As Lie the Dead: Dreg City Series, Book 2
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Evangeline Stone, a rogue bounty hunter, never asked for a world divided between darkness and light . . .
. . . or the power to die and live again in someone else’s borrowed body. After a murder plot meant to take her out leaves an entire race of shapeshifters nearly extinct, Evy is gnawed by guilt. So when one of the few survivors of the slaughter enlists her aid, she feels duty-bound to help—even though protecting a frail, pregnant shifter is the last thing Evy needs, especially with the world going to hell around her.
Amid weres, Halfies, gremlins, vamps—and increasingly outgunned humans—a war for supremacy is brewing. With shifters demanding justice, her superiors desperate to control her, and an assassin on her trail, Evy discovers a horrifying conspiracy. And she may be the only person in the world who can stop it—unless, of course, her own side gets her first.
. . . or the power to die and live again in someone else’s borrowed body. After a murder plot meant to take her out leaves an entire race of shapeshifters nearly extinct, Evy is gnawed by guilt. So when one of the few survivors of the slaughter enlists her aid, she feels duty-bound to help—even though protecting a frail, pregnant shifter is the last thing Evy needs, especially with the world going to hell around her.
Amid weres, Halfies, gremlins, vamps—and increasingly outgunned humans—a war for supremacy is brewing. With shifters demanding justice, her superiors desperate to control her, and an assassin on her trail, Evy discovers a horrifying conspiracy. And she may be the only person in the world who can stop it—unless, of course, her own side gets her first.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This second Evy Stone book picks up exactly where the first one left off. Evy, Wyatt, the surviving hunters and their handlers are clearing up the mess from the battle that kept a rift between worlds from being opened. But it cost 6 hunters, and Wyatt briefly, their lives. The events that led to the battle, the Triad's betrayal, means that Evy knows there is still a lot to sort out. She'd rather just go home and sleep for a week or two, try and work out her feelings for her handler Wyatt. And figure out how do deal with being in a different body, sharing Chalice's emotional memories.
Just as she and Wyatt arrive back at the apartment Chalice and Alex shared though, her troubles pick up again. One of the last surviving Owlkins demands her protection for his people, and the person responsible for the fire that killed the rest of them to be brought to him. Evy knows that finding that person, someone high up the food chain, an invisible person who'd identity is hidden for a reason, will be more than difficult. It'll also mean fighting against the people who were once her allies before turning on her, and within the Triad's, she really doesn't know if she can trust any of them. And things just get more desperate from there. Deeply hidden secrets are unearthed and they're going to change things for Evy for good, if she survives.
I liked the first Evy book, Three Days To Dead, but didn't love it. Too much going on, sometimes flat characters, and Evy was not the most likable character. But it was still a decent read and I was curious to see what would happen next for her. I did like this book a bit more, but it took a while. It's a little start/stop for the first half, and Evy annoyed me enough that I put the book down on more than one occasion for a short break. She's not exactly a bad character, or person, but her continued ignorance and the way she reacts to things (always fists first) annoyed me. I get that she's 22 and had a hard life and a lot has happened to her in a very short, chaotic time, but I just felt like she should have been growing and changing with the new things she faces. She does eventually start to change, around the midway point, but up til then she irritated me more than anything else.
The plot also smoothed out and moved faster from around the midway point until the end. It had some slightly predictable things, but there were some pretty big shocks in there as well. The tension from about the 2/3 mark just rose and stayed there right up to the end. Like Three Days To Dead, Evy is on a strict time frame, but also like it, I didn't often feel the pressure of that time frame coming through to me. The tension towards the end felt the same as any other big build up where you know a huge showdown is coming, time frame or not. I feel that's one of the biggest let downs on these books. The time frame is meant to be a pretty big aspect, the chapters have day/time stamp as their titles, and Evy mentions that she only has so long for certain things numerous times, but it just doesn't come across for me.
But despite the flaws, overall I still enjoyed the book. The second half I almost loved in fact. It's better than the first one, and despite the stop/start earlier on, it felt far better plotted than book one, more together and less scatty. It wraps up nicely although there are some threads left open to be explored in the next book, which I'm looking forward to. I did actually like Evy quite a lot by the end, but I think I liked some of the secondary characters, Phin in particular, more. Not about to become a favourite, but still a good read and worth the time.
