Into the Fire (Night Prince #4) by Jeaniene Frost

What a JOY getting the final installment in the Night Prince series. I waited for this one SO LONG, and it was SO worth the wait! Not only that, the ending brought with it an announcement I'm also pumped about (but I'll get to that later ;)). I grabbed this book Saturday afternoon, and put my kindle aside only when I finished. ~sigh~ how I missed Vlad and Leila, and also Jeaniene writing. Getting sucked into the Night Huntress World again was everything I hoped it would be. I actually liked we didn't get more of Cat and Bones, but we DID get a lot of Ian and Mencheres.

The plot continues where we left off, frankly I didn't really remember where THAT was, but Jeaniene did a good job of reminding us the main things. First the fact that Leila is connected to Mircea - a necromancer who is also Vlad's stepson and nephew. His wife at the time, betrayed Vlad with his brother Radu. Mircea's magic backfired when he tried to harm Leila resulting in the bond they now share - if he is harmed, she feels it on her skin, and vice versa. Mostly meaning if someone killed Mircea - Leila would die, which also means no matter how much Vlad wants to kill Mircea, he can't do that before he breaks the spell. 



That's where Mencheres and Ian comes into the picture. Mencheres used to practice magic YEARS ago, but it seems Ian has his connection to the world of magic himself. So Mencheres offers Vlad Ian's help, though both aren't really into working together. Ian is always fun to read, but his silly behavior is not something the serious Vlad has any tolerance to.. and moreover he doesn't trust him because Ian is known for playing tricks that makes HIM laugh and others? Ian couldn't care less if they survived the joke.. 

Finally, we get the backstory of how Leila acquired her special powers and through that a way for Leila to break the spell - with a great price to be paid.. I gotta say that in the end, there were things left unsaid and unresolved, I wonder if it means we'll get another "Night Huntress World" novel of two who deserves a HEA after everything they endured (alone and together). Also the resolve with Mircea was somehow weak. I actually liked the way it was handled and yet I needed even one more chapter to SEE what it means. 

I'm not really complaining about anything because I LOVED the whole novel, the dynamics between all the characters, the way Leila and Vlad WORKED. I mean, they have so many disagreements, and yet what rules it all is an unyielding and consuming love. It's more than the fairy-tale kind of love, it's something powerful and demanding. Leila is so much more than meets the eye, Ian has a beautiful saying about that. She might be young and inexperienced about many things, but she shares so much of Vlad's passion she also understands him and truly accepts him with his many flaws. I couldn't have asked for someone more perfect for either one of them.  

The ride was filled with action, fire and lightning, but once it was over I was happy for Vlad and Leila for making it out not only "alive and well" but also with a stronger love and a deeper understanding of each other and a commitment to envy. 

One last thing that actually has very little to do with this one and EVERYTHING to do with what's next - Ian! Many fans (me included) waited for Jeaniene to announce a Night Huntress World novel about Ian finding his HEA and yet it never came.. now we know why! Ian won't be getting a single novel, like Vlad and Leila, he's getting a spin-off of his own called NIGHT REBEL. Not only that, the heroine next to him is Veritas (The Law Guardian) - YIKES! We find many interesting hints about Ian and his enemies and a glimpse into HOW powerful Veritas is. Can't wait to get their story and so happy Jeaniene isn't leaving this world behind - I loved it and missed it so much! 

Rating: ★★★★★

E-Book Edition

389 pages

Read on: 4-Mar-2017

ABOUT THIS SERIES

 

The Night Prince is the much anticipated and ADORED spin off to the Night Huntress by Jeaniene Frost.It's the love story of Vlad the Impaler. 

 

Vlad came into my live and I never want him to leave... Right now, these books, telling us his and Leila's story are my absolute favorite PNR / UF books. Vlad, for sure, is my absolute favorite male character in a PNR series. In one word YUM! 

 

Vlad and Leila's story takes place close to the ending of the Night Huntress series. To be exact the first 2 novels take place after the 6th installment ("One Grave at a Time") and the last two after the 7th and final novel in the Night Huntress series ("Up from the Grave"). There are double appearance of Vlad & Leila in the Night Huntress and Cat & Bones in the Night Prince so if you wanna do it "right" stick to the reading order listed bellow. You COULD read the Night Prince before the Night Huntress series, you'll just be introduced to Cat & Bones there.. 

There are four books in this series. The first book starts before Leila and Vlad actually meet and follow the build up of their relationship. Leila is a lot more than a "common average human" and they truly find in each other their match. 

 
Throughout the books they try together to best Vlad's long lost nemesis - Szilagyi Mihaly - who have been plotting against Vlad for YEARS, gathering strength, power and allies to be able to FINALLY get rid of him. Yet we are talking about Vlad freaking Tepesh, it's obvious how it's going to end - death and destruction, and a lot of it by fire! :) OH JOY! 

 

Books: 

1. Once Burned (published 26 June 2012) ★★★★★
2. Twice Tempted (published 26 March 2013) ★★★★★
3.  Bound by Flames (published 27 January 2015) ★★★★★
4.  Into the Fire (published 28 February 2017) ★★★★★