Im so happy I found this series! The second book rocked - Just like the 1st one! Cant wait to read the next.
This is the second book in the Monster Hunter International (MHI) series by Correia. It was a great book and, like the first book, is kind of like three books all in one. I listened to it on audiobook and the audiobook was extremely well done. If you like audiobooks I highly recommend listening to this on audiobook. I did listen to it at 1.5x because the narrator read a bit slower than I liked.
Owen Pitt is enjoying a bit of down time and enjoying hanging out with his fellow monster hunter and fiance' Julie. Of course that is when things go bad. Owen is attacked by a Shadowman and then the Feds get involved. The Feds want to use Owen as bait to draw out a cult of Old One worshippers call the Condition. The Old One wants Owen dead and he's sent his whole cult after Owen to ensure it happens. In between dodging evil monsters only known as Violence and Force, and trying to root out a MHI traitor, Owen may just have to save the whole world...again.
Like the first book this book was kind of like three books smooshed together. The first part of the book mainly deals with Owen hunting down Violence and Force and destroying them. In this part his brother, and rockstar, Mosh (yes Mosh Pitt) gets involved. The second part goes through them rooting out the traitor in MHI. The third part is where they hunt down the leader of the Condition. The three main stories are woven together well, no part is really separate from the rest and the book isn't actually broken into parts.
Like the first book the action is non-stop, there are tons of guns, lots of gallows humor, and tons of kick-butt fight scenes. Don't worry, it's not all action. There is an epic storyline here involving Owen and his involvement with the Old Ones. The storyline gets expanded even more as we meet Owen's dad and find out some of reasoning behind Owen's brutal upbringing. Owen and Julie are both drawn even deeper into the struggle between our world and the Other world.
It was great to get so much more background on Owen. We meet his family and find out more about Owen's upbringing. We also get a lot of background on the Shackleford's (Julie and her father, mother, and grandfather). There is a lot of history that was hinted at in the first book that really clicks into place in this novel.
There is less gun-speak in this book than in the first book. Whether that is good or bad depends on the reader. Although I love my weapons and guns, I found the first book to be a bit overwhelming with all the gun-talk in there. There are still a ton of weapons and descriptions of weapons in this story, but it was at a good level. It was interesting, but didn't take over the story. This is a book for adults; there is a lot of swearing and a lot of gore and violence (no sex though).
Overall I absolutely loved this book. The world and story are broadened a lot, we learn a ton more about our characters background too. The action is non-stop and the monsters kick-butt (as do the Hunters). I love how Correia wraps things up nicely but then also introduces some mysterious elements that seriously broaden the story. The story is creative, well thought out, and just absolutely a fun and engaging read. I highly recommend for urban fantasy fans who like high octane action in their book. I can't wait to read the next book, Monster Hunter Alpha.