Just as she and Wyatt arrive back at the apartment Chalice and Alex shared though, her troubles pick up again. One of the last surviving Owlkins demands her protection for his people, and the person responsible for the fire that killed the rest of them to be brought to him. Evy knows that finding that person, someone high up the food chain, an invisible person who'd identity is hidden for a reason, will be more than difficult. It'll also mean fighting against the people who were once her allies before turning on her, and within the Triad's, she really doesn't know if she can trust any of them. And things just get more desperate from there. Deeply hidden secrets are unearthed and they're going to change things for Evy for good, if she survives.
I liked the first Evy book, Three Days To Dead, but didn't love it. Too much going on, sometimes flat characters, and Evy was not the most likable character. But it was still a decent read and I was curious to see what would happen next for her. I did like this book a bit more, but it took a while. It's a little start/stop for the first half, and Evy annoyed me enough that I put the book down on more than one occasion for a short break. She's not exactly a bad character, or person, but her continued ignorance and the way she reacts to things (always fists first) annoyed me. I get that she's 22 and had a hard life and a lot has happened to her in a very short, chaotic time, but I just felt like she should have been growing and changing with the new things she faces. She does eventually start to change, around the midway point, but up til then she irritated me more than anything else.
The plot also smoothed out and moved faster from around the midway point until the end. It had some slightly predictable things, but there were some pretty big shocks in there as well. The tension from about the 2/3 mark just rose and stayed there right up to the end. Like Three Days To Dead, Evy is on a strict time frame, but also like it, I didn't often feel the pressure of that time frame coming through to me. The tension towards the end felt the same as any other big build up where you know a huge showdown is coming, time frame or not. I feel that's one of the biggest let downs on these books. The time frame is meant to be a pretty big aspect, the chapters have day/time stamp as their titles, and Evy mentions that she only has so long for certain things numerous times, but it just doesn't come across for me.
But despite the flaws, overall I still enjoyed the book. The second half I almost loved in fact. It's better than the first one, and despite the stop/start earlier on, it felt far better plotted than book one, more together and less scatty. It wraps up nicely although there are some threads left open to be explored in the next book, which I'm looking forward to. I did actually like Evy quite a lot by the end, but I think I liked some of the secondary characters, Phin in particular, more. Not about to become a favourite, but still a good read and worth the time.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
17 reviews
27 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Lacking Direction
30 July 2010
Format:Mass Market Paperback
3 1/2 Stars
I first read Three Days to Dead only a few short weeks ago. I first picked it up when I was looking for a stand-alone UF book not realizing it was the first in a new series. I picked it up because the premise sounded interesting and because of the blurb by Patricia Briggs Moon Called (Mercy Thompson). I thoroughly enjoyed the first book so I picked up this one on release day at my local bookstore.
Evangeline Stone doesn't get a second to eat, sleep, or rest after the events of "Three Days to Dead." Book 2 opens up during all the clean-up from the epic battle that just took place on the outskirts of town with Evy still reeling from stopping the demon hoards and taking full possession of her new body. She heads back to her newly inherited apartment to eat and sleep but is interrupted by Phineas, a surviving Owlkin, who seeks Evy's aid. The Assembly leaders of the the shifter clans want a Triad member to take responsibility for the slaughter of one of its clans. Evy offers to find the Brass--the three anonymous humans who direct the Triads and make the decisions. She feels it's time the Brass answer for all the atrocities ordered by them. And she only has 3 days to do it. In trying to discover the whos, she uncovers a growing threat. Only, the Triads don't believe her, the Shifters won't interfere, and the enemy is motivated.
What I liked:
1. Evy--I still liked her. She's rediscovering herself as she takes control of this new body and memories that aren't her own. We get to come along for the ride. She still makes mistakes--and pays for them, too. We get to see flashes of her past and to see what kinda person she is under that tough Hunter-Trained exterior that is crumbling around her as a result of her recent death and resurrection.
2. Wyatt--He felt a little flat in book 1. He was absent for a good chunk of the book, but when he finally was there he made quite an impression. He's got a lot of baggage, which we finally get to sort through.
3. Phineas--Wow, what a complex character! He has an agenda, but we really aren't sure what it is and how it will effect Evy. Can we really trust him? Sometimes it's an obvious yes. Other times, I have to shake my head and wonder.
