I have to say that I was really pleased with how this book turned out. I honestly hadn’t expected it to amp up in the third book, but it does. Lord Wraith is just as brilliant and conniving as before, but now he has some experience under his belt and is ready for whatever the forces of darkness decide to throw at him, or so he thinks.
Edward has a lot happening here. He adds a recently deaged vampire into his clan, and we get a big monster battle. There is a lot happening here, and I applaud Edward for sticking to his no kill rule. He realizes that a single misstep will lead him irreversibly down a path of darker intent. He does not want to become one of Kharon’s buddies or a minion of the darkness. So, watching him struggle to reign in his own minions, and keep them from killing is at times giggle inspiring and simultaneously tension building because you know nothing good is going to come of it.
What I really liked was how Ed was acting like he was playing three dimensional chess. He gos on a quest to find out how the heroes operate in his new world, and once he manages to do that he’ll try to suss out a way to stop them. So yeah, he doesn’t have a lot on his plate at all. On top of that he has to rescue an ancient vampire, coordinate and train his troops, and get ready to battle some honorable foes he would really prefer to avoid. Plus, Huesca manages to keep the powers to manageable levels and not have OP MC’s. Another benefit is that you can jump stats if you want, but if you love the crunch it’s all there.
The one real beef I have with the book is that it repeatedly seems like Ed’s old boss is going to get pulled into the same world as a hero or some such in order to annoy and foil Ed. That or his old gal pal. Honestly, I would stay away from both of them. His old boss reminds me of the villain from Awaken Online where he is arrogant and so full of himself that he’s the best thing he’s ever tasted. He drinks his own kool aid. The former possible love interest is just not all that interesting. In today’s world all she would have to do is make an accusation and people would be looking into what her boss has said and or done to make her uncomfortable.
Jeff and Annie really bring this thing to life, and they make an excellent pairing. I’ve pretty much said it time and again that SBT does some amazing work and that when they get going they absolutely cannot be touched. Annie practically overwhelms with her feminine wiles while simultaneously playing a whacked out ancient bloodsucker that ends up looking like a twelve year old. Jeff craftily carries the rest of the book with his intense narration and masterful manipulation of men and monsters is fun to listen to. Top notch performances and production.
Final score, 8.3 stars. The book continues to improve and the stakes are raised every time we draw to a close.