Biting Cold

Chicagoland Vampires, Book 6

By: Chloe Neill

Narrated by: Sophie Eastlake

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Turned into a vampire against her will, 28-year-old Merit found her way into the dark circle of Chicago's vampire underground, where she learned there was more to supernaturals than met the eye - and more supernaturals than the public ever imagined. And not all the secrets she learned were for sharing - among humans or inhumans.

Now Merit is on the hunt, charging across the stark American Midwest, tailing a rogue supernatural intent on stealing an ancient artifact that could unleash catastrophic evil on the world. But Merit is also the prey. An enemy of Chicagoland is hunting her, and he'll stop at nothing to get the book for himself. No mercy allowed. No rules apply. No lives spared. The race is on.

©2012 Chloe Neill (P)2012 Tantor

Merit doesn't take no for an answer

I cried with Merit when Ethan died. I was pissed at Ethan for once again him stepping away, so glad Merit took the bull by the horns

I loved it, BUT

Well, like a lot of other reviews, I did not like our narrator for this book. I got used to Merit's new voice pretty quick. As for the guys voices, that is another story. I loved all of their sexy voices in the other books. They all changed to a dweeb voice. Ethan's masculinity and sexiness went out the window and was not believable. All I hear now from him are eye glasses and a little bow tie. I made it through this book and have decided that I will carry on with the rest because when I checked the future books, they were by the same narrator. I do love the books so far though.

Very good story

Narrator did a fine job with reading the story.
One of the best parts for me was when Tate touched the book.
Catcher & Jeff are some of my favorite co-stars in the story
Love Merritt& Ethan

Thank heaven for a new narrator!

Would you listen to Biting Cold again? Why?

I don't often listen to fiction books a second time. Once you know how it's going to end, it's a bit anti-climactic.

What did you like best about this story?

The new narrator. I swear I was going to pull out all my hair listening to Cynthia Holloway's mispronunciations! Cynthia, FFS, the word is "undoubtedly" NOT "undoubtably!"

Have you listened to any of Sophie Eastlake’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Haven't listened to her before, and am seldom swayed by who narrates a book. It's just Cynthia Holloway's apparent unfamiliarity with English pronunciation that drove me crazy!

Any additional comments?

Please keep Sophie for future books or at least please don't use Cynthia.

Great story and narrator

I think everyone was a bit hard on the narrator. I thought she did an excellent job, and the book was just as entertaining!!

Entertaining story, change of narrator!?!

The story was entertaining and I enjoyed it. I knew there was a change of narrator beginning with this book in the series, but that wasn't going to stop me from continuing. I love Sophie Eastlake's tone and think she performs female voices very well. The problem is with her male characters; they all sound the same! I pine for the voice of Ethan from the previous books, who was filled with emotion and sophistication. I miss the distinctive voices of Catcher, as well as all of the other male characters in Chicagoland.

Different narrator did an excellent job

Any additional comments?

I saw that others didn't like the change in narrator, but I didn't have a problem with her. I like her narration as much as, if not more than, the previous narrator. Regardless of the narrator, I am hooked this series! It's a lighter take on the paranormal story and yet it's still engaging. I really care about the characters and can't wait to find out what they'll do next.

Series stays strong!

What did you like best about this story?

This time the story reveals Merrit as an individual without just being an extension of her master and no longer the vamp with a chip on her shoulder. As Merrit has come into her own, she is ready to be a partner rather than bit player in her own love life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Since the first book of the series I have been hooked and this book is no different. The story and characters keep me on the edge wanting to know what happens next.

Any additional comments?

The change in narrator does need to be acknowledged, especially if like me, when you find a series you like you read/ listen end to end. After recognizing the initial switch, I could still dive into the book. The range of emotion and changes from character to character are not as dynamic and the female characters are better represented than the male.

Awesome

Settled some key things in the series. Really enjoyed this one in particular. Action packed.

New Narrator Overshadows Great Plot!

Let me start with the most apparent thing everyone who LOVES the Chicagoland Vampires series is going to notice - there's a new narrator. Now sometimes that's a good thing...unfortunately, here it is not.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Sophie Eastlake is a great narrator - but when you've had the SAME narrator (Cynthia Holloway) for the first five books of the series, bringing in a newbie just doesn't work. I was so distracted by new speech patterns and accents (especially Luc's) that I lost track of the story at times and had to keep backtracking.

With all that said. Let's move past that and look at the actual story itself...without giving away any spoilers.

In the first few books the focus was mainly just on Merit getting a handle on her new lifestyle (as a vampire). Book four was focused pretty intently on the Merit-Ethan relationship. In book five, not only did we see Merit really come into her own, but we also learned a lot about Mallory and her powers. Now, with book six, the focus is put on "relationships:" Merit and Ethan, Merit and Mallory, Mallory and Catcher, etc.

In these last two books of the Chicagoland Vampires series (Drink Deep and Biting Cold), Chloe Neill has managed to grow even closer with her characters. Now that [us] readers have gotten to know the characters, she has started to weave the plot even more intricately. For this reason alone, I would NOT recommend this book for someone who has not read the previous installments. But, I would recommend Biting Cold for anyone who is a fan of the urban fantasy or paranormal genres. It is also perfect for those looking for a good PNR or urban fantasy with a little more bite (pun intended) than a similar book in the YA genre.

Even though I was left with some disappointment, I will continue on following this series. As always, the ending left me wanting more. Luckily we don't have to wait too long; book 7 (House Rules) comes out on February 5, 2013.