I have a vain hope. My hope is that, if I stare at this
page long enough, inspiration will strike and I will actually think of
something relevant or useful to say about this book
My hope may be a vain one
It’s a short story and it’s a short story in a long
established series. Ethan and Merit decide to go have a nice relaxing holiday
in some cabin in the middle of nowhere and happen to get themselves in a great
big feud and have to sort it out.
There’s nothing exactly wrong with it. In terms of plot,
pacing, character development or anything else on that level. Ok, there is some
problems about how convoluted it is; the way the book ended is ridiculously
convenient and immensely implausible, for example. And I don’t even buy the
idea that Ethan and Merit would WANT a holiday into the middle of nowhere.
Merit is a very urban person – I don’t think she could even survive that far
away from at least 4 kinds of junk food within easy reach. Or Ethan who is so
desperately refined and loves his fancy things? Honestly, I think a cabin, no
matter how shiny, in the middle of nowhere is pretty much both characters’
definition of utter hell
That aside, there is nothing wrong with it. It was
amusing, it was somewhat interesting, it was well written, decently paced and
generally an easy, happy read. Not amazing but decent.
But I do think it missed the potential to be more. It’s
book 10.5 in an 11 book series and it directly involved the protagonist of this
11 book series. So what does it add to this series? What does it develop? What
elements does it bring to this series? And I’m not sure it does – I can’t point
to any new revelations, new angles, new concepts or new developments or any new
anything that enriches the overall series.
I think there could have been. This is, after all, the
first book after Ethan becomes head of the new American Vampire government.
This could have been an excellent way to touch on what that authority means,
what respect he is due and what vampires outside of Chicago actually owe their
new overlord. Or possible overlord?
Or maybe even an exploration of clans – the idea of groups of vampires that are technically rogue but not solitary. This could have been something else to touch on in some detail as foreshadowing a new concept.
This could have been an excellent way to touch on how the
Pack works and just how relations between the technical head of the pack and
these local elements are actually balanced.
I know these could have been developed because it was
briefly touched on – but never really made anything close to any real
exploration.
There are some attempts to address the pointlessness of
the feud, the toxicity of centuries of feuding with an added classist disdain
he vampires have towards the werewolves. But it’s also so simple and so outside
of the remit of Ethan and Merit and all involving characters that we have no
real investment in.
There are same POC, a latino man visiting from the Pack
and a Black woman who they are actually visiting and helping. That actually
compares very well with some of the full length novels, which is kind of
depressing.
I know this sounds like damned with faint praise – and in
a way it is because I did find this book rather pointless and a little
frustrating. But I didn’t hate it, I didn’t even dislike it. It is a decent
read, Merit remains a fun character to follow and there’s nothing (or not much)
wrong with it
This book is good – it’s just quite a long way from
excellent
