Review: Venom in the Veins (Elemental Assassin #17) by Jennifer Estep

Title: Venom in the Veins

Series: Elemental Assassin #17

Previous books in this series: Spider's Bite (#1) | Web of Lies (#2) | Venom (#3) | Tangled Threads (#4) | Spider's Revenge (#5) | By A Thread (#6) | Widow's Web (#7) | Deadly Sting (#8) | Heart of Venom (#9) | The Spider (#10) | Poison Promise (#11) | Black Widow (#12) | Spider's Trap (#13) | Bitter Bite (#14) | Unraveled (#15) | Snared (#16)

Short stories in this series: Poison (#0.1) | Web of Deceit (#0.2) | Spider's Bargain (#0.5) | Web of Death (#1.5) | Wasted (#2.7) | Tangled Dreams (#3.5) | Tangled Schemes (#3.7) | Spider’s Nemesis (#4.5) | Thread of Death (#5.5) | Carniepunk: Parlor Tricks (#8.1) | Kiss of Venom (#8.5) | Unwanted (#14.5) | Nice Guys Bite (#15.5)

Author: Jennifer Estep

Genre: Adult, urban fantasy

Publication date: June 2018

Published by: Jennifer Estep

Source: Purchased ebook

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Synopsis:

Blood might be thicker than water, but venom is stronger than just about anything...

It was supposed to be a nice, quiet, simple dinner with friends—but nothing is ever nice, quiet, or simple when you’re Gin Blanco, the Spider, notorious assassin and current queen of the Ashland underworld.

This time around, someone seems to be targeting Stuart Mosley, the president of First Trust bank. Lots of people have grudges against Mosley, but the more I investigate, the more Mosley’s problems seem to be connected to some of my own, especially when it comes to the Circle, the evil, shadowy group that is secretly responsible for much of the crime and corruption in Ashland.

But when another blast from my dark and deadly past as the Spider comes to light, I wonder if I’ll be able to survive this dangerous new enemy, who has a burning thirst for revenge that will only be satisfied with one thing: my death.

My rating: ★★★★★

New week, new bad guy pummeling me to a bloody pulp. Nothing out of the ordinary for the Spider, right down to all the emotional wounds that the battles left behind on my black heart.

There’s more Circle business, of course, but this time also involving Finn’s boss, Mosely. We actually learned quite a bit about him in the last book, including that he was friends with Fletcher! We are also introduced to a new villain, Alana Eaton.

Back when Gin was an assassin full time, one of her jobs was her killing Ameila, Alana’s mother, who was actually in the Circle! It was very interesting because Gin was in big trouble and she had to resort to killing Amelia in front of a young Alana in order to get out alive. It was brutal! And then all these years later it struck Gin how similar she and Alana were...

Once again, it struck me how very much alike Alanna and I were, with our murdered mothers and lost family homes. But the thought that troubled me more than anything else was the fact that I was her Mab Monroe, the person responsible for destroying her family.

It’s insane, right? But our Gin is such a good person deep down. Yes, she is an assassin, but she always has good intentions and she is always a caring person. Alana... not so much.

I might have had a hand in molding Alanna into who and what she was, but Amelia had corrupted her daughter long before I came along. The hunting, the killing, the cannibalism. That was all on Amelia and Alanna. Like mother, like daughter.

Yep, cannibalism. The Eatons are vampires that have been hunting humans, killing them, and then eating them for YEARS! Gin feels particularly responsible for how Alana turned out because of what she did to her mother, but I don’t think she was responsible at all! Alana’s childhood was super messed up. As Gin said, Ameila had corrupted the girl at a very young age.

At what point did fighting against monsters turn you into one yourself?

