Deathwish by Rob Thurman

So today, I'm here to review Deathwish by Rob Thurman. *wonders why there's a bold option, italics option, and strikethrough option for text, but no underline option.) So, here we go.

Here's what's on the back cover:
"Half-human Cal Leandros and his brother, Niko, are barely getting by with their preternatural detective agency when the vampire Seamus hires them. He's being followed, and he wants to know by whom. But the Leandros brothers have to do more than they had planned when Seamus turns up dead (or un-undead).
Worse still is the return of Cal's nightmarish family, the Auphe. The last time Cal and Niko faced them, the Auphe where almost wiped out. Now they want revenge. Cal knows that before the Auphe get to him, they will try to destroy everything and everyone he holds dear. Because for the Auphe, Cal's pain is a pleasure.
And they're feeling good."



So here's a little back story for you. This is the fourth book in a series of five (the fifth one coming out on March 2nd, I believe).

In the books previous, you find out that Cal is only half human. His mother had paid sex with a being called an Auphe. An Auphe is basically a demonic creature that may have possibly been the first creature to ever walk the earth. They have long sharp teeth, long nails, pale skin, almond-shaped eyes, pointed ears, and long fine hair, and can rip holes in time and space from their world to Earth. Supposedly, in myths and legends, the Auphe were portrayed as elves (I think) because of their ears and eyes. (A theme in Thurman's novels is the fact that human's never get myths right. Throughout the series, you meet many creatures who are in myths and legends, but are portrayed completely different than their actual appearance.)

Because of this, Cal finds out very early in life that he is not normal. His mother would constantly tell him he's a worthless monster, and often times an Auphe (his father) would watch him from the livingroom window. However, throughout all of this, Cal's brother Niko was by his side to protect him and take care of him.

When Cal was twelve years old, the Auphe kidnapped him to their world, and kept him for two years (in their world's time). When Cal returned, he blocked out all memories of it happening and was only left with the fact that he was two years older to show that it actually happened. From then on, Niko made the two of them travel all over, to run from the Auphe. They moved around in New York city, hoping to never be captured by the Auphe again, for Cal's sanity's sake.

In Deathwish, the book starts off with Niko being cornered in Central Park while training (a place where a lot of mythical creatures hid when they couldn't blend into society) by the Auphe. Cal runs and they fend them off together, but they finally realize the Auphe's true intention, to toy with them.

Throughout the novel, the worry of the Auphe is an underlying theme, but the two know that there's no use stopping their lives because of it. So when Promise, Niko's vampire "girlfriend", finds them a job helping protect a fellow vampire, Seamus, they take the job.

In all of Rob Thurman's books, you never know what to expect, besides extreme sarcasm (which tones down the severity of what goes on in the novels). All the mythical creatures you think you know are portrayed much differently than you'd expect, which makes the books refreshing as well as entertaining. What makes them truly amazing, is that all the settings of her books are actual places in America, so even if what you're reading is unbelievable, it all has a sense of reality to it because it's set in an existing place.

In this particular book, there are so many plot twists that you honestly have no idea where the story will go. In any story, unpredictability is appreciated. At one second, you're reading about them helping Seamus, at another, they're being tricked by someone they barely knew, and at yet another, they're being attacked by Auphe.

I'd recommend Deathwish, or any of Rob Thurman's books, to anyone who's looking for entertaining adventures with enough sarcasm to make you laugh.