Biting Bad

Chicagoland Vampires Series, Book 8

By: Chloe Neill

Narrated by: Sophie Eastlake

Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

Merit has been a vampire for only a short while, but she's already seen a lifetime's worth of trouble. She and her Master, centuries-old Ethan Sullivan, have risked their lives time and again to save the city they love. But not all of Chicago is loving them back. Anti-vampire riots are erupting all over town, striking vampires where it hurts the most.

A splinter group armed with Molotov cocktails and deep-seated hate is intent on clearing the fanged from the Windy City come hell or high water. Merit and her allies rush to figure out who's behind the attacks, who will be targeted next, and whether there's any way to stop the wanton destruction. The battle for Chicago is just beginning, and Merit is running out of time.

©2013 Chloe Neill (P)2013 Tantor

DON'T CHANGE NARRATOR MID SERIES

DON'T CHANGE NARRATOR MID SERIES AND IF YOU DO, AT LEAST GET SOMEONE WITH THE SAME STYLE.

Terrific story.

outstanding story as usual and a terrific performance! Many plot twists and turns and of course surprises well worth the read.

Love this series!!!!!

Not so much the narration but I am still hooked on the first narrator for this series. I am getting used to the change but it's a real pity to have to. I think it should be a rule that if you start narrating a series you keep at it (unless you are voted as real crap) The story line is chugging along nicely. Not real explosive this time but a carry-on in the story..waiting on the next installment.....

B+ rating...

My Review:
Overall: 4.0
Performance: 4.5
Story: 3.5

In this installment of the Chicagoland Vampires, it's Valentines Day, but rather than getting to enjoy a romantic night with her love, Merit is tracking down malcontents...groups of humans rioting around the city against vampires. Of course that's not all there is to the story...there's also Malory who is trying to figure out where she goes next as a witch who still doesn't trust her magic. There's Jonah, who's dating. There's the new part of the city government, McKittrick, which no one trusts. Oh, and there's another of the city's vampire house's who have to move into Cadigan house temporarily. It's normal vampire chaos...something Merit should be used to at this point.

But this world was thrust upon her, and she still has moments where she misses the days when she was simply a normal college student...not fighting for her life and her house and her love. The last ten months have given her quite a dramatic change to her life.

I continue to enjoy the series. I have to admit, I'm so glad I took a break from it for a while. Because before I was about ready to give it up entirely. Now it feels fresh and I'm enjoying listening to the books so much more. I already have #9 loaded into my iPod. I can't wait to start it tomorrow.

And I do recommend these on audio. The narrator is brilliant and I love her many, many, many voices. This is a diverse cast of characters and Sophie Eastlake does a brilliant job with all of them. I love her narration.

Biting Bad is biting great.

If you could sum up Biting Bad in three words, what would they be?

Page turning action

What was one of the most memorable moments of Biting Bad?

Merit and Mallory's repair of their relationship.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

I did not like the way the narrator voiced Ethan. It made him sound a little on the whiny
side, which is not what Ethan Sullivan is. After a few chapters, I was able to begin
enjoying the book. It must be hard to give voices and character to as many personalities as this book has.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

I love these stupid books.

I have a Master's degree in English Literature. I am also eight books into this series and have no intention of stopping. Do they make me cringe sometimes? Yes. Do I want to replace her editor, who apparently cannot pick up on repetition of words and phrases within the same paragraph? Absolutely. Do I occasionally skip forward through the sex scenes because I just cannot deal with the incredibly purple prose? Definitely.

All of that said, I am riveted by all of these attractive vampires and their problems. I've read similar series: Laurel K Hamilton and the Sookie Stackhouse novels, for example, but they always jump the shark (wereshark?) and lose me along the line. These books manage to keep all of the intrigue and sex appeal of the supernatural world without drifting into the ridiculous or the masturbatory. Neill has a real gift for coming up with plausible mysteries that are compelling without making you roll your eyes at them. Her bad guys are bad without being absurd and her good guys are good without being too perfect. It's clear that she goes into each book with a solid idea instead of just the desire for another paycheck.

Another thing she does well is actually produce likable characters instead of just deciding who the 'good guys' are and telling you to like them.

Biting Bad

I love the books I could not put them down and when. you have someone read it to you they bring the book a life I have read 8 of the books I can't. wait until I have money to buy the last 4 book. and also have them read to me. Choler Neill vampires. book are great the last book Butting Bad : was so strong and the reader was so good.

BEST ONE YET

Could not put this one down! As a whodunnit I was kept guessing longer than usual, and the "what/where/why" all came together nicely, with plenty of suspense, over the final few chapters. Neill's increasingly deft writing style & plot devices, plus her typically sympathetic handling of recurring characters, together made "Biting Bad" my favorite ibook n the series (so far).

As for narrator Sophie Eastlake, her frequent - and repeated - mispronunciations of certain words often made me wonder whether she or the line producer owned a dictionary between them! Happily, this seemed to be less of a problem in this volume, and I find her a competent narrator in all other respects. Here's hoping I'll find she's done her homework before recording in all her future titles.

Biting Bad/Tastes and Sounds Delicious

Being a huge fan of Chicagoland Vampire books, this book was greatly anticipated. And, it does not disappoint. The story is well thought out, the characters (who by now are old friends) are fun to reconnect with, the writing is crisp and strong and Ms Neill's voice becomes more clear and effective with each successive book. Sophie Eastlake's performance is SPOT-ON!! She delivers a great and masterful interpretation of the dialogue; her voices match the characters (she does a damn good Ethan) and the intonation/inflection certainly indicates that she didn't just pick this book up and start reading it out loud. The relationship between Ethan and Merit continues to evolve and Ms. Eastlake's reading of them reflects exactly that. Of course, the read is contingent on the writing and Ms. Neill is getting stronger with every book. I sure hope the next one is out soon and that Ms Eastlake is once again in the driver's seat as the performer. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Fantastic

I think this might have been my favorite entry in the series. There was a lot of action, a lot of romance, and many appearances by the characters we've come to know throughout the whole series. It's nice to see the continued rehabilitation of Mallory and the apparent end of one of the arcs that's been going on over the last several books. The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger and I can't wait until the next one comes out. Sophie Eastlake as narrator did a fantastic job.