In this exciting series inaugural from Liu (The Last Twilight), Maxine Kiss is the last in her family's line of Hunters, women who wear living demon tattoos that render them invulnerable by day and, as sentient creatures, protect the women at night—in order that they can in turn protect mankind. Maxine, abandoning one of the Hunter's primary tenets, has developed a relationship with Grant, a mysterious former priest. When Maxine's name is found on the dead body of a private investigator, she gets drawn into a complex web of demons and avatars, and is forced into discovering her deadly potential. The world Liu sets up is intriguing, but she's slow in getting it moving, so that even though Maxine is a strong character, the book has a hard time standing on its own. Still, Liu is one of the best new voices in paranormal fiction, and the series has potential. (June)