Review: This Side of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

This Side of the Grave
(Night Huntress #5)
by Jeaniene Frost
Publisher: Avon
Publication date: Feb. 22, 2011
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating:

Half-vampire Cat Crawfield and her vampire husband Bones have fought for their lives, as well as for their relationship. But just when they’ve triumphed over the latest battle, Cat’s new and unexpected abilities threaten to upset a long-standing balance . . .

With the mysterious disappearance of vampires, rumors abound that a species war is brewing. A zealot is inciting tensions between the vampires and ghouls, and if these two powerful groups clash, innocent mortals could become collateral damage. Now Cat and Bones are forced to seek help from a dangerous “ally”—the ghoul queen of New Orleans herself. But the price of her assistance may prove more treacherous than even the threat of a supernatural war . . . to say nothing of the repercussions Cat never imagined.

This Side of the Grave was the first time that I ever felt lost while reading a book. Especially when I kept up with all the previous books in the series. The reason being, while I might have been up to date on the series, the author wrote other books/series that were created in the same world, and the readers were expected to have read them in order of release dates regardless if you only wanted to read the one series. I tried reading this book in 2011, but was so lost that I gave up on the series. Then a few years ago, I finally caught myself up on the other books, and tried to dive back in, but my interest was gone. So, here I am again, giving this book another chance. I really loved this series, but I’m still a lil miffed that it’s required for the reader to read the other books in different series in order to understand various elements in this book.

I digress, let’s get to the actual review. In this installment Cat and Bones have yet another obstacle in their path. Since Cat’s now a full fledged vampire, she’s become quite powerful. Some fear that she’s too powerful. If only they knew that she feeds on vampires and in doing so can take on their strengths and special abilities. Someone has decided to stir the pot and try to illicit a war between vampires and ghouls. Cat and Bones take it upon themselves to figure out who is behind the attacks and stop the other party before they can in fact start a war.

Okay, now bear with me here… but I think the fact that I’ve tried reading this book three times now has made it a bit boring to me. I was skimming a ton throughout this book, and it’s not like I actually remember anything. I honestly thought I did, and then the ending happened and I realized that I didn’t have any memory of trying to read the book previously. I’d say that I was just not in the mindset for it, but upon looking over my previous notes on this book, I was kind of bored with the story back when it was fresh and new. I guess when you’ve read a lot of paranormal/urban fantasies, it takes something unique to make you take notice, and this one just felt hohum to me. I wasn’t overly engaged in the story or the characters. I just kept waiting for the bomb to drop so that the book could be over. Which is an awful mentality to have when reading.

This Side of the Grave just wasn’t my thing. I remember being so engulfed in these books when I would read them. I loved Vlad’s series. Which yes, I know, comes after this book… or the next book… or whatever. :eye roll: I’ll still pick up the next book in this series, but I will be a little reserved about it. I know I won’t be lost because I’ve definitely caught up on all the books in the world, but I guess I have just lost my interest in Cat and Bones.

Previous reviews from the Night Huntress world
Halfway to the Grave
One Foot in the Grave
At Grave’s End
Destined for an Early Grave
First Drop of Crimson