The Killing Dance

 

Level: Explicit

Genre: Fantasy> Urban Fantasy > Vampire

Obtained: Purchased at Border's

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

Cover:

What to say about this cover? Busy and confusing sums it up nicely. While confusing kind of works as this books focuses a lot on Anita's love life. The Killing Dance also features the first sex scene, and sex certainly can be confusing at times. However, just because it shows the confusion in the book does not make it visually appealing. Every time I look at this cover, my eyes don't know where to look as there is no focal point. Also, maybe it's just me, but the place where the model's breast is against her arm looks like a butt to me at a glance because of the shadow placement. Now, the pink is eye catching, but overall, this cover is just a mess.

About the Book:

Anita has always been used to having enemies, but for the first time, she has a professional hit on her. Then, if that wasn't bad enough, she is also having to deal with her two boyfriends, Richard and Jean-Claude. On one hand, she is starting to see Jean-Claude as less and less of a monster while Richard, on the other hand, seems to becoming less and less perfect, and Anita isn't quite sure if he can fit into her life.

Rating: 7/10

Originally when I read this back in high school, this was one of my favourite Anita Blake books. I'll admit that I loved the sexual tension and romantic drama mingling with Anita's adventures. Now? Well, it's definitely lost its pleasure. That's not to say I hate it, but with how the current books are, anything focusing mainly on Anita's love life bores me. Still, that's not to say everything was a complete drag. I found the werewolves to be a lot of fun. LKH did a wonderful job at mixing humanity with the monstrous. It was especially nice to see LKH not blaming the animal for all the killing and blood lust. I will say that The Killing Dance made me mourn on how LKH used to write her wereanimals. They used to be frightening, and powerful creatures used to be a rarity. In here, Richard seems to be the only alpha (except Raina) that can share his power. In the recent books, it seems that every lycan and their uncle are able to. Speaking of powers that used to be rare, this is the book that introduces the triumvirate. I won't go into it too much for those who haven't read the book, but this ends up being only the third one Jean-Claude knows about. The later books seem to introduce a new one every other book. As far as this particular book, originally when I read it, I had found the triumvirate to be really interesting. It was new, fresh, and I wondered where it would lead to. Upon the reread, I couldn't wait for it to end.

However, whether it is a reread or a first time read, the exploring of the triumvirate went on much too long, I do understand that it is something new, but it felt as if chapters went by just TALKING about the power and the zombies. Yes, just talking. It's like get on with it already! This is definitely the book where the talking and repetition really come into play (though still not as bad as the more recent books). Hamilton starts referencing blue, blue eyes, and I lost count of how many times I was told Richard had brown eyes. This is also where Hamilton starts focusing on clothing more. Personally, I did not find it excessive, but those who could care less about clothing may.

So I have talked about some major issues that I had with The Killing Dance, but there is still plenty to enjoy. I already mentioned the werewolves but in particular, I love Richard. I really enjoyed the way Hamilton showed the shades of grey of morality. I love getting to see Richard try to use other means than death to become Ulfric (main alpha) and the cost upon him when he makes the decision to do otherwise. Granted, I did feel that Richard started threatening death too often after that, but my head cannon has him not fully realising his decisions so it's all words really. Even so, it was great to see Richard and Anita arguing about what is right in such a grey tinted world. Another thing I liked was more Edward! We get more action, more mystery, and even humour! The Killing Dance also had a fairly fast moving plot as assassins try to off Anita, and there was also lots of steamy scenes for those interested in the romance. All in all, The Killing Dance was an enjoyable book (even if it had more negative aspects than the prior Anita Blake novels). It had action. It had sexual tension. It was definitely better as a first time read, but it is still rereadable. Not as good as the first five, but still plenty of fun.

