Tainted (THE BLOOD LILY CHRONICLES)

Lily Carlyle died when she tried to avenge her sister's attacker. But she is given a second chance at redemption when she's brought back to life in another woman's body. Lily must start life over as a demon hunter and stop evil forces from opening a door to hell on earth.

Kenner is the author of one of my favorite series - the Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom. So, I had high expectations for her new fantasy series. This is a decidedly different feel from Kenner's other light-hearted books. Lily is a tortured soul, still wanting to look out for her little sister, despite having to leave her old life behind. And even though she had a shady past, Lily is determined to do the right thing this time around. And that means helping the forces of good fighting evil. Lily is a kick-butt heroine in true urban fantasy fashion.

This series debut has one of the most twisted plots I've ever read. The story kept me on the edge of my seat with suspense. When demons seek redemption from their past, it's hard to determine who the truly bad guy is. But one thing is for sure, readers are in for a big surprise. Tainted is fast-paced, dark, and action-packed. Urban fantasy fans won't want to miss this new series.

The premise of _Tainted_ is this: A young woman, Lily, is killed while carrying out vengeance against a rapist who attacked her sister. Lily is sure she's going to hell for all the things she did in her short life, but instead she comes back from the dead...in someone else's body. Her mission: to hunt demons for God. Her reward, if she succeeds, is redemption.

At first, I was reminded of a couple of other urban fantasy series. The wrong-body plotline and the theme of sisterly love reminded me a bit of Vicki Petterson's Signs of the Zodiac (though Lily's new body is a stranger's, not her sister's). The idea of earning redemption by slaying supernatural nasties called S.J. Day's Marked to mind. And Deacon, the possibly-evil bad boy who stirs Lily's senses, reminded me of a lot of urban fantasy love interests. What I really loved from the beginning, though, was the story of Lily's struggle to integrate herself into the life of Alice, the woman whose body she now inhabits. It's hard and confusing trying to take over someone's life without giving away how little you know, and it's sometimes sad, as when Lily realizes how few of Alice's acquaintances have even noticed the difference.

What really kicks _Tainted_ into high gear is Lily's growing curiosity about Alice. Why is she in Alice's body in particular, and what happened to the real Alice? Things start adding up a little funny, and I remember thinking, "If Julie Kenner has the guts to take this story where I think she's taking it, I'll be thrilled." And Kenner does. A big fat plot twist takes _Tainted_ out of "standard-issue urban fantasy" territory and makes it something unique and very much worth reading. Even Deacon turns out to have more depth than I was expecting.

If I have any quibble with _Tainted_, it's this: Demons, in Kenner's universe, bleed black sludge instead of regular blood. This is plot-relevant a couple of times. Trouble is, I can think of two scenes that would have been very different if Lily, and the reader, had been privy to the color of a bleeding character's blood. Knowing whether these two characters were demon or human would have given a lot away, and so the narration simply doesn't mention the color of the blood. Given that Lily usually notices this detail during combat scenes, the fact that she doesn't in these two instances feels a little bit like cheating.

That said, _Tainted_ is quite enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to the two upcoming Blood Lily Chronicles novels. There are enough twists here to set this series apart from the pack, and that's something to celebrate in this subgenre.

Tainted started out at a 5 with tough big sister avenging and protecting her little sister only to find herself dead and then reborn, in another's body. I read urban fantasy for a break, or escape if you prefer, and this book started out with me be totally interested in Lilly's issues. This had justified murder, serving a higher authority, right vs wrong. Our heroine, Lilly, was set up as strong with human faults. Then the story just stopped progressing. The story line seem repetitive and in fact ended like a bad TV serial wanting you to tune in next week to find out what happened. Tainted started as a 5 and ended as a 2, so I gave it a 3. Kenner set up the story line will enough for me to read the next book ...... maybe.

Lily has gone to kill her fourteen year old sister's rapist. She is able to kill Lucas Johnson with a gunshot, or so she thinks, but her act also backfires on her as she lies dying in a pool of her own blood because he stabbed her. Now she thinks she is going to hell for the crime she has committed as well as some minor misdeeds she did while was alive. But Lilly doesn't die because as she awakens from her blackout, she finds herself tied down and about to be sacrificed by some monster. Lily is able to escape but passes out on the street in front of a man who reminds her of a frog.

