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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
So that happened. I'm interested in what happens next but this one took me a little bit to get through. The writing seems to repeat itself and reading the same phrases over and over can get tiring. In the last few books, they make references to Buffy, in this one I noticed some resemblances, besides the obvious vampire thing. Not sure if that's a good thing.
This review and others by Berls are also available on Fantasy is More Fun
My Initial Reaction...
This series continues to be a favorite read for me. I was worried after the events of Hard Bitten that the series would fall apart- how could it survive the death of Ethan and the loss of the chemistry between him and Merit? How could it survive the death of it's chief adversary? Well this book does not disappoint.
The Narration...
For some reason I thought I had heard that with this book the narrator changes. Well I was wrong - it's still Cynthia Holloway and, since I thought it would be a new narrator, it was even more disappointing. At this point Holloway needs to go - I've patiently listened to five books now of no inflection and no voices, and I'm finally tired of it.
The Characters...
Merit is trying to pull herself together, because she's still Sentinel of Cadogan, a position she cherishes even more because Ethan gave it to her. Jonah, her potential RG partner and captain of the guards at Grey house, is working with her. He's helping her to continue developing her skills and to deal with the latest big bad hitting Chicago. I surprisingly did not miss Ethan very much during this book. Without Ethan there, Merit is standing up and growing into herself in ways I don't think she was able to do when Ethan consumed so much of her development. I never thought I'd say it, but he was holding her back! In Drink Deep Cadogan needs her, perhaps more than it ever has, and Merit seriously steps up to the plate. I loved seeing her passionately defending her fellow vampires.
Ethan is gone, of course, but he's deeply felt. His memory is everywhere, not to mention Merit's dreams on an almost nightly basis. And then there's Jonah. He's a really interesting contrast to Ethan. He's definitely interested in Merit and, while he's respecting her need for time, I see definite potential there. He's quickly becoming a favorite character for me, he's smart, strong, and I love the natural way he and Merit interact with each other. I hope we continue to see a lot of him in the series.
Mallory, another favorite character of mine, is going through her exams and it has turned her into a major stress ball. The way Neill writes Merit and Mallory's friendship was great, because if you've ever had an incredibly close friend that you will weather their mood swings still trying to be a good friend - then the way they're relating will feel so familiar. Merit knows she owes Mallory for how supportive she was during her transition to vampire and for her support when Ethan first died, so she's trying to be there for her - even when she gets bitchy. Which she does often.
The Story...
We pick up in Drink Deep two months after Ethan's death, with a broken Merit and mourning Cadogan House. The house is in major transition as all the leadership positions have shifted; Malik is in charge now, with Luke as his second. To make matters worse, the GP is moving forward with their investigation having sent a truly annoying man, who seems set not to investigate the house, but to bring it down.
And then there's Chicago. With Mayor Tate's removal and imprisonment (as a yet to be figured out magical creature) a new, not so vampire friendly mayor has taken over. Her antagonism is only amplified by the many mysterious natural disasters hitting the city; the vampires are everyone's favorite culprit, but they haven't a clue what's going on. So Merit, Jonah, and the Umbud's gang are all working to figure it out.
Concluding Sentiments...
Rather than falling apart, in my opinion, the mystery is more pronounced without the same antagonist to fall back on (though it was still fairly obvious to me) and new relationships bloom with Ethan out of the picture. For those who find vampire politics annoying, this book will be frustrating, since the politics are perhaps the most pronounced of the series thus far. I found it infuriating, but in the good way that ropes you in and makes you want to slap a few people. I highly recommend having the next book ready as this one leaves you eager for the next..
Get Drink Deep on Amazon
My Initial Reaction...
This series continues to be a favorite read for me. I was worried after the events of Hard Bitten that the series would fall apart- how could it survive the death of Ethan and the loss of the chemistry between him and Merit? How could it survive the death of it's chief adversary? Well this book does not disappoint.
The Narration...
For some reason I thought I had heard that with this book the narrator changes. Well I was wrong - it's still Cynthia Holloway and, since I thought it would be a new narrator, it was even more disappointing. At this point Holloway needs to go - I've patiently listened to five books now of no inflection and no voices, and I'm finally tired of it.
The Characters...
Merit is trying to pull herself together, because she's still Sentinel of Cadogan, a position she cherishes even more because Ethan gave it to her. Jonah, her potential RG partner and captain of the guards at Grey house, is working with her. He's helping her to continue developing her skills and to deal with the latest big bad hitting Chicago. I surprisingly did not miss Ethan very much during this book. Without Ethan there, Merit is standing up and growing into herself in ways I don't think she was able to do when Ethan consumed so much of her development. I never thought I'd say it, but he was holding her back! In Drink Deep Cadogan needs her, perhaps more than it ever has, and Merit seriously steps up to the plate. I loved seeing her passionately defending her fellow vampires.
