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    Poison Fruit
    Poison Fruit
    Poison Fruit
    Audiobook15 hours

    Poison Fruit

    Written by Jacqueline Carey

    Narrated by Johanna Parker

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    The hot-as-Hel series with the "Sookie Stackhouse type of vibe" (Paranormal Horizon) is back-but this time the paranormal Midwestern town of Pemkowet is feeling a frost in the air and the residents are frozen in fear... The Pemkowet Visitors Bureau has always promoted paranormal tourism-even if it has downplayed the risks (hobgoblins are unpredictable). It helps that the town is presided over by Daisy Johanssen, who as Hel's liaison is authorized by the Norse goddess of the dead to keep Pemkowet under control. Normally, that's easier to do in the winter, when bracing temperatures keep folks indoors. But a new predator is on the prowl, and this one thrives on nightmares. Daisy is on her trail and working intimately with her partner and sometime lover from the Pemkowet PD, sexy yet unavailable werewolf Cody Fairfax. But even as the creature is racking up innocent victims, a greater danger looms on Pewkowet's horizon. As a result of a recent ghost uprising, an unknown adversary-represented by a hell-spawn lawyer with fiery powers of persuasion-has instigated a lawsuit against the town. If Pemkowet loses, Hel's sovereignty will be jeopardized, and the fate of the eldritch community will be at stake. The only one who can prevent it is Daisy-but she's going to have to confront her own worst nightmare to do it.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateOct 7, 2014
    ISBN9781490631677
    Poison Fruit
    Author

    Jacqueline Carey

    New York Times bestselling author Jacqueline Carey was born in 1964. After receiving BA degrees in Psychology and English Literature, she embarked on a writing career. Kushiel’s Avatar is her third fantasy novel, completing the Kushiel’s Legacy trilogy, which also includes Kushiel's Dart and Kushiel's Chosen.

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    Reviews for Poison Fruit

    4/5

    90 ratings17 reviews

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    • 4/5
      I hope this isn't the end of this series, although it seemed like it could be.
    • 5/5
      This episode of the Agent of Hel trilogy has a number of problems. First, a Night Hag is in town who is frightening people by causing their nightmares. The first is a soldier with PTSD who is almost convinced to commit suicide. The second is a seven-year-old boy. The final victim is a cancer-ridden lady in a nursing home who dies because of the Night Hag's attack. Daisy convinces Sinclair to go to his dark side to curse her with nightmares so that she can catch and bind the Night Hag. But she'll have to face her greatest fear -- that accepting her demon legacy could end the world -- in order to catch her.But the biggest problem in the book is that the town is being sued for injuries physical and psychological caused by the events of the past Halloween. The Demon Spawn lawyer who has been using his gift of influence to buy up properties around Hel's domain has finally put his cards on the table and he is determined to force to town to sell the land where Hel lives in order to pay what the court assigns them as a settlement.Hel isn't willing to give in; she can't because there are no more wild places for her to move to. This means war between Hel and the goddess who is trying to move in on her territory. Daisy has to gather all her allies in order to try to save their town and the eldritch who live there. She also has to decide if she has to make the biggest sacrifice of all and claim her demon legacy.This was a great story. I really enjoyed the worldbuilding. The narrator did a great job showing Daisy's personality and keeping the emotional pace of the story.
    • 3/5
      The final book in a trilogy that I hadn't realized was a trilogy once I was done with it. Was refreshing for a change to read an urban fantasy series that finished in a trilogy and pretty much wrapped up the main story arc. Yes, there could be some short stories in it but there is a HEA for the heroine and she has personal growth and things work out for most everyone. Is it a nice refreshing change of pace to read a series that wraps up in three books. The story starts pretty much after the end of the previous book with someone buying up property around Hel's domain and a lawsuit is brewing from the events in the previous book. Things come to a head quickly when it is discovered this is a two pronged attack on the city with one goal in mind, outs Hel out of her underworld kingdom.
    • 2/5
      I am tired of love triangles popping up in my paranormal reading.

      I was annoyed by the gratuitous pop-references and loose plot pacing, but I think the most condemning element was my lack of emotional investment in Daisy. By the time we reached the final battle, I didn't really care what happened.
    • 4/5
      I don't know if there will be more books in this series, but if there won't, then, as Daisy says, I can live with this as an ending. It changed things--it changed almost everything--and it left everyone in a good place.

