Wicked Bite by Jeaniene Frost
Series: Night Rebel
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publication Date: January 28th, 2020
ARC from Edelweiss
In the newest Night Rebel novel, set in New York Times bestselling author Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress world, beautiful, daring vampire Veritas risks all to protect Ian…
Some promises are meant to be broken…
Veritas spent most of her life as a vampire Law Guardian. Now, she’s about to break every rule by secretly hunting down the dark souls that were freed in order to save Ian. But the risks are high. For if she gets caught, she could lose her job. And catching the sinister creatures might cost Veritas her own life.
Some vows are forever…
Ian’s memories might be fragmented, but this master vampire isn’t about to be left behind by the woman who entranced him, bound herself to him, and then disappeared. So what if demons, other Law Guardians, and dangerous, otherworldly forces stand against them? Come hell or high water, Ian intends to remind Veritas of the burning passion between them, because she is the only person seared on his mind–and his soul…
| Book Review |
Wicked Bite is the second book in Jeaniene Frost’s Night Rebel series, and having the loved the first book, I assumed I was in for a good read with this one. But I was letdown, and it reminded me that Jeaniene Frost, even within a series, is so hit or miss for me.
This book begins with an Ian and Veritas separation, but it doesn’t really last long, because they reunite fairly quickly, as a main character can’t be without her prop for long, right? I’m not going to sugar coat it – I found this book so annoying. The biggest issue for me was how quickly Veritas essentially turned into Cat 2.0, only hating THAT monstery half of herself didn’t work here. Cat was inexperienced and young, so I was able to buy and even enjoy that story arc for her. She really needed Bones to help her sort out the truth about her vampire nature, and by extension, vampires in general. It doesn’t work with a character who has so much living under her belt, nor is it endearing. And the fact that she viewed the two parts of herself as almost separate entities was so odd every time it was presented. Which I think made it feel really contrived. Also, there was zero growth in Veritas and Ian’s romance or relationship here, which I guess makes sense since Ian had no agency. Like I mentioned before, he was a prop for Veritas in this book, and to have loved Ian since he first appeared in the Night Huntress series, this was so disappointing to me.
The appearance of Cat and Bones in this book, who I really love, just annoyed me here. It felt so unnecessary, and maybe because very little happened I couldn’t enjoy it. On the upside (I guess,) some readers will enjoy the ‘typical men’ thoughts that constantly pop up in Veritas’ thoughts. Again, those are just annoying and feel like they’re there to appease a certain audience.
I know this isn’t a stellar review – has any review I’ve ever written lived up to its title so much? – and you’re probably thinking there’s no way I’ll be picking up the next book, but you’d be wrong. Like I mentioned before, even the Night Huntress series had its hit or misses for me, and I’m assuming Wicked Bite is just a blip in the road. So yes, I will be reading the next book. But I’ll be crossing ALL THE THINGS first.
| Rating |
| Series Reading Order |
I haven’t read this series yet but I love her books so this is in my wishlist.
LikeLike
I haven’t read this one, and honestly don’t know if I will, but I wasn’t overly thrilled with the first book in this series. I just found myself bored throughout it. I really don’t like that the author tries to tie all her worlds together, because if I didn’t read “x” book, I feel like I’m hugely missing out on what’s going on. Sorry you didn’t enjoy this one more. Sucks when it’s hard not knowing if you will love or be bored with a book by the same author, but I feel the same way with Frost.
LikeLike
I did read a few of the Night Huntress series, but never finished it. Sorry to hear this one was a miss for you. Hope the next one in the series is a hit and not a miss like this one! 🙂
LikeLike
i haven’t read this series. Hopefully the next book ends up being better, and you enjoy it as much as the first book. I can see why it annoyed you with the contrived plot and the main characters lack of growth. Thanks for your honest review!
LikeLike
Oh no! I am sorry that this one didn’t work for you, Angie. I did enjoy this book but can understand your issues with it. Great review!
LikeLike
It makes me glad I’m waiting for your reviews before I jump on this series. I hate being disappointed in UF.
LikeLike