4. Emotion--Wow! This time around we get a heaping dose of emotions in a full range. The relationship between Evy and Wyatt seemed much more believable now. Also, at times I was angry, irritated, or frustrated at the events unfolding. Other times I felt hope, respect, and laughter as I read. It's funny because the first book I could easily visualize, but didn't feel. Ms. Meding more than redeems herself here. She exceeded expectations.
What didn't work for me:
1. Lacked Direction--So much felt like Evy just chasing her tail. The storyline seemed to push her to find the Brass. But then 2/3 into the book that objective seems to get dropped. We knew were coming to some sort of standoff, but with who? and why? and what does it have to do with anything? The answers to those questions seem to come out of left field. To be fair, it still has to do with unanswered questions from book 1. But it just felt like Evy started out in one direction and 2/3 the way there just stops and goes back to square 1. And waits. Doing nothing. Waiting. Hum dee dum. Then answers fall in her lap.
2. Hard time believing the timeline--In the first book, the 3 day time line worked beautifully. It added tension and a direction. Here? I dunno. It just didn't quite work. Too much was done in one day only to have Evy pass out for 12 hours and then accomplish another round amazing of things in another short time period. I just wasn't buying into it this time. Then, when the 3 days were up and she didn't have the promised answers--everything had changed and nothing bad happened.
3. The Enemy--The enemy just seemed to be thrown at us. And once we finally do clue into who it is, he weirdly shifts from a fleshed out 3 dimensional character to a caricature. He goes from someone relateable and believable to completely delusional. I guess that's the point of him being "The Badguy." But the ending could have been so powerful had I still felt some sort of sympathy or empathy for him. He just seemed to have lost those sympathetic qualities there at the end during the final confrontation. Sad.
I know others will love this book more than I or will question my reasoning behind my dislikes. The dislikes aside, I still really enjoyed this book. It was an engaging story--one that I had trouble putting down. It did a lot for the character development and was action packed. I just hope there will be a little time between this book and the events in book 3...maybe a week or 2 to give us all some breathing room and to make it slightly more believable. I look forward to seeing Evy and Wyatt again and hope they do eventually uncover the Brass and bring some much needed change to the Triad System.
Three Days to Dead
As Lie the Dead (Dreg City, Book 2)
Another Kind of Dead (July 26, 2011)
I first read Three Days to Dead only a few short weeks ago. I first picked it up when I was looking for a stand-alone UF book not realizing it was the first in a new series. I picked it up because the premise sounded interesting and because of the blurb by Patricia Briggs Moon Called (Mercy Thompson). I thoroughly enjoyed the first book so I picked up this one on release day at my local bookstore.
Evangeline Stone doesn't get a second to eat, sleep, or rest after the events of "Three Days to Dead." Book 2 opens up during all the clean-up from the epic battle that just took place on the outskirts of town with Evy still reeling from stopping the demon hoards and taking full possession of her new body. She heads back to her newly inherited apartment to eat and sleep but is interrupted by Phineas, a surviving Owlkin, who seeks Evy's aid. The Assembly leaders of the the shifter clans want a Triad member to take responsibility for the slaughter of one of its clans. Evy offers to find the Brass--the three anonymous humans who direct the Triads and make the decisions. She feels it's time the Brass answer for all the atrocities ordered by them. And she only has 3 days to do it. In trying to discover the whos, she uncovers a growing threat. Only, the Triads don't believe her, the Shifters won't interfere, and the enemy is motivated.
What I liked:
1. Evy--I still liked her. She's rediscovering herself as she takes control of this new body and memories that aren't her own. We get to come along for the ride. She still makes mistakes--and pays for them, too. We get to see flashes of her past and to see what kinda person she is under that tough Hunter-Trained exterior that is crumbling around her as a result of her recent death and resurrection.
2. Wyatt--He felt a little flat in book 1. He was absent for a good chunk of the book, but when he finally was there he made quite an impression. He's got a lot of baggage, which we finally get to sort through.
3. Phineas--Wow, what a complex character! He has an agenda, but we really aren't sure what it is and how it will effect Evy. Can we really trust him? Sometimes it's an obvious yes. Other times, I have to shake my head and wonder.