What I'm Reading Next:

        

Bloody Bones

 

Level: Explicit Lite

Genre: Fantasy> Urban Fantasy > Vampire

Obtained: Purchased at Border's

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

Cover:

I have to say that I really like this cover. First, I think it portrays the book really well: a mix of horror, romance, and sexuality. The photo also pertains to things inside of the book and although the photoshopping isn't perfect, it's still done quite well (much better than Circus of the Damned). The cropping draws your eye to it, and the colouring works well with its blue green hue (blue covers do tend to sell more). I'd say it's a great cover for the book!

About the Book:

A client has Anita visit Branson so that she can raise some zombies to dispute a business transaction. While there, she finds out something is murdering children and that Mr. Stirling, her client, is hiding some major information which can be potentially dangerous. Once again, Anita is finding herself surrounded by vampires and even something more unusual: fae.

Rating: 9/10 

One of my favourite Anita Blake books. Laurell K. Hamilton certainly manages to entertain once more. She creates a steady mix of mystery and the supernatural. Like many of the past Anita Blake books, this one also focuses on a particular creature (vampires for Guilty Pleasures and  Circus of the Damed, zombies for The Laughing Corpse, and werewolves for The Lunatic Cafe). This time we get fairies (though we still see tons of vampire action). Honestly, I am just disappointed that this is the only time we get to see the fae in Anita's world. They were certainly interesting. Sure, Hamilton has the pretty type fae, but they still have a bite to them. She also introduces us to a much meaner looking type. Now, I will admit that I know very little about the sidhe, but from what I can tell (and what others have said), LKH does an excellent job at blending her world and the sidhe mythos together. I certainly enjoyed it and found them to be quite believable.

Then, we have the vampires. Bloody Bones have some of my favourite vampire villains. First, Hamilton introduces us to a new type of vampire (for her world, at least): one that can rot and later reform. Bloody wicked! Give me more! Also, I really enjoyed the way she introduced them. It was an introduction that stuck in my mind for years. Absolutely vile and I am extremely glad that it ended up having a lasting impact on Jason instead of just being glossed over. The other vampire that I found to be quite amazing was Serephina, Master of the City of Branson. First, she is actually older. Always nice to see a vampire that isn't young and pretty. Secondly, her animal to call is ghosts! I mean, how cool is that? Finally, I love how Serephina tries to win people over by promising them something that they truly desire so that they want to be taken and often end up going willingly and happily. That is a frightening thought. This also creates a great moment at the climax of the book where Serephina gets into Anita's head so that Anita will try to save her. What's even better is that Anita knows she cannot win against her. She pretty much wins through luck and a strong enough will to ask for help.

So Bloody Bones had some neat supernatural aspects, but what about the plot? Well, like the other books, the plot is fairly simple, but the characters and the world manage to draw you in. There was a few times that there was needless repetition, but not enough to really be annoying. What's more is I didn't see the characters getting hit with a case of stupid, and Anita actually figures out the murder case instead of the bad guy just telling her. Granted, this isn't the case with the fae plot, but in Anita's case, she is working with a new supernatural creature and took one class on them. She is bound to make a few mistakes and not connect everything.

Overall, Hamilton has managed to bring us another enjoyable junk food type book. Again, it's not the most well written, but it is fun, entertaining, and engaging. Laurell K. Hamilton has a gift and manages to get me to come back to these books over and over again. I would think that speaks for itself.

What I'm Reading Next:

     

Sookie Stackhouse Series/ Southern Vampire Mysteries

Level: Explicit Lite
Genre: Fantasy > Urban Fantasy > Vampire
Reviewed by: Nic Echo

About the Series:
It's the modern world as we know it except with one major difference: the preternatural exist. In fact, the vampires have only recently made themselves known to the general public. Enter our protagonist, Sookie Stackhouse. Sookie was born with an unusual gift; she is able to read people's thought. Although this can have its advantages, it is definitely a curse when it comes to being social and dating so  when Sookie finds out that she can't hear Bill's, a local vampire, thoughts she becomes intrigued and sucked up into the preternatural world. Soon, she finds out that not only do vampires exist but so do shapeshifters, witches, and fairies. She also comes to find out that the preternatural world is a dangerous place to be.

