Now, years after reading this book, I am thinking about why I wanted this novel in the first place. Was it the German cover edition (you can see it at the review end) or the summary, or both together? Can´t say for sure, but it was a pure reading pleasure, that´s for sure. Good, some parts of this book were a bit too much, at least that´s how I see it. But in the end, I was well entertained, and that´s what counts. Right?
Halfway To The Grave*
by Jeaniene Frost Night Huntress Series #1
Publisher Avon Books on October 30, 2007
Genre Vampire
Pages 415
Format Paperback
Source Publisher
Goodreads
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There he was, the pact with the devil. The vampire looked at me seductively and threateningly at the same time. If I refused his offer, it would be happy-hour for him and I the drink. If I agreed, however, I would make an alliance with the absolute evil … (personal translation)
Story
Brought up in the knowledge that vampires are evil and that they carry evil, Cat has learned from an early age on, that she must never let that come to the fore. Being stronger than a normal person and equipped with the ability to see as well at night as she does during the day, Cat´s eye color also changes when agitated or upset. But the secret of her origin and what she is, she learns only when she turns sixteen, and from there she chases the evil as often as she can. Until she meets Bones. With him, her tricks do not work, and Cat suddenly sees herself in the role of the victim, which she does not like at all. Gritting her teeth, she embarks on a deal: they organize a duel. If she defeats Bones, she may poke a stake in his heart and win. If Bones wins, she goes to training with him and helps him in the hunt for a particularly bad vampire. And so, Cat starts a double life of a special kind. At night, she hunts vampires, during the day she goes to college and studies.
Style
Jeaniene Frost has a slightly weird sense of humor and you can tell that in every sentence and every word. The reader experiences everything immensely intense and the perky lip that Cat has on it, is an experience in itself. The linguistic style of the plot is in places really ironic, almost sarcastic, and the author understands it wonderful to lead verbal attacks. She sometimes uses words that would not have occurred to me in the dream. Individual and imaginative. But I also have some negative things. I wasn´t happy with the action draws in parts. The last forty pages I would not have needed, as beautiful and creative as they were written. But they were, for my taste, too much. Somehow too close to reality, in the literal sense. At least for a fantasy novel.
Characters
Jeaniene Frost created convincing figures, even if they seem almost overdone. Almost. Cat is amazingly naïve, a typical country girl, with ignorance of vampires and life in general. And a thoughtlessness that made me shake my head during reading. Talks without thinking first, kills first and then asks the questions and is so hotheaded, quick-tempered, and draws premature conclusions so quickly that sometimes I´ve really wondered where she left her intelligence, which she undoubtedly owns. The author has created a marvelous figure with Cat, who only learns in the course of the action what it truly means to be a half-vampire and how the world outside her home works. And I fell in love with her the moment she started speaking with the reader.
Conclusion
I didn´t like the plot in places and not everything in this novel convinced me. Nevertheless, Jeaniene Frost wrote with this novel an imaginative, witty, and wonderful oblique humor provided vampire story. There is hardly a bloodless side and yet the story is emotional and entertaining to read. This has compensated me again for so many vulnerabilities in the book. I´m looking forward to the next part.
Happy reading
*The German edition was published by Blanvalet on December 8, 2008
Jeaniene Frost
Jeaniene Frost is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author whose works include the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series, and the Broken Destiny series. To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to twenty different countries. Jeaniene lives in North Carolina with her husband Matthew, who long ago accepted that she rarely cooks and always sleeps in on the weekends. Aside from writing, Jeaniene enjoys reading, poetry, watching movies, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking, and traveling – by car. Airplanes, children, and cookbooks frighten her.
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