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Madison Fox #1
A Fistful of Evil
Madison Fox just learned that her ability to see souls is more than a sight: It’s a weapon for fighting evil. The only problem is she doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing.
On the positive side, her money problems are over, she’s possibly discovered her purpose in life, and her coworker is smoking hot. On the negative side, evil creatures now actively hunt her, and deadly experiences are becoming the norm.
When she thinks it couldn’t get worse, a powerful evil sets up shop at a local hotel’s video game convention, and it’s got its eye on more than the gaming geeks: it is hungry for Madison’s soul. Madison needs to become an expert illuminant enforcer overnight to save her job, her region . . . and her life.
If Stephanie Plum fought evil with magic, it’d look a lot like this.
On the positive side, her money problems are over, she’s possibly discovered her purpose in life, and her coworker is smoking hot. On the negative side, evil creatures now actively hunt her, and deadly experiences are becoming the norm.
When she thinks it couldn’t get worse, a powerful evil sets up shop at a local hotel’s video game convention, and it’s got its eye on more than the gaming geeks: it is hungry for Madison’s soul. Madison needs to become an expert illuminant enforcer overnight to save her job, her region . . . and her life.
If Stephanie Plum fought evil with magic, it’d look a lot like this.
273 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2014
About the author
Rebecca Chastain
32 books288 followersREBECCA CHASTAIN is a feminist, animal advocate, and nature devotee. She believes empathy is a hero’s trait and love is a motive, an inside job, and a transformative energy that shapes each person’s world. She is the USA Today bestselling author of the Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles series, the Terra Haven Chronicles series that begins with Deadlines & Dryads, and the Madison Fox urban fantasy series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 174 reviews
August 3, 2015
I wish I could just rate the first half of this book.
The first half of this was entertaining as hell. It was funny, it was light, it was everything I did not even know I was looking for. I enjoyed it immensely.
And then it had to go and start hating on things that I enjoy.
At the start of this, we are introduced to Madison Fox, a woman behind on her bills, who is out of work and looking for anything that can help her keep the lights on. She stumbles into a job interview for a supernatural enforcer position, and for some reason, manages to get it, even though she has no experience at all, and from there it is a steep learning curve, as Madison uses her innate soul sight gift to help stop evil from spreading in what is now her region.
I really liked Madison as a character, her love of animals was especially charming. And she had a funny inner monologue for the first half of the book which was constantly amusing, especially when she was talking about her phone, naming it Medusa and making "nummy" noises about Dr. Love or Niko.
However, around the half way point, she started making really silly decisions, was constantly flip-flopping between being a bad ass enforcer, and being too scared to do her job and she spent a hell of a lot of time nerd bashing the people who attend gaming/pop culture conventions, and slut shaming the girls who work there as booth babes. Conventions were made out to be the root of all evil, with Madison mentally bashing all of the attendees, especially those who dared to approach her for a photo in her Lara Croft inspired outfit.
Firstly, I don't know why it was necessary for her to dress up for the convention. Secondly, Cosplay is something that some people take very seriously, and if you are in costume, you should expect a lot of attention from attendees because it excites them to be around people dressed as their favorite characters, I'm not sure if the author has never been to a convention or cosplayed before, but I thought the reactions that Madison were having to the attention to be ludicrous. And thirdly, why on earth was she so obsessed with talking about her padded chest, while in costume?
Eg:
All of these from just two pages of the book, and there were so many more after that, I started rolling my eyes any time she said something about her breasts. We get it, you're wearing an awesome push up bra. Give some dividends to Victoria Secret and get on with the story, this story is not about your breasts.
I liked the subtle love triangle that was suggested at in this, with Madison having two possible love interests, Dr. Love and Niko. This is not a huge aspect of the story, but in otherwise lengthy and drawn out parts of this book, it was nice to have a bit of a giggle about Madison oogling and drooling over one of the two men.
The world building in this, and explanations of Primordium and the evil creatures was well done and as a whole, this was an entertaining read. I can definitely see promise for this series, if Madison can get over her bra fixation and pull her head out of her ass for long enough to do her job as an enforcer. I will be looking forward to the next book, to see where this story goes.
2.5 padded-bra Stars
Thank you kindly for the author for providing a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
Originally posted over at Little Purple Crayon
The first half of this was entertaining as hell. It was funny, it was light, it was everything I did not even know I was looking for. I enjoyed it immensely.
And then it had to go and start hating on things that I enjoy.
At the start of this, we are introduced to Madison Fox, a woman behind on her bills, who is out of work and looking for anything that can help her keep the lights on. She stumbles into a job interview for a supernatural enforcer position, and for some reason, manages to get it, even though she has no experience at all, and from there it is a steep learning curve, as Madison uses her innate soul sight gift to help stop evil from spreading in what is now her region.
I really liked Madison as a character, her love of animals was especially charming. And she had a funny inner monologue for the first half of the book which was constantly amusing, especially when she was talking about her phone, naming it Medusa and making "nummy" noises about Dr. Love or Niko.
However, around the half way point, she started making really silly decisions, was constantly flip-flopping between being a bad ass enforcer, and being too scared to do her job and she spent a hell of a lot of time nerd bashing the people who attend gaming/pop culture conventions, and slut shaming the girls who work there as booth babes. Conventions were made out to be the root of all evil, with Madison mentally bashing all of the attendees, especially those who dared to approach her for a photo in her Lara Croft inspired outfit.
Firstly, I don't know why it was necessary for her to dress up for the convention. Secondly, Cosplay is something that some people take very seriously, and if you are in costume, you should expect a lot of attention from attendees because it excites them to be around people dressed as their favorite characters, I'm not sure if the author has never been to a convention or cosplayed before, but I thought the reactions that Madison were having to the attention to be ludicrous. And thirdly, why on earth was she so obsessed with talking about her padded chest, while in costume?
Eg:
"The enormous foam bra."
"My fake breasts on the table."
"With the positioning of the Dolly Parton bra"
"I attempted to cross my arms over my chest and ended up punching the padded bra by mistake."
"I clasped my hands in front of me on the table, which basically meant I was hugging the fake breasts."
All of these from just two pages of the book, and there were so many more after that, I started rolling my eyes any time she said something about her breasts. We get it, you're wearing an awesome push up bra. Give some dividends to Victoria Secret and get on with the story, this story is not about your breasts.
I liked the subtle love triangle that was suggested at in this, with Madison having two possible love interests, Dr. Love and Niko. This is not a huge aspect of the story, but in otherwise lengthy and drawn out parts of this book, it was nice to have a bit of a giggle about Madison oogling and drooling over one of the two men.
The world building in this, and explanations of Primordium and the evil creatures was well done and as a whole, this was an entertaining read. I can definitely see promise for this series, if Madison can get over her bra fixation and pull her head out of her ass for long enough to do her job as an enforcer. I will be looking forward to the next book, to see where this story goes.
2.5 padded-bra Stars
Thank you kindly for the author for providing a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
Originally posted over at Little Purple Crayon
August 18, 2016
This book wasn't that bad, but it wasn't that good. The main character was amazingly irritating, not to mention frustrating.
The lead character was metaphorically wearing a little cap with a big sign on it saying 'STUPID'. The idiotic questions she asked and, let's face it actions speak louder than words, don't bear dwelling on. This is what makes the novel lose the bulk of it's credibility.
To add to annoying, the book was too long. I generally prefer a longer novel rather than shorter, but considering the plot, the book didn't warrant the extra detail.
Editing 3
Writing 3
Plot 4
Creativity 4
Execution 2
The lead character was metaphorically wearing a little cap with a big sign on it saying 'STUPID'. The idiotic questions she asked and, let's face it actions speak louder than words, don't bear dwelling on. This is what makes the novel lose the bulk of it's credibility.
To add to annoying, the book was too long. I generally prefer a longer novel rather than shorter, but considering the plot, the book didn't warrant the extra detail.
Editing 3
Writing 3
Plot 4
Creativity 4
Execution 2
September 16, 2016
I can never get enough urban fantasy, they just draw me in and before I know it, I've purchased way more of them than I will probably ever be able to read in a life time. But hey, I could have worse habits right?
I picked this one up not only because of the alluring cover but the synopsis as well. It sounded fun and a bit different from the normal UF series and I decided it was time to try it.
And this was fun and different and while it was entertaining, it was also very predictable. I knew who the “bad guy” was almost immediately but it was okay, I read on and still had fun with it, so much so that I didn't hesitate to download book two, hoping that the next story, the next adventure, will be even better and less predictable.
Definitely a good one to just escape for a few hours and get away and have some fun.
I picked this one up not only because of the alluring cover but the synopsis as well. It sounded fun and a bit different from the normal UF series and I decided it was time to try it.
And this was fun and different and while it was entertaining, it was also very predictable. I knew who the “bad guy” was almost immediately but it was okay, I read on and still had fun with it, so much so that I didn't hesitate to download book two, hoping that the next story, the next adventure, will be even better and less predictable.
