Doubletake (Cal Leandros #7) by Rob Thurman
Urban Fantasy
March 6, 2012
Roc

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “-vengeance has nothing to do with the Lord. Cain was wrong. I am my brother’s keeper.“

Caliban (Cal) Leandros knows that family is everything, apparent by his unwavering loyalty to his older brother Nikos. In Blackout, Cal had to surrender his humanity among other things in order to retrieve his memories back after a venomous spider bite him. Niko stood by his side the whole time, never letting Cal forget or give up. Doubletake addresses the repercussions of those decisions and the ties that bind family. When Robin hires them to “monitor” a Puck family reunion, Cal and Niko get an eyeful and then some into other supernatural family dynamics, making them think that maybe their situation isn’t so bad. Then Niko’s father, Kalakos, reappears, claiming that a monster his people have kept hidden has escaped and now searches to destroy those of Vayash blood. He needs Niko and Cal’s help to shut the monster down before it levels the city and everyone in it. The metal monstrosity built by Haphaestus, will require them to visit the insane God in order to retrieve the keys to shut it down. As if life weren’t chaotic enough for the Leandros brothers, Cal meets Grimm. Grimm is also a half Auphe who needs Cal and isn’t willing to take no for an answer. As Cal and Niko unite against their enemies with only a few friends to help, Cal finds himself once again having to making a decision that may finally destroy the only person he has ever loved-his brother.

Ms. Thurman further expands on the emotional tone that speaks of family that was started in Blackout. The tension raises to staggering levels as Cal no longer possesses the humanity that kept him somewhat balanced. We watch as Cal struggles with his dark desires and thoughts while Niko continues to remind him of his upbringing and teachings. Niko, for all intents and purposes, is Cal’s conscience. Through Cal’s thoughts and dialogue, we continue to bear witness to the extraordinary love and sacrifices these brothers will go to for one another. We get more individual memories of a younger Niko and Cal-which further explains and solidifies the “brothers before soul” adage they live by. Ms. Thurman’s understanding of the dynamics her characters and their relationships is what continues to make this series a unique and enjoyable read. You don’t often see this type of devotion or love between males in stories without a romantic subplot. Humor and sarcastic bantering keeps the storyline flowing at a steady pace with plenty of action and exciting fight scenes to keep us entertained.

Old and new characters continue to elevate the storyline and deepen our understanding of the connections between everyone. Robin’s family reunion and Niko’s father show us that genetics doesn’t necessary make you family and that true monsters often hide behind a normal faces. I like how Ms. Thurman shows us family in both human and supernatural form, letting us see the beauty and love in everyone-be it hairless mummified cats or a mama boggle and her boglets. Grimm proves to be an powerful addition to the arc. His pov was interesting as it gives valuable insight to Cal’s future and is used to highlight the differences between Grimm and Cal. I found it interesting that once again it takes an enemy to convince Cal of the truth about himself.

There were a few things about the storyline that bothered me. There are references to an older character where a shocking revelation is revealed to us but never acted on or revealed to the others. I didn’t see the purpose in that unless this was an attempt to misguide us. Perhaps this will be discussed in future installments. I also felt that the Robin family reunion storyline fell flat. I would have been more vested had circumstances been different for Robin or the storyline had intertwined more with Cal and Nikos. Rather it is taken care of in the beginning and that’s that.

The ending is a whirlwind of action, suspense, and an explosive conclusion. Leaving us with some interesting clues towards the future of the Leandros brothers. While you could read this as a stand alone, the over all arc and character development in this series is quite pronounced so I recommend starting from the beginning with Nightlife.

Overall Rating: C+

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