The Unlikeable Demon Hunter: Burn

<i>The man on the other end of the phone spoke with such a broad Canadian prairie accent that he'd actually said "aboot". I could have smacked him for pandering to the worst American stereotypes about us. Then he added a "sorry" for good measure and hung up.</i><br /><br />I have to admit.. this wasn't my favourite of the series. The final instalment of <i>The Unlikeable Demon Hunter</i> series had a <b>lot</b> of things to wrap up. It has been an incredible ride, and build, in this six-book journey and I honestly can't imagine the effort that Wilde put in to get this all wrapped up to satisfy not only her readers but herself.<br /><br />"<i>You two show a real lack of respect considering I could destroy you without breaking a sweat.</i>"<br />"<b>We've seen you drunk and in yoga pants. It takes away the fear factor.</b>"<br /><br />There are tons of great lines, some really great scenes, but maybe it was just too much? And maybe combined with being away from the world for (calculating..) over six months it was just hard to just get back into the flow with so much to tackle. Also some of the non-Nava moments (looking at you, Drio..) weren't my favourites. I definitely think I owe this series a reread, to truly appreciate this finale, but sadly I just didn't have time before now. But I will, one day, binge these babies. <br /><br />"<i>Who's acting as Satan now? Which demon's on the throne?</i>"<br />"<b>Hang on. Satan isn't a single demon? It's a title? Like the Dread Pirate Roberts?</b>"<br /><br />That being said, as it stands, I can't quite round up on this one. That might change on the second go-round but for now it's a solid middle three. But don't let that stop you from picking up book one in this series. It's been five books (plus bonuses!) of awesome, snark, swoons, angst, character growth, endless Canadian content and jokes, and the sexiest of sexy times. I have loved this series so much (as seen by all the fours and a five!) and highly recommend them. This might just be a case of 'not the right time'. But as mentioned I will reread these again, no doubt about it.<br /><br /><i>Dear lord, I was giving a demon a hand job. Again.</i><br /><br />3.5 stars<br /><br /><br />** I received an ARC from the author (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **

An electric finale to an exciting series. It was a blessing to be introduced to such a different world and such a special kick-ass heroine by the author who is one hell of a funny and inventive lady. #Rolita ?<br /><br />Over and out

This series bowled me over for a week. I was totally surprised by how much I liked this series, as it's always hard to tell if a book will be great or totally suck...or just "meh" (those are very official literary terms). And there's just so many baaaad paranormal books out there. <br /><br />Books 1-5 we largely dealt with Nava and then Rohan and their collective disfunction. They had all the angst and surprisingly, the unlikeable Nava was rather...not. Wilde did an excellent job of peeling back this character's layers to show us her soft underbelly. Similarly, we see her struggle (meaningfully!) with all of her relationships--seriously, not ONE relationship is left "unturned": parents (mainly her mother), Ari, Rohan, Leo, and most of all, herself. Wilde did an amazing job of fleshing out these relationships and inner struggles while keeping the plot chugging along with lots of action (of both the sexy and demon-killing variety). <br /><br />Book 6, as others have noted, felt a bit scattered by comparison. Yes, Nava still had to work on some things within herself, but the Lilith storyline gave those efforts a disjointed energy, as you were never sure what part of "bad Nava" was really her, or Lilith's influence. Plot points that were built upon for books were resolved within chapters, which was deflating and a bit disappointing, most importantly the Mendalbaum stuff. <input type="checkbox" class="spoiler__control" aria-label="The following text has been marked spoiler. Toggle checkbox to reveal or hide." onchange="this.labels[0].setAttribute('aria-hidden', !this.checked);" id="5acfce7c-12b2-4b41-8332-a92d1df9bc2e" /><label aria-hidden="true" class="spoiler" for="5acfce7c-12b2-4b41-8332-a92d1df9bc2e"> For example, Sienna, who bombed a Rasha house in the previous book, possessed demons and Rasha with dark magic, and generally was a baddie, suddenly changed sides...and everyone just shrugged and cheered? Similarly, I felt Nava's reaction to violence a bit harsh. Yes, she was Nava 2.0 and it was wartime, but she and Rohan totally bypassed even thoughts of grieving when they (after loading a dead Rasha in a freezer to prepare him for proper burial) engaged in sexy times right outside the door. Sorry, that bit just jumped the shark for me. </label> <br /><br />All in all, these things didn't ruin the book, but I did note I had a harder time getting through it than the other books. I had just lost motivation and there wasn't that special "sparkle" where Nava was concerned. I still highly recommend the series, because Nava and Rohan could argue about what song to listen to on the radio, and I'd still read it. They were just so great, even if in this last book a lot of that banter and hilarity was lost.

