I always get super excited when a mainstream author creates real multicultural worlds. There are so many Urban Fantasies that pass on race. I don’t know maybe they’re afraid to tackle portraying the real world or maybe their everyday world is white. Authors miss a great opportunity to add flair, depth, and interest to their works.
Jennifer Estep’s Spider’s Bite is already a heart-stopping exciting read. Gin, the female assassin is a cross between Dexter and a magical Ninja assassin. I couldn’t put the book down. The fictive dream felt real. The people in the story felt real. She did race with dignity and integrity. And like Dexter, she’s an equal opportunity killer.
One character stood out for me, Roslyn Phillips, a very classy, seductive Vampire who’d risen from a prostitute to the manager of an upscale club. When we first meet Roslyn, Estep describes her as “a beautiful woman with eyes and skin color of melted toffee.”
I think Estep takes a fresh approach to skin color even when Gin flashes back to killing Roslyn’s abusive brother-in-law, she says “a man’s face flashed in front of my eyes, chocolate skin, curly hair, a dimpled smile, and black eyes that were even colder than mine.”
For me though, I was excited that Finn, Gin’s surrogate brother had a real love for Roslyn (well, as close as he could get to that). In my eyes, a Black woman could be perceived as not only sexy and beautiful “Roslyn’s stack of full breasts, lush hips, and toned thighs that had most men wiping the drool off their chins after a few seconds” but that she could be seen as a love interest by a major character within the story. In fact, I believe this is what makes Estep's work dignified. She has truly created a full world of multicultural or intercultural relationships and experiences. Choosing to make her minor characters be multicultural puts her work at the top of my list.
I can’t wait to review more of Estep’s work. Spider’s Bite is a ten not only because it’s a great read but because Estep shows a variety of multicultural characters with fresh descriptions and dignity. If you've read Jennifer Estep's work let me know. I'd love to discuss her multicultural characters. Jennifer Estep also has other works in her series. I can't wait to review Web of Lies. I already see a few characters that stand out for me. Anyone read her works? If so, let me know what you think!
Book links: https://amzn.to/3rggpCW