Rating: 6/10
I originally found this series through HBO's True Blood. I remember falling in love with the show and wanting to read the source material. Now, I knew that the books were drastically different from the show, but that also excited me. I was told that it was a wonderful mix of mystery and romance, possibly a replacement for the Anita Blake books. Sadly, I did not get sucked into Sookie as much as Anita, but I hadn't found them to be bad either. All in all, they were just there. I would say that the earlier books were definitely stronger but still nothing to write home about. The world started off interesting but soon grew stale, especially when the books started focusing more on the romance. Now, I have said in other reviews that I am not anti-romance, but neither was I the type to get lost in romance and Harlequin novels. Still, I have been known to oooo and giggle and hope for certain pairings. Yes, I will get with friends and discuss which pairings would work and why. Sookie never really got this reaction out of me. I never longed to talk about the series. Sure I have discussed who was best suited for our heroine, but I never hoped that a certain someone would win (though I did drastically pray to the literary gods that Quinn wouldn't stay with Sookie). Granted, I still seem to be in the minority here. Here is the thing though. Just because I am not in a tornado of feels doesn't mean that I can't enjoy a series. After all, I was highly invested in de la Cruz's Blue Bloods series and most of the romance there had me rolling my eyes!

The plot in  the Sookie Stackhouse books was merely okay most of the time. Of course, good characters can make a mediocre plot much more enjoyable, but I didn't even really find myself liking any of the characters (with the exception of Claude and early Eric). With the exceptions listed, I simply did not find myself getting too invested (and even then, barely) except a smile here and there. I wouldn't go so far to say that the characters were cardboard; I can see why many people like the ones they do. For me though, I simply didn't care a lot of the times. Still, I was easily able to put Harris' characters into scenarios and have an idea of what they would do. I could hear a song and think, "Yeah, this could pertain to Amelia," or "I can picture Claude dancing to this." They just didn't spark enough in me to enjoy the story. Now, I have a friend that says one of the reasons the books and the show are so different is because one is a mystery while the other is the drama. A lot of mystery novels focus more on the plot than the characters (makes sense), but the Sookie novels aren't exactly brain teasers, which means you need something more for support.

Overall, I would simply say that this was an okay series. The mysteries were simple (I actually ended up overthinking about the plots and creating lots of potential paths) and the characters didn't really interest me. As I noted earlier, I didn't find them flat and interchangeable (except some of the female werewolves), but they didn't really come alive for me either. I will say that Harris did create an interesting world and showed how dangerous it could be, but after a while, it was no longer new and no longer interesting. The romance was also a bore, but since I wasn't really invested in the tone or the characters, that makes sense. It does seem that a lot of people enjoyed the romance though so if that is something you like, I would say check it out, especially if you like your romance to be more than just girl meets boy and they get together. The End. In general, I would say that if you like urban fantasy with female protagonists, I would suggest checking out a book or two and deciding from there.

Dead Ever After

 

Level: Explicit Lite

Genre: Fantasy > Urban Fantasy >Vampire

Obtained: Borrowed from library

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

Cover:

I think I finally have seen a Sookie Stackhouse cover that I like. As usual, it still has the illustration, but this one is much better drawn and coloured. Sookie looks older so yay! no icky she looks like a teen on the cover. She's not floating, and her body doesn't seem to be an any extreme angles or missing appendages.  The glitter is also pretty subtle (you can't see it in the photo, but there is some in the skirt and in her hair) unlike Deadlocked which had too much. I also really like the bright colours on the cover. It draws me (and I would assume other readers) every time. It's also very well balanced and it's a lot of fun seeing all the supernatural factors.

About the Book:

It's the final installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series, and as per usual, Sookie has potential murder and danger to face, along with the always constant relationship drama. This time, several people are wanting revenge on Sookie, and it looks like she will need several friends to try to keep her from getting framed for murder. Meanwhile, she is still having major issues with Eric, and now ones have arisen with Sam, Is it because of the wish that was granted, or is it something else entirely?

