Magic Graves: One for the Money (Night Huntress #4.5) by Jeaniene Frost ; A Questionable Client (Kate Daniels #0.5) - Ilona Andrews

One for the Money (Night Huntress #4.5) - Jeaniene Frost

3.5 Stars

Unlike the two previous Novellas, this one is of Cat and Bones. It was a nice enough story, Cat taking up a guarding job from her uncle Don to protect a girl who is targeted for her life by her cousin wanting her fortune. The girl was quite annoying and Cat and Bones were soon sick of her. They encountered Cat's mother and we see for once that Bones and Justina are sort of mending their attitude against one another.

I liked it but it really lacked "meat", it was just too short to stand on it's own. In a way there wasn't any "point" to the job they got and how it concluded. I see it more as an introduction to Justina accepting more of Bones and her new condition as a vampire.

A Questionable Client (Kate Daniels #0.5) - Ilona Andrews

2 Stars

This is the first I'm reading by Ilona. I have one book by her marked to be read - "Clean Sweep" - which I added after I read a recommendation about it (can't recall who it was though..).

I'll start by saying that this genre isn't my type. If it's yours you might really enjoy it, so don't take my word for it if this is you "thing" :)

First it's a kind of dystopian world which usually I don't handle too well, the world is different than it used to be, there is magic though limited to certain times and the technology works occasionally, didn't really get when that one works of the other. Kate is a mercenary who works for a guild who gives her the jobs. She is very well paid to guard someone for one night (I'm guessing this dude is important to the series, or will make an appearance). There are a lot of strange creatures I've never heard of (I don't know if it's me lacking in knowledge or if they are simply invented by Ilona) and there are groups with certain agendas,the world is very different from how we know it. 

Basically it's a fantasy world, maybe somewhere in the past I would have liked it, I don't know, but for me, especially for a short novella there were SO many details to take into account I just couldn't handle it and half of the time I wasn't sure what I was reading. I can honestly say, I didn't get it, I'm sorry. 

There is a good pace to this one, a lot of action, weird details about the world. If you like this kind of dystopian messed up with creatures, magic and technology it might totally be your thing. 

I'm starting to wonder about "Clean Sweep", I'll have to read again the synopsis to see if it would be my thing. It's one thing reading a short novella in a genre I'm not really into, reading a whole book is something else.

Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 162 pages, 3-4 February 2014 / On GoodReads

 

 

ABOUT THIS SERIES

 

The Night Huntress is a great, action packed, funny and romantic Urban Fantasy Series by Jeaniene Frost. The Series follows Cat the half breed Vampire and Bones her Vampire lover. Together they fight humans as well as mythological creatures (like other Vampires, Ghouls, Ghosts and more). The Series contains a total of 7 full novels and one short novella finishing their story line. Besides these, there are also 2 more short novellas, one of Bones before he met Cat and another of the both of them with no real connection to the main plot line (published after the 4th novel). There is no significant to the series in reading these two. After the series was finished another book was published - Outtakes from the Grave containing a "Director's Cut" of deleted scenes and alternate versions. 

There are a few more outside novels listed as "Night Huntress World". Two short novellas of outside characters (Happily Ever After & Devil to Pay) with no significant or relevant to the Night Huntress series as well as two full length novels of Charles and Denise - First Drop of Crimson / Mencheres and Kira - Eternal Kiss of Darkness. I inserted those books in the right reading / publishing order in the list bellow. Even though you don't have to read them to understand Cat and Bones' series, the two full length novels explain how the two couples came together and mind you, both of them are GREAT! :) They have a different feel to them since they have alternation POV of the MC and also, naturally they are not Cat and Bones, yet it is in their world and there are "guest appearances" of our favorite characters. 

There are two spin-off series to the Night Huntress World. First "Night Prince" of Vlad the Impaler finding his HEA with Kira which is currently my absolutely FAVORITE PNR / UF books! Second is "Night Rebel" of Ian and Veritas these are superb as well! While these two sub-series can totally be read as "stand alone" series, just bare in mind, characters from all over the Night Huntress World at times make an appearance. I don't think it's necessary to read them if you don't feel like it though.  

I really recommend this series to all PNR and UF lovers. Though Cat CAN be a overly stubborn and sometimes childish she is one hell of a Grim Reaper (with red hair :)). She kicks ass, and it's always fun reading of a strong woman who can handle her opponents as well as hold her liquor. I enjoyed the extra "Night Huntress World" novellas but mostly loved the two full length novels of Cat and Bone's friends as well as Ian and Veritas' spin-off. The absolute joy, the cream and the cherry as well as the chocolate cake and banana muffins are the Night Prince novels. MY GOD I don't know how I lived before reading them..

 

Books:

-- Reckoning (Short- Bones) (published 29 November 2011) ★★★½
1. Halfway to the Grave (published 30 October 2007) ★★★★½
-- Happily Ever After (Short- Chance & Isa) (published 19 July 2011) ★★★★★
2. One Foot in the Grave (published 29 April 2008) ★★★★½
3. At Grave's End (published 1 January 2009) ★★★★★
-- Devil to Pay (Short- Mencheres, Elis & Blake) (published 23 August 2011) ★★★★★
4. Destined for an Early Grave (+ deleted alternate sub plot August 2014) (published 28 July 2009) ★★★★½
4.5 Magic Graves: One for the Money (published 1 September 2011) ★★★
-- NH World 1. First Drop of Crimson (Charles & Denise) (published 9 February 2010) ★★★★★
-- NH World 2. Eternal Kiss of Darkness (Mencheres & Kira) (published 27 July 2010) ★★★★★
5. This Side Of The Grave (published 22 February 2011) ★★★½
6. One Grave at a Time (published 30 August 2011) ★★ 
[ Night Prince 1 + 2 ]
6.5 Home for the Holidays (published 5 November 2013) ★★★★★
7. Up From the Grave (published 28 January 2014) ★★★½
7.5 Outtakes from the Grave (published 22 December 2015)
[ Night Prince 3 + 4-> Night Rebel Series ]