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A review by amym84
Blade Bound by Chloe Neill
4.0
Blade Bound marks the end of an era that started in 2009 with [b:Some Girls Bite|4447622|Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires, #1)|Chloe Neill|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441402786s/4447622.jpg|4495840] in a series that has seen ups and downs over the course of thirteen books.
I'm always apprehensive to read series enders, especially when those series are so near and dear to me like the Chicagoland Vampires. Not only is it sad to see these characters that I (and other readers) have become accustomed to getting at least one book released every year (sometimes 2 plus novellas), there's an amazing amount of trepidation to find out if the author will end the series satisfactorily. The ends are always a gamble.
So how do things stack up with Blade Bound? Well, I felt like there was a lot of ground that needed to be addressed / covered. Maybe not a lot of ground per se, but some big important things that I know I wanted to see tackled before we say goodbye (or at least goodbye for now).
First, things in [b:Midnight Marked|20556439|Midnight Marked (Chicagoland Vampires, #12)|Chloe Neill|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433339862s/20556439.jpg|38695984], were left open when evil sorceress Sorcha Reed escaped from her imposed prison. So, it's no big guess as to say that everyone is kind of waiting for Sorcha to make her appearance again. They're just wondering what kind of revenge she's going to enact on those who ruined her initial plans.
Then, there's Merit and Ethan's long-time-coming nuptials. Since the beginning of the series these two have been an UF couple staple. Even through the rough times, they've deserved their happily-ever-after. I was happy with the time that Chloe Neill took to show their happy day on the page. Even though she peppers it throughout with shots of unsettlement. Everyone knows that the lull in bad things happening can only last for so long. For me, Ethan and Merit finally getting to say their "I do's" was inevitable. But that's not saying I didn't enjoy it. If anything, Blade Bound just showed their relationship, and the future of their relationship, growing even stronger. Probably the strongest we've ever seen it within the series. Yes, they've been a committed couple for a few books now, but they've still had their struggles. Here, their relationship felt more mature.
This, then, brings me to the final thing I needed to see tied-up in Blade Bound. Something involving a certain prophecy given by Gabriel Keene the leader of the North American shifters back in the book [b:Twice Bitten|7060582|Twice Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, #3)|Chloe Neill|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441494976s/7060582.jpg|7312508]. This was a big one for me because for roughly ten books now this prophecy has been looming in the background of all actions and decisions made by Merit and Ethan. That one day they would be parents to the first vampire-born child.
With everything that has happened and ends up happening in the course of this book, Merit begins to question whether or not she would want to bring a child into a world that has seen its fare share of evil and danger.
Since all of these topics are covered within the story (in one way, shape, or form), I didn't really feel like there was anything unpredictable about how events proceeded. No unforeseen twists thrown in as a parting farewell. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't really believe the place for throwing in new twists and tantalizing storylines is in the final book in a series. It is precisely for tying up the remaining storythreads. Answering long-standing questions.
I enjoyed what Chloe Neill chose to focus on: namely, what I felt, was getting back to that core four person relationship in Merit, Ethan, Catcher, and Mallory. These four started out the series somewhat begrudgingly working together. Of course Catcher and Mallory formed their own unit almost immediately while Merit and Ethan took a bit longer to get their acts together. Things diverged for the friends somewhat when Mallory went through her evil phase around the [b:Drink Deep|9815702|Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires, #5)|Chloe Neill|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1296789716s/9815702.jpg|14706158] timeline. So probably my most unexpected, yet happy-it-happened thing from Blade Bound was that I was finally happy with the footing Mallory and Merit are on since the beginning of the series.
In fact, a lot of this book felt like we were coming full circle. Yes, we get a glimpse, or even a mention, of pretty much all pertinent events that have occurred throughout the series, but the main focus is on Chicago itself and vampires in particular. Having the vampire population ousted by Celina just before events in the first book have caused quite the whirlwind, and to think this series, from beginning to end, only takes place within the span of a little over a year's timeframe. In that context there's a lot that happens, so it was nice to see things kind of getting back to basics as the case may be.
Overall, I enjoyed Blade Bound. While I wasn't utterly surprised by how things wind up, it was a good read. One I equally didn't want to put down, but also didn't want to finish because that would mean the end.
