ARC Review: Black Howl by Christina Henry

Black Howl

by Christina Henry

(Madeline Black # 3)

BLACK HOWL is the third book in the Madeline Black series by Christina Henry. Madeline is an Agent of death. This means that she gets a list of names, dates and times as foreseen by the Agency prophets. It’s her job to be there when the person dies to take their soul to the Door.

This book starts off with Madeline working out in the gym with her trainer. She plans on losing 30 lbs. So while she is complaining about the number of repetitions her trainer is making her do, a fellow gym member nearby starts to have a heart attack. In moments, he is dead and Madeline must now do her scheduled job. Pretty cool, huh?

I found this book to be a quick read. There are lots of laughs along the way so it’s pretty light and entertaining. A lot of this has to do with Beezle, Madeline’s gargoyle BFF. He kinds of reminds me of Gighul, the demon sidekick from the Sabina Kane series by Jaye Wells. Both of them have terrific one-liners that are sure to make you smile or even laugh out loud.

There is a mystery throughout this book about the cubs and though I thought this was a good idea, I didn’t think it was executed as well as I thought it could be. Some parts were very interesting, but then there were areas that faltered. I did like the twists and turns though, that made for some interesting reading.

Henry has lots of secondary characters in this series, so much so that sometimes it was hard to keep track. For some characters, we see a different side of them. For example, Jude has some of his background revealed and I thought it was good in enhancing his character and making him stand out from the pack. 

Overall, this book was a light, funny read. If you’re looking for something similar to the Chicagoland Vampires series by Chloe Neill, then this series has the same style, the same quick-witted humor.

I feel like readers who enjoy lighter, funny urban fantasy would love this more. I just have a preference for a more darker style in UF. But this isn’t to say that readers wouldn’t enjoy the laughs that are in this one. 

* ARC provided by publisher

Purchase Links: Amazon