Definitely a good one to just escape for a few hours and get away and have some fun.
September 7, 2015
Rebecca Chastain is offering BOTH eBooks in the series to THREE Winners
Open INTL where allowed - Ends September 30, 2015
Click on Banner to enter!
What could be better than finding a new heroine with supernatural powers who jumps in with both feet in the battle against evil? How about if she is clueless on what to do, has a heart of gold and provides hours of chuckles on her journey to being an undercover superhero? Even with Murphy’s Law running on overtime, Madison Fox never gives up! Welcome to her world in A Fistful of Evil by Rebecca Chastain, an author with the gift of entertainment!
Unemployed, Madison answers an ad for a job, only to discover her new employer was looking for her and the job she really gets is being a superhero against evil souls. Will she have benefits? Does she get a superhero costume? Never mind that she is clueless on how to use the ability to see souls because she has denied it for so long. Her on-the-job training is one chuckle after another, as she amazes her trainers with her total lack of knowledge. Look out world; once Madison gets this down pat, she is going to be a force to be reckoned with! Demons beware, beneath this quivering bowl of jelly lies the heart of a lion!
Rebecca Chastain has a hit series here, one full of humor, danger and amazingly awesome characters! Madison has it tough, she is trying, but the game of catch up about her ability to see and conquer evil is often fraught with frustration, good intentions gone awry and even an accidental success or two! Her supporting, or non-supporting at times, characters can be a little brutal towards her, a little smothering, but always playing off Madison in the most interesting of ways. Ms. Chastain has given us hot heroes, hot demons, nasty ankle-biter wraiths and the perfect amount of danger and mental intrigue to make Madison a star!
Well-written, captivatingly charming, downright hysterical at times, this journey into Madison’s mind and the new life she is living is a must read! Do you like your heroines a little quirky, a little unsure, but always full of good intentions? A Fistful of Evil takes the serious side of fighting evil to a whole new level, while coating it with the fun side of reading!
I received this copy from Rebecca Chastain in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer - Book 1
Publication Date: August 18, 2014
Publisher: Mind Your Muse Books
ISBN-13: 2940150422612
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Print Length: 276 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For More Reviews, Promotions and all things Books visit: http://tometender.blogspot.com
Open INTL where allowed - Ends September 30, 2015
Click on Banner to enter!
What could be better than finding a new heroine with supernatural powers who jumps in with both feet in the battle against evil? How about if she is clueless on what to do, has a heart of gold and provides hours of chuckles on her journey to being an undercover superhero? Even with Murphy’s Law running on overtime, Madison Fox never gives up! Welcome to her world in A Fistful of Evil by Rebecca Chastain, an author with the gift of entertainment!
Unemployed, Madison answers an ad for a job, only to discover her new employer was looking for her and the job she really gets is being a superhero against evil souls. Will she have benefits? Does she get a superhero costume? Never mind that she is clueless on how to use the ability to see souls because she has denied it for so long. Her on-the-job training is one chuckle after another, as she amazes her trainers with her total lack of knowledge. Look out world; once Madison gets this down pat, she is going to be a force to be reckoned with! Demons beware, beneath this quivering bowl of jelly lies the heart of a lion!
Rebecca Chastain has a hit series here, one full of humor, danger and amazingly awesome characters! Madison has it tough, she is trying, but the game of catch up about her ability to see and conquer evil is often fraught with frustration, good intentions gone awry and even an accidental success or two! Her supporting, or non-supporting at times, characters can be a little brutal towards her, a little smothering, but always playing off Madison in the most interesting of ways. Ms. Chastain has given us hot heroes, hot demons, nasty ankle-biter wraiths and the perfect amount of danger and mental intrigue to make Madison a star!
Well-written, captivatingly charming, downright hysterical at times, this journey into Madison’s mind and the new life she is living is a must read! Do you like your heroines a little quirky, a little unsure, but always full of good intentions? A Fistful of Evil takes the serious side of fighting evil to a whole new level, while coating it with the fun side of reading!
I received this copy from Rebecca Chastain in exchange for my honest review.
Series: Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer - Book 1
Publication Date: August 18, 2014
Publisher: Mind Your Muse Books
ISBN-13: 2940150422612
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Print Length: 276 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For More Reviews, Promotions and all things Books visit: http://tometender.blogspot.com
February 19, 2017
A Fistful of Evil (A Madison Fox Adventure #1) by Rebecca Chastain is a fun fantasy that I total got into right away and can't wait to read the next. It is hilarious at times and slightly suspense filled at times. A down-on-her-bank-account gal goes for a job interview and gets it but it is not what she excepted. It is supernatural in nature and something she needs trained in. Something she has had all her life but didn't know. It is so funny the way it is told, I giggle and laughed out loud more than once. Great read!
September 29, 2020
Four stars for concept, two stars for plot; I liked the main character, but some of the others weren't very fully developed. And as many other reviewers noted, it's loads of fun in the first chapters but not so much (though still enjoyable) after that.
The fun comes from the first-person narrator Madison "Dice" Fox, age 25 and up against it, desperate for a job to pay this month's bills, fired from her last job, and carrying a secret she's only shared with one other person, her best friend Bridget: by blinking, she can switch from normal vision into something she calls "soul-sight," in which everything inanimate (including sky and sun) are dark, animals and plants are bright, and people are both light and dark in different proportions.
So she answers an ad for a job at a bumper sticker company because it glowed in her soul-sight, and sure enough, it's a cover for the CIA--which stands for Collaborative Illumination Alliance, and they hire her to be an Illumination Enforcer. The world she sees in her soul-sight they call Primordium; the bright stuff she sees is called lux lucis (always in italics, mind you), and the CIA mission is to eradicate evil, which is not just dark like the objects she stumbles over if she tries to walk with soul-sight, but intensely black--atrum (also always in italics).
Atrum is a substance, almost like a liquid, invisible in normal vision. From it little bitty low-level evil creatures called imps arise and suck the lux lucis out of people, but if an Enforcer feeds extra lux lucis into them they explode. Madison's adventures with imps are hilarious until she gets the knack of it.
Higher-level critters that form from atrum move around like vervet monkeys, so they're called vervet, and they're much harder to destroy. Much more powerful are the hellhounds (more about them later). Then at the top of the chain of evil are the demons, with superior intelligence and superpowers, who control atrum and can impersonate humans.
Madison falls over backwards (literally, twice, but figuratively over and over, with embarrassment all around) in her encounter with this unexpected universe. Another reviewer (Marsha) describes her as "incompetent but fearless." Her boss is astounded at her cluelessness and is himself not too competent at training anybody, but she does finally get help from a retired Enforcer named Doris (one of the well developed characters & I hope we see her again), and the super-Enforcer Niko, officially an optivus aegis (don't ask--it won't be answered) takes her under his wing somewhat.
Despite being reamed out repeatedly by the boss for her stupid mistakes, Madison is truly impressed by the evil she sees and feels an urgent need to protect people from the imps, vervet, and finally, yes, she gets much too close to a demon whose power is lust .
At the same time, she loves animals and discovers that with tremendous effort she can turn a hellhound back into the dog he used to be--all light, no more atrum in him. Her scenes with her own 22-pound cat Mr. Bond are delightful. She'll even rescue some kittens, and all her rescues go to no-kill shelters. Her urgency to rescue animals and people combines with her job desperation to motivate most of her foolhardy moves.
It's also true that Madison turns into a hormonal teenager just barely avoiding gaffes around attractive men like Niko and her veterinarian Dr. Love., both of whom seem fond of her. Romance ahead?
The whole story takes place in the northeastern suburbs of Sacramento, California, and covers her first four days (I think) with the Enforcer job, and it's definitely a more-to-come ending. Even so it was a good ride.
The fun comes from the first-person narrator Madison "Dice" Fox, age 25 and up against it, desperate for a job to pay this month's bills, fired from her last job, and carrying a secret she's only shared with one other person, her best friend Bridget: by blinking, she can switch from normal vision into something she calls "soul-sight," in which everything inanimate (including sky and sun) are dark, animals and plants are bright, and people are both light and dark in different proportions.
So she answers an ad for a job at a bumper sticker company because it glowed in her soul-sight, and sure enough, it's a cover for the CIA--which stands for Collaborative Illumination Alliance, and they hire her to be an Illumination Enforcer. The world she sees in her soul-sight they call Primordium; the bright stuff she sees is called lux lucis (always in italics, mind you), and the CIA mission is to eradicate evil, which is not just dark like the objects she stumbles over if she tries to walk with soul-sight, but intensely black--atrum (also always in italics).
Atrum is a substance, almost like a liquid, invisible in normal vision. From it little bitty low-level evil creatures called imps arise and suck the lux lucis out of people, but if an Enforcer feeds extra lux lucis into them they explode. Madison's adventures with imps are hilarious until she gets the knack of it.