Rating: 7/10

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this book going in as so many people were in a rage about how it ended (well, the romance aspect at least). On the one hand, I was never invested in Sookie's relationships, but on the other hand, I hadn't found the books overly enjoyable either. If the fans felt let down, how would I feel? Actually, I enjoyed it. Was it a favourite? No. Could I see me recommending it over and over? Not really. However, I certainly wouldn't say it is as bad as many would have you believe.

So what did I find enjoyable about this novel? To start off, it was a fast paced read. Harris managed to keep me turning the pages and wondering how the plot  was going to play out. It was also a lot of fun to see tons of characters coming back for the final show. I would also say that Dead Ever After wrapped up the series fairly well.

Of course, there had to be something I disliked about the book since I clearly did not give it a perfect score. Honestly, I cannot say there was a lot I disliked. Part of it was Eric's jealousy of Sam. Although it makes sense for his character, I couldn't help thinking, "Of course," when you find out about it. Plus, you can see it coming from a mile away. The other issue I had is when you find out who the villains are. A couple were more memorable from past books, but others ... well, I certainly hadn't remembered them. Of course, these books didn't exactly have a strong hold in my memory bank. If I am recalling correctly though, each of the villains, with the exception of one, only showed up in one other book. Luckily, Harris did let you know who they were later on so it  wasn't as if I was going through the entire book going, "Who is this again?" Other than that and the relationship subplots (more on the later), there was really only one other thing I took issue with, but that does cause us to delve into the land of

        

 At the climax of the novel, Sookie ends up getting captured by Steve Newlin and Johan Glassport. It turns out that Claude was the one behind it. Now, I had no issue with Claude coming back though it did feel like a trope that has been trod on too often. No, the issue that I had was that Claude had convinced both Steve and Johan to murder someone and try to frame Sookie for it. That's some pretty heavy stuff.  However, both Steve and Johan end up turning on Claude when they find out he is gay. Yes, Claude does use his powers to make them feel lust for each other, which I found both insulting and a bit stupid on Claude's part. Even so, Steve and Johan get so pissed and freaked with Claude that they actually attack him while he is driving, causing an accident and allowing Sookie to escape. Now, I realise there are plenty of close-minded people out in the world, but it seemed a bit of a stretch that they would completely turn on Claude when they found out he was gay (before Claude pulls his magic lusty trick). I mean, murder was involved! That seems like an awful lot of hate toward Sookie, but it is forgotten when ohmygawdthegay! appears. It just felt like a stab and an easy way out.

END SPOILERS

This leaves me with one more section to talk about before I wrap up: the romance. As you probably know, there had been a leak involving Dead Ever After, and there was an uproar in the community, especially concerning who Sookie had ended up with. If you don't know who and still don't want to know, stop reading now.

Let's cut to the chase, first. Eric and Sookie are officially over, and Sookie starts dating Sam. Now, a lot of people thought this came out of nowhere (both the Sam thing and even the Eric thing) and was out of character. First, I am going to focus on Eric, and I would like to start off by saying, "What?" I am completely dumbfounded on how the breakup came out of nowhere.  I mean, Sookie and Eric have been fighting for several books now. Okay, they love each other. Surely they can work it out. Sorry but even if they fixed the smaller issues, Eric and Sookie still had one giant issue that could not be solved if Sookie was to remain in character. After all, from book one, Sookie was saying that she would never become a vampire; that hasn't changed so you have an ever youthful Eric and a constantly aging Sookie. You think they have issues now? However, if you can show me examples that Sookie and Eric were meant to be, I would love to hear them.

