The Isis Collar (Blood Singer, #4)

Mar 23, 2012 Ally rated it 3 of 5 stars

Waaaaay to long way way to long!!
I hope theres two in 2012
So...you know i was wondering ...may i get an ARC??

AAAAH its here!!!
Not enough romance, felt a little rushed tooo. Whats happening!!

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Apr 23, 2012 Connie Garcia rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-coming-out-in-2012

I was so excited to get this book in the mail since the author had sent me a signed cover of the book before it even came out. Sorry if this is not real good since my previous review was eated by the computer.

I really loved Celia and I am a big fan of her and Bruno. Celia is the kick ass now and ask questions later someone I could be good friends with since I think so much like her. Bruno is so sweet that I could see him and Celia married he is good for her and she needs someone like him that sh...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Aimz rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars
I really liked the first 3 books in this series, and I also liked the covers. I don't know why they changed styles, but it is so cheesy and unrealistic that I would never have picked up the first book if the cover looked like this one!

The first three books reminded me of early Anita Blake (Laurell K Hamilton) or Rachael Morgan (Kim Harrison), with a kick ass, witty, relatable heroine, great world building, and engaging storytelling. This book seems like it's been written by a different...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Kathy Davie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban

Fourth in the Blood Singer urban fantasy series revolving around Celia Graves, a bodyguard-turned-vampire in Los Angeles.

My Take
Eeek, this one was filled with drama and tension with all the worry about the children and the creeping necrosis as well as many of the cops whom Celia used to go drinking with who want her dead and they keep doing their best to trip her up. Adams created a tricky story here. Hard-to-find clues that just didn't add up until Adams pulled it all together at the end.

It cr...more

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Jul 30, 2012 Gabriela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Boy, do I ever get tired of Celia Graves and her problems! xD
No, seriously, the girl has charm. You could be dealing with the worst situation ever in real life yet when you lie down and sink into her world with all the demons, family trouble (and it is heavy trouble when you also have to deal with the fits of a little girl that's forever stuck at the age of 8), men trouble, and the usual enemies that want Celia dead for no specific reason, you come to realize that you're much better off. (view ...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Sheyla rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Fourth book starts with Celia Graves trying to evacuate a school. Her friend Dottie had a vision. To late she finds out that there were magical bombs in the building. At first, Celia thinks there is nothing wrong but soon she realizes that her life is in danger. The bombs have given a new infection which turns infected people into zombies.
Celia who is part Siren, part Vampire knows she is in trouble. Her memories are disappearing, has a headache that won't go away and she is not healing anym...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Vanessa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Celia's life hasn't been easy since she was turned into an abomination in BLOOD SONG--not quite human, but not quite vampire, either. At the same time her siren abilities manifested, giving her supernatural skills she only wished she had in a profession (bodyguard) that needs all the advantages she can get.

Be careful what you wish for.

THE ISIS COLLAR starts out with a bomb at an elementary school. Someone really despicable wants to cause a pandemic with a magical necrosis that essentially turns...more Celia's life hasn't been easy since she was turned into an abomination in BLOOD SONG--not quite human, but not quite vampire, either. At the same time her siren abilities manifested, giving her supernatural skills she only wished she had in a profession (bodyguard) that needs all the advantages she can get.

Be careful what you wish for.

THE ISIS COLLAR starts out with a bomb at an elementary school. Someone really despicable wants to cause a pandemic with a magical necrosis that essentially turns people into zombies. Despite a tip-off, Celia couldn't stop the bomb and is infected, but her vampire side is having trouble beating the infection. It becomes a race against time to find the source of the bomb and an antidote--for herself and for those even less resistant to the disease.

Like before, Celia is a great protagonist with the right amount of attitude and kick-butt skills, who's still a girlie at heart. I enjoyed Celia's romantic entanglements that she can't seem to resolve through no fault of her own. She attracts these men not because she's a fair maid in danger, but because she's a good person trying to do the right thing, who takes her friendships seriously, and is the kind of woman you want fighting in your corner. However, by this point in the series the cast is a little unwieldy. There are new characters with ties to people Celia knows, there are several people from previous books, and even more with back story--all of this would make new readers feel lost.

For some reason Tor never sent DEMON SONG (boo! And I wanted to read it!), although they sent the first two in the series for Elitist Book Reviews for me to review, BLOOD SONG and SIREN SONG. Either way THE ISIS COLLAR is a bit of a letdown after the clean writing of books 1 and 2. We're caught in subplots carried over from previous books that interfere with the pacing. There are also some seemingly random events that matter later in the story, but aren't explainable and still feel random. Heck, we don't even know what the Isis Collar is until the last quarter of the book and it's the title! Adams tries to tie everything together, but the novel still felt like a random sequence of events, making the pacing a little off, even if there was consistent forward movement.