Things start out with Nava in Mandlebaum's custody, Ronan with black magic tearing him apart, and the rest of their friends held prisoner by Sienna’s witches. Almost immediately after escaping from Mandlebutt, Nava learns that she is now the target of yet another serious threat - the Devil himself. She rallies the gang and sets out to fix the world’s problems and has an interesting approach to how to accomplish that.<br /><br />I liked how some of the issues Nava was facing throughout the series came together at the end. I thought it was particularly brilliant that dark magic had to be eradicated in order for them to succeed, and the witches involved in dark magic were willing to sacrifice the power for the greater good. Of course, that was to balance out the power-greedy male character of Mandelbaum who was a nut job. Girl power triumphs, yay. Nava also gets her HEA and the world is rebalanced.

So, I binged this series over the last three days, but I have to say that my frantic reading pace doesn't necessarily correlate to high levels of enjoyment.<br><br>This review is partially for this book specifically but also for the series in general. <b> <u>And I simply can't 100% support the romance</u> </b> in this series. I loved the hero and heroine's dynamic in the first book, but the level of OW drama in the second book killed off all my enjoyment. I didn't stop reading - I was too hooked on the heroine's brilliantly sarcastic personality, plus the Jewish-based world-building is fascinating - but I could never relax after that enough to truly enjoy the characters' great banter and hot sex. Which is a real shame. <br><br>The heroine, Nava, is awesome and kickass, but she does develop into a Mary Sue with some rapidity. There are unique powers coming out the wazoo with this one. She also didn't put Rohan, the hero, through the wringer enough for the all the crap he put her through in book 2. He was cracking jokes about his ex Lily right up until the last pages, and in an ordinary book I could have dealt with it, but NOT in a book where they have the history of him kissing Lily after having had sex with Nava AND pretty much demonstrating that he cared for Lily's wellbeing a lot more than Nava's! Nava never calls Rohan out on any of this, it's never discussed at all, and I get more and more irritated about this the longer I think about it.<br><br>Sort of linked to the last point: <b> <u>there's a lot of choppiness.</u> </b> Scenes change without me realising it, dialogue doesn't seem to properly match up with each other. That was exacerbated in this book, which threw in so many twists and turns that it got very confusing. To be perfectly honest, I lost the thread of the actual plot about three books ago. Which is why - even though it's so fast-paced - I found myself skimming past quite a few pages. <br><br><b> <u>Series: Overall</u> </b><br><br>A great beginning, horrible second book, and picks up a bit towards the middle and end. I'll be reading the author's next series, but with some wariness to see what OW drama she throws in next.<br><br><a href="http://www.theliteraryinvertebrate.wordpress.com" rel="nofollow noopener">[Blog]</a> - <a href="https://www.instagram.com/the_literary_invertebrate/" rel="nofollow noopener">[Bookstagram]</a><br><br><a href="http://s1376.photobucket.com/user/theliteraryinvertebrate/media/c%20l%20i%20m%20b%20C2A0e%20v%20e%20r%20y%20C2A0m%20o%20u%20n%20t%20a%20i%20n%202_zpsykn9gbgr.png.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1533226812i/26067187._SX540_.png" alt=" photo c l i m b C2A0e v e r y C2A0m o u n t a i n 2_zpsykn9gbgr.png" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>

