Drink Deep (Chicagoland Vampires, #5) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Jun 29, 2011 Chelsea rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, vampires, uf-pnr, magic

This review was originally posted at Vampire Book Club.

Chloe Neill said to trust her about the ending of Hard Bitten. Every fan was floored (and many justly pissed off) when Ethan died. And she promised it would be OK. Within the first couple chapters of Drink Deep, Merit is having dreams with Ethan in them. They feel real. They also happen to be nightmares where he’s torn away from her in some cataclysmic event. This happens a few times in the book. Not often enough to ever feel like Ethan is a This review was originally posted at Vampire Book Club.

Chloe Neill said to trust her about the ending of Hard Bitten. Every fan was floored (and many justly pissed off) when Ethan died. And she promised it would be OK. Within the first couple chapters of Drink Deep, Merit is having dreams with Ethan in them. They feel real. They also happen to be nightmares where he’s torn away from her in some cataclysmic event. This happens a few times in the book. Not often enough to ever feel like Ethan is actually present.

Merit feels plenty of guilt about his death and ruminates on that, particularly as she grows closer to Jonah. In lieu of a partner inside Cadogan House to solve supernatural crises with she turns to the Grey House guard captain and Red Guard member. And he totally wants her to be over Ethan so they can get their smoochies on. The idea damn near gives her stress hives. He’s a hot guy and smart blah blah blah, but he’s not Ethan. No one is Ethan. And this, my friends, frustrates me. I expected to get some Ethan-related satisfaction at least by halfway through the novel, based on Neill’s word, and that wasn’t the case.

The GP has essentially taken over Cadogan House. Their representative goes so far as to ration blood (to vampires, yeah, I know), limit gatherings and put its guards in impossible situations. It’s painful to see the House beat down. They’ve lost Ethan and now they’re losing their identity one rule at a time. Mayor Tate is locked up, but his replacement is very anti-vampire. She’s calling for a registration act (which totally made me think of the first X-Men movie). And when supernatural badness descends on the Windy City yet again, she tells the public it’s all the vampires’ fault.

There’s magic at play, but with more bad press and protesters on the way, Merit has to try and solve someone else’s problem again. She works with Jonah, and gets alternately blamed and praised for the magical goings on that she has no control over. Mallory refuses to help her at all. Catcher is irritated but gives answers. Mostly, her sorcerer resources are damn limited.

I flew through this book, dying for answers. It kept me gripped to the pages, and engaged with the characters. I waited for this big reveal. Things had to be messy right? There was no way this could tie up neatly. And a few hundred pages in and we’d only had a handful of Ethan dreams. Where is Mr. Green Eyes?

I’m doing my best not to give this away for you guys, but Neill employed a deus ex machina. Suddenly it came together, and we get answers, but they just feel sudden and too easy. The resolution wasn’t worthy of the build up. Usually Neill tortures us and Merit. The resolution this time didn’t leave me sated.

Was it worth my Sunday afternoon to read Drink Deep? Totally, but the book left me conflicted. It’s heavy on politics, and was more a foray outside the tone and format of earlier Chicagoland Vampires novels. Additionally, the book just didn’t meet my expectations in terms of the Ethan part of the equation. Merit’s emotions were dead-on throughout the novel, but plot-wise we were still missing some key steps.

Sexual content: Kissing, references to sex ...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Grace rated it it was ok

It was okay. The last few chapters were the most interesting. For me, it was clear early on who and what was causing the problems in Chicago. I just don't know if sacraficing a friendship was worth getting Ethan back. I guess that is the point of the next book. However, i recommend readers to wait for the next book so they don't have to wait months to find out what happens. ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Nicole rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: vampire-fiction, urban-fiction

Another amazing addition to the Chicagoland Vampires series. The ending was great. I cannot wait until the next book

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May 05, 2011 Karyogini rated it liked it

Shelves: read-on-2011

To follow... Grrr
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Ok finally time to share what I thought about the book...

The previous book killed me! It was seriously sad to the point that I was going to swear not to read Chloe Neill's works. Yes it was that bad. Then I figured there must be an awesome story waiting in the next book... Just be patient... SOOOO I was finally able to squeeze time to read Drink Deep... Well... as my friend said... It's anti-climatic...

I was so hoping for a really good follow up that will bring me to the cre ...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Tamara rated it liked it

I'm very conflicted about this book. I couldn't wait for this book, I liked the book, I'm glad the author wrote a solid book but did I love it? No. I might be one of the few who applauded the the ending of the last book. I like it when authors take a chance, do something unexpected, keep me on my toes. Drink Deep seem to cheapen that bold move. Drink Deep was predictable, slightly boring, and not as fun. ...more

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