Imagine a world where comic book heroes walk amongst us fighting the age old battle of good vs. evil. In The Taste of Night, the battle is between the Light and Shadow forces, each divided into a corresponding sign of the Zodiac. Their actions are chronicled by two comic book writers who publish manuals for both the Light and the Shadow sides of the Zodiac.Set in Las Vegas, the author built a world that is not out of the realm of possibility. Las Vegas provides a rich and colorful background, full of sounds, lights, and action. Also a comic book hero would probably not stand out in Vegas.This book picks up right where the last one ended. Our heroine, Joanna Archer is masquerading as her dead sister Olivia Archer. (I shall now refer to Joanna as OJ). OJ is trying to reconcile her mixed heritage as both Shadow and Light. The Shadow leader wants OJ to join their side. The Light side does not really trust OJ, and do not tell her much. OJ also has a need for revenge. She is after her rapist Joaquim, a most slimy character. OJ becomes a bit of a loose canon, and both sides have difficulty with her.Meanwhile, the Shadow side has released a plague on Las Vegas and people are dropping like flies. You’ve got to hand it to those Shadow agents, that was a very creative plague dispersal system. OJ’s relationship with her step-father was often stormy when she was Joanna. As OJ, she shares a quiet father/daughter moment reminiscing about Joanna. I found it amazing that he could not tell that Olivia was really Joanna. When OJ finally meets the Tulpa (head of Las Vegas’ Evil Central and her real father), I was surprised by the “loving” father role he took on. The Tulpa’s goal has always been to get OJ to join his side, and his methods were surprisingly pleasant. I loved the descriptions of the Tulpa. The author really has an interesting sense of humor. There were a few things that bugged me. The Light side behaved a little unrealistically for me. They followed rules of engagement, did not cheat, and just acted a little too purely for my tastes. They did not trust OJ, nor did they tell her the full extent of her powers. OJ was also the only agent able to read both Light and Shadow manuals. Why not use that to your advantage? I found the leader of the Light side to be a wuss. I felt like he had no business being leader.I enjoyed this book way more than the first. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to read it. (Thanks, Steph!) The action was literally non-stop. And, whoa! There were some really good bombshells revealed. I can’t wait to read the next book to find out what happened.