It's less the plot than it's the characters and the setting that will keep readers hooked. It's a world of vampires, sirens, mages, witches, demons, and everything in between. It's a world that's familiar to us and yet very, very different. Adams adds fun details to this world, such as the Isaac's store, where Celia gets her gear altered to hide her guns, but to also purchase magic charms, a special brand of spray holy water, and anything else a girl would need to defend herself from the supernatural.

If you liked the previous books, ISIS is more of the same: same Celia and friends, same pacing and exciting storyline. If you haven't read any, start with BLOOD SONG. As for the series, despite its flaws, its interesting characters and engaging setting is what will keep me reading in the future.

Recommended Age: 16+
Language: A handful of harsher language, but still average for Urban Fantasy
Violence: Plenty of danger from bombs, demons, witches--with the zombie descriptions being the grossest part of the book
Sex: Innuendo and references without detail(less)

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Mar 18, 2012 Bookmom rated it 5 of 5 stars

The only thing that saves Celia Graves from the same fate as others after a couple of magical bombs go off at a school she’s trying to evacuate is the fact that she’s got super healing from both her vampire and siren DNA. And that’s only enough to slow the necro-disease down. There’s a race against time to figure out what and how in time to prevent a full-out pandemic as more of these bombs go off around the country.

There’s plenty of action, magic and some sexual tension in this fourth book abou...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Ferdy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Some spoilers

Half vampire-half siren Celia Graves is instructed to evacuate the local school by her clairvoyent friend Dottie. On arriving at the school, Celia finds a magical bomb and rushes to save the kids and stop the bomb. Celia narrowly escapes with her life but is shocked that her bruises aren't healing as they should, that she has a headache that won't go away and that she's lost some memories. Celia becomes more and more ill, and she soon realises that's she's not the only one. The chil...more Some spoilers

Half vampire-half siren Celia Graves is instructed to evacuate the local school by her clairvoyent friend Dottie. On arriving at the school, Celia finds a magical bomb and rushes to save the kids and stop the bomb. Celia narrowly escapes with her life but is shocked that her bruises aren't healing as they should, that she has a headache that won't go away and that she's lost some memories. Celia becomes more and more ill, and she soon realises that's she's not the only one. The children and teachers at the school are experiencing similar symptoms, things go from bad to worse when those experiencing the symptoms start dying. When other schools are targeted with the same magical bomb which result in the same sickness, Celia and her friends rush to invesigate before a pandemic occurs.
Celia can be frustrating, she constantly gets pushed around and seems to think every person's welfare is her sole responsibility.
I dislike heroines that act like martyrs, are overly self sacrificing and think it's their job alone to save the day.
Creede is by far the best character - he's charming, successful, hard working, he's loyal to Celia and and for some reason is happy to wait for her. My only complaint about him is that he wasn't in it enough.
The storyline was a bit messy and it mainly consisited of Celia going from one disaster to the next. The action was well done but there were far too many things were going on - Celia's mother escaping, Celia's illness and vampirism, Creede's disappearance, the zombie like virus, Celia being attacked several times and Celia's love life..it just needed some order.
The Isis Collar only turns up in the last 15% of the book and it wasn't really all that significant to the overall story.
The amount of people who've betrayed and abandoned Celia is ridiculous. Her father left, Bruno chose another woman over her, Kevin and Warren betrayed her, her mother hates her and treats her like dirt and her grandmother turned her back on her..give the poor girl a break. Celia complains about how the people she loves let her down and hurt but instead of cutting them out of her life, she just takes all their BS. Making the heroine compassionate and forgiving is different from making them weak and doormat-y..Celia needs to start sticking up for herself more and not let people treat her like crap.
There was no development AT ALL in the love triangle, Celia was stringing along both Bruno and Creede. I really can't understand what she sees in Bruno, he dumped her twice, betrayed her and hurt her - yet she still wants him. She's not been with anyone in years because she still has feelings for him, whereas Bruno had no problem whatsoever moving on and finding someone else..that alone should make it clear to Celia that he doesn't feel as much for her as she does him. I wish Celia would just get over Bruno, he's such a rubbish love interest. I'm hoping the love traingle is resolved in the next book..because it's getting beyond annoying and tiresome.
Even though the Isis Collar was pretty enjoyable overall, I'm losing my patience with the series - it just seems to be plodding along, there's no big changes, character development or plot movement..apart from Celia not being human anymore. I hope Celia cuts ties with her mother and grandmother, so they can realise how much she does for them..I can't take another book of them talking down to Celia. What I'd most like to find out about is Celia's father, his other kids and why he left. If the next book is still the same with Celia getting pushed around and betrayed and her being wishy-washy about her love life, I won't be continuing with the series. (less)

