I enjoy the books, but am really lukewarm towards the characters and man, what a tepid romance angle. I guess the best way to describe how I feel about these books is to note that I purchase when available, then hold on to them to fill in the time while I'm waiting for another book to get published.

So I guess its a meh! ( )

The third book in the Deadtown series doesn't disappoint. While it doesn't wow me as much as the first, it's a little stronger than the second, and keeps me anxious to continue the series.

Vicky's back home and getting involved with her roommate Juliette's disappearance, facing creatures that are as eerie as some of the demons she's used to battling. It ties in with the second stories arch, bringing in returning villains and introducing new ones. I do hope Pryce's storyline gets resolved soon, though, as he's not my favorite as a potential big-bad. We do finally get to say goodbye to another villain's story that just felt done.

On a personal note, there is no longer a weak love triangle, it's full force back to the man I figured she fit with better anyway. Mab returns as an assistant to her niece's struggles, and she was better than in the second novel, where she just said "child" too much for my tastes. Her bonding with the barkeep and Juliette was awesome as well. She's a powerful ally who has a lot of secrets waiting to be uncovered.

As for the sister, Gwen, I just can't hop on the ship of liking her much yet. She kind of irritates me, but the ending shows promise of redemption for her character. Vicky is an excellent heroine protagonist - she's tough but not obnoxious. She doesn't have a chip on her shoulder, she has a sense of humor, but she still takes her job, friends, and life seriously.

In this world, society knows the monsters exist and they are fighting them through political struggles. The non-hidden but still secluded world is interesting as it's filled with different sorts of shapeshifters, cold vampires, zombies that have been created by a virus but retained their previous personality, and all sorts of demons and monsters that infect dreams. Vicky's powers are clever and original - I like the limitation of three time monthly change.

Overall the subplot could have been a little more interesting this time, but I'm happy with some of the conclusions and continuing with the series. The world is well written and complex, making an exciting and dark Urban Fantasy.


( )

Monsters are real, and the whole world knows. That doesn't mean monsters have equal civil rights, however. A series of gruesome murders put Vicky and the other paranormals of Boston under an enforced curfew, which is bad news, since Vicky is the only one who might be able to catch the killer.

There's some development of the relationship between Vicky and her family--her sister gave up her shapeshifting powers in hope of leading a normal life, and is terrified that her daughter may develop the powers. Mab's origins are also revealed. But really, this book didn't have much urgency to it. Vicky continues to win fights using Mab's powers or random good luck. She's still completely out-matched by Pryce and the Morfan. And the fight scenes are actually getting less well written. I might continue with this series, because I like Vicky as a character, but I hope this Pryce storyline gets resolved soon. ( )

Reviewed by Sarah H
Book provided by publisher

Bloodstone is an excellent addition to the Deadtown series. I think the world the author has created is unique and deeply interesting. I positively enjoy all the paranormal elements created in this series. The writing is action packed, fast paced and easily read. I had a hard time putting this down once I started it and was disappointed when I finished because I wanted it to keep going and going.

I love Victory. She’s a take no sass, kick-A, spunky chick. She’s also a strong, capable, independent character. I also adore Kane. He’s definitely the kind of guy I’d want on my side if needed. Their relationship is growing and turning into something more meaningful to the two of them though I’d like to see more romance and hot lovin’.

I’m looking forward to the next installment and hopefully finding out what happened to Juliet. ( )

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy:
www.allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com

My start with Nancy Holzner's Deadtown series was a bit rocky. I loved the world, I loved the main character, I loved her love life... but I couldn't stand her ever present sidekick, Tina. After Abigail's review of HELLFORGED (which mentioned that it was light on my favorite part of the series, Deadtown itself), I skipped straight to book three. BLOODSTONE was worth wait, with all of the elements I enjoyed in book one and much less Tina fatigue.

While someone could plausibly start the series BLOODSTONE, they would miss out on those first awesome introductions to life in Deadtown. I am fascinated with the world Holzner has created, where victims of the zombie virus and other “more than human” beings live under check points and restrictions that ordinary Americans couldn't imagine. Out of sight, out of mind, and outside of Deadtown ordinary citizens span the spectrum from ignorance and bigotry to fascination with their otherworldly neighbors. Despite having little of zombie poster-girl Tina in the picture, I felt like BLOODSTONE did the best job yet portraying the realities of living in this world. Simple moments with zombie neighbors, the realities of life with checkpoints, and once again, parents contemplating forced relocation to Deadtown or losing their preternatural child all had me imagining my life within these strictures, or worse yet, to wonder if I would be living outside the walls, oblivious.

Exploring the realities of Deadtown definitely stole the show for me in this book. The serial killer and demi-demon plot wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t interesting enough to compete with the world in general. While I have no urge to go back to book two and fill in the blanks, and no particular urge to read future books just to resolve the rest of the plot, I will be keeping my eyes open for more books by Holzner. She has an eye for daily details that add wonderful depth to her world, and preternatural elements aside, I can’t resist the scarily plausible political realities of Deadtown.

Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex and attempted rape. ( )