      One thing I could read more of? The Adventures of Bethany Cassopolis, Badass Newbie Vampire Who Is Not Going To Take Your Shit, and Who Also Wants to Drink a Dude Dry. Because she's great.
    • 4/5
      This was a satisfying conclusion to the series. I am not a huge fan of urban fantasy, but I am a huge fan of JC. While this series doesn't compare to the Kushiel books, the Hel's agent trilogy is a fun fast paced ride.
    • 3/5
      Unusual because it actually comes to a conclusion, and not precisely the 'it doesn't matter what the body count is as long as I end up snuggled with my perfect cutie' More consequences than usual, less perfection, better story.
    • 5/5
      A great ending to a great series
    • 5/5
      Poison Fruit is the last book in the Agent of Hel trilogy. It’s been a couple more weeks since the traumatic events of Halloween, and Pemkowet is slowly recovering. However, as winter approaches, there’s a fresh set of troubles brewing – people are having deadly nightmares all over town, and the city is getting sued by disgruntled tourists who just happen to be represented by a hellspawn lawyer that seems to have done the unthinkable and claimed his demonic birthright.I really like this series because it’s set in a Michigan small town, which doesn’t seem that different from an Ohio small town (where I live), and I recognize some of the archetypes of the people and the place. This book especially resonated with me because it’s set in winter, and it’s been snowy here pretty much since the beginning of January.The last two books were mostly standalone adventures, but they were seeding a lot of plot threads that come into fruition (pun unintended) in this book. Daisy is pretty tough now, and has learned to deal with threats to Hel’s dominion, but she’s still terrified of the fact that she could release Armageddon if she gives into even a moment’s temptation (for good reason!) In Poison Fruit, the combination of a creature that feeds on nightmares and the prospect of a hellspawn that has done what she never can means that she is forced to confront it head-on, and she becomes even more badass because of it.The characters that we love still remain incredible, we meet some new fun characters (Skrrzzzt!), and even some characters that we don’t love become somewhat awesome. I got a lot of what I wanted from the book – Daisy growing, more information about Lurine, seeing Sinclair fully assimilating into Pemkowet, more Oak King, and even the love triangle resolved in the way I wanted it to (although that was a no-brainer, there’s only one right answer there). It was heartwarming to see all of Pemkowet’s eldritch community band together in the face of an unprecedented threat, and the book’s ending was pretty much perfect.This book itself wasn’t perfect though, there are a few parts I found mildly irritating. I know Stefan is supposed to be the epitome of a wish-fulfillment character, but come on! His courtship of Daisy was pretty ridiculous, and I felt like I never really got a sense of who he was as a person. I did like how it all came together at the end, though, and that complaint was acknowledged a little bit. Also the whole “supernatural creatures use technology” trope was both brilliant (the reason for the Night Hag’s visit) but also got a bit grating sometimes.The most annoying thing, however, was that this was the end of the series. I really want to read more about Daisy and Pemkowet!
    • 5/5
      Very good conclusion to the series.
    • 3/5
      Like so many people, there's a major event toward the end of this book, and I have mixed feelings about the matter. The rest of the book was great.