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Mar 15, 2012 Dianne Socci-Tetro rated it 5 of 5 stars

Isis Collar- by – Cat Adams

Holy Moly---I have been following this fantastic series since the start and these books just keep getting better and more exciting with every new addition. Leave it to these women to come up with a heck of a combination of plots to keep us enthralled! Hey! Could they be weaving some kind of magic spell into the book?
Well no matter how they do it, this one was a doozy! This book opens with Celia storming up the steps of a school to be in time to rescue all the children...more Isis Collar- by – Cat Adams

Holy Moly---I have been following this fantastic series since the start and these books just keep getting better and more exciting with every new addition. Leave it to these women to come up with a heck of a combination of plots to keep us enthralled! Hey! Could they be weaving some kind of magic spell into the book?
Well no matter how they do it, this one was a doozy! This book opens with Celia storming up the steps of a school to be in time to rescue all the children inside from what seems to b e a magical series of bombs. Soon Celia is in horrible pain with a bruise that hurts like knives being stuck into her and headache from Hades that will not go away. Add to that that she seems to be forgetting a lot of things and her vampyness seems to be more sensitive than usual and you have a recipe for disaster; a At least for Celia. Until we realize that this is happening to more people than just her and a lot worse.

Her life is complicated enough but don’t worry they actually get worse since John Creede a level 8 or 9 mage who is helping her goes missing, Zombies seem to be springing up, and a persistent client is bugging her. Her Mother is missing from the island, her sister’s ghost tries to take over the body of another child and things just go downhill from there! Oh, and people keep trying to kill her too.
When all is said and done we are left with a tiny bit of a cliff hanger and a lovely new relationship with TWO of her men. It seems that both John Creede and Bruno want to court her.
The actual Isis color doesn’t show up until almost the end of the book, but I loved how “Cat” has managed to incorporate it.

The characters are as usual, richly drawn leaving very little for you to have to wonder about, the story is complex without turning into “War and Peace”, there is enough evil and horror happening to keep even jaded readers happy. The mystery aspect is well done and had me looking in the wrong direction, so I was happily surprised when all of the machinations came to light.

This is truly a heck of a ride, and I didn’t want to get off.
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Apr 10, 2012 Kathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good Addition to the Series

strongly suggest you read the previous books in the series (Blood Song, Siren Song and Demon Song) prior to reading this installment.

While I enjoyed all the books in this series, I enjoyed this particular installment much more than the previous books. The darker storyline engendered a serious tone and feel.

Celia was a stronger person and a more focused heroine in this installment. Although, it irritated me that she hesitates to use her siren abilities in the face of m...more

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Sep 15, 2012 Darkphoenix rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am pretty huge fan of the Blood Series by Cat Adams and I was really looking forward to reading the new installment, The Isis Collar, it was a fun and thrilling read.

Celia is likeable and I love she kicks some major ass. It was also nice to see to see more of Rizzoli, he turned out to be a fun character. I would’ve liked to see more of Creede though, too bad he featured so less. And about Bruno, can I just say that I cannot stand him. I find him absolutely insufferable. Honestly, Creede is a m...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Lynda Tatad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-r-us

I really like the character of Celia Graves from this Blood Singer series! If you haven't read this series, yet... You are missing out! She is one kick-ass bodyguard! She is 1/2 human and 1/2 Siren, and had also survived a bite from a vampire. Sensitive to the sun, and unable to eat solid foods.... She is able to stave off her blood cravings with beef broths and Ensure shakes. As long as she avoids biting a person and drinking thieir blood, she still has her soul. She also has family issues with...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Whitley Birks rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: almost-good, female-hero, fantasy, paranormal-romance

I read an ARC copy of this book obtained through First Reads.

While I really disliked this book, I can at least recognize that most of what bothered me is a matter of personal opinion. Style choices and plot points that, while I hated them, others would probably like. If you read through my review and think "Why is she whining about that? It sounds fine," then you'd probably like the book. I cannot, in good conscience, call it a bad book, because it's not. But it's not good, either.