Higher-level critters that form from atrum move around like vervet monkeys, so they're called vervet, and they're much harder to destroy. Much more powerful are the hellhounds (more about them later). Then at the top of the chain of evil are the demons, with superior intelligence and superpowers, who control atrum and can impersonate humans.
Madison falls over backwards (literally, twice, but figuratively over and over, with embarrassment all around) in her encounter with this unexpected universe. Another reviewer (Marsha) describes her as "incompetent but fearless." Her boss is astounded at her cluelessness and is himself not too competent at training anybody, but she does finally get help from a retired Enforcer named Doris (one of the well developed characters & I hope we see her again), and the super-Enforcer Niko, officially an optivus aegis (don't ask--it won't be answered) takes her under his wing somewhat.
Despite being reamed out repeatedly by the boss for her stupid mistakes, Madison is truly impressed by the evil she sees and feels an urgent need to protect people from the imps, vervet, and finally, yes, she gets much too close to a demon whose power is lust .
At the same time, she loves animals and discovers that with tremendous effort she can turn a hellhound back into the dog he used to be--all light, no more atrum in him. Her scenes with her own 22-pound cat Mr. Bond are delightful. She'll even rescue some kittens, and all her rescues go to no-kill shelters. Her urgency to rescue animals and people combines with her job desperation to motivate most of her foolhardy moves.
It's also true that Madison turns into a hormonal teenager just barely avoiding gaffes around attractive men like Niko and her veterinarian Dr. Love., both of whom seem fond of her. Romance ahead?
The whole story takes place in the northeastern suburbs of Sacramento, California, and covers her first four days (I think) with the Enforcer job, and it's definitely a more-to-come ending. Even so it was a good ride.
November 19, 2014
4*s
Review posted here...
http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...
A Fistful of Evil was an interesting start to this new series featuring Madison Fox whose life is about to get a whole lot more complicated. The synopsis is spot on about what Madison will go through and it was a fun ride. Madison was a fun character, she has no clue what she’s doing but will wing it for all its worth but she does actually want to do well, she wants to learn and wants to be worthy but because she had been ignoring her gift she is totally inept. She has her eye on a couple of men but romance isn’t really the purpose of this book, it’s all about Madison’s introduction to fighting evil.
The storyline was really good and I thought the author has created something a little different to what the usual UF is about, I like Madison’s gift and how it can be used to fight evil. She is definitely flung in the deep end here and has to learn on the fly but that was an asset to the story because it was amusing to read of her trying her best, her thought process was fun too and she came across really well, so normal for a book character where you could imagine that her reactions would be the same as your own. I loved the species of demons throughout, we have imp demons, monkeys, hounds…. And they’re really just minion-esque for the bigger demons and what they do to unsuspecting humans will make you shiver. Obviously there will be a big bad demon for Madison to cut her teeth on and I had an inclining of where the story was going but when you add all of the action, danger, rescues, fighting…. Even parading around like Lara Croft – you get a fine UF book with tons of potential. My only grumble is that I would have liked a bit more romance in it but that’s personal preference and in no way detracts from the book as a whole. I’m glad I gave this a try and will be looking out for more.
Review posted here...
http://bookpassionforlife.blogspot.co...
A Fistful of Evil was an interesting start to this new series featuring Madison Fox whose life is about to get a whole lot more complicated. The synopsis is spot on about what Madison will go through and it was a fun ride. Madison was a fun character, she has no clue what she’s doing but will wing it for all its worth but she does actually want to do well, she wants to learn and wants to be worthy but because she had been ignoring her gift she is totally inept. She has her eye on a couple of men but romance isn’t really the purpose of this book, it’s all about Madison’s introduction to fighting evil.
The storyline was really good and I thought the author has created something a little different to what the usual UF is about, I like Madison’s gift and how it can be used to fight evil. She is definitely flung in the deep end here and has to learn on the fly but that was an asset to the story because it was amusing to read of her trying her best, her thought process was fun too and she came across really well, so normal for a book character where you could imagine that her reactions would be the same as your own. I loved the species of demons throughout, we have imp demons, monkeys, hounds…. And they’re really just minion-esque for the bigger demons and what they do to unsuspecting humans will make you shiver. Obviously there will be a big bad demon for Madison to cut her teeth on and I had an inclining of where the story was going but when you add all of the action, danger, rescues, fighting…. Even parading around like Lara Croft – you get a fine UF book with tons of potential. My only grumble is that I would have liked a bit more romance in it but that’s personal preference and in no way detracts from the book as a whole. I’m glad I gave this a try and will be looking out for more.
January 19, 2016
You know those books, the ones that you start, and immediately know you are going to love?That’s what happened to me with this book. It was such a fun, laugh out loud at times, read, and I enjoyed the whole thing immensely. Even the names of the chapters were funny. At the same time, it was full of action, and life or death moments.
Madison is pretty much at the end of her rope. No job, and credit cards charged to the max. As a last ditch effort, she applies for a job that she has no experience in, and surprisingly gets an interview. The interviewer seems to know things about her that she has never told anyone, and also things she has no idea about. Seems she has a special ability to see people’s souls. She can tell if people are good, bad, or even slightly bad. What she doesn’t know, is that the world is full of supernatural creatures, and people like her are needed as Illuminant Enforcers to rid the world of the bad ones. It’s not a coincidence that has gotten her the interview, the ad in the paper glowed for her, and only people like her can see the glow.
Madison was such a good character. She is clueless about the supernatural world, is a total girly girl, and becoming a kick ass creature killer is not exactly anything that she ever would have picked for herself. The reader gets to go along for the ride, as Madison learns the tricks of the trade, screws up royally more then once, and generally drives her boss crazy. At times, I was reminded of the Stephanie Plum character, from the Janet Evanovich authored books. I used to laugh out loud at her inept antics, and I laughed just as hard at Madison’s antics. At times, I did want to stop her from doing some of the stuff she does, and she does have a few of those too stupid to live moments, but she was so endearing in other ways, that it didn’t bother me. There are other good characters of course, both the ones at her new office that have different supernatural abilities, and her best friend Bridget. Love interests? Well this wasn’t a romance, but there’s two extremely hot guys that have caught her interest, and they too, were a fun part of the book. And no this wasn’t a love triangle-yet.
This story is full of all kinds of supernatural creatures, some with brains, some with none. I found some of these to be from a whole new supernatural world for me, and believe me that’s hard to do with all the paranormal books I read. So for me, the world building was really different, and also fascinating at times.
I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed this book. If we still rated with stars, it would be a 5 star one for sure. I would recommend it to all urban fantasy fans, especially ones that don’t mind laughing out loud at times.(Puretextuality.com)
Madison is pretty much at the end of her rope. No job, and credit cards charged to the max. As a last ditch effort, she applies for a job that she has no experience in, and surprisingly gets an interview. The interviewer seems to know things about her that she has never told anyone, and also things she has no idea about. Seems she has a special ability to see people’s souls. She can tell if people are good, bad, or even slightly bad. What she doesn’t know, is that the world is full of supernatural creatures, and people like her are needed as Illuminant Enforcers to rid the world of the bad ones. It’s not a coincidence that has gotten her the interview, the ad in the paper glowed for her, and only people like her can see the glow.
Madison was such a good character. She is clueless about the supernatural world, is a total girly girl, and becoming a kick ass creature killer is not exactly anything that she ever would have picked for herself. The reader gets to go along for the ride, as Madison learns the tricks of the trade, screws up royally more then once, and generally drives her boss crazy. At times, I was reminded of the Stephanie Plum character, from the Janet Evanovich authored books. I used to laugh out loud at her inept antics, and I laughed just as hard at Madison’s antics. At times, I did want to stop her from doing some of the stuff she does, and she does have a few of those too stupid to live moments, but she was so endearing in other ways, that it didn’t bother me. There are other good characters of course, both the ones at her new office that have different supernatural abilities, and her best friend Bridget. Love interests? Well this wasn’t a romance, but there’s two extremely hot guys that have caught her interest, and they too, were a fun part of the book. And no this wasn’t a love triangle-yet.
This story is full of all kinds of supernatural creatures, some with brains, some with none. I found some of these to be from a whole new supernatural world for me, and believe me that’s hard to do with all the paranormal books I read. So for me, the world building was really different, and also fascinating at times.
I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed this book. If we still rated with stars, it would be a 5 star one for sure. I would recommend it to all urban fantasy fans, especially ones that don’t mind laughing out loud at times.(Puretextuality.com)
November 14, 2014
If seems like forever since I found a new book, a new series and a new author I really enjoy. Well, let me share with you how much I enjoyed "A Fistful of Evil." The plot was unique and totally captivating. Oh, and I must mention the world building was incredible and the characters were awesome.
