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Girls Wearing Black #4
The Bonding Ritual
It is a new semester at Thorndike Academy, and a time for new beginnings.
For Daciana Samarin, it is a time to take control of the school after a lengthy absence. Eager to inject some excitement into a contest that has one girl far ahead of the others, Daciana rolls out a relic from her past, and invites the girls wearing black to explore its mysteries.
For Jill Wentworth, it is a time to evaluate priorities, and determine if the potential rewards of her assignment at Thorndike are worth the risks. Ever the rationalist, Jill believes Washington has become too hot for the mission to continue. But with a changing of the guard atop the clan, there are new opportunities for the Network to explore, including one that just might keep Jill in town, despite the danger.
For Nicky Bloom, it is a time of discovery. Having learned the truth about her family, and the memories that drew her across the ocean, she is prepared to face the truth about herself, and what she wants most in life. When she was in Italy, she had a chance to kill Sergio Alonzo and she didn’t take it. Now it is time for her find out why.
The fourth and final book of Girls Wearing Black follows the seniors of Thorndike Academy in their final semester, when they will conclude the contest that will see one of them become a vampire, and another the vampire’s first victim.
For Daciana Samarin, it is a time to take control of the school after a lengthy absence. Eager to inject some excitement into a contest that has one girl far ahead of the others, Daciana rolls out a relic from her past, and invites the girls wearing black to explore its mysteries.
For Jill Wentworth, it is a time to evaluate priorities, and determine if the potential rewards of her assignment at Thorndike are worth the risks. Ever the rationalist, Jill believes Washington has become too hot for the mission to continue. But with a changing of the guard atop the clan, there are new opportunities for the Network to explore, including one that just might keep Jill in town, despite the danger.
For Nicky Bloom, it is a time of discovery. Having learned the truth about her family, and the memories that drew her across the ocean, she is prepared to face the truth about herself, and what she wants most in life. When she was in Italy, she had a chance to kill Sergio Alonzo and she didn’t take it. Now it is time for her find out why.
The fourth and final book of Girls Wearing Black follows the seniors of Thorndike Academy in their final semester, when they will conclude the contest that will see one of them become a vampire, and another the vampire’s first victim.
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First published June 23, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
July 2, 2014
Amazing series.
I've been anxiously waiting for this forth and final book and I promised myself I'd read it slowly since it would be the last one, yes well I'm sure you can imagine how that went, with this series, in the past I've re-read the previous books before starting the new one with so many characters and threads to the plot along with the fact that I have a memory like a sieve I find it's necessary but in this case my impatience got the better of me and I dived straight in.
It's difficult to review the book as such without giving anything away but I'll just say if you loved the others you'll love this, it picks up with a new semester at Thorndike Academy, Samantha Kwan has a huge lead due to Jill figuring out the Rose Ransom at the last minute, freeing Nicky and Ryan and donating the hundred million dollar prize to her. Samantha's lead looks unassailable, everyone's trying to work out exactly what happened, who's been betrayed, what happened to Nicky and exactly where does this leave Kim. Could it all be over, has Samantha already won is she the girl who gets immortality if so who's in last place, which girl becomes the first meal.
This has been a fantastic series, so much has happened since the Masquerade Ball when we got our first glimpses into this world and what was to come. I've loved all these books and while reading this I was trying, as you do, to figure out how it will end, who'll remain standing and while I got some parts right I also got an equal number wrong.
Really great story, memorable characters, well written, wonderful series which although I couldn't get to the end fast enough I'm sorry it's finally finished.
I've been anxiously waiting for this forth and final book and I promised myself I'd read it slowly since it would be the last one, yes well I'm sure you can imagine how that went, with this series, in the past I've re-read the previous books before starting the new one with so many characters and threads to the plot along with the fact that I have a memory like a sieve I find it's necessary but in this case my impatience got the better of me and I dived straight in.
It's difficult to review the book as such without giving anything away but I'll just say if you loved the others you'll love this, it picks up with a new semester at Thorndike Academy, Samantha Kwan has a huge lead due to Jill figuring out the Rose Ransom at the last minute, freeing Nicky and Ryan and donating the hundred million dollar prize to her. Samantha's lead looks unassailable, everyone's trying to work out exactly what happened, who's been betrayed, what happened to Nicky and exactly where does this leave Kim. Could it all be over, has Samantha already won is she the girl who gets immortality if so who's in last place, which girl becomes the first meal.
