Twice Bitten (Chicagoland Vampires, #3) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Mar 21, 2010 Alisha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I think Ms. Neill is my kindred author. Or maybe it's that Merit is my kindred protagonist. ^_^ Either way, the Chicagoland Vampires series is definitely at the very top of my "autobuy" list. Not only that, I also find myself obsessed with Merit and her merry band of characters.

For a while though, I was feeling like something was missing from Merit's usual spunky sassiness. Until I realized that it was because for a while, there was no Mallory! They make such a great pair of pals, and bring out ...more

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Jul 12, 2010 Katyana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, ass-kicking-women, uf, vampires

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I definitely liked this one a lot better than the second one. I probably should wait to get my thoughts together a little bit more, but I just want to talk about it!

I liked that, whereas the second book felt like the series was trending into a hopeless place, with this book - though it is undeniably dark - there is a bright spark of hope we can cradle in our hands, try to fan into a flame. Things are becoming dire for supes in general, but the fact that they banded together at the end, fought of ...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Charlotte (Buried in Books) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, vampires

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 23, 2011 Nairabell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, 5-star, read-in-2011, read-in-2012

Merit has now completed the transition to vampire twice as the first change wasn't complete. Merit is embracing her vampiric nature and now Ethan has a surprising task for her. Shapeshifters from all over America will be congregating in Chicago to decide whether to follow vampires into the public eye. Ethan has loaned Merit to act as security for the Alpha Gabriel Keene who leads all the shifters. But when someone starts gunning for Gabriel, Merit finds herself in the line of fire.

I was really Merit has now completed the transition to vampire twice as the first change wasn't complete. Merit is embracing her vampiric nature and now Ethan has a surprising task for her. Shapeshifters from all over America will be congregating in Chicago to decide whether to follow vampires into the public eye. Ethan has loaned Merit to act as security for the Alpha Gabriel Keene who leads all the shifters. But when someone starts gunning for Gabriel, Merit finds herself in the line of fire.

I was really looking forward to reading this as the previous book (Friday Night Bites) ends with Merit going to a meeting with the mysterious sender of several invitations. It turns out that Merit is being invited to join the Red Guard who function like internal affairs for the vampire houses. This is a new development for this book, and I think it's great how the author is still adding depth to Merit's world. However, it may make the books harder to read for newcomers to the series so I'd recommend starting at the beginning with Some Girls Bite.

Merit has now dealt with her transition and is moving on with her (un)life. The previous books showed Merit's struggle adjusting, whereas this one shows how Merit is learning to embrace her new life. Merit also broke up with Morgan in the last book so now it's just a will they/won't they with Ethan not a love triangle. The only complication left in Merit's life is the tension between her and her friend Mallory, and this means more focus is given to the shifter storyline.

Ethan's character also gets some more development, and revelations about his past and his own change to a vampire explain a lot of his character quirks from the previous books. A lot of why Ethan makes certain choices is explained, and it definitely made him a more likeable character in my eyes.

I loved how well the shifter storyline flowed, and there were several twists that I didn't see coming. The addition of shifters to Merit's world is brilliant. Jeff was introduced in the first book and the Breckenridges were introduced in the second, but this book adds literally a country of shifters with several well developed characters. There are also seeds sown for possible future storylines with Merit and the shifters, and I can't wait to see where these go.

All in all this was an awesome read and I'm looking forward to reading the next book Hard Bitten out May 2011 (in the UK).

Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Cover: 8/10

Overall: 48/50 ...more

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Dec 12, 2009 Jamie ~ Bad Boy Inspector rated it it was amazing

Shelves: genre-urban-fantasy, subject-pn-vampires, subject-pn-shifters, subject-pn-witches-warlocks-magic

I really enjoyed this book. It has been a while since I read the 2nd one so I had forgot what was going on but I caught back on really quick. This book brought out all the emotions you want in a book. I laughed, I cried, I got mad and I got butterflies in my stomach which is all important elements in a book IMO!! I was juggling between TEAMS before this book but now I am strictly Team Ethan now. He does have issues that need worked out but seriously what man doesn't. LOL The only complaint I hav ...more

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Nov 26, 2010 June rated it really liked it

Excellent book can not wait for next in series

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Nov 26, 2009 Arlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: urban-fantasy, vampires, shifters-weres

I withdraw my earlier comment. It was a slow start, but at almost 30% of the book, I was thoroughly absorbed and excited to see the outcome with the shifters and vamps mingling together. Merit is a seriously amazing katana-wielding heroine.

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