A Book Obsession..: Night Shift

Night Shift

, by Kt Clapsadl

Night Shift by Lilith Saintcrow

Jill Kismet #1

Not everyone can take on the things that go bump in the night.

Not everyone tries.

But Jill Kismet is not just anyone.

She's a Hunter, trained by the best - and in over her head.

Welcome to the night shift...

Jill Kismet, a kick-ass but seriously flawed heroine, is the resident Hunter for Santa Luz. It is her job to hunt down hellbreed and traders who prey on the innocent people in her city. In order to be strong enough she made deal with the city's top hellbreed. This deal made her not quite human, but stronger and faster, necessary skills to stop the things that go bump in the night. Things get a little hairy when four cops are savaged to death by what appears to be a rogue Were. She knows this is slightly out of her skill set to handle, so she reluctantly seeks the help of a judgmental were named Saul. Together they realize there is more to this killer than it seems when the stink of hellbreed keeps showing up wherever the rogue has been. Weres and hellbreed just do not mix, so this case is completely baffling. Jill will have to use every trick up her sleeve to crack this one and protect her beloved city.

At the start of this book, Jill is an absolute mess over her mentor's murder. Even though it has been six months, she is still barely scraping by. She throws herself into her duty of destroying hellbreed with complete abandon, as if the more she risks her life, the closer she will get to her mentor. Everything about her screams "damaged", and as the book shows more and more glimpses into her path you can't help but wonder how she survived at all. It is amazing how she can be so incredibly strong yet so fragile at the same, and I find this makes her a very interesting character to read about.

While it wasn't really an integral part of the plot, I enjoyed the blooming relationship between Saul and Jill. It definitely had a very rocky start, but got better as time went on. There are several obstacles in their way, with him being a Were, and her own self worth issues because she feels she is tainted. She spent most of the book pushing him away because she didn't feel she deserved him. However, I have a feeling their relationship will play a more important role in the future. I'm looking forward to that because I think Saul will be able to help balance her inner demons, and allow Jill to actually have a little happiness, something she never really has had.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very unique and different from anything else I've read. The characters and world are really intriguing as well as thoroughly fleshed out. There was just enough back story to explain things well and keep me from getting confused. I loved Jill's strength and vulnerability as well as Saul's very calm and even temperament. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series, and I hope Jill continues on her path towards accepting herself. It will be a long bumpy road, but I think in the end she can pull through. I recommend this to anyone who likes the darker side of Urban fantasy, with just a slice of romance. It definitely kept me entertained!

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