Hello everyone! Here is some feedback on my work from fans, critics and reviewers!
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I was instantly drawn to this book. I love books with strong female main characters. And this one came through. It was very action packed and fast moving and for sure left you begging for book two. It had Vampires, Lycan, incubus oh my!! Ivory is smart, clever and willing to do what it takes to get to the bottom of things. Allen writes well rounded characters with rich detail and solid histories. Which I found amazing. These were characters you really got to know along the way. I really enjoyed this book and truly look forward to book two. Congrats Mr. Allen you put out one heck of a debut novel.
~ Robin Blankenship, Bee’s Knee’s Reviews
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As a fan of both Raymond Chandler and Jim Butcher, I very much enjoyed The God Killers. Set in Chicago, the novel follows the sexy adventures of Ivory Blaque, a former art thief turned respectable. Ivory runs her own gallery and takes on jobs to locate stolen art, and she’s the best one for the job, given her background in the underground. She recovers the legendary Colt pistols known as the God Killers, and she is changed forever. She gains powers and an insight into the preternatural forces in her background – and the attention of powerful vampires and other secret organizations. In her quest to learn more about the weapons, her origins, and to clear her name, she earns enemies and learns who her friends truly are.
In Ivory, John F. Allen creates an engaging hero you can’t help but root for. The world he paints as a backdrop is rich, detailed, well thought out, and is filled with mysterious and intriguing characters, especially his villains: You will love to hate Bishop and Antoine in particular, I guarantee it.
I can not wait for the sequel.
I can not wait for the sequel.
~ Chrissy Garrison, author of the Road Ghosts series
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Art gallery owner Ivory Blaque is a former art thief turned mercenary recovering stolen art It’s her way of making up for her past. She’s smart, highly skilled, and equipped for trouble. Then she takes a job with a mysterious client to retrieve a pair of antique Colt revolvers, and as soon as she puts her hands on them, she knows she’s connected to the pistols, and there’s no way she’s giving them up.
Suddenly, she’s fending off angry vampires, werewolves, and other super-powered beings who either want the pistols, want her allegiance, or both.As if this weren’t bad enough, her former partner in crime is released from jail, and he’s out to ruin her professional reputation as a prelude to extracting revenge.
As a read, The God Killers has a lot of moving parts. It’s never boring, constantly shifting. The protagonist is confident, strong, and smart, though often too stubborn to know when she’s in over her head. I was rooting for her the whole way, cringing when she took her lumps, cheering during her victories. The plot is complicated, but it’s applied in layers and the author never tackles too much in one chunk. The most surprising thing when I finished is to look back and realize how much Allen covered in one volume, with more to come, Check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.
As a read, The God Killers has a lot of moving parts. It’s never boring, constantly shifting. The protagonist is confident, strong, and smart, though often too stubborn to know when she’s in over her head. I was rooting for her the whole way, cringing when she took her lumps, cheering during her victories. The plot is complicated, but it’s applied in layers and the author never tackles too much in one chunk. The most surprising thing when I finished is to look back and realize how much Allen covered in one volume, with more to come, Check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.
~ R.J. Sullivan, author of the Rebecca Burton series
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Initially, reading The God Killers reminded me very much of my first encounter with Anita Blake. John F. Allen appeared to have crafted a standard urban fantasy tale, immersed in the supernatural, and spiced with elements of paranormal romance. Even the narrative structure and pacing of the first few chapters reminded me of Laurell K. Hamilton’s work.
That’s not a bad thing, and not at all a knock against either author. It’s simply an acknowledgement of how the book initially struck me.
I say ‘initially’ because as Allen settles into the story, becoming more comfortable with the lovely Ivory Blaque in the process, he begins layering in some really exciting story elements that definitely kick the story up a few notches. Before long we have a great story behind the God Killers themselves, a pair of antique pistols that Ivory is hired to recover for their rightful owner – or owners, to be precise, since she’s hired twice for the same job, but two very different clients!
