I couldn't decide whether to give this book 3 stars, or 4. I settled on 4, finally, and this is why:
This book was a bit disappointing for me, a huge fan of Armstrong's Otherworld novels. The characters are believable despite their near invincibility, and you quickly grow to love them. I really find myself caring what happens to each and every character beyond each book, and I look forward eagerly to each new release.
But this book doesn't quite make it to Armstrong's usual standards. Jaime's voice seems weaker than I remember it. Maybe this is because part of Jaime's charm is deeply ingrained in how OTHERS see her, not how she sees herself, so you lose a great deal of that when Jaime is speaking in the first person as she does throughout this book. For me, this meant that some of Jaime's appeal was missing and, although the plot is incredibly engrossing, I couldn't quite relax into the book as much as I had with the others. I also felt that Jeremy seemed a little out of character from how he is portrayed in the other novels. A lot of this could be argued away by pointing out that it's the first time we really see him away from the Pack and without his 'Alpha face' on but I'm not quite convinced this is all there is to it.
Despite these minor misgivings, the book still deserves 4 stars for the fast paced plot and captivating twists and turns. Unlike many of the other women in these books, Jaime doesn't have super strength, or the ability to defend herself with magic. Her powers aren't showy, and most of the time they're not even useful, but in this novel Armstrong makes Jaime stand just as powerfully and just as ethereal as the other women. We get an insight into necromancy that has only been touched on before, and, despite how human Jaime seems in almost every way, she reminds everyone, even Jeremy the werewolf Alpha, that her power is the darkest, dangerous one around.
I really enjoyed the manner in which this book concluded and, although I was just a *little* disappointed, I am looking forward to other novels by Kelley Armstrong, as she is still the best writer of supernatural fiction alive today, in my opinion.