As you may remember, I thought there were some good elements to TWILIGHT HUNTER, the first book in the series, but I also took issue with other aspects of the novel. My feelings about IMMORTAL HUNTER are much the same.
One of IMMORTAL HUNTER's strengths is the cast of characters and their relationships. You have your traditional selection of supernaturals -- werewolves, vampires, demons, etc. -- and there's not a lot of deviation from what we see in much of the genre in terms of abilities. What really makes the series interesting is the Execution Underground team. Ballenger has put together quite the Scooby gang of supernatural police, each of whom will presumably get their own story. I really enjoy the team dynamics because a lot of the relationships are quite complicated. In the first book, we met Jace and Frankie (who do appear in IMMORTAL HUNTER as secondary characters) but now we're firmly focused on David and Allsún, two characters I was quite interested in the first time around. They're both unique in the supernatural world: David is an exorcist feared by demons and Allsún is the only (part-)Fae who remains in our world. Together, they are essentially demon kryptonite but they've been apart for years, after a passionate romance when they were younger. David and Allsún never stopped loving each other but they both have regrets. These regrets and their time apart create the expected barrier the couple needs to overcome and add a nice amount of tension in the novel.
I also enjoyed exploring the Fae aspects of the series. We spent most of the first book dealing with werewolf-related issues but now we get to learn more about the demons and the Fae, who are essentially sworn enemies. But all of the Fae except Allsún have retreated from the world. When Allsún is forced out of hiding, the demons are determined to kill her -- just as determined as David is to protect her. It's a shame that Allsún is the only Fae in the world (at least the only one that we know about) because there are so many interesting elements in this part of the series mythology.
My beef with IMMORTAL HUNTER is a small one: I think Ballenger is a strong writer but I wish there was more creativity in the series, in terms of how the supernatural species/races are realized. It's a very small beef and probably unfair since I know I couldn't do better but I think I would love this series if there were more unexpected elements. Generally, I like the Execution Underground series. It's filled with adventure and romantic tension. It's not the most original series -- there's not a lot of genre bending -- but the books are well-written romps with feisty characters. For me, this is an instance in which the series is much greater than its individual parts.
If you want spunky paranormal romance loaded with heavy history between the two main characters, IMMORTAL HUNTER might be the book for you. I'm sure you'll enjoy Ballenger's voice and I hope you'll find the story engaging as well. The Execution Underground series isn't on my Must list but I do enjoy visiting the world and characters.
Nice review Jenn, thank you. I do have this series on my wishlist, I like series with multiple species of paranormal creatures.
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