The Touch of Twilight: The Third Sign of the Zodiac by Vicki Pettersson

by shewolf0316 on March 18th, 2009, 3:27pm Login or Register to post comments

May 27, 2008
Harper/Eos Books
Urban Fantasy
Mass Market Paperback
Rating: 3.5

Joanna Archer is a mystery, sometimes even to herself, ever since assuming the role of Kairos. Having come into her special Zodiac abilities and taking up the crossbow where her mother left off, Joanna now has the ever present responsibility of protecting the humans in Las Vegas from the greatest danger, the Shadow Zodiac, headed up by Joanna’s own father, the Tulpa. She is unique, being equal part shadow and light and as such may very well be the only one who can stop the Tulpa. This is all known before we even start The Touch of Twilight.

In this third installment in the Signs of the Zodiac series, Joanna is facing her greatest challenge yet. The powers of the Light Zodiac seem to be failing and the Shadows growing stronger, as someone seems to be playing with the atmosphere itself. Then there is a doppelganger stalking Joanna’s every move for reasons Joanna can’t begin to imagine. On top of that, the third sign of the Zodiac is imminent – the rise of the Kairos’s shadow side. As if that isn’t already enough, Shadow Warrior Rose is still haunting Joanna, trying to take over Joanna’s life as she used to know it and something is dangerously wrong with Joanna’s protector Changeling. How will Joanna ever resolve all of these issues in time to save Vegas from mass destruction?

I love the Signs of the Zodiac series for its great originality and elaborate mythology as well as the complex characters. It is a breath of fresh air in a market swamped with urban fantasy stories that all sound the same after a while. Vicki Pettersson has put a great deal of effort into building the world of the Zodiac and developing the rules for her world. There is no doubt she has a penchant for this aspects when reading The Touch of Twilight. Details are painted so vividly I can see exactly what our characters are seeing. Readers get a great flavor of the city of Las Vegas through the books and even if someone has never been there, they can imagine it in all its excess and abundant glory. I went to Vegas for the first time this past year and you can bet I had my eyes open to the sights and sounds, seeing with my eyes what before I had only seen in words on the page. I kept imagining what the Zodiac troops would be doing if they were real.

I thought the whole doppelganger concept as it is used here is a stroke of genius! I loved trying to figure out what exactly that being was and why it was after Joanna. As I started to put two and two together, I became excited by the concept and how that twist would turn things upside down and inside out. It also gave me hope that one thing I’ve been dying for to happen since reading The Scent of Shadows may still occur. The addition of the science behind the Zodiac troops as it is beginning to be introduced is quite exciting as well. We are beginning to get an even deeper insight into the workings of the Zodiac troops and how exactly they came to be whom and what they are. All of these are fascinating concepts I hope are more deeply explored in future books.

For fans of those secondary characters, we are given a treat in The Touch of Twilight as well. Secrets are coming out into the open and some deeply mysterious people, and even those who seem to only exist on the surface are explored. I loved getting the history behind Zane the comic book store owner and the creator of the comic books that double as history manuals of Zodiac troops. I never in a million years would have imagined his story so that made it all the more compelling.

This installment was just as engrossing as previous books in the series. However, in spite of the above comments, A Touch of Twilight is just a touch… off.

So much is happening throughout the book that I found myself getting confused here and there. Between doppelgangers on a mission, a broken Changeling who’s totally embracing the attitude of teenagers everywhere today while still being embroiled in the world of the Zodiac, and strange black holes and tears in the atmosphere I was feeling quite lost for a while. I had no idea where Pettersson and Joanna were going with the events unfolding. This had the added benefit though, of completely shocking me senseless when I finally figured out what was really happening. I was blown away!

I’m also now especially confused as to who knows who Joanna really is and who doesn’t. When does she wear the mask and when doesn’t she? There were several times throughout the novel I couldn’t believe someone was so oblivious to the dual identities of Joanna/Olivia. I hope this gets cleared up in the next book because I just see the confusion growing on how in the world she can keep her secret identity.

I was beginning to despair of Joanna ever getting over her “what could have been” fantasies and moving on past her unhealthy obsession with former lover, Ben, and her conviction that she doesn’t need her Zodiac Troop. Finally we get a glimpse of what Joanna could be like when she finally fully embraces her new nature and we see great leaps in her maturity growth. The conclusion of The Touch of Twilight shows this beautifully.

Every series has it dips in the road, which I’m seeing The Touch of Twilight as. I think the overarching story and the underlying mythology of The Signs of the Zodiac series is going to bounce back in the next book and in spite of all my confusion over some parts of this book, I am still eagerly awaiting the next book in the series and hope we don’t have to wait too long!