    • 4/5
      Daisy, demon halfbreed and Hel’s liaison in her small Michigan town, is trying to juggle her apparently doomed attraction to her werewolf coworker and her new affair with the hottest ghoul in town. But when another halfbreed shows up with a lawsuit against the town, her problems worsen. I still feel like Carey’s heart isn’t entirely in this genre (essentially, urban supernatural romance without the urban) but Daisy’s story got a pretty good resolution and the legal maneuvers didn’t make me want to throw the book across the room, so there’s that.
    • 4/5
      It was great overall I'm just disappointed that this is apparently the last book! I definitely thought this series was going to be more than a trilogy.
    • 5/5
      I wasn't a big fan of this series after the first book, but I liked how the second got more serious and built up the mythology in Pemkowet a little more. I went into this thinking it was going to be another supernatural detective story chasing down something unusual (Agent of Hel is good for its massive variety of creepers), but I was not prepared for the end of the series.It was GREAT. I couldn't believe how much I enjoyed this finish. The first two books, which were fun but seemed somewhat insubstantial, were laying the groundwork for this. I couldn't believe how much I loved it, how involved things got, and how well-developed the mythology in Pemkowet was.What was most surprising was how much I liked the subplot about Daisy's love life. Daisy is still my least favorite part of the series, and I took the attention to her boyfriends as an annoying necessity. But here, she begins dabbling with the dangerous suitor, and it's a lot of fun. Interesting repercussions, and I enjoyed the way they worked together.I also liked that it wasn't an "everything works out, and they lived happily ever after" ending, because I've been stumbling across more and more of those lately. This keeps getting increasingly dire right up to the very end. Some bad things happen that can't be taken back, and the post-script, while fairly happy, doesn't have everything working out perfectly for everyone. More of a "life goes on" vibe.If you're bored of reading paranormal fantasy stories that repeat vampires, werewolves, and demons over and over again, give this one a try. Granted, it does have all three, but it also has a thriving community of tons of other creatures, including various fairies, deities, and creatures that go bump in the night (the Bogle was my favorite in this volume).Honestly, I only stuck with it after the first volume because I spend a lot of time in real-life Pemkowet, and I enjoyed picturing the setting perfectly. But this book really, really paid off well. I hate telling people to read multiple books because it gets better later, but in this case it definitely did. I read it digitally, but I can't wait to get the paperback and re-read the whole series.
    • 4/5
      This is the 3rd (and final) book in the Agent of Hel series. It was a good book, I didn’t realize it was the last in the series. However, it does tie things up nicely. This has been a fun urban fantasy that is a bit on the lighter side. As mentioned in reviews of previous books of this series, this book definitely isn’t up the writing quality of the Kushiel’s Dart series….they are just very different types of books.Daisy Johanssen is Pemkowet’s liason to the Goddess Hel, she is also half demon spawn. The town of Pemkowet is still reeling from the events of Halloween (in the 2nd book Autumn Bones). Then a new threat appears. People are being attacked in their nightmares by a horrible witchy hag. However that’s the least of Pemkowet’s problems; someone is snapping up land all around Hel’s domain and suing the city for Halloween damages. Is this the end of Pemkowet? Will all of its otherworldly residents have to find somewhere else to live?While this hasn’t been my favorite urban fantasy I have still really enjoyed all of the books. The town of Pemkowet is a fun one to read about. I love the idea of otherworldly residents only being able to dwell above a supernatural nexus of sorts. I also love the idea of old Gods dwelling beneath the earth’s surface and making their homes there. Additionally I enjoy the Midwestern setting of this series.Daisy is a pretty upbeat heroine with some heavy parental baggage. I haven’t really loved her in the last two books, however this is the book where she really gets intriguing. Daisy has been fighting to not claim her demon spawn side because it will mean the end of the world. She battles with that a lot in this book and it made her into a much edgier and intriguing character. I was a bit disappointed to find out that the book Daisy finally gets interesting is the last one in the series.We do get to spend a lot of time with the sexy zombie/Outcast Stefan. I love the idea of the Outcast and we learn a lot more about that in this book. The idea of the Outcast is something I wish Carey had explored in a bit more in depth. We learn a lot more about Stefan and his past in this book. Cody (the werewolf) is still in the book as well. Daisy and him are very on again, off again throughout. They love each other but Cody is supposed to mate with another werewolf to continue to that species. Given the above this book is not really a romance it is much more urban fantasy. There is a lot going on with the mystery demon spawn that is buying up land around Pemkowet. That paired with the evil Night Hag attacking people in their dreams make this a fast-paced book with a well done plot.I loved how everything was tied up here, even if it did feel a bit rushed at the end. Overall a fun urban fantasy read. I would recommend to those looking for a lighter urban fantasy with some fun ideas and characters. It’s nice that this is a three book series. I think this was the best book of the bunch and am a bit disappointed that everything is just getting interesting and then the series is over. If you liked the first two books I think you will be pleased with this one.
    • 4/5