In addition, we have a well developed hierarchy of the supernatural, complete with warring vampire clans and close-knit werewolf packs, and an uneasy alliance with humanity that’s as imaginative as it is simple. Where Allen really won me over, though, is with a back story that brings it all together. His interpretation of mythology is fascinating, and I really liked the way he managed to weave centuries of faith into one crazy roller coaster ride of warring gods. He also gives us a peek behind several historical events, with one tragedy in particular revealed as a cover-up for vampire activity, which helps to put a veneer of plausibility on the tale.
All of that would be wasted, however, were it not for the ability of Ivory to carry a story. Strong, confident, and appropriately flawed, she’s an entirely human protagonist in an otherwise inhuman world. She has a flair for goading people, loves retail therapy, and isn’t shy about her loves or her lusts. While it’s really become something of a cliché within the genre, her reluctant entanglement in a vampire/werewolf love triangle actually works because of how well she’s been established as a character, and how willing she is to defend her honor and her right to choose.
There are a lot of questions left unanswered, but that’s to be expected from the first book in the series. While there is something of a cliffhanger to the last chapter, it’s a development that comes after the main story is resolved, making it more of a tease. Overall, The God Killers is a fun story, with great imagination, and a heroine you want to read more about. If you’re a fan of the genre, then you’ll definitely enjoy this.
That’s not a bad thing, and not at all a knock against either author. It’s simply an acknowledgement of how the book initially struck me.
I say ‘initially’ because as Allen settles into the story, becoming more comfortable with the lovely Ivory Blaque in the process, he begins layering in some really exciting story elements that definitely kick the story up a few notches. Before long we have a great story behind the God Killers themselves, a pair of antique pistols that Ivory is hired to recover for their rightful owner – or owners, to be precise, since she’s hired twice for the same job, but two very different clients!
In addition, we have a well developed hierarchy of the supernatural, complete with warring vampire clans and close-knit werewolf packs, and an uneasy alliance with humanity that’s as imaginative as it is simple. Where Allen really won me over, though, is with a back story that brings it all together. His interpretation of mythology is fascinating, and I really liked the way he managed to weave centuries of faith into one crazy roller coaster ride of warring gods. He also gives us a peek behind several historical events, with one tragedy in particular revealed as a cover-up for vampire activity, which helps to put a veneer of plausibility on the tale.
All of that would be wasted, however, were it not for the ability of Ivory to carry a story. Strong, confident, and appropriately flawed, she’s an entirely human protagonist in an otherwise inhuman world. She has a flair for goading people, loves retail therapy, and isn’t shy about her loves or her lusts. While it’s really become something of a cliché within the genre, her reluctant entanglement in a vampire/werewolf love triangle actually works because of how well she’s been established as a character, and how willing she is to defend her honor and her right to choose.
There are a lot of questions left unanswered, but that’s to be expected from the first book in the series. While there is something of a cliffhanger to the last chapter, it’s a development that comes after the main story is resolved, making it more of a tease. Overall, The God Killers is a fun story, with great imagination, and a heroine you want to read more about. If you’re a fan of the genre, then you’ll definitely enjoy this.
~ Bob Milne, Beauty in Ruins – Speculative & Imaginative Fiction Reviews
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I was able to get a signed copy of this book shortly after it was released. The author gave out teasers prior to the books release. This is John’s debut novel and it didn’t disappoint. Ivory Blaque is smart and sassy. She comes home and has to feed and walk her dog…that makes her so normal. She has a unique heritage and psychic gifts. Of course her life is complicated by vampires and werewolves and secret government agencies. The action is fast paced and I finished reading it in a day. Now I’m ready to read book#2!
~ Eugena McFarland, reader
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This book was super easy to read, from the first chapter I was sucked into Ivory’s world. Each chapter was full of colorful descriptions and imagery which made me feel as though I was right in the middle of all the action. I’m so excited for the sequel!
~ Monique Leftridge, reader
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John F. Allen Author 