That leaves us with Sam. Now, the biggest complaint I have heard was that he had come out of nowhere. I would have to agree and disagree here. Honestly, I had seen Sookie getting together with Sam very early on. There were plenty of hints; however, they were also pretty subtle. In this case, I can't say it comes out of nowhere. Sam always treated Sookie a little special. Both Sookie and Sam will get dirty and bloody when needed but rather have a simple and quiet life. Plus, Sookie can't read Sam's thoughts so extra point. However, the romance between the two went from so subtle that it was nearly nonexistant to full on heart pounding and sweaty bodies with no transition. It was startling to say the least, and there really should have been more time given to it. Bigger hints, at least. Now, I figure that Sam decided to carpe diem a bit more after he died and what not, but Harris really should have built up to to it through the books, even if it was only one book beforehand. It was just too jarring this way.

END SPOILERS

So, all in all, I would say that Dead Ever After was an enjoyable read. The plot was fun, and although the basic outline was similar to the other Sookie books, it didn't feel like we had tread the same path too many times before. In fact, it was fairly fresh. The romance angle had its issues, but overall, it made sense for both the story and the characters. Dead Ever After certainly wasn't a book that went out with a bang, but for Sookie, I think a smaller, quieter closing works.

What I'm Reading Next:

Vamphyri!

 

Level: Explicit

Genre: Fantasy/Horror >Vampire

Obtained: Purchased at  Border's

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

So it's been forever and a day since I have posted, and for that I apologise. I could come up with a variety of excuses, but no, I simply did not feel like reading. It was one of those I enjoyed reading when I opened the book, but the thought of picking up the book was simply very meh to me. Bad reviewer. Shame on me, I know, and because of it, I am now very far behind on my Anita Blake reread. Anyway, on with the review.

Cover:

Like the Necroscope cover, this cover also easily conveys that you are about to delve into a book of terror. Although I personally do not like it as much as its predecessor, it is still wicked awesome. Even without it having the word Necroscope on it, you would be able to tell that it was part of the series. It's also neat to see the skull take on a wolfish appearance as many vampire lore has it where they can take on the shape of a wolf or have the ability to control wolves. Once again, we have a terrifying yet simple cover that is bound to bring in it wanted readers.

About the Book:

The UK E-branch had thought all of the vampire menace was eradicated. Boy were they mistaken. Not only is there still vampire spawn in the world, but it's in their very own country. Harry Keogh, nercoscope, finds this out when he learns more of Thibor's past and that Thibor has planted a bit of himself in a pregnant woman, resulting in the dreaded Yulian Bodescu. Meanwhile, they have the KGB getting in their way as they try to take out the source, causing more danger for our heroes.

Rating: 9/10

Before I go more in depth of my review, I would like to point out that this barely made a nine instead of a ten, and honestly, I felt that was more a personal choice than the book's quality. Really the only thing that brought this book down for me was when I was reading about Thibor's past (well until we got to Faethor). He was just very much the fearsome warrior, which is not something I find all that interesting so getting through that was a bit of a drag. Still, it was interesting to see where Thibor had come from, what he was like, and how he had become a vampire. It was also interesting to see the power play between Faethor and Thibor as both constantly try to come out on top.

Easily, my favourite bit of the book was when Yulian Bodescu was on the page as we got to witness his coming into power and his depravity worsen as his vampiric nature took a hold of him more. We also get to see the going ons of the E-Branches and Harry Keogh. Sadly, for reasons I am unable to divulge, Harry had less to do in this book and pretty much just went around collecting information. He still managed to have some major problems of his own though, which ended up leading to an amazing twist at the book's end. Brian Lumley certainly knows how to write some amazing climaxes. I guess that leaves us to look at the E-branches. This time, there is less of the UK vs. USSR as both want the vampire problem dealt with. Well, someone in the USSR E-Branch wants to use them and is still determined to get any information they can on the UK E-branch so the KGB start sticking their noses into the E-branch's affairs. 

Unfortunately, I don't really feel there is much else I can comment on when it comes to Vamphyri! as its good qualities and features are pretty much on par with Necroscope. Both are unique, but as Vamphryi! is the second is the series, it's not as new. Still, it leads us deeper into the world and its characters and still manages to have an entertaining plot that, while similar to the one in Necroscope, varies enough that it doesn't feel that we are walking the same path. Is it one of my favourites in the Necroscope series? No. Would I still recommend it? Hell yes!

