Ratings (1060 books)
Is the second book about Hesler never going to be published? It's been 10 years but I found the premise really interesting. :(
I give this book 1.5 out of 5 stars. I’ve read this author’s New Species series before and also the second book in this series, Kraven, but this one fell short in comparison.
My biggest issue was the writing style—most of the book was just conversations, and they didn’t feel natural. The dialogue was overloaded with unnecessary information, often used as a way to dump backstory instead of letting it unfold organically. I find it frustrating when an author relies too heavily on characters “remembering” things just to explain events to the reader. In this book, it happened so often that it became impossible to ignore.
The male lead was another major problem. He was overly pushy and controlling, disregarding the heroine’s choices in ways that weren’t even justified by concerns for her safety or any other reason. He could have handled things so much better, but instead, his behavior made the story frustrating rather than engaging.
While the second book, Kraven, was slightly better, I was still disappointed overall. The premise had potential, but the execution just didn’t work for me.
I give this book a solid 3 out of 5. I really liked the heroine—she was brave, smart, and independent. The hero was also a pleasant surprise. He was respectful, never pushed her, and managed to be protective without being condescending, which I really appreciated.
The story and plot felt more dynamic in this one. We were introduced to a new type of vampires/beings created by the Soldiers, something the Vamplycans weren’t aware of before. This added an interesting new element to the worldbuilding.
That said, the ongoing Decker villain plotline is starting to feel dragged out. His continued absence is getting a bit frustrating. Also, the romance had some insta-love tendencies, but overall, it was still enjoyable.
Despite a few flaws, I liked this one and felt it was an improvement over the previous books.
I’m giving this book 2.75 out of 5. It was an improvement over the first two, and the characters were more likable. However, there wasn’t much of a solid plot—it felt more like a filler book.
There were no major conflicts between the main couple, just repetitive disagreements about the heroine’s safety. While protective love interests work for me, in this case, it was frustrating because the male lead always “knew better”.
Another thing that annoyed me was one lengthy discussion between the male lead and his brother. They spent pages going back and forth about a decision, but instead of bringing in new arguments, it felt like they were just having the same conversation three times over. It dragged on unnecessarily.
I also wasn’t fully convinced by the conflict that initially kept the main couple apart. They were such good friends, yet from one day to the next, she just stopped talking to him. It wasn’t well-developed, and it felt odd that they had never discussed this issue before. While I get that it was a complicated situation, it could have been explored better.
That said, I did enjoy reading this book. Unlike the first two, I never felt the urge to stop, and I wasn’t bored. I can see a steady improvement in the series, so I’m looking forward to reading the fourth book.
