Audio Book Review: Ghost Light

Ghost Light

By:  E.J. Stevens

Publish Date:  April 29, 2014

Format:  Audiobook - 8 hrs 15 mins
Narrated By:  Traci Odom

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Series:  2nd book in Ivy Granger series; 1st Book ~ Shadow Sight, 1.5 Novella ~ Blood and Mistletoe

First Impression:  Fey detective with a personal agenda too.

Synopsis:
Ivy Granger, psychic detective, thought she'd seen it all...until now.

With a vengeful lamia that only she can see on the city streets, reports of specters walking Harborsmouth cemeteries, and an angry mob of faerie clients at her office door, it's bound to be a long night. Add in an offense against the faerie courts and a few foolish bargains and one thing is clear - Ivy Granger is in some seriously deep trouble.

Ivy Granger is back, gathering clues in the darkest shadows of downtown Harborsmouth. With the lives of multiple clients on the line, she's in a race against time. Ivy finally has a lead to the whereabouts of the one person who can help her control her wisp abilities, but will she put the needs of her clients above her own?

If Ivy doesn't find a solution soon, she could wind up a ghost herself.

Ghost Light is the second novel in the best-selling Ivy Granger urban fantasy series by E. J. Stevens.

First Sentence:
What do the names ghost light, friar's lantern, corpse candle, aleya, hobby lantern, chir batti, faerie fire, min min light, luz mala, spook light, ingus fatuus, orbs, boitata, and hinkypunk have in common?

Purchase At:
Amazon  /  Barnes & Nobles

*I offered to listen to the audiobook for an honest review.

My Thoughts and Summary:
On top of Ivy being stressed over her boyfriends crazy wife haunting her, she's got fey parents lined up at her door waiting for her help in finding their children. And there are rumors of ghost sightings by the humans as well (not good). While she's out investigating the missing children, Ivy has to be careful not to let her wisp side show by glowing in front of humans. She could find herself in serious trouble with the fey world if she does. What would help is if she could find her father and ask him to help her.

I listened to the audio version of the book. The narrator is easy to understand and clear speaking. She does slight voice changes for Jinx, Ceff, and others in the story to give the feel of difference in people. She's done well here. She's not over the top excited when reading Ivy.

We start with the familiar introduction to the city of Harborsmouth. A slight ad for the city and Ivy Granger's business. Yet there are warnings that the city is full of supernaturals.

The beginning touches on a few new pieces of information that we learned in the novella Blood and Mistletoe, so you don't have to read it to know what pieces to the world were shared with us. You don't get the feel that you completely missed something. But it's a nice read/listen to see what happened and how.

I like Ivy better in this book. I don't know if it's the narrator's reading of Ivy and didn't make Ivy sound all sugar sweet or if Ivy feels not as innocent as in the first book. Things are not all candy here, and in this story too.

Ivy starts off feeling as a stronger character in this book, even though there are still few things with Ivy's personality that I rolled my eyes at and by the end even more (I think Ivy is one I can listen to one book at a time and take a break from). She has pushed herself to her limits, and still does, which is good in a main character. We see Ceff, the selkie king, through most of this book with Ivy as he's joined her on her jaunt through Harborsmouth to find the fey children. However, he doesn't seem to have much of an importance on the case other than company for Ivy to drool over. He does then have a reason to stay on the mission later, once we find out who's involved though. The plus side, Ivy and Ceff have become closer emotionally in this book.

We get to see many different fey and beings in this world as Ivy visits her friends and clients. This is one world with no end to the fey and beings present. With that, there is great potential of troubles to follow up on.

We even get glimpse of Ivy's parentage. Ivy's blocked memories flutter to the surface and we start to see and learn about her father. We learn that the wisps, Ivy's fey side, have been left without a ruler. Interesting. Ivy even digs further to learn about her father by allying with the Cat Sidhe. Oh the Cat Sidhe... these are a neat addition to the world here, and their leader Lord Torn. I do enjoy them. We also learn about why the fey are drawn to Harborsmouth.

I enjoyed the beginning and the story of the fey children. Then, when the fey children case was solved, I started to feel the story was over. The book starts with and ends with Ivy hunting for her father and I had felt like the last 15 chapters were a whole epilogue or a short story of their own. It felt like the main story, through the book, was the case of the missing children. But I guess, with this ending, Ivy's main point of the book was to find her father, the saving the fey children was a side case that takes up her time and she needs to do, it's her job.

It's a great concept and interesting world. I enjoy what's created here. But, there's always the buts. There are a few holes in the story and inconsistencies that caught my attention. The whole first chapter told me what's to happen, not showing me to bring me close to Ivy and the world. Then the next chapter takes me into backing that with an appearance of Melusine. There are small sections of repeating events started to wear on me by the end of the book.

It sounds like I didn't enjoy the story. That's not true. It just feels the story is on one focus at a time. Which, I guess fits as Ivy does have a job she does and her personal agenda is second seat when she's needed to work.