Joanna Archer is pretending to be her sister. No, they aren't twins. Joanna is just wearing Olivia's skin. Yes, I said skin. And where is Olivia? Dead–murdered by a troop of evil villains called Shadows. You see, Joanna is sort-of a superhero, an agent of light known as the Archer. A super-heroine whose chest lights up whenever enemy agents (her opposite on the shadow zodiac) are near. There is supposed to be a truce in her troop's territory, the valley of vice known as Las Vegas. But she suspects the villains may have something big planned, and it's up to her to solve the riddles and fight to survive and save the city. Joanna also has a secret agenda, to destroy her sister's killer, and to defeat her biological/non-biological father and step-father, once and for all. She knows she can do it this time, because she accepts she is the Kairos whose awakening was foretold in the blessed manuals and scrolls (comic books) created by the children through their thought-forms.

If my summary of the book sounds a little campy, confusing or convoluted, then you're getting a quick peek at the snapshot that is The Taste Of Night: The Second Sign Of The Zodiac . I scratched my head more than once, and admit, I still don't understand what I just read. The novel is book two of a series, based on one of the freshest, yet most bewildering premises I've ever encountered.

The plot appears straight forward enough at a glance. A young woman eager for revenge against the man who killed her sister, hunts him down. But then the author throws in contradiction after contradiction, veers onto wild tangents that bog the story down, and leaves the reader befuddled. Or maybe just this particular reviewer.

It's almost like the book didn't know if it wanted to grow up to be a comic book, an adult graphic novel, a paranormal or a sci-fi. In fact, the only thing I can say after reading the book, is it didn't want to be a romance. In addition, the world building, and back-story are sheer chaos to grasp. This is NOT a stand alone book. I recommend readers pick up the previous title before trying to tackle this latest effort.

If there is any redeeming quality in The Taste Of Night: The Second Sign Of The Zodiac , it's when Ms. Pettersson writes about the setting, Las Vegas. The vivid word pictures she paints transport you to the Strip. All the brilliant colored lights, aromas, sounds and sights leap off the page.

3 Kisses

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