"All Souls' Night" by Jennifer Armintrout

“They didn’t have time to get out of the way, and I heard body parts hitting the undercarriage of the vehicle. It reminded me of the way dandelion heads sounded smacking against the bottom of my little red wagon as I’d pulled it through the backyard as a child.”

Anyone who has read books one thru three of the Blood Ties books by Jennifer Armintrout (I love her last name, so rememberable!!) knows that they are exceedingly well written. In a genre (paranormal romance/urban fantasy or whatever you want to call it) that is plagued by subpar examples of published writing, they are seriously above and beyond what many have come to expect. The plots are always well-paced, and the characters believable and never one-dimensional. So, when I began reading All Souls’ Night, the fourth and final book in the series, it was with high expectations.

I was not to be disappointed. The action in the book immediately picked up in an unexpected way, as the apartment Carrie and Nathan are borrowing is broken into. After a rough little tussle, they realize that their home invader is not what he seems and a new ally is found. As those who are up to date on the series know, book four is all about evading and stopping the Soul Eater, who is on his way to becoming a god and wrecking all sorts of havoc on man (and vampire) kind. Old friends reappear, including some ‘dead’ ones. This book is a shining example of how difficult it really is to kill a vampire for good…

There are surprises in almost every chapter of this book. Perhaps the biggest surprise comes at the very end (don’t worry, no spoilers). Armintrout found a very inventive and satisfying way to conclude her Blood Ties series; even the most die-hard fans should be pleased with the way everything wraps up. All in all, this was a really great book, easily four stars. However, do yourself a favor and start reading this series at the beginning. If you try to jump into it in the middle, you are going to be confused and will almost certainly get less out of it.

*****I do feel obligated, as a reviewer, to disclose that there is a very graphic sex scene involving two men towards the beginning of the book. It didn’t offend me (although I was pretty surprised at how graphic it was), but in reading other reviews, I have discovered that other readers WERE offended by it, and felt that they should have been somehow warned about it. As I am recommending this book, I thought it appropriate to include this disclaimer*****