“We prefer blender beaters for our kitchen utensil kink,” I said with a straight face.
Bones hid his smile behind his hand, but Ian looked intrigued.
“I haven’t tried that . . . oh, you’re lying, aren’t you?”
Up from the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
Summary: Cat thinks her life is about to get peaceful, before the ghost of her dead uncle informs her her friends are in danger. With her husband, Bones, Cat sets off to rescue her friends, murder an evil man, and save the ghouls and vampires from warring. But what surprise awaits her when she reaches her destination?
Review: Frost’s books are such a hit or miss with me. On the one hand, She writes excellent urban fantasy adventures. On the other hand, her romance gets out of hand. I was dreading reading this book, but I had nothing to fear, Frost ended the series on a very high note. High enough to say this is my favorite Cat and Bones adventure.
Some people commented that they didn’t like the low romance quotient; I, however, loved it. Cat is such a strong and kick butt heroine, she showed her “red reaper” to the fullest in this novel. She has grown leaps and bounds, emotionally, but her true fighting nature has not been vanquished. It was quite a juxtaposition seeing her fighting nature warring with her emotions and rational side, especially at the end. In the previous books, the sappy nature drags down the action, but that doesn’t happen in this novel. I especially liked how the end of the book didn’t end with an “I love you” dialogue between Cat and Bones. I think my favorite scenes were the action sequences in the institution where Tate and company were being held. Frost’s talent expressed itself through the colorful dialogue and the precise description of Cat’s fighting moves.
I think we saw (at least glimpses) of all of our favorite characters. Of course, Ian was in top form with his various sexual references. But in this book my favorite was probably Tyler. He cracks me up when he meets Marie Laveau. Denise, Spade, Mencheres, Vlad, etc. all make appearances.
Bones annoyed me in most of the books, and he didn’t fail in this one either. I don’t know what it is. Maybe because I admire Cat so much, but Bones just seems like an antithesis to her. When Ian pointed out to Bones that this is who she is, I thought, “yes, maybe he will finally get it.” But no, true to form he doesn’t get it, they fight, and instead of anything being resolved, they have sex and they make up. AS USUAL. I don’t think they ever resolve their issues.
The series ended in predictable and cliche ways. I saw it coming ever since we met “her” in the facility. The rest of the book was plotted out in my head. It’s the only reason why the book got 4 instead of 5 stars. I can’t say anymore without giving out spoilers, but if you have guesses, then it’s probably true.
If you are a night-huntress fan, I hope you love this book as much as I did. If we are fans for different reasons, then maybe not, but I think you will still enjoy it. Thank you Frost for an adventurous end to the series.
Sex: Of course
Violence: Again, of course.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Series Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
A Stranger In My Skin 