any one, especially a skilled assassin as she, could see coming a mile away. I believe it is fair to say that each volume of the series fits a formula, and this entry fits that formula. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. There is no point in going over the particulars, since “Widow’s Web” follows the formula quite well. JE ends with Gin in angst, but with an improved relationship to her sister and some unexpected changes in her relationships to some other characters that are,in general, positive. Estep writes series for the most part, and she does well with character and relationship development.
I gave the book only three stars since,over all, it clings to said formula a bit too tightly. I must admit that one part of the formula that I do love about it is the visceral joy I get from Estep’s writing comes from her action scenes. I swear I can feel punches landing, bones breaking, blades slicing through flesh, and I can see and feel blood and other bodily fluids spurting, oozing and flowing, as well as the urgent lethality of many of so many of those wounds. That is what keeps me reading each book,even when “THE FORMULA” is heavily guiding the action.
Now to some nitpicking in which I believe I must indulge. The first point I have already flogged; the somewhat overbearing presence of the formula. The other is truly petty, really small, but it just bugs me, so, here it is. The hero of the series runs a bbq restaurant,one of those kind of run down places that looks smarmy, but serves such great food it just keeps you coming back. Our hero is named GIN Blanco and she always refers to the place as her “gin joint.” AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!!! I get it! Her name is Gin and she likes to drink gin. Cute. But her “joint” doesn’t even serve booze! If my memory serves, the phrase dates back to the days of prohibition. It referred to a speakeasy where illegal booze, often called, “bathtub gin,” because of the way it was distilled, with stills dripping their truly awful production literally into real bathtubs. Okay,use the damn pun once in a while, here or there, but not every time she refers to the place!
I told you I was nitpicking and I meant it. No excuses, no explanations, I don’t even know why it bugs me, but it does. I know this admission really is whacked, but I feel so much better owning up to it. Call me a pedant and/or a nutcase; it’s MY nit and I have now picked it. Thanks for listening. I do feel so much better.
Oh yeah, the book. If you are already a fan of the series, read it because events critical to the story arc and to character and relationship do occur. If you have heard about the series and want in, don’t start with this entry. It’s number eight,I believe, but you’ll not get the full importance of much of what happens in terms of the story arc and the relationships between many of the characters. It really is a good series, so start at the beginning and you’ll not only get caught up in a good, well written series,you may find your own nits to pick…

This like every other book in this series is an excellent read. Why Gin Blanco and the tales of the Spider have not been made into a TV series or a movie (but I would much rather watch it as a TV series) is beyond me. Jennifer Estep has succeeded in creating this world where southern bells and other things like vampires, elemental magic users, giants, dwarfs, and other species coexist in a town full of money, murder and mayhem. Not only is Gin Blanco technically a retied assassin but she has turned into a killer that stops the other wise unstoppable bad guys from hurting innocent people. At first reading each book i was some what annoyed at the fact that in between action Estep repeats a lot of the same info that was not only covered in other books but also information that was already put forth earlier in the book. But I understand why she does this regularly. I remember more details about each character and each tight spot the Spider gets her self into. The effect is that I could sit down an describe each characters parts, personality and what type of magic they use. Get ready to read not just one but all the books. Once you start you will not be able to stop!

I used to love this series Gin Blanco was a favourite kickass heroine of mine. The books were action packed and I thought they were fantastic. Gin was hell bent on revenge for Mab Monroe, the underworld boss who killed her family. That was the reason Gin became an assassin to kill Mab and then one day Gin was successful and the books…..changed. Gin decided to give up her assassin side but she carried on doing jobs for free to save people as opposed to killing people just for money and the excitement started to ebb for me. Widow’s Web follows Gin as she deals with Owen’s ex-girlfriend coming to town and creating her problems with her love life as well as the bodies which keep turning up.

I was hoping for the series to get a little better with this book, the last one was very disappointing and alas I have to say that this one is as well. There is a lot of rehashing of the story from Gin and her inner dialogue and it is so tedious. I haven’t forgotten what happened on the page before so I don’t need to be re-told it. I also got really fed up of Gin referring to Owen as her lover, she never called him by his name and it just seemed weird. The plot was quite predictable and at one point I wanted Gin to fail just so it could all be over. I have invested so much time into this series that I feel loathe to leave it now so I just hope that book 8 gets back on track to how it used to be. Don’t get me wrong this is still an ok book it is just disappointing when comparing it to the earlier books. I am going to give Widow’s Web 3 stars.

In the last book of this series, Gin became reacquainted with Donovan Caine, her love interest from the first 2 books. In this book owen’s ex Salina Dubois returns to Ashland, and from our first glimpse of her, it’s clear she is all kinds of nasty. The biggest mystery in this book is not whether Gin will overcome Salina’s evil plots to get revenge on the underbelly of Ashland. It’s not how Gin stays slim when she’s always cooking such calorific “snacks”. It’s how Owen can possibly be so blinkered about Salina, even as he learns more about her truly evil past and future intentions. It’s actually quite tough to read as I’ve always had a soft spot for Owen but he is a bit of a sap in this book. Gotta feel for Gin.

If you love this series, then you’ll enjoy the latest escapade. Though Gin has now been retired as an assassin for several books now, she is still keeping up her strike rate. The usual characters appear and it’s a quick and fun read. if you’ve not read the others start with spiders bite.

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