First of all,...more I read an ARC copy of this book obtained through First Reads.

While I really disliked this book, I can at least recognize that most of what bothered me is a matter of personal opinion. Style choices and plot points that, while I hated them, others would probably like. If you read through my review and think "Why is she whining about that? It sounds fine," then you'd probably like the book. I cannot, in good conscience, call it a bad book, because it's not. But it's not good, either.

First of all, there are some things I really like about this book. The zombies, for one. Even though zombies are overplayed these days as the monster, Adams gives them a fun twist and actually plays with it. There's no "Our zombies are different, except we're going to treat them like they're not" in this book. I loved that.

The urban fantasy world in this book is delightful. I love the 'magic meets bureaucracy' feel to it, and it's clear Adams put a lot of thought into how her system works. She comes up with some clever stuff. People who have read previous books and liked the setting will not be disappointed.

The characters are engaging, the mystery is suitably mysterious, and while I wasn't shocked by the final reveal of the bad guy, I was at least kept properly in the dark until the right time.

And then we get to the problems this book has. The writing, frankly, feels very childish to me. Celia's narration reads less like a grown woman, or even a fully-realized and developed character, and more like the blog of a hyper 15 year old girl. There are a lot of phrases and word choices that just seem...juvenile. I had a hard time throughout the book imagining Celia as anything besides very, very young. To be honest, through the first part of the book, I thought it was marketed to teens instead of adults.

The pacing in this book is very odd. There's a lot of moving parts in this plot, and they all move in fits and starts. Celia's illness drags on over weeks, and then as soon as it's convenient to the plot, all of a sudden it's an immediate concern that could kill her if it's not fixed right away. Another one of her problems features prominently through the whole book, and at the end is fixed in half a page so that it can be brushed aside in favor of the finale. On the other hand, there are multiple points in the book were seemingly routine things get absurd amounts of detail that grind the narrative to a halt. One section spends three pages on someone feeding Celia while she can't use her hands. Three pages to describe pouring broth in her mouth, an operation that went off without any mishap and then was promptly forgotten. Why was it important enough to get three pages? It wasn't, the pacing is just wonky.

The worst pacing problem of them all: The titular Isis Collar doesn't even get a mention until page 330 out of 384, and even then it barely plays a role in the plot. It's a very interesting concept, and it's effects are hinted at throughout the book (by confusing the cast and keeping them from identifying the main bad guy) but they're never really played with or explored. Considering this object is the title of the book, I expected it to have much more of an impact on the plot and/or characters. (And despite the picture on the cover, Celia never wears the thing. She only even touches it once.)

And my final problem with this book is Celia herself. She's not an exceptionally poor character. A little bit bland, but that's par for the course when it comes to main protagonists. (Of every gender and every genre; I'm not trying to pick on anyone here.) No, my problem is that she sails through this book unaffected by the events. There's a lot of trauma going on here, some of it personal and some of it cataclysmic, and yet it never trips her up in any way. At most, her physical afflictions bother her, but we're only every told that she's bothered, they don't really affect her actions. At one point she even sees her therapist -- something we're told is a regular event -- and she breaks down crying and spilling out everything that's happened...in a single paragraph of narration. She talks about how she's 'overwhelmed.' "There was so much seething anger, fear, and pain rolling around inside me that I didn't even realize it until it all came out." Except for one problem. This is a first-person narrative. We are literally hearing all of Celia's thoughts throughout the book. Outside of this single line, we don't hear her talk about her 'anger, fear, and pain.' It doesn't affect her. It doesn't bother her. It doesn't slow her down. It doesn't have any impact at all on her ability to function, solve the case, and save the day. There is nothing there for her to overcome. It's just a throwaway line right before they introduce some new problem that will also not affect her in the least. It's a cheap gimmick mean to solicit sympathy that ends up feeling hollow and, by extension, makes Celia feel hollow as well.(less)

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Feb 26, 2012 Kai rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads

The Isis Collar started with two magical bombs going off at an elementary school. Celia Graves got caught trying to evacuate the school unsuccessfully. With her being half-siren and half-vampire, Celia noticed that her body was not healing as it should. As she dug deeper to find out why her bruise on her leg and her headache wouldn't go away, Celia found that there were a lot going on with the bomb incident. She discovered that the bomb left some kind of magical plaque that were turning children...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Marya Kowal rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've enjoyed all four books in the series. This one had some plot hiccups, but it was the first time in four books that I was a little jarred by jumps in the storyline...better than most authors can do!