What I'm Reading Next:     

  

Blue Bloods Series

Level: Older Teen
Genre: Fantasy > Urban Fantasy > Vampire
Reviewed by: Nic Echo

About the Series:
Vampires are among us. They are classy. They are beautiful. They are society's elite. The Blue Bloods series starts off pretty lightly; it's all about fashion, social status, romance, and little else. Even early on, however, we learn that the vampires are really fallen angels that cycle through different lifetimes, hoping for forgiveness so that they may return to Heaven. We also learn of the silver blood angels or vampires that feed off the blue bloods and trap the blue bloods' souls in the silver blood's form. Later on, things become much more complicated in the series, both in the war between the silver and blue bloods and in the romance department. What was once all social status and parties has now becomes battles, quests, and treachery. Then, there is all the complexities of the romance in the series. Girl like Popular Boy. Friend of Girl likes Girl. Popular Girl dislikes Girl since Popular Boy also likes Girl, but Popular Boy and Popular Girl have a bond, and breaking that could be hazardous, and that's just the tip of the romanceberg.  

Rating: 6/10
My thoughts on this series were certainly all over the place. The bits that I liked, I tended to love and kept me turning the pages. On the other hand, the things I disliked, I loathed.  My eyes were rolling, and some times I even wanted to throw the book. Still, I will admit that the series was better than I originally expected. It was unique and although it was romance heavy as expected, I didn't feel too bogged down from it until later. De la Cruz managed a good balance between the story plot and the romance plot. The other things I enjoyed about the Blue Bloods series was that you got to see the characters grow throughout. Melissa de la Cruz also did an excellent job at creating plot twists and keeping you on the edge of your seat. I think the only time I didn't really feel this was in Gates of Paradise and even Lost in Time since nearly anyone could figure out how the series would end (happily ever after) so it removed any tension. Personally, I am not a fan of happily ever after, especially in urban fantasy. However, I realise a good amount of people do want that happy ending where all the main characters live and end up happily paired off. I'll admit that this type of ending knocked down my enjoyment of the series slightly, but not only was it expected but I was enjoying the storyline enough that I didn't care. As I said, it only really had a major impact in the last two books, because it removed most of the tension.

Speaking of knocking down enjoyment, another minor dislike I had with the series was all the naming of the characters -- well, the angelic names. Melissa de la Cruz constantly put in well known angelic names (and even some well known names for the wolves). Some examples would be Michael, Gabriel(le), Azrael, Leviathan, Beelzebub, Fenrir, and Romulus. My problem with this is they had little or nothing to do with the mythos surrounding the name. We get no biblical type references to the angels and the blue bloods personality didn't really reflect the mythos either. For example, Azrael is the angel of death, but I felt that any name could have been used in place of Azrael, and the story wouldn't have changed. Then, there are the wolves,  Fenrir and Romulus. I can't say much on the latter since he was mainly in Wolf Pact, which I have not read yet, so all I know was that he was an evil tyrant. Fenrir, however, ugh! In the Blue Bloods series, Fenrir is a giant supposed to be the salvation of the wolves. In Norse mythos, Fenrir is a giant wolf that is supposed to swallow the sun and end the world. Yeah, I have no idea how Melissa de la Cruz made the connection between the end of the world and salvation. Still the Blue Bloods story was interesting enough for me to let this peeve pass though it still received a small shudder every time I read the names.