When was the last time you picked up a book where the heroine was totally incompetent but fearless? Well, that is the case with Madison Fox, aka "Dice." She is twenty five years old and has been fired from her third job in three years. Oh, did I mention that her most recent firing was by her uncle? Now, she is desperate and moments away from an eviction notice as she sits in front of the man interviewing her. As she discusses her qualifications to work at the bumper sticker company, her interviewer seems to be asking questions about a totally different position. Soon, Dice is introduced into a world of the supernatural where she can venture into primordial sight and see the evil on men's souls and bow imps. She finally begins to understand what she has been avoiding since her teenage years.
Dice accepts a job working for Brad Pitt at the CIA, Collaborative Illumination Alliance. Yeah, I said Brad Pitt but not the one you and I know. It just gets better as Madison is informed that her growth in the soul sight arena is stunted. However, once she sees the evil creatures it doesn't stop her from enthusiastically accepting the job. A generous signing bonus and paycheck doesn't hurt either. Soon she is the poster child for learning on the job. Her incompetence doesn't go unnoticed by her peers or the baddies she has been hired to exterminate.
As Madison fumbles through her day to day responsibilities, she is aided by the very sexy Niko. You've got to check out the ringtone she assigns him, it is so appropo. I loved the character of Dice and her fumbling ways, the wonderful creatures in this world and the incredible humor. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. In the paranormal mystery literature world overrun by vampires, werewolves and been there done that plots, "A Fistful of Evil" is a little slice of heaven. I can't wait for the next book in this series!
When was the last time you picked up a book where the heroine was totally incompetent but fearless? Well, that is the case with Madison Fox, aka "Dice." She is twenty five years old and has been fired from her third job in three years. Oh, did I mention that her most recent firing was by her uncle? Now, she is desperate and moments away from an eviction notice as she sits in front of the man interviewing her. As she discusses her qualifications to work at the bumper sticker company, her interviewer seems to be asking questions about a totally different position. Soon, Dice is introduced into a world of the supernatural where she can venture into primordial sight and see the evil on men's souls and bow imps. She finally begins to understand what she has been avoiding since her teenage years.
Dice accepts a job working for Brad Pitt at the CIA, Collaborative Illumination Alliance. Yeah, I said Brad Pitt but not the one you and I know. It just gets better as Madison is informed that her growth in the soul sight arena is stunted. However, once she sees the evil creatures it doesn't stop her from enthusiastically accepting the job. A generous signing bonus and paycheck doesn't hurt either. Soon she is the poster child for learning on the job. Her incompetence doesn't go unnoticed by her peers or the baddies she has been hired to exterminate.
As Madison fumbles through her day to day responsibilities, she is aided by the very sexy Niko. You've got to check out the ringtone she assigns him, it is so appropo. I loved the character of Dice and her fumbling ways, the wonderful creatures in this world and the incredible humor. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book. In the paranormal mystery literature world overrun by vampires, werewolves and been there done that plots, "A Fistful of Evil" is a little slice of heaven. I can't wait for the next book in this series!
April 1, 2015
This was exactly what I needed, a kick ass *snorts* okay a trying to be kick ass MC, hilarious set of characters and creepy yet interesting plot.
Madison can see the souls of people, she had this ability since the day she was born but stopped using it when she was fifteen because of some (a not) serious circumstances. Madison one took a job interview which was intended to grab the attention of those with Madison's ability but since Madison stopped using her ability for ten years, she didn't get any training. Nada! So what did she do?
She took the job, knowing she didn't have the training but was desperate for the money the job gives. She didn't expect there to be so many things going on in the spirit world. She had a whole region to protect without training, a demon to defeat, a three years crush that yet hasn't asked her on a date, a frog like boss and Mr dark and deadly. Madison was a hilarious character, she found humid even when shit hit the fan which was relieving and refreshing for me. I loved her determination to learn and how she didn't whine even when you expected her to, she never gave up.
Madison can see the souls of people, she had this ability since the day she was born but stopped using it when she was fifteen because of some (a not) serious circumstances. Madison one took a job interview which was intended to grab the attention of those with Madison's ability but since Madison stopped using her ability for ten years, she didn't get any training. Nada! So what did she do?
She took the job, knowing she didn't have the training but was desperate for the money the job gives. She didn't expect there to be so many things going on in the spirit world. She had a whole region to protect without training, a demon to defeat, a three years crush that yet hasn't asked her on a date, a frog like boss and Mr dark and deadly. Madison was a hilarious character, she found humid even when shit hit the fan which was relieving and refreshing for me. I loved her determination to learn and how she didn't whine even when you expected her to, she never gave up.
November 29, 2017
Madison has always been able to see people's souls but it's something she tries very hard not to think about since it's only ever caused her trouble. After losing her job she applies for a position at a bumper sticker company, she knows she's woefully under qualified but she's getting desperate and something about the ad makes her take a chance. What she didn't realise is that her soul-sight comes with some much more useful abilities and now she suddenly finds herself working as the area's Illuminant Enforcer. Madison has no idea what she's doing but the pay is fantastic and she likes the idea of ridding the world of evil so surely she can pick things up as she goes along?
A Fistful of Evil is a promising start to a new fun and light hearted urban fantasy series. The blurb likens Madison to Stephanie Plum and I think that's a really suitable comparison because the series has a very similar feel to it even though it has supernatural elements. Madison manages to get herself into the same kind of crazy situations that Stephanie does and I laughed a lot while I was reading this book. I'm not going to focus on the similarities because I do think this series more than stands out on it's own merits but I do think if you enjoy the Stephanie Plum books and you're a fan of the paranormal then it would definitely be worth giving these books a try too.
Madison is a likeable main character, she's a bit of a klutz and she's hopelessly unprepared for her new job but that isn't entirely her own fault since her predecessor was so eager to get out the door that he willingly dropped her in at the deep end without even warning her colleagues she had no prior training. She may be inexperienced but her heart is in the right place and even when she makes a few silly decisions you could always understand why everything played out the way it did. Madison wants to learn, she wants to be good at her job and she's willing to work hard to learn how to use her abilities so I have every confidence that she'll improve as she starts to gain confidence and experience.
The one place that the story fell down for me was when Madison had to go undercover at a convention. I really didn't like the way all the characters at the convention were so stereotypical, especially the way the only women there were all "booth babes" in tiny outfits just there to be ogled at by the nerdy guys. This whole section just made me uncomfortable and I didn't like the way Madison was so judgemental of everyone around her. It left a bit of a nasty after taste in my mouth so unfortunately the book lost a star for that.
I don't want to focus on the negative though because it was far outweighed by the positives. I enjoyed the humour surrounding Madison's incredible ability to find trouble and the amusing bumper stickers that kicked off each chapter, I liked what I've seen of her work colleagues, I enjoyed the plot and the range of interesting supernatural creatures and I loved Madison's feline sidekick Mr. Bond! I definitely have high hopes for this series and I'm looking forward to reading the next book A Fistful of Fire.
A Fistful of Evil is a promising start to a new fun and light hearted urban fantasy series. The blurb likens Madison to Stephanie Plum and I think that's a really suitable comparison because the series has a very similar feel to it even though it has supernatural elements. Madison manages to get herself into the same kind of crazy situations that Stephanie does and I laughed a lot while I was reading this book. I'm not going to focus on the similarities because I do think this series more than stands out on it's own merits but I do think if you enjoy the Stephanie Plum books and you're a fan of the paranormal then it would definitely be worth giving these books a try too.
Madison is a likeable main character, she's a bit of a klutz and she's hopelessly unprepared for her new job but that isn't entirely her own fault since her predecessor was so eager to get out the door that he willingly dropped her in at the deep end without even warning her colleagues she had no prior training. She may be inexperienced but her heart is in the right place and even when she makes a few silly decisions you could always understand why everything played out the way it did. Madison wants to learn, she wants to be good at her job and she's willing to work hard to learn how to use her abilities so I have every confidence that she'll improve as she starts to gain confidence and experience.
The one place that the story fell down for me was when Madison had to go undercover at a convention. I really didn't like the way all the characters at the convention were so stereotypical, especially the way the only women there were all "booth babes" in tiny outfits just there to be ogled at by the nerdy guys. This whole section just made me uncomfortable and I didn't like the way Madison was so judgemental of everyone around her. It left a bit of a nasty after taste in my mouth so unfortunately the book lost a star for that.
I don't want to focus on the negative though because it was far outweighed by the positives. I enjoyed the humour surrounding Madison's incredible ability to find trouble and the amusing bumper stickers that kicked off each chapter, I liked what I've seen of her work colleagues, I enjoyed the plot and the range of interesting supernatural creatures and I loved Madison's feline sidekick Mr. Bond! I definitely have high hopes for this series and I'm looking forward to reading the next book A Fistful of Fire.
September 29, 2019
I enjoyed the authors Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles, so I was looking forward to settling down with the first book in another series by her.
In spite of Rebecca Chastain's lively writing style and cool ideas, this book was a huge disappointment on several counts. The cliche of the clumsy heroine constantly falling on her ass, rolling around in the dirt, bumping into things, and making a fool of herself was only the start.
