Sharpest Sting

4.25 stars-haunting and engaging

4.25 stars--SHARPEST STING is the eighteenth full-length instalment in Jennifer Estep’s ELEMENTAL ASSASSIN adult, paranormal, urban fantasy series focusing on Gin Blanco aka The Spider aka The Assassin –the reigning Queen of the paranormal Underworld of Ashland. SHARPEST STING can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty although I recommend reading the series in order for cohesion and backstory. SHARPEST STING begins the latest arc in the series.

SOME BACKGROUND: Years earlier, Gin lost her father to a car accident, then her mother and older sister to a deliberate fire started by a fire elemental, a fire ordered by the notorious group known only as The Circle. Fostered and mentored by Fletcher Lane, Gin would become the fiercest elemental assassin the Underworld would ever know.

NOTE: There are some scenes of graphic violence that may not be suitable for more sensitive readers.

Told from first person perspective (Gin Blanco) using present day and memories from the past, SHARPEST STING begins the latest arc of the Elemental Assassin series focusing on Gin Blanco as the Circle continues to reign supreme in the world of the supernatural. When her friends and family are threatened, Gin is forced to retrieve an item, her mentor and former assassin Fletcher Lane, had stolen and hidden from the man in charge. As Gin and her lover Owen Grayson begin a search of places known to Fletcher Lane, Gin will discover that her connections to the Circle go much deeper than the hated disdain of the Queen of the Underworld, connections that threaten everyone she loves. An ultimatum forces Gin to give into demands as she continues to search for the missing item, demands made by an elemental whose powers overshadow those of all others.

The secondary characters are numerous, colorful and energetic with the return of Gin’s sister Bria, and her step-brother Finn Lane (Bria’s lover); Gin’s assistant /vampire Silvio Sanchez, vampire Roslyn Phillips, police officer and giant Xavier dwarves Jo Jo and Sophia Deveraux, Mallory and Lorelei Parker, as well as Underworld boss and security specialist Liam Carter, vampire Hugh Tucker, elemental and giant Emery Slater, and leader of the Circle Mason Mitchell. Here’s hoping the author has future plans for Silvio and Liam, together.

SHARPEST STING is a story of family, friendships, betrayal and love; hatred, vengeance, power and control. The reader is pulled into the past through Gin’s memories, memories that reveal more about Fletcher Lane, and his connection to the group known as the Circle. The premise is haunting and engaging; the characters are energetic and strong.