Honestly though, I found most of the series to be enjoyable. Sure the series was the equivalent to junk food, but it was a tasty read. It was fun to see de la Cruz mix her mythos with our human history; it was entertaining to see the complications of the romance and past lives, and it was thrilling to see the silver bloods spread their treachery. However, the end of the series nearly killed all of that for me. What could have been a highly enjoyable and highly recommended series dropped down to merely okay because of the last two books (okay, Gates of Paradise really). In the beginning of the series, the villains had reasons to be evil. The reasons weren't detailed, but we had reasons: power, pride, or simple selfishness. Later on, we get villains doing evil things, because ... evil. I'm sorry, but that is simply frustrating and boring. Plus, talk about lazy writing. I usually love the villains in novels, but the ones here ended up just singing, "Death, death, devil, devil, evil, evil song." Seriously, even a simple reason is better than "because he's evil." Continuing with the bad writing, there was so much telling in this series! Well, the earlier books had some showing, but Gates of Paradise was chock full of us being told how the characters were instead of getting to see them act that way. Still if the plot had been interesting enough, I could have forgiven this flaw. However, without the urge to constantly turn the page, without the plot twists and unknown paths, Melissa's writing falls flat. Gates of Paradise and Lost in Time are both guilty of fixing major problems, many of which had been built up through multiple books, in one sentence. Can we say disappointment?

Overall, the Blue Bloods series wasn't bad. In fact, most of it was highly entertaining throughout most of the series. It isn't incredibly well written, but a book doesn't have to be Hemingway to be enjoyable. Blue Bloods had a steady mix of action and romance (though I would still mainly suggest this series to the female gender). The biggest downfall is the end of the series. The ending felt rushed, and Melissa's flaws in writing became more obvious. Then again, the overall arc is still enjoyable, and the last book manages to tie up all the loose ends, but as I have said, it's pretty disappointing for  various reasons so you may want to keep that in mind before becoming invested in the series.

Gates of Paradise

 

Level: Older Teen

Genre: Fantasy > Urban Fantasy > Vampire

Obtained: Borrowed from the library

Reviewed by: Nic Echo

Cover

Like most of the Blue Bloods covers, this one is beautiful and geared toward the right audience. Once again, I love the city silhouette and the fonts used for the title. The cover is also great for Schuyler and Jack. Obviously, there is the romantic aspect, but I really like how Jack isn't touching her since Gates of Paradise has them separate throughout most of the book. Plus, it's just a beautiful photograph, very nicely cropped and full of emotion.

About the Book:

It is the last book of the Blue Bloods series, and our group of protagonists are doing their damnedest not to allow Lucifer access to the Gate of Promise, which leads to Heaven. Schuyler, Oliver, and Kingsley are trying to figure out how to unlock the gate so that the blue bloods can go back to Heaven. Bliss now has the hellhounds/wolves (I had trouble figuring out whether the hellhounds and the wolves were different or not). She and Lawson both must free the other wolves from Hell as well as find the remaining vampires to help them fight for Paradise. Finally, we have Jack and Mimi, who are working for Lucifer. Well, they want Lucifer to believe they are on his side, which is limiting what they can do to help the angels of light.

Rating: 4/10

If I had to choose one word for this book it would be disappointed. I felt so let down from Gates of Paradise that I was in a rage for several hours after I had finished the novel. Although I had issues with nearly every book of the Blue Bloods series, I still found myself pushing them aside because the series was so enjoyable. It was far from being the best series ever written, but it was fun, unique, and managed to pull you in, and I was itching to see how it would end.

So what made this book so disappointing for me? Well, to start off: the romance. Now, anyone who has read the series is probably wondering why I stuck with this series for so long if I had issues with the romance. I'll admit that I nearly always found the romance throughout the series cheesy (and I'm even a romantic), but for the most part, the characters' primary thoughts were about the ongoing battle between the blue bloods and the silver bloods. I didn't get that from this book. Sure it said that love and romance wasn't their primary focus, but that was all they seemed to think about for 80% of the book. Schuyler was constantly lamenting about Jack, Mimi was repeatedly angsting about Kingsley, and then Bliss was always worrying about how Lawson felt about her. Even the story that focused on one of Gabrielle's past lives revolved around love (though this made more sense than other protagonists'). Now, I am in no way saying that the romance should be null and void, but I came into this book expecting loads of scheming, battles, and plot twists along with the romance, much like the earlier books. This is supposed to be the end, the big battle, and I mostly get romance drama.