This has been a fantastic series, so much has happened since the Masquerade Ball when we got our first glimpses into this world and what was to come. I've loved all these books and while reading this I was trying, as you do, to figure out how it will end, who'll remain standing and while I got some parts right I also got an equal number wrong.
Really great story, memorable characters, well written, wonderful series which although I couldn't get to the end fast enough I'm sorry it's finally finished.
August 3, 2018
This was an interesting series from beginning to end, YA vampire novels heavily focused on political intrigue. Now that I've finished it (about a year after I started?), some notes:
-I think it's hilarious that Kim Renwick starts out like she's Nicky's archnemesis and then by The Bonding Ritual she's basically irrelevant. Nicky and Jill play for higher stakes ;)
-On that note it's kind of great how the plan starts out so simple--we're gonna win this dystopian becoming-a-vampire game and slay one specific vampire--and turns into killing as many vampires as possible and destroying the entire vampire clan. You know. Just cas.
-In the first book I liked Jill (tech and plans girl) more than Nicky (face of the operation, Chosen One type) and I was happy to see that basically with every book Jill's role gets more important and Nicky's less so. Not that I don't like Nicky but it's just fun to see Jill consistently get hers. I love her so much :) and in this book she gets the plotting, agency and love triangle she deserves.
-Zack was kind of a creep in this book but also I think it's hilarious that even by the end Nicky has NO IDEA who he is. Also he just bashes someone's car with a crowbar in front of a ton of guards and they do nothing about it because the car isn't what they're guarding.
-Nicky, I doubted you but I shouldn't have.
-Daciana and Sergio can get rekt!
Lols anyways this was a fun series and all the books in it will probably remain some of my favorite paranormal novels.
-I think it's hilarious that Kim Renwick starts out like she's Nicky's archnemesis and then by The Bonding Ritual she's basically irrelevant. Nicky and Jill play for higher stakes ;)
-On that note it's kind of great how the plan starts out so simple--we're gonna win this dystopian becoming-a-vampire game and slay one specific vampire--and turns into killing as many vampires as possible and destroying the entire vampire clan. You know. Just cas.
-In the first book I liked Jill (tech and plans girl) more than Nicky (face of the operation, Chosen One type) and I was happy to see that basically with every book Jill's role gets more important and Nicky's less so. Not that I don't like Nicky but it's just fun to see Jill consistently get hers. I love her so much :) and in this book she gets the plotting, agency and love triangle she deserves.
-Zack was kind of a creep in this book but also I think it's hilarious that even by the end Nicky has NO IDEA who he is. Also he just bashes someone's car with a crowbar in front of a ton of guards and they do nothing about it because the car isn't what they're guarding.
-Nicky, I doubted you but I shouldn't have.
-Daciana and Sergio can get rekt!
Lols anyways this was a fun series and all the books in it will probably remain some of my favorite paranormal novels.
July 14, 2015
A good conclusion
The story wrapped up well, and not quite how I was expecting. There were a couple of ways this could have gone, yet while it would have been I interesting to see the different ending, this left a satisfying feeling. Overall, a good read.
The story wrapped up well, and not quite how I was expecting. There were a couple of ways this could have gone, yet while it would have been I interesting to see the different ending, this left a satisfying feeling. Overall, a good read.
April 27, 2015
Just omg. OMG.
.
Spectacular finish. Every book was as good as the last
Sergio and Nicky? =
Sicky? I still ship them...
BONDING? Just, wow. What a twist.
"He died in the arms of the only woman he ever loved"
WOW
.
Spectacular finish. Every book was as good as the last
Sergio and Nicky? =
Sicky? I still ship them...
BONDING? Just, wow. What a twist.
"He died in the arms of the only woman he ever loved"
WOW
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2021
It was an exciting read from start to finish. I couldn't put the book down. I was thoroughly entertained and I can say without reservation that it earned every one of its 5 stars.
The rest of this review is full of spoilers and I would recommend reading it after the book so as not to compromise your enjoyment of the story.
The book was not without flaws. The most unpleasant one was the constant stereotyping of Frankie as the scary black dude. The only insight we get into his mind is his determination to look out for Nicky. And it was noble, and empowering while he was a brain-washed slave that shouldn't have had any thoughts. But what about after his de-programming? Well, it was disappointing to see that that is all the insight we ever get into Frankie's psyche. We only ever see Frankie through the eyes of other people: the emphasis of his vampire-killing skills are more on his physical strength than his mental strength. He is described with phrases like "enormous body" and "monstrous hands". And, come to think of it, beyond the de-programming, do we ever hear Frankie speak?
