3.5 of 5 Stars
I have been reading/listening to this Anna Strong series on audiobook and I am getting more caught up in the series. Anna Strong is a bounty hunter turned vampire. In The Watcher, Anna's mentor (who happens to also be the chief of police) has Anna hunting down rogue vampires and protecting the human population. He is training Anna to balance her new vampire nature with her human nature. Meanwhile, Anna's friends get themselves into various types of trouble. Her on/off again boyfriend Max is being targeted by the drug lord Martinez, Culebra has trouble of some kind going on, and her partner David is being manipulated by his girlfriend Gloria. Being a protective friend, Anna is determined to help her friends out, even if it means becoming the target herself.
This particular installment in the series was quite interesting. I feel like quite a bit happened and there are many different facets to this book. Anna is an intriguing heroine. She is fiercely protective of her friends, but she has definite flaws. She is not faithful to Max, her boyfriend, she makes poor decisions when she is upset, and she hasn't fully come to terms with all the changes in her life due to her new vampire status. Given, with each book, she accepts her new life more, but she still has a way to go. The vampires in the Anna Strong world are very interesting. They drink blood, but the blood can be tainted by the person. When Anna drinks the blood of evil people, she needs to cleanse herself with a new feeding. Also, sex and blood are combined, and this is part of why Anna has such problems with fidelity. I keep feeling like Anna doesn't give Max and David enough credit. She does not want to be real with them about being a vampire, she tries to keep her new nature hidden, but she is only putting wedges into her relationships. She does this to protect them, but she needs to learn to have more faith.
The supernaturals in this world are very interesting and diverse. Anna has shapeshifter friends, including Frye and Culebra. Culebra becomes much more interesting in this book, he comes across as tough and indestructible, but in the end needs Anna's help. A witch is determined to achieve her own ends, and Anna is caught in the trap. Williams, Anna's mentor, takes some really odd actions in The Watcher. He is protective of Anna on one hand, mad at her on the other, and overall confusing. He doesn't exactly know what to do with her, and his ego gets int he way.
I am very curious to see what happens next for Anna. Her romantic life is messed up, Culebra got brought down a notch, and Williams is in for some surprises as well. I am looking forward to reading/listening to the next book and finding out what craziness Anna gets into next.
Paranormal and urban fantasy readers, I recommend giving the Anna Strong series a try. Anna is a flawed heroine, but she is easy to relate to and root for. The paranormal world is diverse, and the books are well written. If you are looking for a new paranormal/vampire/shifter series, here is one to try.
Note about the audiobook: I really enjoyed listening to this book. The narrator, Dina Pearlman, does a fantastic job reading the story and distinguishing the characters. Excellent book to listen to, I recommend the audiobook version for those who enjoy listening to books.