Uhhhh this really upped the stakes in a bonkers kind of way??

It's wild how much more powerful and intense the villain and the stakes in this one are, and it feels weird to have it be that huge by only the second book in a series. A lot of this felt like it could have trimmed and kept the story more streamlined, because even with all the extraneous scenes and fights and side quests, the climax and emotional resolutions still felt like they were approached at a ridiculously fast pace.

One thing I hope is addressed or changed a little in this series is how much guilt Kate takes on for anyone who happens to be hurt or dies around her. It's character flaw that makes sense in some regards, but in others it's just infuriating. When a certain character died in this, I could NOT believe her reaction to the death. Not one moment of it. It felt so over the top and ridiculous, even for the guilt complex she has. I get that Kate is lonely and her father was the reason she has so many of these emotional complexes, but to make that person's death - and the choices THAT PERSON made (yes, because of what she inspired in them, but THEY MADE THEIR OWN CHOICES) - all about herself and her feelings and how she always gets people hurt and killed and blah blah blah? Come onnn.

Still, this was a solid, fun ride in urban fantasy. I love the slow reveals of what Kate's power/bloodline could be, and the tension with Curran is SO good. Just absolutely hilarious at times, these two. 

One thing I have to add that I'm liking about this series as a whole is how GROSS it is. These shapeshifters and vampires aren't romanticized at ALL. They're all about body horror and Kate still fears them on an instinctual level, and it's fucking fantastic.