Succubus On Top by Richelle Mead

 

I really enjoyed SUCCUBUS BLUES and was excited to pick up the next book in the series, SUCCUBUS ON TOP. The first book had a really likable heroine who handled the succubus thing in a pretty believably conflicted way, given that she started out human. There was also a fun murder mystery element that kept the plot moving and added tension, and I really liked the mythology/theology elements.

SUCCUBUS ON TOP was... a disappointment, actually. I feel like Georgina was a lot less likable in this book, mostly because she didn't really grow as a character. I understand that real people don't evolve in a linear fashion and sometimes they make mistakes, but this book was like all mistake. I also really didn't like her relationship with Seth and didn't feel like they had chemistry. There were some great sex scenes in the first book but this one was distinctly unsexy.

There are two major plot threads in this book: Georgina's incubus friend, Bastien, comes to town and wants Georgina to help him publicly humiliate a conservative commentator type character who kind of feels like an analogue for Ann Coulter or similar. The next thread involves drug dealing and a shady character who might just be supernatural in nature. Both of these plot threads had potential but left me wanting and the way they were resolved just weren't satisfying.

Also: I'm never really fond of forced outings (with regard to sexuality) in books. Here, it was kind of supposed to show the hypocrisy of a character, I guess (an anti-gay character was revealed to be gay), and while I do think the pointing out of that hypocrisy is valid, I didn't really like the way this book handled it. Granted, this was published a while ago and I doubt the author would have handled the subject the same way NOW, but anyone who gets really upset by stuff like that probably shouldn't read this book because it's used as punishment here and kind of treated like a funny/satisfying outcome.

I hope the third book in the series is better! I love Richelle Mead and think she has an addictive writing style but this book in particular felt like a dud.

2 out of 5 stars