I was very excited to read this, as I enjoy Thurman's other series. HOWEVER, I got about halfway through and became disgusted with Michael/Misha. I swear every other page was "Oh and by the way, I'm a genius." The brother, I had some sympathy for, having to deal with this idiot. But it wasn't enough to sustain my interest. Also, I hate when authors italicize words (in this case 'mafiya' - and didn't that word get overused to the nth degree) in their every instance.

Chimera had so much potential that I was excited when I learned it was the start of a series, rather than the stand alone I expected it to be. Basilisk exceeded that potential and then some! The story started off slow, but became a real page turner rather quickly. First, I love the characters. Stefan and Misha (and Saul) are a LOT like Niko and Cal (and Robin) from the author’s urban fantasy series. Stefan is the older brother who is wicked deadly and overprotective, and Misha is his younger brother who struggles with being a “monster.” Some could consider this a negative for not being original enough, but sometimes it’s best to stick with what works. I wasn’t thrilled with Thurman’s Trickster series because I feel the protagonist is too weak to carry it.

Chimera was told from Stefan’s point of view, but this time it’s Misha. I actually preferred him because there was more room for humor – such as Misha’s struggles with slang and cursing – amidst a tension-filled plot. After a series of chases in book one, here they take the offensive. Spurred on by a desire to save the children left behind. Only they aren’t really children, and they don’t want to be saved; they want to kill. Since Misha is a genetically engineered assassin, it would have been all too easy to set up a deux ex machine ending. Instead, his opponents are even more lethal and intelligent, making it more meaningful for Misha to work as a team with Stefan and Saul. Though Ariel didn't quite work out on the relationship front, I loved the idea. One thing that the Leandros series doesn’t have is any real romantic subplot, which is perfectly fine for that series, but it could add something good here.

Overall, this was a fast-paced science fiction thriller that hooked me from page one. I hope we don’t have long to wait for the next book. ( )

I really like the Cal Leandros series that Rob Thurman writes, but the other books, including this one, have fallen short for me. Misha is a boy who has been born and bred to be an assassin. As he has aged, his talent of killing with a touch has been augmented by several other skills. His brother, an ex-Mafia enforcer, who had rescued Misha in the first book continues to watch over him as they both try to settle down in Normalville, USA. Alas, not to be. There are some exciting confrontations and a few surprises, but Misha's internal meanderings are too long and repetitive. The action scenes are spaced too far apart for me. ( )