Sunday, April 12, 2015

Dark Debt (Chicagoland Vampires #11)

A vampire never gets old. But neither do his enemies. When a figure from Ethan's dark past makes a splashy debut in Chicago, Merit and her Master don't know whether he's friend or foe. But they'll have to figure out soon, because trouble is brewing in the Windy City.

At an exclusive society soiree attended by the upper echelons of the human and supernatural worlds, Merit and Ethan barely stop the assassination of a guest. When the target turns out to be a shady businessman with a criminal edge, Merit suspects a human vendetta. But the assassins have fangs....

The connections to Chicago's Houses go deeper than Merit knows, and even one wrong move could be her last.... 

Release Date March 3, 2015
Penguin Group NAL
Chicagoland Vampires #11

I was lucky enough got get a review copy of Dark Debt thanks to the publisher through NetGalley. I've a huge fan of the Chicagoland Vampire series and couldn't wait to read the newest installment.

I felt like Chloe Neill totally delivered with Dark Debt. It had the feel of the earlier books in the series for me. I loved the time we got to spend with Merit, Ethan, Mallory and Catcher. While I love so many of the characters from the series, I think the friendship between Merit and Mallory and Ethan and Catcher keep me reading installment after installment.

With then end of the GP (General Presidium) and the start up of the AMM (Assembly of American Masters) I expected it to be a big part of the story. However with the return of Ethan's maker Balthazar, who Ethan thought was dead, the AMM took a bit of a backseat in Dark Debt. With the mystery of Balthazar and the discovery that Navarre is in debt to a mob-like group called The Circle, and Merit and Ethan have their hands full. I love how Cadogan house always steps up to solve all the problems with the other houses in Chicago.

The Balthazar story line overlapped with The Circle and I loved how Team Cadogan worked to figure out what was going on between the two. I also enjoyed getting to see Cadogan work with the other houses. We haven't really seen much of Morgan and Scott recently, but was happy to see them back in action in Dark Debt. As always it was awesome to see Merit's grandfather Chuck and Jeff working with Catcher to help with the investigation of both The Circle and Balthazar. 

I love watching each of the characters grow and change with each book. Each of the books build upon the last and with Dark Debt, Neill started a new story arc. Changes happen for Merit thanks to being exposed to Balthazar. Merit and her dad also have some changes in their relationship in Dark Debt. I've never been a very big fan of Joshua Merit, and felt like he got a bit of an eye-opener where it comes to his daughter. 

I really loved the changes that are happening in the Chicagoland Vampire series with Dark Debt. The friendships seem to be stronger and the alliances among the houses are growing stronger. While there is some drama between Jonah and Merit in Dark Debt, I felt that it had been coming for a while and totally supported Merit's stance. Catcher and Mallory's relationship was really in the spotlight in Dark Debt and I absolutely loved   how Merit had Mallory's back to make sure her dreams came true.

Dark Debt was an awesome addition to the Chicagoland Vampire series. I read and listen to the audio book with each new book. To anyone who loves audio books, Sophie Eastlake does such an amazing job with each and every book in this series.



No comments: