Is it possible to be the Grim Reaper and a total disaster human at the same time?
(Apparently, yes.)
I picked this up because I needed a break from the bleak, existential dread of my usual playlist. You know, the stuff where everyone dies and nobody learns anything. I expected to roll my eyes at the "romance with the devil's son" trope. I didn't. Well, maybe once or twice. But mostly, I was just trying not to snort-laugh in the quiet section of the library while I was shelving returns.
The Lorelei King Factor
Look, I say this on the podcast constantly: Audiobook narrators are actors. If they don't commit, the book dies. Lorelei King? She doesn't just commit; she holds the whole thing hostage.
Charley Davidson is a character that could easily become annoying. She's manic, she's sleep-deprived, she's obsessed with coffee and naming her ovaries. In lesser hands, this is a DNF. But King brings this warmth—this genuine, raspy, sarcastic warmth—that makes you root for Charley even when she's being ridiculous. She hits the comedic timing harder than some stand-up specials I've seen.
There's a specific texture to her voice when she does the male characters, too. She doesn't do that weird, strained "I'm a tough guy" voice that some female narrators default to. It's subtle. It works. King pulls off the same trick in Silver Borne, where she juggles an even bigger cast without losing anyone's distinct voice.
Sleep Deprivation as a Personality Trait
So, we're in book three. (If you haven't read the first two, what are you doing? Go back.) Charley is hallucinating Reyes Farrow—the aforementioned son of Satan—because she's been awake for days. The plot is chaos. We've got a missing person, a doctor with a god complex, and a motorcycle gang.
It's messy. But it's the fun kind of messy. Like a Halloween party where someone spiked the punch and the decorations are on fire. Prince of Wolves has that same chaotic energy, though with more werewolves and less caffeine addiction.
The mystery elements are solid enough to keep the pages turning, but let's be real—we're here for the banter. Darynda Jones writes dialogue that snaps, and listening to it is way better than reading it on the page. You need the attitude. You need the pause before the punchline.
Who's Going to Love This (And Who Should Run)
If you like your urban fantasy with serious sass and a narrator who is frankly showing off, grab this. Skip it if you need genuine scares from your supernatural fiction—despite the ghosts, this leans comedy over creepy. And maybe don't listen at work if you have a strict "no laughing at murder jokes" policy.
Shirley the Cat Remains Unimpressed
Is this high art? No. Is it scary? Not really. But it's incredibly well-crafted entertainment.
Shirley (my cat) was deeply unimpressed by how much fun I was having. She prefers the brooding silence of a haunted house story. But honestly? Sometimes you just need a grim reaper who names her jeep and makes bad decisions.
