Review: Tainted by Julie Kenner

Title: Tainted
Author: Julie Kenner
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release date: 10/27/09
Summary:

Lily Carlyle has lied, cheated, and stolen her way through life.

But in death, she'll really get to be bad...

When her little sister is brutalized, a vengeful Lily determines to exact her own justice. She succeeds at the cost of her own life, but as she lies dying, she is given a second chance. Lily can earn her way into Paradise by becoming an assassin for the forces of good.

It's the job Lily believes she can really get into-but she doesn't realize that she may not be able to get out.

Plot: 4 Stars
It's not every day that a book completely blindsides me. I don't always figure books out before I finish, but when Tainted came to the revelation portion near the end, I was blown away. I was expecting anything except for the direction the story actual turned. The ending did feel a little rushed and lacking finality, but it's not the end of the world because the next book in the series comes out 11/24 and the third sometime in December.

Pace: 4.5 Stars
The story grabbed me quickly and didn't let go. Although it took me a couple days to finish, each time I sat down, I read at least 80 pages at once. The shorter chapters definitely helped expedite the story along, but the main reason it read at such a quick pace is that there wasn't much downtime between action scenes.

Characters: 4 Stars
Although I loved the dynamic between Lily and many of the characters, I felt like we didn't really get to know anyone besides Lily.

Cover: 4 Stars
I liked the font choice for the title and the cover model definitely had some attitude, but I felt like this read like every other urban fantasy cover. If I hadn't gone to the store specifically to pick this book up after seeing some early reviews, I may have passed it by.

Overall: 4 Stars

Disclosure: I bought this book for my own enjoyment.