After searching for a job, any job, Madison Fox finally lands a job as an illumenant enforcer. She has zero experience, and in fact, spent most of her life suppressing her ability to read souls. If the book had been about Madison learning about her abilities, training, and trying to figure out her job, I would have been happy.
Instead, Madison spent the entire first four days on the job being an idiot, making stupid decisions, needing to be rescued, and being demeaned. All of the women in this book ended up being demeaned one way or another.
Madison's boss forces her to wear a skimpy costume to a fan convention (and the less said about the descriptions of con-goers the better) where other women, booth girls, are also wearing skimpy clothing. All of these women are ogled, drooled over, smirked at by the surrounding male characters.
Oh, but it goes both ways, because Madison ogles, drools over, and makes a fool of herself with every cute guy she sees. She supposed to be 25, but acts like a boy crazy 13 year old. I apologize to 13 year olds everywhere for comparing them to Madison, they have far more dignity.
The story managed to cling to a shaky three stars for most of the book, but the final straw was when another woman got her skirt torn off exposing her thong clad read-end. Basically, she ended up with her naked ass hanging out. Was that supposed to be funny? Was the stupid costume supposed to be funny? The light and breezy style made me think I was supposed to laugh.
I doubt I'll read any more of this series. Madison is an idiot. I might try more of the Gargoyles universe, but that's waaaay way down the list of potential books.
In spite of Rebecca Chastain's lively writing style and cool ideas, this book was a huge disappointment on several counts. The cliche of the clumsy heroine constantly falling on her ass, rolling around in the dirt, bumping into things, and making a fool of herself was only the start.
After searching for a job, any job, Madison Fox finally lands a job as an illumenant enforcer. She has zero experience, and in fact, spent most of her life suppressing her ability to read souls. If the book had been about Madison learning about her abilities, training, and trying to figure out her job, I would have been happy.
Instead, Madison spent the entire first four days on the job being an idiot, making stupid decisions, needing to be rescued, and being demeaned. All of the women in this book ended up being demeaned one way or another.
Madison's boss forces her to wear a skimpy costume to a fan convention (and the less said about the descriptions of con-goers the better) where other women, booth girls, are also wearing skimpy clothing. All of these women are ogled, drooled over, smirked at by the surrounding male characters.
Oh, but it goes both ways, because Madison ogles, drools over, and makes a fool of herself with every cute guy she sees. She supposed to be 25, but acts like a boy crazy 13 year old. I apologize to 13 year olds everywhere for comparing them to Madison, they have far more dignity.
The story managed to cling to a shaky three stars for most of the book, but the final straw was when another woman got her skirt torn off exposing her thong clad read-end. Basically, she ended up with her naked ass hanging out. Was that supposed to be funny? Was the stupid costume supposed to be funny? The light and breezy style made me think I was supposed to laugh.
I doubt I'll read any more of this series. Madison is an idiot. I might try more of the Gargoyles universe, but that's waaaay way down the list of potential books.
October 17, 2021
Madison has always been able to see souls but when she applies for a job, she isn’t quite qualified for she soon discovers her sight is just the first step in fighting evil. As the first audio in the Madison Fox Adventures, we learn about the supernatural world along with Madison.
Her on-the-job training brings danger as an evil entity sets up shop at a local hotel’s video game convention. Madison knows nothing about her abilities and the author does a superb job of introducing those skills as Madison stumbles through learning her new job. In the beginning Madison is happy to have her money woes resolved and to understand her gift, but she is looking at the position as temporary. It was interesting watching her come to appreciate her role as an Illuminant Enforcer.
I loved the supernatural world from the fuzzy little soul suckers to the way the enforcers recharge. Madison is a likeable character and while she took chances, she felt genuine. From the beginning it is clear she can be impulsive and doesn’t always think things through, which leaves plenty of room for growth. There is a little budding romance revolving around four-legged friends, and it was sweet and awkward.
Elise Arsenault narrates and did a wonderful job of capturing Madison’s personality and providing unique voices for secondary characters and our villain. From pacing to tone she enhanced the overall tale and made listening a pleasure. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Her on-the-job training brings danger as an evil entity sets up shop at a local hotel’s video game convention. Madison knows nothing about her abilities and the author does a superb job of introducing those skills as Madison stumbles through learning her new job. In the beginning Madison is happy to have her money woes resolved and to understand her gift, but she is looking at the position as temporary. It was interesting watching her come to appreciate her role as an Illuminant Enforcer.
I loved the supernatural world from the fuzzy little soul suckers to the way the enforcers recharge. Madison is a likeable character and while she took chances, she felt genuine. From the beginning it is clear she can be impulsive and doesn’t always think things through, which leaves plenty of room for growth. There is a little budding romance revolving around four-legged friends, and it was sweet and awkward.
Elise Arsenault narrates and did a wonderful job of capturing Madison’s personality and providing unique voices for secondary characters and our villain. From pacing to tone she enhanced the overall tale and made listening a pleasure. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
October 3, 2014
Madison, the protagonist and narrator in Rebecca Chastain's A Fistful of Evil, possesses an ability she calls "soul-sight", with which she can switch her vision to see people and the world from a different view and perspective literally.
When Madison switches to soul-sight or Primordium, she sees people's souls and life force. Every person's good or bad deeds give them a colour, a particular shade of white, grey or black.
Madison does not like her ability, after a sad experience in her teens, and wishes she could forget about it or get rid of it. However, while searching for a job, she finds herself part of the world of Enforcers and evil-fighting.
Narrated in the first person from Madison's perspective, A Fistful of Evil has a lot of sarcasm, owing to Madison's character, making the humour element ever-present in the novel. One of the thoughts that come to her is after starting her new job and having to buy a phone. She says/thinks “A cell phone yesterday. A video conference today. Watch out, world. I might get a Twitter account next!”
What I also truly loved about A Fistful of Evil is the fact that it does not have a love story or that the romantic element is neither the centre nor is even in the periphery. Madison and her best friend Bridget do talk about men and Madison has a crush on several, however, there is no romance in the novel. Applause to Rebecca Chastain for that.
All the characters in the novel are well-crafted and loveable. Even the demon, one cannot seem to hate him entirely. Rose is funny, flirty and helpful. She is also the one who "babysits" Madison at first. One of the funny scenes I enjoyed was this:
“Mr. Pitt snorted. He redirected his gaze to Rose. “Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“That’s above my pay grade.”
A Fistful of Evil shows Madison's character as it grows, falters and gets up again. Madison has several moments of revelation, of light and realisation, that lead her to her decision as to whether she wants to accept her soul-sight and become an Enforcer or not. It is also the little things that make us great people, as both Madison and the reader realise and as Chastain so beautifully reveals it.
There are many beautiful lines, images and scenes in the novel. One of them has Madison contemplating and weighing right and wrong when doing good; how much wrong or rule-breaking is a person allowed to do in order to do good?
“I may not be proud of my job history, but I’d never committed a crime before, let alone a crime in the name of my job. Then again, I’d never done anything as important as battle evil. My other jobs had been meaningless or boring—often both. At least as an enforcer, I was positively influencing the very balance of good and evil. That had to outweigh the minor transgressions I’d made along the way, right?”
Imagery is an important aspect in the novel and Chastain is highly lauded for her choice of imagery and humour. A favourite is the funny and realistic “But there was nothing like a hound of death on my heels to give me an Olympian-worthy boost.”
Also, “The horror reel played out in my head, with the hosts scattering across the continent, then the world, a pandemic of evil” is a highly visual image.
Also, when she was scantily dressed, she thought to herself: “embarrassment came complete with its own heating system.”
After battling a demon and nearly dying, Niko – also known as "Mr. Dark and Deadly" - takes Madison to refuel or "recharge" her energy, which includes having something to eat. One can proudly say that they will look at green salads differently after reading this novel.
“Niko selected Cobb salads for both of us—without bacon!—plus four large sides of grilled vegetables.
Screw that. I’d almost died tonight. I deserved something better than rabbit food.” Later, Niko explains why it is important to eat greens and why Madison's comfort food of fries and a milkshake do nothing to fill her up or recharge her energy.
Overall, A Fistful of Evil is an enjoyable, quick-paced fantasy novel. It's fun, it's different and it makes you think.
It is the first instalment in the series and I look forward to reading the second part.
When Madison switches to soul-sight or Primordium, she sees people's souls and life force. Every person's good or bad deeds give them a colour, a particular shade of white, grey or black.
Madison does not like her ability, after a sad experience in her teens, and wishes she could forget about it or get rid of it. However, while searching for a job, she finds herself part of the world of Enforcers and evil-fighting.
Narrated in the first person from Madison's perspective, A Fistful of Evil has a lot of sarcasm, owing to Madison's character, making the humour element ever-present in the novel. One of the thoughts that come to her is after starting her new job and having to buy a phone. She says/thinks “A cell phone yesterday. A video conference today. Watch out, world. I might get a Twitter account next!”