When Lily comes to, she isn't in her own body. She has been inserted into Alice Purdue, a waitress who works at her uncle's pub. The mysterious looking frog man is Clarence, and the reason Lily has been saved is because she has been called upon to join in the battle between good and evil. The war that has been raging for millenniums is about to come to a head and Lily is the only one that can stop the demons from opening the final gate of hell, where they will bring pain and suffering on Earth. While she trains, Lily now must become Alice and forget about her old life, especially of her drunk of a stepfather and Rose, her emotionally scarred little sister.

As Lily becomes accustomed to her new body and life, she meets a sexy and dangerous man. His name is Deacon and he knows that Alice is very different. Apparently Alice had secrets, and Lily has to try and figure out what they are as well as keeping her distance from Deacon because he is not human but a demon. Because he is Lily's enemy she may have to kill him at one point even though she is very attracted to him. As Lily channels her powers, she has entered into a dark world where no one can be trusted and is she doesn't succeed, many will suffer, which also means Rose.

Tainted is a dark Urban Fantasy with another heroine who channels her inner turmoil to fight those that are evil and want to rule the world. Lily's outlook on life is bleak but because of her deep love for her sister Rose, you can't help but want to cheer her on. Lily goes through a great deal of pain all because of one rash act on her part. But because of this, she sets into motion something that has been planned for a long time.

Lily acts like a fish out of water, which makes sense because she has a new identity and new body. She does pretty well considering, especially with Alice's family and friends. Things really pick up when she meets Deacon, the demon who makes Lily question herself and what she must accomplish.

Fans of urban fantasy will find much to recommend with Tainted and the world Julie Kenner has created. There were times I had a strange sense of déjà vu while reading because of the amount of urban fantasy series being published with a heroine who is the key to salvation and must fight evil. If readers can get past this main issue while reading then they will certainly enjoy Tainted and look forward to the next book, Torn in The Blood Lily Chronicles.

Katiebabs

In my quest for fun, interesting urban fantasy novels that'll keep me reading no-matter-what (it doesn't matter so much that they are fine literature or anything...just that they keep me going), I came across Julie Kenner's Blood Lily Chronicles and decided to pick up Tainted, the first book in the series.

In Tainted, Lily is offered a chance to come back from the dead -if she agrees to stop an evil group from opening the Ninth Gate of Hell. When she agrees, Lily wakes up in the body of a recently deceased Boston barmaid named Alice. While adjusting to her new circumstances, Lily pieces together the mystery surrounding Alice's death while trying to keep the demons of hell at bay.

Filled with twists and turns, Tainted is a fun urban/paranormal fantasy novel that's light on romance and heavy on action. The plot moves quickly and throws new things at the reader with every chapter. While there is something of a romance subplot, the romantic element is relatively muted, allowing Lily's kick-ass character to shine in a plot that keeps readers flipping pages -especially the ending, which really threw me for a loop!

I'd be willing to read the series' next book, Torn, but am not sure I'd be running out to buy it. This novel is great for an easy read with lots of action and plot twists, but don't expect much beyond that.

This was a great book! I had previously read a number of Julie Kenner's humorous paranormals about a demon-hunting soccer mom, and loved them. This is something completely different: much darker, and the heroine is not a heroine, exactly. But the book is extremely well written, and keeps you hooked from the first page. And without giving anything away, all I can say is...expect the unexpected!

Do you think the difference between good and evil is as simple as black and white? Well think again. Lily finds out that she can be good by being bad as an assassin for God. After Lily kills her sister's attacker in cold-blood, she is given a second chance to redeem herself and wakes up in Alice Purdue's body. Working for the light as a demon assassin, her job is to prevent the ninth gate to Hell from being opened by demons. But Lily's new life has her wondering if she's strong enough to the keep the ninth gate from opening? What happened to Alice Purdue, now that Lily is occupying her body? Will her sister be able to cope without her there to help her?