4. Emotion--Wow! This time around we get a heaping dose of emotions in a full range. The relationship between Evy and Wyatt seemed much more believable now. Also, at times I was angry, irritated, or frustrated at the events unfolding. Other times I felt hope, respect, and laughter as I read. It's funny because the first book I could easily visualize, but didn't feel. Ms. Meding more than redeems herself here. She exceeded expectations.
What didn't work for me:
1. Lacked Direction--So much felt like Evy just chasing her tail. The storyline seemed to push her to find the Brass. But then 2/3 into the book that objective seems to get dropped. We knew were coming to some sort of standoff, but with who? and why? and what does it have to do with anything? The answers to those questions seem to come out of left field. To be fair, it still has to do with unanswered questions from book 1. But it just felt like Evy started out in one direction and 2/3 the way there just stops and goes back to square 1. And waits. Doing nothing. Waiting. Hum dee dum. Then answers fall in her lap.
2. Hard time believing the timeline--In the first book, the 3 day time line worked beautifully. It added tension and a direction. Here? I dunno. It just didn't quite work. Too much was done in one day only to have Evy pass out for 12 hours and then accomplish another round amazing of things in another short time period. I just wasn't buying into it this time. Then, when the 3 days were up and she didn't have the promised answers--everything had changed and nothing bad happened.
3. The Enemy--The enemy just seemed to be thrown at us. And once we finally do clue into who it is, he weirdly shifts from a fleshed out 3 dimensional character to a caricature. He goes from someone relateable and believable to completely delusional. I guess that's the point of him being "The Badguy." But the ending could have been so powerful had I still felt some sort of sympathy or empathy for him. He just seemed to have lost those sympathetic qualities there at the end during the final confrontation. Sad.
I know others will love this book more than I or will question my reasoning behind my dislikes. The dislikes aside, I still really enjoyed this book. It was an engaging story--one that I had trouble putting down. It did a lot for the character development and was action packed. I just hope there will be a little time between this book and the events in book 3...maybe a week or 2 to give us all some breathing room and to make it slightly more believable. I look forward to seeing Evy and Wyatt again and hope they do eventually uncover the Brass and bring some much needed change to the Triad System.
Three Days to Dead
As Lie the Dead (Dreg City, Book 2)
Another Kind of Dead (July 26, 2011)
14 of 19 people found the following review helpful
How Did So Many Logical Fallicies Get Past Editing?
23 Dec 2010
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This book takes place immediately after the 'Three Days To Dead' (book one). The main character has been in a heated battle, wounded, and been awake for over 36 hours. She does not rest in the entire book. The author never once mentions how tired she is, nor does she have any magical immunity to fatigue. Evangeline's judgment is bad. Bad writing, and not sleep deprivation is the cause.
Evy sees no problem in working for bosses who make her kill her comrades, don't share vital information, and treat her as expendable trash. Evy rabidly hates non-humans except the select few she's promised to protect. (How does a non-human make this category? They say 'pretty please'.) Evy picks fights with tons of entities beyond her power scale, never brings a weapon, and complains her friends are constantly rescuing her. Evy has a bunch of new powers from being body jumped in book one, but absolutely refuses to use them. Evy is a contradiction in deus-ex clothing, and I hoped she'd just die by the end of the book. Evy this, Evy that...
That annoying.
As for the plotline, Evy picks fights, gets attacked a few times, and everything works itself out (no thanks to Evy). The author sticks in random flashbacks regarding Evy's psychologically damaging initiation into the hunter teams. Well, it would psychologically damage a normal person, but apparently the main character likes her job.
I will not continue this series. I don't know what book the author was writing -- mystery, urban fantasy, suspense, crime, romance, Mary-Sue-conquers-all, or action, but the novel didn't work for me. The pace was fast, I'll give it that.
Evy sees no problem in working for bosses who make her kill her comrades, don't share vital information, and treat her as expendable trash. Evy rabidly hates non-humans except the select few she's promised to protect. (How does a non-human make this category? They say 'pretty please'.) Evy picks fights with tons of entities beyond her power scale, never brings a weapon, and complains her friends are constantly rescuing her. Evy has a bunch of new powers from being body jumped in book one, but absolutely refuses to use them. Evy is a contradiction in deus-ex clothing, and I hoped she'd just die by the end of the book. Evy this, Evy that...
