Title: This Side of the Grave
Author: Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Huntress #5; Night Huntress Universe #7
Pages: 388
When vampires start disappearing and rumors of a war between the species circulating, Bones and Cat head out to investigate. The rumors are being started by the ghoul master, Apollyon, who has caused trouble for Cat before.
Like most of these books, a lot happens for Cat and Bones. They are trying to figure out why ghouls are targeting vampires, but things quickly escalate, like usual. Cat and Bones’ relationship is solid in this, which I think is a first. They are still hard headed but they work it out now. I loved how supportive Bones is in this one, especially when it comes to the death of someone close to Cat. Also, I love how he takes every chance to let Cat know how much he loves her.
“No matter what happens, you will never lose me,” he whispered. “I am forever yours, Kitten, in this life or the next.”
The brewing war between the ghouls and vampires was interesting, but was also a bit anticlimactic. I thought the ending battle with Apollyon was kind of disappointing. Yes, it had some good fight scenes but Apollyon ended up being a very disappointing villain. Marie, aka Majestic, makes another appearance in this book and we see how truly powerful of a ghoul she is. Her abilities were fascinating and it was interesting seeing how differently Cat and Marie applied them, especially for battle purposes.
Overall, this was another action packed book for Cat and Bones. I liked that we get to see Mencheres and Kira working with them to help. Also, I was very sad at the death in this one because it was unexpected.
Trigger warnings: Death of a side character due to cancer.
Previous books and reviews for the series:
#0.5 Reckoning
#1 Halfway to the Grave
#1.1 The Other Half of the Grave
#1.5 Happily Never After
#2 One Foot In The Grave
#3 At Grave’s End
#3.5 Devil to Pay
#4 Destined For An Early Grave
#4.5 One for the Money
Red-Haired Ash Reads 