Spider's Bite Book Review

Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep is about an elemental assassin by name of Gin Blanco. Gin who is the protagonist of the novel is taken in by fellow hitman/handler Fletcher Lane and raised as his daughter along with his son, Finnegan.

Before Gin became an assassin, she was Genevive Snow who at the age of thirteen witnessed the death of her mother, Eria and older sister Annabelle by a mysterious fire elemental. Upon escape, Gin uses her stone elemental power and reduces the family home to ash, accidentally killing her younger sister Bria.

As the novel opens Gin infiltrates an insane asylum to fulfill a contract put on a psychiatrist. Gin's "never see her until its too late" gives her the nickname the Spider, one of the more known assassins in Ashland. After completing her mission, she meets up with Fletcher who runs the Pork Pit, a greasy spoon like restaurant in the city. Her assignment is too assassinate a numbers cruncher Gordon Giles who works at Halo Industries. Halo industries much like everything in the town is run by Mab Monroe, a fire elemental who is socialite by day and mob boss by night. In this town no one crosses Mab and lives to tell about.

Meanwhile, Gordon seems to be stealing from the company. The hit is to take place at the local opera house, but things go wrong when a fellow assassin is sent to kill Gin and to take out Giles. Here she mets the rugged Donovan Caine, a by the book cop who chases Gin to a balcony and she jumps into the icy water below.

What I enjoyed about this book is the fast paced style and the imagery. When Estep describes the Pork Pit, you can visual the restaurant in perfect detail. Her description of each character is vivid and not one dementiaonl like other novels. But most important, you as a reader, like Gin Blanco. We are fully aware of what she does for a living, but you end up liking her because you know she only does it to get rid of the bad people. Now don't get me wrong, the job is profitable. However, Gin only kills those who deserve it. The main theme in the book, I would say has to do with morality. What consititues as right and wrong. You see this concept play out with Gin and Donovan Caine. The detective struggles with the idea that he is captivated by this woman. She is bad, but she has a sense of humanity.

I recommend this book because if you want action, comedy, and a little bit of sex then this is the book for you. 5/5