Ethan is gone, of course, but he's deeply felt. His memory is everywhere, not to mention Merit's dreams on an almost nightly basis. And then there's Jonah. He's a really interesting contrast to Ethan. He's definitely interested in Merit and, while he's respecting her need for time, I see definite potential there. He's quickly becoming a favorite character for me, he's smart, strong, and I love the natural way he and Merit interact with each other. I hope we continue to see a lot of him in the series.
Mallory, another favorite character of mine, is going through her exams and it has turned her into a major stress ball. The way Neill writes Merit and Mallory's friendship was great, because if you've ever had an incredibly close friend that you will weather their mood swings still trying to be a good friend - then the way they're relating will feel so familiar. Merit knows she owes Mallory for how supportive she was during her transition to vampire and for her support when Ethan first died, so she's trying to be there for her - even when she gets bitchy. Which she does often.
The Story...
We pick up in Drink Deep two months after Ethan's death, with a broken Merit and mourning Cadogan House. The house is in major transition as all the leadership positions have shifted; Malik is in charge now, with Luke as his second. To make matters worse, the GP is moving forward with their investigation having sent a truly annoying man, who seems set not to investigate the house, but to bring it down.
And then there's Chicago. With Mayor Tate's removal and imprisonment (as a yet to be figured out magical creature) a new, not so vampire friendly mayor has taken over. Her antagonism is only amplified by the many mysterious natural disasters hitting the city; the vampires are everyone's favorite culprit, but they haven't a clue what's going on. So Merit, Jonah, and the Umbud's gang are all working to figure it out.
Concluding Sentiments...
Rather than falling apart, in my opinion, the mystery is more pronounced without the same antagonist to fall back on (though it was still fairly obvious to me) and new relationships bloom with Ethan out of the picture. For those who find vampire politics annoying, this book will be frustrating, since the politics are perhaps the most pronounced of the series thus far. I found it infuriating, but in the good way that ropes you in and makes you want to slap a few people. I highly recommend having the next book ready as this one leaves you eager for the next..
Get Drink Deep on Amazon
Can I say what a roller coaster this installment was!? I was not expecting that ending but Neill you are good! I still have a lot of unanswered questions and mild curiosity that I hope will be assuaged in the next few coming books. The book was great except for the Mallory and Cather treatment that another reader commented on. I really like this series and I only hope that it gets better from here on out.
This is the fifth book in Chloe Neill's Chicagoland Vampire series. Much better ending than the last one. Ethan is back and at this point he and Merit are a couple. Poor Mallory....the black magic sucked her in. Bring Ethan back was the only good thing that happened in that whole mess. It was clear that the trouble was Mallory's fault but how and why came across as well written. It's a shame that Catcher is going to blame himself for not seeing what was happening to the woman he loves. This is as close as I come to YA.
I can't wait for the next book to see what the resolution of the GP and the house is, whether it's a revolution or not. Certainly getting Ethan back has bound the Catogon vampires in ways that even the GP won't be able to break.
I can't wait for the next book to see what the resolution of the GP and the house is, whether it's a revolution or not. Certainly getting Ethan back has bound the Catogon vampires in ways that even the GP won't be able to break.
I'm not sure what to think about the end of this book. I'm afraid to trust that the author won't just snatch Ethan away from us again. Neill making Mallory evil feels like it's out of left field and uncharacteristic for Mallory. And poor Jonah.
***This review is written for readers who have read the previous titles***
Ethan is dead. Even though this is exactly what I wanted from book one, it feels like a scape goat. Now Merit can finally grow as a character and the readers can truly get to know her. Sure there's a lot of Ethan moaning and groaning. It also infuriates me that Merit couldn't be a character because she was so far up Ethan's butt that she couldn't be strong enough on her own.
Jonah and Merit's relationship is amazing! Jonah is the male candy that I have wanted for Merit to have from book 1. He's smart, funny, he is THERE for Merit, and it's clear that he genuinely cares for her. (Plus, so far he doesn’t have the totally wacked up vampire baggage that seems to come with the fangs.) In Jonah's hands Merit is growing and I love it, he's not over powering her.
The apocalypse is happening and the reason behind it was one of the worst apocalypses ever. Certain Cadagon vampires should have known what it was that was causing all of it. They were protecting the freaking item for goodness sake! Also, I wanted to know how the person who stole the item even knew it was there to be taken. It never fell together.