Love the main character, I love the development of the secondary characters right along with her...and I appreciate a female protagonist with morals, beliefs, a drive for success and independence, and an ability to be a good friend and family member. So grateful to be able to hand this one to my y...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Nawnee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: authors-i-m-addicted-to, books-i-couldn-t-put-down

The fourth book in Celia Grave series has got the biggest plot with many twists and turns and Celia has the most to loose than with any other case. You have magic users out to kill her people turning into zombies and of course one of Celia's love interest disappears. This is an intense non stop action roller coaster ride filled with tonsnof emotional upheaval and way to many close encounters with death. This does make for a very interesting read that you wont want to put down until you have all...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Raquel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, paranormal-romance

Awesome book once again! I just wish Bruno would disappear D:

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Nov 02, 2012 Lori rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lori by: Fantastic Fiction

C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp, now aka Cat Adams, give poor Celia Graves such a hard time. I mean really, they call her an "Abomination" as her species designation. She was lucky to survive a vampire attack, and is now a living vampire. She does her best to not drink human blood, but as a bodyguard she can get put into unusual situations, with hitches in her schedule that make it difficult at times to drink her meat juice. Yummy!

I've really enjoyed all of their books I've read so far-and will keep...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another book finished in my TBR challenge, this one just as challenging to read since I haven't read Demon Song since it released in 2011. So yeah, major gaps there! Cat Adams's The Isis Collar was still a very entertaining read. I can't remember much on backstory, but the little tidbits that are critical to the story are brought back up again. Including a brief mentioning of what went down last time.

Luckily, this doesn't seem to be a series where the last book is totally vital to the next one....more Another book finished in my TBR challenge, this one just as challenging to read since I haven't read Demon Song since it released in 2011. So yeah, major gaps there! Cat Adams's The Isis Collar was still a very entertaining read. I can't remember much on backstory, but the little tidbits that are critical to the story are brought back up again. Including a brief mentioning of what went down last time.

Luckily, this doesn't seem to be a series where the last book is totally vital to the next one. Of course it is in a chronological sense, but...I struggle to explain what I mean, so I won't bother. Anyway, the cover description pretty much tells you the beginning of the novel in a nutshell. Celia goes to a school to try to get it evacuated in time before a bomb goes off, which is a lot more difficult than it sounds or should be for that matter. Needless to say, the beginning chapters were very intense indeed!

When Celia remains injured two weeks later, things are looking a little serious. Something is wrong, but Celia doesn't really have a clue as to what it could be. After a bunch of doctors run a bunch of tests, it's conclusive that she has contracted some sort of zombie virus, that left unchecked will turn her into a zombie. Anyone who was caught in the crossfires of the bomb is capable of catching it, along with anyone who they have contact with--exchanging saliva, getting blood or saliva into open wounds, that kind of thing. Worse yet, the school in Celia's town is not the first to be attacked.

This was a pretty exciting and thrilling read. There was definite mystery going on and trying to find the bad guy--or woman in this case, for in the very beginning, Celia hears a woman's voice telling her to activate the bomb. This woman turns out to be a powerful witch of some sort. Celia has no clue to her identity, she just sees example after example of her power and it is pretty damn big.

The pacing to this novel was pretty good. For awhile in the beginning I thought it was a tad slow, because it was more trying to figure out what was wrong with Celia. Which was interesting in itself, for it was a big mystery and all. Once Celia is cured though is when the action seems to take off!

The romance in this one was pretty awesome too! I can't remember who I was rooting for in this love triangle, we have Bruno--Celia's ex, who was engaged to be married but that's over--and Creede--a powerful mage who can make Celia's toes curl. And Bruno's a mage too. Celia doesn't seem to have a clue as to who she wants either, for there were romantic interludes with both mages. Regardless, I find myself rooting for Creede, I just happen to like him more even though there's still a lot Celia (and the reader) doesn't really know about him.

Her romantic issues aside, Celia has a lot to deal with in this one. Her mother has escaped her Siren prison, her little sister starts possessing another young girl, her grandmother is pretty peeved at Celia for the way she treats her mother--which they have a very strained relationship, so Celia isn't really all rainbows and sunshine with her mom--, and there seems to be another ghost or spirit or something hanging around Celia lately. There's no clue as to who this entity might be, but I look forward to finding out!

The actual Isis Collar is in the book, but doesn't really pop up til the near end, like page 300 or something. And it's only then that we realize how powerful this object is. That part I found a little odd, since it is the title of the book, I would've thought it would at least pop up in name at some earlier point, but oh well.

