Review: Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

 

Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

Series: Night Huntress, Book #1

Published: October 30th, 2007

Publisher: Avon

358 pages (paperback)

Genre: Adult/new adult paranormal

Acquired this book: Won from Giselle

Warning: May contain spoilers

{GoodReads || Buy this book: Book Depository || Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

Half-vampire Catherine Crawfield is going after the undead with a vengeance, hoping that one of these deadbeats is her father—the one responsible for ruining her mother's life. Then she's captured by Bones, a vampire bounty hunter, and is forced into an unholy partnership.

In exchange for finding her father, Cat agrees to train with the sexy night stalker until her battle reflexes are as sharp as his fangs. She's amazed she doesn't end up as his dinner—are there actually good vampires? Pretty soon Bones will have her convinced that being half-dead doesn't have to be all bad. But before she can enjoy her newfound status as kick-ass demon hunter, Cat and Bones are pursued by a group of killers. Now Cat will have to choose a side . . . and Bones is turning out to be as tempting as any man with a heartbeat.

 

I’d wanted to read Halfway to the Grave for quite awhile, so when Mother/Gamer/Writer announced they were having a read-along for the series, I decided it was the perfect excuse I needed to finally pull the book off my self and read it. So many people rave about this series, and I’ve heard countless good things about Cat and Bones, so I was curious. While it didn’t quite live up to my expectations, I thought it was a promising beginning to the Night Huntress series.

Both Cat and Bones are complex characters. On one hand, Cat is really sheltered and naïve, but on the other hand she’s this sarcastic, kick-ass vampire hunter. She tries so hard to please her mother, hide her vampire side, and get the vengeance she thinks her mother deserves for having been raped by a vampire and impregnated with Cat.

Bones is ruthless and calculating, but then he can be sweet, romantic, tender, and loving. I can see why girls swoon over him, and I have to admit he had his moments, but I also found it hard to understand the appeal at times. He was violent, controlling, and possessive, and yeah, ok, that kind of comes with the vampire territory, but I found him hard to like at times. I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with both of them throughout the course of the book. I’m sure we’ve all read books like this - particularly paranormal books with vampires, werewolves, and other alpha males who are rough, controlling, obsessive, and maybe even abusive - but because the guy has some redeeming qualities and a softer side, you feel torn on whether to like him or not.

Despite Bones’s sometimes hot and cold attitude, I thought he was good for Cat in a lot of ways. He showed her that the world isn’t always black and white. Vampires, just like people, aren’t always all good or all bad. He challenged her in many ways and opened up her narrow little mind. I also thought they were both really well fleshed out - their histories, their motivations, their personalities. I felt bad for Cat. She’d had a very lonely life, living with a mother who only saw the potential evil in her, and residing in a small town that alienated her for being the child of an unwed mother.

Other things I really liked about Halfway to the Grave: the unexpected humour. There were parts that were genuinely, laugh out loud funny. There was a lot of great action - sometimes it was a bit gruesome, but I guess that’s to be expected in a vampire book, right? Also, the sex scenes - YOWZA! I’ll admit, those scenes made me see how girls could fall in love with Bones. I also thought the vampire origin legends were really clever and different from anything I’ve read. 

Overall, despite having some mixed feelings about Halfway to the Grave, I enjoyed it. It had a little bit of everything - action, romance, suspense, humour. There were even parts that were surprisingly emotional, which I liked. I’m eager to carry on with this series and find out what happens to Cat and Bones next.

 

 

Have you read Halfway to the Grave? What did you think? Are you a Cat and Bones fan?

 

{Facebook || Twitter || GoodReads || Pinterest || YouTube || Author blog || Personal/photography blog}
{Subscribe to my author newsletter}