Review: Deadtown

Publisher: Ace (2009)
Format:  Mass Market Paperback | 327 pages
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy
Description: "They call it Deadtown: the city’s quarantined section for its inhuman and undead residents. Most humans stay far from its borders — but Victory Vaughn, Boston’s only professional demon slayer, isn’t exactly human…

Vicky’s demanding job keeping the city safe from all manner of monsters is one reason her relationship with workaholic lawyer (and werewolf) Alexander Kane is in constant limbo. Throw in a foolhardy zombie apprentice, a mysterious demon-plagued client, and a suspicious research facility that’s taken an unwelcome interest in her family, and Vicky’s love life has as much of a pulse as Deadtown’s citizens.

But now Vicky’s got bigger things to worry about. The Hellion who murdered her father ten years ago has somehow broken through Boston’s magical protections. The Hellion is a ruthless force of destruction with a personal grudge against Vicky, and she’s the only one who can stop the demon before it destroys the city and everyone in it.
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This book was... unremarkable in every way. The characters, world and story didn't stand out at all. And in the Urban Fantasy world you have to stand out, because the genre is saturated.

Unfortunately, as I said before, "Deadtown" didn't. The world presented in the book is pretty standard and not very original. Vampires are not explained and the only vampire we meet - Juliet - seems to be a toned down version of the sexy!vampire stereotype. Werewolves were equally boring. As for the main character, not much is said about the origins of her species and I thought the fact that a shapeshifter could only shift three times per month a bit... well, unrealistic, especially because no reason was given for that limitation. Basically not one of them got any proper character development and some of them were pretty one-dimensional (again I mention Juliet, the vampire).

I did like the fact that the inhabitants of Deadtown had to petition for equal rights and that they had "fewer rights than an animal" in most states. There are too many UF books out there in which the supernaturals "come out of the closet" and are immediately received with open arms by the human population.

As for the story, I thought the pacing was a little off: too many trivial things got in the way of the heroine and at times it made the book boring. As a result Vicky often got sidetracked and had way too many things to deal with, resulting in some not-so-smart decisions.

Overall, standard urban fantasy. If you are looking for a fresh, different story, skip this one.

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