It’s not your fault, Gin 😩

The Eatons, man. I could not believe the things they did. It was insane, but I really liked that about this book! It made for some really great, really vicious fights. I feel like the fights in this series have become more and more violent, and I am totally okay with that! Alanna is just so insane! The big fight at the end of this book was probably one of the most vicious in the series. It was crazy intense and I loved it. I don’t know how Jennifer Estep does it, but it seems like with every book the fights just keep getting better and better. I also love that all the fights are different and Gin always finds a new way to use her elemental magic. The amazing fights is one of my favorite things about this series.

Another thing I love this series, as you know, are the characters! I still cannot get over how amazing Owen is. I’m just so happy Gin found him and they’re still going strong after so long. We started off the series with this detective guy who I hated because he was only fond of Gin. The Spider... not so much. I love Owen because he’s so understanding and he loves Gin for who she is... assassin and all. Owen and Gin forever! Lol. Another of my favorite relationships is between Gin and Finn, especially when they banter. Lol.

“If you start admiring your reflection in that, I’m going to take that knife away and cut you with it,” I warned. “Knives are for eating. Or stabbing people. Nothing else.”

And yet another relationship I love is the one between Gin and her trusty assistant Silvio!

Owen grinned. “I would expect nothing less from the mighty Spider.”
Silvio pointedly cleared his throat.
“And her trusty assistant, the great Silvio,” he added.
The vampire huffed. “You make it sound like we’re some sort of cheesy magic act. I feel like I should be wearing a black cape and a top hat and waving around a wand.”
“Aren’t we?” I asked. “You’re trying to find out who might want Mosley dead. That’s not too different from pulling a rabbit out of a hat, especially given all the crime in Ashland.”
“Well, if we’re a magic act, then I should get to saw you in half,” Silvio quipped.
“That’s a bit homicidal.”
“Says the assassin,” he shot right back at me.

I just love them! Besides their fun banter, I love that Silvio is so dedicated to Gin and that he is always concerned for his boss. He is so caring and I love him!

“It’s even in your hair. How did you get blood in your hair?”
“Well, I stabbed this one giant in the neck—”
Silvio snapped up his hand, cutting me off. “That was a rhetorical question, Gin. Totally a rhetorical question.”

And as we all know, I love Gin. I love sassy snarky Gin...

“You have quite the sharp gaze, don’t you, Ms. Blanco?”
I smiled. “That’s not the only thing that’s sharp on me.

I also love that she’s a bookworm...

I didn’t care about ruining my clothes or even getting blood in my hair, but I never, ever cracked the spine of any book I read, even if it was just a paperback. All these beautiful books ruined. I should kill Alanna for this alone.

Literally same. Lol. And Gin is also really good at playing dumb. Ditzy Gin is fun. Lol. But she is very smart—I love that about her. She always finds herself in tough situations but she somehow always manages to get herself out.

One character I don’t quite love is Tucker. He is such a frustrating character! And I don’t mean that in a bad way. Like, he’s part of the Circle, right? So why does he occasionally help Gin? Both Gin and I are super confused. Lol. Between this and the revelation in the last book pertaining to her mother, just... what the heck! What’s his deal?! There’s more to this guy and I am dying to find out what it is. Slowly but surely we are learning more and more about this infamous Circle, so that’s exciting.

One small detail we find out is that the head of the Circle is Gin’s uncle. HER UNCLE!

You know the drill, I love this book. Lol. It’s my favorite series after all. I just love the world, the storytelling, the amazing action... I’m just super invested, okay? Lol. After the crazy revelation in this book, I honestly cannot wait for the next one! And now I’ll leave you with some fun banter between the characters. Lol.

“You know, you three could quit being so cheerful about my being marked for death,” I snarked.
Finn stabbed his finger at me. “Don’t limit my emotions. Besides, it’s not like your being marked for death is some new and unexpected occurrence. I’d be more surprised if people weren’t trying to kill you.” He nudged Owen with his elbow. “Am I right?”
“Totally right,” Owen replied.
“Absolutely right,” Silvio chimed in, agreeing with them.

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a link to your review or comment below! 😊