I didn't do a re-read of the previous books and it took a while for some of the previous events to come back to me (who was Bernadette? who killed her - the Network or Renata? Which of the Sandarin vampires were secret allies to Falkon? where did Lena come into this?). However, I was (un)pleasantly surprised with how little past events seemed to affect the story. Daciana made a big deal at the start of the book about carting Falkon's research to the US and discovering his secrets. So I was half-expecting that to come into play at some point, Daciana discovering his experiments and using a mind-washed genius (Jill's mother) to make a breakthrough. Well, the actual transportation part comes into play in the finale, but in such a mundane way that could have had no bearing whatsoever on the Falkon sub-plot.
I was also hoping to get more reaction shots at the end of the story and the (start of the) fall of the vampires but apart from Mary, a character whose POV we've never seen, we don't get anything. At most, we should have seen through Mary's PoV, Kim, Samantha, or Art's reactions at Ryan's funeral but we don't. After starting the book with Kim's PoV, and her big role as a mean-girl 'mini'-antagonist all through out the series, we needed some closure to how she felt about the end of Coronation. This is a girl that has believed all her life that she would be an immortal. Oh to be a fly on the wall, or an extra paragraph or more to see how she faced the dawning realization that she would never be that now, no matter which clan was in power . Because the only vampire that could make other vampires at will was Sergio. And Sergio was dead.
Finally, the Nicky/Ryan romance which dominated the previous books was almost completely shunted to the side. A first-time reader would be shocked to realize just how hard Nicky had fallen for him and how much in love they were supposed to be. I was deeply moved by Ryan's death - and this is another flaw - I really wish we had got some reaction from Nicky about it. On the one hand, I was pleased that her Invisible Friend would forever be Sergio because it really underlines the truth of the bond that had formed between them and makes her assassination of him even more heroic. On the other hand, there is no thought whatsoever in her head about his death and what he meant to her at a time, what he could have meant to her if they lived in a world without vampires, without Sergio. And with Ryan/Nicky very much being 'the' love story for the first three books, that was a big lack of follow through.
All the same, I really loved that Jill got a chance to revisit/relive her romance with Ryan and that there was still love between them. Unfortunately, they had both moved on. In many ways, Ryan represented two types of sacrifices/thefts caused by the vampire's corruption of human society: First, the theft of happiness, the right to happiness, as Ryan/Jill was cruelly shattered through Kim Renwick's machinations because of Kim's ambition to be a vampire and Jill's father's dealings with vampires; and Second, the theft of life through Ryan's heroic sacrifice.* I liked that Ryan's death was caused because of his love for both Nicky and Jill, and the intrinsic goodness in him that couldn't leave one of them behind.
All that aside, this was an incredibly enjoyable story and very tightly plotted. The seeds of the Nicky/Sergio ship were planted right from the first book and their dance together and I loved the fact that the cliche vampire-hunter falls in love with a vampire was turned on its head once and for all. I loved the way things kept being turned on their heads but without ever feeling that twists were thrown in for the sake of there being twists, or that there were too many coincidences. (Not that there weren't any e.g. Daciana figuring out where Annika went to just before the ceremony). Jill's worry that killing Sergio was being over-prioritized turned out to be a mistake/ mis-prioritization on her part - stolen money could be recovered (Daciana would have got her money back if the hunters hadn't broken in in time to save Jill) but taking away the clan's ability to expand was the most powerful blow they could deal on the vampires.
Also after 3 books of anticipation, the ultimate Big Bad, Daciana Santiago lived up to everything that was said about her and more. And, after a decade of Twilight and Vampire Diaries, I think reading about vampires as un-apologetic bad guys was a breath of fresh air**. I loved that despite the rapport Daciana had struck with Nicky over fast cars, in the end Daciana didn't spare a thought to the girl being killed while she enjoyed her ride. Or that Sergio's idea of a honeymoon with his new bride was going a hunting/feeding spree through urban jungles. And the casual way that vampires 'fed' on their 'farm produce' is horrifying... and is described horrifyingly. Every time, we are reminded how monstrous their system of enslavement, of murder, of mind-control truly is.