Speaking of the big battle, what a let down. Before I get into it though, be warned there will be 

 So we have books upon books leading up to this battle. It's going to be huge! It's going to be epic! It's going to be ... wait, what just happened? All throughout the battle, we have major occurrences happening in a single sentence. The demon, Leviathan is slayed in one statement, and we don't even get to know who. Okay, Leviathan hasn't been a major player for a while now so I guess that could slide, but then Mimi gets wounded. The issue I had was that it came out of nowhere. Seriously, I was reading about Mimi fighting and a sentence later, she is talking about a wound. I was extremely confused since we didn't get to see her get stabbed or slashed. I even went back, because I had figured I had read over something, but that wasn't the case. It was simply that abrupt, and this was only one of many. The other major abrupt  jump involved Schuyler. She is no where near Lucifer when suddenly she has Michael's sword to his throat. If that wasn't bad enough, remember this is Lucifer. This is the big bad. We don't get to see a fight between Lucifer and Schuyler. There's no build up. It's as if Lucifer randomly showed up on the set, and they started  shooting a scene for a movie. He simply has no presence before this so even though we have our main protagonist's sword to THE villain's throat, I could care less. Bad bad writing!
END SPOILERS

Those were the two major bits in the book that led to my disappointment. However, there are still some other issues I had with Gates of Paradise. They weren't disappointing, but they certainly had a negative impact. The first of these is something pretty simple: telling instead of showing. Although this has been an issue in past books, it wasn't nearly as prominent as it is in Gates of Paradise. The other Blue Bloods books had a mix of showing and telling; Gates of Paradise was all tell and no show.

Another issue I had involved Bliss. Melissa de la Cruz wrote another book, called Wolf Pact, that followed Bliss and her search for the hellhounds. It was said that Wolf Pact was a side series to the Blue Blood series. A side series or book implies that will have little to no impact on the main series. Because of this, I had planned on reading Wolf Pact later. Wold Pact should not be called a side series. Although it doesn't follow any blue bloods, it does follow Bliss, who was a blue blood at one time. The biggest reason it shouldn't be called a side series, however, is because it has a huge impact on the Blue Bloods storyline and Bliss' character. Sure I was able to figure out what was going on in Gates of Paradise even without reading Wolf Pact, but it felt like I had skipped an entire book in the Blue Bloods series. When reading Gates of Paradise, I was suddenly given all these new characters out of nowhere, and they obviously had a history together. There were constant references made to Wolf Pact, making me feel that I wasn't getting the entire story when reading Gates of Paradise and even a little confused at times.

The last thing I didn't like was the happily ever after type ending. Everyone ended up with the person they loved. I can't say it was unexpected, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. It just felt a little too unrealistic to me (even for a book about fallen angels/vampires). Still I understand that there is a good chunk of people who want that happily ever after, and you guys deserve those type of books. Personally though, it's not for me.

So you can see that I had lots of issues with this book, but that doesn't mean it was all bad. Melissa de la Cruz did make sure to tie up all the loose ends, and I really liked what she did with Oliver at the end. It was a bit of a deus ex machina twist, but it was still enjoyable to read. The characters also grew throughout the series, which I am always glad to see. Sadly, I cannot think of a lot of things I enjoyed in this book alone.

This wasn't a horrible book, but it certainly was a major disappointment. If you reading the story mostly for the romance, then you may enjoy it more. Easily, the worst bit was the climax. De la Cruz jumped around way too often, causing much confusion and little build-up. I have to say it felt very rushed and could have been much better. Gates of Paradise nearly ruined the entire series for me. It still might have. My brain hasn't decided yet. I still would say read it if you have read the rest of the series, but I wouldn't recommend buying it except maybe to finish your collection, and even then, I would suggest getting it used it at least in paperback. The downfall is that Gates of Paradise has caused me to not want to recommend the Blue Bloods series to as many readers. That's how much of a let down this was for me.

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