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A review by hmmreads
Into the Fire by Jeaniene Frost
3.0
3.5
Leila and Vlad were on a journey to track down Mircea, Vlad's nephew/son he took in. Mircea got a father complex because Vlad never loved him, but he pegged it as Vlad not having the ability to love. But when he discovered that Vlad loved Leila in mere months, he was super jealous. It was a weak motivation, to be honest.
Mircea and Leila were bound together because his spell backfired on him. Then Mircea was captured and threatened by other necromancers, who threatened Vlad to kill Samir (but actually Mencheres) if he wanted Leila to live. They recruited Ian to help and found a demon that informed Leila of her direct heritage to the Ani-kutani line, a true witch. Leila and Gretchen met Loite, the only other ancestor left and told them that her powers (heritage magic) could be transferred to anyone of the matriarch line, but it would also transfer the hex. Gretchen told Leila to give it to her but Leila said no. But Gretchen ended up turning into a vampire anyway.
Then they figured out that the heritage magic will manifest to what the person needed the most, since Gretchen's would be protection from the hex, the magic would not have the hex. But since they needed to wait for Gretchen to get over her bloodlust, Loite whisked her away so Vlad wouldn't force the transfer.
Leila found a way to communicate with Mircea and they went to a club to a warehouse to track the necromancers. There, a necromancer cursed Vlad to relive his regret over and over. Naturally, his fire went out of control and everything was burning. Leila had to get closer to douse volts into him because the curse didn't work on her. This scene was nicely written, but there's this part where Leila had to make a second attempt because she didn't put her all into her first attempt. And that she was doubting herself that she couldn't do it. I was irked that she had unleashed her 'full potential' multiple times in the previous books, so she knew she'd be capable of it. So her having this doubt thing was just odd, but it did flesh Mircea out as he help her through their link. Once was alright, but the book used this doubt hindrance again a second time later at the end.
Anyways, the got the necromancer back to a safe house. There Vlad had all of them watch as he popped Mencheres' head. Ian went ballistic and immediately summoned a demon that had been hunting him. Ian bargained his soul so Mencheres would still be alive. But after the bargain was struck, the demon informed him that the dead body wasn't Mencheres. Vlad explained that he had glamoured a volunteer to look like Mencheres and needed their genuine reactions on camera. Ian used the demon-bargained power thing to squeeze Mircea's location out of the necromancer and then he dipped out.
They ambushed the place with the help of Veritas, a Law Guardian enforcer person that could pause time and (insinuated) escape grave magic. Vlad was all caveman again and forbid Leila from going in, even though he knew that Leila's immune. She ended up needing to come in anyways to save them from a spell. Author used the self-doubt thing here again. Getting Marty killed because she wasn't what, 'confident' enough? That's really unbelievable. Fear might be more of a justifiable reason than 'doubt'. Especially when all Marty, Maximus, Vlad were stuck there. But whatever.
They reached Mircea. Mencheres found out Vlad's intention to kill him if the necromancers didn't believe the tape. Mencheres requested that Vlad took Mircea in as a way to repent his almost betrayal.
Leila had improved a lot in this book. She wasn't annoying, wasn't stupid, and didn't charge into situations without reason. Her stupid fifty shades inner goddess only appeared a few times. Vlad was almost still the same, selective on which fight Leila could join. He was a thick-headed vamp here, not allowing Leila to join in even though she was the only one immune.
Leila and Vlad were on a journey to track down Mircea, Vlad's nephew/son he took in. Mircea got a father complex because Vlad never loved him, but he pegged it as Vlad not having the ability to love. But when he discovered that Vlad loved Leila in mere months, he was super jealous. It was a weak motivation, to be honest.
Mircea and Leila were bound together because his spell backfired on him. Then Mircea was captured and threatened by other necromancers, who threatened Vlad to kill Samir (but actually Mencheres) if he wanted Leila to live. They recruited Ian to help and found a demon that informed Leila of her direct heritage to the Ani-kutani line, a true witch. Leila and Gretchen met Loite, the only other ancestor left and told them that her powers (heritage magic) could be transferred to anyone of the matriarch line, but it would also transfer the hex. Gretchen told Leila to give it to her but Leila said no. But Gretchen ended up turning into a vampire anyway.
Then they figured out that the heritage magic will manifest to what the person needed the most, since Gretchen's would be protection from the hex, the magic would not have the hex. But since they needed to wait for Gretchen to get over her bloodlust, Loite whisked her away so Vlad wouldn't force the transfer.
Leila found a way to communicate with Mircea and they went to a club to a warehouse to track the necromancers. There, a necromancer cursed Vlad to relive his regret over and over. Naturally, his fire went out of control and everything was burning. Leila had to get closer to douse volts into him because the curse didn't work on her. This scene was nicely written, but there's this part where Leila had to make a second attempt because she didn't put her all into her first attempt. And that she was doubting herself that she couldn't do it. I was irked that she had unleashed her 'full potential' multiple times in the previous books, so she knew she'd be capable of it. So her having this doubt thing was just odd, but it did flesh Mircea out as he help her through their link. Once was alright, but the book used this doubt hindrance again a second time later at the end.
Anyways, the got the necromancer back to a safe house. There Vlad had all of them watch as he popped Mencheres' head. Ian went ballistic and immediately summoned a demon that had been hunting him. Ian bargained his soul so Mencheres would still be alive. But after the bargain was struck, the demon informed him that the dead body wasn't Mencheres. Vlad explained that he had glamoured a volunteer to look like Mencheres and needed their genuine reactions on camera. Ian used the demon-bargained power thing to squeeze Mircea's location out of the necromancer and then he dipped out.
They ambushed the place with the help of Veritas, a Law Guardian enforcer person that could pause time and (insinuated) escape grave magic. Vlad was all caveman again and forbid Leila from going in, even though he knew that Leila's immune. She ended up needing to come in anyways to save them from a spell. Author used the self-doubt thing here again. Getting Marty killed because she wasn't what, 'confident' enough? That's really unbelievable. Fear might be more of a justifiable reason than 'doubt'. Especially when all Marty, Maximus, Vlad were stuck there. But whatever.
They reached Mircea. Mencheres found out Vlad's intention to kill him if the necromancers didn't believe the tape. Mencheres requested that Vlad took Mircea in as a way to repent his almost betrayal.
Leila had improved a lot in this book. She wasn't annoying, wasn't stupid, and didn't charge into situations without reason. Her stupid fifty shades inner goddess only appeared a few times. Vlad was almost still the same, selective on which fight Leila could join. He was a thick-headed vamp here, not allowing Leila to join in even though she was the only one immune.