2024 paranormal fantasy, third novel of its series. Bunny Barrington,
involuntary vampire and new-made police in a tiny supernatural town in
Alaska, tries to work out who stole the gems that power the magical
barrier.
There's a sharp turn away here from folkloric monsters like
werewolves and vampires into the authors' own lore, and to me it's not
as satisfying as seeing what they do with someone else's ideas. So
there are four fist-sized gems, tied to the classical elements; and
they're cursed; and they're super-powerful… eh, I think my
dissatisfaction may be because I'm completely in the dark about what
their capabilities might be; when some new revelation comes along, I
haven't been able to make any informed speculation about what it
might have been, and that robs the narrative of tension.
Apart from that, there's less consistency than before: e.g. Bunny is
surprised and impressed that her One True Love spots a Monty Python
reference even though it was part of their meet-cute back in the first
book and she has a photographic memory.
Another step down in my enjoyment, I'm afraid; so far the first book
of this series is the one I've liked most.
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