Moonshine (Cal and Niko Series #2)

Masterpiece

This book was amazing. I'm addicted to Thurman's work. I've read Nightlife and now there is no going back. Moonshine was even better and I didn't think it possible. I love the brother dynamic, the supporting characters, the action. It just never stops, I was glued to this book all the way to the end. If you're a fan of family, action, humor and the supernatural, you will want this book for your collection.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Great supernaural fantasy

Man¿s conception of elves is based on the Auphe, but unlike the former, the Auphe were on the highest ring of the supernatural food chain. Unlike the depiction of elves the Auphe were evil, power hungry and could travel through portals they sliced into the air enabling them travel to different dimensions and different places in the same world. Cal Leandro was a breeding experiment for the Auphe who wanted to destroy earth and replace it with another world.------------ Cal¿s humanity suppressed his Auphe heritage and he withstood everything they threw at him. Now he and his brother Niko are supernatural detectives and their latest gig is getting close to a certain werewolf to see if he is thinking about making a move against the pack leader Cerberus. Caleb hired them for $50,000 and when they successfully complete their mission, they learn that Caleb was testing them to find out if they could steal a crown held by Cerebrus. As an incentive to get the brothers to do what he wants, he kidnaps Georgina a seer and a prophet who loves Cal and is the only person besides her brother that he cares about. With the help of a Puck, a supernatural being who loves forever, Niko¿s vampire lover and a pack reject, the team works on getting the crown before the deadline is up.------------- Rob Thurman writes excellent supernatural fantasy in the tradition of Jim Butcher¿s The Dresden files. Reading about the various supernatural entities is fascinating as is the way enemies¿ cooperate against a bigger foe. Intricate and fast-paced plotting, well developed characters and a storyline that is actually a sword and sorcery treasure hunt makes MOONSHINE a wonderful reading experience.------------ Harriet Klausner

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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U

V

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A baby kit

Needs a home go to house result one and please help her

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I Had a Hard Time with the Writing Style

I guess I see these books differently now since I know Rob Thurman is a woman.
I read the first Cal novel and I did have a hard time getting through the beginning of that one too. The plot was really creative and I loved the the first person narrative especially when Cal becomes evil for a while.
I struggled through this book. The writer cannot go through one sentence of dialog without giving a description of how and what Cal is thinking of either the situation or the people he is talking with. It makes it very hard to read and there is no real banter between the brothers, Cal and Niko. It also doesn't help that Cal is lazy and doesn't want to do anything. This makes him complain a lot in the narrative which is boring. I found myself skipping over most of the narrative and only reading the dialog just so I could keep up with the discussion. (Which is how I got though the book.)
In the first book, the story picked up, this one never did and it became boring. I think this is it for me and this series.

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Unique Premise

Rob Thurman has a beautiful voice. The story is told from first person point of view of Cal Leandros and his dark and dry humor is very entertaining.
There is tons of action from the first chapter to the very end, making it very hard to put the book down until the last page is read and the villain vanquished.

Unique all new premise for Urban Fantasy. Fans of the Jim Butcher's Dresden Files will especially find themselves lost in Thurman's world.

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Original

I loved this book. It was so different from all the other paranormal books I've read and it was witty. I bought all the books to this series and was not disappointed!

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Moonshine is the name of the Bar in which much of the story takes place.

I loved Moonshine. It is a fast paced read with lots of twists and turns. The characters are great with strong personalities. Although the story is dark there is still a lot of humor. The writing is excellent! Moonshine is second in a series and the first Nightlife is a must read to understand Moonshine. I thoroughly enjoyed Moonshine and am on to the next in the series Madhouse.

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Way to go Rob!!!

Keep them coming

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Enjoyable Second Installment

This was a well-plotted and fast paced novel. Having decided to stay in New York, the Leandros brothers become supernatural investigators/exterminators and are hired to do some snooping for a powerful alpha of the Kin (the werewolf mafia). The pace escalates as their friend, the teenage seer Georgiana, is kidnapped and held for ransom. Cal, Niko, Robin, Promise and an unlikely werewolf ally desperately try to locate the object specified by the kidnapper. In the process they interact with the monstrous Brooklyn Bridge troll, a mutant werewolf, a murderously vengeful auphe, another 'puck', sundry shape shifters, and a band of gypsies. Then, the s__ t hits the fan and bad things happen including attacks by bloodthirsty revenants. The novel's only downside is Cal's overdone angst (guilty whining and worrying) over George. Due to this annoying moaning, a rating of four and one-half stars would probably be more accurate.

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Good series

I've quickly become a fan of Rob Thurman in the last few weeks. Which is exactly how long it took me to buy and read all four books. I love both Niko and Cal. I don't think I've ever seen quite the same dynamic in any other books. Ms. Thurman's writing style improves with each addition to the story and I am anxious to read the new book that is due out later this year. My only issue is with the continuity between books. Time lines and story's don't always match up. Sometimes there are five years difference (not counting the crazy time warp issue) between the two brothers and other times there are four...etc. But these are small issues that shouldn't keep one from delving into the bizarre world of Auphes and Pucks. Fun, sarcastic and witty.