And Jill putting the blame of that squarely on the shoulders of the DC elite - the vampires enslaved us because you let them - through her 'the reason you suck' speech was a Crowning Moment of Awesome.
Finally, I hope someone will put in TV Tropes as a Missed Moment of Awesome - the epic battle between the Vicenza and the Lamborghini. It was Chekhov's gun I somehow never spotted: there was no way there could be 2 incredibly powerful, incredibly fast Italian cars in the story and there won't be a no-holds-barred drag race, ending with a crash of epic proportions.
Great book, great ending to a great series. I really hope it gets the word of mouth it needs to be a big smash. And I am looking forward to what next Mr. Baum comes up with.
*There is a 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' theme in there but I'm not smart enough to spin it properly.
**Some might argue that the vampires were too one-dimensional baddies. I don't think so. I think we get a good feeling that they are 3-d personalities with thoughts and fears - of the top of my head, there is a moment when Daciana thinks that every girl who becomes a vampire believes she will live happily ever after, but the truth is that an eternity of youth, beauty and wealth is just as full of heartbreak and sorrow as limited human existence. The grief of Bernadette's mate is strong and genuine. They are people - to themselves. But to the vampires, human are nothing more than 'food'. And well, as a human, I object strongly to being regarded as such.
The rest of this review is full of spoilers and I would recommend reading it after the book so as not to compromise your enjoyment of the story.
The book was not without flaws. The most unpleasant one was the constant stereotyping of Frankie as the scary black dude. The only insight we get into his mind is his determination to look out for Nicky. And it was noble, and empowering while he was a brain-washed slave that shouldn't have had any thoughts. But what about after his de-programming? Well, it was disappointing to see that that is all the insight we ever get into Frankie's psyche. We only ever see Frankie through the eyes of other people: the emphasis of his vampire-killing skills are more on his physical strength than his mental strength. He is described with phrases like "enormous body" and "monstrous hands". And, come to think of it, beyond the de-programming, do we ever hear Frankie speak?
I didn't do a re-read of the previous books and it took a while for some of the previous events to come back to me (who was Bernadette? who killed her - the Network or Renata? Which of the Sandarin vampires were secret allies to Falkon? where did Lena come into this?). However, I was (un)pleasantly surprised with how little past events seemed to affect the story. Daciana made a big deal at the start of the book about carting Falkon's research to the US and discovering his secrets. So I was half-expecting that to come into play at some point, Daciana discovering his experiments and using a mind-washed genius (Jill's mother) to make a breakthrough. Well, the actual transportation part comes into play in the finale, but in such a mundane way that could have had no bearing whatsoever on the Falkon sub-plot.
I was also hoping to get more reaction shots at the end of the story and the (start of the) fall of the vampires but apart from Mary, a character whose POV we've never seen, we don't get anything. At most, we should have seen through Mary's PoV, Kim, Samantha, or Art's reactions at Ryan's funeral but we don't. After starting the book with Kim's PoV, and her big role as a mean-girl 'mini'-antagonist all through out the series, we needed some closure to how she felt about the end of Coronation. This is a girl that has believed all her life that she would be an immortal. Oh to be a fly on the wall, or an extra paragraph or more to see how she faced the dawning realization that she would never be that now, no matter which clan was in power . Because the only vampire that could make other vampires at will was Sergio. And Sergio was dead.
Finally, the Nicky/Ryan romance which dominated the previous books was almost completely shunted to the side. A first-time reader would be shocked to realize just how hard Nicky had fallen for him and how much in love they were supposed to be. I was deeply moved by Ryan's death - and this is another flaw - I really wish we had got some reaction from Nicky about it. On the one hand, I was pleased that her Invisible Friend would forever be Sergio because it really underlines the truth of the bond that had formed between them and makes her assassination of him even more heroic. On the other hand, there is no thought whatsoever in her head about his death and what he meant to her at a time, what he could have meant to her if they lived in a world without vampires, without Sergio. And with Ryan/Nicky very much being 'the' love story for the first three books, that was a big lack of follow through.
All the same, I really loved that Jill got a chance to revisit/relive her romance with Ryan and that there was still love between them. Unfortunately, they had both moved on. In many ways, Ryan represented two types of sacrifices/thefts caused by the vampire's corruption of human society: First, the theft of happiness, the right to happiness, as Ryan/Jill was cruelly shattered through Kim Renwick's machinations because of Kim's ambition to be a vampire and Jill's father's dealings with vampires; and Second, the theft of life through Ryan's heroic sacrifice.* I liked that Ryan's death was caused because of his love for both Nicky and Jill, and the intrinsic goodness in him that couldn't leave one of them behind.
