Note: This is book 2 in the series and works best if you read book 1 first.
Wow! Derek is one messed up dude. He’s also in a very dangerous situation and oh so many people want his head on a spike (just like Dracula likes them). Luckily Derek has lots of help, or are they merely maneuvering in for the best way to stab him in the back? Derek is a paranoid fellow, and with good reason.
I like the talking sword because it has a lot of snark. I also liked his twin sister, Penny. She’s great with gadgets and she can safely (mostly) push back on Derek when he’s being unreasonable. Then there’s the mysterious ‘dead’ wife that isn’t quite so dead, mostly because someone helped fake her death.
On the opposing side we Dracula and all his loyal minions. Yep. The Dracula. He has a really nice jet that Derek falls from. Dracula is strong in mesmerism but Derek is way too stubborn to be easily swayed. This actually makes Dracula respect him a bit and changes the game. Derek can’t simply be swatted down or be put under the vampire’s mental control. The other big baddie is Derek’s dad, Nathaniel Hawthorne. He’s done his share of disgusting things and Derek doesn’t want anything to do with him. Alas, Nathaniel has critical info for Derek. Yet it’s info that doesn’t make Derek any happier even if does get him closer to tackling his mission.
All that sounds pretty serious, but don’t be fooled! There’s plenty of humor sprinkled throughout this story, a lot of it being snark and pop culture references. I really love the combination of epic, Earth-changing serious situations with this kind of humor.
Also, if you’re a Phipps fan, this book is set in the same world as two of his over series (the Weredeer series and the Detroit vampires series). I believe this book is set slightly before the start of those two series but all 3 series can be read independently. I love how they dovetail and add a little background to each other.
The story has a lot of action in it and the pace really ramps up to a crescendo for the final scenes. There’s vampire pirates and determined werewolves! It’s crazy intense! Once again, I was thoroughly entertained by this author. 5/5 stars.
The Narration: Jeffrey Kafer is just so much fun to listen to. I think he really enjoyed these books as well because it shows in his work. He has a nice variety of voices so I can keep all the characters straight. I like his female voices, especially his know-it-all snarky voice for Penny. The pacing is perfect and there are no tech issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book. My opinions are 100% of my own.