I really, really don't know what to do with this book... I can't even decide how to rate it(I change my mind every ten minutes). It had moments where I wanted to clap my hands and have a little happy dance and then I'd read something and want to close the book and save myself the disappointment. I wanted to cry at some points because all my expectations turned to dust!
*****SPOILERS*****
I'd decided I wouldn't use spoilers for this one but I don't know how to do it and explain at the same time why I was disappointed, so spoilers it is.
I will begin by saying that this Vlad has nothing to do with the Vlad from Night Huntress, he doesn't even resemble the more mundane edition of him from [b:Once Burned|7039218|Once Burned (Night Prince, #1)|Jeaniene Frost|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1335738276s/7039218.jpg|7288100]. I want the unyielding, arrogant, heartless, full of dark humor SOB he once was back.
This Vlad was wrapped around Leila's finger for the better part of the book like a schoolboy with his first crush. He kept saying "if you do this or that, I'll _______" - fill the blank with lock you up, punish you, etc - , and then he forgave her every time. And as if that wasn't enough, he had to go out of his way to give her everything she wanted at the end. And I do mean everything. Meh...
I can't believe I'm saying it but my favorite moment in the book with him was when he broke Leila's heart. At least at that point he was the Vlad I knew and loved (you know...Cold, cruel, cynical).
I just kept reading and trying to understand who this new hero was and had he done with my Vlad. The worst drawback in this was that you couldn't see the changes happening. There wasn't a developement period. One day he was cold and heartless and the next he was a mat for Leila to walk all over. I just can't see this happening. Maybe if the changes happened one at a time I could suck it up and say "well, the man fell in love, of course he would change" but it was like he slept one night and woke up another person.
And then of course we have Leila. Leila the strong, brave, gutsy heroine of the first book has become Lela the whiny, naive, needy little girl from the second. What happened to her? So Vlad can't love her, so what?
***NEWS FLASH Girl, you knew that going in. He said he can't love you first thing in the relationship, he never promised you anything. If you want more than he can give you, you man up and leave him.***
But no...She had to become clingy and humiliate both of them before she finally got that he couldn't give her what she wanted. And of course after that she had to believe the worst of him because... because... well, the only reason I can think of was that did what he had promised from the beginning, protected and sexed her up without promising his undying love. Yeap...I can deffinitely see why she would believe that after he gave her exactly what he promised her, he could do the things she suspects him for.
So what I have to say to Leila is... Grow up and stop acting like a bratty 15 year old who thinks the world goes in circles around you.
Now for the book in general... For the most part my big disappoinment in the book were the characters. That isn't to say that it didn't have it's good moments. Moments when the good, old Vlad we know and love, came out to play and moments when Leila thought of someone besides herself but they just couldn't tip the balance with the rest in my opinion. There were also exchanges where the old Vlad (the ruthless, dark one) showed his beautiful self and then... Meh. Leila caught his balls again.
I don't know if it was the high expectations I had for this one or the anticipation for something good but I was brought down to Earth none too gently.
The last 1/4 of the book was somewhat better, or at least the action helped to get over the disasters of the first half of the book. Through the whole book I sat there and prayed that my beloved Vlad would come back but in the end I ended up with Leila's man. That's exactly what happened to him, he wasn't Vlad anymore he was "Leila's man".
I know the book had good moments...I actually quite enjoyed it at some points but I just can't even remember them right now. My mind has stopped at the bad things and can't get over them.
PS. Please Frost, give us Vlad back in the next book. PLEASE!