All that aside, this was an incredibly enjoyable story and very tightly plotted. The seeds of the Nicky/Sergio ship were planted right from the first book and their dance together and I loved the fact that the cliche vampire-hunter falls in love with a vampire was turned on its head once and for all. I loved the way things kept being turned on their heads but without ever feeling that twists were thrown in for the sake of there being twists, or that there were too many coincidences. (Not that there weren't any e.g. Daciana figuring out where Annika went to just before the ceremony). Jill's worry that killing Sergio was being over-prioritized turned out to be a mistake/ mis-prioritization on her part - stolen money could be recovered (Daciana would have got her money back if the hunters hadn't broken in in time to save Jill) but taking away the clan's ability to expand was the most powerful blow they could deal on the vampires.
Also after 3 books of anticipation, the ultimate Big Bad, Daciana Santiago lived up to everything that was said about her and more. And, after a decade of Twilight and Vampire Diaries, I think reading about vampires as un-apologetic bad guys was a breath of fresh air**. I loved that despite the rapport Daciana had struck with Nicky over fast cars, in the end Daciana didn't spare a thought to the girl being killed while she enjoyed her ride. Or that Sergio's idea of a honeymoon with his new bride was going a hunting/feeding spree through urban jungles. And the casual way that vampires 'fed' on their 'farm produce' is horrifying... and is described horrifyingly. Every time, we are reminded how monstrous their system of enslavement, of murder, of mind-control truly is.
And Jill putting the blame of that squarely on the shoulders of the DC elite - the vampires enslaved us because you let them - through her 'the reason you suck' speech was a Crowning Moment of Awesome.
Finally, I hope someone will put in TV Tropes as a Missed Moment of Awesome - the epic battle between the Vicenza and the Lamborghini. It was Chekhov's gun I somehow never spotted: there was no way there could be 2 incredibly powerful, incredibly fast Italian cars in the story and there won't be a no-holds-barred drag race, ending with a crash of epic proportions.
Great book, great ending to a great series. I really hope it gets the word of mouth it needs to be a big smash. And I am looking forward to what next Mr. Baum comes up with.
*There is a 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' theme in there but I'm not smart enough to spin it properly.
**Some might argue that the vampires were too one-dimensional baddies. I don't think so. I think we get a good feeling that they are 3-d personalities with thoughts and fears - of the top of my head, there is a moment when Daciana thinks that every girl who becomes a vampire believes she will live happily ever after, but the truth is that an eternity of youth, beauty and wealth is just as full of heartbreak and sorrow as limited human existence. The grief of Bernadette's mate is strong and genuine. They are people - to themselves. But to the vampires, human are nothing more than 'food'. And well, as a human, I object strongly to being regarded as such.
October 7, 2017
Loved the series
I liked all 4 books. I am an avid paranormal reader and like books that have a story besides mushy romance and this series delivered. All 4 books follow well and book 4 wraps the story up neatly. We know where the main characters are and what they're doing. I would love a next book say 5+ years but if that never happens I'm good with how it ended.
I liked all 4 books. I am an avid paranormal reader and like books that have a story besides mushy romance and this series delivered. All 4 books follow well and book 4 wraps the story up neatly. We know where the main characters are and what they're doing. I would love a next book say 5+ years but if that never happens I'm good with how it ended.
March 6, 2019
Stayed up all night just to finish this book! Yes, it was that good!
July 21, 2022
Brilliant ending to a brilliant series. It kept me on my toes right up until the last page.
January 11, 2016
this book wasnt all bad but it didnt have anything that would make me feel that it was absolutely necessary to give it any more stars than this either. i've already spent so much time on this series that im not gonna spend a lot of time doing my normal review so i'm just gonna spew whatll probably be venom to anyone who actually like this book...feel free to stop reading after this sentence.
