Hello everyone!
With my book reading situation now resolved, even though it really wasn't that bad, I can now return to catching up on all the new releases which came out in the meantime.
See, the good thing about e-readers is that the light from their screens isn't the same as from a computer or phone or television, it's less damaging to the eyes and therefore you can read more and quicker (unless you read for 24 hours straight, but that's beside the point haha).
So of course once I got my Kobo up and running again I had to load all my favourites and the new releases, which turned out to be a bit of a pile in the end.
And then it was just the task of chewing through what I'd set myself up to read.
Among those waiting on my TBR list was the newest book by J. R. Ward.
So of course, tonight's blog post will be all about The Thief.
The Thief is book number sixteen in the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, and let me tell you, it got some weird shizz going on in there.
But since it IS 16, and I've been reading Ward for a while now, you'll be able to find links to all my other reviews of her vampire series at the bottom of this page, as per usual. I'm still missing a heck of a lot but I do also have a number of them too.
So, The Thief.
I have to say, I was reluctant to pick this one up.
It has everything to do with number 15 which we will not name, and nothing whatsoever with the rest of the series. In fact, I've re-read the first 13 books quite happily a couple of times by now. With 14, The Beast, I was sort of meh about it, in some way, but it was also generally still alright.
And then 15 happened, and when 16 was published it took me absolutely forever to open it and start reading.
It helped that I read Dearest Ivie before The Thief, however, because the novella restored my faith in the author's storytelling powers. I could then at least open The Thief with a lighter heart, if nothing else.
There are a couple of storylines in this book, and I'm not going to try and jump in and out of them as it's been written chronologically. I'm going to go by story and then work from there.
Since the title IS about a thief, readers knew that Sola was going to be making a reappearance, and if you recall, she and Assail had a thing before she left for Miami to live a regular, crime-free life. Meanwhile, Assail checked himself into vampire rehab and lost his mind during detox.
All in a day's work, as you do.
So the first story is of course their own, and I honestly thought there would be more of the two of them in their own book. But what there was, was quite nice, except I feel like Assail was a lot less aggressive than he used to be and he might have regained some spirit and energy at some point. Anyway.
Assail is about a hair's breadth away from death's door when his cousins decide enough is enough and they go for Sola. Her grandmother convinces (read: forces) her to pack up and they return to Caldwell, and Assail actually comes back to animated life when Sola comes to see him. As the story about his illness is that he has cancer, however, time proves you can only keep up the lie for so long before things don't start adding up. The next step is him admitting to the rehab and detox, and then they get sidetracked when her grandmother drops from sheer exhaustion.
Luckily, the old bird is tough, and she'll pull through AND wants to convert Assail to a Catholic boy so he can marry her Sola.
Oh and also, Assail tells Sola about being a vampire and, after some general hiccups (and hilarious power-plays with Vishous) she decides that doesn't matter. She loves him, end of story, they'll stick together and that's that.
Story number two is about Vishous and Jane, which I was slightly annoyed about, not only because they'd already done a small rehash during Payne's story, but because they just took up almost the entire book that should have belonged to another couple!
And don't get me started on the whys and wheres, either.
The gist of this line is that they've drifted apart as a couple and V considers cheating and Jane considers leaving him and then shit hits the fan in their war against the bad guys (as in Phury almost gets shot in the head but Jane gets shot instead and she ends up at the Sanctuary) and they end up coming back together again and talking things out like regular adults.
Yeah, you can see I wasn't invested in this storyline.
First, because a bonded male isn't supposed to cheat, it just wouldn't cross his DNA makeup as per this world's rules.
Second, because it takes two to tango and I'm eyerolling at everyone somehow making V a sinner and Jane a saint.
And third, because the world would be such a better place if adults just TALKED.
But let me just say this: in no way am I on V's side of things. Ever. Cheating is a no-go, but as I've said up above, cheating shouldn't even pop on a bonded male's radar to begin with, so there you go. Whereas how everyone is up in arms about how Jane should have raked him over hot coals, but nobody seems to think twice that, really, Jane is about as warm as an ice block for most of the storyline until their ultimate reconciliation. I get it, she has work, but we ALL have work. Not taking the time, or making it, for her mate, especially since she of all people should KNOW she needs to do it as he's a logical asshat, well, that doesn't sit well with me. I was a whole lot more pissed with HER than with V, and that's saying something I think.
But honestly I'm just not ok with the entire storyline so I skipped through this one a lot. I'm hopefuly Jane will be there when V goes to pick up half-breed Jo so he doesn't scar the poor girl for life though (yup we have another one of those hitting transition, just like Beth did back in book one!).
And now for plot number three, which includes but isn't limited to holy water, shadows and Throe's weird obsession with a book.
The war is shifting, with the Omega having sort of miffed it somewhere, and the Scribe Virgin also poofing, and naming Lassiter as her successor (which V figures out and also that Boo's the Scribe Virgin). But instead of regular Lessers, some weird shadows are attacking civilians now, shadows that leave welts on the skin which will eventually kill you and then reanimate you as a zombie.
Unless you shoot them with hollow-tipped bullets, filled with water from the Scribe Virgin's sacred fountain.
V puts that happy little news together as well, and then on top of it all Phury and he realize a book is missing from the Sanctuary.
Obviously it's Throe's book, the one he's humping all over, and let me just tell you I've read some weird stuff in books but this has got to be one of the weirdest EVER. And he's just an addict growing steadily crazier, which doesn't really comfort me but I'm hopeful that someone out of the warriors will off him at some point.
Like Sola did with Vittoria, sister to the two mobsters that Assail killed when they abducted/raped Sola. See, sissy wanted to take over, but she messed with vampires and got killed.
Sorry, not sorry.
But of course there's got to be a cameo as well and wouldn't you know it, it's the crazy Brother that's been name-dropped a whole lot, Muhrder. Apparently, his book is next. And he wants an audience with the Blind King, so I'm just hoping Wrath can smack him upside the head and there won't be an infight at some point.
Although since the crazy vampire's ex is mated to another fighter, THAT is probably going to lead to another John/Xhex rehash which I'm not looking forward to.
But we'll see how it goes!
xx
*image not mine
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