3.5 stars for the series<br /><br />Review - Nava Katz Series<br /><br />Quick Sitch: Nava Katz finds out that she's a female demon hunter, and that's a problem. Mostly because misogyny and there's never been one before and no one knows how to deal with it. The story builds as Nava comes into her own and learns that there are certain players out there actively working their way towards an apocalypse and she's got to stop it. All while falling in love with Rohan Mitra, a former rock god turned demon hunter. Romance and apocalypses go together, like peas and bicycles. Whatever, it works, just go with it.<br /><br />Overview: I'm digging Deborah Wilde's writing, and while the three series that I've read (yes, three in a row because when I obsess I OBSESS), have their similarities - paranormal stories with Jewish heroines and diverse characters set in Vancouver - I do love that each has their own spin and ythe heroines are at different stages in life. Nava's the youngest and most immature but also the one who goes through it in terms of the way she's treated by every misogynist in the Brasha organizations and basically everyone thinking that she's a twit, until they learn differently. The story goes to some fantastically weird places, and it stretches the bounds, for sure, but I still enjoyed most of it. My struggle was with some of the humor (some lands, some doesn't) and <br /><br />Book 1: The intro is good, kept me interested, and her Pretty Woman-esque take on sex was a thing. I appreciate that she owned her sexuality and wasn't about to be shamed. I liked it but I'm never a fan of naming genitalia. Just not my bag. <br /><br />Book 2 (Sting): Dives further into actual demon hunting, introduces some key players to the overarching storyline. There's some OW/OM contact, but in the context of this series, didn't bother me and was actually that kind of emotional push/pull that surprised me because of how much I enjoyed it.<br /><br />Book 3 (Need): This one introduces Malik and I wasn't mad about it at all. The danger ratchets up even more and the blurring of lines, plus some emotional payoff for the romance.<br /><br />Book 4 (Crave): The one where the story starts to go off on a tangent, and it definitely felt like the need to mess with Rohan and Nava was more plot point driven than not. Feels like the overarching storyline gets bigger but the small moments could have used more time to really make you care for all these characters in a way that can impact any big conflicts that are coming up. I liked them all, but I really felt the narrowness of of that first person POV holding things back.<br /><br />Book 5 (Fall): The penultimate episode in this Buffy-esque takeoff and for sure I felt that Season 6-7 fatigue at this point. It's all danger but the need to pull back kind of kills the momentum a wee bit. And that final battle? Kookydukes.<br /><br />Book 6 (Burn): The finale that had ALOT of ground to cover and it felt like it. It continues that feeling of nothing but danger everywhere you turn but a lack of commitment to it that takes it down a notch. Now, I'm a romance centered reader at heart, so I didn't mind that alot of this is about pairing up the couples that you felt connecting in the background of Nava and Rohan's lives. I just wish I could have seen more of it. And the Deus Ex Machina vibe to the ultimate resolution was an "well...*blinks* alrighty then" kind of moment. I mean, look I'm all for suspension of disbelief. I LOVE the OTT moments I am right there willing to buy into what you're selling....I just wish the pitch was a little more solid. <br /><br />Bottom Line: In the end I liked this, even though some of the humor didn't work for me, but I do think it's something that is more for fans of UF-PNR who prefer it a little danger but mostly safe when all is said and done. <br /><br />And that's all I got.

What a lovely ending to the series.<br /><br />I have binged all 6 books in about a week and I have lived the wild ride and Nava and Rohan are definitely in my top ten fictional couples list.<br /><br />The final book was a little chaotic for me, but I highly recommend this series.

Move over Charley Davidson, Nava Katz is in the house and kicking demon a$$! Nava is back and fighting her greatest battle. Luckily she’s got some help from her friends. I am so in love with this series and so sad to see it go, but it went out with a bang. Or a burn! I’d give this 10 stars if I could! 5 measly stars will have to do. Fantastic as always, Ms. Wilde.<br /><br />*I was lucky enough to get an ARC for an honest review.

