The Spirit Eater by Rachel Aaron – review

Oh, my dear reading friends.  I want to say first that the Eli Monpress series has consistently defied my fondest wishes and hopes.  This isn’t a series that takes itself seriously–Eli is absurd (from his motivations to his methods), his companions are ridiculously powerful (and equally angst-ridden over this fact), and his shenanigans would make lesser men weep.

Plus he’s charming, witty, and loyal.  He takes nothing from anyone and won’t bend his ways simply because someone says “I said so!”  I love him and adore him and would run off with him in a flat second if he asked me to.  However, let’s put aside my “Eli is #1″ fangirl’ing; this book dug deeper into the mythology of the world and the twisted motivations of those therein.  If I didn’t say it before, I’ll say it now–Benehime is a menace.  A complete and utter menace.

Some of what is hinted at, but not definitively said, in Book 2 (about Eli’s parents) is said quite clearly in this book.  I laughed.  I really did.  Eli’s family is such a disaster that even if Miranda knew, I think she’d doubt it.  I suppose it’s what comes of three people who are all so strong-willed and stubborn.  They can’t possibly be in the same room; it would implode (from their egos if not their one-upmanship).

This book was darker than the other two, as we learn about Josef and Nico’s partnership and the destructive power of a demonseed come to fruition.  Though Eli is more somber then usual and the antics are kept to a minimum, the book doesn’t suffer.  The heart of the series, as corny as this sounds, is the belief that everybody can be who and what they want to be if they try hard enough.  When the characters hold onto that belief, nothing and no one can stand in their way.

We learn more about Josef’s sword (The Heart of War), including some very disturbing notions involving Benehime (which make me wonder at the coincidence of it all) and the Great Demon from which the seeds came.  We also learn that while Eli is currently wanted for more money than his crimes warrant, he’s underestimated to a great degree.  It’s a very costly mistake for a number of people, but it brings him closer to his goal.  He also is kind of a Robin Hood-like figure.

Aaron still spends more time building the characters and the situations than flushing out the details of the world, but this isn’t a real problem.  The books are primarily about Eli and his shady adventuring; what details we need are provided, and what details are unnecessary are left out.  This makes more a more streamlined reading, but frustrates readers like myself who like to know everything.

The one drawback I’ve come across is that while the road to victory is rocky and filled with obstacles, the victory is still an absolute certainty in this series.  There is no true permanent damage done, no one dies or is injured to the point where there’s a shred of doubt cast upon their continuing presence.  Evil Rises, Eli (and co.) Vanquish, and then they make off with more bounty on their heads.  It steals some of the tension from otherwise oppressive moments (such as the ending with Nico and…).

The book also included an excerpt from Book 4, The Spirit War.  I find the titles an interesting trend.  We went from the intriguing The Spirit Thief to the mildly worrisome The Spirit Rebellion to the alarming The Spirit Eater and now the fear-inducing The Spirit War.  What’s Book 5, called The Spirit Annihilation?  (I have no idea, this is random curiosity.)  Anyway, Book 4?  Can’t come out soon enough.