What I also truly loved about A Fistful of Evil is the fact that it does not have a love story or that the romantic element is neither the centre nor is even in the periphery. Madison and her best friend Bridget do talk about men and Madison has a crush on several, however, there is no romance in the novel. Applause to Rebecca Chastain for that.
All the characters in the novel are well-crafted and loveable. Even the demon, one cannot seem to hate him entirely. Rose is funny, flirty and helpful. She is also the one who "babysits" Madison at first. One of the funny scenes I enjoyed was this:
“Mr. Pitt snorted. He redirected his gaze to Rose. “Make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“That’s above my pay grade.”
A Fistful of Evil shows Madison's character as it grows, falters and gets up again. Madison has several moments of revelation, of light and realisation, that lead her to her decision as to whether she wants to accept her soul-sight and become an Enforcer or not. It is also the little things that make us great people, as both Madison and the reader realise and as Chastain so beautifully reveals it.
There are many beautiful lines, images and scenes in the novel. One of them has Madison contemplating and weighing right and wrong when doing good; how much wrong or rule-breaking is a person allowed to do in order to do good?
“I may not be proud of my job history, but I’d never committed a crime before, let alone a crime in the name of my job. Then again, I’d never done anything as important as battle evil. My other jobs had been meaningless or boring—often both. At least as an enforcer, I was positively influencing the very balance of good and evil. That had to outweigh the minor transgressions I’d made along the way, right?”
Imagery is an important aspect in the novel and Chastain is highly lauded for her choice of imagery and humour. A favourite is the funny and realistic “But there was nothing like a hound of death on my heels to give me an Olympian-worthy boost.”
Also, “The horror reel played out in my head, with the hosts scattering across the continent, then the world, a pandemic of evil” is a highly visual image.
Also, when she was scantily dressed, she thought to herself: “embarrassment came complete with its own heating system.”
After battling a demon and nearly dying, Niko – also known as "Mr. Dark and Deadly" - takes Madison to refuel or "recharge" her energy, which includes having something to eat. One can proudly say that they will look at green salads differently after reading this novel.
“Niko selected Cobb salads for both of us—without bacon!—plus four large sides of grilled vegetables.
Screw that. I’d almost died tonight. I deserved something better than rabbit food.” Later, Niko explains why it is important to eat greens and why Madison's comfort food of fries and a milkshake do nothing to fill her up or recharge her energy.
Overall, A Fistful of Evil is an enjoyable, quick-paced fantasy novel. It's fun, it's different and it makes you think.
It is the first instalment in the series and I look forward to reading the second part.
September 11, 2016
As soon as I started this book I knew I wasn't going to like it. The idea that the author had was good, the writing itself is ok but I just can't stand the MC, and as those who read my reviews know, that spells terminal for a book! If I hate the MC, I am unlikely to want to finish the book and that was certainly true in this case.
What can I say about Madison? Well, she is a ditzy, self obsessed idiot who spends all her time drooling over hot guys and turning up her nose at unattractive people. She is a vain and selfish snob who only thinks about herself and I really wanted to push her off a cliff or feed her to a hungry imp or something. She is in need of a job so she decides to lie about her experience and capabilities at her interview with Kyle, not caring that she would never be able to do the actual job, but remember, Madison's need for money trumps what is good for everyone else. Kyle is too smart to be fooled and notes that like him, she has a power which means she could take over his job so he can get a transfer. His job is to keep the area clear of supernatural threats including killing creatures who could hurt people.
Madison of course decides to take the job because she will be earning big money, getting a car and danger money as required. She doesn't actually CARE about doing the job, already planning how to blag her way through it and get paid until she finds something else. She really does only care about herself. She has no experience in how to use her power to kill creatures, no clue what the job entails, no interest in keeping the area safe for others and no plan to even attempt to do the job. This is pathetic and very annoying and I want to give her a good slap. I wanted to slap Kyle as well for getting her to take the job and not caring that she has no idea what she is doing, just so he can move away.
Then we have the man obsession. When she hears her boss is called Brad Pitt, she sits in the waiting room having fantasies about what he looks like. Once in his office she ignores her boss to drool over and have more fantasies about hot guy in the office with him, finally realising she should be paying attention to Mr Pitt instead of acting like an out of control nympho. Of course she doesn't like it that her boss is ugly which makes her shallow as hell. From reading other reviews it seems that all she ever wants to do is be critical of other people especially the way they look, and only hot people are to be bothered with. Pathetic woman. I also note that in other reviews a love triangle is mentioned so I'm glad I'm not reading further. Gag.
I don't think much of her employers either. They don't seem to believe in training of any kind and basically don't even check to see if she can do the job, which they would have discovered by asking her a couple of quick questions. I found the whole plot quite annoying as nobody seemed that interested in helping Madison or telling her much of use.
I lost interest in this quite quickly due to the plot and the useless MC. I'm certainly not continuing with the series but I will try another series by the author to see what that is like.
What can I say about Madison? Well, she is a ditzy, self obsessed idiot who spends all her time drooling over hot guys and turning up her nose at unattractive people. She is a vain and selfish snob who only thinks about herself and I really wanted to push her off a cliff or feed her to a hungry imp or something. She is in need of a job so she decides to lie about her experience and capabilities at her interview with Kyle, not caring that she would never be able to do the actual job, but remember, Madison's need for money trumps what is good for everyone else. Kyle is too smart to be fooled and notes that like him, she has a power which means she could take over his job so he can get a transfer. His job is to keep the area clear of supernatural threats including killing creatures who could hurt people.
Madison of course decides to take the job because she will be earning big money, getting a car and danger money as required. She doesn't actually CARE about doing the job, already planning how to blag her way through it and get paid until she finds something else. She really does only care about herself. She has no experience in how to use her power to kill creatures, no clue what the job entails, no interest in keeping the area safe for others and no plan to even attempt to do the job. This is pathetic and very annoying and I want to give her a good slap. I wanted to slap Kyle as well for getting her to take the job and not caring that she has no idea what she is doing, just so he can move away.
Then we have the man obsession. When she hears her boss is called Brad Pitt, she sits in the waiting room having fantasies about what he looks like. Once in his office she ignores her boss to drool over and have more fantasies about hot guy in the office with him, finally realising she should be paying attention to Mr Pitt instead of acting like an out of control nympho. Of course she doesn't like it that her boss is ugly which makes her shallow as hell. From reading other reviews it seems that all she ever wants to do is be critical of other people especially the way they look, and only hot people are to be bothered with. Pathetic woman. I also note that in other reviews a love triangle is mentioned so I'm glad I'm not reading further. Gag.
I don't think much of her employers either. They don't seem to believe in training of any kind and basically don't even check to see if she can do the job, which they would have discovered by asking her a couple of quick questions. I found the whole plot quite annoying as nobody seemed that interested in helping Madison or telling her much of use.
I lost interest in this quite quickly due to the plot and the useless MC. I'm certainly not continuing with the series but I will try another series by the author to see what that is like.
July 2, 2015
~ 2 Fistful of Evil Stars ~
A Fistful of Evil is book one in the Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer series by Rebecca Chastain. I really wanted to like this urban fantasy novel. It was not bad, but not good either. It’s a little long and slow going throughout the novel.
My main issue with this book is Madison our heroine. I like POV’s, but I could not stand Madison. I have never been in love with young 20 something heroines. They make silly mistakes and don’t seem to learn from them. I think she was supposed to be portrayed as fiery, spunky, and sassy, but she came off as a whiny immature hormonal teen with no brains. She has this great gift, but does nothing to learn about it, until she comes into contact with this guy, Kyle, when looking for a job. Does she ask questions? Nope? She believes everything Kyle says, but she does not know him and she believes him right off the bat. Next her boss and coworkers don’t tell her anything about her gift, Soul-Sight or Primordium, keeping her in the dark which causes her to go off and make mistakes over and over again. What she needs is some hand to hand training and someone to actually tell her how to use her gift and what evil is out their instead of letting her run around like an idiot and getting herself into trouble. How did all the other Illuminant Enforcers learn there skills? Last every time a good looking man walks into the room she goes off into la la land and hormonal over drive, which leads her to forget what she is doing, to ask questions, or look into the Primordium (as she was told to do). As for the bad demon. Well it's obvious who it is once they are introduced, but does Madison figure it out? Nope, she is to distracted in la la land to tape into her gift until she is in way over her head.
I kept reading hoping to see if Madison would learn from her mistakes, ask questions, and give us more insight into the Primoridum, but nope it did not happen. Each page was her jumping into trouble and a hot guy sending her into hormonal teenage overdrive.
A Fistful of Evil was not the book for me. If the blurb intrigues you, I urge you to give it a shot. Just because it did not work for me does not mean it won’t for you.
* Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy free of charge from Rebecca Chastain with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
A Fistful of Evil is book one in the Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer series by Rebecca Chastain. I really wanted to like this urban fantasy novel. It was not bad, but not good either. It’s a little long and slow going throughout the novel.