That annoying.
As for the plotline, Evy picks fights, gets attacked a few times, and everything works itself out (no thanks to Evy). The author sticks in random flashbacks regarding Evy's psychologically damaging initiation into the hunter teams. Well, it would psychologically damage a normal person, but apparently the main character likes her job.
I will not continue this series. I don't know what book the author was writing -- mystery, urban fantasy, suspense, crime, romance, Mary-Sue-conquers-all, or action, but the novel didn't work for me. The pace was fast, I'll give it that.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Not as good as the first book
28 Sep 2011
Format:Mass Market Paperback
As Lie The Dead is book 2 in the Dreg City series written by Kelly Meding. It follows the story of Evy Stone who used to be a hunter for the Triads which protect the city from Dregs otherwise known as vampires, halfies, weres, goblins etc. Triads are teams of three hunters and one handler. In book 1 Three Days To Dead Evy was raped and tortured to death by goblins and the other two hunters in her Triad also killed. But she was brought back from the dead and put into a new body, that of Chalice Frost who had recently committed suicide. Evy then had three days in which to avenge her murder before dying permanently. However the magic spell which brought Evy back to life was changed when Wyatt also died but he too came back to life so she is now in Chalice's body forever. Oh and during all of this the majority of the Owlkins (were birds) were massacred in the hunt to find Evy. Confusing huh?
Book 2 picks up exactly from where book 1 left off. Apart from the basic story of Evy dying and coming back to life in the first book I couldn't remember what had happened, but that was ok as you are given a good re-cap at the beginning. My feelings are torn on this book there were parts that I was completely engrossed in then other parts where I just wanted to rush to get through it. I felt the same with Evy too sometimes I really liked the character then others I was wishing someone would just kill her. It was interesting to see Evy changing as she took on more of Chalice and I must say she was more of a pleasant character because of it. Wyatt was a little too wimpy for me as well. Evy was always literally fighting for him or telling him what to do, I wanted Wyatt to man up a bit. One character that I did like was Phin the were Osprey. He was interesting and well written I hope there is more of him in the following books.
The story was quite repetitive Evy would get knocked unconscious or nearly killed and she would black out, somebody would then save her and when she came round she would be told what things had happened whilst she was out of it. I found this annoying I want a heroine to be kick ass not blacking out and being saved all of the time. I also thought it was an easy way out to move the story along. Plus if you are a hunter carry a weapon, stop going into fights then realizing you do not have anything other than your fists to fight with. There is a massive shock near the end of the book that I did not see coming at all that explains everything that has happened wince the very beginning and I thought it was brilliant. I have deliberated about what to give this book and I would like to give it 3 and a half stars. It wasn't as good as the first book but I am hoping that the next one is better.
Originally posted at [...]
Book 2 picks up exactly from where book 1 left off. Apart from the basic story of Evy dying and coming back to life in the first book I couldn't remember what had happened, but that was ok as you are given a good re-cap at the beginning. My feelings are torn on this book there were parts that I was completely engrossed in then other parts where I just wanted to rush to get through it. I felt the same with Evy too sometimes I really liked the character then others I was wishing someone would just kill her. It was interesting to see Evy changing as she took on more of Chalice and I must say she was more of a pleasant character because of it. Wyatt was a little too wimpy for me as well. Evy was always literally fighting for him or telling him what to do, I wanted Wyatt to man up a bit. One character that I did like was Phin the were Osprey. He was interesting and well written I hope there is more of him in the following books.
The story was quite repetitive Evy would get knocked unconscious or nearly killed and she would black out, somebody would then save her and when she came round she would be told what things had happened whilst she was out of it. I found this annoying I want a heroine to be kick ass not blacking out and being saved all of the time. I also thought it was an easy way out to move the story along. Plus if you are a hunter carry a weapon, stop going into fights then realizing you do not have anything other than your fists to fight with. There is a massive shock near the end of the book that I did not see coming at all that explains everything that has happened wince the very beginning and I thought it was brilliant. I have deliberated about what to give this book and I would like to give it 3 and a half stars. It wasn't as good as the first book but I am hoping that the next one is better.
Originally posted at [...]
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