Tainted was an enjoyable read from Lily's point of view, and it moves at a brisk pace with it's eclectic cast of characters and their fun and clever dialogue. Lily is sassy, head strong with street smarts and resilient in her role as the God's assassin. I found myself easily liking Lily and her attitude towards her new life.

Everyone from her new friend Gracie to her supernatural guide Clarence, tell Lily to stay away from Deacon Camphire. Deacon is a dark mystery to Lily and she doesn't know if she can trust him but she does know she has a strong attraction to him. And he to her. While Tainted is light on the romance, there is plenty of sizzling tension between Lily and Deacon.

Tainted is the first book in the new dark urban fantasy series, The Blood Lily Chronicles by Julie Kenner. Tainted is well written, full of mystery and action, saturated with sexual tension and has turns in the plot that you won't see coming. This book is a must for urban fantasy readers who like their reads to be suspenseful, with a dark, fast moving setting and a sassy, street smart heroine.

I'm looking forward to release of Torn (THE BLOOD LILY CHRONICLES) next month because the ending of Tainted left me with more questions then answers.

Julie Kenner is an author I am very familiar with. I've read her "Demon Hunting Soccer Mom" and her "Good Ghouls" YA series and I have enjoyed both. When I heard she was writing an urban fantasy series I was intrigued. Urban Fantasy is one of my favorite book genres. In "Tainted" Lily goes after her 14 year old sisters rapist and stalker. Somehow she dies as she murders him, leaving her sister and dead beat stepfather on their own. But Lily isn't exactly dead. She wakes up....in a strange body and facing a demon. She soon meets a frog-like man who claims that they have been waiting for her. She has identified as the one in a prophecy who can close the portal that is letting in demons. In the meantime she trains to fight and kill demons, and tries to make sense out of a life in Alice's body. She decides she almost must find out who killed Alice. Some of the ideas here aren't unique. We've seen super strong females fighting demons before. Lily in Alice's body reminded me of the plot in the Signs of the Zodiac series where Joanna finds herself in her sister's body. Joanna also wanted revenge on a rapist. "Tainted" has some truly strong points. There is a big twist toward the end that I didn't see coming and that changed where I thought the series was going. Kenner's writing style is engaging and page turning as usual. I did enjoy this book and I have a feeling the next two will be even better since the storyline is now all set up for us. A strong 3 star debut that I am sure will continue to soar.

I picked this up because i thoroughly enjoyed Julie's other novels about Demon hunting, which are distinctly tongue in cheek bits of fluff as opposed to tongue down the throat uncontrolled lust and gore buckets. Whether this is an attempt to ride along on the wave of other dark urban fantasy series and make a buck or a sincere effort to get out of a self perceived cutesy box, I dont know.

I regret not checking these out of the library rather than buying them here. I would have stopped at One.

Avoid these books if you are looking to relax with light humor and a bit of the supernatural jostling the complacent 'burbs. Read Carpe Demon instead.

Tainted: Blood Lily Chronicles Book 1 by Julie Kenner

Product Description from Amazon:
Lily Carlyle has lied, cheated, and stolen her way through life.
But in death, she'll really get to be bad...
When her little sister is brutalized, a vengeful Lily determines to exact her own justice. She succeeds at the cost of her own life, but as she lies dying, she is given a second chance. Lily can earn her way into Paradise by becoming an assassin for the forces of good. It's the job Lily believes she can really get into-but she doesn't realize that she may not be able to get out.

My thoughts:
The story begins with this line, "Can I just say that dying sucks?"

I was already hooked on the first page. This story is filled with action, demons, the fight against good and evil, the ordeal of deciding who and what is good and/or evil, and one girl's struggle to save the world. I love strong and independent women battling for the good of mankind, so this story is right up my alley. I have always been a take-charge kind of person and I found it easy to connect with Lily/Alice. Deacon being the incredible man that the author portrays him to be would make any woman with a pulse short of breath.

All-in-all this was a great story! No spoiler, but it's a cliffhanger! I read it on a friend's Kindle and went to Amazon and ordered all three of these books in paperback before I started this review.