Ok so first this book was so boring. up until about 90% in there was like 0 action going on it took me over a week to finish it because i didnt even feel the urge to pick it up. Second, because it wasnt all action packed like the others i noticed flaws in them that i didnt notice before. Like massive flaws in logic or just huge facts completely absent. For instance...what happens to the coronation money...does it go to the clan or the girl? And . For those who didn't read the spoiler there was a plot point where the author could have shortened the book to a far more reasonable length without any real sacrifice to logic (actually probably made more sense to do so) instead they drew out the most boring part of the book to make the book twice as long as it needed to be. all the interesting relationships from the last books were nearly completely ignored and important plot points were glossed over. The last 10% picked up and actually got me really interested. A couple things caught me by surprise near the end but the actual end was a bit lackluster and more unfortunate left room for sequels or a spin off which kind of annoyed me because i was ready to just be done with it. I put a lot of time and some money into this series (rare for me) and i feel really disappointed that i waited so long for this mess
Ok so first this book was so boring. up until about 90% in there was like 0 action going on it took me over a week to finish it because i didnt even feel the urge to pick it up. Second, because it wasnt all action packed like the others i noticed flaws in them that i didnt notice before. Like massive flaws in logic or just huge facts completely absent. For instance...what happens to the coronation money...does it go to the clan or the girl? And . For those who didn't read the spoiler there was a plot point where the author could have shortened the book to a far more reasonable length without any real sacrifice to logic (actually probably made more sense to do so) instead they drew out the most boring part of the book to make the book twice as long as it needed to be. all the interesting relationships from the last books were nearly completely ignored and important plot points were glossed over. The last 10% picked up and actually got me really interested. A couple things caught me by surprise near the end but the actual end was a bit lackluster and more unfortunate left room for sequels or a spin off which kind of annoyed me because i was ready to just be done with it. I put a lot of time and some money into this series (rare for me) and i feel really disappointed that i waited so long for this mess
September 15, 2015
A great ending(?) to this series. It was left somewhat open so there could be future books continuing the story, which I'd probably read happily, but as it was, the ending was great just as is. Everything was wrapped up great, but not 100%, leaving us with the sense of work that still needed to be done but with a very hopeful outlook. I loved it.
There was a bit of a twist in the story throughout this whole book, which sort of put me in two minds. On the one hand, I was totally okay with where it all was going and lapped it all up. On the other, I was a little sad where it was going as it seemed like it was almost pandering a little to the paranormal romance fan set... and then of course, nothing turned out how I expected. Maybe in the back of my mind, the one who was a little sad, I had been thinking "man, they can't actually be doing what they're doing. Something else will happen." And so when it did, I found it oddly predictable and totally unexpected at the same time. For whatever reason. Either way, I loved it.
I say again, I LOVED it. This whole series hooked me from the start and kept me engrossed throughout. That happens very rarely for me. I also continue my assertion that this series would make such a great tv show. I mean, if they did it right, I can just see the great ratings pouring in. Get on that, Hollywood.
There was a bit of a twist in the story throughout this whole book, which sort of put me in two minds. On the one hand, I was totally okay with where it all was going and lapped it all up. On the other, I was a little sad where it was going as it seemed like it was almost pandering a little to the paranormal romance fan set... and then of course, nothing turned out how I expected. Maybe in the back of my mind, the one who was a little sad, I had been thinking "man, they can't actually be doing what they're doing. Something else will happen." And so when it did, I found it oddly predictable and totally unexpected at the same time. For whatever reason. Either way, I loved it.
I say again, I LOVED it. This whole series hooked me from the start and kept me engrossed throughout. That happens very rarely for me. I also continue my assertion that this series would make such a great tv show. I mean, if they did it right, I can just see the great ratings pouring in. Get on that, Hollywood.
December 18, 2014
I decided to read THE BONDING RITUAL because i had already read the other 3 books in the series, and thought they were very interesting. So i decided to finish the series. It was also recommended to me by a friend.
ROMANCE
In the book THE BONDING RITUAL, there is a lot of forbidden love, adventure, sacrifice, and be trail. even though there are all these themes through out the book, i think the most outspoken theme is love and romance.such as, in the book there is a love story between a rebellious human (nicky) and confused a vampire (sergio). which causes a forbidden love story... " their bond would be strong. a hundred years or longer. he could sense it. how amazing would it be! no longer alone in the world, but joined at the heart with another. with her."(18%) Serigo and Nicky were supposedly going to be together forever. bonded together. If nicky chooses to join him...
this book was overall good, and i would recommend this book to anyone who likes action, twists, love, and un expected adventure.
