Argh! I went into this with such high hopes because the 1st two books were solid 5 stars for me each. And I absolutely adore both Ian and Veritas. And it's essentially the last book for the Night Huntress world, so what a great opportunity to make an epic conclusion. And Jeaniene Frost was on the right track. I was with her up until the last 10% and then... and then it was over and I was not satisfied. 

If this were not the last book - if I knew there was another coming - I'd probably give it 4.5 stars actually. It's pretty great really. The plot picked up where we left off, but with some unexpected repercussions that took off from the very start. Veritas is still learning she can rely on others and when you consider she's had thousands of years alone, it's not surprising she's struggling to depend on Ian, her brother, and Ian's "family." But she is learning and the result is some pretty great moments with characters we've come to love throughout the whole Night Huntress World. Oh and she's also learning to embrace her other half, which is also something she's spent millenia ignoring and stifling. She's got a lot to deal with, so I can cut her some slack with some errors in judgement. I was also tricked!

Ian -- well he didn't really have much growing to do did he? I mean, yeah he's fairly perfect for Veritas and maybe he can be a smart ass, but kinda love that about him. So I just enjoyed seeing him continue being himself and risking it all - as he always does - for those he loves. 

The part that sucks is a tiny bit spoilery. I'll try to keep it from revealing anything but just incase, feel free to skip ahead and just know the ending was way too rushed and left you hanging a bit.

So, we get to this epic battle for the world and why are key players (ahem... Vlad) missing? Why does it at least appear that the vampires have made a very pitiful showing? And why does it wrap up in a whirlwind where I probably need to read it 3 or 4 times to get everything that happened? And then why in the hell do we not get to see an afterword? Like there's no true feeling of resolution for Ian and Veritas as a couple or the consequences of this epic battle and the changes they've wrought in the vampire world!

What does shock me is that for all three books of this series I have not once been truly bothered by the narration. Tavia Gilbert has either grown on me or made some significant changes in her voicing. I mean, even Bones -- who had a decent number of lines in this book -- was not a problem. Denise's narration was a bit more country than I would have preferred, but it was tolerable. And her pacing was fine, without that breathy quality she sometimes gets in romance scenes that can make you a bit uncomfortable. Not rushing to pick up more of her books, but maybe I won't resist so thoroughly either.