I get attached to the OG MC, so I don’t usually read… spin offs? Though I have before, and I’ve enjoyed a couple of them. Considering the biggest complaints I have had about this series so far is the constant mixing up or misspelling of names and the tension-breaking POV switches between Angel, Daniel and Isaac at the end of book three, I decided to give it a shot.
This book though.. not only does a quarter of the book take place in flashbacks that I can’t say I really care about, especially in such long-winded detail, but it also turns Angel into the story’s antagonist (besides the obvious blood mages). His IQ is greatly lowered, he makes stupid assumptions that create forced angst to turn Constantine into Isaac’s knight in shining armor, and his overbearing attitude makes half the things he said to his little brother in the last three books a lie. In the book’s first conversation between Angel and Batiste, Angel jokes with the master vamp and becomes the butt of the conversation. In line with the previous three books, Angel doesn’t like or trust the blonde vamp, so why would he joke around with the guy and have such a loose tongue and lack of wit as to make himself look like an idiot?
Simeon… it’s hard to describe him in this book. A cowed or whipped, verbal punching bag? All he seems to do is stay quiet, leave the decisions to Angel, and make himself scarce when any kind of argument happens. Really? So much for the sexy, refined, wild warrior Simeon.
Isaac even apologises to Batiste for his brother that so cruelly placed the brand that only keeps Isaac from being brainwashed with fake lust. This is the same brother that called Angel a traitor to the Salvatore name for being with a fang head like Simeon, right?
And finally, Constantine Batiste. The vampire master that had such lack of judgement that one of his two right hand men betrayed him after only a year at most? After one – yes, only one brief mention in the opening of the book of his lack of judgement that would have had serious consequences for everyone if Eroch hadn’t been there, it was never mentioned again. Batiste even tells Angel off for his lack of understanding Isaac in the vamp bar. Batiste really gave a holier than thou speech to an overbearing, rash, and pretty violent-with-his-brother Angel. That was where I called it quits.
All of the characters are so out of character that it really left a bad taste in my mouth. Honestly, I wish I could erase this book from memory and just enjoy the first three books.
I did like the first couple of chapters though (minus the Lord of the Ring length – okay not quite that long – flashback and Angel’s unnatural/forced conversation with Batiste) though. I enjoyed the brotherly bonding where Isaac and Angel hug on the couch. I actually added the audiobook after reading that part in the kindle version, and even listened to it a couple times before moving on. After that, it goes downhill. Like, bottomless ravine downhill.
I was hoping the role of relationship angst would have been created naturally by Isaac trying to acclimate into a sober life, and possibly almost-relapses, with the people who care about him around him and supporting him like they have been thus far (unwavering support and brotherly love, etc…), but boy was I wrong. I got to the vamp bar’s drama and had to call this book quits. Out of roughly seven hundred plus books I’ve read in the last few years – many I didn’t end up liking – this is only the third or fourth book I just couldn’t finish.
Still, I hope that, after Isaac and Daniel’s relationship drama filler/bloatware books are out of the way (probably with Angel taking the hit as being an overbearing idiot and parental figure to drive a forced story for both and the boys’ love interests taking the noble road to save them from Angel) the series will go on like normal. I really hope it does. This series’ main storyline is just that interesting.
Though I haven’t read Daniel’s book (and don’t know if I even want to after this one, or after reading book five’s summary info) I’d like to see the story continue. The main story. If there’s another Angel/Simeon centric book, after all the characters go back into character, I’d like to see tension with the Ministry and the vampires under their influence develope into a good, continual storyline – something like the Dresden Files’ war maybe? That’s probably asking too much. I’d like to see a long time skip somewhere in there, too, even if it’s just the epilogue. Again, probably asking way too much, especially since I don’t even know how the currently released books (5 books) end.
Even if I didn’t like the book as a whole, Joel Leslie did a great job, as usual. Props to him for finishing it.