My main issue with this book is Madison our heroine. I like POV’s, but I could not stand Madison. I have never been in love with young 20 something heroines. They make silly mistakes and don’t seem to learn from them. I think she was supposed to be portrayed as fiery, spunky, and sassy, but she came off as a whiny immature hormonal teen with no brains. She has this great gift, but does nothing to learn about it, until she comes into contact with this guy, Kyle, when looking for a job. Does she ask questions? Nope? She believes everything Kyle says, but she does not know him and she believes him right off the bat. Next her boss and coworkers don’t tell her anything about her gift, Soul-Sight or Primordium, keeping her in the dark which causes her to go off and make mistakes over and over again. What she needs is some hand to hand training and someone to actually tell her how to use her gift and what evil is out their instead of letting her run around like an idiot and getting herself into trouble. How did all the other Illuminant Enforcers learn there skills? Last every time a good looking man walks into the room she goes off into la la land and hormonal over drive, which leads her to forget what she is doing, to ask questions, or look into the Primordium (as she was told to do). As for the bad demon. Well it's obvious who it is once they are introduced, but does Madison figure it out? Nope, she is to distracted in la la land to tape into her gift until she is in way over her head.
I kept reading hoping to see if Madison would learn from her mistakes, ask questions, and give us more insight into the Primoridum, but nope it did not happen. Each page was her jumping into trouble and a hot guy sending her into hormonal teenage overdrive.
A Fistful of Evil was not the book for me. If the blurb intrigues you, I urge you to give it a shot. Just because it did not work for me does not mean it won’t for you.
* Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy free of charge from Rebecca Chastain with the sole purpose of an honest review. All thoughts, comments and ratings are my own.
December 17, 2015
Really disliked judgmental main character
This book was frustrating to read. It is bothersome to sit through someone who doesn't speak up, doesn't ask questions, doesn't mind lying and tries to fake her way through dangerous situations, and on top of that is a bit of a judgmental cow.
See, heroine Madison is a very superficial girl. She judges everyone's worth based on looks. Hey boss is a disappointment because he's ugly. Her trainer is absurd because she's old and dresses funny. Poor people are scary. Handsome pretty people are nice. Unattractive people are weird and/or gross.
Perfect, pretty, incompetent Madison goes to a hotel where a sci-fi having conventional is being held. Here's how she describes the people attending this convention: "a gaggle of pasty, overweight, pubescent boys;" they're also "scrawny," "whiny," "obese," "pimpled geeks." Yep, every last one of them. Our delicate heroine is utterly repulsed, and so am I -- at her.
Look, if you want us to sympathize with a girl who's a screw-up in her own right -- she screams and falls down a lot, and stupidly charges into situations she doesn't ask know anything about -- then maybe she should be a little more accepting of those around her. And less shallow. And less stupid.
At 40%, I just can't continue reading to find out if Madison redeems herself. The opportunity for the author to show she's a smart, capable character worth caring about is long gone. The best thing I can say about Madison is she loves her cat, even if he is fat. And obese. Which she mentions every time she sees him. (I get it, your cat's heavy! Jeez.)
DNF, cannot recommend.
This book was frustrating to read. It is bothersome to sit through someone who doesn't speak up, doesn't ask questions, doesn't mind lying and tries to fake her way through dangerous situations, and on top of that is a bit of a judgmental cow.
See, heroine Madison is a very superficial girl. She judges everyone's worth based on looks. Hey boss is a disappointment because he's ugly. Her trainer is absurd because she's old and dresses funny. Poor people are scary. Handsome pretty people are nice. Unattractive people are weird and/or gross.
Perfect, pretty, incompetent Madison goes to a hotel where a sci-fi having conventional is being held. Here's how she describes the people attending this convention: "a gaggle of pasty, overweight, pubescent boys;" they're also "scrawny," "whiny," "obese," "pimpled geeks." Yep, every last one of them. Our delicate heroine is utterly repulsed, and so am I -- at her.
Look, if you want us to sympathize with a girl who's a screw-up in her own right -- she screams and falls down a lot, and stupidly charges into situations she doesn't ask know anything about -- then maybe she should be a little more accepting of those around her. And less shallow. And less stupid.
At 40%, I just can't continue reading to find out if Madison redeems herself. The opportunity for the author to show she's a smart, capable character worth caring about is long gone. The best thing I can say about Madison is she loves her cat, even if he is fat. And obese. Which she mentions every time she sees him. (I get it, your cat's heavy! Jeez.)
DNF, cannot recommend.
January 20, 2016
3 ½ ★
This a nice start to a new series.
We meet Madison just as she finds out that the ability to see souls is more than she thought and that she is part of the supernatural community that she has no idea excised.
She starts a job as an Illuminant Enforcer, which basically is there to protect the world for all evil being. Since she is pretty knew to the supernatural works she has all kind of things to learn . Some things she learns faster than other as she is thrown in to the pool, not knowing how to swim basically.
I really liked Madison, when we first meet her she is a just a girl trying make ends meet and struggling with money or to hold a job. She is feisty and snarky and sarcasm is her weapon of choice. She also has love for her cat, a lot of it. And she kind of lusts after the vet, Dr. Love <– no joke.
You can find my full review here:
http://snoopydoosbookreviews.com/a-fi...
This a nice start to a new series.
We meet Madison just as she finds out that the ability to see souls is more than she thought and that she is part of the supernatural community that she has no idea excised.
She starts a job as an Illuminant Enforcer, which basically is there to protect the world for all evil being. Since she is pretty knew to the supernatural works she has all kind of things to learn . Some things she learns faster than other as she is thrown in to the pool, not knowing how to swim basically.
I really liked Madison, when we first meet her she is a just a girl trying make ends meet and struggling with money or to hold a job. She is feisty and snarky and sarcasm is her weapon of choice. She also has love for her cat, a lot of it. And she kind of lusts after the vet, Dr. Love <– no joke.
You can find my full review here:
http://snoopydoosbookreviews.com/a-fi...
August 31, 2014
A FISTFUL OF EVIL is a super fast, positively action-packed read, full of demons, video game nerds, and lots of fun. It made me scared, it made me laugh, and it made me genuinely care about its characters. Anyone who enjoys strong female protagonists kicking ass is sure to love this book. I have to admit, reading fantasy is outside of my usual reading comfort zone, but I was immediately hooked on the story and loved all of the elements of this book, even (especially?) the supernatural ones. If you already read fantasy, this book is right up your alley; but even if you don't, I can attest that this book will draw you in. Full disclosure: It is my honor to know the author personally, and I was able to read an advance copy of the book, but my review is completely honest. It is a pleasure to recommend this book to everyone I know.
August 5, 2015
I guess the protagonist is supposed to come across as feisty/spunky/sassy, but she doesn't.... She reads as a dimwitted, hormonally imbalanced, whiny ninny. She's nowhere close to my idea of what a "kickass" chick is supposed to be like.
With so many good reviews, I thought I had found myself an entertaining read after a lot of not so exiting books. Alas, I was in for a huge disappointment. It was even worse than the last string of books I have had the misfortune to read.
If you are a new reader to the Urban Fantasy genre, you might enjoy it, maybe....
Two stars because it was a new, pretty good idea, but the writing could not support support it.
With so many good reviews, I thought I had found myself an entertaining read after a lot of not so exiting books. Alas, I was in for a huge disappointment. It was even worse than the last string of books I have had the misfortune to read.
If you are a new reader to the Urban Fantasy genre, you might enjoy it, maybe....
Two stars because it was a new, pretty good idea, but the writing could not support support it.
June 8, 2020
Book 1 is slow but series improves tremendously and with book 3 I was addicted.
Fmc Madison is not without vulnerabilities but she overcomes them in each book. Madison is all snark though
Fmc Madison is not without vulnerabilities but she overcomes them in each book. Madison is all snark though
February 15, 2021
Fun and goofy in some parts, sad scenes for animal lovers but this book is definitely about an animal lover (there’s also a sexy vet named Dr Love who’s one of the love interests). Definitely a very gross villain that will make you shiver with feelings of disgust too, so be warned. It’s definitely a good book though for sure. The world building and rules of magic are very solid, well thought out, and believable, so huge points given there. The main character is very likable too, especially with how much she genuinely cares for animals. She starts out as kind of cowardly, in an understandable way, but kind of becomes addicted to being heroic as the story goes on, which is frankly very entertaining
October 2, 2014
This was very obviously a first book in a series by a new author. That being said there were things that I really liked about it and things that were not so great, but it was definitely interesting enough to make me keep an eye out for what comes next.
