Strange Trouble, book 3 in the Rune Alexander series
There is something so seductive and alluring to be found
with the Rune Alexander series. Perhaps it's the characters or the gory, dark
version of Ohio, or the fact that Laken Cane isn't afraid to gloss over bits of
her storytelling. Bad things happen to the good guys in her books, the good guy
doesn't always win and that's a nice change of pace from the hordes of other
books in the urban fantasy genre where the good guys kick ass and win every
time. Rune and her Crew have experienced their fair share of losses over these
past two books and I love the fact that they grieve, yet they do so while
fighting. The bad shit never goes away; it gets bigger, badder, and meaner and
this book showcases that perfectly.
In this installment, not only does Shiv Crew have a fight on
their hands with zombies seemingly coming from just about everywhere, but
there's a witch - a very powerful one - at the center of it all. There are
regular zombies and there are zombies affected with magic. Magic so huge, it's
crossed over to afflicting Others as well. Prior to this occasion, Others had
an immunity to the zombie virus and Rune and Crew have to figure out who and
what is creating this mini zombie apocalypse.
Rune gets her ass kicked - hard - in this installment. Not
only is she battling the zombies and the everyday creatures she and Shiv Crew
face, but she's also battling with herself. She is slowly but surely coming in
to new powers, but with no knowledge of the realm of her powers and zero
guidance of what her powers encompass, she's essentially flying blind. She's
trying to save the world and her Crew at the same time. Her decisions are made
rashly; without any education of what happens when she saves people in her
special way, she's unknowingly connecting herself to those she saves. Some
decisions work out well, others not so much. There's loss involved and Rune,
who already beats herself up enough, places all blame squarely on her own
shoulders. She's got quite a burden to bear at this point and it's oftentimes
quite depressing to read about Rune and her struggles.
Despite being in the dark about what and who she is, a tiny
bit of light is shown to her about her origins. Not enough to grasp what she is
becoming, but enough to know to be a little bit afraid. As far as my other
favorites in this series, Gunnar didn't disappoint and surprised me on several
occasions. Berserker was also quite surprising. I like the direction he and
Rune are taking but I honestly fear for both of them. Perhaps one screwed up
person getting together with another screwed up person is enough to cancel out
the screwiness, but I doubt it.
Strange Trouble was by far the bloodiest, darkest, and the
most emotional of the series thus far. I would like to at least hope some
brightness is coming Shiv Crew's way but true to the tone of this series, I
doubt it will be any time soon. As with the previous books in this series, I
also recommend this one for those who prefer urban fantasy to be dark, dirty,
and as non-fluffy as it gets. ~
Meigan from Goodreads
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Thank you for the amazing review, Meigan! I'm so glad you're
addicted :) <3