Now, I know that Chloe Neill is doing a spin-off series. At this point I don't think it's been revealed who the spin-off will follow, but reading the end of Blade Bound gives a possible clue. My interest is definitely piqued. No, I'm not going to even post my guess here so I guess we'll have to wait and see on publication day.
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm always apprehensive to read series enders, especially when those series are so near and dear to me like the Chicagoland Vampires. Not only is it sad to see these characters that I (and other readers) have become accustomed to getting at least one book released every year (sometimes 2 plus novellas), there's an amazing amount of trepidation to find out if the author will end the series satisfactorily. The ends are always a gamble.
So how do things stack up with Blade Bound? Well, I felt like there was a lot of ground that needed to be addressed / covered. Maybe not a lot of ground per se, but some big important things that I know I wanted to see tackled before we say goodbye (or at least goodbye for now).
First, things in [b:Midnight Marked|20556439|Midnight Marked (Chicagoland Vampires, #12)|Chloe Neill|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1433339862s/20556439.jpg|38695984], were left open when evil sorceress Sorcha Reed escaped from her imposed prison. So, it's no big guess as to say that everyone is kind of waiting for Sorcha to make her appearance again. They're just wondering what kind of revenge she's going to enact on those who ruined her initial plans.
Then, there's Merit and Ethan's long-time-coming nuptials. Since the beginning of the series these two have been an UF couple staple. Even through the rough times, they've deserved their happily-ever-after. I was happy with the time that Chloe Neill took to show their happy day on the page. Even though she peppers it throughout with shots of unsettlement. Everyone knows that the lull in bad things happening can only last for so long. For me, Ethan and Merit finally getting to say their "I do's" was inevitable. But that's not saying I didn't enjoy it. If anything, Blade Bound just showed their relationship, and the future of their relationship, growing even stronger. Probably the strongest we've ever seen it within the series. Yes, they've been a committed couple for a few books now, but they've still had their struggles. Here, their relationship felt more mature.
This, then, brings me to the final thing I needed to see tied-up in Blade Bound. Something involving a certain prophecy given by Gabriel Keene the leader of the North American shifters back in the book [b:Twice Bitten|7060582|Twice Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, #3)|Chloe Neill|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441494976s/7060582.jpg|7312508]. This was a big one for me because for roughly ten books now this prophecy has been looming in the background of all actions and decisions made by Merit and Ethan. That one day they would be parents to the first vampire-born child.
With everything that has happened and ends up happening in the course of this book, Merit begins to question whether or not she would want to bring a child into a world that has seen its fare share of evil and danger.
Since all of these topics are covered within the story (in one way, shape, or form), I didn't really feel like there was anything unpredictable about how events proceeded. No unforeseen twists thrown in as a parting farewell. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I don't really believe the place for throwing in new twists and tantalizing storylines is in the final book in a series. It is precisely for tying up the remaining storythreads. Answering long-standing questions.
I enjoyed what Chloe Neill chose to focus on: namely, what I felt, was getting back to that core four person relationship in Merit, Ethan, Catcher, and Mallory. These four started out the series somewhat begrudgingly working together. Of course Catcher and Mallory formed their own unit almost immediately while Merit and Ethan took a bit longer to get their acts together. Things diverged for the friends somewhat when Mallory went through her evil phase around the [b:Drink Deep|9815702|Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires, #5)|Chloe Neill|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1296789716s/9815702.jpg|14706158] timeline. So probably my most unexpected, yet happy-it-happened thing from Blade Bound was that I was finally happy with the footing Mallory and Merit are on since the beginning of the series.
In fact, a lot of this book felt like we were coming full circle. Yes, we get a glimpse, or even a mention, of pretty much all pertinent events that have occurred throughout the series, but the main focus is on Chicago itself and vampires in particular. Having the vampire population ousted by Celina just before events in the first book have caused quite the whirlwind, and to think this series, from beginning to end, only takes place within the span of a little over a year's timeframe. In that context there's a lot that happens, so it was nice to see things kind of getting back to basics as the case may be.
Overall, I enjoyed Blade Bound. While I wasn't utterly surprised by how things wind up, it was a good read. One I equally didn't want to put down, but also didn't want to finish because that would mean the end.
Now, I know that Chloe Neill is doing a spin-off series. At this point I don't think it's been revealed who the spin-off will follow, but reading the end of Blade Bound gives a possible clue. My interest is definitely piqued. No, I'm not going to even post my guess here so I guess we'll have to wait and see on publication day.
*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.