The Isis Collar was a fabulous read overall! Despite my memory lapse from two years ago, I was still able to enjoy it. Love Celia's little curse that she says when the moment calls for it: "Fuck a duck!" It's short, simple, to the point and it rhymes! Looking forward to seeing what the next adventure The Eldritch Conspiracy brings!

Overall rating 4.5/5 stars(less)

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Jan 12, 2013 Habrewer rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Isis Collar by Cat Adams
* I received a copy of this book from Tor Publishing in exchange for an honest review*

This is the fourth installment in the Blood Singer series and Celia is faced with yet another problem. She is injured while trying to save a school full of small children that she can’t seem to recover from. It turns out it is a magical spell that is turning people into zombies if they don’t get the antidote.

Her mother has escaped from the island and is back in town and Creede is mis...more The Isis Collar by Cat Adams
* I received a copy of this book from Tor Publishing in exchange for an honest review*

This is the fourth installment in the Blood Singer series and Celia is faced with yet another problem. She is injured while trying to save a school full of small children that she can’t seem to recover from. It turns out it is a magical spell that is turning people into zombies if they don’t get the antidote.

Her mother has escaped from the island and is back in town and Creede is missing, Celia just can’t seem to catch a break. Fortunately she has the help of friends including Bruno and Rizzoli the evil witch Glinda doesn’t stand a chance. Unfortunately she isn’t able to save everyone though.

I love Celia’s character. She is a strong female that takes care of herself but she isn’t afraid to ask for help when needed. She is constantly having things thrown at her that she has to deal with. First she is turned into an abomination, then finds out she is part siren and cursed, what’s a girl to do. Now she is infected with dangerous magical virus that could turn her into a zombie if not taken care of. She meets every challenge head on but like any other female, has her periods of breakdowns.

She is still struggling with her feelings between Creede and Bruno both bring something different to the relationship. They are both trying to help figure out what is wrong with her. She is having painful headaches and her memory is full of holes. While Bruno gets her to the hospital for the antidote, Creede goes missing because he’s getting too close to Celia’s problem.

We see a lot of familiar faces including Dottie, Dawna, Agent Rizzoli and others. Each continues to aide Celia in her daily life and helps play a role in helping keep her safe. Glinda the the evil witch is wreaking havoc left and right aided by an ancient artifact that was stolen by her father.

The story is action packed and fast paced. I enjoyed the fact that the story arc started in the first book has continued through to this one. It was fun seeming old friends and watching Celia get out of one scrape after another. I think there is still too much focus on her meals and the fact that she can’t drink blood. Overall though, this was a good installment to the Blood Singer series.

I would definitely recommend reading these books in order (Blood Song, Siren Song, Demon Song) for the storyline to make sense and flow. Overall I give The Isis Collar 3½ Flaming Hearts.
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Jul 15, 2012 ~+-+Vanora+-+~ rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Score: 4/5 stars

It's no secret I love Blood Singer series. Chanced upon Blood Song in the library and I blew through the book in a day. Once I was done with the book in the night, I just had to find out if there sequels on the shelves in the libraries. Head down to the library the next day and borrowed the sequels Siren Song and Demon Song.

Imagine my delight when I found out The Isis Collar exist.

I love Celia Graves. I hate it when female protagonist in novels have to be constantly rely on other...more

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May 16, 2012 LL rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have been slacking off with my review writing. I read this book almost 2 weeks ago and I’m finally sitting down now to write my thoughts on it. I feel as though I have already forgotten some stuff about it.

Damn. I shouldn’t do this anymore!!! Focus, focus!!

All right, where should I start?

Overall speaking, the Blood Singer series as well as its female protagonist, Celia, have been growing on me. I would openly admit that I didn’t care much for the first instalment. However, I was glad that I s...more

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May 13, 2012 Cathy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, magic-users, paranormal, read-in-2012, romance, urban, vampire, zombies-ghouls

2.5 stars. This book is really just more of the same. I still like Celia quite a bit. And for the first half of the book I had my hopes up that the authors had improved their writing a bit, because I hadn't rolled my eyes at all at any silly coincidences like I was so irritated by during the first three books. But it was all downhill from there.

Rizzoli's gift being intuition smacks of lazy storytelling to me, not a cute plot idea. It's too much like Dottie's clairvoyance. Both end up being excus...more 2.5 stars. This book is really just more of the same. I still like Celia quite a bit. And for the first half of the book I had my hopes up that the authors had improved their writing a bit, because I hadn't rolled my eyes at all at any silly coincidences like I was so irritated by during the first three books. But it was all downhill from there.

