“Cheat the Grave” by Vicki Pettersson, published by HarperCollins Eos, May 2010, 9780061456770.

Plot Summary: Las Vegas socialite and otherwordly avenger Joanna Archer gave up everything when she embraced mortality—abandoning her powers and altering her destiny to save a child…and a city. Now her former allies are her enemies—and her enemies have nothing to fear.

Yet still she is bound to a prophecy that condemns her to roam a nightmare landscape that ordinary humans cannot see and dare not enter. And a beast is on her trail—an insane killer blinded by bloodlust, who’s determined to rip much more from Joanna than merely her now-fragile life. Survival is no longer an option in this dark realm where good and evil have blurred into confusing shades of gray—unless she can gather together an army of onetime foes and destroy everything she once believed in.

Review: “Cheat the Grave” marks the fifth book in the ongoing Sign of the Zodiac series by urban fantasy author Vicki Pettersson. When I initially read the first book in the series, The Scent of Shadows, I wasn’t overly excited about some of the concepts presented. I did warm up to Joanna, though. She was–and remains–the best thing about this series. Although the sexual content of the first book turned me off somewhat, I’m glad I continued reading along because the fifth instalment in the Zodiac series is one of the best so far. Scent of Shadows did a good job establishing the kind of woman that main character Joanna Archer is–tough as nails, not afraid to get her hands dirty despite her overly feminine appearance and that of her Barbie-like sister, Olivia, whose looks Joanna has adopted. Joanna is also suspicious (and rightly so) of most people, as many urban fantasy heroines are.

The opening of “Cheat the Grave” shows us the Joanna we have become well-acquainted with–someone who has been through much, including the discovery that she is the daughter of two rival warriors–one a Shadow agent, the other an Agent of the Light. Joanna no longer has her powers in this novel, and she finds herself readjusting to life as a mortal human–not an easy transition for someone who is supposed to be the Kairos, a being of both Light and Shadow meant to unite the two sides. Joanna’s gritty tone is ever-present in this volume, as Joanna weaves into the story everything that has befallen her so far, including the loss of a great love and her ties to Hunter/Jaden Jacks, who Solange is keeping captive, mostly to piss Joanna off.

Joanna still finds it difficult to adjust to life as her sister, having taken over Olivia’s identity. It isn’t easy to have to maintain the illusion that she is a former Playboy Playmate and potential heiress. Despite the guise, Joanna’s most dangerous enemies see through it–and she makes it clear that they’re after her. even worse, none of Joanna’s former agency buddies, the agents of the Light, are allowed to contact or help her in any way.

Thankfully, one of her worst enemies–her father, Xavier–is dead. But the challenges of dealing with Olivia’s best friend, Cher, and her stepmother Suzanne prove too challenging for Joanna to handle at times. Joanna’s point of view, however, is strong in each of the scenes, which is hugely significant when using the first person. As with the other books in the series, fight scenes remain one of Pettersson’s strong suits.

As for the villains, and there are many of them, including The Tulpa that we met in Scent of Shadows, who is Joanna’s real father, and if Joanna thought these guys were challenging as an Agent of the Light and an Archer, things are even worse now that she’s without her former abilities. Joanna quickly learns that the rogues–those who are bound neither to Shadow nor Light–are trying to free their army from Midheaven, a sort of alternate universe, and they band with Joanna and go so far as to make her the leader of their small army.

There’s definitely a lot of tension in the conflict of how Joanna is going to beat one of the main villains, Sleepy Mac, and although the rogues are helping her, none of them are as confident in Joanna’s abilities as one of their main players, Carlos, which makes for an interesting dynamic between the characters.

I do like that throughout the book Joanna isn’t angsty or whiny. She does have feelings and makes them plain without getting weepy. And she’s not the other extreme as some urban fantasy heroines tend to get hypermasculinized in the process of writing. The superhero and “comic book recording all events” was a nice touch, although not as present in this volume. The most important source of tension that comes from Joanna is aimed at her absent mother, Zoe, who has made it her life’s work to destroy The Tulpa.

With smart dialogue and an exciting, fast-paced plot, “Cheat the Grave” is one wild adventure that you can’t afford to miss. I’m glad I had the chance to read this book because for those who look for less romance and more world-building and plot in urban fantasy novels will be very satisfied after reading this. A quick, entertaining read, “Cheat the Grave” has a satisfying ending that leaves you wanting more.

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