Helpful Score: 2
Great book! Although there still seems to be some unanswered questions regarding a side character in this book (which could leave it open for more, I suppose), I really enjoyed this conclusion to the series. Blue does a great job of explaining the characters thoughts and emotions without making them seem like idiot-whiners or vapid heroes & heroines. (something that drives me nuts with a couple more popular authors) She creates a story with vampires that is classic and unique at the same time, and I was pleasantly surprised that she didn't stick to the usual wolf shape-shifting with Roxanna, but instead used a panther... very nice touch! The story does a good job of wrapping up all the events of the previous books and I couldn't put it down. :)
A deadly quest . . .
The sworn knight of an English lord, Gareth returns to the Highlands to pay a debt of blood to his uncle, the man who killed his father. But when his uncle's men murder his companions and leave him for dead, a mysterious beauty rescues him. Tender one moment, cruel the next, she bewitches him to his core.
A hidden desire . . .
Roxanna, a vampire princess, is sworn to break the curse that banished her kind to the dark. Awakened from her years-long slumber by Gareth's voice, she preyed on his attackers and kept him alive only to feed her hunger. But every night with Gareth makes her want him more, not just as a lover but as the soul mate she has never known. Together they will achieve both their dreams . . . or be lost to the darkness as one.
The sworn knight of an English lord, Gareth returns to the Highlands to pay a debt of blood to his uncle, the man who killed his father. But when his uncle's men murder his companions and leave him for dead, a mysterious beauty rescues him. Tender one moment, cruel the next, she bewitches him to his core.
A hidden desire . . .
Roxanna, a vampire princess, is sworn to break the curse that banished her kind to the dark. Awakened from her years-long slumber by Gareth's voice, she preyed on his attackers and kept him alive only to feed her hunger. But every night with Gareth makes her want him more, not just as a lover but as the soul mate she has never known. Together they will achieve both their dreams . . . or be lost to the darkness as one.
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 UpSeventeen-year-old Jeff Hastings is a good kid. He plays soccer, has nice friends, and does fairly well at his New Jersey shore high school. He has a sweet, beautiful girlfriend, Beth. The church-going Hastings look like a perfect family. However, they have a dark secretthey have another son, who is a murderer. Jeff is terrified when Troy is released from prison and horrified when his parents decide to take him in. Jeff's girlfriend leaves him, and his friends soon follow. When Jeff's teammate disappears, Troy is assumed guilty. The witch-hunt that follows ruins what's left of the teen's former life. Troy is a masterfully drawn wolf in sheep's clothing. Klass's spot-on use of ex-con stereotypes makes him extra smarmyfalsely pious, muscle-bound, and in love with the sound of his fancy new vocabulary. Jeff's frustration at his manipulation of their parents is palpable, as is his fury as his life unravels. He despises and fears Troy throughout the novel, so his loyalty at its climax seems odd, and mildly sentimental. The plot builds ferociously in tandem with Jeff's suffocating conflict and burgeoning courage. The deliciously suspenseful mood, sheltered setting, and flawed but sympathetic narrator compare to those in Kate Morgenroth's Jude (S & S, 2004). Klass's clean, direct prose is a departure from the pained, hilarious narration of You Don't Know Me (Farrar, 2001) but the sober style suits the gravity of the story. Recommend this fast-paced, thoughtful story to older reluctant readers, especially boys.
Grade 9 UpSeventeen-year-old Jeff Hastings is a good kid. He plays soccer, has nice friends, and does fairly well at his New Jersey shore high school. He has a sweet, beautiful girlfriend, Beth. The church-going Hastings look like a perfect family. However, they have a dark secretthey have another son, who is a murderer. Jeff is terrified when Troy is released from prison and horrified when his parents decide to take him in. Jeff's girlfriend leaves him, and his friends soon follow. When Jeff's teammate disappears, Troy is assumed guilty. The witch-hunt that follows ruins what's left of the teen's former life. Troy is a masterfully drawn wolf in sheep's clothing. Klass's spot-on use of ex-con stereotypes makes him extra smarmyfalsely pious, muscle-bound, and in love with the sound of his fancy new vocabulary. Jeff's frustration at his manipulation of their parents is palpable, as is his fury as his life unravels. He despises and fears Troy throughout the novel, so his loyalty at its climax seems odd, and mildly sentimental. The plot builds ferociously in tandem with Jeff's suffocating conflict and burgeoning courage. The deliciously suspenseful mood, sheltered setting, and flawed but sympathetic narrator compare to those in Kate Morgenroth's Jude (S & S, 2004). Klass's clean, direct prose is a departure from the pained, hilarious narration of You Don't Know Me (Farrar, 2001) but the sober style suits the gravity of the story. Recommend this fast-paced, thoughtful story to older reluctant readers, especially boys.