Firstly what I was not so keen on. I really liked the beginning of the book but after the first couple of chapters I wanted to throw something at our heroine, Madison. She is thrown into a world she knows very little about and barely asks any questions. Further more those around her see fit to keep her in the dark allowing her to bumble around making one mistake after another. I realise that eases the plot lines into place but in parts I felt it was a little too much. I also couldn't believe the risks she took, which I felt weren't entirely keeping with how her personality was brought forward. The other thing I was not keen on was the way she lusted after almost every male character introduced into the book. Well, apart from Brad Pitt, but that was understandable! His part and powers in all this I also felt very in the dark about. Some of the secondary characters felt a little one dimensional to me as well, but these are things I am hoping will be cleared up by the next book.
And now onto the things that I did like, which were a lot. First off I felt the world building was very original and believable, I loved the idea of a bumper sticker business to cover for all things supernatural. The fact that it all looked so mundane made it very believable. The idea of light and dark, whilst not a new one, has been put forward in an original way and makes me want to know more about this world. As I said Madison made me very frustrated for a large part but she greatly redeemed herself from about the last quarter of the book and that gives me great hope for future books. The way she dealt with the teenagers and then the last battle (I won't give it away) was great fun to read. The two characters that I really liked were Doris and Bridget, I hope we get to see a lot more of them, they both made me chuckle. I am intrigued about what other dark creatures are out there and also a bit curious about the light, what else exists and can Madison keep up with her new job role and steep learning curve. I will look out for the next book.
Firstly what I was not so keen on. I really liked the beginning of the book but after the first couple of chapters I wanted to throw something at our heroine, Madison. She is thrown into a world she knows very little about and barely asks any questions. Further more those around her see fit to keep her in the dark allowing her to bumble around making one mistake after another. I realise that eases the plot lines into place but in parts I felt it was a little too much. I also couldn't believe the risks she took, which I felt weren't entirely keeping with how her personality was brought forward. The other thing I was not keen on was the way she lusted after almost every male character introduced into the book. Well, apart from Brad Pitt, but that was understandable! His part and powers in all this I also felt very in the dark about. Some of the secondary characters felt a little one dimensional to me as well, but these are things I am hoping will be cleared up by the next book.
And now onto the things that I did like, which were a lot. First off I felt the world building was very original and believable, I loved the idea of a bumper sticker business to cover for all things supernatural. The fact that it all looked so mundane made it very believable. The idea of light and dark, whilst not a new one, has been put forward in an original way and makes me want to know more about this world. As I said Madison made me very frustrated for a large part but she greatly redeemed herself from about the last quarter of the book and that gives me great hope for future books. The way she dealt with the teenagers and then the last battle (I won't give it away) was great fun to read. The two characters that I really liked were Doris and Bridget, I hope we get to see a lot more of them, they both made me chuckle. I am intrigued about what other dark creatures are out there and also a bit curious about the light, what else exists and can Madison keep up with her new job role and steep learning curve. I will look out for the next book.
December 28, 2014
So, this is a very fun new series that I plan to get a whole lot more of, ASAP, of course when the author writes it. LOL. Madison Fox just wanted to be normal. She hated that she had a gift, or a curse, and most people agreed with the curse part so she hid it.
Madison cracked me up. She's trying not to get eaten by demons and she's drooling over hawt dudes. LOL She wants to do well, but what she really hopes for is to find a way to turn her "gift" off. It definitely doesn't work that way, and even though she's kind of duped into this spot, she's got a big responsibility to handle. That gift is a big part of that. She's also mad that everyone keeps telling her how behind she is, that children are better than her, because she's fought against her gift for so long. And though she drools a lot, romance isn't the biggest pot on the burner her, which I loved that the plot was all about Madison learning her gift and her new place in life. And my favorite is that she rescued a dog possessed by a demon and turned him back into a sweet heart :) YAY for animal lovers!!
A big part of this is fighting against demons who are corrupting humans who don't know or understand them. I mean the monkey demons, I about peed my pants, but I couldn't hurt a doggie. :( And then there's the big bad demons, and how much harm they really can cause. And I also love her best friend, who is a true friend. Her own family harrasses her, acts like they love her, and yet when she tried to get them to help her with her gift, they almost locked her up instead of trying anything.
The writing is fantastic. The plot worked well and kept me on my toes, and had me turning the pages. I wanted to know what was going to happen. And I wanna see more HAWT guys :) I totally love Madison as a character, and she's funny. I look forward to so much more! 5 DEMON PAWS!!!
Madison cracked me up. She's trying not to get eaten by demons and she's drooling over hawt dudes. LOL She wants to do well, but what she really hopes for is to find a way to turn her "gift" off. It definitely doesn't work that way, and even though she's kind of duped into this spot, she's got a big responsibility to handle. That gift is a big part of that. She's also mad that everyone keeps telling her how behind she is, that children are better than her, because she's fought against her gift for so long. And though she drools a lot, romance isn't the biggest pot on the burner her, which I loved that the plot was all about Madison learning her gift and her new place in life. And my favorite is that she rescued a dog possessed by a demon and turned him back into a sweet heart :) YAY for animal lovers!!
A big part of this is fighting against demons who are corrupting humans who don't know or understand them. I mean the monkey demons, I about peed my pants, but I couldn't hurt a doggie. :( And then there's the big bad demons, and how much harm they really can cause. And I also love her best friend, who is a true friend. Her own family harrasses her, acts like they love her, and yet when she tried to get them to help her with her gift, they almost locked her up instead of trying anything.
The writing is fantastic. The plot worked well and kept me on my toes, and had me turning the pages. I wanted to know what was going to happen. And I wanna see more HAWT guys :) I totally love Madison as a character, and she's funny. I look forward to so much more! 5 DEMON PAWS!!!
December 9, 2014
I gave it 3.5/5 stars
I ended up really liking Madison, but she is sort of treated like the class idiot. She walked into a job interview knowing zero about her abilities or even that having her abilities meant something. When she is thrust into this new job she knows nothing about, everyone just assumes she must know something. When she proves she doesn't she gets help, but it's very limited and a lot of stuff is kept from her, making it so she gets in even more trouble than needed. She is a quick learner, but has a way of messing things up with wanting to prove herself before she's ready.
A FISTFUL OF EVIL was a unique concept. I really liked learning about the abilities that not only Madison had, but also her colleagues. There are also a lot of different personalities thrown into the mix and it was fun watching them learn about each other. The author did a great job with the world building. Everything was easy to understand and follow. I loved the hiding in plain site business plan as well as the weapons that are used on the job. I did find there to be a few spots in the book that slowed down. It wasn't horrible, but it was enough to almost make me start skimming at a few points. I think some stuff could have been cut out during those points to make if flow better. Thankfully those were few and far between. A FISTFUL OF EVIL was a good start to the series and I plan to continue it!
* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I ended up really liking Madison, but she is sort of treated like the class idiot. She walked into a job interview knowing zero about her abilities or even that having her abilities meant something. When she is thrust into this new job she knows nothing about, everyone just assumes she must know something. When she proves she doesn't she gets help, but it's very limited and a lot of stuff is kept from her, making it so she gets in even more trouble than needed. She is a quick learner, but has a way of messing things up with wanting to prove herself before she's ready.
A FISTFUL OF EVIL was a unique concept. I really liked learning about the abilities that not only Madison had, but also her colleagues. There are also a lot of different personalities thrown into the mix and it was fun watching them learn about each other. The author did a great job with the world building. Everything was easy to understand and follow. I loved the hiding in plain site business plan as well as the weapons that are used on the job. I did find there to be a few spots in the book that slowed down. It wasn't horrible, but it was enough to almost make me start skimming at a few points. I think some stuff could have been cut out during those points to make if flow better. Thankfully those were few and far between. A FISTFUL OF EVIL was a good start to the series and I plan to continue it!
* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
November 13, 2018
I struggled with this for a while. The heroine kept doing amazingly stupid things, like taking a job and not telling the boss that she has literally no knowledge or experience in this field. Who does that? That might work in a regular job (fake it 'til you make it?), but this one is life or death and fighting evil things. Kind of dangerously stupid to do this job in an ignorant state. Luckily she seemed to grow some brains as the book progressed. I was also angry on her behalf once the others were aware of how little she knew, and kept not giving her proper training or information, so she was in more danger than she needed to be.
April 21, 2019
So I borrowed this from hoopla in audio because I needed something light while doing data entry type work. It was definitely light. I usually like heroine led urban fantasy but this was probably the most mediocre I've ever read in the genre. Madison was so inept that it was almost painful to listen to each time she screwed up and I found myself wanting to yell at her to pay attention because I could see what would happen a mile away.
January 18, 2015
Couldn't stop reading!!!!
If you like the Charley Davidson Series from Darynda Jones because how it makes you laugh out loud, you will love this nook!!! I devoured this book in a day, I absolutely loved it!!! I can't wait until the next book!!!
If you like the Charley Davidson Series from Darynda Jones because how it makes you laugh out loud, you will love this nook!!! I devoured this book in a day, I absolutely loved it!!! I can't wait until the next book!!!
September 15, 2019
This was a 3.5 for me. I liked it but wasn't riveted.
December 31, 2019
Lots of fun and laughter.
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