      It was shortly after finishing the second book of Agent of Hel that I discovered the series was only going to be three books. While that was a little surprising, since urban fantasy series tend to go on for a lot longer than that, it was also nice being able to anticipate an actual wrap-up of Daisy Johanssen’s story (not to mention there’s always something so satisfying about being able finish reading a series). That being said though, it also meant that I had some pretty high expectations for this. I was really looking forward to seeing how Jacqueline Carey was going to conclude this trilogy, and whether or not it was going to go out with a bang.These books star Daisy, a young administrator for the Pemkowet police force who also serves as the liaison between the mortal world above and the paranormal world below – the latter being presided over by Hel, Norse Goddess of the dead. Daisy is a “hellspawn”, born after her human mother inadvertently summoned a demon with a Ouija board while on spring break in Pemkowet, unaware of the strong ties the town has to the supernatural. Daisy has been fighting the temptation to invoke her birthright ever since, an agreement with her demonic father which would grant her an untold amount of power, but the cost would be the breaking of the world.Since the beginning of this series, a lot of emphasis has been placed on Daisy’s own personal struggle with her birthright and the fact that It Would End The World, but truthfully, I’d never felt the real threat of it hanging over my head. Her character has always had too much goodness in her, and it was hard to believe she would ever throw the fate of the world away for any personal gain. In Poison Fruit, however, that particular story thread comes to…well, fruition. What would happen if our protagonist was pushed to her limits? What if she was made to feel helpless and unable to save herself, her friends and family, and the town she loves? This third and final book explores that question, and it places Daisy in an extremely difficult position where finally the threat of her invoking her birthright becomes very real indeed.That all comes to a head in this story’s climax and conclusion, though getting to that point was quite the journey. The pacing for these Agent of Hel books have always struck me as a bit odd even from the beginning with Dark Currents; it’s nothing deal-breaking, but definitely a factor that at times makes it harder to review these books. In the case of Poison Fruit, the story has the distinct feel of being split into two parts. The first part, detailing a plot thread in which the police and Daisy hunt for a Night Hag that has been terrorizing the dreams of the citizens of Pemkowet, could have been a novella on its own. It segues somewhat awkwardly into the second part, which involves a devastating lawsuit filed against the town which could bankrupt Pemhowet and displace the whole Eldritch community if it loses.I’m still of two minds on way the lawsuit plotline (and its repercussions) was handled, as the whole affair was chronicled over a period of many months. On the one hand, it lends a large degree of realism to the story, since it would hardly be believable if such a high profile legal case with millions of dollars on the line were to be taken care of in, say, a fortnight. But on the other hand, we lose some of the momentum as the weeks stretched on, making it feel like very little is accomplished by the town’s citizens while everyone seems to be stuck in a state of uncertainty. Still, if the alternative was jumping forward in time, I think I would prefer the way the book is now.If there’s another a bright side to having a lot of time while waiting for the big court date, it’s the ample opportunity for further development of the characters and world building, and Daisy’s love life also gets plenty of attention. While I would not classify this series as Paranormal Romance, I love how the heightened aura of sexual tension is ever present and almost palpable, and there are a couple of pretty steamy scenes. The side plot involving Daisy’s relationships with her potential suitors has always interested me, so it was great to be able to follow up on the “It’s Complicated” fling with Cody the werewolf as well as explore the possibilities with the sexy Outcast Stefan. It was a toss-up when it comes to who Daisy would eventually end up with, and while I can’t say the outcome was what I truly wanted, I’m glad things in the romance department were ultimately resolved.But when all is said and done, it was the ending that made me elevate this book from a middling 3-3.5 star rating to a 4. Simply put, it was amazing. Talk about going out with a bang; the ending was exactly the kind I was looking for, and it definitely was worthy of the series. Let’s just leave it at that, as saying more would just spoil the surprise.If you enjoyed the first two books, you definitely should check out Poison Fruit. The story continues in the same vein, though the ending was a real treat. The second book Autumn Bones is probably still my favorite book in the Agent of Hel sequence, though this last installment in the trilogy was a solid series-ender with an unforgettable conclusion, which went a long way. I'm a huge fan of Jacqueline Carey, and I'm looking forward to what she has in store next, now that Daisy's story has come to a close.
    • 5/5
      What a wild ride this book and this whole series has been. Daisy is such an awesome character, I love her flaws, her personality, loyalty, devotion to those she loves and her never ending waiver is doing what is right. Staying true to Jacqueline Carey type romance things are interesting in Daisy's love life and so very interesting. Both Stephan and Cody are both awesome guys each in their own way, however I am glad with who she ended up with. The story was kept moving at a very exciting pace. One thing was dealt with only to have another 2 more issues arise. The final showdown was pretty awesome, sad, but awesome! A must read series for any urban fantasy reader!