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Worthwhile but not great

As someone who loved the first book in this series, I was eager to pick up the second to follow Cal and Niko's exploits. Unfortunately, I didn't find it quite up to the standards of the first book. The novel starts with Cal and Niko opening an agency to deal with paranormal problems. Things go unusually well until they get involved with the werewolf mafia and _______ is kidnapped for ransom. The book starts out great, but I found myself struggling to find it interesting through the middle. As much as I loved Cal's sarcastic narration in the first book, it went from interesting and new to downright annoying in this one. There are only so many times you can foreshadow doom without sounding totally emo. That said, the last part of the book was wonderful but a certain occurance on the very last page left me groaning at Cal's righteous stupidity *cough*heroism*cough*. Will I read the next in the series? Probably. As much as this book annoyed me, I still love the characters.

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Thurman is consistently good

'Mooshine' delivers upon the promise of 'Nightlife.' I loved both books, I love the series. It's a book about two brothers who are men's men, manly, macho, strong, etc.. When their world starts to become chaotic for a number of reasons that the author delightfully -- and drolly -- lays out in an engaging and entertaing read, the brothers determine to save each other with an understated devotion that is nevertheless moving. The cast of characters -- the vampire, the puck [he's great!], the psychic, and hopefully, more of the werewolf known as Fang -- add to this delightful dark fantasy. Can't wait for the next book in the series.

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As wonderful as the first

Love, love, LOVE, these books. My friends and I totally addicted and cannot wait for the next one to come out(March`08 I think). The first had me hooked from the vey first sentence. I love the writing style(Ms. Thurman is a writing genious). Written from the hilarious perspective of half monster Cal, who is more human than he gives himself credit for. It tells the story of him, his half brother, Niko, along with some quirky, and not always human characters save the world and their own skins from some really nasty villains. I am completely attached to the characters, their personalities are so great and love how they interact and play off of eachother. The plot and story are exciting and action packed. And both books had the ability to leave you with a satisfactory endiing and yet still begging for more. This is definately a story no urban fantasy fan should miss.

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Entertaining and Addictive

Take the TV show 'Supernatural' and throw in a little 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel' and you're well on your way to enjoying the heck out of this book. This is the second book in a series by Rob Thurman (NIGHTLIFE being the first) about two brothers, the eldest human, the younger half-auphe. They've spent most of their young lives one step ahead of the younger brother's evil relations and managed to beat the odds by staying alive. With the help of a few exceptional friends with unique talents (and personal resumes), they've decided to stop running and start fighting - and boy do they kick some butt! The three main male leads - the brothers Cal & Niko and their fast-talking, freaky, faun friend Robin - are so well characterized that it's impossible to not crave more and more of them. I've fallen so in love with them that if I could lock the author up in a room and have her do nothing else but write book after book after book about these guys, I'd risk the jailtime. This book is a wild, funny and entertaining read with great characters and exciting action.

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Read This book!

I was rivited to this book. Rob Thurman with the first novel Nightlife became my favorite author and moonshine was no different. The plot is great and totally one of a kind. I'm in love with the characters. Cal is perfect. His sarcastic sense of humor and the non stop banter between him and his knife wielding brother Niko kept me rolling with laughter. There are no slow spots in this book. It's the kind that has you reading non-stop because you have to know the ending, yet at the same time wishing it would go on forever. I don't think I can stand the wait for the next one to come out.

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Kudos, Ms. Thurman!

A little over a year ago, it occurred to me that every book I picked up in the Newly Released section of my local bookstore was really just a clone of every other: same plot line, same characters, same oh-so-sticky dilemma from which the heroine (And who can honestly say they are not just the tiniest bit tired of reading nothing but female first person?) must extract herself time and time again. It got to the point where I was avoiding the bookstore, I was so bored. Then I picked up Nightlife¿and couldn¿t put it down. Cal, Niko, and Robin have *substance*--they are uniquely believable, human (at least as far as their hopes and failings are concerned), and damned funny. Nightlife was an amazing read¿I was so hooked that I was reading it while waiting at stoplights¿and Moonshine is every bit as enjoyable as its predecessor. It has a plot all its own, new, terrifying villains, and yet keeps everything that made Nightlife so addictive: the relationship between two brothers who have nothing in the world but each other, the hilarious conversational interplay, the amazing action, and Robin, the smooth-talking Puck with the attention span of a gnat and a collection of designer duds that a Hollywood starlet would envy. Ms. Thurman is one of the best new writers to hit the fantasy scene in years. If you¿re a rabid fan of urban fantasy, go and get copies of Nightlife and Moonshine NOW. You won¿t be disappointed.

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A Must Read

This book is an amazing read. I finished it in two days. The book is a dark and exciting adventure. The bond between brothers Cal and Niko is what drives the book and makes the reader want to know if they will be able to stay ahead of the bad guys. And there are a multitude of hideous and scary creatures. The story is dark, but the relationship between the characters fuels the story.

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