She gained a family of sorts when she became a soldier for the Light and more, the prophesied savior who would decide the final outcome of the battle against the forces of the Dark. A decision she made when following her heart closed her off from them as well, and made her truly mortal.

She no longer can fight at the side of the Light but has found sanctuary within the Shadow forces, those who defend against attacks from the Light but who continue to fight to destroy the evils of the Dark.

Her situation is dire. She was born of a union between Dark and Light and is hunted by both sides. She also carries the child of a man held captive by an insane demon Goddess who inhabits a world set apart from the one Joanna is forced to live in. Before losing her immortality Joanna could travel at will to that domain but now she needs to find another door as she refuses to abandon the man she loves no matter the cost to herself.

THE NEON GRAVEYARD is book six in, and the conclusion to, the Sign of the Zodiac Series. Vicki Pettersson does a fine job of answering all the questions raised in the previous five books and gives satisfying resolution to Joanna's story in all its intricate facets.

I will miss the world Pettersson has created, where the belief of preteens and fellow geeks in the characters drawn into underground comics feed power to the true forces fighting between the Dark and the Light. It is a world where the story written in those comics can foreshadow the fate of real-world warriors if they can only get their hands on a copy. Astrology is more than a hokey method of foretelling the future in Pettersson's creation, it is a source of magic, sigils which create keys to another world and outlines a firm set of roles fulfilled by the Warriors in their fight. Set in the gritty underbelly of Las Vegas and the surrounding desert I believe this series will stand the test of time, and will be one I can return to over and over again.

Book Summary