We have demons, witches, evil Rabbis and even the Dread Pirate Satan making appearances as say good-bye to Nava and the boys in this final installment.<br /><br />The first time I saw the movie, The Fifth Element, my only thought was "there is just too much going on to keep track of it all." Since that first viewing, it has become one of our favorite movies to quote and now I can see how all of the on screen chaos is needed to complete the story. I say this because while I was reading this final installment of Nava Katz, I kept thinking the same thing...there is too much going on. It never stopped. Why do we need all this? <br /><br />What started out as a simple story of a girl receiving a magic power that has, so far, been reserved for the all-boys club and how she had to deal with the prejudices of the old school Rabbis, is now a final story full of chaos. We have evil Rabbi Mendelbaum and his plot to be the prophecized Mashiach, which makes him just another jerkoff pretending to be about world peace as long as he is in charge of world dominance and everything is done his way. We have witches holding the Rasha hostage and trying to steal back their magic also believing they are doing the right thing in order to reinforce the veil between demons and humans. We have Rohan dealing with dark magic after being whammied by the witches in the last battle. We have Nava who is also dealing with the residual dark magic of Lilith and who is now broadcasting Lilith's magical signature making her the target to witches and demons alike. We have Satan who has decided he wants to forcibly mate with Lilith for stronger prodigy although Nava doesn't actually have Lilith's magic. And we have Nava who wants to put her frenemy Malik onto Satan's throne since Malik likes humanity and doesn't plan on wiping us out. <br /><br />So much  was happening to keep track of and I know that I should have stopped and re-read the battle at the end of Book 5 just as a refresher.<br /><br />There was just so much going on in this last novel, I was starting to miss the simplicity of the first novels which were just about Nava become a Rasha and her middle school does-he-love-me-like-I-love-him romance with Rohan. But, as the story began to wind down, I could start to see where all the pieces were falling and why all these different plot points were necessary to the final battle between Nava and the evil Rabbi. So, like my first viewing of The Fifth Element, as I finished Burn I needed time to absorb and digest all the many elements and how they fit into the final battle before I could sit down and write this review.<br /><br />I enjoyed my time with Nava Katz, especially once we got past the high school romance drama between Nava and Rohan and got into the meat of the series.  It was an Urban Fantasy series which was derived from Jewish history and teaching and that is somewhat of a novelty in this genre.<br /><br />My favorite plot point in this final story is the nod to The Princess Bride and a running joke in this novel.    It turns out Satan isn't one demon.  Whichever demon can hold the throne is given the title of Satan sort of a perverted Dread Pirate Roberts.<br /><br />I am sorry to see the end of Nava Katz and the Unlikeable Demon Hunter but it was fun and it most certainly goes out with a bang.

<p>I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The Unlikeable Demon Hunter: Burn is the final book of the Nava Katz series by Deborah Wilde. It was highly anticipated for me as the previous book left off with a bit of a cliffhanger. That's going to make this book pretty hard to review, especially for those that have yet to read that book.<br /><br />We were left with the fate of Nava, the Rasha's and the witches pretty up in the air. Burn picks up not long after and takes off like a shot. We are taken on an exciting, adrenaline filled ride for much of the book. "Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, bliss" is the mantra for Nava. So much has happened to her that she is left with a bit of PTSD.<br /><br />I was so happy with Nava's growth through this series. I felt a lot of frustration through earlier books with Nava's maturity and decision making skills. She's grown up a lot and is ready for her life to just settle into something normal. She just wants to help people. Despite my issues in previous books of the series, I'm so glad I picked this up. It was an exciting, adventure filled series and I was completely satisfied with it's ending. There is a novella after Burn that is for Leoni and I'm excited to listen to it!<br /><br />Cris Dukehart narrates the Nava Katz series and does such a great job with all the accents from all over the world. I was especially pleased that Dukehart showed the difference between the accents of different parts of Canada. Cris Dukehart is one of those narrators I will actively seek out her work to listen to. I really enjoyed her narration of this series.<a href="https://www.rantingsofareadingaddict.com/2019/05/review-the-unlikeable-demon-hunter-burn-by-deborah-wilde-tantoraudio.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">This review was originally posted on Rantings of a Reading Addict</a></p>