ROMANCE
In the book THE BONDING RITUAL, there is a lot of forbidden love, adventure, sacrifice, and be trail. even though there are all these themes through out the book, i think the most outspoken theme is love and romance.such as, in the book there is a love story between a rebellious human (nicky) and confused a vampire (sergio). which causes a forbidden love story... " their bond would be strong. a hundred years or longer. he could sense it. how amazing would it be! no longer alone in the world, but joined at the heart with another. with her."(18%) Serigo and Nicky were supposedly going to be together forever. bonded together. If nicky chooses to join him...
this book was overall good, and i would recommend this book to anyone who likes action, twists, love, and un expected adventure.
August 26, 2014
THE BONDING RITUAL (GIRLS WEARING BLACK, BOOK 4) by Spencer Baum
The final book in this series brings us to the last stage of the Coronation. Four girls competing for the ultimate prize of immortality. Will Nicky Bloom be that person? Will she be the next immortal or is there something else planned by the Resistance.
Will the Network's best operatives put a foil into this Coronation process? Saving humanity from the clutches of the vampires.
The final book in this series brings us to the last stage of the Coronation. Four girls competing for the ultimate prize of immortality. Will Nicky Bloom be that person? Will she be the next immortal or is there something else planned by the Resistance.
Will the Network's best operatives put a foil into this Coronation process? Saving humanity from the clutches of the vampires.
November 30, 2014
Giant kudos to Mr. Spencer Baum!! This book had me wrapped from the start and couldn't put it down. It was fast paced and full of surprises at every turn. To me the ending was sad, and had me crying but it was the only ending that was reasonable to me. Not everyone gets a happy ending in life and this book illustrates it perfectly. I was sad to see the series come to an end but happy at the awesome job the writer did. Definitely deserving of a five star rating.
November 4, 2014
So disappointed with the ending. It felt rushed. Sergio dead, not so much a surprise. But Ryan dead????? Nicky left solo. They could have explored the relationship with her and her childhood friend. Like I said rushed, no detail. It ruined the effect of the whole series for me. Book 2 redeemed how silly book 1 was. Book 3 cancelled that right out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 13, 2018
I cant remember what I expected from this book but I knew it would be devine. And it was. Lots of developments some I neven knew were coming or i expected sth entirely different. I was disappointed because it ended since after reading some I was sure the author was writting a 5th maybe 6th book for this series. Excellent!!!
April 3, 2015
OMG, Don't know where to begin with this review, but since Im not one to be a spoiler Ill just say this (NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING AT ALL), Im really sad about this series and not only because it ended but because the outcome was so not what I thought would happened, oh I loved the characters in these series especially one Mr Sergio Alonzo ( even if he was the bad guy) lol
January 28, 2015
great ending not too perfect
Such a great series I need to get back to work instead of running to my iPad every chance I get to "read a bit more". Loved the whole series and will recommend to my grand kids who also love a good book!
Such a great series I need to get back to work instead of running to my iPad every chance I get to "read a bit more". Loved the whole series and will recommend to my grand kids who also love a good book!
June 19, 2015
Not what I was expecting
(Spoiler alert) I really enjoyed reading this series. But I have to say that I was a little disappointed that Nicky and Sergio didn't get their happy ending. I was kind of hoping for that. Definitely never saw that one coming.
(Spoiler alert) I really enjoyed reading this series. But I have to say that I was a little disappointed that Nicky and Sergio didn't get their happy ending. I was kind of hoping for that. Definitely never saw that one coming.
July 19, 2014
Overall a great ending to what has been a fantastic series.
Though it didn't end the way I had hoped, it was very satisfying and wrapped everything up well.
Though it didn't end the way I had hoped, it was very satisfying and wrapped everything up well.
November 3, 2014
I loved this series. Vicious, cleverly written high school politicking.
December 24, 2014
Love this series! Sad to see it end... but very satisfying.
February 17, 2015
kept my interest
Kept me turning the page with interest. Price fair for it content. Would recommend the book to others? Yes I would.
Kept me turning the page with interest. Price fair for it content. Would recommend the book to others? Yes I would.
May 5, 2016
Great book, though many tears.
Beware, your in for a rollercoaster.
Beware, your in for a rollercoaster.
Read
July 21, 2016Great book for the series, lots of twists and good story telling elements.
February 13, 2022
I really love the series and I wish we got the alternative ending to the series and her adventures even more ventures with the alternative ending
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