Destined for an Early Grave (Night Huntress #4) – Felt like filler

Cat and Bones have more than earned a vacation. Away from their tough jobs, away from the politics, away from danger.  But while Paris starts off as the perfect getaway, peculiar dreams (or are they memories?) have been haunting Cat night after night.  It turns out she may be married to Gregor, a powerful vampire, and has been since long before she met Bones.  Hubby #1 wants his wife back.  Needless to say, that doesn’t go over well with Cat or Bones, but Gregor’s power is greater than theirs combined.

The title says it all.  This book felt like filler to me.  The premise didn’t really lend itself well to future plot development, at least not in a sense that rings true.  It technically does because there is a huge change, but I feel like practically anything could have spurred that major change along.  I never felt like Cat and Bones’s’ relationship was truly threatened so there was no tension or suspense, just contrived melodrama.  Just about everything is forgettable about this story save for the final 25%.

There is one plus, I think Vlad has emerged as my favorite character of this series.  He’s witty, fun, badass, and overall a well-done interpretation of Dracula. It’s a difficult character to really harness and make unique, but I think Jeaniene Frost does a great job with him.  It’s just never enough.  But knowing he has his own spinoff, makes me feel much better.

This article has 11 Comments

  1. Really? This was my favorite of the series. this was when Bones really called Cat out for her hypocrisy and let her have it. I loved that! Bones keeps taking her crap but this time, he let her know she had to make some changes to her attitude!
    But like you, this is where Vlad became one of my favorites too!

    1. Not saying I’m a Cat fan in the least, but I wasn’t impressed with Bones either though, with his secrecy and keeping Cat in the dark that leads her on to do some of these things. They were both dumb and I was over the soap opera fast.

  2. I could barely get thru the next book in the series. It was one giant plot-hole. I’m curious to see if you pick up on why vamps vs ghouls isn’t a feasible premise. Not to ruin your experience- Ghouls NEED Vamps to be created. Anyway, that’s what JF tells us for 4 books. That’s all I’m saying. Keep it in mind as you read.
    I loved the beginning of the series and I haven’t read any past book 5. I loved Vlad’s book in his spin-off. JF is one of my faves for a good laugh with loads of smoking hot, but if you tend to pick apart a book, eh…
    -Erica Chilson

    1. I didn’t really pick this one apart much. This is actually one of my shorter reviews. I read to enjoy, but if I’m not enjoying it as much as I had hoped I try to identify what’s bothering me. I’ve already read Book 5, I just need to write a review for it, but I liked it better than this one. Book 3 remains my favorite of this series. Thing is, I haven’t found myself laughing a whole lot in the later books. Book 5 actually did have me laugh out loud for a change which helped.

      1. I guess I was so annoyed by the premise of book 5 that I couldn’t enjoy the read. I read for entertainment, but this hit me as soon as I started reading the book.
        Issue: Ghouls NEED Vampires in order to create more Ghouls. To me, it would be the equivalent of all the men banning together to rid the world of women. What good would come if Ghouls eradicated Vamps- no more Ghouls.
        After the realization hit me, I just couldn’t enjoy the story. It sounds ‘picky’ but it was so off base that it eclipsed everything else for me.
        I was also shocked that of all the reviews on GR, no one mentioned this. I know it’s UF, but fantasy or not, an author shouldn’t pretend the rules of their universe they’ve created doesn’t exist.
        Vlad’s book was humorous. I was happy to get that good feeling back. I love reading while grinning.

  3. I’m with you on Vlad, and pretty much have been since he came on the scene. Honestly, I’m sort of meh on Bones and Cat anyway… this series doesn’t thrill me the way my favorites do. But I can’t wait to read Drac’s book.

    1. I am with you, Heather. Cat and Bones, while okay at times, are not my faves, and this series is not among my faves. It’s good enough to keep reading, but with Vlad having his trilogy spin-off (his book is my favorite of JF’s books), I honestly feel like I could do without reading the rest and just focus on his books…but then I’d wonder about what he was doing in the NH books. I think I’m essentially reading for Vlad these days.

  4. Well i will be honest too, I had a hard time getting through book 6. I didn’t enjoy it. It was like a 3-star book to me. Book 4 was the highlight for me. I will read the next books though.

    1. Book 6 lacked Vlad, so that alone cost it some points with me. I think I’m essentially reading this series for him these days. And then I enjoyed his spin-off the most of all of the books so far (review to come), so I’m sort of up in the air about how I want to proceed with the NH books. At this point I am sure I would be reading it just to see what Vlad was up to more than anything else anymore. I am DEFINITELY reading the rest of his spin-off books though.

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