Rizzoli's gift being intuition smacks of lazy storytelling to me, not a cute plot idea. It's too much like Dottie's clairvoyance. Both end up being excuses for the authors to get the characters in the right places at the right times with a handy voilà instead of just writing a tight story.

And then there were the coincidences. Everyone in the book turned out to be related to someone from a previous book, even the minor characters. The doctor was Chris Gaetano's dad, the mage is was Jones's daughter, the kid that gets sick is Julie, and on and on. It's kind of cute once, but after a while it's just annoying, how many people that Celia has met can possibly keep coming back into her life in different ways? There wasn't any big, fated reason reason for it, it was just supposed to be cute, so it got really irritating.

And then the plot just deteriorated. It went from four stars in the middle, to three as it got pretty mixed up with just too many elements going on, to just a total mess in the end. The level of coincidences were staggering. The woman who was kidnapped was explaining one aspect of the story about the collar to Celia couldn't even believe the story herself, even she knew it sounded ridiculous. That whole plot turned out to be so absurd. The stuff with the collar felt tacked on and like a real let down.

And then there's just the love triangle. No real effort was put into it this time. I don't think it works anyway because John has been developed as sexy and mature and just cool and Bruno hasn't been developed as anything other than a powerful mage who keeps leaving her. Just because she keeps saying that she thinks she'll end up with him doesn't mean that I see what his appeal is at all, they have to show me.

Celia's just a bodyguard, a regular person that this extraordinary stuff happened too. That's what makes me relate to her. So when they make her life seem even more ridiculous than necessary it alienates me. I liked the stuff with her mom, with Dawna, and with her dealing with the changes in her life. I wish they'd try to keep things a bit more grounded. And I wish they'd stop relying so much on easy outs when it comes to storytelling. They sell a lot of books so it's obviously working for them, but I'd never pay for one of their books.(less)

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Apr 26, 2012 Ivanna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-romance, urban-fantasy, vampire, magic

saat menyelamatkan sekolah dasar yang mo di bom oleh penyihir. Dia terluka yang selama 2 minggu belum menunjukkan tanda2 penyembuhan yang ada malah makin parah. Celia udah dateng ke setiap penyembuh yang dia temui namun tidak ditemukan apapun.

detekff yang menangani kasus itu meminta Celia untuk mencari tau siapa penyihir itu. dengan memaksa orang2 yg terlibat untuk mengaku siapa penyihir yang bertanggung jawab, dengan menggunakan darah siren Celia.
namun hasilnya tidak seperti yang dia inginkan....more

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May 08, 2012 Marsha rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Adults

I've really enjoyed the last two books in the "Blood Singer" series. The antics of body guard/ siren/ vampire Celia Graves can be quite eventful. Not to mention all of the family/ friend drama. However, this last book, "The Isis Collar" was off the mark. While I did enjoy most of it, the book just did not deliver the punch and enthusiasm the other books did.

Celia has received a call from a prophet indicating that she must go to an elementary school and evacuate it. Unfortunately, the administrat...more I've really enjoyed the last two books in the "Blood Singer" series. The antics of body guard/ siren/ vampire Celia Graves can be quite eventful. Not to mention all of the family/ friend drama. However, this last book, "The Isis Collar" was off the mark. While I did enjoy most of it, the book just did not deliver the punch and enthusiasm the other books did.

Celia has received a call from a prophet indicating that she must go to an elementary school and evacuate it. Unfortunately, the administration and the police do not believe her. However, before she is totally booted off the premises, she manages to save the lives of the children and have the bomb implode on itself. Unfortunately, tripping the bomb seems to have a lasting effect that will be revealed later.

Celia's injury are just not healing. Additionally, she has awful headaches and cannot remember things at times. She has gone to doctor after doctor (even though her medical coverage has been canceled due to her newly undead status). Then, she runs into John Creede, fellow body guard and potential boy toy. John promises to find a way to help Celia. But he goes missing before any promising assistance can be found.

However, Celia's former fiancee, Bruno realizes what is plaguing Celia. It is a deadly skin eating virus that potential can turn the victim into a zombie. With the help of a specialist, she is cured. Celia is confident that the person who infected her is a witch who may be responsible for the bombing at the school as well as other bombings. She is bound and determined to discover and take down the culprit. If that is not enough, Celia's mother has escaped rehab and being sought by the siren authorities.