The apocalypse was fun. It allowed the books to explore sorcerers, fae, water sirens/nymphs, and some alternative myths. The GP vampire in charge of the house was a great plot show and tell for readers to see how corrupt the GP really is. It was great feeling the rage and rallying over the injustice of it all. The build up for a real adversary in Mayor Tate is awesome, as well as the development of the office of the Chicago supernatural Ombudsman.
Character development . . . er, I don't think Neill knows how to do it. Mallory changes so much and it never feels real. It's so sudden that the big plot bomb (yeah, another one!) was so obvious that I was annoyed the series was even going there. Oh, and the major plot bomb of the last book is simply taken back. Oh, and the whole Catcher thing in this book was awful. There were some tender moments and than some mood swings so big that I just couldn't believe it.
This series both thrills and teases me, and drives me bonkers! Even though I want to give up on it I just can't stop. Neill's writing is too addictive! I keep crawling back for certain reasons, and now that Jonah is going to be a recurring character I have to know what happens to him. Merit's latest relationship may annoy me with the dramatic short cut it took, but I am there.
Sexual Content: Plenty of sexual humor and some bedroom time.
3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back
Originally reveiewd at Book Whispers.
Ethan is dead. Even though this is exactly what I wanted from book one, it feels like a scape goat. Now Merit can finally grow as a character and the readers can truly get to know her. Sure there's a lot of Ethan moaning and groaning. It also infuriates me that Merit couldn't be a character because she was so far up Ethan's butt that she couldn't be strong enough on her own.
Jonah and Merit's relationship is amazing! Jonah is the male candy that I have wanted for Merit to have from book 1. He's smart, funny, he is THERE for Merit, and it's clear that he genuinely cares for her. (Plus, so far he doesn’t have the totally wacked up vampire baggage that seems to come with the fangs.) In Jonah's hands Merit is growing and I love it, he's not over powering her.
The apocalypse is happening and the reason behind it was one of the worst apocalypses ever. Certain Cadagon vampires should have known what it was that was causing all of it. They were protecting the freaking item for goodness sake! Also, I wanted to know how the person who stole the item even knew it was there to be taken. It never fell together.
The apocalypse was fun. It allowed the books to explore sorcerers, fae, water sirens/nymphs, and some alternative myths. The GP vampire in charge of the house was a great plot show and tell for readers to see how corrupt the GP really is. It was great feeling the rage and rallying over the injustice of it all. The build up for a real adversary in Mayor Tate is awesome, as well as the development of the office of the Chicago supernatural Ombudsman.
Character development . . . er, I don't think Neill knows how to do it. Mallory changes so much and it never feels real. It's so sudden that the big plot bomb (yeah, another one!) was so obvious that I was annoyed the series was even going there. Oh, and the major plot bomb of the last book is simply taken back. Oh, and the whole Catcher thing in this book was awful. There were some tender moments and than some mood swings so big that I just couldn't believe it.
This series both thrills and teases me, and drives me bonkers! Even though I want to give up on it I just can't stop. Neill's writing is too addictive! I keep crawling back for certain reasons, and now that Jonah is going to be a recurring character I have to know what happens to him. Merit's latest relationship may annoy me with the dramatic short cut it took, but I am there.
Sexual Content: Plenty of sexual humor and some bedroom time.
3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back
Originally reveiewd at Book Whispers.
My poor heart couldn't handle this book! The Merit/Ethan vibes were extra strong in this one and the villain in this book was unexpected. My heart broke for everyone, especially Merit who had it pretty rough in this book. I can't not pick up the next book after finishing this one!
In Drink Deep Merit has to cope with the loss of her sometime boyfriend Ethan, the fact that her house is under the criticizing eye of the Greenwich Presidium and the human world now blaming all vampires for the “end of the world.” The humans believe that the end of the world is imminent due to the fact that the city’s lake turns black and stops moving, the sky turns blood red and lastly earthquakes create giant craters in the ground. Merit along with Jonah (Captain of Grey House, member of Red Guard and man in love with Merit) set out to discover what’s going on in the supernatural world to make the city so out of whack. What they do find out puts Merit’s relationship with her best friend Mallory in question and brings back an important character from the dead.
I think the book moves along OK. I will probably always feel the vamps in this series aren’t as tough as they should be, but it’s a fun read with a interesting plot.
I think the book moves along OK. I will probably always feel the vamps in this series aren’t as tough as they should be, but it’s a fun read with a interesting plot.