"Some things won't stay buried . . . at grave's end."
It should be the best time of half-vampire Cat Crawfield's life. With her undead lover Bones at her side, she's successfully protected mortals from the rogue undead. But though Cat's worn disguise after disguise to keep her true identity a secret from the brazen bloodsuckers, her cover's finally been blown, placing her in terrible danger.
As if that wasn't enough, a woman from Bones's past is determined to bury him once and for all. Caught in the crosshairs of a vengeful vamp, yet determined to help Bones stop a lethal magic from being unleashed, Cat's about to learn the true meaning of bad blood. And the tricks she's learned as a special agent won't help her. She will need to fully embrace her vampire instincts in order to save herself—and Bones—from a fate worse than the grave.
Jeaniene Frost is a New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author. Works include the Night Huntress series, the Night Prince series, the Broken Destiny series, the Night Rebel series, and the Beautiful and Beastly series. To date, foreign rights for her novels have sold to twenty-three different countries. Jeaniene lives in Maryland 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 with her husband, exploring old cemeteries, spelunking and traveling – by car. Airplanes, children, and cook books frighten her.
Another great Cat and Bones adventure! There were some life (or death) altering moments in this one as well as some spectacular battles. I was a little surprised at what we learned about some of Bones’ people. I’m also starting to feel a little hopeful when it comes to Cat’s mom and her seeing the light.
I was a tiny bit disappointed in the narration for this one. I feel that the accents for some of the secondary characters are too subtle. However, that may be because the narrator for the regular audiobook is very dramatic with the accents for the characters.
So many characters and layers. I love how each book builds on the last. The different types of characters and lore being added is outstanding. A couple of highlights story wise for me was Bones getting a power upgrade. Cat fighting a 7-foot vampire (or perhaps a ghoul I can't recall). The daughter of Cleopatra makes an appearance. As does Vlad. This is one of the PNR series I read that really got me into vampires and action-packed romance.
Something of note: Since my initial read of this dramatized edition in 2024, Graphic Audio has released the final book in the series and the two Night Huntress World books that bridge the two halves of the series. Thrilled to be able to read Night Huntress in its entirely and hope that they will eventually give us the Night Prince and Night Rebel spinoffs as well.
Recycled review: Though abridged, I absolutely love these dramatized editions. They add much depth to an already beloved world.
Please, please, please give us the final book. I was unaware going in to the graphic audio versions that they were only up to book 6 and I don't see any details on Up From the Grave. If we don't get it (and hopefully Home for the Holidays novella as well), I'm gonna be an unhappy girl.
Here's a link to another review for At Grave's End...
This installment sinks its fangs in from page one and refuses to let go—much like a certain British vampire with excellent cheekbones. Cat is supposed to be living her best half-vampire life, fighting the bad guys and kissing the good one… but of course nothing is ever that simple. Her cover’s blown, danger is basically sending her love letters, and a woman from Bones’s past decides it’s the perfect time to stir up undead drama. Because why deal with your problems when you can resurrect them, right?
The stakes (pun fully intended) shoot sky-high when lethal magic enters the game, and Cat is forced to face the ugly truth: human tricks aren’t going to cut it. To survive— and to keep Bones from becoming a cautionary tale—she has to lean into the vampire instincts she’s been avoiding like a salad bar.
Fast-paced, emotional, and deliciously chaotic, this book gives “bad blood” a whole new meaning. Watching Cat step fully into her power? Absolutely worth the grave danger. And yes, I loved every messy, bloody minute.
Basic plot: An old enemy of Bones's grandsire causes mayhem until Cat and Bones step in to stop her.
This installment of the Night Huntress series was a bit all over the place. It didn't seem to have a single plot thread, but rather strung together a few different things. It's apparent that Frost has decided to take a slightly different direction with the series, and she used this book to set the foundation. While the various plot threads did make linear sense, it was still a touch frustrating trying to figure out an overplot when it wasn't actually there. The Graphic Audio adaptation actually does help a bit with this particular issue, in making it somewhat easier to follow the major threads, but there are still issues.
The characters are consistent, sometimes annoyingly so in the case of Tate. On one hand, I'm glad Frost is keeping her characters true to themselves. On the other, any rational human being would give up on a truly impossible situation like splitting up Cat and Bones. The addition of Vlad (Yes, *that* Vlad) to the mix seemed a bit over the top to me, but he ended up being kind of fun. And I mustn't forget freaking Doc Holliday, too.
I wish there was a little more danger to the series. This might sound strange, considering the characters are constantly battling for their lives, but they are SO powerful (and get even MORE powerful in this book) that there really isn't any danger to the main characters. Frost killed off some minor characters in what felt like a simple cast list purge, but nobody any reader would be invested in at all.
This series should be solidifying by now, it was book 3 after all, and it still feels like there is no concrete larger thread to tie everything together. Bones also got a serious power boost here, which makes me a touch nervous this early in a series. The power creep is excessive, and it makes the characters more than a little ridiculous.
ok, sorry, but what was this ending? the book is fine, worse than 1&2 but who cares, this ending, this ending was bullshit. you are telling me, out of nowhere that vampires can do magic AND that Peetra could die if her husband just got his stupid shit together? no. Just no. i don't even know why i'm giving this anything above 1 star.