There is plenty of action in this, book starting from page one. What was missing was the romance. I must say it bothers me to no end that she is willing to give Bruno another chance. How many does this make? Especially, when there is the delicious John Creede fighting for her affections. Secondly, I am growing tired of all of the 'mama drama.' Hopefully, Celia has grown tired of it as well. Lastly, this book is entitled "The Isis Collar;" yet, the connection was not drawn until the very end. It was almost as if it was an afterthought or an convenience excuse for what was happening. I also wished there had been more snarky humor. It was surely lacking in this installment.

I hope the next book in the series resolves the issues that I had with this book because if not, I am not sure I will continue on with the series. (less)

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Mar 25, 2012 Andi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

Celia Graves is a half-vampire, half-siren bodyguard who gets herself into a predicament when she tries to save a school filled with children from imminent disaster. When she fails and a magical bomb goes off with her and the children in the building, there initially does not appear to have been any effect. But as time goes by, Celia realizes her vamp power is not healing a bruise that formed on her leg after the bomb, and she has a killer headache. And so the story begins.

Celia teams up with Do...more

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Jul 13, 2012 Renee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebooks-i-have, ebooks-pnr-or-uf

**3-1/2 Stars**

For me, this is one of those series that you can count on to get a good, solid and entertaining read. Like the other books in the series, The Isis Collar has an action-packed plot and a group of interesting characters that you enjoy reading about. The problem for me was, although I didn't get bored reading it--because is IS a good storyline, it didn't excite me quite as much as the previous books either. The writing seemed a bit disjointed in areas, like things/facts were being th...more

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May 16, 2012 Shelley aka Gizmo's Reviews rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-releases, urban-fantasy, borrowed-library

*Rating* 3.5
*Genre* Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy mixed breed

*Review*

The Isis Collar, by Cat Adams, is the fourth novel in the Blood Singer series. Celia is a part vampire, part siren bodyguard who is warned by clairvoyant Dottie that a bomb will go off in a local school. Upon arrival, her warnings are ignored by the principal and security is asked to show her to the door.

That doesn’t stop our heroine from jumping to the rescue like she always does. Celia ends up in the right place at the...more

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Jun 15, 2012 Nafiza rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Before I go on to the review proper, let me just say that this novel has one of the worst covers I have ever had the misfortune to lay my eyes on. Her costume, her pose and the colours – they are all so tacky and such a far cry from the classy covers of the last three or so volumes that I wonder what major changes occurred in the Arts department to cause such a disparity in the continuity of the cover art. I’d replace the current art director with a new one. Or bring the old one back because wow...more Before I go on to the review proper, let me just say that this novel has one of the worst covers I have ever had the misfortune to lay my eyes on. Her costume, her pose and the colours – they are all so tacky and such a far cry from the classy covers of the last three or so volumes that I wonder what major changes occurred in the Arts department to cause such a disparity in the continuity of the cover art. I’d replace the current art director with a new one. Or bring the old one back because wow, I wouldn’t be caught dead reading this one in public.

Anyway, moving on to the meat of the matter. I’m afraid that the cover was a very good indicator of the latest installment in the Blood Singer series. The last book was strong, fascinating and addictive and I was eagerly waiting a return to the world of Celia Graves. However, I was profoundly disappointed at what I found within the pages of The Isis Collar. Celia spends most of the book sick and being helped by various men to cure her illnesses. People get sick, I get that but you know what? It doesn’t make for very interesting reading when the protagonist of a series that works because of the actions of the protagonist becomes a story about invalids. And the times that Celia is not lying prone in pain, she is waffling between her two men. Okay, I am sort of disgusted by Celia’s decision or rather confidence that she will get back with boyfriend one who used to be her fiance until he ended up throwing her to the dogs for a woman who was Celia’s nemesis and determined to end Celia in all the ways that mattered. I don’t like that and perhaps it’s just me but yeah.

Also, the intentional delaying of a very crucial plot element never fails to drive me crazy as it did in this novel. One of the main characters goes missing and no one seems to be paying much attention to it and him for a very long while. I knew that whatever had happened to him was pivotal to the novel but no one except me screaming outside the world of the novel seemed to be caring all that much until, you know, the end when voila, everyone’s like WHERE IS HE?

So yeah, I didn’t enjoy this novel as much as I had wanted to. In fact, my enjoyment was probably very faint. I still am going to try reading the next installment whenever it comes out but with a whole lot less anticipation than before. The romantic entanglements are getting old as is the never ending love triangle or um whatever poly-relationship they have going on.
(less)

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The Isis Collar (Blood Singer #4)

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