Black Widow by Jennifer Estep

Mab Monroe's daughter has set her sights on the annihilation of Gin Blanco. The goal is to become the new top dog in town and to do that she has to rid herself of her biggest threat.

What event is most likely to convince all the thugs, drug barons and criminals of her strength? Madeline is ruthless and well-connected, but is that enough to destroy Gin and her friends?

Estep has tried to replace Gin's nemesis, which is fair enough seeing as there has been a bit of vacancy for the position. However I don't think replacing her with a pseudo Mab was the right way to go.

It would be hard to replicate that special brand of hatred that existed between Mab and Gin. It was personal and fed from the core of their souls.

Madeline and her sidekick don't quite meet the standard, although her elemental power and strength are quite impressive. It just feels as if the series is taking a step back instead of forward. Personally I enjoyed The Spider (#10) quite a lot.

In Poison Promise (#11) Estep made a large step towards becoming a shoe-in for the overseer for the underworld. Perhaps that needs exploring a little more.

All in all this was a wee bit tepid for an Estep. Hardly any bloodshed, violence, heartbreak or pain and Gin was a watered down version of herself. Let's hope she gets a bit of her bite back in Spider's Trap (#13).
I received a copy of this book via Edelweiss, courtesy of the publisher.
More of the Estep's Elemental Assassin series here: Spider's Trap, Poison Promise, The Cold Burn of Magic, The Spider, Deadly Sting and Heart of Venom.