Greywalker (Greywalker, #1) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

May 02, 2012 Kelly (Maybedog) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: what-modern-fantasy

2.5 stars rounded up to three because it's Seattle and you know it's Seattle even though it's only a small area of Seattle. I can say Seattle a few more times if you'd like. :)

This series has a lot of potential. I think this is a good start but it's still rough. Something about the book was off and I can't tell you exactly what. For one thing, even though this was published in 2006, it felt more like it was written in 1995, specifically around technology. (She's a PI but uses a pager and doesn't 2.5 stars rounded up to three because it's Seattle and you know it's Seattle even though it's only a small area of Seattle. I can say Seattle a few more times if you'd like. :)

This series has a lot of potential. I think this is a good start but it's still rough. Something about the book was off and I can't tell you exactly what. For one thing, even though this was published in 2006, it felt more like it was written in 1995, specifically around technology. (She's a PI but uses a pager and doesn't have a cell phone? And her printer uses fanfold paper so it can't be more sophisticated than a bubblejet.) She also refers to the Bon Marche which went out of business in 2005. I know it takes some time for a book to go from draft to published but the buyout by Macy's was well known for quite awhile before it happened.)

The explanations for and descriptions of the paranormal in this world are way too convoluted, long, and mostly unnecessary. The action is all too similar and a couple of loose ends were never tied up. I think she tried too hard at first to make Seattle feel real. She didn't get anything really wrong but it didn't feel right to me as a native either so I wasn't surprised to find she moved here later in life. Her descriptions of Pioneer Square were really good, though also a little off, like she drove through it a couple of times rather than being personally familiar with it. (I used to work down there and FYI, although the Frontier Room is as awesome as she describes, it's in Belltown not Pioneer Square.)

Harper is a strong woman but quite stubborn and not that bright. She's pretty cowardly in many parts, too reckless in others but amazingly rational in one scene when she realizes she shouldn't confront the men breaking into her office. She accepts the paranormal too quickly but it takes her too long to acknowledge what has happened to her. She doesn't want to accept it so she fights to avoid her powers even when it's obvious even to her that ignorance is going to get her killed. Ostrich-->sand.

I wanted more variety in the action, especially with her taking an active role rather than having things happen to her. In fact, in one extremely important sequence she spends most of the time just watching and then tries to run when she's needed. (Another reviewer pointed out that this scene was unintentionally comical genius. I agree that it wasn't meant to be but was.

But in her world, men and women were equals without gender stereotyped roles. The love interest is a great guy and it's just a part of the story; she's not constantly pining and fantasizing. Nor is she worried about clothes and makeup all the time although just about every one of plethora of characters in the novel are tall and thin/skinny/slender/anorexic except for three really annoying jerks. This is Seattle. We usually are more worried about whether someone looks like they are healthy and a good hiker or biker than whether they're tall and skinny. Think outdoorsy, organic-eating coffee drinking REI types rather than rail-thin models. It's a stereotype, true, but a pretty accurate one for the types of people in the parts of town in which everything in the story happens. I think it's her California transplant showing.

I definitely feel there are characters who have potential to be quite interesting in future books. The story itself was good and though I figured the mystery out much before all was revealed, the plot was still all right. I do plan to read the next one. Some day.

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Nov 24, 2010 PM rated it really liked it · review of another edition

As I am always searching for my next vampire series to love, I stumbled upon this one and was very hopeful when I saw Charlaine Harris commenting on it. (As I write this, I am now on the 4th book, let me just say, before you misconstrue my comments.) I was only mildly intrigued with this book. I was rather lost in all the details of the Grey and the romance side was slim to none. After all, I did come to all of this via the very romantic, very personal, Twilight series. I didn't fall into love w ...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Carolynn (Molly.Groot) Evans rated it liked it · review of another edition

The Greywalker series is among my favorites of the genre, if I mentally and emotionally white-wash what I see as a glaring mistake. Without going too far into detail, the main character suffers a life-changing event that gives her the ability to interact with the "Grey", a world within and beneath the one we inhabit. She can now see ghosts, among other things. She is plunged into a supernatural world, because of said event. The world, the lore drawn from, the characters- very satisfying to devou ...more

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Oct 12, 2009 Kati rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: in-czech, work-reviews, 2011, urban-fantasy

An average book with an average heroine. I'm used to much stronger and much more courageous female characters in urban fantasy. By the end of the book, I was rather sick of hearing how frightened/scared/desperate Harper was and how the Grey and everything connected to it felt cold/nauseating/bad. And seriously, how many times can you encounter the weird and supernatural and refuse to believe in it before you start sounding like a moron? I was tired of her whining about just how much she didn't w ...more

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Feb 20, 2011 Arlene rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, magic-spells-mage-witchcraft, vampires, ghosts

It was ok. It would have been great if there was some kind of a concrete plot. There were so many things going on Harper's life that it got confusing. Maybe I'll read the 2nd book just to know who or what Quinton ...more

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May 26, 2010 Cindi Kelley rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-read

Very interesting take on the paranormal world. It was slow for me getting into it at first but I think I'm going to enjoy this Urban Fantasy series more and more. ...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Christal rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: female-lead, magic, urban-fantasy, witches-warlocks-and-mages, ghosts, vampires, mind-bullets, pi-detective-cop, reapers-and-ghost-whispers

This was a good set up book. Lots of character introductions, world building, and long game plotting. I enjoyed the detective aspect of it; I was reminded of the Harry Dresden novels a little bit. I'm still a little unclear on all the aspects of "The Grey" and what it exactly entails but I feel like that will be better explained in the other books as Harper learns more herself. She's smart and resourceful and overall, I enjoyed reading her story. ...more

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